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…”
The complete record
Every one of 543 lines we hold for Steve Chia Kiah Hong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 11.
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have been seeing a lot of resignations from CEOs and those employed by the GLCs. After getting their good deal as foreign talents, we see many of them quitting within a few years of getting their huge compensation and sign-on bonuses. Some of them are allowed to keep the stock options for many years to come, like the SGX's former CEO. Are we becoming money-foolish in our search for foreign talents? Are we spending too much for them and giving them a good deal at the expense of our GLCs?”
“This area of law must be clearly established if we want Singapore to continue to thrive as an efficient business and communication centre. As I speak in support of this current amendment, I hope the Ministry will look into establishing new laws on this matter of spam and junk emails as part of the Computer Misuse Act.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, for allowing me to participate in this debate. I support the amendments in this Bill, Sir. Computers have now become one of our very essential tools for our daily work, business and leisure. Together with the Internet, it has changed the way we communicate and do business. Everybody, from students, CEOs and businesses, relies on computer technology as a core means of communication, work and social life. It is therefore imperative that this important tool of our modern lifestyle be well protected against hackers, threats, viruses and spammers. As I understand it, this current amendment does not address a minor but growing computer misuse problem, namely, email spamming, that is rising at an increasing and alarming rate, hampering business efficiency and work productivity. Spamming emails are junk emails sent into our mailboxes, like what we receive in our normal letterboxes. It takes up bandwidth, space, time and computer resources. It also clogs up the personal mailboxes of the intended recipients with unwarranted advertisements and sales pitch that the intended recipient most often does not want to read. While most junk mails come from outside Singapore, I see an increasing number of unsolicited junk emails coming from within Singapore businesses. The law in this area must be tightened, in Singapore and also internationally, so as to make it compulsory for email marketing companies to set up an easy opt-out option for those who do not want to receive such unwanted marketing in future. More importantly, the opt-out emails must not be allowed to be collated and resold to other marketers as an active mailbox, as it will surely defeat the purpose of opting out in the first place.”
“Sir, the British Prime Minister had to go to Parliament to get approval before sending the British troops to Iraq. Yet, why did our Government and our Defence Minister not get the consent of our Parliament before committing the lives of our Singapore soldiers to this high risk in Iraq? What is the role of Parliament if not to debate on important issues like sending our young boys to the war zone where lives are at risk? RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Mr Speaker, Sir, there is no requirement in the Constitution or any law in Singapore where Parliament's approval must be obtained before our Armed Forces can be deployed outside our national borders. At the same time, the Constitution allows Singapore to enter into any arrangement with another country or countries where such an arrangement is beneficial or advantageous to Singapore in any way. The deployment of the SAF overseas is a matter that touches on the defence of Singapore as well as the conduct of our foreign relations and our larger national interests. These are matters that concern the governance of Singapore and are within the purview of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Under the Constitution, the Cabinet has the general direction and control of the Government and shall be collectively responsible to Parliament. On matters that are of great interest and concern to the people as a whole, the Prime Minister and the Cabinet will inform Parliament of its decisions and actions. The Government recognises that this deployment of the SAF to assist in the reconstruction of Iraq is a matter of interest to Singaporeans. Hence, we have this debate in Parliament.”
“Sir, after the death of Sergeant Hu and the other two servicemen, is there any critical incident debriefing and/or counselling conducted for the other trainees and the unit members to ensure that they do not suffer from any post-traumatic stress disorder? RAdm Teo Chee Hean: Sir, the answer to the question is yes.”
“Motorcyclists. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: I think Mr Steve Chia rides a motorcycle. There is no prohibition against what kind of attire he should wear. It is more a question of education. Hence, it is common sense that a motocyclist should wear something that will not impede his control of the vehicle. I think we cannot regulate the T's and the I's. Ultimately, it is how the motorcyclist controls his machine. I think that is important. And this is where education comes in. Ultimately, if a person knows that what he does is really for his own safety, he would take the necessary precautions.”
“Two supplementary questions, Mr Speaker, Sir. First, can the Minister clarify if riding with slippers or sandals on the road constitutes a traffic offence? If it is, what is the rationale behind it? Secondly, will the Ministry look into capturing more specific data on accidents for data analysis so as to better understand the likely causes which lead to an accident? So far, we read of newspaper reports saying that the motorcyclist lost control of his vehicle. It seems irrational that the motorcyclist happily riding on the road suddenly loses control. Something must have caused the accident. Maybe more specific data could be captured for analysis. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Is the Member talking about motorcyclists or pedal cyclists?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Minister of State consider a trial bicycle lane in the MP's constituency to see how good is the demand for bicycle lanes? That may solve the problem.”
“Sir, in view of the hot IPO market, does the MAS place restriction on the amount of shares given out for the public offer versus the private placement? As in most IPOs, the amounts are currently given out in a private placement. Would that effectively lead to another Mid-Continent's case where there is a cornering?”
“Sir, in view of the number of new IPOs coming in during this bull market, what is MAS' position with regard to ensuring that the aspiring companies waiting for listing are wholesome and economically viable, and that they are not some fly-by-night-time operations to milk the ignorant investors during a bull market?”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, can the Senior Minister of State give us an assurance that such flexibility as required will not lead to an abuse of power or privileges? I just need an assurance. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Madam, this Government stands on its record, as I have said. The integrity of the system is at stake. If the AGC is involved in the determination, why should I give an assurance here? There have been no accusations of bias or wrong-doing.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, what has worked in the past may not represent that it will work in the future. The Senior Minister of State said, on the one hand, that there is consultation with his officer, but on the other hand, if he is asked, then he has the flexibility. That is where I am contending. How much flexibility should we give to the person by his personal consideration? I think we have to be more specific in that determination. Would the Senior Minister of State agree with me that this original position that was crafted 30 years ago is already vague and unclear? And should any amendments be made, it should be made to be more specific than to make another amendment to restore the Government's power back to this original position. Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Madam, I thought I explained very clearly why we need to retain this flexibility. The track record speaks for itself. So, I am not just talking in vacuum. The practice has worked, as shown by all these cases that have come before the courts. I think we should retain it. But as I have explained, it is not a personal decision. I think that is his main concern. It is not a personal decision. It does not happen that way. When he receives an order from the court by the other party to produce documents, he just does not hide it himself. He will consult the other people I have mentioned. So I think Mr Chia should rest assured.”
“Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to participate in this debate. I read with concern the proposed amendment in the Evidence Bill. The Bill, in its original form and in the proposed amendment, gives too much discretion to the person called to give evidence in court. First, how can any person, whether a member, officer or an employee of, or is seconded to, any organisation under the Official Secrets Act or otherwise by his own consideration refuse to give evidence and not be compelled by the court to do so to give evidence? There must be a better determinant than the personal feeling and consideration from such a person. The law should provide for a clearer and more specific determinant than a subjective phrase "when he considers". Second, the meaning of "public interest" is not defined, explained or elaborated. Who and what defines public interest? What is of interest and concern to the public may be pronounced as State secrets to the Government, and not in the interest of Singaporeans to know. Abuse of power and official positions could set in if anything that is not in the favour of the Government or officials is then classified as State secret and not publicly disclosed. The current definition of "public interest", like the OB markers, is subjective, evasive and free floating. I hope the Senior Minister of State can give a more specific meaning and definition of "public interest" and, at the same time, give a better determinant to a person called to give evidence how and when not to give evidence.”
“Our people cannot be expected to take on the low salaries offered in China and India. Neither can they be expected to bear the main brunt of any cost cutting measures consistently. The Government and GLCs are also required to make sacrifices by going for deficits and losses in bad years, hopefully to recover back in good years. This is the cycle of life and investing. To end off on a brighter note, I would like to urge all Singaporeans to look up. The dark clouds will pass because present-day Singapore has two biggest resources that will see us through any major difficulty, and that is, our talented people and our huge capital reserves. We should not be afraid to seize this opportunity that a crisis has brought.”
“Like he has said, "It can be done." Please do it. On to my last point, Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe I speak for many businessmen, retailers and Singaporeans alike in asking the Government to delay the GST hike for another year. I will agree with DPM's argument that GST taxes the rich more than the poor, and that the proposed 1% increase next year will raise about $650 million for the Government in 2004. But, Sir, what is $650 million to the Government? It is small, like ikan bilis - as what DPM said in his Budget reply to me. A $2.3 billion deficit is tiny compared to the size of the Singapore economy, and we can well afford to go for this small fiscal deficit for these few lean years. And when the economy recovers, do we believe that our economy will recover? Does the Government believe that we will see more good years after the heavy rain? I do, and I believe when the economy recovers, the fields will blossom and everyone will have a good field day. By then, nobody will seriously object to the Government wanting to collect more in GST to prepare for another rainy season. And after giving a good fiscal stimulus to the economy, the Government can expect a bigger catch with the 1% GST than the current ikan bilis that it is expected to net. Therefore, I beseech the Government to give more time for the small ikan bilis to grow bigger. Do not be in a haste to balance the deficit and weaken any prospects of growth and recovery. To sum up, Mr Speaker, Sir, the people of Singapore expect more substantial policy initiatives from our world-class Ministers than a simple reduction of employer's CPF contribution. CPF cuts should only be taken as a last resort when all other alternatives have been considered and implemented.”
“I think DPM owes it to Singaporeans to explain why it is absurd for the Government to cut its expenditure and reduce the budget by 30%. If it is not 30%, then 20%, and if it is not 20%, at least 10%. Is it because wages of civil servants, Ministers and political appointees are sticky and cannot be cut? Is Government too top-heavy and over-staffed? Why cannot the Ministers be given dual appointments and portfolios like in the past and cut down on the number of Ministers in the Prime Minister's Office? In the table distributed by Mr Lim Boon Heng, Minister without Portfolio, on Friday, I am surprised to see that Singapore CEOs are earning around slightly over $200,000 per year. If that is so, does that mean that our Ministers are overpaid and their wages have gone out of line with market rates? Has their productivity risen to make them wage competitive? Maybe the Prime Minister would like to address these concerns in his reply. This is the time for the Government to show moral leadership and solidarity with the people, by giving a strong signal to investors and citizens alike that it is willing to cut down its own fat to help trim overall business and living cost. Just like a Straits Times Forum writer on Friday said, "I am appalled by the excessive use of plasma TVs in the civil service and statutory boards, and this money saved could go a long way to trim the excessive expenditure in Government services." This will be my first proposal for the Cut Waste Panel to look into. Also, on behalf of many Singaporeans, I want to express support and thanks to our new Acting Health Minister, Mr Khaw Boon Wan, for cutting cost and the budget of the Health Ministry. I hope the Ministers in other Ministries will follow in his footsteps to cut cost and budget.”
“Simply buying Government bonds at 2.5% interest and then lending the money to HDB for mortgage loans is not doing justice to our retirement funds. CPF members with money locked in for the long term should not be forced to do National Service by lending the money to the Government to lend to the HDB for its social objective at the measly 2.5% interest rate. I believe that the Government and the GIC can do more in this area to provide better expertise for CPF members. My suggestion is to consider and encourage the regular investment of the CPF money in a group of tracker fund indexes of the developed and developing economies around the world. In this way, the investment return is pegged relative to the economic performance of the global economy. And, if the economy stagnates, we will not be too far off, and vice versa. While on this point on CPF and HDB mortgage, I feel that the HDB has failed in its duty to source for its best loans for its mortgagors recently. If commercial bank mortgage rates for HDB are going at 1% to 1.5%, how can the HDB be charging its mortgagors 2.6% and still call it a subsidised rate? I do not understand. I feel that the HDB should be more proactive and be free to source its funds from cheaper lenders (other than the CPF Board), especially if the market provides lower rates than what the Government charges HDB at 2.5%. Going to my third point, Mr Speaker, Sir, I feel that the Government, the civil service and the statutory boards could still do much to help reduce overall business cost. As freelance journalist, Lee Han Shih, suggested in an article for the Government to cut its expenditure by 30%, and which DPM Lee had on Friday said absurd, I wonder why!”
“This 3% cut in CPF alone will not ensure that Singapore stays competitive. Neither will it bring in new jobs. My gut feel is that small employers and bosses are going to take the 3% saving on salaries to upgrade their own lifestyle and luxuries. For example, if you are the boss of a small struggling company with a salary cost of about $100,000, a 3% cut in employers' CPF contribution will result in a saving of $3,000. There is nothing much you can do with this saving, and chances are that some bosses will use this $3,000 windfall to buy a new Mercedes Benz or upgrade to first-class seats and hotel rooms when on business travel. I hope employers will not abuse this sacrifice of the workers for their own consumption gain. Sir, this 3% cut will only slow down the exodus of jobs to China and India. This is because the target market of these MNCs is not in this region but in China and India. Unless Southeast Asia bucks up and improves on its economy and purchasing power as a region, we are going to miss out on the investment flows. My proposal is for the Government to spend more effort and resources to help promote the economies of our immediate ASEAN neighbours and expedite the establishment of a single common ASEAN market. In this way, when the ASEAN economy improves its purchasing power, the tide of investment will return to Southeast Asia and we will all float higher. I hope the Minister for Trade and Industry and the Minister for Foreign Affairs can be more productive in pushing for an earlier date than the stated 2020 for the single market of 530 million people to be established. Mr Speaker, Sir, my second point concerns the investment return on CPF savings. The CPF Board should seriously look into how it can increase the investment returns for its members.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to participate in this debate. When I first listened to PM's speech on the CPF cuts last Thursday, I was aghast and taken aback by the Government's intent on placing the burden of high business cost solely as the responsibility of our workers. This was very unfair. I was pretty troubled and upset that our Government likes to slice and squeeze the earnings of our workers at the first instance of any economic trouble. This is especially so, when PM gave no announcement of any intent to cut the civil service and his bloated Government bureaucracy which, as Dr Marc Faber said recently, that the Republic's costly bureaucracy and expensive Government add to the high cost of doing business here. This expensive Government places an unnecessary heavy burden on the people of Singapore and our society. Thus, I had prepared a very bitter critique of our Government last Thursday night, many of the points of which were brought up and very well expressed by Mr Low Thia Khiang, the MP for Hougang, on Friday. However, after listening to DPM Lee's comprehensive relief and cost-cutting packages, I must say that I am much consoled that this Government is not that callous and unfeeling to the difficulties and problems of our people. At the very least, it intends to reach out to the jobless in our society and teach them how to fish. This I am much satisfied, and thankful that the results of growing political competition are pushing our Government to be more attentive and sensitive to the feelings and aspirations of our people. I therefore discarded my original plan for the very biting criticism of our Government and rewrote this speech. Mr Speaker, Sir, I shall now go to my first point.”
“Sir, the Minister just now said that if we subsidise 10 cents per trip, it will cost about $100 million a year. Can I clarify with the Minister whether the LTA is making big money for having awarded a $324 million 15-year contract to an advertising firm to run advertisement space in the 3,000-over bus stops and taxi shelters, whether this revenue can be used to subsidise transport companies, and where does the money go to?”
“While there may be a low return on capital, would the Minister then agree with me that there is still profit? And if we are to change the transport operators and make them private as a not-for-profit company, the operators can then run their buses and train lines for years without having to raise any future fares? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, companies are set up to be viable. Even if the Government runs a company, we have to make sure that it is viable. Because if it is not viable, who is going to bear the cost of running that company? It must be the taxpayers. Do we want that in Singapore? The answer is no. It is better to leave it to the private sector. They will run the companies properly and ensure that the commuters have a good service at a very affordable fare. We went through this last year when we debated the bus fare increase and we have shown that the transport cost in Singapore, for the quality of service that we are getting, is actually low compared to many other cities elsewhere.”
“Sir, does the Minister agree with me that looking from a group perspective, the transport companies - SBS Transit and SMRT - do not need the high fares on the NEL and the trains to survive, but that they do need high fares to continue to produce good profits for its shareholders?”
“Sir, does the Minister agree with me that the Government can show greater appreciation for the workers' cooperation to the CPF cut by subsidising transport cost for the workers? Just as the workers are asked to tighten their belts, would the Minister agree with me that the Government also needs to do its part by helping to look into reducing the transport cost of the workers?”
“If he is employed by the labour supply agency to work for the company and, in the process, he is injured, can he proceed to sue the company for the injury?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir , if a worker is employed through the labour supply agency and is injured while working at the premises of the contracting manufacturing firm, what course of action can the worker take to claim damage against that manufacturing firm?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, would the Deputy Prime Minister agree that there is a growing public perception that the Prime Minister's Office is the holding ground for older Ministers awaiting their retirement, and that something should be done to change that perception? It does not matter whether that perception is correct or wrong, but something has to be done to change the perception.”
“Sir, would the Minister look into allowing the establishment of a HDB rental market by relaxing the rules for rental of the whole HDB flat? This will increase the supply and lower rental cost and, indirectly, reduce the demand for HDB subsidised rental units.”
“Sir, can the Minister clarify if rental rates could be set according to a percentage of the applicant's household income like, say, 10%, instead of a heavily subsidised rate across the different income levels, so as to better manage and meet the demands from the long waiting list?”
“Sir, budget airlines like ValuAir said that they want to use Changi Airport as its hub. But how can they do it when, according to the CEO of that budget airline, the landing fees are so high, and that they actually need to use Paya Lebar Airport instead of Changi Airport. Can the Ministry clarify?”
“A point of clarification, Sir. Are there really no symptoms expressed by the afflicted or are we, as a society, the school, the teachers, etc, not sensitive enough to the symptoms expressed by the students? Maybe the teachers and the schools need to be more sensitive, rather than saying that the students are not expressing any symptoms at all.”
“Sir, would the Minister of State agree with me that suicide is the result of a failure of our society to hear the last cries for help from the afflicted, and that we need to improve on our helping process to those affected who feel a great sense of helplessness? Something needs to be done more than what is currently available.”
“The question is whether the Minister can clarify his comment that foreign workers are being used to moderate the wages of Singaporean workers. And what are the other national objectives that the Minister was referring to?”
“Sir, the Minister has not addressed the questions that I have put up. Secondly, I would like the Minister to clarify the definition of "locals". Does it include construction workers who live onsite and Malaysian workers who commute daily between Singapore and Malaysia for work?”
“Sir, in view of the uncertain economic climate and the increase in retrenchments, would the demand for rental flats be increasing, and is there an increasing supply from the Ministry to look into for people who want to rent a flat instead of purchasing? Another question relates to an article that appeared recently about a woman whose application for a rental flat was rejected because her child was born out of wedlock. Why was her case for rental of a flat not approved?”
“Sir, would the Minister give us a breakdown of the number of 3-room flats that are available, in terms of the demand and supply numbers, and whether there is a greater demand for the 3-room flats as it is now? Mr Mah Bow Tan: I do not have the figure for the demand, but I know that there are roughly about 200,000-250,000 3-room flats available in the market. HDB would buy back the 3-room flats from the market as and when the demand builds up. At the moment, there is no shortage of 3-room flats available for those who wish to buy 3-room flats.”
“Sir, in view of the expected wage cuts and wage reductions and lower CPF contributions that are coming up, will HDB consider restarting the building of 3-room flats or smaller flats for couples who are having lower salaries?”
“Sir, if the CPF member has enough funds in his CPF account and, in times of need, why can he not borrow from his account which he has to return back when he is gainfully employed? This is not over-consumption. Is it not better that he borrows from his CPF account at a marginal interest than to borrow from some loansharks or maybe from the banks at very high interest rates which he will have to return? It is not an over-consumption issue.”
“I would like to seek a clarification with the Minister. He said that the objective of the CPF is for retirement, healthcare and housing. Would the CPF Board consider expanding its objective to include loans from the CPF Board for rainy days to CPF members, especially when they are unemployed?”
“I hope the Ministry of Health can be a bit more kiasu in issuing Home Quarantine Orders. If unsure or uncertain, issue the Home Quarantine Orders first, and then confirm later. In this way, we will have a better chance of closing all escape routes totally. Finally, if the outbreak should become too serious and not contained, then we need to seriously consider Dr Tan's recommendation and what I put forward yesterday to the Minister for Health, ie, to set up intermediate and separate fever testing centres, away from TTSH. This will cost additional resources, but it will help to prevent further unknowing spread through GPs and polyclinics, which may not be equipped to treat or identify SARS effectively. It will also encourage more of those who are fearful of going to TTSH to come forward for fever testing. The needed resources can be activated from the SAF Field Hospital set-up which, I believe, is well-trained and prepared for this supporting task. To conclude, and to provide some cheer, I would like to quote a correspondent from the BBC programme that was aired yesterday morning where he said: "Singapore's containment measures have been very effective. There are fewer than 200 cases in Singapore so far. People are worried about the virus, but they are not so worried about it at the moment that they cannot go about their daily lives. So, for the most part, they do seem to be working quite well." Kudos to the Health Team at work. Now is the time to be more kiasu, and we will win the battle. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Amendment Bill.”
“Sir, some people may argue that electronically tagging someone for quarantine violations may seem a very drastic measure and an infringement of civil liberties. But I do not think so. Most people will see that anything which can be done should be done to restrict the spread of the SARS virus, even if there is some human right price to pay. Before concluding, Sir, I have some questions for the Minister for Health to respond to. One, why was it that when surgeon Alex Chao was cremated within 24 hours for suspected SARS, those who had treated him while he was in hospital and those who were at his cremation service were not issued with any quarantine orders? Is the Ministry of Health 100% sure that they are not probable cases, and would it not have been better off for them to be served with HQOs to play it safe? Two, if family members can be infected without showing symptoms before any suspect patient dies, is it not better to play it safe by issuing Home Quarantine Orders to the family members, instead of allowing them to mix around with friends and others, causing undue anxiety and fear later, if the patient is subsequently found to be a genuine SARS case? Three, if the incubation period is from 3-10 days, would a first quarantined suspect - who may have a longer incubation period and who later turns out to be an atypical SARS case where there is no high fever and living with a non-quarantined family member with a shorter incubation period of, say, three days - not cause the spread of the disease unknowingly, if the latter is not quarantined at all? Is it not better to play safe to quarantine all family members living together, if one is quarantined at all? Do we know the disease well enough to take such unnecessary risk by exempting one over the other?”
“In this respect, I have strongly refuted calls from some irate members of the public asking for the resignation of the Minister for Health for failing to contain the virus at its first onset. They are being unreasonable. On the Bill under discussion, Sir, we support the amendments to the Infectious Diseases Act. We recognise that there will be a small element of defiant people out there who will not abide by any orders, and that some of these unfortunately quarantined individuals may cause the whole containment exercise to fail, if they happen to be infected and not obeying Home Quarantine Orders. We cannot allow the efforts of the 90-plus percent of law-abiding quarantined citizens to go to waste by having a handful of people disobeying the Home Quarantine Orders and, potentially, endangering the health and livelihood of others. Thus, we would like to endorse the Government's move to introduce harsher measures for quarantine violators. If fines and electronic tagging do not work for some of these irate violators, I would even suggest that the Government publicise their names and let the public ostracise them. This will definitely work, because the general public is very concerned about being infected and impacted, and will put great social pressure on the violators to observe the Home Quarantine Orders. Our only concern is that Government officials are not too trigger-happy and start fining and shaming everyone, without at least giving a warning or an opportunity for the violators to explain their actions. There could be some genuine and acceptable reasons that we may not know of, and we must ensure that the harsh punishment is meted out only to the unrepentant recalcitrant.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, first, we would like to take this opportunity to join the many Singaporeans out there to show support, appreciation and to commend our conscientious doctors, nurses and related healthcare staff assigned to the frontline duty of combating the SARS virus. Without their dedicated sense of duty and responsibility, our society and economy would have been even more severely crippled. For their contributions, we look forward to their being individually commended at the National Day Awards Ceremony. Second, we want to thank and appreciate the more than 90% of Singaporeans who have been willing and responsible in abiding by the quarantine orders fully. Without their full cooperation, the war against the SARS virus would have failed miserably. Third, we recognise the Government's announcement yesterday of a Home Quarantine Allowance scheme of up to $70 per order per day, and an ex-gratia payment for businesses that are ordered to be quarantined. While this is not the full compensation for some, it is better than nothing, and I think most people under quarantine will appreciate this small gesture. I can only hope that specific individuals with a higher economic burden can apply, on a case-by-case basis, for a higher ex-gratia allowance, if they have suffered a greater loss as a result of the Home Quarantine Orders. Fourth, we are happy to note the open and transparent actions taken by the Ministry of Health in this crisis. By going public and making all information available to the people, it helps to build trust and confidence between our national institutions and the people. As an Opposition politician, I am pleased to provide moral and emotional support to the Ministry of Health in its tough struggle to combat this virus.”
“When the supply is more in the future, and because SARS is going to stay with us for quite some time, if private companies request to install it at their premises, will that be allowed?”
“Yes, and whether it would be allowed for private companies and corporations that want to install it at their premises to test for SARS.”
“Two supplementary questions, Mr Speaker, Sir. For the Minister for Health - if people are afraid of going to TTSH because of the irrational fear that TTSH is highly contagious, will the Ministry consider setting up an intermediate testing or holding centre at a different location for suspect and probable cases? This will actually alleviate the public's concern and encourage more people to be more willing to approach this intermediate medical centre for SARS testing, rather than to avoid it totally. This is human psychology at work. Another question for the Minister for Home Affairs - how much is one thermal imaging scanner? If private corporations are interested to install one at their business premises to check for SARS, will it be possible and allowed?”
“Sir, I have an additional question for the Deputy Prime Minister. Hong Kong just unveiled a $2.7 billion lifeline yesterday to fight SARS and create employment. Taiwan is in the midst of passing a big $2.5 billion expenditure Bill aimed at creating jobs, boosting their economic growth and lowering their unemployment figures. In Singapore, is the Government stopping at this $230 million package that it introduced last week, or is there more being planned in the pipeline that is going to be disclosed soon?”
“Thank you, Mr Tan. Thank you, Mr Speaker.”
“Sir, two questions for the Deputy Prime Minister. For the businesses that are quarantined, does the ex-gratia payment include the other fixed costs like rentals and disinfecting expenses, other than the labour costs? On the second question: why limit the Home Quarantine Order allowance scheme to only 50% of the person's income? Is this not a case of war against a virus when the HQO is similar to the issue of the SAF-100 calling people out for national duty and that they should be fully compensated, instead of 50% of their salary, or $70 for self-employed individuals? Can we follow the claims practice similar to the SAF when people are called up for National Service to do make-up pay claim, so that they get the full compensation rather than 50% of it?”
“We have matched that particular group of youths or young Singaporeans to run a reading programme for low income families. These are some of the initiatives that are in place to help us engage the youths so that they understand better what are the challenges facing Singapore. Mr Gan also asked if we would review and revamp major youth programmes. I would like to assure the Member that all major programmes are reviewed periodically. What is more critical is whether there are gaps in the way we look at youth issues today, given the complexity of the subject and the numerous players involved. We must ensure that our existing policies are in line and new policies are introduced, if necessary. Relevant programmes can then follow. So, with this in mind, last year my Ministry formed a committee chaired by my Permanent Secretary, Ms Lim Soo Hoon, sitting there, and involving officials from MOE, MHA, MINDEF, NYC, MOF and PA. I want to point to Ms Lim because Mr Gan said that the committee should be chaired by a young person. She is indeed young, in fact, younger than I am. This Committee will review and coordinate existing youth programmes, identify gaps and propose new policies or programmes, as appropriate. As the Committee is still new, let us give it some time to do its work. Sir, I think I have addressed most of the issues. May I invite Minister of State, Mr Chan, to reply to Mr Chia's question.”
“In our preliminary studies, we are encouraged to hear from the parents that they are now better equipped to manage and communicate with their children. Sir, Mr Gan Kim Yong and Mr Charles Chong have asked how we can effectively engage our young. The National Youth Council aims to empower mainstream youths with the values and the skills to thrive and succeed in a global world. It engages youths by giving them the space to develop and allowing them to form their own views through experiential learning. The Council supports youths and youth organisations through grants, awards, national and international programmes. For example, it administers the Youth Development Fund which provides youths with seed funding to run community programmes. NYC also supports the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), where youths undertake community projects in the regional countries. Through the project, youths would have the opportunities to reflect on issues concerning the economic, social and cultural developments of the country that they visit, as well as Singapore. Both programmes encourage youths to take the leap to initiate and develop their areas of potential and interest. Mr Gan and Mr Chong would appreciate that the impact of many of these programmes would only be felt over time. So where possible, proxy or interim indicators have been used to measure their effectiveness, and these include indicators such as the outreach of the programme, completion rate, and participants' evaluation of the programme. Periodic youth surveys are done which provide insight as to whether we are moving towards our objective. Let me share with Members one example in which Mendaki has been able to reach out to a group of youths who are undertaking a project under the NYC, called Service Learning.”