Sylvia Lim
Singapore
“Thank you, Speaker. I have a supplementary question for Senior Minister of State on PF. It was pointed out in the FATF report that representatives of foreign flag states have a very low understanding of their PF obligations.”
“Thank you Speaker. I have noted what the Minister is proposing that the House do. I am not standing up to object to it. But I think it is important for me to also state that my response on some of the issues that she mentioned, I have made them on 14 January during the debate on the Motion of the Leader of the Opposition, and I do not thi…”
“Thank you, Speaker. A clarification for the Minister. I think it is quite clear that we are not denying that services were provided and residents had benefited from the services. I also would say that we do appreciate that MND did this internal review to undercover this problem, if I can say that.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have one clarification for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, and that is on the necessity for the retrospective legislation.”
“Sir, regardless of which country may have primary jurisdiction over a particular case, both governments may feel pressured to retain cases involving their own nationals. This could be for various reasons, such as the differences in law and punishments or to give their nationals better access to justice in their home countries.”
“One clarification for the Minister. This is in relation to when Singapore may have to give up its primary jurisdiction to Malaysia to investigate incidents and particularly on clause 39(2).”
The complete record
Every one of 1,794 lines we hold for Sylvia Lim, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 4 of 36.
“Sorry, Speaker. Just to move things along, dissent would be the PAP's dissent. So, that is why the Member is calling for division.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have one clarification for the Minister. Earlier in my speech, I talked about STRs and I noted that in a previous reply by the Minister for Home Affairs, he had indicated that out of the STRs filed, 20% of them led to or assisted in the investigations. So, I wanted her comment on whether she finds that this percentage of 20% indicates that the quality of STRs still needs beefing up or is this percentage acceptable for some other reason?”
“I look forward to the Ministry's clarifications regarding the three concerns I have raised about restitution to crime victims, the change to the law in the Jeanette Ang case and the quality of STRs.”
“Clause 5 of the Bill will increase the jurisdiction of STRO, that is, the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD). STRO will soon be receiving STRs arising from additional legislation, such as the Free Trade Zones Act, Goods and Services Tax Act, Income Tax Act and the Regulation of Imports and Exports Act. In order to facilitate the work of STRO, what can we learn from our experience so far about the filing of STRs? In answer to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) I filed in January last year, the Minister for Home Affairs revealed that CAD received an average of 37,000 STRs each year from 2019 to 2021, or about 102 reports daily. I believe the numbers are much higher today, a point that Ms Foo Mee Har alluded to earlier. Sir, what is concerning is that of the STRs filed in those two years from 2019 to 2021, the Minister reported that only 20% of them resulted in or supported investigations eventually. Does that mean that the other 80% were found to be of low quality and not actionable? Similarly, when it came to digital payment tokens (DPTs), a similar trend is being observed. According to our Money Laundering National Risk Assessment report this year, a majority of the STRs relating to DPTs did not point to any specific offence. Sir, all this suggests a possible wastage of investigative resources to look into unactionable STRs. It may also suggest that the STRs are being filed defensively to avoid possible trouble down the road. Being unclear about the threshold that warrants the filing of an STR harks back to the earlier concerns expressed by FATF about the level of private sector knowledge in Singapore regarding AML risk. What is being done to promote a deeper understanding of what STRs should contain? Sir, let me conclude. The Workers' Party is in support of the Bill.”
“In Jeanette Ang's case, the High Court had ruled that to prove that an accused had committed money laundering, the prosecution needed to show that the monies in the accused's accounts came from criminal conduct. Clause 11 would remove this requirement. Instead, it would simply be sufficient for the prosecution to show that the accused had a guilty frame of mind, that is, that he knew or had reason to believe that the monies came from criminal conduct. In explaining the rationale for the change, the Ministry pointed to evidentiary difficulties. It was said that the proceeds of crime could have been channeled through other bank accounts in other jurisdictions before coming to the accused. It was stated to be difficult to obtain documents from foreign banks to prove the trail of monies. I think earlier, the Minister also touched on this point. Sir, this amendment in clause 11 would fall squarely within the concern raised by the judge in the Jeanette Ang case. The Court in that case had stressed the importance of requiring the prosecution to prove the trail of monies. The judge noted that if the prosecution did not need to prove that the monies came from criminal conduct, then a person could be prosecuted for money laundering in situations where he mistakenly thought that the monies were the proceeds of crime when the monies were, in fact, clean monies. The Court opined that prosecuting such a mistaken person would not further the purposes of the anti-money laundering conventions and laws. With the change in clause 11, how will be risk be addressed? Sir, finally, on STRs. STRs are a key step through which the authorities are alerted to potential money laundering transactions.”
“I, therefore, welcome the provisions, such as clauses 7 and 14 of the Bill, which will help ensure that the value of seized assets is preserved. One challenge regarding delivering restitution to victims is that money laundering is typically transnational in nature. The victims of crime are often located in other countries. In the National Asset Recovery Strategy report, it was stated that in the five-and-a-half-year period between January 2019 and June 2024, authorities here seized about $6 billion in assets. Out of this, the majority of $4.6 billion is still tied up in ongoing investigations and Court cases. This leaves about $1.4 billion freed up to make restitution, out of which, $416 million, or less than one third, has been returned to victims. During the Parliamentary Sitting in July, I had asked whether it would be too late for victims to make claims after a Singapore Court had already forfeited the assets. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had indicated that it would still be open to foreign parties to make requests for MLA even after the Court had made forfeiture orders. For us to assess whether the MLA route is meaningful for victims, could the Ministry confirm how many countries have filed MLA requests with Singapore in the last two years and which three countries have filed the most MLA requests? Next, I move on to the change in the law arising from Jeanette Ang's case. I have a query on the change in clause 11. Clause 11 will amend the law set out in the 2011 High Court case of Ang Jeanette vs Public Prosecutor to make it easier for the prosecution to prove certain money laundering offences. Let me summarise why.”
“Other private sector industries, such as real estate and luxury retail, have rightly been identified as needing to be stepped up too. To illustrate, we just need to look at the recent $3 billion money laundering case. The money launderers had managed to channel their ill-gotten gains into Singapore with the purpose of washing them through items of tremendously high value. For example, just one of the men involved had purchased 10 condominium units at Canninghill Piers worth $85 million, a transaction in which red flags should have been raised. It has since been reported that some real estate agents were being investigated for giving kickbacks to their clients from the huge commissions earned. It is clear then that an effective AML approach needs not just a robust framework. How it is executed is key. To this end, Member Dennis Tan will seek clarifications later on the adequacy of AML due diligence measures in the recent cases. I now move to the Bill before us. On this, I have three queries: (a) on restitution to crime victims; (b) on the change in the law to Jeanette Ang's case; and (c) on STRs. First, on restitution to crime victims. In the Government's recent paper, National Asset Recovery Strategy 2024, it was stated that the strategy had four operational pillars. I was pleased to note that under Pillar 3, the strategy aims to "deliver maximum recovery of assets for forfeiture and restitution to victims". The paper affirmed that Singapore adopted a victim-centric approach towards asset recovery. I agree that where offenders have profited at the expense of victims, then the assets purchased using such fruits of crime should rightfully be delivered to these victims.”
“Mr Speaker, I will first make some general observations about money laundering in Singapore before raising three queries about the Bill. Sir, this Bill is part of Singapore's efforts to enhance its anti-money laundering measures. The Workers' Party supports the Bill. Nonetheless, if implemented, this Bill is just part of an entire ecosystem that needs to be scrutinised for gaps and vulnerabilities. Member He Ting Ru will speak later about some areas of concern regarding Singapore's ecosystem. Sir, Singapore is one of the 40 members of FATF, which conducts mutual evaluations on the ecosystems of countries. The most recent mutual evaluation by FATF on Singapore was done eight years ago in 2016, with the next one due next year. In the 2016 evaluation, Singapore was assessed to have a mostly robust and competent regulatory system when it came to financial institutions. However, the same could not be said for sectors outside the finance industry, collectively known as designated non-finance businesses and professions (DNFBP). The DNFBP sectors were noted to lack many of the obligations and supervisions that financial institutions were subject to. The 2016 evaluation identified that we did not have a strong awareness of illegal fund flows from foreign predicate offences. It also pointed out that the private sector had weak knowledge of money laundering risks from transnational transactions. Fast forward to today, Singapore just published its own Money Laundering National Risk Assessment (ML NRA) report. This report concurred that there were significant risks in the DNFBP sector which needed to be addressed. Last month, this House took a step in the right direction by enhancing the requirements on corporate service providers.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. One further supplementary question. Earlier, the Minister mentioned that what might happen in the jurisdiction that is chosen is legally irrelevant. But I am just wondering whether he will agree with me that money laundering, being transnational in nature, that we would also like to be seen to be doing our part to ensure that the offenders face justice for whatever offences they have committed. So, as such, are we not interested in the likelihood of such offenders facing prosecution or being charged for any predicate offences that they may have committed overseas and to that extent, we should play our part as well?”
“Deputy Speaker, I have two supplementary questions for the Minister. First, I accept that there could be some operational considerations and not revealing too much information. So, I would like to say that upfront. I would like to ask the Minister, because it was indicated in this House that offenders are permitted to indicate their choice of jurisdiction, to where they would like to be deported. So, my question is, is the Ministry concerned that the offender would tend to choose a jurisdiction which he considers to be favourable to him? By that, I mean that he might be concerned about possible prosecution for the predicate offences which led to the money laundering, for instance. Would that be something that the Government would take into account, that he may choose a jurisdiction that would actually facilitate his avoiding prosecution for certain other crimes that he may have committed overseas? That is the first question: whether the Government is concerned about this in giving the offender the choice. Secondly, I wonder whether the Minister could confirm whether or not the choice of the deportation country is part of the plea bargain process.”
“Sir, one supplementary question for the Minister of State. Given the transnational nature of money laundering, as we have seen in this recent case, does the Ministry assess that there is a need to enhance our extradition arrangements, meaning to increase extradition arrangements with other countries which, so far, we have not had any such treaties with?”
“Thank you, Sir. Two questions. One, can the Minister of State confirm that these assets forfeited in the Courts will now go to the consolidated fund for general Government use? The second question is, is she able to confirm that now that they have been forfeited, is it too late to admit any other claims to these assets?”
“Last clarification, again on the issue of choice. Can the offender choose where to be deported to and the Government will accede to the choice?”
“There were two more points, Speaker. The second one was about the fact that the Minister of State mentioned that these offenders chose to go to Cambodia or Japan. So, my question is, do offenders have the right to choose which country they would like to be deported to? So, if I decide that I want to go very far away to Canada, can I just say that, even if I have no connection with that country? So, anyway, specifically on that case, whether they had the right to choose? And last of all, was the question of the existence of an extradition treaty between China and Cambodia, and whether that was one of the considerations which led to the Government deporting seven of these offenders to Cambodia.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have three points. First is, my analysis of who held what passports are based on the publicly available reports. So, based on what I have discerned, there are three of them being deported to Cambodia who are not Cambodian national – so, Ministry can contradict me if I am wrong in what I found. Secondly, she mentioned that the offenders chose to go to those jurisdictions – Cambodia or Japan. So, is she saying that the offenders have a right to indicate which jurisdiction they would like to be deported to? Because she used the word "chose", so, I would like the Minister of State to clarify that. Last of all, my understanding is that there is an extradition treaty between Cambodia and China. So, I wonder whether she can or cannot confirm whether this was one of the factors taken into account in deporting seven of these offenders to Cambodia.”
“Thank you, Sir. I have three supplementary questions for the Minister of State. First on part (a), which is a general question on Immigration and Checkpoints Authority's (ICA's) policy with regard to deportation of foreigners convicted in Singapore. From my past experience, it is quite normal for foreigners to be sent back to their home countries. I would like to ask the Minister of State whether ICA, indeed, has this default guideline, apart from any special circumstances, that we would deport the foreigner back to the country where the foreigner is a national. For example, if you are a Malaysian, you will be deported to Malaysia; if you are an Indonesian, likewise, and so on. The second supplementary question is that, on this recent money laundering case, out of the seven who had been deported to Cambodia so far, at least three of them do not seem to be holding Cambodian passports. That is based on the information which I could glean publicly. That means out of the seven deported to Cambodia, three of them do not seem to be holding Cambodian passports. So, I wonder if the Ministry can explain the choice, why they were deported to Cambodia, for those who are not Cambodian nationals. The third question, out of the 10 arrested in this recent case, five were reported to be wanted by China and they are holding Chinese passports. So, my question is, why are they not being returned to China?”
“And if we look back, as I shared earlier, 10 or 15 years before till today, our roads are safer.”
“Thank you, Speaker. One supplementary question for the Minister of State. I wonder whether the Minister of State will agree with me that the public education efforts that the Government is undertaking could also focus a bit more on some aspects of the driving culture which I detect has a certain permissive attitude towards speed. I will just give an example. On any given day, if you are driving on the highway in lane one at the speed limit, cars will blow their horns at you and overtake you from the left. Whereas in some other countries that I have been to, you will see other motorists, the moment you exceed the speed limit, other motorists honk at you to slow down. So, I wonder whether TP could look into this aspect and see how society, as a whole, we can help one another to make the road safer because, after all, it is not about cameras and about TP being everywhere, but it is really about a broad-based safety culture that we all want to have. Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. Yes, indeed, it is something that we need to develop holistically as a society. So, we work together with the Singapore Kindness Movement, the Singapore Road Safety Council, as well as organisations around. At the end of the day, we need to internalise this whole element within each of us that there are people around us who are also using the road; it is not only us alone. And these people or road users have families and they are going to do their activities, the more care will be applied in the way we use our devices on the road. So, this is an ongoing journey that we want to continue. I am very heartened, like what I shared, over the years, we are seeing more and more people coming on board to support this effort.”
“Thank you, Chair. I have a clarification for Senior Parliamentary Secretary Chua on supporting retired athletes. Earlier on, he ended off that response with this open-ended statement to say that the Ministry would explore how we could support former athletes better. I would like him to clarify whether this includes possibly looking at how we can support the healthcare needs of our retired athletes, especially for conditions which were associated with their sporting careers, because I think it is a very meaningful gesture that society can make. 1.00 pm”
“I had suggested that a task force be formed to look into the feasibility of this. Is the Government looking into this possibility? Emerging Sports”
“Sir, last July, the House debated a Motion on sporting success filed by the Workers' Party (WP). I would like to follow up on the issue of how we could show our recognition and gratitude to our retired national athletes. How can we show that we have not forgotten the contributions and personal sacrifices of those who have brought us such exhilaration and joy, as well as shared anguish, competing against the best in the region and, indeed, the world? Today, I will touch on two points: (a) helping retired athletes to transit to a work career; and (b) providing healthcare support. On helping athletes to transit to viable careers after competition, there was a Parliamentary answer given in November 2017 on how the Ministry supported the career plans of athletes who had given up their jobs to focus on certain regional competitions. I note that Sport Singapore has had its spexBusiness programme for the last 10 years. Under spexBusiness, partner corporations commit to empower athletes to take charge of their future through a dual career opportunity and prepare them for a successful transition into life after sports. What is MCCY's assessment of the scheme thus far? Are there other similar schemes? Secondly, at last year's debate, I had suggested that the Government consider providing an additional layer of healthcare subsidies to these athletes after they have stopped representing Singapore. I had highlighted that much more is now known about the health conditions associated with sports, not just the usual knee and strain injuries we are familiar with, but also brain injuries caused by certain contact sports. As these conditions will remain with our retired athletes for the duration of their lives, I had called for some additional help for them to foot such healthcare bills.”
“It is also important to ensure that the national coverage for cancer under MediShield Life remains meaningful. How is the Ministry working with the relevant stakeholders to raise awareness of cancer treatment costs and to mitigate financial toxicity? Egg Freezing”
“Sir, cancer remains the leading cause of death in Singapore, claiming nearly 24% of all recorded deaths in 2022. One in four Singaporeans is expected to develop cancer in their lifetimes. According to the Singapore Cancer Society, over the five-year period from 2017 to 2021, an average of 46 people per day were diagnosed with cancer in Singapore, while 16 people per day died of it. A study last September commissioned by DBS Bank and conducted by Black Box Research surveyed approximately 1,200 participants on their financial readiness to tackle cancer costs. Three key findings emerged: first, that responders perceived difficulty coping with the cost of cancer care; second, that cost concerns may significantly impact decisions about treatment; and third, part of the solution lay in improving financial literacy. The survey is ongoing. Among those surveyed on why they did not purchase additional coverage, some cited unaffordable premiums and a lack of understanding about policy benefits. One in three participants expressed concerns about the exorbitant cost of cancer care. An earlier study by National University Cancer Institute and Research for Impact showed that patients of lower socioeconomic status were at higher risk of financial toxicity. 7.15 pm Financial toxicity means that patients are likely to experience significant financial distress due to the cost of care, which usually coincides with a period of lost income. This not only affects their quality of life and mental well-being, but also that of their family members. Empowering people early with financial knowledge on private insurance options would instill confidence to prepare for the unexpected catastrophic medical expenditure and allow patients to focus on treatment.”
“While it may seem like an additional cost for businesses, the resulting improvement in economic security and well-being of these employees is more than likely to pay for itself in terms of elevated productivity and reduced turnover. Menopause Support for Female Workers”
“While I suspect that many parents find this insufficient, especially if they have multiple children, each with unique contingencies that could keep them out of school, I wish to speak about how there remains a symmetry between childcare and eldercare leave. 2.15 pm As our demographics evolve and ever more children find themselves providing care to elderly parents, they find that there is no equivalent support for them as they ferry their parents to and from medical and related care appointments. This is especially trying for those who are an only child of single children living with their elderly parents, who generally default into the role of being the primary caregiver. This has, unsurprisingly, resulted in caregiving employees facing depression and reduced quality of life, as shown in a 2021 Duke-NUS study. And this is disproportionately borne by women, as revealed in a 2019 report published by the Association of Women for Action and Research (AWARE). While Civil Servants have two days of parental care leave, a benefit that half of the Service exercises and an average of taking both days, there is no equivalent entitlement for the private sector. Some employers have been willing to voluntarily offer such leave, but the share is trifling, at just 13%. I propose an expansion of family care leave. This is an idea that has bipartisan support. Member Mr Louis Ng has tirelessly advocated for paid parent care leave and, if I heard correctly, as has Mr Desmond Choo just now, and so has my former colleague Mr Leon Perera. As a start, we can include two days of paid leave for the only child of aged parents as well as singles living with their elderly parents.”
“Sir, foreign domestic workers (FDWs) deserve to be protected. They live in their employers' homes and are potentially vulnerable to ill-treatment and abuse behind closed doors. Employers who ill-treat their workers must be punished in accordance with the law. On the other hand, some complaints are unfounded. Some employers have been victims of frivolous complaints. Let me just take one scenario. After the worker has successfully entered Singapore at the cost of an employer, the worker makes a complaint in the hope of changing employers or a desire to return home. Based on the accounts of some employers who have been subject to investigations, they did not know what to expect of the protocol or procedures to be adopted. The investigations could take weeks or months, during which, the employer's eligibility to hire a replacement helper would be suspended, disrupting household arrangements. In other cases, the decision may be made to take no further action against the employer. Nevertheless, an advisory might be issued to the employer not to commit offences in the future. This could happen even when the employer was never interviewed by the investigators. How does MOM balance the need to safeguard workers' welfare and, at the same time, ensure that investigations are efficient and employers are accorded due process? Will advisories serve as adverse records against employers if they wish to hire other helpers in the future? Leave for Singles and Family Care Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim (Sengkang): Currently, under the Child Development and Co-Savings Act, working parents are eligible for up to six days of paid childcare leave a year.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I have a clarification for Senior Parliamentary Secretary Ms Rahayu Mahzam on the access for non-English speakers. Earlier on, she mentioned that there are brochures in different languages and indeed, it is true for some of the departments. But what I noted that was also very good that MinLaw did was that for the Community Mediation Centres, there are videos in different languages which are also narrated in the different languages and subtitled. So, this is very useful for our older residents. I was hoping that MinLaw could also consider having videos in other aspects of community legal services so that we can direct our residents to watch them.”
“Sir, in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In my constituency, there are many elderly residents who are not proficient in English and they only understand Chinese, Malay and Tamil. When they need to access legal information, they face difficulties because most of the legal information provided by Government agencies is written in English. MinLaw has indeed made some improvements in this regard. For example, translating the brochures of the Legal Aid Bureau and Public Defender’s Office into other official languages. May I ask if MinLaw can provide other measures to assist this group in accessing legal information? Civil Enforcement Framework”
“Yes. No, I did not call for that. So, my speech was actually about outsourcing, but it did not specifically call for investigations to be outsourced because I did mention that I considered it to be a rather high-risk activity. So, just to clarify: I did not call for that.”
“Yes, Chairperson. I just wanted to clarify that in my speech, I did not call for outsourcing of Police investigations to private investigators. I did not call for that.”
“For example, are younger people considering such a career?”
“I am supportive of the Government's efforts in recent years to uplift and transform the private security industry. At the national level, with a better trained private security workforce, there will be better cost efficiencies through utilising the workforce from both the public and private sectors and right-sizing them to the task at hand. At the ground level, we see the growth of security providers with better operational capabilities. Many of our residents also work as security officers and are enjoying higher salaries through regulatory requirements. A key driver of these changes is the Security Industry Transformation Map (ITM) launched in 2018. In response to a PQ I filed in 2021, the Ministry reported that significant progress had been made on the four pillars of the ITM. Of particular interest to me is the first pillar, namely, to push for technology and innovation to transform operating models. The aim of such technology adoption is to achieve manpower efficiencies. The Ministry reported then that in 2019, 98% of SME security agencies had adopted at least one stage one digital solution, while 82% had adopted at least one stage two solution as recommended by the security industry digital plan. These are encouraging signs. As one of the biggest bugbears of security officers are the long 12-hour shifts, it will be useful to know whether the adoption of these technologies has resulted in shorter working shifts. I believe it is still common to have 12-hour shifts. What is the Ministry's assessment, would be entailed to move to an eight-hour shift? With the further concerted efforts to improve the image and working conditions of security officers, does the Ministry also detect any change in the demographic profile of those in the industry?”
“During the recent debate on the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code, I voiced my concern about whether APOs should be deemed authorised officers for the purpose of exercising force to extract a forensic specimen from an uncooperative criminal suspect. While the Ministry of Law replied that they would be trained for this, this to me, is a confrontational task that carries high risk. In making decisions on outsourcing, there are legal accountability issues to consider as well. If say, a police officer acts wrongly or negligently, being a public servant, the Government is potentially liable for his acts as an employer. This is a reassurance to the public that losses can be recovered. In the case of an APO or private security officer, a private employer is vicariously liable. While companies providing APO services are well resourced, many private security agencies are not. Finally, it is useful to speak about the APOs. Sixty-eight percent of APOs are Singaporeans, while the balance 32% are Malaysians and Taiwanese. In answer to a Parliamentary Question (PQ) I filed in January, the Minister affirmed the need to allow auxiliary police forces to recruit foreign APOs to meet the increasing demand for security services. It was further mentioned that besides Taiwan, some other source countries for APOs being considered are China, India, the Philippines and Myanmar. It was further recognised that letting non-Singaporeans carry firearms was a risk which would be managed through security screening, training and supervision. Could the Ministry elaborate a little on the reasons for the selection of the four Asian jurisdictions? Does proficiency in certain languages play a part? And if so, I am wondering why countries such as Nepal have not been named. Private security industry.”
“As for other public services such as Neighbourhood Police establishments, the trend has been to leverage on technology so as to reduce manpower demands. While I accept that this is necessary, has the Ministry assessed the public satisfaction levels for such changes, especially in the elderly population? Retaining experienced officers is an important stabiliser. For officers who have resigned, some may have done so due to pull factors such as better prospects elsewhere. Could the Ministry share what proportion of resignations were due to push factors, such as workload or high public expectations? Outsourcing of police functions to auxiliary police officer (APO) or private security is logical and a necessary strategy to overcome manpower shortfalls. Overall, I do see that the outsourcing moves over the years have been incremental and deliberate. By that, I mean that the nature of the task is assessed first to be potentially capable of being outsourced, then training of the auxiliary police or private security will be done before the outsourcing is effective. Thus, over the years, we see many modular courses being offered in security screening, crowd and traffic control, threat observation and so on. It is common these days to see APO escorting prisoners and manning our land checkpoints, or private security officers deployed at major events. That said, there must be some limits to outsourcing, as some tasks are probably too complex, are too risky or require the exercise of discretion. Take for instance, police investigations.”
“Madam, at various points over the years, the issue of manpower shortages at the Home Team has been raised. This is perfectly understandable, since the officers of the Ministry interface with the public daily and in critical ways, be it calls for police service or investigations, paramedic and ambulance services, immigration matters and others. The relevance of proper staffing levels is not just a matter of maintaining staff morale. Inadequate staffing potentially affects public outcomes. It would be useful if the Ministry could explain whether the manpower crunch is getting worse and if so, what the main reasons are. Take the Police as a prime example. A brief comparison of the number of officers from 2013 to date shows an increase from about 8,800 regulars to more than 10,000 today. No doubt, within that time, the population in Singapore has increased too, by about 8%. From 5.47 million in 2014 to 5.92 in June last year, an increase of 450,000 people. Besides population increase, what are the drivers that add to manpower shortfalls? How much of this is due to new demands, for example, the formation of new land divisions such as Woodlands Police Division, or new specialised units such as the Anti-Scam Command. Within the functions that the Police retain and do not outsource, there is acknowledgment that the workload has increased dramatically. MHA has highlighted that the preponderance of scam cases has added significantly to the load of Police investigators. On the ground, it is not uncommon to hear from our residents that the investigator for their case has resigned or that there has been a change of investigators, which would add to delays in the investigations.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I have a clarification for Minister for Foreign Affairs on Israel. I understand that late last year, Singapore appointed a resident ambassador to Israel and it was the first time that Singapore actually has a resident ambassador there despite having diplomatic ties with Israel for more than 50 years. So, I would like to clarify, what is the significance of this move now and is it in any way related to 7 October, or is it part of a longer-term strategy? 3.30 pm”
“How do we make the concept of ASEAN centrality more concrete, such that it has a continued ability to set regional agendas and perhaps even bargain collectively? Changes may include, for instance, investing in the institution, such as by increasing the budget and capacities of the Secretariat to ensure that it can perform its current mandate more efficiently and effectively. What are plans to collaborate with other extra-regional partners to augment the work of ASEAN in defence of Singapore's interests? If we are committed to the ASEAN project, then we must make it work.”
“Sir, Singapore has been a beneficiary of ASEAN membership since the organisation's founding in 1967. It provided a means for regional states to de-emphasise differences and work together – both during the Cold War and after. With regard to economic cooperation, we are collectively each other's largest trading partners – outweighing both China and the US. Much of the foreign direct investment coming into Singapore is then reinvested in other ASEAN member states to the benefit of our economy and businesses. For a long time, ASEAN centrality was based around its ability to convene events that bring together different, even rival actors around the world. It was a way for Singapore and fellow members to amplify our voices internationally. ASEAN today faces different challenges. There are increasing questions about improving and maintaining internal cohesion. Some prime examples, include Myanmar and the difficulties in promoting negotiations among the warring parties; the South China Sea, especially how to promote peaceful management of disputes; and addressing erosion and other riparian issues along the Mekong River. Additionally, the intensifying US-PRC rivalry has also put pressure on the governments, societies and interests of different ASEAN members to move in divergent directions. Conditions may well get worse, given the continued trouble for the Chinese economy and US domestic politics leading up to and following the elections in November this year. These circumstances mean that more than ever, Singapore and fellow ASEAN members need an ASEAN that is suited for the times. I would like to ask how the current Government is working with fellow ASEAN members to strengthen, update and reform ASEAN to make sure it continues to serve our collective needs going forward.”
“Sir, as a maritime nation, Singapore is dependent on unfettered access to sea lanes of communication and air routes, bringing goods and people to and from our shores. Disruption of these connections could prove costly. Indeed, continued investments in our Air Force and Navy, as well as efforts to work with regional and international partners, provide Singapore with an added guarantee of such access. 7.15 pm Our nation's interests beneath the waves are no less important. Submarine cables bring data from everything from our financial markets to design blueprints and overseas orders to and from Singapore. These cables also help connect the Middle East, South Asia, and with us in Southeast and Northeast Asia. I understand that there are even plans to increase the number of submarine cable landing sites in Singapore. There are also plans to provide electricity to Singapore via undersea cables. They come in addition to undersea pipelines to carry gas, including from West Natuna in Indonesia. We know that these undersea assets can become targets for attack or sabotage during crisis and are also subject to accidental damage during peacetime. This is evident from the 2022 Nord Stream 2 explosion, as well as the severing of submarine cables in the Baltic Sea and between Taiwan and Matsu last year. These risks are more real, with increased tensions in Asia and the South China Sea, driven by US-PRC competition and growing maritime traffic. Could the Minister for Defence assure Singaporeans of our ability to protect and repair these undersea assets independently and in conjunction with partners? What are the efforts to enhance such capabilities?”
“Chairman, thank you. In the interest of time, just on the FIDReC's jurisdictdion.”
“Thank you, Chairman. I have two broad clarifications for the Minister of State. During his response he mentioned several times about closely the MAS is working with banks to come up with guidelines, preventive measures. But he did not say anything about how MAS was working with consumers at all, before the draft guidelines are issued. For instance, like I mentioned in my cut, the EUPG paper that sets out the enhanced duties of consumers. Were any consumers consulted about whether these duties are reasonable before the draft guidelines came out? So, the first clarification is about how MAS works with consumers, if at all, before it comes up with such guidelines in this area. Secondly, on the Australian example, I did point this out to him earlier that I was going to raise it. I think he would have noticed from what was being proposed by the Australian Treasury was that actually there would be a consumer protection body at the top of the apex when it came to looking at consumer interests in the scam space. This body actually has an overarching responsibility that cuts across sectors – banking, telcos, digital platforms – all that would sort of come under that consumer protection umbrella and there is going to be legislation, I believe, intended for this. I find that in Singapore, this is missing. There is no consumer protection overarching body that seems to be looking across the different industry sectors on whether consumers are getting a fair deal. So, I wonder if he can comment on whether he thinks that such a body would actually add value to our interest in protecting consumers.”
“Second, FIDReC announced in January a public consultation on raising its monetary limit in adjudication cases – from $100,000 to $150,000. As few customers have the resources to sue their banks in Court, FIDReC is an important low-cost avenue for bank customers to seek redress. Should FIDReC consider raising its limit to $200,000, which is the daily threshold for PayNow transactions for consumers?”
“Sir, in this environment of pervasive online scams, the Government should ensure that bank customers are adequately and fairly protected – both in prevention and in compensation. On this, I will raise two points today: developments in Australia and on Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre Ltd (FIDReC). First, on developments in Australia. In November last year, the Australian treasury issued a consultation paper on proposed industry codes for the private sector in combating scams – named the Scams Code Framework. The proposed Australian framework is consumer focused. The extensive obligations on banks, include training of staff, detecting, blocking, verifying and tracing scams; and the need to implement anti-scam systems that are responsive to new products, services, designs and technologies. Importantly, it requires businesses to take all reasonable steps to prevent the misuse of its services by scammers, "so that an undue burden is not placed on consumers to prevent scams." As far as Singapore is concerned, I acknowledge MAS' work, particularly in coming up with the two consultation papers in October on the Shared Responsibility Framework for phishing scams and on the proposed enhancements to the E-payments User Protection Guidelines (EUPG). That said, the EUPG paper while imposing some duties on financial institutions, also has a whole section on how consumers should also be subject to enhanced duties – including preventive actions such as updating the browsers of devices and patching operating systems with the latest security updates. How does the MAS assess whether these duties are reasonable, given the wide demographic profile of consumers?”
“Thank you, Sir. I never said that ageism is unassailable and, in fact, in my speech, I expressed the hope that the upcoming anti-discrimination legislation would move the needle and be a game changer.”
“Sir, I do not wish to prolong this matter. I think the Hansard will speak for itself of what I have said, and I do not agree with what he has accused me of saying.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I must say that I am really rather puzzled by Mr de Souza's response to my speech and perhaps, respectfully too, I may suggest that he has misheard me. First of all, you know, he says to have a care as elected Members of Parliament (MPs) for what the Government is going and, in my speech, actually, I strongly endorsed the continuing education and training (CET) initiatives. Having been a person that has been involved for more than a decade in managing and teaching CET courses, I see the value and I did say so in my speech. I have also acknowledged the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme in detail. So, I think he has misunderstood or has not heard what I have said and kind of accused me of not acknowledging Government's efforts. I do not think that is true. The main focus of my speech really is on older workers and how we need to tackle ageism in workplace and the Government's own statistics, MOM's own Fair Employment Practices reports, highlight that age discrimination is the main form of discrimination that needs to be tackled. While I am happy to hear that his resident has done so well, has he not come across any residents who are older who have faced age discrimination in the workplace?”
“It could also allow them to become effective volunteers in our non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and charities, even if they are not earning a salary. Finally, on the third measure of full-time courses that will attract a monthly training allowance of up to $3,000, it would be useful to know what the eligibility conditions are and whether there are any employment outcomes attached to these. Sir, having managed and taught continuing education and training (CET) courses myself for more than a decade, I have personally seen the strong desire of adult learners to improve themselves. Many of them do not come from privileged backgrounds and they value the second chance, as it were. For adult learners to succeed, having course fee subsidies and employer support is critical. CET is a worthy cause, as it is an important aspect of social mobility. Sir, let me conclude. I have focused on how older workers are a national resource that should be leveraged on, for the benefit of society. We still have work to do to tackle age discrimination if we are to maximise our country's potential and well-being. All of us should be lifelong learners, or risk becoming obsolete. As I said at the start of my speech, 60 is the new 40. Let us embrace this reality with renewed confidence.”
“In the UK, for instance, I understand that the Equality Act 2010 protects people of all ages regarding employment, recruitment, promotion, reward and recognition, redundancy and vocational training. Thus, for example, the UK legislation has made it illegal for recruiters interviewing potential hires to ask their age or date of birth. If our upcoming legislation has this effect as well, it would potentially be a game changer. Next, I would like to turn briefly to the related topic of how to ensure our older workers can retrain. To assist mid-career workers, this Budget introduces three measures under the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, for Singaporeans aged 40 and above. I would like to make some observations about this initiative. While there is a minimum age of 40 to access these measures, there is no maximum age. I agree with this approach. Not having a maximum eligibility age impliedly recognises that a worker remains potentially employable, regardless of age. This is laudable. I move to the first measure of providing a new $4,000 credit to enrol in courses that are targeted at employability outcomes. If the intention is to assure enrollees of better employability outcomes, will there be any condition attached to participants, such as to secure jobs in certain sectors? As for the second measure of providing additional subsidies for a full-time diploma study in any area, it was not mentioned that increased employability was a goal of this measure. Would it then be possible to sign up for such subsidised courses simply for enrichment purposes? Even if so, I would say that there is utility in this, as it keeps the minds of seniors agile and keeps them healthy longer.”
“The WHO literature refutes many misconceptions about ageing. It has been noted that there is no typical older person, and that some 80-year-olds have levels of physical and mental capacity that compare favourably with 20-year-olds. Thus, age should not be used as a proxy for capability. Also, as life spans increase, many older people experience longer health spans. So, each cohort of the older population is effectively younger and should not be discriminated against because of age. Having older citizens engaged in the workforce has immense benefits for society as a whole. If a significant proportion of older and middle-aged people are unemployed, especially those in the lowest income groups, they will become more dependent on informal family assistance, Central Provident Fund (CPF) savings and Government transfers or charity. This will increase social stratification and social division in our country. Sir, at this point, I should acknowledge that the Government has various incentive schemes to encourage employers to hire older workers. These include various grants and the Senior Employment Credit (SEC), which offers wage offsets. As of September 2022, the SEC has been taken up by more than 100,000 employers and benefited more than 460,000 senior workers. While these incentives are appropriate and necessary, I believe we can attain even higher labour force participation of older workers if we change any ageist mindsets. To this end, I am looking forward to the anti-discrimination legislation to be unveiled later this year. The various stakeholders involved have rightly identified age discrimination as something to be tackled. To make the legislation more effective, it should permeate the entire human resource process.”
“Younger seniors aged 40 and above are also not sparred. Just last month, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) released a radio documentary on ageism in the workplace and interviewed mid-career Singaporeans; they shared their difficulties on just getting employers to give them a chance to show what they were capable of. Indeed, according to the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Fair Employment Practices Reports, age was the most common form of discrimination encountered during job searches. Yet, the fact is that there are jobs waiting to be filled. According to the MOM's Labour Market Report for the third quarter of 2023, there were still more job vacancies than job seekers. The ratio of job vacancies to job seekers was at 1.58, which was higher than pre-pandemic periods. The sectors that saw significant vacancies included Health and Social Services, Information and Communications, Professional Services, and Financial and Insurance Services. While there may still be some physically demanding sectors that may not be suitable for older workers, this space has decreased over time. It is clear that jobs have evolved in the advent of technology and artificial intelligence (AI). On this issue, Dr Helen Ko, Senior Lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), wrote a commentary for CNA entitled: "Seniors do well at their jobs yet ageist myths and negative stereotypes persist." She opined that it was not the age of a worker that was the most important, but whether the demands of work exceeded the worker's capabilities. She noted that in this modern era, health and technology improvements meant that there were few jobs that the average 70-year-old could not do. The World Health Organization (WHO) has put out many studies on ageism in recent years.”