Sin Boon Ann
Singapore
“Madam, with growing affluence, rising obesity has also become a national problem. Other than the health risk for the individuals, there are other related problems such as healthcare expenses, loss in productivity and so on.”
“Madam, mental health problems still hold some stigma in the society and will prevent patients from seeking help and professional advice early and impede their re-integration into the workforce and community after treatment.”
“Sir, the silver tsunami is almost upon us and we must be prepared for the transformation of our social landscape. One in every five residents will be above the age of 65 by 2030. Many Singaporeans can expect to live another 20 years more but the quality of life can vary greatly.”
“If they are eligible for HDB concessionary loans, they will not be affected. However, quite a number of HDB upgraders or downgraders do not qualify for such loans. They may be upgrading due to additional children in the family or taking in elderly parents.”
“Sir, rigorous and thorough training for our servicemen is necessary to prepare them adequately for their role as defenders of our country. However, training safety is just as important.”
“But I feel more needs to be done to consolidate the understanding even further. What are MINDEF's action plans with this aspiration in mind? What are the upcoming educational publicity and other programmes MINDEF has planned to enhance the awareness and understanding of our public.”
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“Madam, with growing affluence, rising obesity has also become a national problem. Other than the health risk for the individuals, there are other related problems such as healthcare expenses, loss in productivity and so on. Unfortunately, despite common knowledge about the impact of diet and lifestyle, the number of obese Singaporeans continues to increase. I would like to ask the Minister for an update on the Ministry's effort in dealing with rising obesity in Singapore and an account of its effectiveness in dealing with this issue in recent years. In terms of infrastructure, are we providing enough easy access to physical activities, spaces and safe walking trails? As more Singaporeans work longer hours, is there sufficient access to healthy cooked food in our many coffeeshops, hawker centres and food courts? Should we influence the eating habits and preferences of Singaporeans by limiting the number of advertisements in the media by fast-food chains? Healthy lifestyle”
“Madam, mental health problems still hold some stigma in the society and will prevent patients from seeking help and professional advice early and impede their re-integration into the workforce and community after treatment. I would like to ask the Minister about the progress we have made with our present framework to educate, identify and treat Singaporeans with mental health problems, including milder ones, such as depression and mood swings. Would the Minister also share with us the programmes to prepare and re-integrate patients into mainstream society? Another area of concern in a rapidly ageing population, as data from other countries has indicated is that longevity does not guarantee good health or mental health. We must be prepared for cases of elderly dementia and other mental health problems which afflict the elderly. Do we have enough professionals and facilities to cope with this unexpected trend? Healthy Singaporeans”
“Sir, the silver tsunami is almost upon us and we must be prepared for the transformation of our social landscape. One in every five residents will be above the age of 65 by 2030. Many Singaporeans can expect to live another 20 years more but the quality of life can vary greatly. A significant number will be affected by diseases related to ageing. I would like to ask the Minister if our acute care institutions and community rehabilitation centres will be gearing up their capacity and expertise to deal with these cases. Do we have enough long-term care institutions and facilities? If so, do we foresee that funding may be an issue due to the sheer number of elderly patients and the long-term nature of their care? Nursing homes have also voiced concerns about the lack of healthcare workers and funding for new equipment. Would the Minister share with us his analysis and assessment of this situation? Long-term care for the elderly”
“If they are eligible for HDB concessionary loans, they will not be affected. However, quite a number of HDB upgraders or downgraders do not qualify for such loans. They may be upgrading due to additional children in the family or taking in elderly parents. They may be downgrading to free up some cash for debts or university fees for their children. Since HDB owners cannot own two flats at any one time, speculation may not be a problem in the HDB sector. Therefore, there is no reason to penalise this group of HDB dwellers with such an onerous LTV. If they do not qualify for HDB loan, they have to go and seek a commercial bank loan for the purchase of the second property. In this regard, I hope that the Minister will consider this regulation in respect of the second purchase for this category of people and reconsider this regulation.”
“Mr Chairman, the HDB Resale Price Index has risen at a staggering pace in the last two years. Last year, it went up by 14.1%. Although the Government had introduced a series of measures to cool down the property market, I am concerned that with the current rate of inflation and increasing population needs, there may not be enough to ensure that public housing flats remain affordable to the majority of Singaporeans. A possible way to ensure that our public housing remains affordable and reflective of the actual earning power of Singapore households is to peg the price of each category of new flats (2-room, 3-room, 4-room or 5-room) to a defined segment of household income (first quartile, second quartile, etc) plus some wiggle room to take into account location and access to facilities and amenities, based on the common guideline that not more than 30% of a household's income should go towards paying the mortgage and that the mortgage payment should preferably be capped at 20 years. Lastly, I would like to ask the Minister to share with us his assessment of the impact of the recently introduced measures on the HDB resale market. Sir, I will move on to my second cut. Loans for HDB upgraders Sir, the various measures introduced over the last two years aimed at cooling and stabilising the property market have surfaced yet again for discussion. One of the main target groups of the Government is to help the first-timers, particularly young couples, to buy their first homes. Hence, the lower loan-to-value (LTV) limit of 60% for buyers taking bank loans for a second property is meant to reduce the demand from investors and speculators who may not be the occupiers of the new units. However, HDB owners who are upgrading or downgrading to another HDB flat are also hit.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, we have had four rounds of measures to cool the property market in the last two years. The most recent one in January must have been the harshest, even more so than the curbs in 1996. The January measure has a more stringent limit of 60% for those who already have one or more housing loans. In addition, today we have a much higher stamp duty of up to 16% on the sale price of the property if it is sold within four years of the purchase. However, our economy today is more dynamic and diversified. Singaporeans expect strong GDP growth and job creation to continue. With rising inflation and negative real interest rate, people are likely to continue to invest in properties as a hedge against inflation. So far, its recent measures have had mixed results. For HDB flats, the curbs seem to be working. Would the Minister update us on the latest figures he has to ascertain the effectiveness of the cooling measures on the HDB market? Are first time HDB buyers benefiting from these measures? On the other hand, private home prices went up by 17.6% for the whole of last year but 11% in January, following the new policies. Would the Minister share with us his assessment of the effectiveness of the measures on the private residential market? Matching supply and demand needs”
“But I feel more needs to be done to consolidate the understanding even further. What are MINDEF's action plans with this aspiration in mind? What are the upcoming educational publicity and other programmes MINDEF has planned to enhance the awareness and understanding of our public.”
“Sir, due to our social stability and safe environment, most Singaporeans tend to take our status quo for granted. This is particularly so for many youths who have not experienced anything other than peace and harmony. Although National Service (NS) has been introduced for more than 30 years, many Singaporeans still do not take that and the Total Defence as seriously as they should. Some even ask for the duration of NS to be reduced further or even scrapped altogether. As we have seen in recent news reports about other countries, a country's peace and stability is a very fragile thing. Total Defence is absolutely critical to the very survival of Singapore. Total Defence is about involving every Singaporean in defending Singapore. There is room for everyone in military defence, civil defence, economic defence, social defence and psychological defence. How have we measured up so far? Are our people operationally ready? Sir, I like to ask the Minister for Defence on his assessment of the effectiveness of our National Education campaign in helping Singapore to build up a strong Total Defence capability so far and an update on new campaigns if necessary. Commitment to defence Assoc. Prof. Fatimah Lateef: Mr Chairman, Singapore is one country where the introduction of National Service does work well with positive outcomes. As I see it, National Service has always provided a very important integration and consolidation platform for every Singaporean son. It builds character, makes men out of boys and has numerous other positive elements and influence on their lives. But National Service has also come across as an area where many still have misperceptions about. There have been educational materials and even TV programmes targeted towards this over the years.”
“Sir, rigorous and thorough training for our servicemen is necessary to prepare them adequately for their role as defenders of our country. However, training safety is just as important. Their families have entrusted them to us and any lapse in our training safety record is bound to erode the community's trust and chip their family's commitment to NS. Will the Minister for Defence give us an update on the efforts by the Ministry to improve training safety records of our servicemen? What are the latest figures and the number and extent of injuries and fatalities during training? In addition to equipment and procedural safety, we have to pay attention to the general level of fitness of our NSmen. The younger generation may lead a more sedentary lifestyle. Does the Ministry think that we have sufficient measures to prepare them for the tough training so as to reduce injuries during training?”
“In fact, this is a Budget that many Singaporeans, especially those from the lower socio-economic group, have reasons to cheer and rejoice. And for this, I applaud the Minister for the great work that he has done. In the final analysis, I accept that we can never build a society that ensures equality of outcome. However, what I cannot accept is a society that cannot ensure an equality of access to an outcome. Our children cannot choose which family to be a member of, but our children can choose to be a member of the family of success. No one should have his outcome determined by the colour of his skin or the family he is born into. Ours is a society that believes in openness of opportunities. We believe that hard work and dedication to the task will bring about success and failure arises only because of inability and not want of opportunity. This is our commitment as a nation. Let us pledge to keep it that way. With that, Sir, I support the Budget Statement standing in the name of the Minister. 1.48 pm”
“The first example is funding for mentoring programmes for kids from lower-income families. Mentoring allows children from such families to be exposed to adults who can guide them and counsel them about their studies and their future. Besides, these mentors can also serve as their tutors and supervise them in their school work. Through mentoring programmes, what the children lack because of their family background is more than made up for by the mentors. Hopefully, the wise counsel of the mentors will help to bridge the gap between these children and the children who are more fortunate. The second initiative I can think of relates to providing more training and exposure to someone from such background through training and internship opportunities in the bigger companies or corporations. But for these internships, many of those from less fortunate families may not know what it is like working for such large organisations or have the opportunity to impress their bosses with their potential. Very often, they do not even get past the initial stage of screening in the mail. Hopefully, the first contact through the internship programme could lead to a longer term of employment with these companies or at the very least inspire these interns to strive harder so that they too can be part of these organisations. Companies or business organisations that spend money on such programmes should be allowed to claim additional tax deductions as a way of incentivising them. It should be encouraged as part of their corporate social responsibility. Sir, all in, I would say that this is a good Budget. The Government has demonstrated yet again that it is consistent in the way in which it seeks to grow the economy and share the fruits of economy with the majority of Singaporeans.”
“The Civil Service, being the biggest employer in our country, can and should set the example for social mobility. It should not close the doors to those who may take a longer time to get their qualifications. There must be hope for those who wish to take a longer time to rise up in the service. Sir, do we ever recall anyone from ITE making it or joining the Administrative Service at all? The Government should be seen as an inclusive employer, giving everyone who works for it at least the hope of making it to Permanent Secretary grade if they diligently apply themselves at work. Keeping the doors open ensures that the last bus is not missed if they did not do well at the PSLE to go to a top secondary school. We will also be sending the message that going to a polytechnic does not mean limited career options, and going to ITE does not mean "it is the end". Hopefully, this message will cascade down to the private sector and will serve to encourage and give hope to all Singaporeans that their fate in life need not be tied up with the family they are born into or necessarily by the grades obtained in the school examinations. Extending the runway for their careers ensures an element of mobility and gives much hope to those from the lower-income group. Thirdly, we can do more to support or encourage the private sector to take up initiatives to provide opportunities to those from the heartlands who would otherwise not have such opportunities. Our Government could consider providing some tax incentives to such organisations to help the less fortunate to level up. I can think of two initiatives that our Government can consider to provide tax support for companies that undertake such activities.”
“Many believe that advancement into the Administrative Service, which is the premiere and most prestigious service in Government, is limited unless you are a returned Government scholar or you have achieved excellent results in your examinations. Government scholars are also often perceived to enjoy relatively fast promotions and wider opportunities for career advancements than those who are not. The converse is also true. It would be difficult to get significant advancements in service if you do not possess the right degree or pedigree which, in this case, is often synonymous with being a Government-sponsored scholar. Sir, it seems that the route of advancement within the Civil Service is fairly rigid. Much will depend on the type and quality of the paper qualification you have. It does not matter if you are good on the job. There is very little hope of promotion unless you have the requisite paper qualification and background. If we accept the proposition that children of graduate parents and those from well-to-do families are going to the good schools and winning Government scholarships, it will mean that higher level appointments in the Civil Service will also be dominated by the same group of people. The poor neighbourhood kid from a lower-income family may not have a chance to begin with. I do not deny that there will be the occasional boy whose father is a casual worker and whose mother is a homemaker winning that coveted President's Scholarship and going on to a great career in the Civil Service. However, I suspect that such occurrences are becoming fewer and farther between. What we will most likely see happening is the son or daughter of some graduates or well-to-do middle-class parents going forward to receive the award from the President.”
“We could invest in more IT resources to help these students understand and visualise concepts better. We should send some of our best teachers to these neighbourhood schools to raise the quality and, hopefully, lift the performance of the students in the examinations. Putting more resources to improve the opportunities for the children from the poorer social economic background will not only improve their chances of getting into good secondary schools through a more level playing field, but will also increase the number of talents that we can throw up with every cohort of students who enters our schools. A laudable example, I would say, of such an approach may be seen in the recent initiative taken by Raffles Institution when the school took the opportunity to go to the primary schools in the heartlands and offered scholarships to promising students who are likely to make the cut to this pre-eminent school. The scholarship, I believe, is intended to give deserving students the opportunity to make a difference so that they are not deprived of the opportunity of getting their best shot at enrolling into Raffles Institution. Secondly, greater mobility and career prospects in the public sector. The public sector is currently the biggest employer in Singapore today. It sets the standards and the benchmarks for our human resource policies in our country. The public sector also offers the most number of scholarships to students; scholarships which will ensure employment and good careers in the public service. Unfortunately, those who are familiar with the public service will realise that academic prowess is a necessary requirement for advancement in service.”
“Scholarships like these are both prestigious and coveted. These scholarships save substantial amounts of money for the parents besides assuring a relatively high-flying career. Snaring a Government scholarship has become a sort of a trophy prize for parents and students, making it a highly coveted commodity. It has also redefined the meaning of success in the Singapore context. These scholarships have also raised the bar for competition in schools because the better schools get more than their fair share of scholarship recipients. Unfortunately, for these schools, competitive entry by examination scores does not always reflect an equitable distribution of places among the social classes. It is not good for Singapore if places in the best schools in this country go to those whose parents are well educated or rich. Children whose parents are from the lower social economic strata of our society will not have the same resources to compete in the same national examinations. Even if they do invest additional resources in their studies, which mostly come in the form of additional tuition classes, it will come at great expense to the family. The way forward essentially is not to ensure the equality of outcome, but to ensure equality of opportunity. Much as I wish our education system can be designed in a way as to do away with the need for tuition, which I know will not be possible, we should do more to increase the opportunities for children from the heartlands to go to top secondary schools. We should increase resources to the primary schools in the heartlands and encourage the principals to have more make-up classes after school to better prepare the students for examinations.”
“The way forward in addressing the problem of the widening and rigid social and income gap is not to suppress those at the top through heavy taxation or outright denial of their achievement through a quota system, but rather to work at ensuring that mobility to success is not hindered by forces beyond the control of the person concerned. Sir, I would humbly suggest three broad areas that I believe can help to ensure that social mobility continues to exist for the less well-off members of the society. These are broadly: better management of our educational resources and approach to bringing out the best in our children; better career prospects and opportunities in the public sector; and, finally, providing suitable incentive schemes that encourage our private sector, particularly the successful companies, to support meaningful programmes to mitigate the differences between the rich and the poor. First, education and social advancement. One of the hallmarks of Singapore’s economic success has been the provision of universal education to the masses. In one generation, Singaporeans lifted themselves out of poverty by seizing educational opportunities to advance themselves and their skill sets. This has enabled them to earn higher salaries than before. Education has also enabled many Singaporeans to realise the aspiration of going to top universities overseas on scholarships sponsored by the Government; something which could only be a dream for Singaporeans but for this opportunity. My brother, Boon Wah, was one such recipient when he won the coveted Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship after it was launched in 1971. The scholarship enabled him to get an overseas education, without which my father would not have been able to afford.”
“I am not surprised that many of these children will end up in top schools, feeling extremely confident and articulate when compared to the other children. Quite obviously, with good schools, these children will have a better chance of getting a scholarship to go to a top university, getting high paying jobs and when they get married and have children, and perpetuate the system by putting their children through a similar process. So they begin at a different starting point in life. How does one realistically ensure or expect a child from the heartlands to compete under such circumstances? As the social strata in our society becomes more settled, it gets harder for one to break out of his class and to work up the social hierarchy. Indeed, for many children in my constituency, the hope at school is to do well enough to get into a polytechnic. I would suspect that for a child studying in a top secondary school in Bukit Timah, going to a polytechnic instead of a good junior college may be seen more as a failure than a success. Sir, although like many of us in this House, I am concerned about the growing income gap between the top and the bottom members of our society. I am even more concerned if we should become a nation with a rigid class strata where social mobility is limited and where your destiny is very much tied up with the family that you are born into. Such an outcome is an affront to our sense of equity and fair play. It goes against the spirit of our National Pledge which commits us as a people to build a society based on justice and equality. It also robs us of the opportunity to tap into a wider talent pool for our purpose had these children been given the right conditions and time to fully develop and exploit their ability.”
“Opportunities and qualifications tend to fall on the side of those born into families that are better off than the wider society. Minister Mentor recently observed this after visiting various local schools. His comment that children in the top schools tend to have parents who are graduates compared to the children from the average neighbourhood schools struck a chord with many Singaporeans. These children have better resources and a better chance of getting into good schools. They have the benefit of an environment that is structured for learning and excellence. This is a great advantage over many children whose parents may not be similarly resourced. Just look at the tuition support that these parents give to their children. These days, many children get private tuition. For many, it is a question of the quality of the tuition and the extent of it. Rich parents will not have any problem plying their children with tuition. They spend huge sums on tuition just so that their children will be well prepared for the examinations. Tuition is a big time industry in Singapore. Recently, I saw an advertisement in our Straits Times which boasts of the number of top-scoring students that it produced. Centres like these do not come cheap, and parents must be prepared to pay to ensure good results. Now, where does this put a child whose parents are just making enough to make ends meet? Sir, we are talking about just one obvious advantage that children of better-off parents enjoy. What about the verbal engagements or the learning exposures that these children get to benefit from, particularly the regular travels to the various places and interesting places, and not to mention the good nutrition that they receive.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Budget proposed by the Minister for Finance. Last month, this House had an extensive debate on the question of providing minimum wage for our low-wage workers to help them cope with the demands of a globalising economy. While this House is not prepared to push for minimum wage at this time, there remains a concern with the growing disparity between the top income earners and those at the bottom. In the longer term, we need to do something about this growing gap. Sir, a wide disparity in income distribution flies in the face of equity and fairness in our democratic society. It breeds deep resentment in the minds of those who aspire to live the good life but for whom such aspirations are but only a pipe’s dream. A society that deeply divides the rich and the poor produces great tensions. Such tensions will spawn a politics of the underclass as Minster Mentor would put it. A politics that would be divisive and would distract the leaders away from the more constructive business of governance – this would not be good for Singapore. Indeed, the Gini coefficient for Singapore suggests that at 0.425, it ranks 51 in the world compared to Japan with a Gini coefficient of just 0.249, making it one of the more unequal societies in the world at 110th position. Our relative income disparity is worse than the United Kingdom, Australia and, at one point of time, the United States, the epitome of the excesses of a free market economy. Sir, a widening income gap in our society raises concerns about social mobility for those who make up the underclass. As societies mature, social mobility for those who aspire to a better education and achieve a higher level of salary becomes more restrictive.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I mean what I said – the courts are often called upon to settle disputes relating to family matters, to decide on rights of custody of children and to intervene in family matters. In this regard, I cannot see how is it that she does not understand what the role of the court is in these matters. And I am just asking her how different is this when compared to a situation in the maintenance of parents. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I am not a lawyer, I am a sociologist. I am not sure what happens in the Family Court, but I am very sure that in disputes involving divorce and child custody, those are not easy cases either. However, I think the nature of adjudicating a divorce proceeding is quite different from adjudicating how much a child owes his parents. Because notions of investment in child-rearing and notions of reciprocity in terms of love that the parent gives to a child and what a child should return are far more complex than that. My point in the debate is simply to raise the concerns about the grey issues that we seem to gloss over in the debate of the Bill of this nature and, that is, when it comes down to the crunch of adjudication, the difficulty we face now really is how do you quantify and measure parental involvement in child-rearing? I do not think it is easy and that is why I raised it as a concern. 6.05 pm”
“May I then ask the Nominated Member of Parliament how different is this in a situation where the Family Court is called upon to intervene in a family situation? Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan: Mdm Deputy Speaker, may I clarify with him what exactly does the Member mean when he said, "intervention of the Family Court"? Can he give a specific example, like family violence? Is that what he is talking about?”
“In her earlier speech, she said that it was a waste of taxpayers' resources to ask public servants, who would be using public money, to intervene in a dispute that was private in nature. So I am asking the Nominated Member whether or not she thought that a Family Court, staffed by public officers using public money, is a waste of resources when the Family Court is called upon to intervene in matters of a private nature or administer matters relating to the Women's Charter. Assoc. Prof. Paulin Tay Straughan: Mdm Deputy Speaker, I did not say it was a waste of money. I merely questioned whether it is appropriate for State-funded public officers to be adjudicating what constitutes good parenting and what constitutes filial piety, and how much the parenting investment should be translated into dollars and cents for a maintenance order.”
“Madam, if you would allow me to ask a point of clarification on the statement made earlier by the hon. Nominated Member of Parliament.”
“I sincerely hope that Members can support this amendment, to help those old folks who have been deserted by their children and have nobody to depend on to live a life with dignity, and to make them feel that there is justice in the world! 5.03 pm”
“Although this is a personal behaviour and a fundamental ethic that need not be praised by other people, it is nevertheless a good deed that should be encouraged and emulated. Awarding the behaviour openly will yield twice the result with half the effort. Ancient people wrote the "24 Filial Piety Stories" based on model behaviours to show generations of people how to be filial. One thousand six hundred years ago, famous Jin calligrapher Wang Xizhi wrote in Lan Ting Xu that the way we looked at the past was how the future would look at us today. Arising from this spirit, it is important that we do something that can be seen as good examples by our descendants. Promoting, awarding and passing on the value of filial piety are such example-setting efforts. However, I feel that the Filial Piety Award should be initiated and promoted by non-Government organisations, so that it becomes an award that people truly value. If it is driven by the Government, people will see it as an official campaign and will lack enthusiasm and motivation. I hence appeal to civil and cultural organisations, such as NTU Confucius Society and Confucius College, to come forward to establish an annual Filial Piety Award to recognise those filial Singaporeans and to spread their stories as good examples. Singapore rose from a Third World country to the First World within 30 years through building the economy. Next, I hope we can further improve our ethics through moral education. When its economy and ethics are progressing at the same speed, Singapore will have a brighter future! Mr Speaker and colleagues, what we have said today may not be remembered, but what we have done today will change people's life and their world.”
“One parent made over 20 applications. When the Tribunal called for court attendance, the parent simply would not attend, but the children, being the party being sued, have to attend. Obviously, the purpose of this parent is not to get maintenance but to torture the children using the current system. This is not an acceptable behaviour. This kind of parents do not deserve to be respected and maintained. They also waste precious resources of the Tribunal and public money. When drafting the amendment, we suggested that the President or Deputy President of the Tribunal be given the authority to dismiss such frivolous applications to ensure fairness to both parties. Under the current law, when dispute arises between the parents and children, the only way is to go to the Tribunal. In the amendment Bill, we suggested that both parties go through a conciliation process first to solve their dispute peacefully. This will avoid going to the Tribunal and the complete break-up of their relationship. Solving disputes by mediation is the main spirit of the amendment, based on the oriental value that a peaceful family will prosper. While emphasising the value of family and making sure old people are taken care of, we must also explore how to promote filial piety. Currently, we emphasise the importance of seniors and parents; we have Respect the Aged Week and we celebrate Father's Day and Mother's Day. All these activities are to promote respect for the aged and they have so far made a positive impact. However, what is missing is an occasion to celebrate filial piety for parents and grandparents. Hence, I propose to set up a Filial Piety Award to showcase those who are filial to their parents and grandparents.”
“Looking into their eyes, I see a mix of anger, frustration and deep sadness. You will understand how they feel if you can see from their point of view. We work hard to raise our children, educate them and help them set up a family. When we are old and cannot work anymore, we hope our children can provide for us. To our disappointment, they now tell us they do not have enough money and cannot even look after themselves. We can only accept the reality and worry about the future. However, if the children are doing well and yet still refuse to maintain their parents, we feel angry and sad. When all the savings are gone, parents have to go to welfare or Government organisations for help. Our heart is filled with sadness when we see this happening. This is how I feel when I see old people asking for help. The moon waxes and wanes. Around us, there are both good and evil people. There are unfilial children in this world and there are also irresponsible parents. When we ask children to be filial, we must acknowledge that children have the choice of not providing when it comes to irresponsible parents. For the past six months, members of the Workgroup had worked tirelessly on the amendment of the Maintenance of Parents Act. We went to the Family Tribunal to observe dispute cases to gain a deeper understanding. We noticed that, in some cases, the children were indeed able but unwilling to provide. In some other cases, it was obvious that it was the parents who were being difficult. From the way they talked and behaved, we could see that they probably did not look after their children well when they were young. Now they are old, they want to use the Act to get the children to provide for them. Worse still, some parents even use the Tribunal to harass their children.”
“If they have the ability but refuse to provide for their parents or grandparents, they can sue them and they will be considered guilty." What was the punishment then? According to the Book, if children did not maintain their parents, they would be jailed for two years. Compared to Singapore's current law, the ancient Chinese laws were far stricter. The reason I mentioned all these ancient Chinese laws is that I want to emphasise that Singapore is not the only country that promotes filial piety, nor is it the first. As early as 2,000 years ago, China already had legislation on filial piety. Besides China, India also has similar legislations. Filial piety is the core value of oriental culture – this is undisputable. In the West, filial piety is also an important value. According to my knowledge, both the US and Canada have laws on filial piety. This shows that filial piety is a universal value and is supported by both ancient civilisations and modern societies. Governments even pass laws to enforce it. However, today we see many incidents of children not providing for their parents. I believe many MPs would have seen this during their Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS). In my constituency, 37% of the residents are over 50 years old. Every week, I see several poor old residents who come to ask for monetary or food aid. I always ask them carefully about the situation in their home, for example, whether their children are looking after them. Some old folks said angrily that, when children get married and have their own family, they forget their parents. Some would say that the children themselves are not doing well financially and have too heavy a burden from their own family, and therefore they cannot look after their parents.”
“I checked some Chinese historical documents and, indeed, found records of enforcing filial piety by law. For example, there is a story in the Biography of the Lord of Hengshan. The original words were, "Prince Shuang was executed for whistle-blowing on his father – the king – and his body was displayed at the marketplace". Prince Shuang's behaviour was considered unfilial. Han Dynasty began in 202 BC, not too far from Confucius' time. We can guess that before this incident, there must be some kind of legislation on this. The law was based on what the society believed as the acceptable behaviour. I deduce that the time of legislation on filial piety should not be far from Confucius' time. The Book of Filial Piety, said to be written by Confucius, also carried a line which states, "among the 3,000 crimes of the five categories, not being filial is the most severe". The Book was written in 241 BC. We can reasonably deduce that there was such legislation at that time already. Perhaps Confucius himself did not join in the debate of legislating filial piety, but some of his disciples must have been involved in the legislation process. Confucian scholars thereafter were not against this either. Hence, filial piety is the core of Chinese culture and ancient Chinese laws also stipulated that people must be filial to their parents. From Sui, Tang to Qing Dynasty, legislations from different historical periods all stipulated what behavior was considered unfilial and how it should be punished. For example, in the Laws of *Cols. 1811-1818. Tang, it was stated: "The protocol says that when children are looking after their parents, they should make their parents happy and not go against their will. They must provide them with food.”
“] Mr Speaker, Sir, first, I would like to declare that I am a member of the Workgroup on Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill headed by Marine Parade GRC MP, Mr Seah Kian Peng. The Bill is not new. Fifteen years ago, it was put forward in Parliament and had caused much debate among the public. The key debating point then was that filial piety was a personal behaviour, a private matter, and should not be commented by others nor interfered with by the Government. However, as we pass the Bill this time and make it into law, the discussion will come to an end. We will have a piece of legislature that regulates the relationship between parents and their children. During the Budget debate this March, Mr Seah suggested amending the Maintenance of Parents Act. The debate was re-ignited with a lot of coverage by the media. Recently, I attended a community event and heard some comments. Some people insisted that filial piety is a private matter and should not be interfered with by outsiders. One man quoted Confucian ideology to support his argument. He said that the Analects talked about the importance of filial piety on many occasions, but it did not mention that the State had to enforce it by law. He also pointed out that he could not remember any other country that has legislation on filial piety, except Singapore. The Analects of Confucius is a classic of Confucianism, compiled by the disciples of Confucius. It reflected Confucius' thoughts comprehensively. Confucius was born in the Spring-Autumn Warring-States period. This year is his 2,561st birthday. Although the Analects did not mention that the State should enforce filial piety by law, it did not object doing this either.”
“The amendment Bill emphasises that the law will not force children to provide for parents who did not fulfil their responsibilities as parents. This is to be fair. What I would like to know is the definition of parents' responsibility. Is it gauged by time, money or love? If we asked ourselves: are we obedient all the time? There must be moments that we caused sadness and worries to our parents. How many parents are willing to sever ties with their child and leave him to perish? Unless the parent has abandoned his child from birth, any parent would have held, fed and loved his child. The situation might have changed due to gambling, drinking, divorce or remarrying. Do we really have the heart to leave our parents to perish when they are old and sick? Is it fair to ask the Government and taxpayers to pay for his living expenses? We show pity to a stranger, even a little dog or cat, so how can we be so cruel towards our own parents? The amendment Bill will enable the law to deal with a handful of unfilial children more effectively. At the same time, I hope it does not change people's value of filial piety into a transaction . It is correct to repay kindness but not everything has to be equal and fair. Raising children is a parent's basic nature that demands no return. By the same token, children supporting parents is also *Cols. 1809-1810. an unshirkable responsibility. It is not something we should bargain with. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support this Bill. 4.48 pm The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts (Mr Sam Tan Chin Siong) (In Mandarin):[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.”
“We also read recently about a case in the Lianhe Zaobao where his son hardly visits his parents due to pressure from his wife and in-laws, though he does deposit a few hundred dollars into their bank accounts. I hope the society does not become one which measures filial piety and responsibility in just financial terms and children would assume that love, care, concern or even attention is no longer necessary. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would now continue in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Last week, I went to a talk on Di Zi Gui (Standards for Being a Good Student and Child). Originally, the organisers were expecting 250 people but, in the end, 500 people showed up and many had to stand to listen. Parents today are very concerned when raising their children. They want to give the best to the next generation. Parents usually do this without the thought of getting any return, regardless of whether the child is "good" or "bad". In the parents' heart, a child is always a child. Di Zi Gui states that parents love me since I am young, and it is natural for me to be filial to them. If I am not good to my own parents now, my children would not be good to me when I become old. On the other hand, if parents do not love me or even hate me, yet I am still filial to them, then this is real virtue. Legendary Emperor Shun's parents were not good to him, but he still obliged to their will. He did not even mind that his stepmother plotted to murder him. His filial piety eventually moved his parents. This story tells us that even if we are not on good terms with our parents, we still try to change them. Filial piety from the bottom of the heart will definitely touch the parents. We should give the same love that our parents have showered on us.”
“Thus, I support the amendment of section 14 which will give the Commissioner the power to access data from Government agencies to locate a missing respondent and recover their means to pay. Similarly, this power will enable the Commissioner to check if the claims of children who say that they are unable to pay are indeed true. I wonder if we can go further to protect the elderly. In addition to securing financial support for them, how about better stewardship? Allow me to share an example from my MPS. An old lady had a joint account with one of her children, a daughter, into which a total monthly contribution of $1,000 from her six children is deposited. But this daughter only gives her $10 a day and she, alone, decides on how the money is spent. The old lady has been living alone but now wants to move into a nursing home because she is getting weaker after an illness. But this daughter refused to release the money from the bank account for her mother to pay for the nursing home, despite the repeated requests from her siblings. This case highlights an area we should look into. What do we have in place to ensure that the guardian or custodian acts in the interest of the elderly? How do we prevent financial abuse which often involves the misuse of power of attorney where usually a trusted relative given the right to make financial decisions on behalf of an elderly person? We hear stories of how some children and relatives take advantage of the elderly and cheat them, especially those suffering from dementia. Do we have any monitoring system and safeguards in place? Do we have any data or ongoing studies on this? Another sad MPS case was an old man whose children gave him money every month but did not care for him. He has dementia and is being neglected.”
“When we discuss the possibility of referring them to the Maintenance of Parents Tribunal, it is clear that most parents would rather starve than sue their children in Court. Instead of severing the emotional bonds with their children or whatever little that is remaining, they would rather forgo the money. Thus, it is with some ambivalence with which I regard today’s Maintenance of Parents (Amendment) Bill. On one hand, we should respect the wishes of the elderly. On the other hand, if we do not recover the money from the children, the financial responsibility to support them will be transferred elsewhere, to other siblings, charity groups or taxpayers. This is clearly unfair. The amendment Bill will empower the Commissioner to require all parties to attend conciliation sessions. This will allow all parties to have candid discussions and iron out issues with the assistance and guidance of mediators. Under the current Act, these sessions are voluntary and often respondent parties do not turn up for the necessary discussion, leaving the applicants no choice but to go for litigation. These conciliation sessions will go some way in achieving our objective of financial recovery while minimising the negative effects upon the already weak ties between parents and children. Some may argue that the State and charities can afford to pay for the care of abandoned elderly in view of the small number of such cases. However, this is clearly unfair to our donors and taxpayers and constitutes poor utilisation of much-needed funds. We must also bear in mind our rapidly ageing population, dwindling number of children per family, and what this means if the trend of leaving to the State to care for the elderly is allowed to grow unchecked.”
“If the children or the parents concerned are aware that the powers are extended to the Tribunal and the Commissioner to verify the information through their extensive powers to gather information with the various Government agencies, it should prevail upon them to be truthful when making submissions before the Tribunal or the Commission. So it would have a very fairly salutary effect on the parties before the Commissioner or the Tribunal. I would like to conclude, Sir, that the Act does not aim to legislate love or filial piety. Instead, it aims to enforce social obligations expected of a financially capable child to look after his parents. These are social obligations that would be unfair to abandon to the care of society at large. The Act is, therefore, a safety net for needy parents and our goal in drafting these amendments are to patch the holes in this safety net. However, in the long run, our goal as a society should be to increase family cohesiveness, so that as few people as possible will need to use it eventually. 4.39 pm Mr Baey Yam Keng Mr Speaker, Sir, the majority of adult children in Singapore appreciate the love and hard work their parents have put in for them and, in turn, provide them with comfort and care during their twilight years. Unfortunately, there is a small but growing trend of neglect or abuse of the elderly by their children. The increasing number of maintenance applications over the last five years is certainly a cause for concern. A number of senior citizens have come to seek help during my Meet-the-People Sessions (MPS). Some requested for financial assistance. Others asked to be put in a home. Most of them have more than two children; some with well-paying jobs.”
“They will, therefore, dovetail with and be enhanced by the proposed changes to the Women's Charter as previously announced by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), once these changes take effect. However, some needy parents are unable to identify or locate their children in the first place. Even if they can be located, the children may hide details of their financial situation. Parents, too, may not be above this. Hence, the amendments empower the Commissioner and the Tribunal to obtain information from various Government agencies to locate the children, or supplement or verify information provided by the parties, to better ensure just results. This will, of course, raise some concerns about privacy. Nonetheless, I believe that these amendments address concerns about information-gathering powers by being structures to be very narrow in scope. For example, the information obtained can only be used for the specified purposes and is to be kept confidential strictly. The idea here is that to empower the Commissioner or the Tribunal to get information to ensure the veracity of information provided so as to help them in the mediation process. The point was raised earlier as to whether or not by keeping these information to themselves and not extending these to the parties in the dispute would be fair. We will have to bear in mind that this is not a litigious process, but really an effort to conciliate and verify the information given.”
“I am sure that in the administering the Act, with the support of the community, there will be sufficient provisions that can be extended to the needy parents in the interim and in the hope that the mediation and conciliation will help resolve differences without parties having to go to the full length of the application under the Maintenance of Parents Act. The idea of the Maintenance of Parents Act is to encourage people to attend the mediation and to work things out together. The Commissioner now has powers to require them to appear for mediation. The failure to appear can be taken by the Tribunal into consideration at the hearing itself. Meditation is essentially the key in addressing the differences between the parties before the Tribunal at the hearing. The amendments will also allow consent orders to be made. Consent orders set down in writing any agreement reached between the parent and his children after mediation. The President or a deputy President can give a consent order the same effect as a Maintenance Order made by the Tribunal. This means that they will be enforceable in the same manner. Because it represents an agreement between the parties, they cannot be appealed against to the High Court unless fraud, duress, threat or misrepresentation is alleged. It is envisioned that this will encourage the parties to work together to come to an agreement even before a Tribunal hearing as such agreements are now enforceable. The provisions for the enforcement of Maintenance Orders under the Act tap on the provisions for the enforcement of Maintenance Orders under the Women’s Charter.”
“The relationships and the needs of a parent and his children are very personal and the Act must tread sensitively. As far as possible, a litigious method of resolving family disputes, such as through a hearing – which is akin to an open battle between the parties – should be avoided in favour of more co-operative methods, which are more supportive of family ties. The amendments support and emphasise this. We have increased the powers of the Commissioner, who will now review each case and refer the parties for mediation or to appropriate agencies before each case proceeds to the Tribunal. This is an addition to the Tribunal’s existing obligations to refer a case for mediation before hearing it. The hon. Member in his earlier speech has wondered whether or not by requiring the Commissioner to mediate all applications before it, and also subsequently to require the Tribunal to refer a case or a matter before a conciliation officer would delay the relief for the parents. I believe in the administration of the Act, Mr Speaker, Sir, the intention is to try and mediate. The underlying principle is to mediate the differences between the parties and to the extent that the parents are in need, I believe, there are sufficient safeguards to provide a temporary relief for the parents. I do not think that in the interim while they work out the issues under conciliation, these parents need to be without support or without needs.”
“Hence, we have drafted the amendments to provide that repeated applications need not be reviewed by the Commissioner. Instead, an applicant can proceed directly to the Tribunal. If his application is frivolous or vexatious – for example, if it has been heard and dismissed by the Tribunal before – the President or a deputy President of the Tribunal may dismiss it as such. To safeguard against human error or misjudgement, an aggrieved applicant may appeal to the Tribunal to have his case heard, or if he is unsuccessful before the Tribunal, to go to the High Court. I have observed cases where parents abuse the Act to express their frustration with or even harass their children. Allowing a frivolous or vexatious claim to be dismissed at an early stage will protect the children's interests. For example, it will protect them from having to take time off from work to appear before the Tribunal each time a claim, however baseless, is made. Parents should also be aware that the Act provides for costs to be awarded at the Tribunal's discretion. If they repeatedly submit frivolous or vexatious applications, the Tribunal may award costs against them. The Act is not meant to be abused. The Tribunal will also now include up to four deputy Presidents, who may each take the place of the President for a Tribunal hearing. This means that the Tribunal can now meet and hear applications more often, so that the waiting time for applications to be heard will be shorter. But this does not mean that standards will be lowered – all deputy Presidents will have to meet the same minimum requirements and qualifications as the President, that is, they will all have to possess the qualifications required for a District Judge.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. I must say I have been privileged to be a part of the Workgroup. The purpose of my speech this afternoon is to elucidate some of the broad principles that been brought to bear in making these amendments and, hopefully, will provide a guide for the subsequent application of the Maintenance of the Parents Act. Sir, the aim of these amendments is to improve the operation of the Act. It is not to implement a radical shift in policy or approach. It has been more than 15 years since the Act was passed in 1994. Since then, we have been able to observe its provisions in operation and realised that improvements can be made to it. These include improving the application and hearing processes provided for by the Act, increasing the emphasis on non-litigious methods of resolution, and ensuring a proper balance amongst the interests of the various stakeholders involved. The original Act provides for applicants to apply to the Tribunal for maintenance. This created confusion for some applicants as to who precisely to contact. We have now clarified matters by setting out clearly in the amendments that the Commissioner should be the first person to approach. We have given the Commissioner enhanced powers to handle this role, which I will touch on later. However, repeated applications must be treated differently. Where such applications have merit, the Workgroup raised concerns that a compulsory review of each application by the Commissioner could add unnecessary length to the process. Where such applications are frivolous or vexatious, the application should not be allowed to use up the limited resources of the Commissioner and the Tribunal.”
“Many of these syndicates operate outside of Singapore. I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether we have taken further steps to deal with any syndicate that operates outside the reach of our laws. The second question is to ask the Minister whether he will now consider it appropriate to make it an offence to borrow and do business with loansharks as I think this will help dry up the source of demand for illegal loans. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, when we tabled the amendments in January, we said the Police would work very closely with its overseas counterparts to address this problem. Indeed, there are some syndicates that may operate from overseas. The last time we amended the Act, we put in extra-territorial jurisdiction. So, we have signalled our seriousness in this regard. The Police will continue to work with its counterparts. The second issue is something more complex. I cannot answer it within 45 seconds. We have discussed it in this House before and the debate in this House showed there is a diversity of views. When we floated the balloon about three years ago, there was also a diversity of views from the ground. As I have said, we will monitor the situation. It is not something that we have discarded but with the improved situation, we need not go down that route. As many Members have mentioned, we also have people who are genuine borrowers. If we criminalise the act of borrowing, that may lead to other problems. 3.00 pm”
“Sir, given what has happened, I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry has done any audit to satisfy itself that what has happened is the only incident that has happened so far, and that nothing of this nature has happened before, save for one that is reported.”
“Can it be suggested by the companies, sectors, or can it be that the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council have the final say? Sir, I support this Bill and hope that it can be implemented smoothly and fully reach out to all workers and people from the various sectors. 3.34 pm”
“This is crucial, I feel, as the Members will have to brainstorm the best and most effective ways to create awareness, high rates of compliance and motivation in the proposals, applications and, of course, most importantly, execution. Can we also look at some of the best practices from other countries, as there are good lessons we can learn from, and where our workers can relate to them? This is especially useful when we reach out to our workers to sell the message on productivity. At the end of the day, no matter how good our policy is, at the workers’ level, there should be enough understanding and conviction so that everyone can work together to make the drive a successful one. (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Mr Speaker, with the passing of this Act, we must ensure a deep understanding and confidence from all sectors, including the public. How can we disseminate the message and understanding on this policy to the public so that when they apply for jobs they will understand that they have to compete with other applicants, not only from Singapore but also with other workers of similar abilities and qualifications, for example, from India, China or Malaysia? This is the reality. We now have to compete globally. Therefore, when our skills are better and more specialised, there will be a higher demand for our workforce. Our people must undergo a major change in mindset. One clarification that I wish to seek is that within the 12 priority sectors identified, who will decide on the type of training and programmes that should be included? Will it be proposed by the new board or by the workgroups?”
“Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Mr Speaker, I stand in support of the National Productivity Fund Bill 2010. It is indeed timely to introduce this Bill as we set targets to enhance our national productivity levels up to 2%-3% per year. Currently, our productivity levels in the larger sectors are measuring up to only about 50%-60% of the global leaders. With reference to clause 4, Sir, in the provision of financing and incentives, whether in Singapore or elsewhere, how will these overseas courses and programmes be assessed and evaluated to ensure only recognised and respectable ones are incorporated under the scheme? There will most certainly be a very wide variety and range of such programmes and courses in all the 12 priority sectors which have been earmarked. As I see it, there will need to be clearly defined guidelines, with some flexibility for case-by-case consideration as they will arise. Whatever guidelines are decided upon, I feel it is crucial we do not steer away from the primary objective related to enhancing productivity and continuing education, which must be customised to the relevant sectors. With reference to this Bill, Sir, there will be a need to define productivity in the 12 priority sectors as there will most obviously be differences. There is a great need to enhance the awareness amongst the public as well as companies and businesses in order to drive home the message effectively. Can I also clarify with the Minister, Sir, pertaining to the workgroups to be set up for each sector, when will these take place and be functional?”
“Sir, in a recent study in March this year led by Dr Wilson Chew, CEO and principal consultant at StrategiCom, a branding specialist, it was discovered that nine out of 10 companies surveyed knew what innovation was but only two out of 10 companies went on to do something about it and, more importantly, went on to commercialise their innovation. The innovation had resulted in higher revenues for these companies and, by implication, higher productivity. Quite clearly, a Fund of this nature that is dedicated to productivity through innovation would clearly bring great benefits to our businesses. Sir, productivity must be based on a certain set of principles. It must not be efficiency at all cost. Over the years, we have learnt to have regard for the environment in the way in which we produce our goods and services. Going Green is not an option but a necessity if we are going to leave something of value for future generations. With the need to protect our environment weighing heavily in our minds, being green in our endeavour to be productive is, I believe, increasingly a standard by which we will be measured by the international community. Against these rising expectations, I hope, Sir, that the new statutory board will, likewise, lean heavily on the side of protecting our environment and the sustainability of our resources when promoting productivity. Improvements in productivity may be celebrated only if it does not come at a cost to the environment, and better still if improvements in productivity help in our efforts to preserve the environment. When the new statutory board and the Fund are established, it would do well to pay heed to these expectations. With that, Sir, I support the Bill standing in the name of the Minister for Finance. 3.30 pm Assoc. Prof.”
“Apart from looking at the issue of productivity for workers, the other issue relates to whether a sharper differentiation ought to be made between foreign-owned companies and our local companies, including the small and medium enterprises. The issue of productivity cuts across all enterprises; whether these are locally or foreign owned. However, there is a common perception, and quite rightly so, that foreign companies are better endowed with resources to handle issues of competitiveness and productivity. They do not need as much help as local companies do. For the most part, local companies, particularly those in the SMEs, require Government assistance, apart from labour-related issues, in the area of technology transfer, particularly those that relate to improving processes for the manufacture and commercialisation of goods and services. Many of these companies just do not have the wherewithal to embark on initiatives that will help them become more efficient and to compete better. The question really is whether public resources from the Fund should be focused principally on providing assistance to the SMEs to help these companies compete better. The assistance, apart from being employee associated, may relate to assisting these enterprises to build a better eco-system that will help them improve their productivity. This may include harnessing new technologies or, for that matter, getting relevant qualified consultants to advise them on improvements to the way they organise themselves so that they can compete better. Through the Fund, we hope that new local companies will be spawned that are world-beaters and carry brand names that would sit next to Coca-Cola or Nestle.”
“Foreign manual labour imposes on our resources, which include land for accommodation, and extracts a social cost from us. It breeds deep prejudices among Singaporeans. More importantly, for the Singaporeans who are prepared to work in this sector, there is a rising difference in gap between the top income earners and them in recent years. Economists refer to this income difference as the Gini coefficient. In our case, we have relied on foreign labour to boost our economic growth over the years. The result is rather obvious. Over the last decade, the Gini coefficient has widened significantly. Recent studies have indicated that our Gini coefficient has moved from 0.44 in 2000 to 0.48 in 2009. The Gini coefficient in Singapore measures higher; in other words, there is greater income inequality when compared to, for instance, countries like the United Kingdom, which has an index of 0.34, and Japan with an index of 0.38 in recent years. Most analysts agree that the widening income gap arose from our policy of allowing foreign contract workers to work in our industries under low-wage conditions. Equally, the same may be said that the relatively wide gap in our income distribution will narrow once we get more Singaporeans with better training to work in these sectors at higher wages because of the level of output. We need to narrow the widening income gap if we are truly committed to social equity in our country. After all, we cannot lay claim to want to have the living standards of the Nordic countries and yet have a third world income distribution. Our Productivity Fund must therefore be clearly chartered to address this concern.”
“Truth be told, these foreign PMETs have no doubt contributed significantly to our economy. For without them, Singapore’s economic performance would not have powered so strongly over much of the last 10 years. However, having PMETs performing a role in the development of our economy is not in itself a sufficient reason for not improving the productivity of our own PMETs. We need to get our people to be better qualified and more productive than the foreigners so that they can justifiably command higher salaries and, in time, reduce the need to rely on foreign talents to fill these posts. Secondly, we have over the years had to rely on foreign labour to take on jobs that Singaporeans generally are not keen on and which typically involve work requiring manual labour. There are two significant consequences arising from this. First, the presence of these foreign workers who command relatively low wages suppresses both the desire of employers to want to hire Singaporeans as well as discourages Singaporeans from working in these sectors. This has resulted in a significant number of Singaporeans remaining unemployed. Sir, we all know that if we send these foreign workers on work permits home tomorrow, there will be more than enough jobs to absorb the present number of Singaporeans who are unemployed. The question is: are Singaporeans prepared to take up such jobs at existing wage levels? Secondly, the continued use of low-wage foreign workers in our industries will continue to affect our record on total factor productivity. Unless policies are changed to align Singaporeans who provide manual labour with the desire to improve productivity, our employers will continue to be inclined towards hiring cheap labour where possible to bring down the cost of production.”
“By setting aside money to support productivity initiatives in the form of a Fund to be managed by a statutory board, the Government is clearly putting the issue at the forefront of our nation's consciousness. Sir, in setting aside money to focus on productivity, I think we should have some public articulation of how and where such money should be channelled. Without a doubt, productivity is an issue that cuts across all sectors of our economy – whether it is organisations or the people involved in running these organisations, or the technologies or innovations associated with it. Unfortunately, our resources and funds are limited. How such funds are channelled, Sir, may have a bearing on the issue of national unity. Why national unity, one might ask. There is a growing sense of unhappiness on the ground over the significant influx of foreign labour in recent years into Singapore, making inroads into various aspects of our society. We see foreign labour participation at two levels; first at the PMET level where there is a gap, in or a lack thereof, of appropriately qualified local staff with the necessary skill sets to handle the demands of a knowledge-based manufacturing and services economy. So huge numbers of such employees coming to Singapore whose presence we see in our housing estates or condominiums. Yet, as with many countries elsewhere, the presence of foreigners in our society living cheek by jowl with the locals and working in appointments that many Singaporeans see are their rightful inheritance has fed a growing sense of xenophobia within our society. It is not uncommon to hear Singaporeans complaining loudly of how foreigners have taken their jobs in the offices they worked for.”