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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“The CET statutory board shall learn from our Nanyang Polytechnic which caters to the needs of the new investments coming to Singapore by working closely with the industries. In the case of CET, it should work closely with not only the industries which are coming but also industries going out from Singapore so that we can prepare our workers well in advance. Sir, the challenge to CET board is in fact to come out with creative marking strategies to excite workers to enrol themselves for this continuing learning and training. MOM may want to learn from McDonalds again on how it can create the herd mentality that even those who claim that they had no time, no money, or the bo chap group, also queued up for the 'Hello Kitty'. I hope that we have a long queue for 'Hello Teacher'.”
“Sir, continuing education and training is a new name in this new economy. In the old economy, we call this lifelong learning. Thus, continuing education and learning is not a new concept, but the Government's determination is new and it is news. The labour movement has been talking about this concept of continuing education and training for many years, and lately, lifelong learning has become a festival - Lifelong Learning Festival. In fact, in many of the stories we read during our childhood days, our ancestors were talking about how to keep ourselves relevant to the time and to the organisation, and have an advantage over our competitors or rivals through lifelong learning. At this point of time, most Singaporeans, except the bo chap group, know the importance of CET and many retrenched workers, including the PMEs, regret very much that they do not have the relevant skills to take on the new jobs available. Other workers, who fear to be retrenched, hope that they can reskill themselves as soon as possible. Thus, the annoucement of the CET statutory board is hope to many. However, I would caution that we should be pragmatic and realistic and set our priority and target right. The main objectives of the CET should be to re-skill Singaporeans for both the new jobs in the New Economy or traditional jobs which Singaporeans in the past were doing, but not doing now, and more and more foreign workers are doing them. Sir, priority should be given to the industries which are vulnerable to the New Economy so that workers in these industries, as a group, can learn the new skills together. Next in line should be the companies facing relocation possibilities. We should aim at individuals who will be in and out of employment in the New Economy.”
“Currently, we have the Traffic Police driving licence demerit points system, the taxi companies' demerit points system as well as the enforcement unit of LTA managing the disciplinary procedures of taxi drivers. So the only way out for taxi drivers to appeal against any unfair judgement on them is to go to the civil court. The cost is high, let alone rental cost as well as loss of time and time wasted.”
“Sir, I will drive very fast. First, let me declare my interest. I am the Advisor to the three Taxi Drivers' Associations - Comfort, CityCab and TIBS. Thus, in Singapore, whenever I board a taxi, I do not need to pay, but I have to pay when I get down, as usual. Sir, under the new regulatory framework for the taxi operators, taxi companies are to pay a levy of $25 per taxi per month to the Government to finance the cost of enforcing taxi service standards. This means that the taxi industry needs to pay the Government $5.7 million per year to enforce service standards. Sir, when the Government is trying ways and means to lower the business costs, I see this move as going in the opposite direction and driving up the cost of taxi driving. The taxi drivers are concerned that, eventually, they need to bear part or all of the $5.7 million. The commuters now foresee that the additional cost will be passed to them and I believe the taxi companies must be thinking of how to pass this additional cost to either the taxi drivers or the commuters. So the question I would like the Minister to clarify is: must we impose a direct increase of $5.7 million operating cost on the taxi operators? If the issue is taxi service standard, is the $25 levy per taxi per month the only viable solution? I would strongly urge the Minister to review this creative way of enforcing service standard by imposing a fee rather than an incentive. Are our taxi services that bad that require $5.7 million annually to make it better? Sir, while the Government is seeking vigorously to enforce a taxi service standard, may I ask whether the Government will consider providing a clear arbitration and appeal framework for the taxi drivers without the need to go to the civil court?”
“But in the present day situation, even the graduates are having problems making ends meet. Mr Low mentioned that nowadays, a university graduate had to work as a hawker selling roasted chestnuts. Why not ? If you can package the chestnuts in such a way that it becomes a national brand, it could well be a good business proposition too. So under the present situation, in some families, the parents are unemployed, the children are unemployed, even the graduates cannot be spared. I think we have to focus our attention on the genuine cases of hardship, the truly poor and needy, and move away from the past practice of "a piece of candy for everyone". If we can adopt these new spirits quickly, I am confident that we will be able to get out of the hard times soon and I must say that this budget is one that prescribes the correct medicine for our present economic ailment. With a bit of luck, we will be well and good pretty soon! I support the motion. 12.10 pm”
“They do not come because of our activities that we are preparing for them. So I hope that when we are planning our financial policies we should not let the people fall into any of these categories. Sir, to face the new challenges in the new economy, I urge the Government to foster the three new spirits among Singaporeans. Firstly, we should encourage our people to learn and adapt to changes. When we are being threatened, we must find ways to counter the threats. Just as we are threatened with the cut-off of our water supply, we have new alternatives, such as NEWater or desalinated water. Singapore is able to survive because we are very good in adapting to changes. We must also cultivate our citizens of all ages and all stations of life to be ready and able to adapt to changes. We have to boost their confidence so that they have hope. Secondly, we have also to encourage our people to make ours a learning nation. Last year, President Nathan mentioned that he started life as an office attendant and worked his way up to become a senior civil servant, a diplomat and eventually the President. Even our Senior Minister started learning to use the computer at a very senior age. So I think we should all learn. We should have the spirit of lifelong learning among us, and this spirit must be sustained. We should provide the facilities and convenience to motivate our citizens to become learning citizens. We may have to learn from McDonald's how they created this herd mentality that prompted people to queue up all over the island to buy their "Hello Kitty" toys! Thirdly, we must be more focused in helping the poor and needy. When we talk about the poor and needy, we would normally refer to the low-income families.”
“Mr Low mentioned just now that the PAP Government has a lot of means to make a lot of wealth, but he was being cynical. So, I think the problem is perhaps the Government is being too efficient and generous and has given away too many rebates and shares. On top of this, you do not need to worry about the shortage of water even when there is no rain. Secondly, there are a lot of people who blame everyone else for all their difficulties but not themselves. Globalisation and regionalisation have brought about a lot of challenges. The employers would blame the employees for being too choosy, too lazy, etc, and the employees will complain that the employers are not employing them. Even though they know very well that they do not have the skill and competence to take on the job, they would say the employers do not want them because they are old or because they cannot speak English. I know of one man who even remarked that he was not employed because he was botak or bald. I received some SMS citing money not enough for them to celebrate the Chinese New Year. They complained that the employers had money but would not pay them more. They blame the employers. They blame the Government. They blame everyone, but they never blame themselves! They want to have a job that pays well, but they do not want to put in some efforts to acquire the necessary skills to deserve that job. I think our workers should work hard and try to upgrade their skills, for their own good. Thirdly, whenever there are activities, there are lucky draws. This is another strange phenomenon in our society. In the company dinners, and now even at our constituency functions and grassroots activities, people are attending only because of the lucky draws.”
“They are the so-called bo chap people. They do not care about what is happening around them. They do not know of the imminent danger of losing their jobs and simply refuse to go for training and retraining. When they eventually lose their jobs, they blame the Government for not looking after them. The Government needs to educate the short-sighted and the "switched-off" groups of people so as to enhance their awareness of the present situation before us. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked why there was no mention of the likely emergence of China in our economic review some 10 years ago. He must not forget that Senior Minister Lee started visiting China in the 1970s, even before China had adopted the "economic reform and opening to the outside world" in 1978. He encouraged people to invest in Xiamen and some of the coastal cities in China. More than two decades ago, he was already encouraging our people to take risks and venture overseas and some of our entrepreneurs did invest in China and faced the tough time initially. Mr Low said, "Let bygones be bygones, let us look at the future." I think we should do more than that. Let the past be the past, but there is still a future ahead of us. We have to make sure that the past mistakes are not repeated. I think the Government is caring too much for the people, so much so that the people are becoming over dependent on the Government. Over the years, we can see some undesirable trends in our society: First, giving a bit to everyone to make everyone happy. But, the question is: is everyone happy? When we distribute ang pows and the goodies, we want to give everybody a share so that everybody can be happy. But, many people would say it is not enough. Why is it that you have so much and I have so little? In the end, nobody is happy.”
“In the past, whenever we visited our constituency, and I believe my parliamentary colleagues will agree with me, and faced a resident who was unemployed, he would take it lightly as though he was just having a break. But now, when they are unemployed, they are very depressed. They told me they are prepared to take on any job offered to them, because they know job openings are not easy to come by nowadays. But when they are told that there are jobs in coffeeshops, they would give many excuses not to take up the offer.. People must accept all sorts of training to cope with the needs of the new economy. The fact that some still have not taken the first step to adjust to the new reality is that they do not realise that the world around them has changed so much. We need to make them aware of the rapid changes, and make them realise that they do have a place in the new economy. Different people may have different reactions to this Budget presented by the Finance Minister. In terms of awareness of the new challenges ahead, I would categorise our people into four different types: First, the foresighted. They know the problem, take proactive action and be pre-emptive. The Government and the successful entrepreneurs belong to this group. Second, we have the normal-sighted. They know the reality and adjust themselves to the new environment. They upgrade themselves and are coping well in the new economy. Most of our workers belong to this group. Third, we have the short-sighted. They fail to realise how fast the world is changing and do not adjust themselves to adapt to the new environment. Because of this, they lose their jobs and are not prepared to take on new jobs but simply wait and hope for the old jobs to come back to them. Fourth, we have the "switched-off".”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if you are the Finance Minister faced with the present difficulty, what type of budget would you present? We should ask this question of the Member for Hougang. He would only talk about caesarian birth or natural birth, but no delivery. My conclusion is that he has just a lot of ideas, but no solution. The important thing is that we must prescribe the correct medicine for the ailment. This year's budget is a very appropriate one, and I believe most of the people would agree with me. In fact, many people are saying that our Finance Minister has prescribed the correct medicine, while some were of the view that the dosage may not be strong enough. The Member for Bukit Timah said this is a herbal cure and he has asked for a fusion between the Western medicine and Chinese medicine, and even that Mr Low did not agree. He took it as just changing in form without changing in substance. I think we need warm hearts and tough minds as mentioned by Deputy Prime Minister towards the end of his budget speech. This is precisely the spirit of our budget this year. In other words, the prescription by the Finance Minister is that we must, on the one hand, have physiotherapy for our external pains and, on the other hand, oral medicine for internal treatment. Recently, we have been talking about the difficult times and that we must change our mindset, upgrade or re-skill. This is oral medicine. And we are asking our people to move out of the comfort zone where they have been enjoying all their life to get out and venture into the unknown. This is difficult. I think we need to give them some psychiatric counselling as well.”
“Please come in and look around)! Hen pianyi, hen pianyi (Very cheap, very cheap)!" In the past, whenever I went overseas, especially in Europe and the United States, I would be taken as a Japanese, and the shopkeepers would greet me "Irashaimase (Welcome)" in Japanese. Nowadays, there are lots of Mainland Chinese tourists visiting Hong Kong, European and Asian countries, including Singapore, and they are big spenders. So now, I am being looked upon as a Chinese. These are market forces! Nowadays, jobs are hard to come by, and this is due to recession, coupled with the fact that many companies are relocating and many jobs were lost. Our Malay compatriots have problem finding jobs, so have the Mandarin-speaking Chinese compatriots! This is the problem. We should look at the problem in the proper prospective. As such, I suggest we enhance the unity among our various ethnic groups by clarifying all these misconceptions to avoid mutual suspicion and mistrust. That is the important thing to do. I support the motion.”
“In order to enhance unity among the various ethnic groups, the IRCC and Harmony Circles should place more emphasis on dispelling the mutual suspicion among the communities. The mutual visits to the places of worship is just a warming-up exercise. What we should really do is to cultivate the spirit of comrade-in-arms to face difficulties togther, and not to suspect each other when problems arise. There was a small debate between the Member for Hougang and Mr Hawazi. There was some complaint that some Chinese employers persisted in employing only workers who could speak Mandarin. From the dialogue sessions I conducted for the Feedback Unit, I observed that employers were more concerned with the working capability of the workers during the recruitment process than the colour of their skin. If the ability to speak Mandarin is a necessity for the job, it would naturally become a pre-requisite that the successful applicant must speak Mandarin. As such, I would urge our Malay compatriots to learn Mandarin as a kind of skill. Let me give you another example. I know of a Malay worker in Koh Brothers Limited, whose father was also an employee there. His boss is a Chinese and they get along very well. The Chinese boss would speak Malay to the Malay employee, and the Malay employee would speak to his Chinese boss in Teochew. I asked him how he picked up Teochew and whether it was hard to learn. He replied to me in Teochew, "Tieh gu jiu wei (Listen more and you will know)!" I think we should look at this matter in this light, then there should be no problem. Another example is my recent visit to Turkey. I was visiting the bazaar in Istanbul when a shopkeeper came up to me and spoke to me smilingly in Mandarin, "Huan ying, huan ying! Qing jin lai canguan (Welcome, welcome.”
“I support the Government's recommendations in the White Paper for a three-fold counter measures against the terrorist threat: (1) Enhancing security measures; (2) Policing the spread of terrorist and extremist ideology; and (3) Strengthening social cohesion and religious harmony. I would like to present my view on enhancing security and strengthening unity. In enhancing security, the problem we have is that the sense of crisis of our people is not strong enough. Let me illustrate: In order to enhance security, the Police has put up barricade at night-spots to be ready for all eventualities. But, we receive complaints from the business community that this has affected their business. Some feel that they are being inconvenienced as parking was made difficult. No doubt, we want business, but do they want their lives? We want to counter terrorism, and we need also to prevent terrorism. Only then can we be safe and sound. Another example is the SIA's $288 package to Bali attracted more than 20,000 people during the school holiday month. SIA's Bali package was our show of support for Indonesia. It also served to boost the outside world's confidence in Indonesia. Why did so many people want to go to Bali? Some people told me that the most dangerous place was actually the safest place. However, there were only some who thought that many people went there simply because Bali was the cheapest destination. We could visit the place, but the question is with what frame of mind do we go there. In my view, we can visit Bali to support its tourism industry, and at the same time to appreciate the danger of terrorism. This is killing two birds with one stone. We should not be going there simply because it is "cheap, cheap"!”
“Yesterday, when the Minister was talking about the inconveniences suffered by the Chinese-educated at that time, it stirred up my memory of all those restriction orders, banned books, banned movies, banned songs, etc. Bit by bit, the world map then was being painted red -- the Soviet Union was red, China was red, and many other countries were turning red. It was feared then that the whole world was turning red, but it turns out now that the real world is technicolour. It will not turn totally green as the terrorists would want it to be. The present-day terrorism is global and borderless. In the past, when technology and transportation were not so advanced, the communists then and terrorists now are different. The communists at that time were localised, and not cross-bordered. That was why we had then the Malayan Communists, the Vietnamese Communists, the Indian Communists, the Burmese Communists, the Chinese Communists and so on. There were no Singapore Communists, because Singapore and Malaya were one same territory at that time. Like the new economy, terrorism has been brought to a higher plane by the development in technology and transportation. They have become global and borderless. Otherwise, the JI members would have to take years before they could go to Afghanistan and back. In the Tang Dynasty, when the High Priest Tipitaka went from China to India to get the sutra, he met with a lot of difficulties and danger. If not for his three skilful and resourceful disciples who were armed with supernatural power, he would not have succeeded.”
“In moving the motion, the Minister for Home Affairs started off by saying some people had asked why we released the White Paper. In fact, many had asked why we bothered to debate it in Parliament because everyone would support the Government in its anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism efforts. In Chinese, the word kong for kong bu zhu yi (terrorism) and the word kong for kong zi (Confucius) sound alike. It is terrorism that we are fighting, not Confucianism. The Minister mentioned that terrorism is the most serious threat to Singapore, after Communism in the 1950s and 60s. He also referred to the predicament and inconveniences suffered by the Chinese-educated students in the 1950s, 60s and 70s when the authority was locked in a fight with the communists. As a Chinese-educated student in the 1960s, like all the other Chinese students of that time, I can understand the feeling of the Malay community now. At that time, we were really faced with pressure from society and prejudice by the employers. The only difference between then and now is that, at that time, I cannot remember the Government coming forward to urge the public not to discriminate against the Chinese-educated. Although not every Chinese-educated student was a communist, most employers would rather err on the side of precaution and shut them out for fear of trouble. Despite the extreme hardship we faced then, we managed to hold out and survived. I have the confidence that with the strong appeal by the Government and the concerted efforts of Singaporeans, our Malay compatriots can also overcome the present predicament.”
“MDA will also be tasked to administer the Broadcasting Act, the Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, the Undesirable Publications Act, the Films Act, and the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act. It is so powerful that it is tantamount to be a mini-MITA. I can foresee that the Chairman and board members will have an extremely challenging role in shaping the development of the media scene in Singapore, especially in the age of new economy and the convergence of media. Finally, as Prime Minister Goh said at the Straits Times' 150th Anniversary Celebrations: "You can be proud because you have reported without being corrupt, adversarial or sycophantic." I hope this remains the spirit of our media industry with the birth of the MDA. I support the Bill.”
“Yes, Straits Times is now 157 years old and Lianhe Zaobao will be celebrating its 80th Anniversary next year. The media is part of the virtuous cycle. They have their long histories, performance standards, values and cultures. Thus, the kind of standards mentioned in the Bill must bear in mind the unwritten standards set in these media organisations which are already scrutinised by the readers and viewers every day, every hour. Madam, my second concern is the code of practice mentioned in the same clause. The MDA Bill provides for the Authority to issue a Competition Code to regulate competition so that competition continues to stay relevant and constructive. I understand that MDA's objective is to maintain fair and effective competition, as mentioned by the Acting Minister just now, and provide for safeguards against dominant media companies abusing their market powers. In my view, our principal interest is to ensure that competition does not lead to a decline in quality or depth. With competition, there must continue to be public service and a value system that serves the national interest and community. Thus, I would urge the Minister to introduce a code that regulates with a light touch rather than enforce close policing in such a way as to end up stifling competition, creativity and innovation. After all, the media here does not resort to sensationalism, or untruths, just to generate circulation. Madam, my third concern is the power of MDA. It is so powerful that it seems that it is more of a regulator rather than a champion and promoter of the industry, as the word "development" in its name may imply. MDA will oversee the licensing and content management of broadcasts, films, publications and arts entertainment.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Bill. First, let me declare my interest. I am the Vice-Chairman of the NTUC Media Cooperative and Board Member of the Infocomm Development Authority. And as a result of my 21 years as a journalist, I have many media friends. Madam, I have deep admiration for them who must meet deadlines every day and, following the liberalisation of the media since June 2000, every minute is deadline for many of them. The Media Development Authority of Singapore Bill sets out the functions and powers of MDA. While MITA foresees that the formation of the MDA will contribute positively to Singapore's media sector and benefit the public, I wish to highlight three concerns of its impact on the media scene. Madam, the first concern is on the standards of performance mentioned in clause 17 of the Bill. My questions are: who sets the standards? At which level? Are they the standards set by the media industry? Are they the standards set by MITA in the interest of the readers and viewers? Will there be different kinds of standards for different media? And how widely has it been consulted? Madam, I ask this question because I have observed our media scene and understand the aspiration and frustration, the satisfaction and disappointment of the journalists, readers, listeners and viewers in the past decades. In the 70s and 80s, we were discussing and debating what kind of media model was more suitable for Singapore. We talked about the American style of journalism, the UK model and the Japanese model. In the end, we developed our own brand of journalism, the Singapore Model. In short, the media is part of the virtuous cycle of good government and good society. That is the role PM Goh advocated at the Straits Times' 150th Anniversary, five years ago.”
“I hope this Committee headed by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan will look into not only remaking Singapore but also remaking the people, to change their mindset. Many people are saying, "Well, I have been working the whole life and now you want me to start all over again." It is just like I have been drinking PUB-supplied water all my life and now we have to drink a new type of water. We have to learn to drink this NEWater. So, everybody has to learn. We must adapt to changes and start drinking NEWater and prepare ourselves for many changes to come. I support the statement. EXEMPTED BUSINESS (Motion) Resolved, That the proceedings on the business set down on the Order Paper for today be exempted at this day's sitting from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan]. CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND AND RELATED CHANGES Debate resumed.”
“Sir, if we look at the long-term effects, we can see that, to a large extent, there is some problem with our existing seniority-based salary system, because many of these older workers will be the first to be retrenched whenever there is a retrenchment exercise. We must do something to help them. Mr Low Thia Khiang said that we should look after them. I can assure him that the Government is looking after them. Many colleagues have also asked whether this 4% reduction in CPF contribution rate would guarantee job security. Of course, it is not as simple as that. There are many other things to do. We have to look into the training of the workers. Last year alone, among the 500,000 training places, 20% were run by NTUC and the trade unions. We must train our workers so that they have the right attitude, the right skills, so that they have good employability. Mr Speaker, Sir, if we create a balance sheet for our workers, on the assets side, you would have tangible fixed assets such as the HDB flat or private property which hopefully is not a negative asset. And, these are current assets, CPF Minimum Sum, Medisave, etc. The NTUC has also created for the workers some intangible assets, such as the skills, the knowledge and their work attitude. These intangible assets will help them find a job. There are many workers who are choosy and they are not prepared to take on the jobs that are offered to them. I think we have to change their mindset. We must train them in such a way that they would not only have skills and good attitude, but also goodwill. So, in this respect, we must work very hard to build up the goodwill of our people.”
“Some may say, "I have so much money in Medisave, why not stay in a luxury ward and enjoy myself?" They do not realise that money in the Medisave account is meant for medical care in their old age, and as you grow older, you would need more money for medical expenses. Mr Speaker, Sir, I remember the multi-billionaire, Mr Li Ka Shing of Hong Kong once said, "I may have donated millions to charity, but if I see a five-cent coin on the ground, I would bend down to pick it up." Although he may have billions, the 5 cents still count to him. I think Singaporeans are losing their virtue of thrift. Many people want to make maximum use of their funds in the Ordinary Account. The Government now wants to increase the contribution to the Special Account. The reason is to make sure that people have enough funds in their savings for old age. You may not realise it. If you cook a little handful less of rice every meal, in three years' time, you would have saved a whole tank of rice. I think Singaporeans have forgotten how to be thrifty. Just now, fellow Member, Ms Penny Low, said Singaporeans did not know how to mind their wealth and complained of "Money not enough!". I must say that they should know that the CPF money is not enough. In the United States there is a best-seller entitled, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". Perhaps our Government should publish a book entitled, "Rich Government, Poor Government" to explain why we must have a rich reserve. This is a way to educate our people, and we may be looking at yet another best-seller! Many people feel that these changes proposed by the ERC are some sort of interference in their lives. No matter how they look at it, it is a good thing that the Government has done, and we must commend the Government for that.”
“In Parliament, most of the time, I could not agree with the arguments put forward by Mr Low. But on this occasion, I agree with him. I feel that he is speaking more and more like a PAP Member, and I begin to wonder who the Opposition is now. On the Special Account, the proposal is to change from the 4-6-8% formula to a 5-7-9% formula. Mr Low wants to propose a further change to 7-9-9-6, making it a 4-digit formula. Inspiration for the 4-D punters! Prior to the financial crisis in 1997, many people thought they could strike it rich by speculating on property. Now they get their fingers burnt, and their property becomes a negative asset. It is said that if you speculate on property, you become a landlord because you cannot dispose of it and have to hold it. Likewise, if you speculate on shares and get caught by a downturn in the share market, you hold the shares and become a "share-holder". Members may remember the "Hello Kitty" incident in Singapore some years ago. Many people thought that they could make a lot of money by buying up all these Hello Kitty toys offered by a fast-food chain. They ended up spending a lot of money buying stacks of hamburgers which they could not consume, and even landed up in court for disorderly behaviour while queueing up to purchase these valueless toys. Yes, indeed, there are a lot of people in Singapore who have a lot of money but do not know how to mind their wealth. When the CPF Board relaxed the rules for withdrawal, they just spent their savings as though they were not their own money. They say it is gong ji jin, therefore it is money accumulated by the Government. Let us spend them all while they are available to us. They do not realise that they are actually spending away their own money.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as we debate on the changes to the CPF system, we should ask: are we looking at the immediate effects or the long-term benefits? During the last two days, the bulk of the debate was on the immediate effects of the proposed changes. Many Members spoke about the 4% reduction of CPF contributions for those between 50-55. To me, this cut is necessary. However, if the companies feel that this is unnecessary, then please pass on the savings to the workers as a variable component of their salaries, or as bonuses. Just now, Mr Chiam See Tong remarked that it appeared very strange to him because in the past it was always the Opposition that was asking for the CPF contribution rates to be cut, and now it is the Government asking for the cut. This is indeed a "turn of the tides". Everything seems to have changed, but he has not changed. In fact, just some two months ago, he was debating with me as to whether the CPF reduction should be exercised. I told him that the most important thing was to keep the job. If you have no job, why talk about CPF. I think we have to look at the long-term benefits of the proposed changes to the CPF system rather than their immediate effects. Sir, to me, this recommendation by the Economic Review Committee can be described as wei min licai, fang yan jianglai (minding the people's wealth, and looking at the future). What are our concerns? We are looking at an aging population. Do we have enough to provide for our retirement? Do we have enough funds for our medical expenses? If the Minimum Sum is not enough, then how much is enough? As it is, many of our people are buying properties beyond their means. Mr Low Thia Khiang mentioned yesterday that he agreed with the Government's policy of gradually adjusting the CPF scheme.”
“Finally, I hope that the enterprises, the Government and the people will look at the big picture. Our region is in trouble. We are in for uncertainty. Everybody must look at the big picture. This is very important. In short, my four views are, first, the Ministers and senior civil servants must know their target audience when they speak. Secondly, when we increase prices, we must watch the timing. Thirdly, when we do things, all must look at the long-term implications; and, fourthly, everybody must look at the big picture. SMS Khaw Boon Wan talked about a woman who chose to walk instead of taking a feeder bus. Let me tell a little joke to conclude my speech. When the fares for feeder bus went up last year, some people remarked that instead of taking the feeder bus, why do you not chase after them instead of riding in it. This way, you keep fit and, at the same time, save on the bus fares. That being the case, why chase the feeder bus? Why do you not chase the taxis instead? This way, you save more! ADJOURNMENT OF DEBATE Resolved, That the debate be now adjourned. - [Mr Mah Bow Tan].”
“At the end of the day, all of us in this House, and the people outside this House, will have a better understanding of the rationale and background of the decision-making process. I say after the debate, we will be clearer about the reasons and Singapore can progress. To complement SMS Khaw Boon Wan's four misconceptions and four pillars, let me present my four views. First, the Government must know the background of the people they talk to. The feedback is that the Ministers' speeches are long, and the Ministries' press releases too technical and too academic - too many statistics, too many figures. People do not understand. When they do not understand, there will be misunderstanding. Ministers and senior civil servants must know who are the people they are talking to. Speak the language they understand, so to speak. We must tailor our text to suit the audience. Secondly, check the timing whenever you want to increase fees. We are not against fare increases but please, pick the right time to implement them. This time round, we see and hear price increases, one after another, and sometimes everyone is rushing to increase the fees, and at this time of recession too! So, when we want to up the prices, we must look at the timing. The timing must be good. Thirdly, we must see long term. Both the people and the Government must always bear in mind the long-term implications of all changes. Just now, former Speaker Mr Tan Soo Khoon said that people were remarking that all these price increases were carried out only after the General Election. If we are not careful, one of these days, the PAP may just disappear, and it will be a very sad day indeed. So, do we want the PAP Government to disappear just because of this fare increase? One must look at the long term.”
“So, I empathise with the poor people. I know and could appreciate that to the poor people, 5 cents is not a small matter. To them, every cent counts. Of course, time has changed. I was a Director of SBS for three years. I subsequently resigned to avoid a conflict of interest. During those three years, I had the opportunity to learn and understand the operation of the SBS. At one of the shareholders' meetings, a shareholder asked, "I have been buying your shares, why are your share prices not going up? What have you people been doing? I am an old man. Why is it that you never give concessions to the senior citizens? Why is your dividend so little?" These three questions are easy to answer. You want your share prices to go up, you must make more money. When you make more money, you can then give more dividends. When you want to make more money, you cannot afford to give concessions to the senior citizens or even the shareholders. You have the answer, but it hurts the feelings of people. I know the difficulties of the bus operators. Even now, I occasionally travel by public buses. People have asked me, "You are a Member of Parliament, why are you taking public buses?" I do so to have a first-hand feel of the bus commuters. I have a better understanding of the behaviour of the commuters and their expectations. I realise that our bus services have changed, but there are certain aspects which remain unchanged. Mr Khaw Boon Wan said that there were some misconceptions over the grounds for this round of fare hike, and he mentioned the four pillars of the public bus services. I agree with his views. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in this debate on the Motion before the House, there is no question of who wins or who loses.”
“The general feeling, as reflected in the media, is that the Government has its reasons but it cannot explain it clearly to the people. In the coffee shops, we hear people complaining that the Government has not been fair to them. They said, "The Government says business cost is high. To save the companies and our jobs, they cut our wages. They compare our wages to those in China. Then, when Government says our bus fares are cheap and affordable, they compare them to those in the United States and Europe. Why does the Government not compare our bus fares with China and Vietnam, and our wages with Europe and USA instead? You cannot compare our durian with the lychee in China, and our pineapple with the grapes in the USA. Let us compare apple with apple, or orange with orange." After "6-11", whether it is in the public media or in the coffee shops, the general feeling is unfavourable to the Government. While the Government has the reasons but cannot explain them, the people have their grievances and who is going to listen to them. We have so many Members taking part in this debate on the Motion. I am joining in not just to add a number. I also have something to say. I had taken public buses during my school days. To get home from school, I had to take two buses. Very often, in order to save 5 cents, I would walk all the way from Tuan Mong School in Tank Road, took a short-cut and cut across Fort Canning Hill to take a bus along Dhoby Ghaut to get home. This was to save one bus-trip from Tank Road to Dhoby Ghaut. On one occasion, I was robbed of my wrist-watch when I was walking across King George V Park. My father bought me another watch. It was subsequently that I learnt that he had to borrow money to buy me the watch, as he realised the importance of keeping time.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, when someone mentions 9-11, we know he is referring to the tragedy that happened to the World Trade Centre in New York, an event that shocked the whole world. In Singapore, an announcement by the Public Transport Council (PTC) on 11th June created a storm in Singapore, and the general public here responded almost immediately with unhappiness, to a magnitude rarely heard of in the past. I shall call it the "6-11" event. The people, in general, commented that what should not have gone up, have gone up, but those that should have gone up, do not go up. In a time of economic downturn, the various charges - tariffs, fees, prices, bus fares, parking, ERP etc, - ought to have gone down to alleviate the burden of the people, but they have gone up instead! Other things such as wages, share market, etc, should have gone up, but they tumbled down. This "6-11" event has brought about a big debate in the media and at the coffee shops. As to the media debate, generally, we see all sorts of topics discussed and debated in the various language newspapers. But since 6-11, we read nothing but complaints and arguments against the bus and MRT fare hikes. We have read the reply of the Prime Minister, the Minister for Transport and other leaders. As mentioned by some Members of Parliament who have spoken before me, members of the public were asked whether they had read and understood these explanations. More often than not, they would reply that they had not because the speeches were complicated or too lengthy. Those who had the time to read these speeches did not understand them. Those who could understand them did not read them. This is what the Hokkiens would say, khua bo (see no), and bo khua (no see).”
“Sir, in the development of museums, MITA has done well. We have now 15 heritage and arts museums. To create museum going culture among Singaporeans, MITA has even gone further by organising a MuseumFest at Suntec city to attract the shoppers. As we know, Singaporeans prefer shopping than visiting museums. Thus, MITA has moved the museums to the shopping centre. This is a right strategy. Sad to say, if we ask Singaporeans to name 10 shopping centres, many can name them without much difficulty whereas many could not name even a few museums. Besides focusing on local Singaporeans, I felt that we should also focus on the 7 million tourists who visit Singapore annually now that we treat Arts spending as investment which could also create economic growth. I propose that we categorise the 15 museums into a few groups and actively promote the different groups of museum among different target audience: certain kind of museums may be of interest to the Japanese tourists, others to the interest of the Europeans and some to the Chinese tourists. The pamphlets can be printed in the languages of the target groups and be distributed at MRT stations, hotels and tourist resorts. Many other countries have done this and have seen the results. If we can be creative, innovative and flexible in the promotion and operation of museums, I believe, in the longer term, we can attract more Singaporeans as well as tourists to our museums.”
“I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“DPM Lee said that, when we are remaking Singapore, we will leave no stone unturned. But the problem is that some stones are turned and then put back in the same place. In this case, nobody seems to want to remove this stone at all. Last year, we were tripped by this stone, this year this stone is obstructing us again. The various Government departments are reluctant to take on this responsibility. I feel MITA should take on the role of a coordinator. In answer to my question, DPM Lee mentioned that when the Japanese Minister merely said, "Hm!", the civil servant took the cue and said a lot of things. I hope that DPM Lee will now say, "Hm!", and let the civil servants go and get things done.”
“Foreign talents plus local talents, great things can be done. Foreign talents and no local talents to complement them, there will be full of problems. 4.30 pm Sir, last year, we had problems with the wrong translations in Contact Singapore that made us a laughing stock within and outside Singapore. This year, we run into similar trouble again with this Singapore Tourists' Guidebook. The problem is the attitude of these Government departments remains unchanged. They do not take their Chinese publications seriously. A lot of Singaporeans feel very hurt because of this. Mr Lee Seng Giap wrote an article in the Lianhe Zaobao entitled "Top straight but bottom crooked". The common expression is "Top not straight, hence the bottom is crooked". However, in the present case, the people at the bottom are doing well, but the people at the top could not be bothered. Many readers have suggested that we should have a Central Translation Bureau. This is a long-term plan. I think the immediate plan is to have an official vetting panel to vet through all important official translation works. If the Government department cannot get enough people to do the job, it can make use of talents from the private sector. If this cannot be done, then it is not a question of not being able to do, but not wanting to do.”
“In this Singapore Tourists' Guidebook which was distributed freely to incoming tourists at the airport, the Chinese translation stated that two former Prime Ministers of Singapore were buried at the Kranji War Memorial. We all know that there is only one former Prime Minister of Singapore, and he will be celebrating his 80th birthday. He is still very healthy, and he is flying all over the world. Our Prime Minister is in the pink of his health, and his face is shining with vitality. He can easily live to 100 years old. How could they say such inauspicious thing about them. This is indeed disgusting! In the Lianhe Zaobao, many readers wrote to complain about it. Some commented that the Memoirs of Lee Kuan Yew in two volumes which ran into some 2,000 pages were translated into Chinese, by our local translators, and there was no mistake in them. Why was there no mistake? The reason is very simple. It was because the publishers were very serious about it. On the other hand, although the Tourists' Guidebook was an official publication, the relevant Government agency did not take it seriously, and did not attach any importance to it. That was the problem. Very often, when we write to a Government department about some issues, we inevitably receive a reply, "We will look into it." When we raise the issue face to face with the Government officials, they will say, "I see, I see". So, they look and they see. Look see, look see, and in the end nothing is done. The STB said that the Guidebook was translated by some people in Shanghai, some foreign talents! No doubt, it is good to use foreign talents. But the question is: did our own people bother to vet and approve it? We want foreign talents, but we also need our own local talents to complement them.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code QA 1500. (In Mandarin): Sir, just now, the Acting Minister Mr David Lim asked us to look at this stereogram [indicating]. He said that the Government had a heart there. I looked at it, but I cannot see the heart there. Fortunately, Dr Lee Boon Yang who will be taking over as Minister for MITA, taught me how to look for the heart, and I finally saw it there. So what you can see, you say you can see. What you cannot see, you must say you cannot see. However, I am reminded of the famous story of the Emperor's New Clothes. The Emperor's new clothes were not in existence, and nobody could actually see it, but everybody pretended that he saw it. Eventually, it was this little boy who exclaimed, "Hey, the Emperor is not wearing anything!" Recently, we had a Singapore edition of the Emperor's New Clothes, that is the "Hungarian Ghost Festival". We know that this problem arose from a wrongly translated description in the Chinese version of a Singapore Tourism Board publication. This Hungarian Ghost Festival has turned our society into a nation of ghosts and our ancestors have become Hungarians. The Chinese community was naturally very unhappy with it. There are a lot of articles in the newspapers, and even the ordinary citizens are saying that this is disgusting. The Government saw it, but it said nothing about it. Many people said that this was indeed a "national disgrace"! Why is it a national disgrace! Because the Hungarian Ghost Festival was not the only problem.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's answers, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“This is where funding comes in. Hence, we come a full circle. If arts is to be seen as an investment, we must have not more visions and reports but a sound and solid business plan. We need to have a clear direction of where we are heading, where are the returns we expect on our investments, and how we can exhibit. Sir, I am not saying that everything must reduce itself to dollars and cents. Instead, what I want to see are implementation plans, and the enhancements to what is already a very good blueprint.”
“In the same vein, we can allocate resources to push through the reforms envisioned under the Renaissance City Report rather than putting our entire arts community through another round of brainstorming and vision seeking. On this note, I would like to add a few ideas. First, the Green Paper should argue for the increase of funding for arts. I know that in these difficult times it is hard to argue for more money to spend on arts, something which many see as a luxury. However, as the Ministry has already acknowledged that spending is now a form of investment in the economy, we have no reason not to spend more to stimulate growth through arts spending. Second, Sir, in order to introduce arts at all levels, we have to start at our education system, to build an arts loving society. I am happy to note that we will have an arts school soon. Let us dare to dream of an arts university in the future. Funds for the Arts Education Programme (AEP) have now increased to reach 50% of the student population. But, from what I know, AEP, in most schools, amounts to merely sponsoring tickets for students. Of course, parents also have to change their mindset. Parents want their children to be a doctor over a violinist, a lawyer over a writer, a teacher over an actor. Our children are told that this is a pragmatic world, one cannot live on the arts, keep it only as a hobby - as the Chinese say, er bu si, chi bu bao. Sir, arts education must have a bigger role to play in the life of our young, otherwise we can forget about the creative cluster of a cultural capital vision. It will never create 5% of our GDP. Finally, Sir, there must be a sizable arts industry in order to provide sufficient job opportunities. Some, like the film industry, involve high overhead costs.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, investing in cultural capital is MITA's new vision. Arts is now viewed as investment capital as opposed to consumption. In short, arts is not just for arts sake, but also for business sake. Any concept which promises job creation and economic growth is, of course, welcome in these difficult times. I must congratulate MITA for its creativity in extending and repackaging the Renaissance City Report by adding a business element, so that expenditure in the arts is increasingly seen as an investment, something that will reap economic rewards. However, I must say that a close scrutiny will show that both the cultural capital and the Renaissance proposal bear similarities. The three tenets of the cultural capital are: (1) Creative cluster; (2) Creative people and workforce; and (3) A connected nation. The fact that a creative cluster engaged in traditional and the fine arts can become a potential growth engine for our economy has already been recognisd in the Renaissance City Report. "Creative people and workforce" was "Renaissance Singaporeans", and "Connected nation" was "Renaissance Nation and Society". What is new is perhaps the new emphasis on the sector of applied arts, ie, design, media and advertising. When fused with artistic innovation, it is hoped that we can come out with new products and services. Sir, to devise such a thorough and far-reaching proposal must have required a fair bit of time and energy. I am sure the ideas behind them are sound, but why two reports when one will do?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $165,569,690 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $55,141,000 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. 3.45 pm Head T -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head S of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code SM 1500. Sir, a few years ago, the factories in Singapore had difficulty recruiting workers. They had to offer all sorts of incentives to attract workers to work there. But now, the situation is reversed. It was reported in the newspaper that someone has claimed to own a factory which manufactures handphones and pagers, and placed an advertisement inviting job-seekers to go for interview at a HDB flat. A few hundred applicants actually went to the HDB flat and found that it was a hoax. In the past, if you asked job-seekers to go to a HDB flat to be interviewed for a factory job, nobody would fall for it. Yet, in this instance, a few hundred people were fooled. It just shows that they were desperate for jobs, as jobs are hard to come by nowadays. We used to hear cases of employment agencies cheating on foreign workers, but now even our own local workers are being fooled. I hope the Ministry of Manpower would look into the matter.”
“Does the NCMP mean that NTUC Fairprice and other cooperatives should withdraw and give way to the small shopkeepers? Does he know that, in fact, the cooperatives also provide employment and better services? And third, NTUC Fairprice and other cooperatives, in fact, help workers to stretch their dollar and, even at this point of time, help to absorb GST.”
“Sir, two years ago, when we talked about older workers, we referred to workers 60 and above. Last year, when we talked about older workers, we referred to workers 50 and above. Now, if you are 40 and above, you are considered as older workers. And if you lose your job, it is very difficult to find re-employment. So we always cite McDonalds as a model employer which employs older workers. I believe we can come out with an incentive scheme to help some local food chains and coffeeshop chains to re-employ older workers, like McDonalds. Many coffeeshops and food courts are employing a large number of foreign workers even, at this point of time, when we are facing a high level of unemployment. Lastly, I would like to urge the Ministry to come out with a creative, generous incentive scheme for food courts and coffeeshops to implement work redesign and flexible working arrangements for 40 plus workers. We should also review the existing work permit policy which has been very liberal in allowing foreign workers to work in coffeeshops and food courts.”
“Sir, the proposal to reduce the CPF rate at 40 has annoyed many Singaporeans. However, I have observed that at least there is a group which is "bo chap" (can't be bothered) to the proposal - the self-employed group. They are the insurance agents, housing agents, hawkers and taxi drivers. They also own public housing flats, like other Singaporeans, but they pay by cash, not CPF. Thus, they are not caught by the ups and downs of the CPF rate. The argument on the issue, in fact, has developed from rational public discussion to emotional appeal, although nothing has firmed up. While many agree that we need to review the CPF rate to help older workers to become more employable, many become emotional when the age is set at 40. This is because they are either on the wrong side of 40 or on the right side of 40. They thought they were right the last time and discovered that they are wrong this time, that is, putting too much CPF in housing. Many, in fact, have confessed that when they signed up to buy a flat, it was like signing a credit card. Even when they needed just a 4-room flat, they would sign for a 5-room flat. Thus, too much CPF in property at the individual level is an issue. We need to resolve their predicament. Whether we should reduce the rate at the age of 40, 45 or 50, I believe, is a political decision, and I trust the Government's political wisdom. I would like to urge the Government to move fast to come up with a decision not only on the rate of CPF for older workers but also to set a cap on the use of CPF for housing.”
“Sir, I withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $159,328,700 for Head U ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $60,722,500 for Head U ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head M -”
“Young graduates leave after a short spell in the service, as the present scheme offers not much career prospects and the remuneration is not commensurate with their capabilities and competencies, and the responsibilities they carry. As they put it in Chinese, "meiyou qian tu, ye meiyou qian tu", meaning no career prospect, neither is there any money prospect. Sir, the gap between the pay of the interpreters in the public and the private sectors is so wide, that the Chief Interpreter's monthly salary is equivalent to only 4 1/2 days' conference interpreting fees in the private sector. Thus, the feeling among them is that they are, "zhong yong bu zhong shang", ie, heavy responsibilities with stingy rewards. PSD needs to revamp the scheme of the service and, more importantly, something should be done to reward and attract the talent at the top rung, ie, the interpreters and translators in Parliament and Supreme Court. Sir, we are an international convention centre, with one million foreigners working in Singapore. The demand for foreign language interpreters has been on an unprecedented rise. The engagement of casual foreign language interpreters by various authorities has been in an unsatisfactory state. No criteria have been set for their accreditation. I also urge PSD to review this and come out with a certain form of agreed accreditation. Sir, the interpreter and translator services are not a sunset industry, as perceived. The sun sets and will rise again with globalisation. And, if we are serious about globalisation and want to be a winner in the world market, we are serious about what we are telling the world in their own language, we need to professionalise the services.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head U of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code UD 1500. Sir, first, let me declare my interest. I am the Adviser to the Singapore Interpreters and Translators Union and, more than 25 years ago, I was a court interpreter for 3 1/2 years. When our political leaders travel to foreign non-English speaking countries and have discussions with their counterparts, they must have noticed the high standard of their interpreters. The Chinese and Japanese simultaneous interpreters are normally high-ranking officers in the foreign services. Do we have the same kind of interpreters in Singapore? If we take the standards set by the International Association of Conference Interpreters as a reference, the answer is yes. We have world-class interpreters. However, we have only two. They are none other than Mr Lee Seng Giap and Mr Lee Hui Huan, the Lee and Lee. We have listened to their excellent interpretations at our parliamentary proceedings and the Prime Minister's speech at the National Day Rally over TV. Besides, they have also been called upon to interpret at various international conferences. However, I raise this cut to remind PSD that as far as world-class interpreters are concerned, we have stopped at two for too long a time and we should produce more, if we can afford it. Over the last three decades, the scheme of interpreters and translators has not been reviewed while other services have been revised on a number of occasions. Market forces have forced many interpreters and translators to hop over to other jobs with better career prospects.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek clarification on Mr Low Thia Khiang's speech? (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I understand every word of Mr Low Thia Khiang in Mandarin. I know the meaning. What I was saying is that when the Government was restructuring the economy, the Government is forward-looking, but many people cannot see it. So, when he said the Government is cutting one big piece of flesh from the people and is therefore the biggest profiteer, I sought clarification and expressed concern that in the end, you would start suspecting also among the hawkers who among them are profiteering. So, I hope he also understands my Mandarin. What I said is that during these difficult times, we should not start pointing at people and say that he is profiteering. What we should do is to understand the long term objectives of the Budget and place nation (Koa) before family (Kia).”
“And, if you really want to save money, then go home and drink a glass of plain water - and it is probably more healthy too! The only thing is, can we continue to have a continuous water supply? Talking about water supply, this is a crucial issue. We all know that we are faced with the difficulty of water supply and we have suffered all kinds of humiliations. So we should go all the way to set up desalination plants and work on this NEWater project. We should make sure that the nation has water. The Government has been trying very hard to get water supply for us. Just now, a Member mentioned that when he went to a shop, he saw a few dogs and cats there. I keep a rooster and a hen in my house. In the morning, the rooster will faithfully cry, "koo-kair". When the hen lays egg, it would cry, "kok-kay, koo-kay". This egg will hatch into a chick. "Koo-kay, koo-kay" means nation in Teochew or Hokkien. My mother commented that this hen is very intelligent. She knows that there must first be a kok (nation) before you can have the kay (family). Sir, at this present time of difficulty, what worries us most is not catching those merchants who try to profiteer, but how to ensure that we have a nation and a family.”
“We try to compare our houses, our cars, our children. But when the economy plummets, people become calculative. At this juncture, we are surfing troubled waters in the same boat. We should help each other. We should be united to face external threats. This is what we call the "big picture". We have become a nation where everyone is calculative, worry about petty issues and we suspect that all businessmen are trying to make profits. If a hawker reduces the number of fish-balls in a bowl of noodle from four to three, or from four big fish-balls to four small fish-balls, can that be said to be profiteering? If there are such hawkers, the best thing to do is not to patronise them. Boycott them. There are many other stalls where we can go to. I think Singaporeans are too straightforward. They do not know how to negotiate a bend. They do not know how to adjust themselves. Just now, our colleague talked about the high cost of living and escalating business cost. When NTUC set up the Fairprice supermarkets, one of the objectives is to bring down commodity prices. Give the people more choices. For example, you want to buy a bottle of soft drink, go to a provision shop, you pay 50 cents for it. If you go to an air-conditioned supermarket, you pay 60 cents. If you go to a convenience shop at the corner of your block, you pay 80 cents for it. If you go to a coffeeshop, you pay $1 (with a glass of ice). If you go to a coffeehouse, you pay $3 for the same bottle of drink. But, if you go to a hotel or a high-class cafe, you pay $5 or more. You put your neck on the chopping board! The point is that you have a choice, you have the freedom to choose. You can go to a provision shop or go to a cafe to have your drink.”
“The world is changing very fast and becoming very sophisticated. It is too complex for the people to understand. Therefore, we should avail this opportunity to explain to the Singapore people why we need to adapt to the changes. Mr Speaker, Sir, for people who have lost their jobs or people who are likely to lose their jobs in the process of economic restructuring, they know that they are facing a new world. What worries them is that they will not be able to get an alternative job. For the older Singaporeans, they feel that they have become useless. In the past, people used to say, "having an old person at home is like having a piece of treasure". Now with an old person in a family seems to imply having more worries and trouble. Why? Because you cannot find a job. When you go home, nobody bothers to greet you. An arduous statement made by the Government is that we must change our mindset. This statement is easy to understand but how are we going to do that? How can we change our mindset? Changing one's mindset takes time and it cannot be done in a hurry. And it has to involve a lot of people - individuals have to change, employers have to change, Members of Parliament have to change. The change will bring a lot of impact. Every MP has a responsibility to explain to the people. I am pleased to see DPM Lee at the TV forum last night, explaining the need for economic restructuring. What is noteworthy is that he even invited a taxi-driver to take part in the forum. DPM Lee saw it fit to invite ordinary people to a TV forum. This is an indication that the Government is pro-people and is reaching out to the people. Other Ministers should emulate this and try their best to explain the rationale of the Government's policies. When times are good, we like to compare.”