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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“Alternatively, if Bill Gates decides to migrate to Singapore, he too would qualify as a foreign talent. Realistically, it is unlikely that Singapore would be attractive enough for such people. For them, they are successful and there are very few reasons why they want to pull themselves out and relocate to Singapore. If we are not talking about people in this class, one would suppose that we are talking about those who are good in their respective fields but who are not necessarily in the top band. Nonetheless, these people may have the skills and expertise to make a contribution to Singapore. If, by definition, foreign talent refers to these people, the question that many Singaporeans have asked is, how can we identify these people as the kind of people with the talents we want. In its common usage in recent months, foreign talent has come to be loosely treated as being synonymous with those who have studied at some respected universities overseas and may have, perhaps, acquired some working experience which may be of relevance to Singapore. Possibly, some of these people may have also acquired some proven track record as well. And so it is that over time we have welcomed into our country many of these people from China and India and elsewhere who possess these qualifications. Sir, as I have said, I have no objection to foreign talents coming to Singapore to make a contribution. However, one must be very careful in the way in which we collectively understand what foreign talent means.”
“The vision statement of the Singapore 21 Committee, in all its component parts, must surely lead to the question of strengthening the country as a nation; a nation with an identity that over time would become strong with a heart beating strongly for it. How do we ensure that? How will opportunities be perceived? The Committee has, among other things, argued quite rightly that the Singapore of the 21st century must provide every opportunity for Singaporeans to pursue their personal rainbows, whether it be the arts, sports, entertainment or other areas. Singapore of the future must continue to be a place where opportunities abound and where we can find here, the same optimism as our forefathers did. In seeking to provide these opportunities, one argument is that we must practise an open door to encourage talented foreigners to come. By bringing in talented foreigners, they will be able to contribute to our continued growth and prosperity, and in the process, help create a thriving city which provides opportunities for all. The logic behind the argument of foreign talent is hard to fault. I am, for one, all in support of us bringing in foreign talent if, in the process, these foreigners can work towards the fulfilment of the Singapore dream. However, while most discussions in recent months centred around the principle of bringing in foreign talent to Singapore, little has been said of the question of who is a foreign talent, and how can foreign talents be introduced to this country without unduly upsetting the present social balance. Indeed, nobody denies that foreign talents can make a positive contribution to the Singapore economy. If a Nobel prize laureate were to set up home in Singapore, he would indeed qualify as a foreign talent.”
“Sir, I rise to speak in support of the motion standing in the name of the Minister for Education. The report by the Singapore 21 Committee could not have been more timely. As we prepare to face the next millennium, it is right that we should collectively, as a nation, take a step backwards and define what we want for the country in the years ahead. Although Singapore has a relatively short history, we are, nevertheless, a country with our own identity, and well on our way to becoming a nation that all of us, whether we be Indians, Chinese or others, can be proud of. In the last 30 years, we as a people have gone through many milestones in our collective memory. We can think of us struggling for independence or fighting with the communists, or overcoming the evils of communalism, or struggling with calamities and disasters, such as the Hotel New World collapse, and, most recently, the SilkAir crash of MI185. Whatever these events, we cannot deny that the common experience has got the people closer together, either in common suffering or in common celebration. Our achievements in the last 30 years have made Singaporeans extremely proud of themselves. A pride that sometimes bordered on arrogance and is seen as such by many outsiders. While arrogance is not an attitude we want to encourage of our people, it nonetheless reflects the pride which our people have for this country. Taken in the right spirit, it is an attitude we want to preserve and build upon so that our foundation as a nation becomes stronger with the passing years.”
“I am not saying that our language policies at the moment have resulted in any undermining of our national unity that we enjoy today. However, I would say that if in maintaining our present language policies, there is a great deal of unhappiness to a point where social cohesion is eroded in the process, the Government should step back and reassess its bearings to see if it is worth the sacrifice. Sir, in reviewing the Ministry's policy on the teaching of mother tongue, I would urge the Minister to bear in mind what I have just said.”
“In this regard, we cannot demand, for instance, that schools run by the clan associations and which have a history of providing a total environment for the teaching of the mother tongue be required to teach non-Chinese as second language and, in the process, alter the character of the school. As long as there are enough schools in the area, there is no compelling reason why long established policies should change. 1.00 pm Fourthly, our belief in maintaining our separate and distinct identity should always be subordinated to the demands of national and social cohesion. While we want to preserve and promote our mother tongue and prevent it from being adulterated, we should be aware that rifts may be created within our society as well. We are at the moment beginning to see indications of this. Take the teaching of Chinese language, for instance. We have over the years evolved the teaching of the Chinese language to the extent that we have differentiated between those who are able to take Chinese at first level and those who are not. In class and status conscious Singapore, this is a constant source of pressure and unhappiness. And now, we have created a new super class of the Chinese elites, giving much concern to the others about how this would affect our multiracial society as we know it. Additionally, care should be given when relocating clan schools that do not offer Chinese as a second language to the residential neighbourhoods. It would surely be a recipe for unhappiness if the school was the only school within a one kilometre radius and the minority groups are told that they are not eligible to apply and would have to go elsewhere where they may not have any priority in admitting their children.”
“Most of my friends then were predominantly Chinese. It did not matter for me, because right from young, the school taught me to respect the customs and beliefs of others who are not like me. The society that I operated in believes in the multi-racial principle and expects me to conduct myself accordingly. When I served my country in national service, I had plenty of opportunity to interact with the minority members and I got along well with them. I never had any problem if I had to fight to save my fellow Singaporean who may not be a Chinese. Sir, Singapore is a multi-racial country and will continue to be so. Having said that, I would like to say that there are a number of principles that we should observe. First, we are never a melting pot of cultures and should never be. Secondly, we should maintain our distinct identity and let it evolve in its natural and different way. As I have said earlier, we can never be as Chinese as the Chinese in mainland China; and I am not sure whether we want to be. We should therefore not insist on maintaining standards at all costs, as it may come across as being chauvinistic to others. We should not be ashamed to say that as Chinese, our cultural practices have evolved in its own unique way. Thirdly, each ethnic group in Singapore must accept and respect the desire of other ethnic groups to maintain its own identity through its cultural practices, including the teaching of the mother tongue so long as these practices do not harm or affect the interest of the larger society.”
“It is perhaps unfortunate, Sir, that the promotion and discussion of the teaching of Chinese in schools in a high profile and significant manner, such as the promotion of SAP schools, cannot yet be carried out in Singapore at the moment without the risk of being misunderstood. As it is, the very suggestion of promoting Chinese cultural elites is seen by others as possibly raising a new generation of Chinese leaders in Singapore who have little or no contact with minority members and who then, when placed in a position of public policy making, make decisions which show very little sympathy for the others. Such fears, with all due respect, do not appear to be founded. In the first place, I believe that raising a new breed of cultural elites or the Chinese elites is not the same as raising political elites, or civil service elites. I have understood the term to mean, in the context of our recent debates, raising a group of Singaporeans who are highly skilled in the Chinese language, so that they in turn can act as custodians of the standard and quality of the spoken and written Chinese in Singapore. Secondly, even if some of these cultural elites do become policy makers, it would be wrong to assume that having spent six to 12 years in a Chinese speaking environment, these people will not have any sympathy for the minorities. We seem to assume that these people live in a vacuum and would have no contact with the minority races. We have forgotten that 80% of our Chinese in Singapore live in housing estates which are multi-racial in composition. We have also forgotten that we have to do National Service which is also multi-racial in composition. In my own experience, I went to a school that did not have many members of the minority groups.”
“Up until now, there has to my mind never been any clear policy statement on the part of our Government as to the extent to which Chinese in Singapore should preserve their Chineseness vis-a-vis their mainland counterparts. Be that as it may, there are clear indications that we are losing our edge on our Chinese speaking ability. We learn that an increasing number of households in Singapore are using English as the language of communication rather than Chinese. Even in households where the parents speak Chinese well, English is often substituted as the language of choice. Just looking at some of the programmes hosted by our Chinese comperes, many Chinese-speaking friends of mine had commented that they are still some distance away from their counterparts in mainland China or Taiwan. Someone once said in an exaggerated manner if only to prove a point, that our counterparts on television in China rattle off at 1,500 words a minute whereas we rattle off at 800 words a minute, and even then, we make mistakes. This limitation on our ability in the Chinese language did not come by chance. Our people suffer from a real handicap from speaking Chinese well, compared to the ethnic speakers of the language. This is why we decided on the policy of ensuring that our standard in the Chinese language is not diluted further through the effluxion of time. We have decided therefore that the Chinese language should be preserved in the form of SAP schools and recently the promotion of the Chinese cultural elites that was perhaps to serve as a bulwark against the further erosion of our culture and heritage.”
“Sir, at a recent sitting of this House last year, I had said that the learning of our mother tongue gives us a sense of identity and bearing in our moral conduct. I thought then, and I still maintain now, that learning the mother tongue would help us preserve our cultural roots and give us a sense of identity. I also said then that the experience of the Chinese in Singapore is unique, only because we are geographically cut off from the others. Our experience may not be compared with the experience of the other ethnic Chinese in Taiwan, China or Hong Kong. There is, therefore, an increasing divergence in the manner in which cultural norms and practices are carried out. Two, three or four generations down the road, I am not sure if the Chinese in Singapore can say that we are culturally the same as the Chinese elsewhere in the world. Just take a look at the third and fourth generations of American born Chinese. If you listened to them speak with your eyes closed, you would be forgiven for mistaking that it is a non-Chinese who is speaking. How Chinese are they? Could their parents have prevented the tide of change by forcing the learning of the second language on them? Will their children or their grandchildren be as Chinese as they are 20 to 30 years down the road? The introduction of the SAP schools and the policy of producing a new breed of Chinese cultural elites to my mind only serves to slow down the inevitable tide of change. The cultural norms of the Chinese in Singapore will continue to evolve in a way that is totally divorced from the developments in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong. Yes, there will be the external influences from these countries. However, the development of the Chinese culture in Singapore will not be the same. We have to accept it.”
“On the other hand, the amount they receive in the form of public assistance is barely enough to meet the basic living expenses, and therefore the recipients' standard of living and quality of life have been affected Their family members may be very young. Therefore, a drop in the quality of life would affect their health. Can the Government consider allowing a public assistance recipient's family members to work part time to help make ends meet?”
“Low Seow Chay (Chua Chu Kang)(In Mandarin): Sir, in the past, some 29,000 workers were retrenched or facing retrenchment. According to a survey, the situation today is that out of every ten job seekers, only four jobs are available. Another survey shows that 50% of the retrenched workers have to wait for nine months before they can get another job. This shows that it is not easy to find alternative jobs nowadays. 32% of the workers will be unemployed for more than nine months. Being unemployed for nine months is a long period. These people depend on their past savings to tide them over the difficult times. After the nine months, I believe their savings would have been exhausted. These people would probably have to look to the Government agencies and other charitable organisations for help. We know that the Singapore Government's Public Assistance Scheme is quite stringent in its allocation of funds. The amount allocated is barely enough to meet the basic living expenses. Those who are in receipt of this assistance cannot have other sources of income. I would like the Minister to tell us whether there is an increase in the number of people who have applied for public assistance during the past one year. For those who have been unemployed for more than nine months, will the Government be more liberal and sympathetic towards them so that they can receive public assistance? I am making these suggestions because those who are receiving public assistance cannot depend on it for a living for long. As soon as they find a job, they would not ask for public assistance.”
“The fact that for many of these people in need of financial assistance, they need to be told of the public assistance schemes, either through the grassroots organisations or through the voluntary welfare organisations, tells us that these schemes are not very widely known or well publicised. If we want to do more for the less fortunate Singaporeans, we should be more proactive rather than reactive. We should, in the first place, take steps to educate Singaporeans on what they can do or who they can turn to in times of need. I have seen public information campaign run by the various Ministries, such as the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Health. However, I have yet to see a concerted effort by the Ministry of Community Development in running mass education campaigns through the public media to inform Singaporeans of the public assistance schemes. I am not sure whether MCD's choice in not using the public media to publicise these schemes arises from a reluctance to encourage a perception of Singapore as a welfare state. Personally, I do not think using the media to publicise the schemes that are available is a step in the direction. On the other hand, using the public media maximises our effort in reaching out to those who are genuinely in need of assistance and thus helps us to care for them in a way which we, as Singaporeans, should. Such effort by the Ministry of Community Development is important, particularly during this difficult time when more people are unemployed than before. I would like to ask the Minister whether more effort can be made by the Ministry to promote awareness among Singaporeans on the various programmes and assistance that Singaporeans can turn to for help, if necessary. Assoc. Prof.”
“Sir, in the course of my constituency work, I have come across many families who are in need of financial assistance. Very often, these people are in a desperate situation, either because they have lost their jobs, their loved ones have passed away or they have been deserted by their spouses. Invariably, where these families have children, it is often the children who suffer as a consequence. These residents have the gumption to come to my assistance or the assistance of my CCC. Invariably, in the course of the interview, I learn that besides getting in touch with the grassroots organisations, many of these people who need financial assistance or public assistance are not aware of the many schemes that are available which can be of help during these difficult times. These public assistance schemes may include, for example, the Small Families Improvement Scheme, the CCC Welfare and Education Committee's Scholarships and Bursaries, the CDC Assistance Scheme, to name a few. What about those who never thought of seeking assistance from the MP or the grassroots organisations? How can we effectively reach out to them and extend the assistance provided by these public assistance schemes? For them, they operate in a world of ignorance, and unless we reach out to them, it may be that they would never be able to take advantage of these public assistance schemes that are available. Additionally, it could also be that many of these people are just too shy to come forward to seek the assistance of the Government, or the voluntary welfare organisations in respect of these public assistance schemes.”
“These guidelines must surely be based on the principles of achieving greater effectiveness and efficiency for the VWOs, so that every dollar given can be stretched longer. If there is assurance that taxpayers' money and donations by members of the public would be made to good use, I am sure that it would serve as an encouragement for many more people to put in money into the organisation for a useful and proper cause. On the other hand, if it was discovered that the money donated to an organisation is not very well managed, then the organisation concerned should change its principal officers or suffer the consequence of not having any public support for its activities. MCD should therefore perform this watchdog function in ensuring that the money granted to these organisations would be put to proper use. I would like to ask the Minister for Community Development whether the Ministry would consider implementing a system of audit control on all voluntary welfare organisations to ensure that these organisations are administered in accordance with the guidelines and standards set by the Ministry, and that the grants given by the Government and donations by members of the public are properly used. 5.30 pm”
“Sir, our Government has always believed in the principle that members of the community must play a part in helping to care for the less fortunate members of our society. This is to ensure that the social problems which we encounter are not conveniently passed on to the State. This would include, for instance, caring for the elderly citizens and those who are handicapped. In adopting this principle of co-sharing the responsibility, the Government has had, amongst other things, to work with voluntary welfare organisations in funding some of these programmes. Customarily, our Government would match the sum of money raised by these voluntary welfare organisations to increase the resource pool available for the social programmes. Towards this end, therefore, many VWOs are engaged in fund raising exercises in order to increase the resources available to fund the programmes. The NCSS, which is the umbrella organisation covering many of these VWOs in Singapore, is one of the largest recipients of public donations and Government funding for social programmes. One has no doubt that the money that has gone into the NCSS is well used and well managed by the NCSS to assist its member organisations in its various activities. The sums received by many voluntary welfare organisations are not small. However, following the recent episode wherein a member of the public had wrongly accused the CEO of NKF of misusing the Foundation's funds, many Singaporeans have indeed begun to ask whether there are proper guidelines as to how the money that is given by members of the public and the Government should be spent, and whether there is an audit system in place to ensure that these guidelines are adhered to.”
“And like my colleagues before me, I certainly hope that the further measures taken by the Ministry would not result in additional or greater charges to the motorists using the CTE.”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in the debate at this point of time. Since the introduction of the ERP, we have various successes with the implementation. In some cases, the ERP has an effect of smoothening traffic flow and in other cases, the situation seems to have worsened. At the sitting of Parliament in October last year, the Minister for Communications did mention that since the implementation of the first phase of ERP in September 1998, the CTE traffic congestion had worsened with the average speed falling to 35 to 50 kilometres an hour which is below the optimal level of 50 to 55 kilometres an hour. The Minister has also said that the LTA would be looking at the CTE problem closely and would make the necessary adjustments on ERP rates in order to smoothen the traffic flow. Since then, the ERP rates to the CTE have been revised. Goods vehicles have had their charges increased because it was discovered that the goods vehicles were primarily contributing to the congestion at the CTE during peak hours. Since the revision of rates, it does not appear to me that traffic flow along the CTE during peak hours has improved substantially. I do not have the relevant data or statistics. However, based on my empirical observations, I notice that between 8.30 am and 9.30 am, traffic is at its peak despite the revised ERP charges. Traffic along the CTE is at times bumper to bumper, and it stretches all the way from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 to the Balestier turnoff. I would like to ask the Minister for Communications whether the traffic situation along the CTE has remained the same despite the revision of the ERP rates and, if so, whether further measures can be taken to smoothen the flow of traffic along the CTE.”
“Very briefly, Sir. Our Prime Minister on a visit to Chile in October 1998 mentioned the need to establish a forum for the academia, business people, Economic and Foreign Ministers to forge a better understanding between Latin America and Asia. The call for a forum was driven by a desire to know more about Latin America, not just the economies but people, culture and the environment. I would like to ask the Minister what steps have been taken since to promote the Asia-Latin America Dialogue forum. The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed): Sir, looking at the clock, there is no time for samba! Briefly, the Prime Minister first raised the idea of the East Asia-Latin America forum (EALAF) last September. As we know, we have institutional links with North America through APEC, and with European countries through ASEM. So there is currently this missing link between East Asia and Latin America. In the global economy, such a gap between two dynamic regions must be addressed in the interest of both regions and thus we have EALAF. EALAF is envisaged to be a meeting of individual countries of East Asia and Latin America, and not as a regional group to group meeting. So interested countries can join whenever they are ready to do so. Prime Minister Goh has sounded out leaders of ASEAN, China, Japan and Korea on EALAF and the responses have been generally supportive. Similarly, we gather that the response from the 12 Rio group members has also been extremely good. The plan is actually to hold a SOM meeting sometime late this year.”
“In this regard, I would like to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Ministry will consider encouraging initiating further humanitarian aid to Indonesians who are severely affected by the present crisis in their country. As a country, we want to extend our sincere feelings of friendship and concern and we would like to help offer humanitarian relief in any way we can. We may be a small red dot in the sea of green. However, we want to be a dot that is a beacon that shows the way for humanitarian relief for our fellow South-east Asians.”
“Sir, we have seen that the economic crisis has had its terrible toll on the people in the region. The full impact of the crisis is now beginning to show in some places and is expressly more pronounced in countries which are more severely affected by it. I believe that Indonesia is worst hit by the crisis and the tremendous social cost is biting deeper into the society. On a regular basis, we hear stories of families in Indonesia having to stop sending their children to school because of a lack of money or having to cut down on the level of food consumption because there is not enough to go around. Sickness is often tolerated than cured because people are without the means to seek medical treatment or to buy medicine. As a result of the crisis, many people have suffered and are suffering. The suffering is beginning to feed the irrational sentiments that are often based on primordial instincts of race and religion. We, in Singapore, are very concerned for the welfare of our Indonesian friends and would like to provide as much humanitarian aid as we can to relieve their suffering. It was therefore, with great gratitude and relief, that the Red Cross Society in Singapore and some other civic organisations have initiated humanitarian aid for the needy people in Indonesia. Providing the assistance for Indonesian friends at this moment would also send a positive signal that we are more than just fair-weather friends. Within our resources, we hope that such efforts will continue to seal the friendship which was forged in the decades after we became independent.”
“As far as the CIQ issue is concerned, we were at a point where we were awaiting the Malaysian government to revert with legal arguments to back their claim of a right to remain at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station. So when the Malaysian Foreign Ministry gave a reply and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the reply has met with their concern and are now prepared to move forward and negotiate with the Malaysian government on a comprehensive package to deal with all outstanding issues, our people were naturally curious about the nature of the reply. Sir, like my colleagues before me, could the Minister please elaborate in what way has the reply met with our concerns on the sovereignty and other legal issues?”
“Sir, the operation of a CIQ facility at Tanjong Pagar by the Malaysian authorities has in the last year been a thorn in the bilateral relations between Singapore and Malaysia. If you recall, Sir, our Government moved our CIQ facility to Woodlands last year. The move to Woodlands has created an anomaly for the Malaysian authorities as the Malaysian officers at the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station would be operating as a result of our move to Woodlands without the presence of Singapore officers to lend it authority or power, including the powers of arrest, search and seizure. While we wanted the Malaysians to co-locate with us, the Malaysian authorities decided to remain at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station and had claimed a legal right to do so. In view of their claim, we have asked the Malaysian authorities to submit their legal arguments to support their position. Deadlines were agreed upon. However, the Malaysian government was not able to keep to the deadline and had repeatedly requested for extensions of time to which Singapore responded positively. The last deadline was in February this year wherein the Malaysian government gave a reply to the Singapore Government and from the reports in the papers, our Government seems satisfied with the reply given. Sir, we note that Dr Mahathir on 18th December 1998 had indicated that he wanted to resolve all outstanding issues with Singapore in a package deal. These deals include not only the CIQ facility at Tanjong Pagar Railway Station but also the other issues, which include the withdrawal of CPF funds by Malaysians, the use of airspace and of course our water supply.”
“I know that immigration authorities in other countries, such as Canada, for example, are very open about the point system that is used to assess the applicant's chance of success in applying for permanent residence. Sir, the advantage of disclosing the weightage in advance is that it would let the applicants know first whether they are even qualified to apply and, secondly, it would encourage those who qualify for permanent residence to apply and in turn can then contribute to this country. I would therefore like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry will reconsider disclosing the weightage to be given to the various criteria in a foreigner's application for permanent residence in Singapore so as to make the application process more transparent.”
“Sir, Singapore has advanced as a country over the last 30 years. Our Government has given our people a quality of life that is unsurpassed in Asia. We live in a clean environment. Our children go to good schools. There is law and order in this country. And the sky is the limit if you are good. Quite naturally there are many more Singaporeans who would like to make Singapore their home. However, it is still not possible for us to take in the huddled masses because Singapore is just simply too small a country to do that. I am sure the immigration authority is inundated with applications from non-Singaporeans to be Singapore permanent residents. Up until recently, the process of granting permanent residence has been shrouded in secrecy. Not everyone knows how decisions are arrived at, although everyone can understand that age, educational level, family background, are some of the main factors taken into consideration when granting such requests. 2.15 pm The present process has resulted in much frustration in some applicants who sometimes are at a loss when in one case the application was successful, but in another similar case the application was not. Therefore, I was pleased to learn recently that the immigration authority in its bid to have greater transparency within the bureaucracy has decided to publicise those criteria on which applications for permanent residence would be considered. However, the announcement fell short of telling members of the public what weightage would be given to the various criteria listed and how many points one must accumulate before the applicant can succeed in its application or have a reasonable chance to be considered in relation to his application.”
“First, it cuts down the demand for more manpower requirements if 24-hour camera surveillance can be deployed at strategic locations in the housing estates. This will not only serve to deter crime but also serve to record the necessary evidence for prosecution. Secondly, as part of the Community Focus Plan, residents can be roped in together to raise funds to build a camera surveillance system to help play a part in ensuring the safety and security in the estate. I have instructed my grassroots leaders to look into this possibility because, as I have said, it is a good plan. I would like to ask the Minister whether the Ministry would consider supporting both financially or otherwise the use of camera surveillance in housing estates as a means to combat crimes in Singapore.”
“Sir, in my constituency visits, I have come across requests from many of my residents asking for more police presence in the estate to ensure the safety and security of the residents. The sight of men in blue uniform has always given residents the assurance that all is well, knowing that there is somebody to watch over them. This is especially true in the new estates where residents have either not moved in or where strangers are not easily identified because residents have yet to know one another. In some cases, the design of HDB flats is such that it makes these flats more prone to break-in by burglars either because the windows provide easy access or because the apartment blocks face an open space opposite it. Whatever it is, these apartment blocks are very prone to break-ins as indeed is the case of Neighbourhood 7 in my constituency. Sir, I am very concerned about the break-ins and have on many occasions asked the police to see what further measures can be taken to help crime prevention in the estate. I know that Police resources are limited and I have often told my residents that policemen are not jagas for the estate. The residents are being told that crime prevention is as much their duty as it is the responsibility of the state. I have requested for a Neighbourhood Police Post and I hope that it will be granted in the near future. At the same time, I am aware that the Police are constrained by limited resources and are constantly looking at more effective ways to improve its monitoring system of the estates. Sir, my grassroots leaders have suggested the use of camera surveillance as a means of crime prevention. I thought it was a good suggestion principally for two reasons.”
“As a consequence, many Singaporeans have found out that they have made a lemon of their investments in overseas properties when they discovered that the properties that they bought were either not built or were shabbily constructed. Indeed, it also seems strange to me that we see regularly in newspapers, invitations to members of the public to participate in investments in ostrich eggs. Sir, there are many Singaporeans who do not know the difference between a turkey and an ostrich, or are they in a position to know the nature of the company they are investing in. On the other hand, even a well-established local company cannot begin to sell a share publicly in Singapore without having to comply with the prospectus requirement under the Act. This is indeed a serious anomaly and I would urge the Ministry to regularise this anomaly by seeking to regulate the various investment schemes that are now in place in Singapore. I would therefore like to ask the Minister for Finance whether more stringent measures will be imposed on those seeking to promote investment opportunities in Singapore which are at present, not regulated by the Companies Act or the other statutes.”
“Sir, the 1998 amendment has clarified that franchises are excluded from the ambit of section 107 of the Companies Act. While this amendment seeks to clarify the definition of interest under section 107 of the Act, I submit that the amendment has not gone far enough to clarify the proper ambit of the section. The purpose of division 6 of the Companies Act of which section 107 is a part would appear to be to protect members of the public from being misled into participating in any interest; which for the purposes of the Act means any right to participate in any profits, assets or realisation of any financial or business undertaking or scheme, whether in Singapore or elsewhere. There is more in the definition but for the purposes of my remarks, this is just the gist of it. Section 113 of the Act mandates that if an investment scheme falls within the definition of interest under the Act and an offer is made to the public for subscription or purchase of that interest, the company making such an offer must issue a prospectus. If one looks at section 107, the definition of "interest" is very broad and is capable of a wide import. This means that there could potentially be a lot of financial arrangements which would require the issuance of a prospectus. As a result of the ambiguity of the section, we are not certain that some of the other investment schemes fall within the regulatory ambit of the Companies Act, and these would include, for instance, investment in real estate overseas, buying of time-share interest in overseas properties and participation in ostrich farming in Australia. As it turns out, real estate developers promoting foreign properties in Singapore do not appear to be required by the Act to issue any statement in relation to the developments.”
“It is imperative therefore that changes to the company law must at the same time be kept in tandem with our plans to promote the financial services in Singapore. The Government has agreed to adopt most of the recommendations made by the Finance Committee regarding the regulation of our securities industry. A consistent move in a similar direction is also necessary in the area of company law. For instance, the following areas may be considered for reform: (i) consideration of relaxing or removing the prohibition of companies from providing financial assistance in certain cases; (ii) simplifying the registration process; (iii) reviewing the capital maintenance rule; (iv) simplification of amalgamation of companies; (v) treatment of group companies; and (vi) a reduction of the need for court approvals for various corporate decisions. The Minister, in his reply to me in October, has indicated that the Ministry is engaging in a massive exercise in which the Companies Act will be amended over a period of time. Rather than carrying out piecemeal amendments, I would like to ask the Minister whether a comprehensive overhaul of the Companies Act may be carried out and, if so, whether this can be completed in the next few years, in order that the new Companies Act can take us well into the next millennium and help set the stage for us to be a leading financial centre in this region. Sir, can I continue?”
“Sir, in October 1998, we amended the Companies Act extensively to bring changes to our company law in an attempt to keep it in line with developments of company law taking place elsewhere. In that exercise, we took the opportunity to, among other things, introduce the share buy-back scheme and to clarify the status of franchise for the purpose of section 107 of the Companies Act. The amendment in October was part of a series of four amendments in the last two years. These amendments have brought about piecemeal changes but would appear to fall short of an overhaul of our Companies Act which is long overdue in Singapore. The UK, Australia and New Zealand are among some of the jurisdictions that have undertaken an extensive overhaul of their company legislation. These jurisdictions appear to be ahead of us in company law reforms. For instance, the United Kingdom now allows companies to dispense with the obligation to provide the common seal. Similarly, in Australia, the government has in place the Corporate Law Economic Reform Programme (CLERP) which constantly examines the state of corporations law in Australia and makes proposals for reforms and refinements. Some of the recent proposals made by CLERP include small business fund raising reforms to reduce the level of disclosure requirement for capital raising by smaller enterprises and also the rationalisation of prospectus requirements and liability, especially with respect to small capital raising. It would appear that the reform in Australia has taken the direction of making it easier for the small and medium enterprises to raise limited funds. In Singapore, we are trying to establish ourselves as a financial centre in the region.”
“The technical skills required to fly the plane are so demanding and exacting that I understand only a small percentage of the cohort of those who enter the RSAF flying school would ever end up flying the F16 jet. Sir, if the selection of F16 pilots is so demanding, would it not be in our interest to start looking at the fairer sex in order to widen the talent pool that is available for our selection? Our womenfolk have in our nation's short history made significant contributions to the readiness and effectiveness of the SAF. Because they are restricted on the role with which they are allowed to serve, they are excluded from certain positions and are limited in promotion opportunities. Likewise, in Singapore, we have a limited talent pool. In some critical and key combat positions, limiting recruitment to the male gender would only serve to restrict our pool of talents. These would include senior staff appointments, and even fighter pilots for the RSAF. If our women can meet the same high standards set for the men, there is really no reason why they should not be allowed to play a greater combat role. This is a natural progression from what our women in the SAF are accustomed to doing. Sir, my question, simply put, is whether the SAF would consider allowing women to take up combat duties in the future.”
“Sir, I would not be wrong in saying that the public perceives the SAF as an institution which is male-dominated. This is true of the combat vocations of the SAF. Whether it be the Army, Navy or the Air Force, we will not find any women performing any function in a combat capacity. On the other hand, I note that there are many women serving the SAF today as full-time regulars. Over the years, we are increasingly seeing women in the SAF moving away from service vocations, like performing clerical functions and parachute rigging, to being weapon or machinery instructors or technicians working side by side with their male counterparts. In recent years, we note that a growing number of armies are beginning to engage the services of women in active combat duty. In the US, for instance, the US Army has had women operating in the frontline for some time. Similarly, in Britain, they too have women performing combat duties. Sir, Singapore is a tiny island nation state with limited resources. We are not only constrained by the physical size of our country, but also by the relatively small population base. As a consequence, the sharing of our human resource between the private and the public sectors plays an important part in the distribution of talents in this country. The armed forces today, Sir, is a complex fighting organisation. We have over the years acquired complex weapon systems. However, with sophisticated weapon systems, we would require sophisticated people to operate and maintain these weapons. Take the F16 Fighting Falcon, for instance. The F16 fighter jet is a very advanced fighter jet.”
“The additional allowance is not much. I understand it stands at $200 per month. In this current crisis, I envisage that there will be a greater number of NS registrants who will be caught in such a predicament. If the family were to depend on the salary of the NS registrant for subsistence, the allowance given by the SAF would not be enough to help the families financially. Additionally, the loan repayment within a short period of time will also impose an additional burden on the serviceman concerned. I would like to ask the Minister for Defence whether more assistance can be given to full-time National Servicemen whose families face financial hardship as a result of their doing National Service.”
“Sir, performing National Service is an event which is seen by many as an opportunity to serve the country and its people. It should also be an occasion marked by families with pride because society recognises the contributions made by the families in sending their sons to the uniformed service of the country. After more than 30 years of National Service, boys leaving home and going to camps are treated as a matter of routine by many families. For some families, however, the prospect of their loved ones enlisting for National Service can be met with a measure of anxiety. I am not referring to those families who are reluctant to send their sons for National Service because of the perceived hardship which their sons would suffer. I am referring to families whose income depend, either wholly or substantially on the income of those brought in by their sons who are due to be enlisted for National Service. There are many Singaporeans, especially those in the lower income families, who choose to leave school early to help support the family. For many of them, working prior to enlistment is a means of supplementing the family income and would therefore be a means of subsistence for the rest of the family members. To require these males to perform National Service, while a noble sacrifice, would mean severe financial dislocation for the family concerned. I understand the SAF recognises the possible dislocation that such requirements may impose, and has put in place financial schemes to help alleviate financial hardships that arise as a consequence of the registrants performing National Service. Such schemes range from supplementary allowances to outright loans which are repayable within a short period of time after the NSman finishes his National Service.”
“15 pm It is very clear therefore that for the SAF today, where promotion is based purely on merits, the sky is the limit for good Malay SAF officers. I can say that 34 years since its independence, Singapore has become a much more integrated society. In the coming years, it is likely that we will see more and more senior Malay officers in the SAF. If there is any doubt as to the prospect of Malay officers in the SAF, let it be put to rest in this House. We are not racists and do not intend to be one.”
“Over the years, I believe that the character and composition of the SAF has changed to reflect the character and composition of the population in Singapore. We have moved on and the issue at present is not whether the Malays are doing National Service in the SAF but whether more Malays are senior officers in the SAF. In a recent report in the newspaper, it was reported that there are many senior ranking Malay officers in the SAF, the most senior of whom is a full Colonel. Indeed, there is also now a Malay pilot in the RSAF in the person of Captain Mohamed Zakir Hamid who earned his pilot wings in 1992. Although the situation in the SAF with regard to Malay participation has changed over the years, one constant has remained, and that is, the promotion into the higher ranks of the SAF must be made on the basis of meritocracy. This principle was reiterated by our DPM Dr Tony Tan in his recent address, wherein he said that "for the SAF, meritocracy means that so long as the person is committed to Singapore, dedicated to the SAF, and capable of doing the job, his appointment would be based on performance and merit, and not by race". I support our DPM's statement on meritocracy for the SAF. It is important to bear in mind that the SAF is not only an important institution for nation building but it also has an operational role to defend Singapore against armed attack in case of war. It is imperative therefore that the SAF must be run purely on the ability of the soldiers to bear arms and to use it effectively against the enemy. I believe that an organisation which promotes its officers on the basis of race would very seriously compromise its operational ability. 2.”
“Sir, the SAF has over the years evolved itself into an institution that is committed not only to the defence of the territorial integrity of Singapore but also as an institution of nation building which fosters a sense of commitment and belonging to our own country. The issue of the Malays in the SAF is not new, and it was previously debated extensively in this House. At a Budget debate 10 years ago, several Members spoke on the issue of Malay participation in the SAF and had asked whether or not more Malays could be drafted into such other services as the Air Force and the Navy. At that time, there was much concern expressed by some Malay Members on the question of whether or not the Malays can enjoy a higher profile in the SAF over a period of time. Specifically, the hon. Member, Encik Othman bin Haron Eusofe, asked the Minister to sketch a scenario in the next five to 10 years on how multi-racial the SAF would be. In his reply, the then Second Minister for Defence, BG Lee Hsien Loong, said that the SAF had made significant progress since the 70s. He said then that increasingly, more and more Malays in the SAF doing national service had doubled since 1977, and were posted more widely in the SAF. We were told then that an increasing number of Malays were also serving in sensitive units like the commando battalion. Additionally, as more and more Malays were doing `A' levels and getting on to university, there was also an increasing number of Malays who were qualified for Officer Cadet School and as scholars. Indeed, as early as 10 years ago, there were even Malay SAF scholars who were on local training awards. That was 10 years ago, and indeed, 10 years on, I believe it has changed for the better.”
“I would like to ask the Minister whether it is true that there has been an increase in the incidence of sea piracies in the territorial and international waters around Singapore and whether more measures can be taken to ensure the safety of the ships' passage through Singapore.”
“Sir, in the course of recent years, we have seen reports of rising incidence of piracy, both in the territorial and international waters around Singapore. Recently, a maritime report stated that piracy on the high seas remains high with seven ship crew members killed in 79 attacks in six months to June, with 36 violent cases reported. This was for 1997. According to a report from the International Maritime Bureau, the number of casualties for 1997 had not changed from the previous year. In fact, it is known that Southeast Asia remains the most vulnerable region for piracy attacks, with 31 attacks in 1997, out of which 13 were violent. On 30th May 1997, armed pirates injured an officer and shot dead a captain of the Singapore registered "M.V. Sinfa" off Batam island. 2.00 pm With the economic crisis beginning to bite into the region, one would expect the incidence of piracy to continue to rise for the year. Such activities of buccaneering of the high seas are unacceptable to us here in Singapore who traditionally rely on the safe passage of ships to ensure the continuance of our trading activities. Besides, the taint of having pirates rule the high seas in the waters surrounding Singapore does not add much confidence to our desire to make Singapore a leading marina in the region. Sir, the Police Coast Guard and the Republic of Singapore Navy carry the responsibility for the safety of our territorial and international waters. We are a maritime nation and it is in our interest to ensure that we are in a position to ensure the safety of the ships' passage. We should ensure that the armed services, whether it be the Police or the SAF, are in a position to carry out that duty.”
“We are on the right track, and it leaves us only to support the Minister's Budget Statement.”
“We should build a culture where failure is not always seen as a slight on the character of a person, but as a pillar upon which the foundation of success is built. Sir, I was told that in Silicon Valley, success is often measured not only by one's achievement, but by the number of times a person has failed. That, Sir, is the true spirit of technopreneurship; the kind of spirit that we want to engender in this country. Aside from reviewing our bankruptcy laws, we can use tax incentives, as we are in the habit of doing, to encourage such spirit of enterprise. We know that start up companies would take several years before they can see profits. This is especially true with information technology companies where the incubation period for the hardware or the software can take several years before any prospect of profit may be entertained. Sir, where there are tax incentives for these companies to help them to establish their footing in the industry, it would certainly help these investors in a positive way. Sir, we are all living in rather tumultuous times. The economic crisis may have gone into remission for the moment. However, as I said, the worst is not yet over. There could be another round of contagion to hit the region. We have seen how the economic crisis has given way to political crisis in some countries. We, in Singapore, are also affected, although, fortunately, not of the same extent. We are indeed fortunate to have a leadership that provided this country with the ballast to sail through this stormy economic weather. We should at the same time also note that the economic crisis in Chinese also means a crisis of opportunity. Our Budget shows the strategic direction taken by our Government for the long term to take advantage of the opportunity.”
“To this end, the Government has decided to provide such assistance as the 10% rebate on income tax for those who are paying taxes and the rebates on service and conservancy (S&C) charges to help the majority of Singaporeans who do not pay taxes. While these measures are well meaning, I would submit the assistance is not comprehensive enough. I am referring to Singaporeans who may not be paying taxes and who are not fortunate enough to own HDB flats and be in a position to enjoy the S&C rebates. What do we do to help them? Sir, these are Singaporeans who are no less deserving of our assistance during this difficult period. It has been said that for those who are not caught by the net, there is the CCC Assistance Scheme to help them. The scheme is, I believe, for those who are the abject poor and are therefore deserving of our assistance through the CCC. However, the people whom I am referring to are those who do not belong to the category of the abject poor, neither do they belong to the category of the taxpayers. Should we not do something for them as well? Our Prime Minister in a recent statement stated that we should encourage a new breed of technopreneurs; investors who can put technology and business together. Towards this end, he said that we should review our bankruptcy laws to encourage people to go into business so that they should not be stigmatised by failures. Sir, I cannot agree more. Over the years, we have been so enamoured by the culture of success that we see failure as a disgrace or a blot in the record of those concerned. That is wrong and should now be changed. We should learn to give others a second chance in life and should learn to change our values to accommodate that change in principle.”
“This would not be seen as prudent management on our part and should therefore be dealt with much care and concern. While I too would admit that our present budget deficit is large by any measure, standing at more than $5 billion, we should in fact see our budget deficit in a positive light. We should note that the $5.1 billion budget deficit arises mainly because operating revenue is expected to fall by $3.1 billion. On the other hand, development spending has increased by a significant $1.2 billion. As was reported in last Saturday's Straits Times, our deficit comes after 10 straight years of surpluses. We should also note that our budget deficit spending is dedicated to capacity building, and is not used for consumption spending or for shoring up insolvent companies and financial institutions. The Government has always cited caution in planning our budget, ensuring that we do not spend more than we can afford. Accumulating surpluses in the good years to tide us through the lean years is a principle that seems like a leaf from the story of Joseph in the Bible when he advised the Pharaoh to save the excesses of the seven years of bumper crops in order to provide for the seven lean years that followed. That proved to be sound advice for the Egyptians, and it saved them from famine. For us, we are in a similar situation. The lean years have come and we should now dip into our savings. I would therefore support the deficit without any hesitation. Sir, in an effort to help Singaporeans through this recession, we have focused in this Budget on the man-in-the-street.”
“If we do not understand this principle and choose instead to militantly demand higher wages without the corresponding improvements in productivity, we will end up poorer for it, especially when one takes into account the changing trends in the world. Indeed, one of our key strategies which will underpin our long term competitiveness is to focus on our labour resource. In capabilities building, our Government is right in saying that we should focus on skills development to prepare our workforce for the next wave of industrial revolution which will prominently feature information technology. As the Minister has said, this is a pressing issue. A disproportionate share of the retrenched workers in 1998 were 40 years and older. This indicates a worrisome trend. We are seeing an increase in the profile of ageing employees in our workforce. In order that they should be placed in a position to be relevant to the workforce, it is imperative that our Government should continue to pour in resources to retool our workers for the next wave of industrial revolution. In this regard, I note that there have been many non-Singaporeans who have benefited from our worker training programmes. I would urge that in looking at this area of worker retraining, priority should continue to go to Singaporeans, especially older Singaporeans, for whom seeking re-employment upon retrenchment is made so much more difficult on the account of age. Sir, many Singaporeans have expressed the concern that this year's Budget has run into a substantial deficit, the biggest we have seen in recent years. If anything, there is much concern that if we continued to spend in this manner, we would soon run out of the reserves that we have accumulated for ourselves in this current term of office.”
“We have no choice but to make the necessary sacrifice if we want to stay ahead of competition. As the Minister has said, only time will tell whether the measures introduced by our Government will have any beneficial impact on Singapore. The cost cutting measures have had a significant impact on the wages of ordinary Singaporean workers. Our workers have to accept a 15% reduction in overall wages. Such a reduction, while painful for many, is important, and I would say that we really do not have a choice. Sir, a recent economic survey of Singapore showed that in 1998, the economy continued to experience rising costs. This was due to the divergence between labour productivity and nominal wages. Labour productivity shrank by 1.3% in 1998, while nominal wages continued to increase in 1998. Nominal average monthly earnings grew by 2.8% in 1998. As a result, the unit labour cost index for the overall economy continued to increase for 1998. The November cost cutting measures will only begin to have an impact on the economy this financial year and we will only know the results in the next financial year. We should bear in mind that if we had not done anything to our unit labour cost, our workers may price themselves out of the market. In the long run, we may not be able to compete effectively against our rivals in the world economy. We know that the unit labour cost comprises approximately 49% of the unit business cost. This is certainly quite a significant figure. Fortunately, our workers understand the position we are in. If we want to improve our wages and enjoy a better quality of life and security of employment, there is really no choice except to ensure that our workers' productivity continues to outstrip our wage increases.”
“These countries include, for instance, China and Mexico. We are faced therefore with a serious situation where we are losing our competitiveness to the other emerging economies. This is a challenge which should not be taken lightly. It is right that our Government should recently adopt the measures which the Committee on Singapore's Competitiveness has recommended. Hopefully, these measures will help to provide the much needed boost to our competitiveness. Unfortunately, these are still early days. It would be difficult to determine upfront at this moment whether the measures adopted by the Government will yield effective results in bolstering the competitiveness of Singapore's economy. At the moment, there are clear indications as we have seen in the electronics sector, that we are losing our competitiveness to our rivals. In the long run, this does not augur well for the Singapore economy. In this difficult climate, it is heartening to note that our Government takes a long-term view of keeping our economy on track. In particular, our Government has identified several key strategies which included cutting business costs, easy access to working capital for the smaller enterprises, market diversification, investment promotion and capabilities building. In November last year, our Government announced a series of cost cutting measures aimed at helping the businesses during this economically difficult period. The cost reduction packages include key elements of business costs such as wages, rentals, utilities and transportation. The $10.5 billion cost reduction exercise shows the resolve and the speed with which our Government has responded to the crisis; at times, to the envy of some other countries.”
“Although deflation is generally benign, the long term effect of unbridled deflation, caused by excess capacity and weak demand, would easily lead to a depression, with prices and output falling as they did 70 years ago. If both Europe and the United States join Japan in the current deflationary trend, I would say that we have a lot more reason to worry for the coming year. This would be contrary to what the press had reported earlier of the Ministry of Trade and Industry's statement that the economy in Singapore is expected to turn around by the middle of the year. In fact, my assessment is a more pessismistic one if recent indicators are anything to go by. A recent comment by an official from the Trade Development Board has indicated that Singapore's share of the US electronics market, excluding consumer electronics, had fallen from 12.8% in June 1997 to 10.6% by September 1998. The decline in market share may be attributable to Singapore's loss of competitiveness against exporters from China and Mexico, among others. Sassoon, in a recent report, argued that the loss of competitiveness has its roots as a result of the following developments in global trends: (a) the advent of the budget PCs which are below US$1,000, as PC makers compete fiercely with each other to give consumers more value for money; (b) the resultant plunge in prices of components such as disk drives and semi-conductors over the past two to three years, which reduces the high-rise, high margin products to high-volume, low margin commodities; and (c) the constant pressure on manufacturers to outsource and supply at even lower cost, which lead contract manufacturers to locate their operations in places where the cost of manufacturing is substantially lower than Singapore.”
“Fortunately, the default of the Russian government has had a limited effect on the rest of Europe and the world economy, in part, because of the relative size of the Russian economy compared to the rest of the developed world. Nonetheless, it is arguable that the collapse of the Russian economy portends that not all is well with the world economy at the moment. Additionally, the floatation of the Brazilian real recently does suggest that the world economy is still fragile and prone, to use the words of the Minister, to bouts of nervousness. In fact, the devaluation of the Brazilian real initially brought about some anxiety that a new round of contagion could be triggered. Although, the Brazilian crisis did not turn out to be as bad as was anticipated, it nonetheless drives home the point of fragility and interdependence of the world economy. We are not, by any measure, shielded from that which is taking place elsewhere. We are still very vulnerable to external factors which are beyond our control. Much as we would like to think that present indicators show a stablising situation in the region, we should not be too sanguine about things. Things could still go wrong. There are, at the moment, some signs that the world may be heading for a more serious downturn. The Economist in its recent publication argued that in much of the world outside America the risk of deflation is at its greatest since the 1930s. Japan is suffering from deflationary pressure. In China, prices are continuing to fall as with some other parts of East Asia. Continental Europe's inflation rate is close to zero. Prices are coming down, thanks in part to the effects of new technology and to falling commodity prices.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak in support of the motion standing in the name of the Minister for Finance. The Minister mentioned that some positive signs have emerged over the last three months that the crisis is stabilising. The Minister also said that the quick succession of the US federal rate cuts and the coordinated interest rate reduction initiated by the European central banks towards the close of last year helped to allay concerns of a global credit crunch and set the stage for a rapid recovery of the financial markets in early 1999. I am glad to hear the assurance of the Minister that the world economic outlook seems promising despite his concern that there could be sharp discontinuities for Singapore in the year ahead of us. As a Singaporean, I would like to share the optimisitc outlook of our Minister. However, recent economic developments outside the region may serve to dampen much of our optimism for the future. In the last few months, we have seen the relative volatility of the financial markets not seen in recent times. To begin with, we have seen the financial instability which started in South East Asia spread in the last year to Russia and Brazil. Russia suffered a massive loss of confidence in its economy when the government defaulted massively on its external borrowing which included the default on the US$40 billion rouble bonds, and the interest and capital repayment which is due to the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. By its default, Russia has placed itself in the same company as the other third world countries like Sudan, Afghanistan, and Congo. It is a reflection of the poverty and weakness of the Russian economy, which arguably is also a reflection of the state of the world economy today.”
“Therefore, not just the case of the teaching of the Chinese language alone, the teaching of the other mother tongues such as Malay and Tamil in our schools should work towards the goal of building and reinforcing our common national values. If we should preserve our Chinese values and roots for its own sake, we may run into the danger of raising language chauvinists. This will not be in our national interest. Therefore, in looking at the issue of the teaching of the Chinese language, we should look at it from the context and the purpose which it intends to serve. We should accept the basic proposition that our second language should seek to reinforce our nation building efforts and incidental to that, to preserve our cultural heritage while recognising that our heritage will continue to evolve in a way that makes it uniquely Singaporean. For this reason, the changes to our policy on the teaching of Chinese as a second language is welcome and I support it.”