S. V. Lingam
Singapore
“Sir, originally I did not intend to speak, but after hearing some of the Members who spoke, I just wish to say a few words. When the P.A.P. came to power in 1959, it introduced the Women's Charter Bill. Now we have the Labour (Amendment) Bill in front of us, enabling women workers to work round the clock.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 11 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead l0l*. * The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Yeow Chong. I am taking my other amendment also, Sir, i.e., amendment No. (4)++, together.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 64 be reduced by $10 in respect of item (006) of subhead 201. Sir, I also intend to take my amendments Nos. (2)* and (3)+ together. * Amendment No. (2), reads as follows: That the sum to be allocated for Head 64 be reduced by $10 in respect of item (007) of subhead 201.”
“Sir, items (006) and (007) of subhead 201 and item (001) of subhead 205 relate to my constituency. While welcoming the expansion and widening of the roads in question, I wish to know whether any houses or buildings are affected by these schemes. Can the Minister give me detailed information on this?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3012*. * The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ng Yeow Chong. Sir, we are asked to approve a sum of $300,000 for this item. Is the Government going to organise a trade fair in Singapore during 1968?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3023. Sir, I want to know to whom these scholarships are paid and why they are named "Malaysia Scholarships". Can the name be changed to, say, "Singapore Scholarships" or something like that?”
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0304 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1051. Sir, we have a multi-racial and multi-lingual society in Singapore and we are praised by foreigners for this unique quality. An example of this quality is seen in the signboards which are written in the main languages of our Republic. But, Sir, I note with regret that the signboards in certain places have spelling mistakes, or the letters are written wrongly in the vernacular languages. This mars our supreme quality of which we are really proud. Recently I came across such a mistake in the Airport, the place where most of the foreigners to our Republic step in first. Sir, I do not accuse anyone of doing this mistake deliberately. This may be an oversight or it may be due to the ignorance of the signboard writer. I would like to request the Minister to issue a directive to rectify such mistakes. Incidentally, I want to make use of this opportunity also to request the other departments of the Government to pay more attention not only to the translations of the names, instructions, etc., but also to the writing of them. 4.00 p.m.”
“Sir, I have three questions to pose to the Minister. First, has the sum of $2.7 million been paid? Second, is there any guarantee or security to ensure that Gammon do not fail in their payments? Third, what safeguards have the Housing Board taken to prevent future frauds of a similar nature?”
“In view of the present situation and as we have reached the limits of our patience, I request the Minister to look into the accounts and activities of the said organisation and take the necessary action.”
“Pasir Panjang Branch reminded the members to co-operate with the Government. This is reported on page 1 of the Mirror of Opinion dated 19th August, 1967. But I am doubtful how many of the Singapore D.M.K. members took this advice. Talking about the functions makes us look into the financial side of this organisation. They have collected a fairly large amount towards a building fund. But to date I do not know what has happened to this money. Seldom was there a function without a leader from Madras, and they spend big sums for their visits. The highlight was in 1965. An official of the local D.M.K. was sent to Madras to invite a prominent member of the Madras D.M.K. and make other arrangements for his visit. In addition to the passage-fare of this official, another $500 was paid to him for pocket expenses. And for the visit of the Madras leader itself, a total of $34,658.92 was spent. The air passage for this leader and one of his colleagues came to $5,369. Here I wish to mention that even a first-class air passage for Madras-Singapore-Madras would cost only $2,204 for two persons. I leave the rest to the Members. And again, gifts worth $4,118.10 were given to the visitors. Sir, I am informed that a few members of the Singapore D.M.K., who were unhappy about these expenses, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister with a copy to the Registrar of Societies. Mr Speaker, Sir, I have given a list of items. I can quote numerous instances to prove that the Singapore D.M.K, is foreign-orientated and that it is spending money not for the interests of Singaporeans. But I do not wish to take up the precious time of the House since I think a few examples will do.”
“K, really has connections with the D.M.K. in Madras. But the local D.M.K. has, time and again, denied any connections with the Madras D.M.K. Sir, I quote again from the Mirror of Opinion dated 2nd August, 1967. This is on page 2, paragraph 7: `Since the Singapore D.M.K. has categorically denied having any links with the D.M.K. of Madras, the English and Tamil news announcements over Radio on July 30, as "this Kural Conference being sponsored by the Singapore branch of the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam of Madras State" are wrong - Reader's letter under "Flower and Thorn" column. (MALAR).' But, Sir, I doubt this statement of the local D.M.K. since their actions do not prove their words. Here is a copy of "KOLGAI MUZHAKKAM" -the organ of the Singapore D.M.K. In every issue, more than half of the pages are devoted to printing the speeches of Mr C. N. Annadurai and his colleagues. The organ symbolises the photo of Mr Annadurai. From this alone, I am sure the Members of the House may find the truth of the statement of the Singapore D.M.K. denying links with the Madras D.M.K. Let us now look into the functions organised by the Singapore D.M.K. All the functions are graced by the presence of one or more leaders of the Madras D.M.K. But the organisers are careful to invite local leaders too. And on one such occasion, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr S. Rajaratnam, at a meeting held on 29th July, 1967, at the Conference Hall, had advised the Indians in Singapore: "Think of Singapore first and others secondary, and Tamils in Singapore should not think of themselves only but to care for the general interest of the people of Singapore." And the Minister for Social Affairs at a meeting of the Singapore D.M.K.”
“There are societies formed on the basis of different races and religions, but they all work for one nation and that is Singapore. We can have many cultures, many religions and many languages. But our nation -nationhood should be one. We may be diversified in language and religion - but we should have unity and oneness in loyalty. Sir, I would like to quote from the Mirror of Opinion, a publication of the Ministry of Culture, dated 24th August, 1967, page 10. Under the heading Tamil Press appears a translation of the speech by the General Secretary of the Singapore D.M.K. at the dinner given to Mr Manoharan, a leader of Madras D.M.K. and an Indian Member of Parliament, by the Singapore D.M.K. on Sunday, 20th August. He said: `Mr Manoharan's visit (incidentally, this visit of Mr Manoharan was the second one within a few years, at the invitation of the Singapore D.M.K.) has given life and strength to the Singapore D.M.K.' Sir, I would also like to bring to the attention of the House another passage from page 2 of the Mirror of Opinion, dated 23rd August, 1967, under the same heading. The Indian Parliamentary Member said: `First you must have faith in yourself. Have faith in Tamil. If it is true that you have faith in Tamil, have faith in us. If you have faith in us, then you, should have faith in Anna (Mr C. N. Annadurai, Chief Minister of Madras) who is above everything. If you develop these faiths, your future will never be bleak.' This was said at the 9th anniversary celebrations of the Kampong Bahru Branch of the Singapore D.M.K. on 19th August, 1967. Mr Speaker, Sir, "in us" means not in our leaders or our Ministers, but "in them", in the foreign leaders and Ministers. These two quotations, few of the many, will bear evidence that the Singapore D.M.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, our Republic of Singapore has a multi-racial, multi- religious and multi-lingual society. It does not belong to any particular race. The Government has given full freedom to the various groups of people in Singapore to exercise their own rights and principles in the broad context of a multi-racial society, for example, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and freedom of association. Time and again our Ministers have spoken to the people on these matters and reminded them of the duties and responsibilities towards society. It is understood that all registered organisations in Singapore should have faith and interest in our country and work for our people. But there are some organisations who, though registered in Singapore, have their loyalties, directly or indirectly, somewhere else outside Singapore. They have more connections with foreign countries. Their activities show that they are more interested in the people and organisations outside this country. Sir, I have in my mind the Singapore Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, in short, D.M.K., registered in Singapore under the Societies Act. Even though this society claims to look after the interest of the people of Singapore, there is evidence to show that this organisation has, in all respects, connections with the D.M.K, in Madras. For example, the society bears the exact name of the political party in power in Madras State of India, the D.M.K., except for the addition of Singapore before its name. Its symbol is the rising sun which is the same as that of the D.M.K., the political party of a foreign State. The present set-up of our country is not in favour of having one language or one religion. That is why we are preaching and practising multi- lingualism and multi-religion.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, among these officers who have been asked to go back to Government departments to work in their original posts, how many of them have been promoted or received higher salaries, and on what basis have they been given the promotion or increase of salary?”
“Since the Minister has said that wheat flour has more nourishing food value, will he give instructions to Government doctors or dieticians to publicise the fact?”
“The Government has stated that it would accept the recommendation but without the words "upon just terms". As a layman who does not know much about law, I fear that the removal of these words may be construed by some people to mean that no compensation will be paid at all for land acquired by the Government. But I am sure that it is not the intention of the Government not to pay any compensation. Definitely the Government will pay compensation. But whether the affected party thinks the amount paid by the Government is adequate or not is a different matter. Sir, I shall be thankful to the Minister if he can make it clear, in the article in the Constitution dealing with land acquisition, that compensation will be paid. Such a modification will ensure that the Government will pay compensation for land acquired and that the property owner will not be made to give his land free. 5.56 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the first place, I wish to congratulate the Government on appointing a Commission to look into the rights of minorities in our Republic. The impartial Commission has done a wonderful job, as a result of which we have the Report of the Constitutional Commission, 1966, in front of us now. The Government, in accordance with its declared policy of multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious Singapore, has, in fact, accepted most of the recommendations of the Commission. While agreeing in principle with other recommendations, only a few of the recommendations are not acceptable to the Government. It is heartening to note that the Government is willing to accept in principle the provisions regarding equal treatment of every citizen in the eyes of the law as recommended by the Commission. But, Sir, I need a clarification from the Minister for Law and National Development on one point only, i.e, land acquisition. We are a Republic with an area of about 225 square miles, and not all the land in our island can be used for development. With the increase of population and social amenities, we need more land for housing, roads, recreational facilities, etc. Because of shortage of land, we are building underground and multi-storey car parks. But, at the same time, we see quite a number of plots of land belonging to private individuals not being put to proper use. In order to make use of such lands, the Government has to do something; and for that I agree it should have some sort of constitutional power. Having this in mind, I welcome the Government's intention to include the terms of Article 13 of the Constitution of Malaysia in a modified form. The Commission has recommended that no property will be acquired except upon just terms.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill in principle. It is the duty of every citizen to ensure the security of his country and I am happy to note that the Government is introducing national registration to give an opportunity to all the citizens to serve their country in this respect. Sir, as the Minister pointed out yesterday, we all know that it is quite difficult to defend our country without external aid in case of a big-scale war, but we cannot have it as an excuse for not developing a defence force and I welcome the idea of regional co-operation in defence, as suggested by the Minister. Sir, I went through the pamphlet entitled "National Service and You". On page 2 of the booklet, mention is made about the allowances payable to those who take part in parades and it is also stated that members of the Vigilante Corps are not paid anything for taking part in national service. Sir, I do not agree on this point. It may be true that members of the Vigilante Corps have their training in the vicinity of their homes. I think allowances are paid to national service men to cover not only their transport expenses but also to meet incidental expenses such as refreshments and laundry. Sir, I would like to request the Minister to consider paying an allowance to members of the Vigilante Corps also. The quantum may not necessarily be equal to that paid to other branches of' national service. 5.38 p.m.”
“Some of us have not prepared our notes in respect of the Head on the Ministry of Culture and Social Affairs. We thought it would be taken on Monday so that we could prepare our notes tomorrow and Sunday.”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0807 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2031.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0807 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1191. Sir, this is regarding late payment of Radio and T.V. licences. I wish to bring to the notice of the Minister concerned that an alleged offender has to pay a compound fee and, in addition to that, he has to get his licence renewed from the date it expired. I will quote an example, Sir. Suppose a person fails to renew his licence in time, say, on the 1st June, 1966. The Licensing Department sends him a reminder and later compounds him. But when the licensee goes to the post office, his new licence is issued from the date his old licence expired. When the new licence is back-dated, is it right for the department to compound under the present regulations? What is the offence committed? Could the Minister give an explanation?”
“I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $8,026,850 for Head 0804 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0807 -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0804 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2482. Sir, when I, together with the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Affairs, had the opportunity of visiting the Commonwealth Institute in London some time last year, I saw a statue of Sir Stamford Raffles and a drawing of the old Chinatown of Singapore at the Singapore Corner. But I presume this image of Singapore might have been changed due to our attainment of independence. If not, can the Government see to it that the image of Singapore is portrayed in a manner befitting our new status?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I have a clarification from you? Would it be in order for a Member to move an amendment that has been put down in the name of another Member?”
“Sir, I wish to have further clarification from the Minister on his answer about the acting posts. I agree with him that we should have qualified people in the civil service. But I was not happy just now when he said that wherever possible civil servants in acting posts should be replaced with persons who are qualified. Sir, as an ex-civil Servant, I know how much it will hurt a person, who has been acting for so many years, suddenly to find himself substituted by somebody else in the post. 6.15 p.m.”
“Sir, Members of Parliament have been receiving a copy each of the Singapore Government Directory in which we find the names addresses and telephone numbers of many civil servants. But I have noticed that a number of these officers seem to have been acting for years and years in their posts. I want to know why there have been no permanent officers appointed to certain posts for so many years. Are the acting officers not capable of holding their posts substantively, or is it the intention of Government to keep them acting for ever?”
“No, Sir, I am touching on the civil service”
“Sir, the Member for Punggol has touched on the subject of civil servants, and I would like to add one point to what he has said. I do not know whether I am correct or not to say this here. We are getting copies of the Government Directory. In that directory, we notice civil servants who have been acting in posts for so many years. I cannot understand why this is so. Are these officers not capable or -”
“No, Sir, I beg to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr S. V. Lingam - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1201.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. I wish to raise only one point. In my constituency there are a few persons who carry on the manufacture of gingili oil. This is done more or less as a traditional business on a small scale. We can even say that these are cottage industries. Recently the manufacturers have received letters from the Ministry of Health informing them that they should have licences under the Food and Drugs Regulations to manufacture gingili oil. They are quite willing to apply for licences. But there are certain difficulties, such as buildings, dwellings, etc. They have been doing this business and living in the same building for the last 20 to 30 years. Moreover, they are operating under licences issued to them by the Inspector of Machinery. One of the major difficulties which they now face is finding accommodation for their families elsewhere. Sir, the Rule which insists that the place of dwelling should be different from that of business could be applied to applicants who start their business after the coming into operation of this Rule, which I believe is from 1-1-65. But in the cases I have cited, could the Minister be good enough to consider them sympathetically, as they have been there for more than 20 years?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0702 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Sir, we have an excellent medical service in our Republic. We can even claim that it is among the best in Asian countries. The outpatient services provided in the various districts are very helpful to citizens. The Ministry of Health has not only brought medical services to the doorsteps of our people, but these outpatient services have also relieved congestion in the General Hospital where emergency cases could be dealt with efficiently and quickly. But in spite of all these improvements, there are certain points I wish to bring to the kind attention of the Minister for Health. Sir, I have a letter dated 21st July, 1966, signed by one Dr Ho Guan Lim, Deputy Director of Medical Services (Hospitals), replying to a complaint I made on 18th July, 1966. My letter complained of a rusty nail found in the food served to a patient in the Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Sir, in his reply the D.D.M.S. (Hospitals) regretted that such a thing had happened and promised that he would tell the hospitals to be more careful in the preparation of food. While I appreciate this act of the D.D.M.S. (Hospitals). I have to quote the second paragraph of the reply: 'I do not think this was deliberate. But, as you know, food in the hospitals is prepared in bulk and foreign bodies like this may turn up from time to time and missed when the food is prepared and served.' Sir, I know it was not deliberate, but I think if careful attention is paid to the preparation of food, definitely the presence of foreign bodies can be prevented. Mr Bernard Rodrigues rose -”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1002.* ( *The same amendment also stood in the name of Madam Chan Choy Siong. ) This item is in connection with Parliamentary Secretary, Sir. According to the 1967 Estimates, the Government has made provision for one Parliamentary Secretary. But, in actual fact, we have two Parliamentary Secretaries. Does it mean that one of the two Parliamentary Secretaries is doing the job on a voluntary basis? Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to speak on this item, but the Member has taken the words out of my mouth., I have nothing more to say.”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr S. V. Lingam - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2133.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2018. * Sir, we celebrated National Day on a very grand scale. All Government offices, except one, and other commercial firms decorated their buildings for that day. In fact, there were two buildings which were not decorated. One - of course, we cannot blame them - was the Malaysian High Commission Office. But the building next to that - the General Post Office - was not decorated at all. I will be happier if this will not happen next year.”
“Sir, I am not moving amendments Nos. (5) , (6) and (7) .”
“I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood in the name of Mr S. V. Lingam - (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2011. (6) That the sum to be 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2013. (7) That the sum to be 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2014.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2009. Mr Speaker, Sir, we are very happy that the Government has launched a campaign to recruit members for the Vigilante Corps. But there is one question I would like to ask the Minister. The campaign is aimed at calling men to join but there is no campaign to recruit women. Could the Minister consider at the same time whether any women, if they wish to join, can do so? Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the suggestion made by the Member for Aljunied that the people today should be allowed to shoulder the responsibility to defend the country and that we should not be discriminatory against women. But I do not understand why in the present campaign to recruit Vigilante Corps members, the Minister of Defence is recruiting only men, and women are excluded. I understand there are certain community centres which have registered some voluntary women applicants and their performance is better than the men's. I do not know why the Minister does not take women into the Vigilante Corps. I would like him to give me an answer to this.”
“I am not moving. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1687.”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. 6.00 p.m. The following amendments stood in the name of Mr S. V. Lingam - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0305 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1004. That the sum to be allocated for Head 0305 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1015.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0305 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001.* Mr Speaker, Sir, I have two points to raise here. First, I wish to know from the Minister who is the present Controller of Immigration. Is he an, expatriate officer? If so, when will his contract expire? The second point is on the people who come here on social visits. They are being asked to pay a deposit of $500. There are cases where sponsors arrange for the visits of their relatives or friends, and they usually get a return ticket. Since that is the position, Sir, why should an additional deposit be asked for from these people?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to have your permission to move amendments (1)* and (2)+ together. + Amendment (2) reads as follows: That the sum to be allocated for Head 0305 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1004.”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0302 be reduced by 510 in respect of subhead 2017. Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to know from the Deputy Prime Minister who uses this ferry service?”
“I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0105 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2054. Sir, this is just for information only. Could the Minister explain to this House what is meant by "Special Services"?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the names of Mr S. V. Lingam and Mr P. Govindaswamy - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0104 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2010.”
“Sir, may I know from the Prime Minister whether these scholarships under the President are also given to citizens other than Singapore citizens? 3.00 p.m.”
“Sir, I am not moving amendment (2) *. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0104 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2009. Sir, may I know what are these President's Scholarships, for whom and why are they under the name of the President?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, will the Minister consider making some special arrangements on rainy days?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have just one point to raise. I am really not very happy with the Minister's reply because this is the same old thing that he said on the 21st of April in this Chamber. Sir, I hope that whatever he has said today will be carried out by him and his Ministry. Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.”
“The Minister has replied to my queries earlier. I quote of the Hansard dated 21st April, 1966. This is what the Minister for Labour said: 'Mr Speaker, Sir, the hon. Member has raised the question of names being wrongly spelt either in the birth certificates or in the present identity cards. I wish to assure the Member that in the re-registration exercise, this matter will be rectified once and for all. Any mistakes in the spelling of the names will be given sympathetic consideration and if these are genuine errors, they will be rectified in the new identity cards. In the case of an illiterate applicant, it is suggested that his friend should assist him by writing out the correct spelling of his name on a slip of paper which he should bring at the time of re-registration.' Sir, I quote this just to remind the Minister what he promised earlier. But as it seems that such cases are not being considered sympathetically, I would like to request him to issue clear instructions to the registration centres setting out what they should do. Where the officers could do such minor corrections, Sir, the people should not be referred to Headquarters but should be dealt with by the registration centres themselves.”
“For instance, if there is a request for Teh - T e h - to be corrected to Tay - Tay - it will be too much to ask that person to go and take a deed poll. Similar difficulties arise in the case of Indians and Malays. Ramasamy may like to write his name Ramaswamy, that is, with an addition of "w"; or Ramasamy Sellapa would like his name and his surname abbreviated to S. R. Samy. And a Malay whose name is Abdul Rahim Ishak would like his name called as A. Rahim Ishak. Sir, I am giving you these names as examples because you will find all these names in this House and with such modifications. I would not call these as changes, Sir, because nothing in the name is changed. These are corrections or slight modifications. Maybe some registration centres are allowing such corrections. But it should be a general rule, because when a team goes to the community centres there will be thousands and thousands of such cases, I am sure. Another point I would like to raise is the fee for the new identity card. The Schedule to the Regulations under the Act says 50 cents for a citizen's I.C. and $1 for a non-citizen's I.C., and $5 for a replacement. Sir, suppose a child who was born outside Singapore applies for an I.C. He will be given a non-citizen I.C. That is well within the law. A few months later this child, who earlier has obtained a non-citizen I.C., gets his citizenship and when he goes to the Registration Office and requests for a new I.C. for citizens, he is told that the fee is $5. I cannot understand this. The fee of $5 is for a replacement. But in this case no one will say that is a replacement. The child surrenders the old IC, and requests for a change as his status has changed. So, Sir, I request the Minister to see that the Schedule is interpreted correctly.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3003.* (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Lim Cheng Lock.) Mr Speaker, Sir, the re-registration of persons started a few months ago and is now about half-way through. Numerous questions were raised before the re-registration began and many other difficulties were faced during the process of re-registration. 3.15 p.m. Through anticipation and experience the Government has been good enough to find solutions to most of the problems. But, Sir, I am sure hon. Members will agree with me when I say that there are still quite a number of difficulties which have not been solved in the way they should have been. In spite of the Minister's assurance, in the case of a person who has an unnamed birth certificate but who holds an identity card issued before 1949 - I am subject to correction - in which the place of birth is shown as Singapore, the officers at various centres would not accept that person as a Singapore citizen by birth at the time when the re-registration started. But now I understand that the position has been clarified and there is no difficulty on that point. Sir, if this had been done right from the start, much difficulty would have been saved both by the public and the authorities. The next problem which still remains a problem is wrong spelling. Take a Chinese name. When a Chinese character is written in English, I think the spelling varies according to the dialect. And as this is going to be the last chance, as the Minister stated earlier, for anyone to do such corrections, I hope the Minister will direct his officials to be considerate and allow such corrections.”
“The Minister has just said that he will consider the writing of Chinese characters in the application forms. I do not know whether it will be too much if I ask him whether he will consider writing the names in romanised Malay and Tamil in the application forms.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. Mr Jek Yeun Thong resumed his seat.”