Sim Boon Woo
Singapore
“Thank you very much, Sir. As everyone is jumping on to the band wagon. I thought I would join in also. I regret to note that the Changi Airport Development which costs $129.6 million has been planned with total disregard for the welfare and livelihood of the fishermen directly affected by this project.”
“Some three weeks ago I asked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development to convene a meeting with the Primary Production Department and the Housing and Development Board, but to my surprise nothing has been done.”
“Sir, I think the Minister is mistaken when he said that I was being unfair to him by saying that he did not tell me about the project that was going on in the Bedok resettlement. Perhaps the officers who briefed the Minister could have made the mistake. The first case of repossession of land was at Lorong Dangai and Koh Sek Lim.”
“But these people obeyed the warning of the land inspectors and resumed their farming. But after a month they were again issued with another notice stating that their land would be repossessed.”
“Sir, it is very hard to please the Minister. I have never mentioned about allowing every Tom, Dick and Harry to hawk all over the place. My request is that those fishermen, who are old and unable to fish because they have been resettled in Housing Board flats far away from the sea, be given licences in Bedok New Town where markets and sta…”
“But I feel that the point must be driven home to our people that what they have enjoyed and hope to continue to enjoy must be paid for by constant vigilance and no one can afford to be complacent, which would make it easier for the Communists to make a comeback.”
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“Can the licence be passed on to the next-of-kin so as to ensure that no disruption in the family's livelihood takes place? Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope that the above suggestions and queries will be considered and answered. 7.18 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I would like to endorse my support, in principle, of this White Paper on the Reorganisation of the Motor Transport Service of Singapore which was tabled in this House recently. Sir, may I refer to page 19 of the White Paper under paragraph 6.11 Pilot Scheme - Taxi stops. I wish to make a comment on taxi stops and on the provision of special slops for taxis in busy streets. I would say that the conversions of the present parking lots and taxi stands to what are to he termed "taxi stops" is a little harsh on the taxi drivers and, therefore, they should be abolished. I would like give two reasons for the abolition of these taxi stops. First, it would only inconvenience passengers if they are to alight at these stops when they are carrying large sums of money to and from banks. Similarly, it would cause unnecessary inconvenience to the old, young and the sick and also to those who carry bulky parcels. Secondly, the system is bound to cause confusion to tourists who visit our country for the first time. Sir, taxi drivers are from time to time asked to give good service to the tourists. I submit that taxis are not the only vehicles which cause congestion on the streets. Privately-owned vehicles equally create a nuisance by picking up and discharging passengers at places convenient to them. Sir, in page 19 of the White Paper, paragraph 6.12 concerns the age limit for taxis. My colleague, the Member for Sembawang, has taken the trouble to go through the memorandum of the Taxi Transport Association and I wish to support their claim that the age limit of taxis should be extended to 10 years. Sir, I would like the Minister to clarify another point. What will happen to the licence of an owner taxi driver who dies or has passed the retirement age?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not very happy with the answer. I am not withdrawing. Question on the amendment put, and negatived.”
“I still do not understand the way it is answered. I stand to be corrected, Sir, but is it correct to say that by cutting down the number of public stand-pipes and putting bigger water mains in, a lot of money is spent? An hon. Member: I think you have got it right! Mr Sim Boon Woo: Sir, this is not the point which I raised. When you take something from the people, you must substitute another thing in its place.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I just do not understand the Parliamentary Secretary when he said just now that by cutting down the number of public stand-pipes, a greater amount of money has been spent. What is the logic behind this statement? Can he clarify?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 98 be reduced by $10 in respect of item 011 of subhead 101*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ho Kah Leong.) Sir, with the removal of public stand-pipes in the rural constituencies, I hope that the Ministry concerned can give immediate approval for the laying of water mains so that the people living there can have their own supply of water. When a project for the laying of water mains costs over $30,000, it is the usual practice of the Urban and Rural Services Committee to defer it. And their excuse is that there are not many houses in that particular area to justify the laying of water mains. Sir, I wish to state one case in Kampong Darat Nanas in Jalan Bena in my constituency. My Citizens' Consultative Committee and I made a request five years ago for the extension of water supply to this place. But to date, the request has still been deferred. We agree that public stand-pipes should be removed and the people should know that water means life. But if we are to remove something from the people, we have to substitute another thing in place thereof. Therefore, it is a matter of how we should implement the policy. I hope the Ministry concerned can give consideration to my suggestion.”
“Sir, I hope my suggestion will be seriously looked into. And in view of the Parliamentary Secretary's explanation, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“In the financial year 1970-71, if the amount provided for the construction, improvement and maintenance of kampong roads is not enough, there are many items under this subhead which are transferable. For instance, if the provision for extension of electricity supply has not been spent, we can transfer this amount and use it for the repair of kampong roads.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 98 be reduced by $10 in respect of item 001 of subhead 101. Sir, since 1966, about 82 miles of agricultural and kampong roads have been constructed. I note that only $400,000 is allocated for the financial year 1970-71. Members who represent the rural constituencies will agree with me that this amount is inadequate, especially when kampong and agricultural roads which were built two or three years ago are now in a very deplorable condition. Sir, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development (National Development Division), who is the Chairman of the Urban and Rural Services Committee, has gone round Pulau Tekong Besar with me, and he agrees that the roads there are in a deplorable state. Sir, $400,000 will not be enough to build even one-quarter of the roads. Therefore, I hope the Minister will consider asking the Ministry of Finance to allocate more money for the construction, improvement and maintenance of agricultural roads in the rural constituencies. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law and National Development (National Development Division) (Mr Ho Cheng Choon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I quite agree that the amount of $400,000 provided for the financial year 1970-71 for the construction, improvement and maintenance of agricultural and kampong roads is not enough. But from past experience, the Urban and Rural Services Committee has decided that when a kampong road is to be repaired and it costs a lot of money to do it, then it should be done in two or three stages. This has been the practice in the past few years.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to know whether the Minister agrees that the poor people in Bukit Timah should be looked after. I also hope that the villagers in Changi are also looked after. Therefore. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $4,184,670 for Head 96 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head 97 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 96 be reduced by $ 100*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting.) Mr Speaker, Sir, $2.3 million of the nearly $4.2 million provision under this head will be required for the Bukit Timah Flood Alleviation, Phase I, project. Under this head, it is very much regretted that no provision whatsoever has been made for Changi Constituency. As the Minister is aware, Changi is a flood-affected area, especially the Koh Sek Lim area. I think there is unfairness in the allocation of funds under this head. I know that many rich people live in the Bukit Timah and Ulu Pandan areas. I also know that a number of Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries live in these areas too. We are a socialist government and surely, whilst looking after the rich people, we should also look after the poor country folk and the farmers.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I hope the Minister is not advocating making love publicly! I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $577,140 for Head 1212 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1301 - The following amendment stood in the names of Mr Ho Kah Leong and Madam Chan Choy Siong- (1) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Estimates of Expenditure for 1970-71 - Committee of Supply Mr Ho Kah Leong: I am not moving. Sir.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are nine watchmen provided for the Botanic Gardens. Is it possible that they be told of this matter so that a cleaner place can be achieved? My question is this. A token amount as entrance fee is to be introduced at the gate. Can the Minister tell us when this will be introduced so that people can understand that all that we are enjoying is not free?”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, the Minister has not answered any of my queries.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1212 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the same name of Mr J. F. Conceicao) Sir, with about 90 years of history, the Botanic Gardens is a widely used recreational ground by our citizens and tourists from all parts of the world. And a large sum of money is being spent to maintain the greens and flowering plants. I would like to suggest to the Minister the introduction of an entrance fee for the Botanic Gardens so that the people will realise that the beautiful scenery in the Gardens that they enjoy seeing as well as the other good things in life are not free. Sir, I would also like to suggest to the Minister that stern action be taken against people who litter the Botanic Gardens. Sir, if you take a walk early in the morning in the Gardens, you will find a lot of newspapers scattered allover the ground. The night watchmen should be more vigilant and the culprits who are caught littering should be dealt with.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“This amounts to extortion and blackmail.”
“That is why I am bringing up the matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister did not get my point. Taxis are usually parked outside hotels. But if the taxi drivers want to come into the hotel grounds in order to pick up passengers, they have to pay a certain sum of money, as much as $40 per month. Therefore, the Planning and Chief Building Surveyor's Department, when approving plans for hotels, should make provision for parking spaces for taxis. Another point which the Minister has not answered me is whether he will consider increasing the parking spaces for taxis at Raffles Place and other places where there are shopping centres so that it will be convenient for tourists to call for a taxi.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1207 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1501*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Madam Chan Choy Siong and Mr Lim Cheng Lock.) Sir, is the Minister for Law and National Development aware that hotels in Singapore are collecting as much as $40 per month per taxi if taxi drivers wish to get into the hotel grounds to pick up passengers? This is serious and I wonder whether the Minister is in a position to declare some space in the hotel grounds for the use of taxis so that this extortion of poor taxi drivers can be stopped. Sir, will the Minister also consider increasing parking spaces for taxis at Raffles Place and other places where there are shopping centres so that it will be convenient for tourists to call for a taxi?”
“Perhaps this matter of chasing out squatters by fire can be easily done! However, be that as it may, we have got to tolerate them. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Yes, especially in the rural areas, so that fire disasters can be minimised.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. That the sum to be allocated for Head 1103 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2005. Sir, a provision of $255,600 is being asked for the rental of fire hydrants in our Republic. Surely, Sir, with this large sum of money available, we expect the fire hydrants to be maintained in tip-top condition. On 28th February this year, there was a fire in Changi Village. The only fire hydrant was located at one end of the village and had water lasting only four minutes to fight the fire. This was an alarming fact and should be noted by the Minister. While the firemen were looking frantically for another source of water supply, the fury of the fire was such that it licked through nine shop buildings and damaged property valued at more than half a million dollars. As a result, tremendous distress was caused to the victims. I gather that if there had been enough water pressure in the fire hydrant, The Royal Air Force Fire Service which was on the scene of the fire within minutes, could have put out the fire in the particular shop from which it started and it would not have damaged the other shops. It would have been confined to that shop alone. 7.00 p.m. Sir, will the Minister for Social Affairs take immediate measures to see that the fire-fighting facilities required by the Republic's Fire Brigade are adequate and efficient enough to prevent any tragic mishaps of the above magnitude in future?”
“Questions like how much money the person has and whether he can support the woman.”
“She probably knows more about Chinese customs than I do. But my understanding is that the Chinese of this generation of about 50 years and over, more often than not, would prefer to take more than one wife! Here again, without going into the case specifically, I have my doubts whether this is a bona fide case of husband and wife because, normally, again I stand to be corrected, according to Chinese custom, usually the husband is much older than the wife. In this instance, the wife appears to be seven years older than the husband. Therefore, I think the application was not approved because the Immigration officials may have doubts whether that was a bona fide case of love at first sight, or whatever it is. The Member for Delta also mentioned that they had not been living together for five years because attempts had been made during that time for the wife to gain entry here. First, the wife was sick and there was the question of permits. If they were so much in love and if the husband really required the presence of his wife here, it would not have taken five years to go through the official procedure. And if he could live - I presume that he lived well. Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Point of clarification, Sir. The Minister should not forget that the cause of the delay was that the wife could not come here unless she is older than the specified age limit.”
“Sir, he has invested millions of dollars in industry, hotels and other projects, and he is trying to apply for permanent residence on the strength that he has already invested in Singapore prior to the introduction of the scheme to give permanent residence to foreigners who invest $125,000. Mr Lim Kim San: Mr Speaker Sir, I must confess that I am unaware of such cases. It is not because of ignorance. If a man is astute enough to have earned a few million dollars, I think he is astute enough to take advantage of any scheme that we may have so that he can obtain permanent residence. Sir, to come to the other Members, I think there are two points in common which they raised. One is with regard to the entry of non-citizen wives and children of Singapore citizens. What they are asking for is a liberalisation of the law which permits non-citizen wives and children of Singapore citizens to come into Singapore on a permanent residence basis. I think it will help a great deal and will save a lot of time if I mention briefly the conditions under which non-citizen wives and children of Singapore citizens are eligible to apply for permanent residence in the Republic. These are laid down in section 10 of the Immigration Ordinance, 1955, and in the consideration of applications various factors are taken into consideration; namely, (a) whether the marriage is lawful; (b) whether the wife and children qualify under paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Immigration (Prohibition of Entry) Order, 1966. i.e., whether the wife has not been living separately from the husband for a continuous period of five years after the date of the marriage, and whether the children are under six years of age. Here, may I digress a little and take up the points raised by the Member for Delta on a specific case?”
“No, Sir. I am referring to a person staying in Singapore but who holds a foreign passport. Therefore, he is not domiciled here. He is a national of another country residing in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0902 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs. P. Govindaswamy, N. Govindasamy, Cheong Yuen Chee, Lim Soo Peng, J. F. Conceicao, P. Selvadurai, and Madam Chan Choy Siong.) Sir, can the Minister inform the House how many foreigners who have invested $125,000 or $250,000 here have been given permanent residence in the Republic? Does he not think that these investments are too small a sum for foreigners to be given permanent residence in Singapore? There are also people who have invested millions of dollars either in industries or hotels. These people are not permanent residents but are living in Singapore on visas granted to them on a yearly basis by the Immigration Department. If they apply for permanent residence, will their applications be approved on the strength of their investments? As regards the entry of non-citizen wives into Singapore, the Minister answered an oral question on this topic asked by the Member for Geylang Serai on 9th March, 1970. My question is this: will the Minister consider asking the Immigration Department to maintain close liaison with the Registry of Marriages? In this respect, perhaps a questionnaire can be given to those citizens who wish to marry non-citizen wives to complete and return either to the Registry of Marriages or the Immigration Department. If this measure is introduced, it will caution Singapore citizens of the consequences of taking non-citizen wives. They will then be more careful about marrying non-citizens. However, this measure perhaps deserves consideration, especially when our male population exceeds our female population by about 85,000, according to a recent census taken in the Republic.”
“More and more of our people are using motor-cars not as a means of transport but as a means of showing off, thereby causing traffic congestion on the road. I would like to ask the Minister whether he will consider another proposal for easing traffic congestion, and that is to prevent all private cars from entering the city within a three-mile radius. Workers can get into the city area only by public buses.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, one or two years ago, buses were provided for workers who live in the eastern part of Singapore and who work in the Jurong industrial estate. Sir, this bus service is not available now. At that time, the demand for workers was not so great. With the rapid increase in the number of industries in Jurong and as workers are in great demand now, can the Minister make arrangements with bus companies in Singapore to start an express bus service at centralised pick-up points, say, from 6 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. and from 4.30 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. staggered every half an hour? This bus service will greatly help workers living in the eastern part of the Republic. Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Sir, since I have put in an amendment* on the main Head, I would like to say something now. * The amendment reads as follows: That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $100. The Chairman: All right, Madam Chan. Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Sir, I feel that the plans to ease traffic congestion should be co-ordinated with the plans to redevelop our city. The Minister for Communications has said that the traffic problem in Singapore is acute. I would like to know whether there are new proposals to resolve the traffic problem in our small island of 225 square miles. In this connection, can the Minister say whether there is a plan to construct subways to solve part of our traffic problem? Some countries have this system for commuters to go from one place to another and this may be a means to ease traffic congestion in Singapore. The Government has set up bus stations and parking lots. The number of vehicles is increasing and the Minister for Finance says that it is due to our prosperity and that the living standard of our people has gone up.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 7.15 p.m.”
“Got hold of somebody's birth certificate which bore the surname "Sim" and gave it to the adopted child. It was then found that it was not the actual birth certificate. A Singapore citizen identity card was not given to him. He was given a blue identity card. Sir, I would like the Minister to give me a reply to this. The Chairman: The Minister has exactly two minutes to reply.”
“However, he was given a blue identity card because the name on his birth certificate was different from that in his identity card. The officer in charge said, "Sorry. I have to give you a blue identity card. You must apply for citizenship." I wonder whether the Minister can give favourable consideration to his case. There is a case of an adopted child. He was adopted many years ago. Through the stupidity of the parent -thinking that my surname is Sim and the adopted son's name is Ng, and I was then stupid - I withdraw that unparliamentary word, Sir.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1281*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr Hwang Soo Jin, Mr J. F. Conceicao and Mr Ng Kah Ting.) Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like the Minister to inform the House whether he could give sympathetic consideration to the following cases. The first case is a Malaysian who married a Singapore woman. A child was born to them in the Federation. After a month the child was brought to Singapore and he lived with his mother. His school is in Singapore. He is now about 12 years old. He wanted to apply for an identity card. He could not get it because the department concerned wanted documents relating to his father's permanent residence here. His father could not produce them because he worked on board a ship. He would come to Singapore for a few days' stay and he would go off to sea again. Under the circumstances, the child could not obtain a Singapore identity card, not even a blue identity card. He could not also get an identity card from the Federation. This situation has created hardship for the child. I wonder whether sympathetic consideration can be given to this case. Another case concerns a child who was born to a Malay family some 20 years ago. He was registered at birth as Ahmad bin Abdullah. Some years later, because of the superstitious belief of the parents that the child's name was not suitable, they changed it to Hashim bin Abdullah. From the time the child went to school up to now - a period of 20 years - he has been using the name of Hashim bin Abdullah. When a laminated identity card was introduced, this young man went to register himself.”
“Sir, in view of the answer given by the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $11,181,780 for Head 0501 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 3.30 p.m. Head 0601 -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0501 be reduced by $100*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Low Yong Nguan.) Sir, can the Foreign Minister inform this House whether there is a practice to ensure periodical examination of the position of our missions abroad, with a view to assessing their needs and requirements? is there any way to relax Treasury control of certain expenditure by our missions abroad? Perhaps these problems may be efficiently resolved by investing our Ambassadors or High Commissioners with the discretion and authority to interpret their own problems. At this moment the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finds it rather difficult to attract highly qualified people to join the foreign service because, as I say, there is no scheme to ensure promotion, if this scheme is absent, surely no one is interested as he will suffer in the long run.”
“No, Sir, Question on the amendment put, and negatived. The following amendment stood in the names of Mr J. F. Conceicao and Mr P. Selvadurai - (7) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0406 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1251.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0406 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1191*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong.) Sir, in moving this amendment, I would like to inform the Minister concerned that no proper records are kept by the Radio and Television Licensing Section of people who have paid their Radio and T.V. licence fees. I have received many complaints. Even Members of this Houses as well as a Minister have had experience of this. Compound notices have been issued to licensees who have already paid their fees. If they ignore these notices, they will be served with a summons one month later. Sir, it would be embarrassing to the Government if these law-abiding citizens were to go to court and show the magistrate that they have paid their licence fees. We will also be blamed for not being efficient. Madam Chan Choy Siong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Changi has already brought up my point.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0406 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1111. Sir, I just want to get some information from the Minister. There are two islands in my constituency - Pulau Ubin and Pulau Tekong Besar. Many plots of state land on these two islands were leased to farmers for about 20 or 30 years. At that time, they were valued at $6 per acre, After the expiry of the lease, they have been revalued at the fantastic sum of $72 per acre. Sir, I would like the Minister to enlighten this House on the reason for this fantastic increase?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong - (15) That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $100.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3001. Sir, I have only a short question. Government involvement in private industry and commerce has given rise to a lingering fear in the minds of foreign and local investors despite the Government's assurance of fair competition. Can the Minister make a clear-cut statement to dispel this fear so that the inflow of investment will not be affected?”
“They knew very well that the Chinese New Year was coming. Why should they choose such a time to inconvenience our people? They might well say that this was something which was routine and that they did not have to oblige. If the allowance was to be reduced, they should have done so sometime before or after the Chinese New Year. Why should the allowance be reduced just before the Chinese New Year? I am saying this so that the Minister for Finance and the Government will realise that there are certain misgivings in the minds of the people. They want to know what has happened to the P.A.P. Government which has been boasting that it is an efficient and incorruptible government. We should therefore re-establish our image. With this provision, I hope we can again brainwash the public servants.”
“These people went to the department concerned in the Ministry of National Development. They wasted their time and energy and incurred expenses by going there. We should realise that we are Singapore citizens. We should also realise that different races have different characteristics. The Indians have their own traditions and characteristics. The Chinese and the Malays have their own traditions and characteristics. The Member for Ulu Pandan has mentioned that some people were evicted just before the Chinese New Year. They had been staying in their houses for more than three years. The staff of the department concerned should have chosen a more appropriate time to evict these people so that they were not inconvenienced. This shows that there is no proper understanding of the characteristics of our people. Another complaint is about women whose husbands were members of the defence forces and who were killed during the Japanese occupation. These women are receiving allowances from the Government. But the department concerned has changed the procedure of paying this allowance. These women used to collect their allowance from an office on the second floor of Fullerton Building. But five days before the Chinese New Year, they collected only $20 each and were told to go to the Ministry of Interior and Defence to get the balance. They were also told that the M.I.D. would inform them where to get their allowance in future. The Minister for Finance should look into this matter. During Chinese New Year, traffic is very heavy and it will take about half an hour or more to get to the M.I.D. If these women are late, then no consideration will be given to them and the allowance will not be paid to them. From this example, we can see that the officers concerned did all this purposely.”
“During the debate both sides gave their views to support their arguments and there were pros and cons. But in the end the decision was in favour of the side whose proposition was that the attitude and behaviour of Government servants were not satisfactory. 3.45 p.m. Thus, the Staff Training Centre should not just concentrate on training the staff on how to carry out their work. The Centre should also conduct courses on the proper attitude and behaviour to be adopted because there have been complaints against civil servants. Some people complained to me that Government officers in certain departments behaved badly. I visited these offices myself. Sir, I went there in disguise. I put on dark glasses and wore a modern dress. I went into a post office which is frequented by residents in the area, as it was reported to me that the staff there were arrogant. I went to a section in the post office which did not sell stamps and I purposely said that I wanted to buy stamps. The person in charge spoke to me in English. He said, "Why do you come to this section to buy stamps? You had better clear off." So I went off. This proved that the complaints made by the residents were not false. They were well substantiated. On another occasion, I personally went to a Government department as I wanted to inquire about a certain matter. When I wanted to go into the office, a person asked me in Hokkien, "Who are you?" I replied, "I am a Singaporean." I also told that person that I was Chan Choy Siong. Then he realised who I was. His attitude changed immediately and he treated me differently. I am sure there are other departments where the staff behave in this way. There have been many recent cases of residents being evicted under the urban renewal scheme.”
“In view of the explanation, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Madam Chan Choy Siong (Delta)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1461*. (* The same amendment also stood in the, names of Mr N. Govindasamy and Mr J. F. Conceicao) Mr Speaker, Sir, the post under this subhead is "Higher Executive Officer". I understand the Government has made provision for the Staff Training Centre in order to train public officers who have just been recruited into the various Government departments. All the new recruits will he trained in the Staff Training Centre; thus this post of Higher Executive Officer is provided for. At the Staff Training Centre these trainees will be taught how to go about their business and do their job well. But it is not enough to train them how to carry out their routine work. They should receive some training in courtesy and the correct attitude to adopt towards the public. After all, Government is spending money on this Centre and on this post. Mr Speaker, Sir, you will agree with me that, at the moment, many Government officers are behaving in the same manner as they did before the P.A.P. first launched its revolutionary campaign of trying to correct their attitude and behaviour. I will compare their attitude now with that obtaining some years ago. There is a marked difference. We all know that in October last year there was a forum conducted jointly by the People's Association, Radio Singapore and another organisation. It was a forum in which the participants discussed whether the attitude and behaviour of Government servants were satisfactory or not.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not very happy with those foreign incorporated banks which earn their profits in Singapore and then are at liberty to send them out wherever they wish. If that is the case, the locally incorporated banks should be looked after by our Government since they stay here. Can the Minister tell us what contribution the foreign incorporated banks make towards Singapore?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1151*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting.) Sir, I understand there are 36 banks operating in the Republic, of which 11 are locally incorporated and 25 are incorporated outside the Republic. Can the Minister inform the House what are the total deposits of the banks incorporated outside the Republic but are operating in Singapore, and the deposits of locally incorporated banks for the last ten years? As far as I know, no new commercial bank licences have been issued for the last ten years. Can the Minister inform the House how many applications have been submitted and how many foreign banks have asked permission to operate in Singapore? Can he also tell us what are the regulations governing the granting of licences to existing banks, either foreign incorporated or locally incorporated, to set up branches in the Republic? My last question is this. Do the profits made by foreign incorporated banks remain in Singapore or are they remitted to their parent bodies?”
“I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“In spite of this explanation, I still have my doubts whether the site will be at Thomson or at Changi.”
“I wish the Minister to inform this House whether, in the urban renewal scheme, the Government will demarcate a zone, not in Sembawang, of course, but in Changi, where small machine shops or cottage industries can be set up in that area.”