Steve Chia Kiah Hong
Singapore
“A similar prohibition would apply to the videocasting, or video streaming of explicitly political content. At this point, the Government has no intention to amend the legislation regulating Internet campaigning during an election.”
“Sir, may I clarify with the Senior Minister of State? He did not answer my question exactly. My question is this. From the "positive list" of the websites that are approved and registered, a concerned citizen downloads all these materials and prints them out on his own, using photostating machine or whatever, and distributes them to the m…”
“Sir, with regard to chicken farms and especially slaughter house workers, I believe they must be well trained and briefed on the precautionary measures to take. But are they insured under the Workmen's Compensation Act or any other kind of insurance in the event that they are afflicted with the bird flu virus?”
“Sir, I hope that the Minister of State understands that suicide is basically an attempt to cry out for help. In that time, if they do not have an easy number to remember, like SOS' 1800-2214444 hotline, can they call 999 or 995 and be redirected to the SOS in the event that they are thinking of suicide?”
“The clarification is that this individual, whom we do not know, is not our election agent or election helper. This is an individual in the constituency who wants to download anything and distributes it to the residents in the contested constituency. Is it an offence?”
“Active political recruitment has been going on inside and outside the RC and PA s organisation and premises. Although grassroots leaders are under no compulsion to join the PAP and can opt out if they want to, Straits Times' Forum writer, Ms Yee, had correctly pointed out that "joining a grassroots organisation seems to be a sure way for…”
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“This is causing imported inflation - with a corresponding rise in the cost of transportation for our people. I ask that the Government ease the burden on this rising cost of petrol by charging a fixed-dollar-value tax rather than taxing it at a percentage of the selling price of petrol, which is escalating. And, as the price escalates, the revenue collected by the Government goes up and the surplus to the Government gets bigger, while the people get poorer. Next, I am talking about two specific proposals to help ease the burden of the aged unemployed while, at the same time, it would help to promote having babies and family life for the Government's consideration. First, the Prime Minister introduced the grandparent's incentive tax relief of $3,000 and a centre-based infant-care subsidy of $400 per child at the National Day Rally speech last year. This is good, but it does not provide job opportunities for unemployed grandparents in their 40s to late 60s. If the Government is prepared to fork out $400 per month per child on centre-based infant care subsidy, and a lesser amount for child-care subsidy, there is no logical and good reason why this $400 subsidy should not be paid to any grandparent who is willing and opts to become a full-time paid caregiver for his or her grandchild. It is the joy of any grandparent to look forward to caring and taking care of their grandchildren. The $400 paid by the Government, and the $3,000 divided by 12 months, which equals to about $250 per month grandparents' tax relief (that should be given to the grandparent by the taxpayer) add up to a significant salary of about $650 for any grandparent willing to stay at home to take care of his or her grandchild.”
“Third, on behalf of the aged in our society, I also again thank the Prime Minister for heeding my call at last year's Budget debate to "take care of this pioneer generation of workers who had slogged and worked hard at third world's wages in the past decades, only to retire now with our first world expensive cost of living." The $100 top-up to the CPF Special and Retirement accounts is a small gesture of goodwill from the Government and I hope more would be done for this pioneering batch of older Singaporeans over the next few years. Fourth, many people comment and even newspapers report that this is an election year Budget. Sir, the Budget is an important instrument of the Government to promote growth and economic development. It should never be used as a ground sweetener to promote the ruling party to the people prior to an election year. Otherwise, this attitude of giving goodies and cash to the people by the Finance Minister in an election year would promote money politics and the beginning of white-corruption, government-style. And, it makes the job of future Finance Ministers even harder in trying to give out more and more goodies every year. Fifth, I want to congratulate the Government in effectively turning on the four national water taps, such that in the midst of our heat wave and drought this month, our Environment and Water Resources Minister could reassure Singaporeans that we still have more than enough water flowing to last us for a long time. Now that water is effectively being recycled for potable and non-potable use, I would expect the Government to remove or, at least, reduce the water tariff taxes in our utilities bills in the near future. Sixth, the cost of crude oil has been rising and is expected to rise again this year.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to participate in this debate. I would like to make six general comments regarding the Budget announcements, before going into two specific proposals to help our aged citizens, and then ending with some arguments to refocus the casino debate. First, I support the prudent Budget in principle. A small budget surplus of $200 million to add to our reserves is okay in principle. However, I take offence that the investment returns from our national reserves are never publicly announced. It is an offence to me, because nobody in his right frame of mind would put his money into any kind of investment that never reports its economic performance. In this instance, I believe our public would not support any surpluses going into our national reserves until the economic performance of the GIC is publicly announced every year. Till then, I think the $200 million surplus should be better off returned to the people through other incentives, than going into the reserves. Second, unlike some pro-business MPs, I support the Government's increase in the foreign worker levy for skilled labour. I thank the Prime Minister and the Government for heeding my call at the recent debate on the President's Address, to strike a balance between business demands and the workers, by not suppressing their wages through increasing the supply of foreign labour. This small increase in levy would add some cost to the business and may lower their profit, but it would go in some small ways to help our workers and improve their job opportunities.”
“If the Government is good, there is no need for it to be afraid of appointing or setting up an Independent Elections Commission to help conduct and promote our image of a free and fair election system, and face the competition from us - the weak and maybe a bit disorganised Opposition, as it is. This lack of a fair political system is the greatest disgruntlement any Singaporeans have against the past Governments. If the Government plays the electoral game fairly, and removes itself as the referee while playing in the game itself, it will silence both local and international critics immediately about any unfair electioneering activities. Finally, as our Government helps to promote democracy in countries like Iraq, with the sending of our troops there to help in the election, or even in Myanmar to push for democracy there, it should also help to speed up our own democratic evolvement so that citizens of Singapore can truly live in our own democratic society. With this, I thank you, Sir, for your indulgence.”
“How to build an active and concerned citizenry? The political apathy of our young is not innate, but because of a lack of choice - a lack of genuine choice. The lack of prospects for anything alternative to the governing party is turning young people off from politics and civil society. The lack of trust and faith in a fair electoral system and the hope that they could make genuine changes in the political arena are making them politically disinterested. Just take a look at the Tiger Cup soccer game last Sunday. 55,000 Singaporeans turned up in red to support the Lions. Why? Is it not because they believe that their presence to support the Lions will make a difference in the Lions' winning or losing the game? There is hope and there is prospect for change in a fair game. Similarly, if our citizens and young know that their choice and decision do make an impact on society, they will make the extra effort to take on active citizenship. Now, what is the best sign that the game is being played fairly? Show it in a free and fair election system. The political system and the General Elections must not only be free and fair. More importantly, as I have said previously, it must be seen by one and all - local and international communities - as free and fair. And what better way to silence all the critics, myself included, than the setting up of an Independent Elections Commission, headed maybe by a retired judge or comprising people of public repute like retired CEOs, people of public standing, ex-NMPs, Government and non-Government MPs, appointed to this independent commission.”
“To genuinely support family life and change Singaporeans' mentality that "there is nothing to see and nothing to do in Singapore", the Government should consider scrapping the entrance fees for Singaporeans bringing their families to these parks and facilities. Then, when it is free or at very low cost, more Singaporeans will take the effort to visit and spend time at these world-class facilities, rather than to take the effort to drive over to Malaysia for the long weekend. On the last point raised by the President on engaging and inspiring a new generation of Singaporeans to commit and be active citizens, I would like to ask the Government what concrete steps it is taking to open up the Singapore civil society. What is the best sign of improvement to show the opening up of our political system? I believe that it is high time for the Government to support and promote the growth of more civil societies and independent think tanks not closely aligned with the Government. Without outright cash funding, the Government can help out by allowing the free or low cost use of excess office space for these civil societies. With the promotion of a vibrant civil society, it is another sign of the coming of age of our society. Next, the new Government under the leadership of our new Prime Minister should also take the opportunity to remove all the restrictions that our past Governments had imposed on the people. Reinstate the rights of our citizens to freedom of speech, freedom of movement and assembly, as stated in our Constitution, and in particular, the right to public demonstration. Our people must be free to assemble and show their unhappiness or happiness over policies through peaceful and public means, as provided for in our Constitution.”
“Now, especially with the Government intending to draw in more talent from all around the world, they are even more worried about their job security and promotion prospect. They ask: why is the Government allowing more foreigners in to compete with them for their livelihood and promotion? Yes, as a nation, we need more talents and foreigners to augment our population, but we must also be careful not to over supply the labour force with cheaper workers at the expense of our citizens' livelihood. The Government needs to draw a thin balance in this matter between the needs of businesses and the cost of living for individual Singaporeans. When I went on a house-to-house visit in Choa Chu Kang, and I asked the residents and shopkeepers there, "How's life?" or "How's business?", a common theme in their reply is this, "Just surviving" - koay jit, koay jit, ciak buay pah, yao buay si, meaning can pass the days, won't die of hunger but eating is not fulfilling. I, and I think many Singaporeans, sincerely hope that the Government can and will lower the burden of Singaporeans living in Singapore further. Sir, to encourage a more balanced and fulfilling family life, the Government could help by reducing entrance fees to our world-class and world-renowned facilities like the Bird Park, the Zoo, Night Safari and Underwater World, just to name a few. We have very beautiful parks and very well-managed facilities. But for a family outing of six - two parents, two children, maybe with a grandparent and the maid - to one of these attractions, it can easily cost more than $100 per outing per family per weekend on one sunny Sunday. How many Singaporean families can afford such luxuries?”
“You see, when required, non-government party politicians are always prepared to stand together with the people and the Government for the greater good of society and for national unity. We may not agree politically but we are all pro-Singapore, pro-society and pro-humanity. Next, I will touch on the fifth and sixth points raised by the President. The President wants to encourage Singaporeans to balance work life and fulfilment in personal goals and family life. This is good in theory, and probably applicable to only those top 25%-30% of Singaporeans who are very established and successful in their career or businesses. But for the majority of the heartlanders, theirs is a lifestyle from two hands to a few mouths, with little spare cash to spare for luxuries and wants. The last 10 years have been very difficult years for many Singaporeans. First, many people followed the past Government's advice to invest their money and CPF savings in the stock market and lost badly. Then the people followed the Government's drive for asset ownership, and now many people are caught in negative equity. They cannot sell their flats or property without still owing the bank money. Then the Asian financial crisis came and outsourcing became the norm, and many people lost their jobs. Those above 40 found great difficulties getting back to the workforce, with little job fulfilment and prospect, if they managed to get one. Theirs is where the stress is highest because there are many demands for their limited income - from housing, PUB, transport, children, parents, aged parents, etc. There are many mouths to feed with the limited income.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to participate in this debate. I support the President and the six broad outlines that he had addressed in his opening speech. In particular, I see more of the Government's policy focus on caring for the people - more than economic profitability this time round. But before I begin, I would like to take this opportunity to praise the efforts of the Government, the SAF, the doctors, nurses and relief workers, the volunteers and the many people of Singapore for coming together at a time of great international humanitarian crisis, to pour their heart and soul out, to contribute, to volunteer their time, effort and money to help our fellow humans caught in this great tsunami disaster. It has always been my private conviction that in any moment of crisis, the people of Singapore - whether pro-establishment or otherwise - will always put their differences away and stand together as a united people to serve and care for the common good of humanity. To the people of Singapore, I want to say this: you make me proud of you as a fellow Singaporean. Well done. To the Government of these people, I also want to say, please trust our people and have more confidence that we will rise up as a united nation in any crisis. The people of Singapore will be willing to set aside their personal concerns, differences and agendas, to be led by the Government for national unity and for the common good of society. This is my implicit faith in the people of Singapore. Just take a look at our parliamentary colleague, Mr Chiam See Tong. Without fanfare and any public announcement, he stood with fellow Singaporeans for the tsunami victims and went around his Potong Pasir constituency to collect and quietly raised $33,000 for the Red Cross Tidal Wave Fund.”
“Sir, sinceborder security has now been tightened,how can anybody actually manage to sneak out of Singapore? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, we are entering into the realm of the details which, I think, we should leaveaside until after investigations are completed and the case is set in court. RECORDS OF TRAFFIC OFFENDERS The following Question stood in the name of Mr Zainudin Nordin - 3. To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how long are the records of traffic offenders (i) who have not paid their fines and (ii) who are wanted under an arrest warrant stored in his Ministry's databank; and (b) how is it possible that some traffic offenders who surrendered themselves on an arrest warrant and later paid up all their fines, can still be served subsequently with outstanding arrest warrants.”
“Sir, has the Ministry been monitoring the snakeheads operating in Singapore who are ferrying people in and out of Singapore illegally? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, as Mr Chia knows, we are mindful that we have to target snakeheads, not only illegal immigrant offenders. Where possible, we also try to smash syndicates, as recently happened in a case, not in Singapore, which involved a Malaysian in Malaysia.With close cooperation, we were able to smash that syndicate. So, definitely, this is one of the points that ICA and Police will look at.”
“If this Government refuses to allow the growth of genuine competition in its own political turf, then there is no moral basis for this Government to introduce this Competition Bill to affect other business providers. This Bill needs to be expanded to cover political and all other social service providers. I hope and expect the next amendment to this Act sometime later to seriously take in the said views and right the wrongs expressed herewith.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my speech is relevant because I am saying that the Competition Bill should include all sectors, including Government services, agencies and Government service providers - parties that are seeking the mandate of the market for public support. Sir, these are highly anti-competitive practices by a dominant player in the market for public support. If this anti-competitive behaviour is not checked and corrected in time, I fear the greater erosion of our democratic principles of equity and fairness, for which this society is built. The results of such unchecked abuse of monopolistic powers will be greater public apathy, higher disinterest in the affairs of our society and a stronger climate of fear among the populace, like what was reported in the media last week at the feedback conference attended by our youths. Sir, I believe that the establishment of an independent Competition Commission, with the powers to receive, review and check reports of any abuse of the dominant position of a Government political party is the first step in the right direction and would go a long way to uphold our core principal values of democracy, equity and fair play. This would definitely benefit the population, which is rightly a consumer in sore need of public protection, from the abuse of a dominant player. Sir, I believe that expanding the role of the Competition Act to cover the political arena would help to create a more level-playing field for all interested stakeholders in the future of our country. I support this Competition Bill for now as I take it as the first step towards greater accountability and checks on all dominant players, both in the economic, social and political market.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to participate in this debate. Sir, it is wonderful that Singapore is finally introducing a Bill to make provision about competition and the abuse of a dominant position with the intended effect of creating a level playing field for all participants. I have been looking forward to the introduction of this Bill since the day it was mentioned many years back because I believe that competition would bring about cheaper prices and better services by the providers. However, as I flipped through the pages of this new Competition Bill, my fears have been confirmed. I am dismayed to learn that this Bill does not cover our political sphere. This Bill does not have any written provisions to check the monopolistic powers, anti-competitive behaviour and the abuse of a dominant position by a political party, in particular, the governing party of Singapore, against its competitors in the political market. [Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Chew Heng Ching) in the Chair] 5.19 pm It is a well-known and recognised fact that the PAP, as the governing monopoly in Singapore, uses every resource within its dominant power to make anti-competitive practices, like the redrawing of the electoral boundaries and regrouping of weak constituencies into new and bigger GRCs, the threats to upgrading and the giving and cashing out of the New Singapore Shares one day before polling; and, more importantly, the announcement of the heavily amended electoral boundaries one day before the dissolution of Parliament. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan rose ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a surplus of $35 million from this 0.1% administrative charge. That is actually a lot. It implies very much that the Ministry is actually charging more than the excess amount. Would the Ministry consider reducing it to 0.5% where you still have a good profit for that?”
“Does it mean that if the ex-work permit holders are to get married overseas, they will be allowed to stay in Singapore as an intact family?”
“The Senior Parliamentary Secretary has not answered my question. Under what basis would an appeal be approved? The application for one of the residents was rejected after an appeal. I am trying to find out what is the basis for approval.”
“Sir, a mistake has been made by the child's parents where they actually entered into a relationship and have a child. In view of Singapore's declining population, is it not a helpful addition to the population when we have some new children being born for the sake of Singapore? Basically, my question is: why is the Ministry so "cruel" as to "punish" the child by not allowing their parents to get married and stay together as an intact family?”
“Sir, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has not answered my question. How then can the child, who is born out of wedlock from a Singaporean and an ex-work permit worker, where they did not get married, but they have a relationship and a child was conceived in that process, now be able to live in an intact family in Singapore? Under what basis would the Ministry allow approval for the marriage to pass through? Mr Hawazi Daipi: To start with, they are not allowed to live here and, more so, to have children. It is precisely because we have to control the population size of Singapore that we have to have this condition agreed upon when a foreign worker applies to work in Singapore. So he knows that he cannot contravene this marriage restriction policy and if he wants to get married to a potential Singaporean spouse, he has to seek approval. But if he is not given approval, he may be repatriated.”
“Sir, as the economy grows, will the unemployment rate actually go up as more of those who are unemployed, who have given up looking for jobs, return back to the job market to seek for new jobs?”
“Sir, I have three supplementary questions. Who is checking on the price of these chickens and eggs to ensure that there is no rampant profiteering by the supplier and the sellers as a result of the AVA ban? The second question is: what is the Government's long-term plan towards solving this sudden shortage of supply due to severe disease contagion? What is the alternative supply route that the Government is currently exploring? My third question is: will the Government also consider liaising with the Indonesian government to rent land from our neighbouring islands to start modern skynet cover, also called concealedfarming, so as to prevent bird flu, infections by wild birds and keep a more stable supply of chickens for our future use?”
“Sir, will the Minister of State also consider extending the tax breaks and lower maid levy for husbands to claim on behalf of the family and pass on the tax benefits to the wife when the wife sacrifices her own career and chooses the equally important role of a stay-at-home mum to take care of her children?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Coordinating Minister whether with this new framework in mind, there would be more regular updates and reports from the new secretariat. Or would it continue to operate in a mode of absolute secrecy? Secondly, would the Internal Security Act be amended accordingly?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, why are these additional back-up plans like the dual pipelines, as mentioned by the Minister of State, not considered after the 2002 blackout? Why did EMA actually wait until after this recent blackout to further consider these additional back-up plans?”
“Sir, resale flats in the market are not subsidised. So why are those who are below 35 years old not allowed to buy these resale flats?”
“Sir, will the Ministry separate its role as provider of public housing from its social agenda of forcing Singaporeans to get married in order to buy a HDB flat? Does the Minister realise that this social policy of forcing young couples to get married in order to buy a HDB flat is one of the main causes of marital divorces in recent years? People are buying HDB flats for the wrong reason.”
“Clarification from the Minister. Does any serving Minister who turns 55 actually receive both salary and pension at the same time? If yes, should he be serving?”
“Sir, how does the Deputy Prime Minister expect citizens to take the uncertainty of retirement planning under the CPF, which is a defined contribution scheme, at their own cost, whereas Ministers and public officers themselves are under a guaranteed and defined benefit pension scheme, using taxpayers' money? In other words, their CPF may run out before the citizens die whereas qualified Ministers are taken care of by the taxpayers' money until they die. Am I right to say that?”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister of State for the answer and for the effort to actually merge the three websites into one and to facilitate users. Since it is implemented as three websites merged into one and the tender has been called, what are the next three bids from the tenderers who tendered for this contract? I suppose Green Dot is actually the most expensive tender in this case, why was it selected?”
“Sir, where the amount of rebate is small, say, below $1,000, would the Minister consider that option so that it would not inconvenience the motorist to have to look for a buyer to take over that rebate?”
“Sir, can the concession be allowed in the form of a cash rebate? Will the Minister consider that option?”
“Sir, would the Minister consider changing the law to allow for cash rebate? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, as I have said in my reply, the system is not meant to be a deposit which is refundable. It is actually a payment and the concession is the rebate that we are giving.”
“Sir, since the question is addressed to the Minister, and he cannot answer it, could I pose another Question subsequently for him to answer that?”
“It means that the Minister actually agrees with the IMF on this matter. Two supplementary questions, Sir. First, is the Government so lacking in talent that it actually has to appoint the Deputy Prime Minister who is also the Finance Minister to be the central bank's Chairman? The second question is: what will happen to this post when the Deputy Prime Minister becomes the Prime Minister? Will he continue to be busy running the MAS as well?”
“Sir, I am really concerned with the amendment in the Trade Unions (Amendment) Bill and do not support the passing of this amendment. Just imagine a worker called Mr Flying Pilot. Without joining any union, Mr Flying Pilot makes his own decision on the terms of employment with his company. Yet, after joining a trade union, his power to decide on his own terms of employment with the company has been replaced by a collective agreement, something that is negotiated and agreed upon on his behalf without his participation, agreement nor ratification. This is no good. How can a person who joins a union have his employment rights legally restricted? People who join unions want to have a voice, an outlet for them, to improve their rights, their lives, their work environment and be more effective when negotiating with the management for fairer wages. If this voice is being crippled by law, what is the point of them joining a union any more? Instead of being reassured that the union will protect Mr Flying Pilot's earnings and livelihood, he may have sleepless nights wondering and worrying whether the union officials had accepted an unsatisfactory collective agreement with a difficult and not responsive management. He has no choice but to worry unnecessarily because there is no cause for redress for him once the law is passed. This amendment adds insecurity, uncertainty and stress to union members, and should not be passed at all. However, as said by Mr Low Thia Khiang earlier, with the complete dominance of Government Members in this House, I am most assured that this amendment will be passed through easily. Therefore, I can only advise our Singaporean workers to seriously think twice if they want to renew their union membership or join any unions in Singapore in future.”
“Sir, are the parents of the NSmen serving in the construction sites counselled as to why their sons are posted to construction sites for National Service training, because some parents are not happy about it? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, there have been no problems so far. As I have said, the numbers have declined. But in terms of where they are posted to, many parents would not be happy about where their sons are posted to, whether it is to the Construction Brigade or other vocations. I think we should leave it to the SCDF to decide, based on set criteria, who to post to the various vocations. SAFETY OF "BENDY-BUSES" 9. Dr Warren Lee asked the Minister for Transport if he will assure the House that the long "Bendy-Buses" used in Singapore are safe and at low risk of catching fire, given that the media have reported that two such buses have caught fire in Singapore since January 2001 and three such vehicles have caught fire in the UK in the last three months.”
“So, does that mean that there is no way to detect non-compliance?”
“Sir, from the Minister's answer, does it mean that not all non-compliance would be known? If the substantial shareholder did not actually make a disclosure, it would not be known - am I right to say that - and there is no way to know.”
“Sir, the Parliamentary Secretary seems to imply that the borrowers, borrowing from loan sharks or from the banks, need not pay back the loan. Does it mean that the Parliamentary Secretary actually prefers that the CPF members borrow from loan sharks in times of need than from their own CPF accounts?”
“Sir, I want to raise the CPF loans idea again and ask the Acting Manpower Minister to give this matter further consideration before rejecting it, as he did previously. Those facing hardship and retrenchment should be allowed to borrow from their own CPF savings at low interest rates of about 4%, or maybe 5%. This is better than forcing them to borrow from the loan sharks, or high interest bank loans. Sir, the concept of the CPF should be expanded to allow extending temporary loans from one's own CPF and/or Special Account to cover for the rainy days. This is especially so when the member becomes unemployed and needs money urgently to cover current living expenses. It makes no sense that the member cannot borrow from his own CPF funds (in the Ordinary or Special Account) but be forced to borrow from the loan sharks, credit cards or banks at a high interest rate. Sir, it is not as if the CPF funds will be consumed and will not be paid back to the account. To ensure repayment back to their own CPF accounts when they are gainfully employed, the CPF can ask the applicants to furnish a family member to act as a guarantor for such loan withdrawal. This is quite similar in concept as borrowing against the cash value of one's own insurance policy. If there is no cash value or there is no money in the account, then there is nothing to borrow from. I hope the Minister will accede to this idea and give our citizens another avenue to raise short-term cash, when it is most needed.”
“Using cash, the students are forced to physically count the change when they make payment. Now that it has gone cashless, how do they verify that their mental calculations are correct? Also, how many students will actually be bothered to do these mental calculations every time they make purchases, when they have smart technologies doing the calculations for them? Why waste the brain power? Under the ERP system, every day, when we drive to work, do we actually calculate how much we are charged and deducted all the time? Some people do, but most do not. That is life. Sir, I hope the Ministry will take a strong view on this matter and stop the schools from taking and spending on more such frivolous projects. This should follow the higher educational institutions. They are wise enough to reject such folly projects when they were approached by the company.”
“Sir, we have a good system of teaching our young students Mathematics and the value of money using hard physical cash. It is a low, or I should say, a zero-cost system. Therefore, I do not understand the logic of some principals when they decided that the school implement the Chowiz ez-link smart card system, something which costs more, does less, is not legal tender, do not teach the value of money or simple arithmetic. Sir, although the principal clarified that the school has always been the one that paid the $2 monthly charge per student using the school funds, I am wondering whether the school is given too much money that they spend on such projects. Assuming we have 1,500 students in the school, we are talking about $36,000 wasted a year. This is enough to hire one additional junior teacher or two administrative assistants, which would then help to improve the teacher-student ratio, or alleviate the administrative workload of other teachers. But, no, the school felt that it is money worth spending every year. I wonder what are the positive lessons for the students. 3.30 pm Worse still, the principal went further and banned the use of cash at the canteen and bookshops. What happens when students forget or lose their EZ-link card? They will have to go without good food and will have to go to one corner for biscuits and water. Is that a deterrent punishment? Why can the parents and students not have a choice to use either cash or card or both? Also, how can the school have the power to ban cash, something which is supposed to be legal tender in Singapore? We are told further that the school incorporates informal lessons where pupils are encouraged to do mental calculations as they order their food. I do not understand this logic either.”
“This is because we have all benefited from the system in the past and know the benefits that it brings to us individually and to society as a whole when more people are educated through the university. I believe our society can well absorb this small increase in subsidy for university students in the future, to groom the next generation of leaders. So, I hope the Ministry will not look to burden our students further with a bigger burden. Assoc. Prof. Ngiam Tee Liang: Sir, I wish to declare my interest, as I work in NUS. On the matter of university fees, I would like to echo the sentiments of my parliamentary colleagues. The implications of giving a lower level of subsidies to tertiary level students, as compared to primary and secondary school students, have to be considered. Will this lessen the sense of civic responsibility amongst university and polytechnic graduates in future if they are seen as less deserving of the quantum of subsidies, and will the universities be really able to make up for this shortfall through other means without affecting quality? Presently, we have three local universities and, if they are asked to raise their fees, they cannot really raise that much. Firstly, amongst the three of them, they have to watch what the fees are for each other. Secondly, we have local campuses and local degrees of well-known reputable international universities and so we have to watch the comparison of fees, plus overseas universities' fees. If we peg our fees too high, we will lose the numbers. We really cannot peg them that high. So, how will the shortfall of fees be made up, if the quantum of Government subsidies is reduced? Tertiary Education”
“Sir, at the recent Budget debate, I said that it was the aspiration of every parent for their children to get into university. The ultimate prize is winning a place in the local university for a basic degree. Now that the universities are planning to expand their intake from the current 21% to 25% of each cohort by 2010, it is something to be happy about. There is no need for the Government to worry and plan ahead to reduce its subsidy per student to below that of 75%. I believe the Government can well afford to finance this increased intake. Sir, we are talking about a small increase in each cohort up to a projected 4% maximum by 2010. Assuming a replacement cohort of 50,000 students, the 4% projected increase is only an increase of 2,000 students to about 12,500. How much damage will this increase of 2,000 in our local student intake do to our billion-dollar budget? Not much, I believe. It is only around an additional $25 million, which the Government can well afford to absorb into its budget. But for a student who is not working, who relies on income from the family, who has all the other additional expenses, such as hostel fees, books, transport fees, etc, to bear with, any small increase in the tuition burden is an additional burden too much for them to bear. It causes big damage to their already tight budget, planning and pockets. Let us not get the students into the bad habit of taking more and bigger loans. When their time comes in the future, say, 2010, for an increased budget allocation to MOE to subsidise the additional number of students to get into the university, I believe no one in the House will then be willing to complain and scream about the greater subsidy that we are giving our children and future leaders to pursue a university education.”
“Our young students need to be encouraged to take a greater interest in mastering the Chinese language. English Language”
“Sir, I read from the Hansard that MOE needs to recruit around 300 Chinese teachers every year to replace those who have resigned or retired. Many of these new Chinese teachers are from China and are here on MOE's teaching scholarship programme - where they are given a monthly stipend and have to serve a six-year bond upon graduation from NIE. Sir, I am concerned with this high turnover and replacement of experienced Chinese teachers with new recruits who have just graduated. I ask because I note that the standard of Chinese, as a second language, has been falling and that it has also been dropped as an admission requirement for our local university. Is this an acknowledgement of the failure of our education system to boost the standard of Chinese among our students? Why is it that our younger students are getting weaker and weaker in the Chinese language? When our students do not do well in their studies, I question the teachers as much as I would question the ability of the students. Has MOE evaluated the effectiveness of this programme to know whether it has been effective? Sir, either the new teachers are not very effective in the teaching of Chinese to our students or we do not have a good system of teaching Chinese to our students, or both. It is either way. I want to emphasise that there is an urgent need to re-evaluate both the teachers or the methods the teachers use to teach Chinese so as to improve on our declining standards. 5.30 pm Sir, China's economy is taking off. Our students cannot afford not to master the Chinese language for their own sake. MOE needs to look into ways to make the learning of Chinese language more fun and interesting than what is practised today.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for sharing his thinking on healthcare services. I just want to clarify that I did not object to the idea of means testing as claimed by the Minister. But I would like to seek an answer and clarification on which the Minister said he is thinking and studying the matter and will give us an answer in a few months' time. I appreciate that.”
“Or is it somewhere in between? I hope the Minister can be more specific about the definition of "high income".”
“Sir, there is alarm among many people that means testing is another mechanism for the Government to reduce its expenditure on healthcare over the longer term. Specifically, there is great concern among the middle income group that their healthcare cost is going to rise with this means testing procedure. I hope the Minister can provide some answers to these two questions. (1) How will MOH determine how best to start means testing? Will the administrative cost for carrying out means testing outweigh whatever savings it could derive? (2) How will MOH know how much a patient earns? Will it be by personal declaration or will it be through access of the IRAS records? If it is by declaration, how does the Ministry intend to verify whatever is declared as genuine? But if it is through the IRAS records, many more people will be even more alarmed as these earning figures are very private details of the citizens and IRAS has no right to disclose such figures. What is the Ministry's assurance on this matter? Sir, citizens pay taxes for Government to provide certain essential services like healthcare. The Government should see subsidising healthcare as part of the essential services it provides to the citizens. How can the Government ask for double payments from the citizens, once, through taxes and then, again, through selective higher co-payment through means testing? Although I concede that it looks unfair for high income patients to enjoy the same 80% subsidy as poorer patients when staying in a Class C ward, I would like to ask the Minister further. How does he intend to define the rich and the high income group? Is it the top 20% earners of our population? Or is it the top 20% plus the middle 50% of our population, making 70% of our total population?”
“Madam, I would just like to clarify that I am not saying that MPs should not be appointed as grassroots advisors. I never said that. What I said was that candidates from the governing party whocontested in the Opposition wards andwere not elected should not be appointed as grassroots advisors. That was mypoint.”