Sia Kah Hui
Singapore
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. Is the Minister not aware that times have changed and continue to change? There are already so many complaints from flat buyers against the sub-contractors. I have here just two samples, one from the Singapore Monitor and the other from the Straits Times.”
“To ask the Minister for National Development if he will justify the increase by the Housing and Development Board from $3 p.m. rent to $785 p.m.”
“Not a copy of the letter which your Parliamentary Secretary has sent because, as I have read earlier on, this letter is not clear. Because it says, "to discharge your (the developer's) obligation to clear the temple." The developer says, "Here you are. This clearly says so.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, does the Minister know that after I have written to the developer who had in writing assured the temple people that he would build them a new temple at the developer's expense, his reply to me was that Government had taken over his obligation.”
“Sir, I am not the one who is not clear and I am not the one who is involved in this. It just happened that the developer takes your letter to mean that you are freeing him from his obligation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister what difficulty is there that he does not want to clear this up? It is not with me. I understand, but the developer does not. He sends the letter from the Government to the temple saying, "Here you are, you see, I paid this money and there is a receipt. I am free from my obligation.”
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“So is the Minister not going to consider that since times have changed therefore the policy has got to be changed too? Follow up with the times.”
“I wonder whether the Minister is aware that times have changed and that the people buying the flats in Tampines -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. Is the Minister not aware that times have changed and continue to change? There are already so many complaints from flat buyers against the sub-contractors. I have here just two samples, one from the Singapore Monitor and the other from the Straits Times. One heading reads, "Angry flat owners want their money back", and the other heading, "Contractor vanishes before jobs are completed". So I say that the times have changed and that the flats in Tampines are welcomed by the buyers because the floors are all done up nicely. The number of people -”
“To ask the Minister for National Development if he will justify the increase by the Housing and Development Board from $3 p.m. rent to $785 p.m. TOL, in spite of the reduction in area from 50-odd thousand square feet to around 10, thousand square feet, in the case of Hong San Temple in Defu Lane 12, an increase of more than 130,000 per cent.”
“Sir, I am not the one who is not clear and I am not the one who is involved in this. It just happened that the developer takes your letter to mean that you are freeing him from his obligation. I would like the Minister to have it clearly stated that the Government is not freeing him from his obligation and that he cannot hide under the skirt of the Government. INDIAN MUSLIM KATHIS (Particulars) 3. Mr M.K.A. Jabbar asked the Minister for Social Affairs whether there are any registered Indian Muslim Kathis for the solemnization of Muslim marriages in Singapore and, if so, their number; and, if there are none, what steps, have been taken to appoint Indian Muslim Kathis.”
“Not a copy of the letter which your Parliamentary Secretary has sent because, as I have read earlier on, this letter is not clear. Because it says, "to discharge your (the developer's) obligation to clear the temple." The developer says, "Here you are. This clearly says so. It clears me from my obligation, Therefore, I am not obliged to build a temple for you even though I have written it before." So I just wanted the Minister to write clearly to the developer that we have not cleared him from his obligation. Because the Parliamentary Secretary's letter says so, and that is the interpretation of the developer. So it is no use my sending this letter to the developer. There is no point because he will say, "There you are. I am cleared of my obligation."”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister what difficulty is there that he does not want to clear this up? It is not with me. I understand, but the developer does not. He sends the letter from the Government to the temple saying, "Here you are, you see, I paid this money and there is a receipt. I am free from my obligation. Government is taking over." I am asking whether the Minister would write another letter to the developer to tell him that Government has not freed him from his obligation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister aware of his Parliamentary Secretary's reply? Perhaps he could explain what is the meaning of this sentence: 'A sum of $86,569.45 was paid to the Government as resettlement cost plus administration charges and agency fees to discharge the developer's obligation to clear the temple.' This temple was originally at Tai Keng Gardens and the developer had applied to the Government to develop the estate, and he wrote this letter. Perhaps the press might like to have a copy. I could give them a copy of this letter from one of our famous developers of international character, that he promised to build a new temple and he removed the altar of the temple to another part of his land that is not affected by the development of Tai Keng Gardens. And he promised in writing that he would build them a brand new and better temple. So now he takes the Government's letter as freeing him from this obligation. I think the matter could be cleared up if the Minister were to write another letter to the developer to say that the Government is not freeing him from his obligation but that he should fulfil his obligation to the temple people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, does the Minister know that after I have written to the developer who had in writing assured the temple people that he would build them a new temple at the developer's expense, his reply to me was that Government had taken over his obligation. And he sent me a copy of a letter from the Permanent Secretary on behalf of the Ministry of National Development, which says: 'it has been decided to give Government assistance in the clearance of the Chinese temple on condition that you pay to the Government the sum of $86,569.45 to discharge your obligation to clear this temple.' Therefore, the developer says that the Government had freed him from his obligation to build a new temple.”
“Sir, how many factories were built by the private sector?”
“In view of what the Minister for National Development answered earlier on and what the Minister of State for Finance has indicated, the sum owed is really quite big. It is an indication of the difficulties that the industrialists are facing. So whether a reconsideration of the rate could be made at this point of time? 3.30 pm”
“- they would prefer it to be managed by the JTC. That is what they say. I do not know what the Minister has to say to that.”
“In fact, considering the problems that they face -”
“Sir, this is the feedback from our own industrialists who are operating in -”
“Sir, is there not any duplication in the duties, especially when JTC is managing the industrial estates? Would it not be better if the HDB were to divest itself of the job?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have heard of the transfer of stallholders from Toa Payoh to Hougang about two months ago, but apparently it has not been soon enough because the market was ready about three months ago. Perhaps the Minister could say that the transfer will be done as soon as possible. Mr Lee Yock Suan: Mr Speaker, Sir, the market was actually completed in June last year. It was held back at the request of the authorities because of the need for resettlement facilities in view of the construction of the MRT. As I have said in my answer, the allocation will now be done in April and the stalls should be occupied by April, that is, next month. I hope that will be soon enough for the Member. BILL INTRODUCED NATIONAL STATISTICAL COMMISSION OF SINGAPORE (REPEAL) BILL "to repeal the National Statistical Commission of Singapore Act 1971 (No. 27 of 1971)", presented by the Minister for Trade and Industry (Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam); read the First time; to be read a. Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed. MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1983 TO 31ST MARCH, 1984 3.04 p.m. Order read for resumed consideration in Committee of Supply [7th Allotted Day], [Mr Speaker in the Chair] Head V (cont.) - Resumption of Debate on Question [23rd March, 1983], "That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of Subhead VB-02 Object Group 3110 of the Main Estimates." - [Encik Wan Hussin Zoohri]. Question again proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, if a member's Medisave Account is in the red, is he required to pay interest?”
“Any dispute referred to the Ministry is attended to immediately. Very often the parties concerned are contacted on the telephone to attend meetings. Delays can be due to several factors, if there were any delays. The representatives of the union and of the management may not have a mandate to agree to counter-proposals during the meetings. Therefore, the meeting will have to be adjourned for them to consult their superiors. Sometimes also one party may resort to delaying tactics for their own purpose. It could be the union, or it could be the management. Both parties play a kind of game too. So the conciliation officer very often has to step in and make sure that they play the game in a gentlemanly manner. As we all know, the union's industrial relations officer has also to service its many branches. Therefore, meetings arranged for conciliation will have to be arranged in such a way to fit into his schedule, and that is another cause for delay. But as far as the Ministry is concerned, we are very interested in settling the dispute even on the spot, if we can do it. PEDESTRIAN OVERHEAD BRIDGE (Lorong 1, Toa Payoh) 3. Mr Liew Kok Pun asked the Minister for National Development whether the construction of the pedestrian overhead bridge across Lorong 1, Toa Payoh (near the Toa Payoh Police Station) will actually commence in FY 1981.”
“The question of whether the Ministry would disallow teachers from forming unions after they have been accorded professional status does not arise at this juncture. In any case, registration of a union is considered on its own merit and in accordance with the Trade Unions Act. HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT BOARD/ HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT COMPANY (Merger) 2. Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for National Development if he will introduce legislation to merge the Housing and Development Board and the Housing and Urban Development Company into one public housing authority in view of the fact that (i) the larger flats of the HDB are not different from those of the HUDC; (ii) future HUDC flats are expected to be built within HDB estates in order to promote better social mix among dwellers of different types of flats: and (iii) members of the public have frequently requested that the income ceiling of applicants for HDB flats be raised.”
“We thought that the 50% limit is reasonable. Anyway never in the history of actions taken by the Ministry under this particular section has any insurance company or employer paid compensation so very late. 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. - [Mr Sia Kah Hui]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. STATE LANDS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read, 3.25 p.m.”
“Clause 7 of the Bill also provides that the interest paid by the employer or insurance company be payable to the workman or his dependants in the case of a deceased workman. Interest on late payment will be paid to the Workers' Fund only if the deceased workman has no surviving dependants, Mr Speaker, Sir, at present, an injured workman who refuses to submit himself for medical examination will have his right to compensation suspended until such examination takes place. Since a time limit is not provided, a case could be suspended indefinitely if the workman refuses to submit himself for examination. To prevent such an abuse and to provide for more efficient administration, clause 4 provides that where an injured workman without reasonable excuse fails to submit himself for medical examination within six months from the date of being required to do so by the Commissioner for Labour, he shall forfeit his right to compensation unless such injury results subsequently in his death. Finally, section 33 (2) of the Workmen's Compensation Act allows a workman to claim compensation, having failed in his claim at common law, provided he filed his common law claim within the time specified in section 11, that is, six months from the happening of the accident. A number of claimants have indicated that this period gives them very little time to decide whether to claim at common law or under the Act. Clause 3 of the Bill, therefore, seeks to extend this period from six months to one year. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Clause 2 of the Bill therefore proposes to raise the wage ceiling for employees employed in non-manual work under the Workmen's Compensation Act to $1,250 per month in line with that prescribed for the Employment Act. Furthermore, in order to ensure that the scope of the Act will in future be commensurate with increases in the level of wages, it is proposed in the Bill that the Minister be empowered to adjust and raise the wage ceiling for employees employed in non-manual work by notification in the Gazette. Such a power has already been provided under the Employment Act. Under the present Workmen's Compensation Act, an employer is required to pay compensation within 21 days from the date of service of the notice of assessment of compensation or the date of the Commissioner's decision at the conclusion of a hearing. If he fails to pay within this stipulated period, he is liable to pay to the Workers' Fund interest at the rate of 1 1/2% for each month or part thereof of the compensation payable. Despite this, some employers and insurance companies still pay compensation late. In 1979, there were 675 late payments. To make employers and insurance companies pay compensation on time, clauses 6 and 7 seek to raise the rate of interest to be charged for late payment in the following manner. For the first six months from the date of service of the notice of assessment or the date of the Commissioner's decision, the rate of interest shall be 11/2% per month or part thereof; and thereafter the rate shall be 3% per month or part thereof of the compensation payable. The amount of interest charged shall not in any case exceed 50% of the amount of compensation.”
“The proposed increase in the compensation rates takes into consideration the substantial increase in the cost of living and wages over the last five years. Since the last revision of workmen's compensation in October 1975, the Consumer Price Index has risen by about 19%. The median monthly income of employees, according to CPF records, has also risen by about 25% from $332 in 1975 to $416 in June 1980. Apart from raising the maximum and minimum levels of compensation, clause 8 also provides for a revision in the age multiplying factors used in calculating compensation. Compared to those presently in use which fall abruptly at certain ages, the new multiplying factors fall more gradually with age for workmen between 40 and 65. The proposed multiplying factors for workmen between the ages of 40 and 59 are also higher than the present factors but lower for those whose ages are above 60. The reduction of the factors for elderly workmen represents a more realistic provision as their loss of future earnings would be very much less. Mr Speaker, Sir, under the present provisions of the Workmen's Compensation Act, employees employed in non-manual work are covered by the Act only if their monthly earnings do not exceed $750. However, employees employed in manual work are covered by the Act irrespective of the amount of their monthly earnings. The $750 wage ceiling was set in 1971 in line with the wage ceiling in Part IV of the 1968 Employment Act. The wage ceiling of non-manual employees for the purpose of coverage under the welfare provisions of Part IV and sections 33 and 144 of the Employment Act will be revised to $1,250 per month with effect from 1st December 1980, in consideration of the substantial increase in the wage level of our workers since 1968.”
“The Ministry also undertook education and advisory services to promote work safety. Campaigns to underline the importance of safety and health were organised for the shipbuilding, construction, wood-working and metal working industries. Training of workers and supervisors in safety and health was undertaken for the shipbuilding and construction industries. Safety and health personnel in industry were also trained. Mr Speaker, Sir, as a result of this work, there has been an improvement in the industrial safety and health situation. Over the last five years, it is heartening to note that the frequency and severity rates of industrial accidents have significantly fallen from 6.8 accidents per one million man-hours worked in 1975 to five accidents in 1979 and 845 man-day loss per one million man-hours worked in 1975 to 405 man-day loss in 1979. Nevertheless, we still need to further improve. There were at the end of 1979 5,277 accidents with 57 fatalities. We must seek to reduce further the number of accidents and fatalities. Mr Speaker, Sir, one of the main amendments is the increase in the quantum of workmen's compensation. This increase is not only to meet the rise in the cost of living and wages but also to underline to employers the need to give greater attention to the prevention of accidents and diseases at the workplaces. Clause 8 of the Bill seeks to raise the maximum compensation for death from $35,000 to $45,000 and that for injury resulting in permanent total incapacity from $45,000 to $60,000. It also provides for an increase in minimum compensation for death from $10,800 to $15,000 and for a minimum compensation for injury resulting in permanent total incapacity to be fixed at $20,000.”
“No, I do not think you can make a general application. It all depends on the structure of the company and how the schemes are varied. Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill. Bill reported without amendment: read a Third time and passed. WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.11 p.m. The Acting Minister for Labour (Mr Sia Kah Hui): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Sir, the Bill seeks to introduce a number of amendments to the Workmen's Compensation Act. A summary of the amendments is provided in the explanatory statement, I now propose to elaborate on some of the more important clauses in the Amendment Bill. Sir, the Ministry of Labour over the past years has been concentrating on the prevention of work accidents and diseases to provide a safer and healthier work environment for our workers. Safety and health standards have been improved. The Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction Regulations, 1977, introduced new safety standards on the erection and use of scaffolds. The Factories (Amendment) Act, 1978, provided additional safety requirements for work in confined spaces. Two new health programmes were also introduced. One was the Hearing Conservation Programme launched in May 1976 to preserve the hearing of workers in noisy factories. The other was the Cancer Prevention Programme introduced in November 1978 covering the use of asbestos and benzene. Enforcement of safety and health standards has been stepped up. Penalties for violation of safety and health standards were enhanced in 1978 and 1979 to drive home the message to management and workers of the need to observe safety standards and procedures.”
“Sir, a productivity incentive scheme is specifically drawn up for that purpose with all kinds of regulations and conditions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the primary objective of the Central Provident Fund is to provide for old age. With increasing life expectancy and with more people working beyond 55 years of age, there is no compelling reason to allow members to withdraw part of their CPF savings before they reach 55 years of age. It is therefore regretted that the answer is no. GANG FIGHTS (Particulars) 4. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Home Affairs how many gang fights involving secret society elements have occurred since the beginning of this year; how many deaths have resulted and how this figure compares with the figures of the last three years; and what measures are being taken to control such incidents.”
“The time bar of three years will, however, not apply to a member who has used his CPF savings to buy HDB or JTC flat. In such a case, he will be allowed to use his CPF savings to buy a private property upon the sale of his HDB/JTC flat. The time bar of three years will also not apply to a member who has used his CPF savings to buy a property jointly with other members in his immediate family. Such a member will be allowed to use his CPF savings to buy another property upon divesting his investment in the jointly-owned property. When the property purchased under the scheme is sold, the proceeds of the sale or the amount of CPF savings withdrawn plus interest, whichever is less, will have to be returned to the member's account if he is not yet qualified to withdraw his CPF savings. CENTRAL PROVIDENT FUND (Partial withdrawal of contributions prior to retirement) 3. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Labour whether consideration will be given to allowing Central Provident Fund contributors to withdraw part of their contributions at least five years prior to their retirement from employment.”
“The property purchased with CPF savings may be used either for a member's own occupation or for rental. Members, however, will have to ensure that such properties purchased with CPF savings are not used for immoral, illegal or other unauthorised purposes. Failure to observe this condition renders the property liable to possession by the CPF Board. Such property possessed by the Board will be sold to ensure recovery of the amount withdrawn from the CPF plus interest. Further, a sum not exceeding 20% of the sale proceeds will be forfeited to the Board as a penalty. Members who purchase properties under the various approved housing schemes will also be subjected to CPF rules governing the use of CPF savings in addition to those imposed by the respective housing authorities including those governing ownership and use of the properties. Members in the immediate family, namely, spouse, parents and children in any combination and children of the same parents who wish to purchase a property jointly will be allowed to use their CPF savings for the payment of that property. Any member who has used his CPF savings for the purchase of the property jointly with members of his immediate family will not be allowed to use his CPF savings to purchase another residential property. Properties qualifying for the use of CPF savings under the scheme must be on freehold land or where they are on leasehold land the lease must have at least another 75 years at the point of use of CPF funds. Properties purchased under the scheme may be sold at any time. However, to prevent speculation a member who has sold his property will be barred for three years from using his CPF savings again for the purchase of another property.”
“The objective behind this decision is to help CPF members, who are either ineligible for public housing or who do not prefer to live in such publicly-built flats, to own private residential property. This will also enable them to invest their CPF savings in residential properties to hedge against inflation. Under this scheme, members who are not undischarged bankrupts will be allowed to use their CPF savings to buy one residential property regardless of whether members own commercial or other residential property. The scheme will be implemented in two phases. In the first phase, which will come into effect on 1st June 1981, a member will be allowed to use up to 90% of his CPF savings in the Ordinary Account to redeem the whole or part of the outstanding mortgage on one residential property. He will also be allowed to use up to 90% of the monthly CPF contributions paid for him to his Ordinary Account towards the monthly instalment repayment of the remaining mortgage loan. This scheme will, however, not apply to any mortgages which were executed after the property has been purchased outright by the member or where a previous mortgage on the property has been discharged by the member. This is to prevent members who have already paid for their properties from taking advantage of the scheme. In the second phase, which will come into effect on 1st January 1982, the scheme will be extended to allow a member to use up to 90% of his savings in the Ordinary Account for the purchase of a private residential property. If a member's CPF savings are insufficient to pay for the purchase of the property, he will also be allowed to use up to 90% of the monthly CPF contributions paid for him to the Ordinary Account to meet the monthly instalment payments on the property.”
“Sir, they are allowed to withdraw their savings to buy HDB, HUDC and JTC flats.”
“In our context the question is whether the various points made and proposals put forward in the last few days will ever be accepted by the authorities. Accepted or not accepted, I feel that the contributions to the debate must have some potential value. I am an optimist. Of all the thousands of words of wisdom uttered in this House, some no doubt will fall on fertile ground and bear fruit in the years to come. I have no doubt whatsoever, none whatever, in fact not I alone, for I can confidently say on behalf of all my colleagues in this House, having heard them all, that the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education and everyone of his officers would put their whole heart and soul in their job, that is, to make sure that our young citizens get the best education that is humanly possible to give. 3.55 p.m.”
“May I be allowed in passing to mention that the present system of selecting students for admission to secondary schools and junior colleges may after some years result in the branding of schools and colleges into different classes, that is. A class, B class and C class; or first, second and third grades. The selection for admission to junior colleges is based on the number of points attained at the 'O' level examinations. If a student has less than so many points, he is allowed to join, say, National Junior College: and if he has more than a certain number of points he goes to, say, Catholic Junior College. I have no doubt oversimplified the selection process. I understand it is done by the computer, What I want to ask is whether this, in time to come, would lead to the concentration of the brightest in one college, the next best in another, and so on. If so, is this desirable?. Shall we not consider other alternatives, such as grouping students according to the subjects they propose to take, e.g., those taking Mathematics and related subjects go to, say, the National Junior College and Temasek, those doing English and related subjects go to, say, Hwa Chong Junior College and Anglo-Chinese Junior College, and so on? It is good that almost every citizen has an opinion about education, including Members of Parliament, though the great majority claim ignorance about education. No apology is needed. For all at one time or another have been taught and are now parents with kids in schools, the hon. Member for Alexandra excepted. In any case, we have complete freedom of speech. Biologists talk about metaphysics, inorganic chemists about theology and blunt men write to the press to say that Lim Chong Yah does not know anything about economics.”
“For all I know, not one of them is responsible for the sorry state of affairs in the Ministry as revealed in the Report. Switzerland has been put up as an example of having a successful system of bilingual education and, mind you, this is without a Ministry of Education. I wonder what would be the reaction if I were to say, "overhaul completely our existing Ministry of Education". I mean abolish the part of the Ministry's work which could be considered "shackles" by the schools but just keep a minimum staff for the reduced administrative work: return the majority, if not all the professionals to where they really belong - the schools. Would this, in the final analysis, not be good for our younger generation? Or is this suggestion a preposterous one? May I now say just a few words on the proposed streaming of primary school children. Since it is proposed that the parents be given a say in the matter and it is also admitted that there is no foolproof way of assessing the children at this stage, I would suggest that only general principles and guidelines (including syllabus for the different streams, if you like) come from the Ministry of Education and whether the children will go into the Primary 4A, 4B or 4C or from 4A to 4C or from 5C to 5A classes and so on, could be left entirely to the school principals and teachers because they are the people who know the children best. In this way we can avoid the problems and the stigma that can come about if all the children are put through a standardised mill at Primary 3 or 4 level. In this way, do we really lose anything if we do the streaming on a national scale as is being done in Primary 6 now?”
“The heads of schools and Boards of Governors must be given a freer hand in the management of their schools. The teachers who choose to teach in the Mission schools must not be transferred out against their wish and, in the case of appointment of the aided-school heads, the Board of Governors should have the final say. I know that the Ministry of Education requires the School Board to advertise the vacancy in the press and then submit three names to the Ministry for its selection. I think this is wrong and is an unnecessary interference with the management of the school. I think it is important to bear in mind that if a school were to preserve its character, the choice of the principal must be left to the school authorities. The Mission school authorities and the Ministry of Education should not, and need not be on two opposing camps. Rather, they should be partners and together find solution to problems, never losing sight of what their common goal is - i.e. to provide the best environment and the best way to turn out "worthy citizens". Thus, both sides can learn and adopt the good points of each other. I have the impression that the Mission school authorities have been receiving the directives from the Ministry headquarters as though they are 'edicts', or perhaps they have given up suggesting alternatives because the suggestions in the past had fallen on deaf ears? Whatever it may be, they should not take without question the directives from the Ministry headquarters. If they had done that, they would have been vindicated by the Goh Report. I must state categorically here that it is not my intention to cast aspersions on individual officers in the Ministry.”
“I would suggest that the Mission schools be left completely under the management of the schools' Board of Governors, but since the Government has the responsibility for the welfare of all citizens, whether young or old, and has put in a share in the form of capital grants, pay the salaries of teachers, etc, it is only right that the Government be represented on the Board of Governors just like the many industrial undertakings in which the Government has a share and that the Government appoints certain members to the Board of Directors. Such industrial undertakings are then left to carry on business under the watchful eye of the Board of Directors. For the Mission schools, the Ministry of Education could spell out what the schools are expected to achieve in general terms and then let the Board of Governors run the school. The Ministry need not come down to the level of insisting, for example, that the Catholic Junior College or Anglo-Chinese Junior College must function three long days and two short days a week just like the Government run National Junior College. Surely the principals of the Mission junior colleges run by their own Board of Governors should know how to arrange the classes according to the needs of their students. Again, there is no need to insist that the Mission schools conform to the number of hours to be spent each week on certain subjects as in Government schools. There is no need for the Ministry of Education to insist that religious teaching must be conducted at certain hours. It is a detail best left to the principals to arrange. If we are to have schools of distinctive character, the control and regimentation from the Ministry head-quarters must be minimal and, if possible, abolished altogether.”
“The five little volumes are not textbooks. They are meant for the use of teachers and I believe, in the hands of capable and enthusiastic teachers, a lot can be achieved. The proverbial anecdotes sheng yu gu shi ( ) published currently in the Straits Times in the bilingual page are also useful. Some of the picture series published in three languages in the New Nation are suitable also. Such stories could be told (not read) by teachers in the language best understood by the pupils. This in some measure could help to ward off the undesirable effects of the so-called rat race in our midst and get down to the fundamental and real foundation of a good education. There is ground to believe the allegation that Mission Schools have been losing their distinctive character over the years because of too much control from the Ministry of Education and if this trend is to continue long enough it might just reduce the Mission schools to the level of Government schools. We have heard hon. Members say and it is also in Dr Goh's Education Report that aided - schools are in many respects superior to Government schools. Unless we want the aided-schools to come down or degenerate under the management of the Ministry of Education to the level of Government schools, I suggest that many of the controls should be done away with.”
“Maybe that is what we have been doing all these years. Maybe I am exaggerating. Nevertheless, I think our schools must make it a point to give paramount importance to the realm of moral and character aspects of education. No doubt knowledge and the acquiring of skills to do a job is necessary, but far more important are the qualities enumerated in paragraph 19 of the Prime Minister's letter addressed to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education. Or to put it in an all-embracing way, in the words of Jesus: "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" Our Singapore society is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious one. The Prime Minister is perfectly right when he says that the best of the East and of the West must be blended to our advantage. He mentions "Confucianist ethics, Malay traditions, and Hindu ethos", and I would like to add "Christian teachings." We must remember the great contributions made by the Mission schools, in particular the inculcation of moral values in the pupils under their charge. The dedication of the teachers, their concern for the total welfare of the pupils are cherished memories of many. The Prime Minister also mentions about the transmission of the norm of social and moral behaviour through stories. In 1959 the Ministry of Education published five small volumes of "stories" selected by the Ethics and Religion Committee for use in primary schools in connection with the 'Right Conduct' syllabus. The Singapore Inter-Religious Organisation played a major role in the Committee. I find the stories are mainly taken from the English sources as they were then easily available. The stories could be expanded to include more Chinese, Malay and Indian folklore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am happy to know that there will be flexibility in the implementation of the revised education system and that the wishes of parents are to be taken into account. In this spirit of tolerance and willingness to consider points of views of others, I shall mention later certain undesirable controls and directives from the Ministry of Education which could be done away with for the good of everyone concerned and in the best interest of education as a whole. Seeing the number of experiments or rather changes in the education of our young in the last few years, one wonders what is the object of education. One moment it is the acquiring of language skills; one moment it is technical skills (so much so that students, both boys and girls in the first two years of the secondary schools had to spend one or two mornings or afternoons a week in a workshop), and the next moment it is extracurricular activities (so points are awarded for participation, so much so that some students find no joy in participating because they had to go to school outside their normal school hours but some participate because they need the extra marks for promotion). No doubt these are desirable qualities that need to be acquired by the young if possible, but they have been blown out of all proportion until other aspects of education suffer as a result. Are our children sent into the world after years of schooling equipped to live, in the words of the Prime Minister, as "worthy citizens guided by decent moral precepts?" We who would be scandalised if we were to hear of men sent to fight armoured tanks with rifles must feel the same if large numbers of our young are sent into society to fight the battle of living with a smattering of knowledge of "subjects" and language skills.”
“Sir, since the hon. Member has cited a specific case, from the facts that he has mentioned, I am very sympathetic. If he were to put the case to us, we will look into the matter.”
“Sir, I had better put the facts right at the outset. Block work permit holders who applied or contracted marriage with Singapore citizens or permanent residents will not have their work permits cancelled. Only work permit holders who marry Singapore citizens or permanent residents without the approval of the Commissioner for Employment will have their work permits cancelled. The work permit marriage policy is well known. A public statement was issued on 25th June, 1973. That was almost six years ago. In that public statement the policy was clearly stated. If a person deliberately contravenes the policy, he is penalised notwithstanding the fact that his relatives are Singapore citizens. In any case, the work permit holders who contravene the policy are only barred from entry into the country for one year. They will be allowed to come in on a social visit pass in subsequent years. If the facts are straight, I do not think what the Member had complained of would apply. As far as sterilisation is concerned, since the object is to limit the size of the family and the size of the population, since Singapore is such a small country, the sterilisation of one party does not really solve the problem. We will have to leave it at that.”
“Sir, from the instance quoted, I would imagine that there might have been cases where employers did try to influence the workers. I am sure we will have to exercise more supervision to ensure that things like that do not happen again.”
“Sir, I would have thought that, after all the effort, the victory was even more glorious and more meaningful. Anyway, the suggestion is taken and we will watch the situation as we go along.”
“As I have said earlier, if he were to leave out those who did not cast their votes or if he did not leave out those who did not cast their votes and simply base on a simple majority of the votes cast, a situation can easily arise where the union will be representing a minority in the establishment.”
“Sir, if we were to agree to the hon. Member's suggestion of a simple majority of the votes cast, a situation can easily arise where the union which has won the majority vote could really be representing a minority of the bargainable employees in the establishment concerned. A claim for recognition by a trade union is that it represents the majority of the employees eligible to vote. So basing the majority simply on the number of votes cast and to ignore those employees who did not cast their votes can, as I said, give rise to a situation where the union will be really representing a minority. 6.00 p.m. I do not know why the hon. Member is worried. In fact, from the 51 cases of secret balloting conducted for the 12 months between March 1978 and February 1979, in 39 cases all the workers who were entitled to vote participated in the balloting. In the remaining 12 cases, the rate of participation varied from 90% to 99%. In all instances, even if those who did not turn up for the ballot had voted, the verdict would have remained unaltered. In the case of the Ford Motor Company cited by the hon. Member, prior to SILO's claim for recognition, the workers were represented by the Singapore Motor Workshop Employees' Union. It is true that the Singapore Motor Workshop Employees' Union instructed all its members to boycott the voting. As a consequence, out of 301 workers entitled to vote, only 216 or 72% participated in the balloting. But the outcome was that SILO had the majority of the votes cast, and even if those who did not cast their votes had been included, SILO would still have the majority. So I do not see any real need to make voting compulsory.”
“Sir, obviously I cannot give them right now. If the Member were to file another question, the figures can be supplied. WIDENING OF LORONG CHUAN 3. Dr Lau Teik Soon asked the Minister for National Development if his Ministry will expedite the implementation of the plan to widen Lorong Chuan in view of the heavy traffic and frequent congestion along the road from Yio Chu Kang Road to Braddell Road.”
“Sir, of course, I cannot produce the figures. But bearing in mind the number of small local companies, if I produce the figures, he will see a great difference because the multinational companies employ a large number of workers while, as the hon. Member has said, the figure for the small local companies would obviously be very small. So what is the purpose of the comparison?”
“(c) It is stipulated under Article 57(1) of the Constitution of Singapore that an applicant for Singapore citizenship must have an aggregate of not less than ten years' residence during the 12 years immediately preceding the date of his application. This is but one of the requirements for the grant of citizenship. The Constitution also requires every citizenship applicant to satisfy the Government that he: (i) is of good character; (ii) has resided in Singapore throughout the 12 months immediately preceding the date of his application; (iii) intends to reside permanently in Singapore; and (iv) has an elementary knowledge of the national language if he is less than 45 years of age and is not deaf or dumb. These constitutional requirements must be met in full. The grant of citizenship is a privilege and not as of right. Thus, apart from satisfying the constitutional requirements, an applicant for Singapore citizenship should be able to make a positive contribution towards the economic well-being of the Republic and not become a liability. This policy is basic and should not be changed. However, in pursuing this policy, account is taken of the prevailing social and economic conditions in the Republic and the family roots of the applicant. POSB BRANCH IN BEDOK NEW TOWN 2. Haji Sha'ari bin Tadin asked the Minister for Finance whether the Post Office Savings Bank will set up a branch in Bedok New Town, and, if so, when it is expected to be ready.”
“We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments to improve the service whenever necessary. Question put and agreed to. Resolved, That Parliament do now adjourn. Adjourned accordingly at Seven Minutes to Four o'clock p.m. to a date to be fixed. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP (Relaxation of Rules for Resident Applicants) 1. Encik Mansor Haji Sukaimi asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education (a) how many applications for Singapore citizenship are still outstanding as at the latest convenient date; (b) how many of the applicants have been residing in Singapore since childhood and had attended Singapore primary schools; and (c) whether the rules for the granting of citizenship could be relaxed for applicants who have been residing in Singapore continuously for ten years or more, and, if not, what are the reasons. The Acting Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Bernard Chen): (a) The number of applications for Singapore citizenship outstanding as at 30th April, 1978, was 23,852. (b) The Registry of Citizenship does not keep statistics of citizenship applicants according to when they started to reside in Singapore or the schools they attended. However, to answer this question, the Registry has taken a 20% sample of the outstanding applications and found that 11.3% of the applicants have been residing in Singapore since childhood and had attended Singapore primary schools. If this sample is representative, then approximately 2,700 of the 23,852 outstanding applicants would have resided in Singapore since childhood and had attended Singapore primary schools.”
“External services are now found to be adequate to meet passenger demand throughout the day, and many commuters have found the new scheme to be more efficient. However, we recognise that feeder services are still unable to cope with the large number of commuters travelling within Jurong. Inconveniences have been caused to commuters living in Taman Jurong and Boon Lay Garden Housing Estates. On the other hand, the introduction of more buses to carry commuters living in Taman Jurong and Boon Lay Garden to the Jurong interchange during the peak period, for example, as the Member for Jurong suggested, Services 240, 242 and 244, may not necessarily solve the problem. It may create greater congestion at the interchange. The solution would be to provide direct internal services between residential estates and industrial estates so that those living in Jurong and working in another part of Jurong need not have to go to the interchange to catch another feeder service to their place of work. This problem has been carefully looked into, and the Members for Jurong and Boon Lay no doubt would have noted that the SBS has announced in the press yesterday that a few such internal services linking residential estates to the industrial estates will soon be introduced. SBS has been told to see to it that these additional services are introduced before the new school term starts on 26th June this year. With the additional internal services, Jurong residents will be able to commute to their places of work without having to pass through the interchange. This will also ease the demand for feeder buses at the interchange. It is hoped that this would solve the problems faced by commuters presently.”