Shriniwas Rai
Singapore
“Like the Select Committee, Sir, we should encourage the public to put their proposals in writing to the Clerk of Parliament who could then send them to the Minister concerned for his consideration. Sir, I am aware that the GPC does play a very important and consultative role. But it does not come under the purview of this Parliament.”
“Sir, like good health, we take good government for granted. Sir, I end my speech with this remark. We are a young nation. Our institutions are still evolving. We must try to evolve a system of government that suits, and I repeat, our social, economic and political needs. We cannot just borrow from other countries' constitution.”
“Sir, I have the benefit of going through Mr Inderjit Singh's speech earlier, and I support his call for a two-tier category. I think it is something that is worthy of consideration. Although it may not be practical now, I think we should give it serious thought. Sir, this is a very judicious Bill.”
“Of course, if the need arises, and if it is useful for it to be corporatised, that can be considered. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee].”
“Sir, Mr Jeyaretnam has totally taken away my motion. It is not an amendment to the motion. He had been the Registrar of the Supreme Court. He knows the procedure very well. He must have my amendment in some form or other. What he has done is that he has completely taken out my motion and put in his amendment, which is wrong.”
“Yes, I am speaking on the amendment. Sir, I ask the House to reject the amendment. Do not laugh, Mr Jeyaretnam, I am coming to it. I think Mr Jeyaretnam forgets that any Member of Parliament can raise any issue in this Parliament. The fact that he has moved an amendment to my motion signifies that I have the right to speak.”
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“If you would allow me, Sir, at this juncture to outline the role of Parliament, as I see it. Parliament is the final forum of discussion where ideas are put forward and debated. So, by its very nature, Parliament is adversarial. There is no running away from it. The question is: do we want it to be more adversarial or less adversarial? Sir, Parliament also has other roles. It enacts laws, raises taxes, Government policies are discussed and Ministers are accountable to this Parliament. Questions for Oral Answer provide a valuable device to query the Ministers. And this morning, we have seen how supplementary questions were asked to elicit information for the benefit of the public. Sir, we have inherited from the British the Westminster system of government. In Britain, it has taken more than 500 years to achieve this position. It was not an easy journey. Those of us who studied constitutional history know that Parliament and the King would be in conflict. Not everybody had the right to vote. Full franchise was only achieved during this century. The British democracy was not always what it is today. In earlier centuries, heads had to be beheaded. The Tower became home for some. Civil wars came and went. Even the true sense of Greek democracy could not serve the purpose today. I do not believe in Greek cities where people met to propose or to oppose. Perhaps they met to discuss the common will of the people. Sir, the British parliamentary system has undergone changes. Just to illustrate, the office of the Speaker has not been so secure and safe as it is today. The Speaker, in the real sense of the word, was a speaker. He spoke to the monarch on behalf of the Commons. And many a time, the message he carried was not a welcome one.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That this House recognises the need to evolve a parliamentary system which is less adversarial and which will further strengthen the process of consultation, consensus and conciliation. Sir, when the Shared Values motion was debated in Parliament in 1991, consensus, not conflict, became one of our shared values. Members will recollect, one of the five values discussed was "consensus instead of contention". Finally, "contention" was left out and it emerged as "consensus and not conflict". [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] 5.46 pm Sir, it is in this spirit that I am seeking this House's permission to debate this motion. We should avoid conflict. We can and should debate issues. We may disagree on points, we may have differences of opinion, but we should try to reconcile to reach consensus. The message which this motion puts forward is an extension of our Shared Values. We should encourage consensus rather than contention. The Shared Values did not deal with the political culture. I hope this motion will help to do so. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Constitution provides for the appointment of NMPs to give non-partisan views. It is in this spirit that I propose this motion. It is therefore reassuring to recollect the words of the Leader of the House, Mr Wong Kan Seng, in this House when he spoke on 5th June 1997. I quote: `Depending on the merits of the issues, the NMPs have, at times, been dissenting and critical, sometimes supportive and other times constructive in their views.' Sir, we are conscious of the fact that after the ruling party, the NMPs form the second largest number of Members in this House and whatever views we express in this House will be closely watched by the people.”
“Minister, I was just thinking whether there could be a transfer of Police officers to CNB and vice versa.”
“So if we can solve this problem, it will be good for the community, because I see it is just not only in Orchard Road, but also Shenton Way, young ladies puffing their way in coffeeshops. So I would urge that we should be very, very careful that we should not leave this area unattended. Sir, I welcome the new definition of "manufacture". It now covers transformation of one drug into another. And I think a valuable area has been taken care of and the loophole has been covered. Under the new section 8A, Sir, the law on consumption of drugs outside Singapore is to be welcomed. It is extra-territorial. But I think we have other legislation, like the Women's Charter where bigamy is punished, whether it happens in Singapore or outside. So I think Members should not be surprised at this legislation. Similarly, under section 17, new drugs will come under the control of this Bill. The Minister has given detailed history of them. I do not propose to go over them. I end, Sir, with this thought for the Members. A murderer only kills one person at a time while a drug pusher kills many. He brings about disaster to the family of the drug addict, besides the drug abuser himself, and which we have no sympathy for him at all. He is the worst form of criminal. We should show our total abhorrence for this activity. With that, I support the Bill.”
“I saw in a recent trip to India, bhang trees growing like wild bush, and in Singapore if you consume bhang, of course, you are going to be in trouble, but not in India. So my appeal is that we should try to persuade these young people to give up their habit. Sir, from drugs, many of them move to crime which has very close co-relation. If you have a profile or if you make a study of the drug abusers, you will find most of them have some form of criminal record. It is therefore important that our schools should play a more active role. I would like to congratulate the Minister for Education, who also happens to have the double role of Minister for Defence, for the valuable work that his Ministry does in dealing with drug abuse, both with the regulars as well as the national servicemen. I think the problem should be addressed, and here again I agree with Mr Chen that the campaign should start early. Sir, our location makes it vulnerable to international drug syndicates. We cannot run away from this fact. Despite the death penalty, people try their luck. I would therefore like to commend our Home Team, the Police as well as the CNB. In this regard, I wonder if the CNB could become a specialised branch of the Police. In this way, we will transfer some of the outstanding Police Officers to do some CNB duties. The Minister may want to study this matter. Sir, though unrelated to this Bill, it is important that we must also try to win the battle against another form of abuse, and I am speaking of smoking. It is very distressing to see our young smoking. Why do I say this, Sir? Because for many cases, from smoking, it goes to other things. I am not saying all smokers end up in this. But some early smokers start and end up in this.”
“Consumers and pushers are the same class of people. I will come to that later. I will come to Mr Chiam's point later because I think we have come a long way, Mr Speaker, Sir, since we started our efforts to curb drug abuse in Singapore in the 70s. Many critics used to chide us for having such a stringent law. We imposed the death penalty. We introduced mandatory sentences. Even some of our own leaders thought that it was too harsh. Sir, we have come a long way. But despite all the efforts, we have seen how drug abuse has increased not only in Singapore but all over the world. We have in our own newspapers graphic details of the suffering of these young men and women. Sir, I think the Minister and his officials have responded well by bringing up this legislation. I shall not deal with the details of the Bill as other Members are going to speak. But suffice to say, Sir, for the law to be effective, it is important - and I repeat - it is important that the community must play its role. I urge every Singaporean to play his role. If we have a member of the household or a friend who has gone astray, we must try our level best to persuade him, soft-talk to him, if need be, refer him for professional counselling. Sir, in the course of my duty in SINDA, I have visited two to three rehabilitation centres. I am really impressed with the dedication with which these volunteers have reformed and rehabilitated drug addicts. And that is why when I was listening to my friend, Mr Kenneth Chen's call for rehabilitation, I thought this is an area that not just the Ministry of Home Affairs but the Ministry of Community Development should work together. Sir, many of the drug abusers start with soft drugs, I think Mr Chiam was quite right.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I speak in support of the Bill, there is something which I would like to bring to the attention of the House. When the Minister was speaking on illegal immigrants - I thought I heard him wrongly, but I checked - he said Bangladeshi language. I do not think there is a Bangladeshi language. I hope the Ministry officials who prepared these answers be made aware that the language is Bengali or Bangla. So I do not want Hansard to have that again. Sir, may I say that I disagree with the point made by Mr Chiam. I think the drug pusher is the worst form of criminal that we can come across.”
“I would urge the Minister not to tolerate such acts of these maids which are purely to punish the husband or wife of the household. We have an increasing demand for maids. Although it is not related, I would like to mention that we may have to live with this phenomenon for some time to come. But we should try to see that we are less dependent on maids. This is a social problem that we have to consider. But I am fully in support of this move. This legislation is necessary. I hope the Government, the NMPs and the Opposition in this House will vote and show our neighbours and maids that we are all in support. With this, I support the Bill.”
“Has our society lost its compassionate values? Because both the traditional "black and white" ladies and these ladies do the same thing. It is necessary for parents that they conduct with their maids in such a way that their children will pick the good habits from them - the language that is used, the way we address them, the way we deal with them, the way we take them out for lunch, whether we let them sit outside the cafeteria or they sit with us. These are the values which the children will pick up. In many cases, the maids are so good that the children regard them as foster parents. And these maids have very important responsibilities to the family, and I would urge the Singaporeans at large not to do anything that will diminish our standing in the international community. I congratulate the Minister, not because of any pressure from outside but because of our own conviction that what is being done is not correct, that the Government has decided to introduce this legislation. If nothing else, it will serve as a reminder, I repeat again, Sir, to those who are not going to conduct themselves properly that they are going to meet the might of the law. Sir, there is one area which I am a little concerned. Some of these maids have the habit I have one experience through my professional dealings of making allegations which are not accurate. There may be some truth in the allegation. I am glad that the Police were so thorough, that we must pay tribute to our Home Team, and that the officers concerned investigated the matter. This is very important because the Police have been very fair. When the law is being administered, we must see the genuine from the fake. There will be some cases, Sir. But this is an administrative area.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for allowing me this opportunity. First, I rise to support the Bill. The Bill is timely. The newspaper reports, both in the Straits Times and the New Paper, have highlighted the plight of these maids, especially the New Paper. Many thought it was sensational to have this news but I think it was a reminder, Sir, to Singaporeans at large that some members of our community are not being fair to these maids. Sir, the majority of our citizens treat their maids well, but there is a small minority who think they literally own these maids. They require them to do all sorts of things. With the proposed legislation, this small group is well warned that should they not change, they will meet the might of the law and the law will take all this into consideration. Sir, many may think that this is a bit harsh, but I do not think so. These maids have come all the way from different countries. They have left their families; they are in a foreign country with different cultural milieu and they have come here because of economic necessity in their countries. In fact, let us not forget when our forefathers came, they too came in this condition to earn a living here. These maids have left their families behind, some of them have young children. And instead of showing some sympathy, these perpetrators have in fact treated these maids with abuse. Sir, in earlier days, maids were a luxury. Only the rich could afford them. They were the traditional "black and white" ladies who, in most cases, were regarded as members of the family. And they, in fact, had authority of the family to punish errant children and many children regarded them as good as their parents. Why have we shifted the position? I think this is something that we ought to ask ourselves.”
“Sir, for those workers whose employment has been prematurely terminated and should they find a job within two weeks, will his Ministry consider favourably giving them a work permit?”
“Sir, it is comforting to know that the situation is under control. Would the Minister take the matter to its source where these illegal immigrants came from and inform the governments and media there to spread the news of the consequences of coming here illegally? There are people who come here illegally and get arrested and sometimes they are not aware of the situation till they come here. I am asking whether the Minister will be prepared to liaise with the governments concerned and the media as well.”
“Sir, I wholeheartedly support the Bill. It is gratifying to note that the Chief Valuer will be another position that will be safeguarded in the Constitution. My only concern is that the proposed State Lands (Amendment) Bill does not have details about his removal from the office in case we find that the person who is appointed is not suitable for the job. Because all we have is his remuneration and other terms would not be altered to his disadvantage. That is the only concern I have, Sir. BG Lee Hsien Loong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Chief Valuer's appointment is a departmental appointment. He is appointed like any other departmental officer in the civil service. It is not an appointment for life. If there is any reason to post the Chief Valuer to some other appointment, we can do so, but the President will have to concur.”
“I would like to single out one personality who I think deserves greater study by our historians and I am referring to Mr David Marshall who was not only the first Chief Minister but, in his political lifetime, he carried the struggle for independence, and multi-lingualism was his idea. He transformed the CPF and gave it a new life. He introduced legal aid and various things. I think Mr David Marshall deserves greater study than that we have hitherto given to him. Sir, I was very pleased to learn this morning that my charming friend, Mdm Claire Chiang, had written a book together with another writer, Mr Chan Kwok Bun, called Stepping Out. This deals with the business entrepreneurs in Singapore and I am very glad that TCS is making a series out of this. I hope this will be the beginning, and TCS will take the trouble to go and make a study of other pioneers from various other communities, as I said, David Marshall, and let the students know that without history, without the past heritage, we will be nowhere. Sir, I would urge the Minister to probably consider forming a committee to study how history could be taught in a more living and meaningful way and I am emphasising that it is not the colonial history alone, it is history from 1940 to 1955, one phase, and from 1955 to now. And the students will have the curiosity perhaps to go back and study on them.”
“I am obliged to you, Sir, for giving me this opportunity. Sir, may I now be permitted to deal with the History textbooks in Singapore. It is important for youth and our young to learn about the process of how we became a Republic, how we have succeeded and what were the pitfalls. We could draw richly on our oral history and in this regard, I think the schools should take advantage of numerous projects taken by the Oral History Department. Perhaps, the Ministry should also consider the teaching of History in a more friendly and living way. I am pleased to say that sometimes, when I visited either Chinatown or even Little India, I see young students visiting the temple or mosque, and see how sireh is being made or sold. This is important. We should also use television as a tool to teach History. Many students may not know of the various transport modes we had, the mosquito buses and various other things which are dying off. It is very important for us to preserve these historical roots. Sir, in many countries, it is compulsory for students to learn the culture of the country, the government, and a little bit of history of the country. Even in the university, it is compulsory. I am not suggesting that History should be made compulsory but I hope that we should give some weightage to modern History. I am not talking of History which is just confined from 1959, the post-PAP era. I am thinking of 1940 to 1955 which was a crucial period, how we lived through the Japanese Occupation, how we lived after the Japanese war, the struggle and the chaos we were in. It is very important for us to learn and know about this.”
“And I am reminded of the Senior Minister of State, Encik Sidek Saniff's remarks in this House many years ago about Lord Denning who wrote in simple English. Our Tamil teachers and Tamil scholars may want to emulate this. Sir, I would end by urging the Ministry also to examine another policy. Our bright students - I am not referring to the gifted, but other students - 10% of the core who are good in language should do an optional language, ie, a third language, which could be any of the languages. I would urge them to take Malay as an additional language, if possible, because we in this part of the world need to have some knowledge of Malay. And if you know Malay, you can learn Bahasa Indonesia easily. At the moment, one Asian language which is popular is Japanese. I think Japanese is important to us and we should also, if we want to have our windows open to the world, learn other languages - Thai, Nepalese, and what have you. And I am not suggesting there should be a concerted and forced effort, but children should be encouraged, especially those who have got a flair for languages.”
“But thanks to the generosity of the Government, today, besides Tamil, which is one of the official languages of Singapore, Hindi, Bengali, Gujarati, Punjabi are being taught by the community themselves. The Minister would be pleased to know that one of the reasons many expatriate parents are attracted here is that these languages can be learned. And I do not think any other part of the world outside Singapore offers such facilities. I speak for the community that this has been the most generous help the Government has given for these sub-ethnic groups to preserve their cultural roots. Sir, another area of concern is the standard of Tamil in schools. In the past, whenever we in SINDA visited a school, a STEP centre or met with parents, one of the areas which was often raised was the lack of Tamil teaching in certain schools, but I do not think this is an issue now because many schools, in fairness to the Ministry, are offering it. But one area which is of concern to the Indian community is the very high standard of Tamil. I am not suggesting for a moment that we should lower the grade but I think the choice of words and vocabulary should be done in such a way that the students will find it enjoyable and attractive. I am told of a Primary One kid, whose mother did Tamil in school, but she found it difficult teaching her son. I would urge the Ministry to examine this problem. And I would urge the Tamil teachers, in particular, to help in creating an atmosphere where the students will find it enjoyable. I am very pleased to read today's Life section of the Straits Times that Tamil Murasu has started a section for the students. I think the Tamil Section of the Radio Corporation of Singapore is also helping. It is very important, Sir, in learning the simple words of Tamil.”
“Sir, I support the Government's policy in promoting the teaching of mother tongue. Our bilingual policy has done well and the fact that we have evolved a language policy peacefully speaks volumes of the Government's policy because in many parts of the world, Sir, the language issue is fraught with danger and often results in civil conflict. Sir, while English will remain the language of Government and business, the learning of mother tongue will allow our children to preserve our cultural heritage and our roots. It is very important. No matter how proficient we are in English, Sir, in order to understand our cultural background, whether it is Malay, Indian or Chinese, some knowledge of the language is a prerequisite. 1.00 pm Sir, the values that these children will learn will enable them to meet the onslaught of Western influence. And if I may digress, my colleagues, Mr Loh, Mrs Lim, Mr Choo and others have spoken earlier of the diminishing regard and respect for the teachers. I wonder if it has to do with the Western influence on our television. When we were young, we respected a teacher, whether he was in the school or outside the school, he was still a Cikgu. Probably the teachers are too over-friendly. In this modern age, many of them are on "Hi-hi" basis. In our time, whether he was in the school or outside the school, we respected him. Sir, I have been involved in the move to get some Indian languages recognised. When I first wrote to the Minister for Education, then Dr Tony Tan, in 1996, for Hindi and other languages to be taught, I never thought that the Government would so easily agree to this, but this was a long gone struggle.”
“Unfortunately, Sir, the boys' home I visited with Dr Vasoo sometime back is too harsh. Discipline is an important aspect of reformation. But I think too much emphasis is being paid on the penal aspect of it. We should be more reformative and provide counselling. And this is something we have to look at. It is a social problem and not a criminal problem. I would urge the Minister and the GPC to help them out, make a study of the legislation, see how best we can incorporate this into the new era, move away from the right and wrong and see how we can go forward and counsel these boys and girls. We cannot console ourselves that criminal delinquency has been checked. No. It may be tapering off there, but we have to go to the root of the problem. I think many parents, many of us, are not in a position to take parental control. And I remember meeting a very young boy of 13 who was there and the parents said they could not control him. Sir, what the parents refuse to do, the society may have to do. I urge the Minister to make a study of this problem - take it away from the court, set up a tribunal, and give it a try. If you feel it is not working, send it back to the court. But I am quite confident, given the opportunity and the way we have worked out in other agencies, that it would be worthwhile to try it out.”
“Sir, I share the sentiments of Dr Vasoo. The Children and Young Persons Act needs to be amended. It is long overdue and I think the Ministry is looking into it. Sir, the problem of social juvenile delinquency is actually not a criminal problem. We have to go to the root of the problem because if we treat it as a criminal problem, we will send it to the juvenile courts. I beg to differ from the opinion of criminologists and the others. I think this is what we ought to do. And I hope the Minister would give this due consideration. I could relate to him another issue. He will remember that when the Maintenance of Parents Bill was first proposed in this House, there was a proposal that District Courts should hear such cases. I and another lawyer, Mr Joshua Lim, were opposed against the whole idea and we both wrote to the newspaper and appeared before the Select Committee. I think the problem, Sir, would have been worse if it had gone to court. I do not want to flatter ourselves, but when Mr Choo Si Sen was here, we had taken a different attitude. Similarly, Sir, I would urge the Minister to take away the court, get a trained lawyer and two social workers, form a tribunal and let this problem be studied as a social problem. It is not a criminal problem, Sir. I totally agree with Dr Vasoo that we should empower the school, with the help of the Police. I am not agreeable with him as he proposes teachers. Let the principals decide. The teachers discipline them through the principal, and the principal should decide. Just like we detain criminal elements without trial, I will go further and say that these boys should be taken away, send them on holiday for two weeks at the boys' home. They will learn their lessons.”
“By right, they should conduct certain activities, like physical exercises, physiotherapy, introducing preventive medicine, care for friends who recover from sickness and counselling, or conducting courses to deal with the problems of the aged and retirement. However, due to a lack of professional knowledge of the leadership of this level of work, and the present coordinating body is not able to provide such professional support, they are not able to play a more constructive role to benefit the aged members, except confining themselves to only social activities. In order for all these front-line organisations to play a more constructive role, and to cover a wider and comprehensive kind of activities, they should be supervised, guided and supported by a body which has the resources or professional support for the aged. At this moment, there are too many organisations involved in the aged programme. They include MOH, MCD and the PA, and my colleagues just now mentioned that HDB is involved in providing housing. We should actually pool all the possible resources from the relevant departments of the different interested parties by setting up a unit in MCD to gather views, provide better coordination, offer more professional support and cater to the shortage of manpower, as mentioned by other Members. With the combined professional expertise from such a merger, I believe that we could do a much better job in serving the aged population.”
“It is sad to say in some countries, it is isolated and is never popular. The best thing is to keep our old at home. But there may be situations, Sir, and I agree, that we may have to send them elsewhere, ie, home for the aged or retiree village. I would urge the Minister to persuade his colleague, the Minister for National Development, to look at housing which is very important. I know we are concerned with the health aspect, but I think housing is an essential part of the whole retiring process. Assoc. Prof. Low Seow Chay: The topic I would like to talk about is coordination of the aged programme. The call to make preparation for an aged population has been very successful. At present, senior citizens programmes mushroom in the community where both the Government-led bodies and the non-profit organisations are providing different types of services and facilities for the aged population. In the Residents' Committee level, we build senior citizens' corners. We also have the senior citizens' club in the community centre. They organise activities to brighten up the life of our senior citizens. At the MCD level, they run homes for the aged. In the Ministry of Health, they deal with the development of medicine for the aged and other preventive medicine to prepare for an aging society. Sir, at this moment, there is a lack of coordination between all the said organisations. This is especially true for the level of work in the RCs and the community clubs. There are organisations at the moment which merely run the centres to keep the senior citizens occupied, but activities are limited to social programmes, like outings, shopping, tea-tasting, or karaoke sessions.”
“' [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] 5.15 pm Sir, I would urge the Minister to look afresh at a report which was actually discussed in this House some years back. I am referring to the Howe Yoon Chong Report. By courtesy of the Librarian, I was given a copy and I studied it. I would urge the Ministry officials and the Minister to have a look at it. Many of the observations and recommendations it had made should be relooked. Unfortunately, because of CPF, we threw the baby with the bath water. We should not make the error again. Sir, we should encourage our citizens to prepare for retirement. I totally agree. They should be prepared, both financially and mentally. We are living in a healthier condition and we are having a longer lifespan. So we should encourage the habit of saving and investment. I think just to rely on CPF alone would be very foolish. It would not be sufficient. What we ought to do is to encourage ourselves, instead of spending on things which are not essential, to invest our savings, and I am glad that the Government is relaxing the rules on CPF. Sir, mentally, we must let the older Singaporeans, our senior citizens, know that they are not unwanted by society. We must take care of them. All of us are going to be old one day. And it is an on-going process, especially for those who are sick and infirm. We must take special care, and health care is very essential. One area which I think we have not paid enough attention, Sir, is housing. Especially on public housing, we have to think of how to integrate the retiree village, if we are going to build one. It should not be isolated somewhere outside. It should be an integral part of the housing scheme, so that these people would feel that they are wanted in the community.”
“Sir, I share the sentiments of Dr Ho with regard to the problems faced by the aged, but I would like first to deal with the young dependants. Sir, Dr Lily Neo has pointed out the after-care centres. I think it is important that we look after our young students and I am glad that the community centres - and I applaud the community centres - are doing a good job. I visited the CDAC self-help group in which Mr Chan Soo Sen was then running at Toa Payoh and I was very impressed by the way it was managed. What I would urge is that the other community clan associations, which have their own premises, which are not used in the day time, could consider turning them into after-care centres and perhaps the Minister may consider giving them some grants. It is not really expensive to run such centres. I think we can solve this problem, Sir. Sir, the community centres are doing a wonderful job but I do not think we are going to be fair to them to allow them to shoulder the responsibility. I think the community at large must also do something about this. Sir, I now move to the problems of the aged. The Government has acknowledged that we are going to have an ageing problem in years to come. Unless we tackle the problem now, we would have to face greater problems in years to come. Sir, the President, in the Opening of the 9th Parliament, has highlighted the issue and in the Addendum to the Ministry of Community Development this was what was said. May I quote with your permission, Sir. `We will encourage Singaporeans to prepare early for retirement, and to remain socially and physically active as they become senior citizens. We will promote positive attitudes towards ageing and filial responsibilities. Respect for elders should be an integral value in our gracious society.”
“It is of course not helping the economy directly but you are helping your fellow Singaporeans who may later on help the economic life of Singapore. I would urge the Minister to consider this.”
“Sir, may I first of all declare my interest. I am a resource panel member of the GPC on Community Development as well as a member of the Maintenance of Parents Tribunal. Sir, I wholeheartedly endorse the observations made by Dr Vasoo. If we want to build a caring society, a society that looks after one another and is concerned about the well-being of the society, then we must get our priority right. In Singapore's context, I think a call has been made by my colleague, Madam Chiang, about the allocation of funds. I am not trying to begrudge the Ministry of Home Affairs for its funds. But I think MCD should be given sufficient funds so that it could carry out its responsibility and duty to the society at large. 5.00 pm Sir, I have stated in the budget debate that the emphasis should be on retraining of the workers, but there may be a small group of workers who may find it difficult to either retrain or even obtain a job in the market, Sir. They may be out of employment for some long months and I think we should give them some financial assistance. The usual assistance that they will get will be not sufficient. In doing so, I would like to assure the Minister that I am not suggesting that we should go on encouraging handouts, welfarism, but I think it would be unjust not to help our fellow Singaporeans, who because of the economic conditions, do not have the financial means to look after the family. In this particular context, Sir, I am really concerned about the children, their education and welfare, should not suffer. I would ask the Minister to urge his colleague, if need be, to set up a special fund for this purpose and perhaps at a later date he could persuade his colleague, the Minister for Finance.”
“Now, we have bus shelters, but the time factor is also important. For some bus services, the wait is more than 7-8 minutes, and the MRT is about 3-4 minutes. If the PTC could work out a scheme whereby it ensures a minimum service, I think the public would change their travelling pattern. The PTC should also consult the bus commuters and get feedback from them. It should listen to the taxi operators. They are an organised group. Unfortunately, the bus and MRT commuters are not organised groups. Nevertheless, the PTC should carry out a survey and get feedback to find out what are their needs, and whether the fare structure they are going to set is actually one that will meet the public's expectations. Of course, the public wants cheap travel, but it cannot be so, because the economic necessity dictates that economic forces work. What I am suggesting to the Minister is that he should organise with PTC. 4.45 pm The other complaint I have against the composition of PTC is that I do not think any of the members of the PTC comes from the bus commuters. They all look like the car-owning class. I would suggest that they should at least put one or two members who depend on public transport. And I suppose this will help in giving the correct feedback.”
“Sir, the work of the Public Transport Council is important, in that it sets the tone for bus services as well as taxis. I am glad that the Minister has comprehensively covered taxis, and I will not take the House's time on that. But I would like to highlight one aspect of PTC's work, ie, bus services. I think at the last Budget sitting, two Members of this House, Dr Michael Lim and Mr Chay, spoke on this issue. My concern is: why is PTC so rigid in maintaining 40% of the buses should be non-air-conditioned service? With growing affluence, I think more people want to have air-conditioned buses and the ratio should be changed, maybe to 70:30 or even 80:20. The other concern is on Scheme B buses. Maybe the Government wants to make a study to see whether they could be organised into a cooperative or some close-knit group. Because they are providing a valuable service for the bus commuters. I think we should appreciate and we should encourage them to form cooperatives. I remember years back in the 70s, a lot of Chinese bus companies were amalgamated. I know these are one-man and two-men operations, but some economic incentives could be given to them. They could then serve a very useful purpose. Sir, I totally agree with the Minister that we have to depend on public transport. But the question that we have to ask ourselves is that until we have improved and I must concede that we have improved when are we going to come to the stage when the people who are using taxis and cars will be persuaded to switch. On the MRT, I already notice that members of the public take a trip on the MRT during the lunch hour. I have seen MPs, senior civil servants, and bankers, but I have yet to see somebody taking the bus. Maybe it is too long a distance.”
“I am not suggesting that all those who save could become millionaires overnight. But I am saying that they should get their priority right. Sir, the other thing I am going to suggest is rather radical. I have suggested it to a Select Committee and I am going to suggest it again. I think that each car owner should be made to pay a levy of $50. Of course, they should get something in return. They could be given a free ride on the MRT and buses. This is only for the car owners but not members of their family. In this way, I think they will be persuaded to use the buses and taxis more often, because they know they are going to pay $50. And if they do not use it, of course, they lose the benefit of a free MRT ride. It is a very radical suggestion but I want the Minister to give some consideration to my suggestion. Sir, I have got another cut. I wonder whether you would allow me to take it now.”
“Sir, we cannot run away from the fact that we are a small city state. The land for road transportation is limited. The matter is further complicated because we have a built-up city. The public has to acknowledge that the Government has spent huge sums of money in improving our roads and the land transportation system. Sir, I know I am going to be a voice in the wilderness, because everybody who has spoken before me, has been asking for car ownership to grow, but I am going to speak against it. Sir, I am going to be a minority. Most young Singaporeans aspire to own a car. There is nothing wrong in their dreams, but we have to be realistic. If every graduate decides to own a car within the first two years of his working career, our roads will be clogged. It will affect our economic life. We will be like the other cities and I do not think we want to do that. Sir, sometimes I think the Government is trying to please the car owners more than the public transport commuters who are, in fact, the majority of the taxpayers. May I urge young Singaporeans to save their money initially and put their money in other forms of investment, and postpone the buying of a car to a later stage. On the other hand, those families with two, three or even four cars should think of minimising, or at least give up one car. I know it is a difficult proposition. Some of us may be affected. But in the interest of the motorcar-owning class, I think we may have to consider the proposal. May I relate an anecdote, Sir. I know of a friend who, instead of buying a car, bought a terrace house and he was very fortunate. He upgraded and he now owns a bungalow in a good location and it is now worth a few million dollars. Now, he has a car. Since he has a very big family, he has SZ cars as well.”
“This is something which we should encourage and, wherever possible, with Government's encouragement and help, this scheme will help us in minimising car ownership. Sir, may I take my other cut?”
“Sir, the taxi service has improved considerably, when we compare to the taxi service of the 60s and when pirate taxis were a feature in Singapore. We have come a long way. But, unfortunately, during the peak periods, it is difficult to get a taxi, unless we book one. I think the Government has to think of ways and means to minimise this problem, because it costs $3.20 to book a taxi and not many people in Singapore I am not speaking of all of us can afford this and so they have to queue for a taxi. Sir, we should also improve the training for taxi drivers. They are the first people the tourists meet. They should know some basic facts about Singapore. They should be smartly dressed and perhaps they should be persuaded not to grumble about Singapore's ills. Sir, I now come to the SZ cars. I am glad that the tax for SZ cars is being revised. I would urge the Government to consider other means by which it would be economical for the people to use SZ cars. As a matter of fact, the other day I met a professional who is actually driving an SZ car on a long-term basis. In order to support the SZ car companies, the Government must look at the contribution that this group would make in minimising congestion on our roads. While doing so, I do not want to give the impression that the market force has to be abandoned . But sometimes, the market force has to be manipulated in order to serve the community better, and this would be one way. I hope the Government would not be too orthodox in its approach and see wherever they could help the SZ car industry to grow. The other thing that I would like to applaud the Government is the move to support the car cooperative.”
“Thank you, Sir. First of all, I must declare my interest. I am the owner of a private property in one of the very old housing estates with open drains. Sir, the Prime Minister has gone on record that he would help the private property owners to upgrade, not internally of course. But surely something could be done to the environment, like the example I am going to quote. Many of the housing estates which were built in the 1960s and 1970s have open drains. I am urging the Ministry to consider this proposal. As I have seen that in some older HDB estates like Hougang, where I used to live some time back, HDB has actually closed the drains and they are very tidy and neat. If the same could be done to the private housing estates, it would beautify the estate. They could put some potted plants and it would be greener and nicer. The Minister must bear in mind that these people pay considerable income tax as well as property tax, unlike the benefits which HDB flat owners get. I do not think they are given any benefit at all so far. So I would urge him to proceed by stages and surely he could get some money from some other funds and try it out in one estate. If it is feasible, I would urge him to do it all over Singapore. I know the new estates do not require this because it is a requirement of the Environment Ministry. But I am concerned that some of these old estates are in fact worse off than some of the HDB estates. Let us not treat these private property owners as untouchable Brahmins. They have contributed quite well to the coffers. Let us compensate them and at least give these things to them.”
“Sir, both HDB as well as the other departments have to work out a solution. And I appeal to the Minister to take whatever steps to socially disgrace these people and to make them realise that it is not worthwhile littering. 3.45 pm”
“Sir, we have a very clean Singapore and we must all be grateful to the Ministry of the Environment for having maintained such a high standard. Few cities can boast this as we can. Our roads are clean and our backlanes are swept every day. But there is one aspect which is rather disturbing, and this is littering by not only the illiterate, but the literate. If one were at the bus stops, or in MRT stations where a lot of pamphlets are distributed, we find papers lying all over. The worst culprits are the bus commuters. They leave their tickets everywhere. Then the next culprits are the smokers. After smoking they will throw the cigarettes in the drain where it is an open drain. Sir, despite large amounts of money being spent on education and social condemnation of this act by asking them to do corrective work, it has not worked. I think we have to find a solution. And I urge the Minister that perhaps we should reconsider the position and appoint what I call voluntary based officers or friends of the environment who should be empowered to book these people and make them appear in court rather than compound the offence. Similarly, in the town councils, more of such officers could be appointed. And I think every Government agency should be asked to help in this process because if we do not check this, Sir, I think we will have to pay a lot of money in keeping our city clean. Sir, I know the Minister has taken pains to see that things are maintained clean, but I think something has to be done if we want to maintain our reputation. Especially the people who distribute pamphlets, they go around HDB flats and distribute a lot of things. If you go to any of the estates, you will find litter all over the litter boxes.”
“But if we do it right, if the people and the Government work together, then I have no doubt that across all fields, we will emerge stronger.”
“Force 136, they worked with TCS to create a series called the Price of Peace, and this was very well received, and in the process of enjoying a very good TV serial, young Singaporeans learnt about a very important part of their past, when local people, despite the fact that they were a colonised people, fought, sacrificed their lives, in order to keep the land free. Time is running out. If I can summarise, the character of a people is shaped more by adversity than by prosperity. A long boom has ended. We are going through a period of crisis. It can be a very bad crisis. It can be a relatively minor crisis for us. But there is no doubt that across the region, it is a very major crisis. And because of this crisis, the character of Asia will change. The fundamental attitudes towards the market, towards America, towards China, towards Japan, towards religion, will change, as a result of this crisis. Our national character was very much forged as a result of the British colonial experience, of the Second World War, of the fight against the Communists, of our traumatic years in Malaysia, and of our need to survive when we became independent. In the same way, this crisis will reshape young minds, and young people who thought that the boom will never end, are suddenly confronted with the harsh reality of living in a tumultuous world, and discovering what their own strengths and weaknesses are. So if we put our minds to it, all of us, as teachers, as parents, as MPs, as entrepreneurs, as workers, as unionists, we can turn this crisis into a strengthening experience, once out of it, we will emerge much stronger as a people. In a crisis like this, either we go through it stronger or we go through it weakened. No one will go through it intact, everyone of us. No one is spared.”
“I think it is not correct. Not Thaipusam. Deepavali. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Not Thaipusam, I am sorry. Deepavali. Only three days we celebrate together - the New Year, May Day, National Day. This is how much we celebrate together as a people. So we have a long way to go. Our ancestral history is much longer than our national history. We must give much more emphasis on our national history so that the parts of us which bind us together as Singaporeans will be strengthened. We hope to have up to half a million visitors to this Exhibition. It will be presented in all the four official languages and we estimate a budget of about $10 million. We hope that some of it can be privately funded, but the bulk of it will be funded by Government. This will supplement all our efforts in National Education, in our schools, by the various cultural associations, the clan associations, and so on. Dr Yaacob asked whether we should not fund private efforts. I think we should facilitate private efforts. We fund them if there is justification. If you take the Chinese Chamber, they have done very good work, every year organising the memorial remembrance at the civilian memorial. This year, over 1,500 students turned up, and they put up an exhibition which will now be compiled into a book. It is part of National Education for young Singaporeans to know of an event which shook us as a people and which created the most powerful influence on the nationalist movement here. There are many other efforts being made by various groups. I think they should be encouraged.”
“It serves no purpose. So if we want to do it, do it well. I would urge the Minister to ask his officials to look around for such buildings. How many of us know where the Trade Unions Building was? None. Where was the communist party operating from? Where did many of the political parties start off? This is a historical wealth. I would urge the Government to go in because time is not on our side. Many of the buildings would be torn down. If I may illustrate, recently, there was a building in Little India at Dunlop Street, which was first started by a group of Hindi community speakers in 1910 or 1920. Some people wanted to buy it. Unfortunately, the price was too high. They could not buy it. But they were hoping that a plaque could be constructed there. I will be writing to the Minister in due course and hope that he will give consideration to this matter. Sir, it is important that we recognise the good work of the National Heritage Board. Every member of the public who has knowledge of a historical building should do his own research, find out how it started and pass it to the Government so that we could preserve it.”
“Sir, I would like to commend the good work done by the National Heritage Board. We have more museums than we had originally. We are not just serving our own people, but also people from other parts of the world who want to get a flavour of our past can do so. And I am glad that the Government has done so much in an area which cannot be mentioned in dollars and cents. The other point I would like to touch on is the buildings. Sir, many buildings which would have been demolished are now preserved. Thanks to the National Heritage Board. This is of course a historical heritage which we are bequeathing for the generation to come to cherish and enjoy. In this context, a shophouse in Telok Ayer Street, where the Anglo-Chinese School started, was preserved by an old boy of the school. Such an act of generosity should be applauded. I hope other members of the public, who are owners of buildings with historical link, whether started by an association, school or even a clinic, should try to preserve them. I hope the National Heritage Board would get in touch with them and assist them, not by financial means but by historical research. Sir, if we take a walk along London street, we come across many buildings and plaques saying that a governor or a writer had stayed or was born there. I hope we too could have this. I know there are some streets with plaques at the corner. There are many roads which are named after many illustrious Singaporeans and we should try to find out their historical link. How many people know about Kim Seng Street or Jiak Kim Street? There is a history behind it. Take, for example, Coleman Street. There is a plaque which was beautifully done. Unfortunately, maybe it is due to the weather the inscription has faded, and it is so difficult for one to read now.”
“But it is an important sector of the community and it should get its coverage, not only the Indian programmes but the other community and national programmes in the Indian channel. The other point is the question of timing. I know the timing has improved. The Minister may say that we are asking too much. But I think it would benefit half of the Indian community, especially the younger listeners and viewers, if the News programme could be shifted after 8.30 pm. The second point, Sir, is that we do not have a current affairs programme in the Indian segment. It is important to know what is happening around us in Singapore and we should have such a programme either twice a month or, if not, at least once a month. The programme could be for half an hour to one hour where the Indian viewers could have the opportunity to see the problems facing Singapore. For this, I think we should have funding. Again, I would urge the Minister to reconsider this. Sir, I must applaud TCS for the improvement in its quality of programmes. I think it would be hypocrisy not to admit that the standards have gone up. But I am asking the Minister to urge his officers to do something that we can be proud of our TV and radio programmes, especially when they compare with the news media. If you look at the Straits Times, it has got such a wide coverage, in particular From the Gallery. If we could have the same coverage for TV programmes, I think Singapore as a whole would benefit.”
“Sir, when I was cut off last Friday, I was speaking on TV programmes. It is important that TV programmes, especially the News that is telecast in Singapore, and as pointed out by the Minister last year in the Budget debate, should focus on the Singapore viewpoint. It is very important because sometimes I wonder what has a bus accident or small human story in America got to do. In fact, if there were other human stories of what is happening in Asia they would be much more relevant. So I would urge the News editors to focus and give a Singapore viewpoint whenever news is reported. There may be some human angle, I can agree. But to report on small incidents of road blocks, or things like that, I do not think it serves any purpose. May I now move to the question of Indian programmes, Sir. The Indian News programme is hampered because it has to depend on the other sections and it does not cover news on the Indian community as widely as it should. Also, there is a tendency for the Indian news programmes to focus on matters happening in India. I do not deny that India is an important country but to focus unduly on affairs in India, I think it is not good for Singapore, and I would urge that we should take a focused viewpoint. The Indian PAC has pointed this out. But I want to share my views with this House that we should try to portray India's problems in India's setting and not India's problems in Singapore setting. I think it would be good to have more journalists in this section. I know there are budget constraints. But I would ask the Minister to urge his colleague, the Finance Minister, to be a little more generous because I know the Indian programmes are not self-financing.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister what steps is the MCD taking to attract more mothers to join the workforce. I know it is the responsibility of Ministry of Labour.”
“Thank you, Sir. Sir, I think I have to admit, and other Members will admit, that the quality of the TCS programmes has improved. Viewers now have greater opportunity of also switching to Cable Vision. This imposes on our station a greater responsibility. I am concerned specially with the news and current affairs because Cable Vision has got far better inputs and many members of the public, I know, sometimes prefer to watch these programmes. Only when it comes to Singapore, they want to watch our station. I think this is sad. We should try to improve the standard. I am not being critical. I think it is in the interest of Singapore that our station is watched by everybody because CNN and other stations cannot carry the message of nation-building which my friend, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, has emphasised, our station can. In this respect, I would urge the Minister to take an interest in this area and to improve on it. Sir, take the example of parliamentary reports. It is shown 15 minutes after the News. I think it is rather late. We should have it a bit earlier so that school children will know what is happening. For the last few days, Parliament has been sitting for hours, yet in 15 minutes, I think in fairness to TCS, you cannot convey the message. I know the Minister may reply, "Oh, there is no audience." I think that is not the question. The audience can be built up. Even if the audience is not there, the people who are going to watch are important people in the society, and for their interest I think we should try to enlarge, reorganise the programme, and also change the time.”
“Sir, before I proceed, I need a clarification from you. I see some Members addressing you as the "Chairman", some as "Deputy Chairman". For the benefit of the younger Members of this House, would you please say which is the correct form?”
“Sir, further to what my friend, Mr Simon Tay, has asked, I think Singaporeans, by and large, would be grateful to hear of the announcement by the Minister that it would take a shorter period. In cases where people pose no security risk to the State, would there be a framework, say, within six months? Because I find that it is easier to get other societies registered in Singapore within three months. Why not cases of civil societies which are going to contribute to the growth of civic societies in Singapore? The example of two years is unbelievable. I know the Ministry is trying to reduce it. But if all the relevant information is given, could the Minister of State assure the House what is a fair timeframe to work on? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, it depends on the nature of the application, but I think 3-6 months would be a fair timeframe to work on.”
“With your permission, Sir, may I seek two clarifications from the Minister. I think the House agrees with the Minister's assessment of the situation with Malaysia. I think Mr Chiam's suggestion is worthy of consideration and we should seriously consider it. Perhaps the Government may want to set up a Ministerial Committee to study how we could bring about an economic union, provided the Malaysians are of the same mind. In the interest of both countries, we should start afresh. I am aware of the Prime Minister's regular visits to Malaysia. So are the Foreign Minister and other Ministers. Could we institutionalise these visits? We are coming to a stage where we do not have many Ministers in the Malaysian Cabinet who have studied in Singapore. There are younger Ministers who have never been to either a Singapore school or university. So it is important, both for the governments and the civil servants, to have regular dialogues. As neighbours, we may have our problem, but we should look at the long term perspective in the interest of both countries.”
“The question is: would the Ministry consider reducing the charges further so that more people could enjoy the beautiful facilities of both these Gardens? JTC, being a Government organisation, should consider this.”
“Sir, I share the sentiment of Mr Ravindran. I have another supplementary question. JTC is a big organisation. Would it consider as a public service and community service, even if it is to cost a few million dollars, to reduce the entrance fees? I am not asking that we make it completely free but to look to other means such as leasing the property nearby to shops, food stalls, etc. I have been there quite a few times myself and I see that it is not well patronised.”
“So I would urge the Minister to persuade as many people as possible to represent Singapore and also to see whether in those countries where we have non-resident ambassadors there is a need now to upgrade them to resident ambassadors.”