Tan Cheng Bock
Singapore
“As I said, we have not done much. We must not be captured by our old style of managing the old. The new old, as I said before, are better educated and travelled, and are very knowledgeable. So we must quickly explore new ways and methods to meet the expectations of the new old.”
“If we only have such a small pool of talents in Singapore because of our population size, we should spare no effort in seeking every such talent.”
“Thank you. I accepted the Minister's reply on the different pricing in the outpatient polyclinics and the hospitals. My point is that the patient's problem has still not been solved. Whenever a doctor refers a patient from a hospital to an outpatient clinic, he still has to pay more.”
“Six out of the nine items were much more expensive. Sir, I am asking why is there such a difference. Is this a one-off incident or is it going to be a norm? How can doctors in the hospital then refer patients back to the outpatient clinic if the patient is going to pay more?”
“I move this amendment to ask the Minister what is the Ministry's stand on seat belts to be made compulsory for primary and kindergarten buses. I heard over the radio that the Ministry is reviewing the case. There are two issues here, question of cost and question of safety. I think safety has a higher weightage over cost.”
“I also want to commend the NTUC for working with the Government to put this package together. I believe that without the NTUC's representation in putting forward the workers' case, the workers would not be able to benefit so substantially this year from this package.”
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“So if Singaporeans want the jobs back in the construction industry, they must be more productive for the construction company's boss to hire them. They are no match against the foreign workers, in terms of pay. They must be more than just simple workers. They must work smart. They must be able to read the house plan. They must be multi-tasked people and can be paid higher for their job. When I was renovating my house, it took the local contractor four times to fix my wash basin. I thought his workers were all foreign workers. But when I heard that they were all Singaporeans, I was very, very disappointed. They are not even Malaysians. They are all Singaporeans. After the second time, I asked his worker whether he was proud of the job. His reply was, "Every one also does like that." But I said, "I am not every one. You do it again." And I told them, "Don't blame the Government if we approve more foreign workers because you are only as good, but more expensive. And that is not enough." After the fourth attempt, I was satisfied. So I asked them what they thought of the final result. They liked it. They agreed they should have done it at the first attempt, if they took the trouble to read and understand the instructions, and not assumed that they knew how to fix a wash basin, because some wash basins can be a little different. My point, Mr Speaker, Sir, is so much time was wasted and productivity was zero. Similarly, you walk into a restaurant and you try to get information from the menu. The waiter will be probably walking three to four times to the Captain about the items you have asked or enquired. This is bad, unproductive service. Can we blame the waiter? I think the manager is also to be blamed. Singaporeans shun such jobs.”
“I think we must revisit that speech because it lays out the reasons why we must have a very productive workforce to meet the challenges. That was many, many years ago and yet to see the chart that we are ranked No. 20, I think, is a disappointment. I am not saying that we have not done enough about productivity. Minister Cedric Foo had highlighted what SPRING has done and all the productive work that they had put into getting Singaporeans to be more productive in so many sectors. But I still think much could be done. Let me give you an example that we are all very familiar with. Look at our construction site. It is always messy, noisy and housekeeping is poor, with materials thrown all over the places. I was having a holiday in Perth, Australia, and I was staying in a relative's house. The first day, I noticed a vacant plot of land adjacent to this house. The second day, three or four workers came and started working on it, and there were only three to four workers. But by the seventh day, I could see that at least the bottom half of the house was already constructed. No noise, yes, I could hardly hear any noise. The materials were well-stacked and put neatly away. Of course, they used a great deal of prefabricated items, and there was hardly any mess. The few workers seemed to know exactly what to do and no one seemed to get into each other's way. Later, I discovered that each of the workers is actually a professional builder and he reads the house plan. I think if you are able to read the house plan, you will not get into each other's way because you know what to do. But, unfortunately, for our workers, I do not think they even know how to read the plans. And that is why we get such shoddy work in our homes.”
“Many countries, in the earlier times, criticised us for all these FTAs. But I think they realise the importance of the FTAs and we must make full use of the FTAs. They are already beginning to negotiate for FTAs, but we have a headstart. So Singapore companies, especially our SMEs, must take advantage and leverage on the FTAs to help them better understand this very important premium. We should organise seminars and even set up a special bureau accessible to our SMEs and local companies to exploit our FTAs to enhance our business and to create jobs. Mr Speaker, Sir, there is one area which I share concern with Minister Cedric Foo. He spoke this afternoon about productivity, and I fully agree with him. I think our productivity has got to be looked at again. Minister Lim Boon Heng's chart on productivity revealed that we are not that productive, especially in our services side. Two things that MNCs are looking for, as I said earlier, are capability and cost. How capable is our workforce? I know we have a disciplined workforce, as I said, but this is not enough. We must have high productive workers, or what is so different between a Chinese worker, a Malaysian worker, or a Thai worker. We must have that premium. Our workers must be really productive because we cannot compete with their workers on cost. Productivity in services, as shown by Mr Lim Boon Heng in his chart given to the House, is significantly lower than in many countries with a population of less than 20 million. We are ranked 20th. I remember the strong emphasis by Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew many years ago in one of his National Day speeches. It was, I would recall, a landmark speech. Because he emphasised the importance of productivity for Singapore's future.”
“So this International Enterprise Incentive scheme, which was proposed last Friday by DPM, will go to help local companies build the capabilities to venture abroad and thus provide more jobs. Mr Speaker, Sir, I read very carefully one interview that was given, and there was an exchange actually between our Minister Lim Swee Say and the IBM boss. It appeared in the Straits Times and, in that page, it included a column on the warning by IBM. There were a few tell-tale words that kept cropping up and I know they were meaningfully and carefully crafted words. The first word is "reconstruct", meaning simply change. The second is "deconstruct", meaning remove the old ways of doing business. And the third is "re-deploying" the supply chain. But two words captured my attention and also captured the headlines of the Business Times - capability and costs. The emphasis given to costs, especially in this economic climate, is very telling. This interview encapsulated the essence of how and what the MNC business strategy would be like and young Singaporeans entering the job market must fully understand this and be prepared to do overseas assignment. Singaporeans must have faith and confidence in the Government. The way we handled SARS was admired by many. It revealed a disciplined people with a strong will to overcome the odds. But we are in a better position today than in 1965. This was pointed out to us by the Senior Minister. This time we have assets in the form of our reserves. The reserves reveal our high standing internationally and that capability to tide over, if the worst happens. And, two, our FTAs. The FTAs would generate and guarantee us tax- free access to the United States, Australia and those countries who have FTAs with us.”
“We will have to wait and see because this sector of the economy has been primarily taken by foreign workers. The relaxing of the subletting rules will help some families, as this will provide some older Singaporeans another source of income. The $40 million Work Assistance Programme will help and encourage low income unemployed Singaporeans back to work. Tourism forms an important source of revenue for our country. And tourists bring a lot of income for the retail sector, the hotels and the tour agencies. This sector suffered tremendous loss during the SARS period. I was part of the "Cool" team that tried to help the tourism industry. I can tell you my first meeting at the "Cool" team was so depressing. The hotels were reporting 10%-20% occupancy rate. The retail sector was down. Tourist companies, tour agencies, were closing down. So I think the present $100 million Tourism Fund that has been allocated to them will definitely help the industry, at least to bring back the tourists and the jobs that have been lost. We have no choice. If we cannot find jobs in Singapore, we must go out to find them. With our brand name "Singapore" and an internationally recognised disciplined labour force, we have to chase for the dollar outside Singapore. So an understanding of world business practices by young Singaporeans is very important. Being educated, young and mobile is helpful. The MNCs now work differently. They are outsourcing IT, and world business practices have changed a lot. And this would require a lot of mindset change among our young Singaporeans to understand how they work. Big companies, as you know, are outsourcing to India, Thailand and the Philippines. And even our local banks, like DBS, also do a lot of outsourcing.”
“While it would be best if such works have been assigned to the Singapore office, like what Citigroup is doing with their cash, securities, and credit cards, Singaporeans may have to go and work in offices away from home. In other words, our share of the service business pie is getting smaller, and moreover competition from China has also affected our manufacturing side. Now what do we do? Surely we must do something to prevent this loss of jobs. We have never sat idly by. We have faced problems before, and only recently we fought SARS extremely well and gained worldwide recognition for our efforts to contain SARS. This debate would send clear signals to investors that the Singapore Government is seriously urging its people to stand up and face the new realities. The Government has got practically everybody involved - grassroots organisations, unions, employers, politicians like us, all together. And judging from the feedback, this wave of change in mindset, in attitudes, and even in our ego, is beginning to sink into the population. And this would bear well for our country. The pain that many will face is cushioned by the help package that DPM announced last Friday. It may not please all. But it must be managed well at the ground level, by our own grassroots organisations and by our CDCs. So everyone who needs help will be helped. Singaporeans want to know where the jobs are created. So looking at the help package of $1 billion, a substantial sum of $600 million comes from some 60 public sector infrastructure projects. These are mostly small projects, like development and improvement works for roads, schools, community clubs. These would definitely benefit the local contractors. But will the jobs find Singaporean takers? I hope so, especially in these bad times.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not want to lament the past, like my good friend Mr Tan Soo Khoon. I want to see the future. I want to make sure that Singapore succeeds. According to a survey by the Feedback Unit, 70% of Singaporeans have accepted the need for the CPF cut. Now this figure of 70% was before DPM announced the help package. So the figure could have been higher. And I do not intend to bore this House with the reasons why we need to cut CPF any further. PM, DPM and Members of this House have given reasons why this cut is necessary. This debate is about the livelihood of Singaporeans today and the future. It is about labour market flexibility. Are we prepared to change to meet the new challenges of doing businesses in the world? It is also about capability and cost. Are we competitive? But above all, this debate is about jobs and job creation. To the Singaporeans watching us on television every evening, what they are looking for is whether we are able to provide them with jobs, and if they have got no jobs, they want to know what help lines are we giving them. And this is where I will approach this whole issue. These are very serious thoughts in their minds. The House is very familiar with the movement of white-collar jobs, from the US to India, especially in the area of IT outsourcing and business process outsourcing. These are very modern terms but these are very, very important terms for the business world. Other countries are having a slice of this business because of this outsourcing. And, therefore, we see countries like the Philippines and India having a slice of this business cake. Let me tell you, in the Philippines, Proctor & Gamble has already processed its payroll, travel, invoice processing and other work at offices in Manila.”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister whether he would consider the precinct for Interim Upgrading as the vast majority of families have supported the upgrading programme, not in the immediate future but, at least, later on?”
“Most, I believe, will comply; some, out of ignorance, have to be informed and helped to comply; while some will need the law to come down hard on them to make sure they comply. This piece of legislation will have all the clout to make sure that all fall in line in this battle. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support this Bill.”
“Moreover, if a SARS case happens at the clinic, there is the unpleasant task of quarantining and disrupting their way of life. The SARS patient I saw was exposed to six other patients at the waiting room. All were under Home Quarantine Orders, and they were naturally unhappy. Therefore, sending all feverish patients to GPs is not the right thing. What we should do is to clearly tell the temperature operators: (1) Send all those with less than 38 degrees centigrade to see their own doctor, with clear, precise referral letters given. I take 38 degrees centigrade because that is the reference temperature given; and (2) Send all those with more than 38 degrees centigrade to a fever screening centre, again with a letter of direct referral. At the fever screening centre, there can be a proper triage to sieve out the potential SARS and non-SARS cases. Do not have too much red tape at the screening centre, which should also be open to all who want to be screened, eg, taxi drivers, housewives, etc. There should be little or no red tape, as I said, and it should also welcome walk-in patients and serve also as a SARS information centre. Of course, the centres must be manned by doctors and nurses. One symptom of SARS is body ache. So, many acupuncturists are treating all these body aches, without realising that they could be treating SARS patients. Mr Speaker, Sir, to prevent the spread of SARS, we need the utmost cooperation, understanding, and action on the part of each and every Singaporean. Our personal needs have to be put aside to give way to the wider and bigger need of the general population, ie, the need to contain an unknown enemy, or the latter would disrupt and even destroy the very fabric of our society.”
“The doctors know what to do because the guidelines given are very clear and good though, at the practical level, we doctors do face problems because of the confines of limited space to do a triage of our patients, who also come at different times. If we know that, so far, temperature is the most reliable indicator, we must work on it and capitalise on it. We have a wide network of polyclinics and hospitals. I am proposing to the Minister to consider the setting up of fever screening centres close to many such institutions. These centres should be set apart from the main hospital buildings and not in the building itself. This is important, because of the fear factor of going to hospitals or polyclinics. These fever screening centres should be a stand-alone tentage, like the one I saw on television, at Alexandra Hospital. It should be convenient, with a pleasing ambience, and not hard and not too cold. What do we do at such screening centres? Mr Speaker, at this point, I hope that the Clerk of Parliament has distributed the second chart to all the Members of Parliament. Let me also review what I am hoping the Minister would consider the fever screening centres. All Singaporeans who are involved in monitoring temperatures in the various schools, kindergartens, work places and child-care centres must know of such centres closest to their schools, etc, and must be clear as to what to do. It is no use sending all fever cases to GPs to get a letter stating that the person is free from SARS and, therefore, can attend school or work, as is what is happening. GPs do not have the ability to confirm or to detect SARS. At GP clinics, there lies a danger of spreading the virus because of the small waiting room and the air-conditioned environment.”
“Where are these gaps? Some of these are: not telling the truth to doctors about travel, not obeying quarantine orders, not reporting the temperature level truthfully. Take me, for example. I isolated myself. Why? Because I want to close this gap of potential spread should I become infected. It is a social responsibility since I know that close contact and respiratory droplets spread the virus. Similarly, all Singaporeans must take their own responsibility seriously, strictly and be disciplined, and not to be angry when the nurse calls you to check. In fact, a nurse Rohana just called me to check whether I was all right when I was writing this speech. I thanked her and I praised her. While we have achieved good results at the hospitals, the situation at the community is going to be different. This is because the community like the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre is not a controlled environment. We are dealing with a mixed batch of constituents. And this is where our communication must be clear, exact and precise to calm, to inform and to instruct people how to comply or we might end up punishing wrong people. Mr Speaker, Sir, many Singaporeans are taking temperatures at schools, kindergartens, childcare centres, workplaces and even at homes. This is wise because temperature is the only certain and consistent clue that this virus gave us, so we must jump on this. After the temperature taking lies the problem. What to do if the temperature is more than 37, more than 38, more than 39? Now, they send all these to the GPs and polyclinic doctors, but is this the right thing? SARS may be spread this way. I think we must improve the guidelines given to Singaporeans at large.”
“I even called MOS Ng Eng Hen when my temperature was 37.6 and he informed Dr Lim Suet Wun of Tan Tock Seng Hospital about my case. I was prepared for the worst case scenario; by then, it was not fear but the determination to fight. So far, I am symptom-free and my temperature is constantly below 37 degrees. Mr Speaker, Sir, when we fear the unknown, we cannot think straight and we tend to do the worst. I think my patient was not truthful in telling my nurse his temperature the next day because of his hesitation and saying not to worry, "I have no SARS." On retrospect, I can see it was a clear sign of denial. As for myself, I decided to stay isolated at home and monitor myself carefully with temperature taking very frequently. This is because of social obligation I owe to my family, my friends and my colleagues. My patients and my doctor colleagues' patients fear hospitals, they fear the nurses, the doctors who come into contact with SARS patients. Can we blame them? No. We must manage their fear and fear is the one factor that is going to work against our effort to check this disease. PM's concern on this fact was televised for all Singaporeans. We are therefore fighting two fronts: one, the SARS itself, and, two, the psychological battle of winning the minds of the people that we must unite and isolate the virus, instead of letting the virus isolate us. Now the virus is isolating us, restricting our lifestyle, damaging the economy and causing untold damage to the tourist industry, our hotels and restaurants. This Bill before us is to close the gaps and to reinforce our efforts to isolate the virus. It is to educate and police effectively the current measures of control taken by identifying index cases, case tracing, isolation, ringfencing and quarantine.”
“Like yesterday in Parliament, the Health Minister informed this House the recovery rate is more than 90%. So highlighting the death case and those in ICU are not helpful in calming the anxieties of Singaporeans. With your permission, Sir, I have circulated a clinical picture of the SARS to reinforce the Minister's point and to better inform the House and the public so that they have a better understanding of this disease. In this chart, you will notice the infectivity is none, or very low, in the incubation period and the infectivity of the cases rises from low during the prodrome stage to very high during the lower respiratory stage. So Singaporeans must seek treatment to ensure 90% cure. The fact that there are no more new healthcare workers being infected at Tan Tock Seng Hospital shows that the transmission is halted or dramatically reduced. The strict isolation and barrier nursing techniques (mask, glove, gown) have been effective and Singaporeans need not fear going to TTSH. My concern is sometimes patients do not tell doctors the truth about their travels or about their exposure to SARS contact or even their correct temperature readings because of denial or stigmatisation. All these are borne out of fear, and the Prime Minister was right when he spoke at length about it. I personally experienced it when I was informed by the Ministry of Health of the patient I saw who later died of SARS. I worried about my loved ones, I worried about my grandson who is so close to me and who had spent the whole Sunday playing with me, I worried about almost everything. Even my heart beat was faster than usual with a few dropped beats and my temperature even shot up to 37.6, but I soon took control of myself and decided to fight against it, if ever I get infected.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker, for letting me participate in this debate and the trouble taken to get me connected to this House. This is an important Bill because it seeks to amend the Infectious Diseases Act to ensure Singaporeans comply with the various measures taken to combat a disease, the spread of SARS. We must take these measures seriously or SARS will spread fast. It is a new disease, a new virus, an unknown virus, it changes itself quickly and you do not know how, or when, or where it will strike. Let me share with you, Mr Speaker, Sir, a personal experience. There was this man doing his usual chore of delivering vegetables to the market when he suddenly developed a fever. He never thought much about it because he never stepped out of the country. He consulted me on 15th April and I advised him to monitor his temperature daily in view of the current SARS situation. The next day, over the phone, he told my nurse, after some hesitation, his temperature was normal and told her not to worry as he has no SARS. We did not hear from him till 21st April when the Ministry of Health official called to inform me that the patient died of SARS. When I saw him, Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre was not a SARS cluster. Mr Speaker, Sir, every fever patient who sees a doctor is worried that he or she might get SARS. The connotation of having SARS carries with it a stigma and, worse still, that he or she is going to die. They want to avoid hospitals because getting referred there is, to them, like a death sentence. This is because our television and press coverage only shows patients in intensive care unit with tubes shoved into their noses, mouths and limbs. This is a poor image of the problem and enhances the fear factor even more.”
“Yes, I think there is a lot of time. Very briefly, there are so many practices and social behaviours that non-Muslims are actually not very sure about, and I was wondering whether the Minister could ask MUIS to give those on the ground clear directives as to what is correct behaviour and what is not. Because, sometimes, we do not know whether or not to shake hands with a person, and why at a function all the food must be halal. We want to get some clear directive as to what is correct and what is wrong. That is one. The other point I want to seek clarification on is with regard to the matter on religious teachers which I brought up previously, because I want to make sure that politics and religion are not mixed at the mosque. Can I ask the Minister whether there are any more PAS members teaching at our mosques?”
“Yes, Sir, I would like to seek two clarifications from the Minister. He mentioned that MUIS has allocated $800,000 for public education. I think that is quite a good sum. I am sure many of us on the ground always have this feeling that we are not so sure as to how ---”
“Sir, can I seek clarification from the Minister?”
“Sir, I want to bring to the attention of the Ministry of Health one area of high cost which I think we should look into. At the specialist outpatient clinics, when patients go and see these specialists, they know the cost. If it is a consultant, they know how much to pay. If it is a Registrar, they know how much to pay. But then, after the consultation, a prescription is usually given. And it is this prescription that I want to bring to the attention of the Minister. Some of the drugs that are given to the patients are very expensive drugs. For those who suffer from heart illness and high blood pressure, cholesterol raised, the drugs used to treat all these conditions are really very expensive. Normally, they are given a three-month supply of medication which is actually a lot. The cost can be a lot. Sometimes, it is as much as $500. So I am suggesting that we should advise the specialists to give maybe a two-week supply first. If it is agreeable, then you have a further extension of the purchase of whatever drugs. Because, many a time, some of the patients do not agree with these drugs. And I think it is a lot of wastage here. I hope that the Ministry will look into it. One way perhaps is to ask the pharmacists to advise the patients maybe to just take a two-week supply first before they resort to taking more.”
“And they hope we can use the funds for all this major upgrading to take care of the wear and tear within the flats. This is like a one-off thing. Many of these practical needs cannot be seen. They are all hidden, like the piping system and sewer pipes, which you cannot see them. But these are actually the areas where you should upgrade, not so much the external facade. And, of course, another area that they really want upgrading is the lifts. They want the lift to stop at every landing, which is very practical, and we should support that. The next thing they want is to make sure that these upgrading programmes are affordable and within their means. The reason again is simple - economy is bad, there is uncertainty of jobs and loss of jobs in some cases. Although the HDB has a very well structured payment programme, the truth is that, at the end of the day, they still have to pay. So an item like additional space does not attract their attention as it costs a lot more, some about $20,000. We should pay attention to how best to fund these needs, perhaps taking away some of the funds allocated for external use for these internal changes. This is because town councils also do a good deal of external works, landscaping ---”
“Madam, upgrading, in the form of interim upgrading, main upgrading and lift upgrading, has changed many of the HDB estates into somewhat like condominium style living environment. Those who benefited in the early batches enjoyed the fruits of these upgrading exercises. But, today, the situation has changed because of the economy and changed situations. Some upgrading exercises, especially the major upgrading programmes, no longer appear that attractive because the Government is providing less money for these upgrading programmes and payment for flats has become a very heavy commitment for many of the flat dwellers. In the past, when times were good and there was no history of upgrading to learn from, I believe there were excesses in our upgrading programme. We built elaborate entrances, signages, walkways and pillars. So we have made mistakes, but we gained experiences. We have learnt from such mistakes and with the experiences gained, we have improved. So, now, we see our HDB estates better upgraded and more functional. Still, we must continue to better the upgrading programmes. So my purpose in moving this cut is to ask the Ministry to have a relook at these upgrading exercises to make them more practical, more affordable, with less wastage and duplication. What is it that a flat owner wants? From all the grumbles and frustrations brought to us at our MPS and the feedback sessions, I think they want special attention to be paid to very practical needs. They want changes made to the piping system, the water pipes, the sewer pipes, old electrical fittings for safety reasons, toilets to make sure they do not leak so that they have a clean environment, spalling concrete to prevent accidents. These are what they want.”
“On that note, Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion. 1.35 pm”
“I remember a couple of Malay families cried when my branch members gave them food vouchers to spend for their Hari Raya. Their children were living on bread and water for some time. I bring up these examples to highlight a point that while we embark on this high road of economic changes, do not forget that many may not be able to follow us. We must, at times, look back and help the slow ones along. This will bind us as a nation. This group of people will find the going very tough. As the economy changes, they will find jobs more and more difficult to come by. Jobs that we are attracting are beyond them. Their educational level, as I said, is low and the technology is not there to meet the changing needs. We have a potential social problem and we must make sure we address this problem. We must make sure that they do not fall into this poverty trap or else it will be a big social problem for us in the years to come. Has the Budget addressed this? I think the Budget may not have focused a lot on this area. They have given S&C and rental rebates. But these rebates are for all. Everyone living in an HDB flat gets these rebates. It is not targeted. I know CDCs have helped through financial assistance and job matching. But what I would like to see is a more structured organisation at the national level doing this function, rather than ad-hoc measures. Perhaps we can start by finding out the profiles of these people through our Government agencies and maintain a register to assist the CDCs at the ground level. With such a structure in place, we may have a better feel and understanding of the situation and take whatever measures necessary. And many a time, the voluntary welfare organisations can play an important role as counsellors, and their involvement will be very useful.”
“Second, some are not able to pay their S&C bills, and sometimes pasting notices on their doors requiring them to make payments is very embarrassing for them. I think they have gone through a lot of trauma and we should be more careful when we implement some of the ways of recovering these bills. Third, some are not able to pay their HDB loans and mortgages. Most of us have faced this at our meet-the-people sessions. This is where we have to relook at how to advise them on the restructuring of their loans for a longer period and also how to advise them to downgrade to a smaller flat, and sometimes this smacks into bureaucracy. And this is where I urge HDB to pay some attention to this area. Maybe we should allow them to rent a flat, because there is no need to insist that everybody must own a home. I think rental is a better option for some of them. So, we should not try to force them to buy a flat. For those who are not able to pay kindergarten fees, this is where we can help. All branches and CDCs have pitched in to help some of these students who cannot afford these fees. Education is very important. I make it a point, at my constituency, to make sure that every child who cannot afford should come to see me. Because if the children are deprived of an education, it would be a great burden to their family later on because they are not productive. And, of course, some are not able to pay medical bills. This is something which many of us encounter at our meet-the-people sessions, and we have to look into how we can help these people to manage their admission to hospitals. Our CDCs, NTUC Fairpirce, our own Party and, of course, our education and welfare funds have all chipped in to help this group of people.”
“Many hold jobs that are affected by the restructuring of our economy. When a firm upgrades and starts to computerise and send messages by emails and faxes, despatch riders and drivers would be out of work. This is true also when the firms cut cost. The Chinese and Indians, though smaller in numbers, are the recently retrenched, and they are usually from the smaller firms. I spoke to a Malay who just got retrenched from PSA. He felt that he and some of his friends were retrenched because they cost more to hire than foreigners. And I have heard of such stories at our feedback sessions. In the past, some of the jobs were traditionally taken up by the less educated Singaporeans, be they Chinese, Malays or Indians. These jobs are usually manual and construction jobs. But they are now lost to foreigners. The reasons given are that foreigners are cheaper - which is true - and they are prepared to work longer hours. So, today, we have lost that cushion. These Singaporeans, together with the sizable number of our mature unemployed workforce, belong to what we describe as "structural unemployed". They lack the technology and the language of the computer age. Our Lifelong Learning Fund may not be within their reach, because they are usually not unionised. So, I find it very difficult for them to make use of this Fund for their retraining. Let us see some of the problems that these people face. First, most of them are not able to pay their electricity and water bills. Some live in darkness and depend on neighbours or relatives for water. It is a sad situation. This is where I ask Singapore Power to be more considerate. When these people come to pay a little bit of their bills, do not cut off their water and electricity supply.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is going to be a tough year for the planners and for the people. Tough for the planners because of the uncertainty created by the impending war, rising oil prices and China's competition; and tough for the people because of job losses, the fear and worry of retrenchment. My parliamentary colleagues have already covered a wide range of topics, including CPF changes, business costs, entrepreneurship and the bureaucracy. I do not propose to go over them. However, I would like to draw the attention of the Deputy Prime Minister to potential social problems at our HDB heartlands. The last two days' debate produced some very strong arguments, calling for the Government to do more to alleviate the plight of Singaporeans affected by this downturn. Amongst many suggestions is one calling for the setting up of a central fund for retrenched workers, into which our Singaporeans can donate monies and shares given to them by the Government by contributing their ERS shares. I remember the hon. Member, Mdm Halimah Yacob, also suggested even using the CPF, of course, with some conditions attached, for a contribution to this fund. This call, repeated by my fellow MPs, brings into focus the issue of poverty at the HDB heartlands. Many of us can feel the difference at our MPS, compared two years ago and now. The number of people approaching us for financial assistance and jobs has all gone up and, in my opinion, by at least 30%. Who are these people? They cannot fit into the ERC profile. They are casualties of this economic restructuring. They are not very well educated, and the majority of them are Malays, with Chinese and Indians increasing in number. The Malays are the hardest hit in this economic downturn.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Minister must be aware that the Malaysians have no intention to settle the various issues. To the Malaysians, no solution is also a solution, and we have to remember this. They have their own domestic politics to play to. If they were to settle all the issues, I think they have a difficult way of winning their ground. So, we must have this behind our heads when we go and negotiate. Therefore, I ask the Minister to see whether there is an easier version of what he has given to us as our ground. I think our ground is very important. Let us concentrate on our own ground, ie, we must convince Singaporeans, for example, that we are not unreasonable, that we are always sticking to the 3-sen price negotiation, and that we have actually been the more reasonable party. And that we are also prepared to up it to 45 sen, but it is always changing at every negotiation table. Therefore, I believe that the Malaysians have no intention to sell us water in the coming years. Let us face the truth. For Pedra Branca, let the ground know that it belongs to Singapore. It is not a disputed territory and that if Malaysia wants to challenge us, they have to do so through the International Court, and that their navy cannot come and patrol our waters. And I think we should tell them very seriously that we really mean business.”
“The Acting Minister for Community Development and Sports and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I would like to thank Dr Tan for his support of the White Paper and the support of the Malay/Muslim community. I would just like to clarify a point that he has raised, because I think it is useful to clarify in this House. The speakers that were invited by the mosques, go through the vetting process and they have to get clearance from MUIS. The speakers that were featured in the article were speakers who were invited by the mosques long before they became PAS members. They were invited in their own right as religious teachers. But having said that, Sir, I would just like to assure the House that we will step up our measures to ensure that whatever they do in Singapore, we will monitor very, very closely in terms of what they do and what they say. So far, we have not had any incidents, especially with this group of speakers, in terms of the views that they have presented. But, we have also in the past, rejected permission sought by some mosques to invite some of the foreign speakers. So, I would like to assure the House that the process is in place, Sir.”
“Mr Yatiman Yusof and Mr Zainudin Nordin rejected Mr Shanmugam's call for some form of affirmative action for Malays. They do not want symbolic icons of success. They want to be at the top on their own merit. They have come this far on their own; so there is no need for special treatment. They do not want to devalue the Malay community's position in society. So, let us be on our guard - affirmative action is potentially divisive and has other undesirable consequences. We are under the watchful eyes of the JI. So, every possible avenue must be closed to them because JI comes in many guises and forms. We must not give them space to operate. Their teachings must be challenged, and their wrong-doings exposed. Singaporeans of all races who believe in peace and prosperity must call the agenda, and work out a strategy to stop this. This strategy involves the strengthening of our security at every level of our society. In other words, every citizen must be on their guard to report any suspicious activity or personnel to the authorities. On the part of the Chinese and Indians, attitudes of prejudice must give way to one of understanding the trauma that our Malays are going through. If we seek assurances from the Malays, we, especially the Chinese, must give them the assurances that there will be no job discrimination against Malays as this is happening in some firms. To do likewise, is to play into the hands of JI. Finally, we can overcome, if each and every Singaporean understands the threat posed by the JI and acts as a lookout post for our security men. This vital cooperation will make whoever wants to take on us, think twice, before trying. Sir, I support this White Paper.”
“So, how can we allow such religious teachers, with a strong political stand of creating an Islamic state in Malaysia, be allowed to preach and advise? I think the mosque leaders are too naive to believe that giving them a list of "do's and don'ts" would stop them from preaching their brand of Islam. Their very presence is a show of acceptance. This mixing of politics and religion, and sending the wrong signals to non-Muslims and Muslims, is very discomforting and not reassuring. You are giving them space and, worse still, credibility, to preach under the guise of piety and religion. The mosque leaders must be aware of the sensitivities of the other communities, especially in the light of the present circumstances. The vetting of foreign religious leaders, be they Muslims, Christians, Hindus, must be careful and discriminating. In a multi-racial and multi-religious society, the use of religion in festering dissent and discord is serious because religion evokes emotion and passion, and is beyond reasoning. We must avoid this at all costs. The past two days of debate brought into focus the question: are Malays being marginalised in a meritocratic society? The article "From the Gallery" by Tan Tarn How gives a broad coverage to this issue. A community that is marginalised because of race and religious beliefs works against the interest of a multi-racial, multi-religious society, and this is exactly what these extremist groups want to see it happen. So, if we, as leaders, and the press, push this line of argument that the Malays are marginalised, then we are playing into the hands of the JI. The Prime Minister had given figures on the improved performances of Malay students over the years. Dr Wang Kai Yuen restated it yesterday.”
“So when I read the headline article on 14th January, "Let's All Back JI White Paper - Urges the leader of Khatijah Mosque", I see it as a good and clear signal. Other organisations, like Pergas, the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association, have come out in support. The latest MUIS' statement on the correct practice of Muslims is most welcomed. This, coupled with my Malay parliamentary colleagues' press statement, condemning the JI and its extremist agenda, augurs well for all of us, especially the non-Muslims and those who want to invest here. Non-Muslims need these kinds of assurances, that the JI is an extreme group rejected by the community, and to dispel the misconception that Islam is the cause of the problem. In fact, my MP colleague, Ahmad Khalis, made a good and spirited speech, to respond to concerns expressed by some quarters, including views by Ayatollah Khomeini in 1984 and philosopher Rogers Scruton, that Islam does not mean peace. It is important that such views be challenged, so that Muslims and non-Muslims will not support these serious charges. The White Paper highlighted that many of the JI members learned their radical views from foreigners. So when the Straits Times on 17th January reported that some mosques regularly invited PAS politician-cum-religious leaders to preach at the mosques, I was shocked. PAS is a political party in Malaysia, advocating an Islamic state. They control two states in Malaysia - Trengganu and Kelantan - under Islamic rule. Their brand of Islam is too extreme. They are proposing hudud laws. I am against intolerance to other religions. In Singapore, we have separated politics and religion.”
“Their dressing and social behaviour have also changed. There is nothing wrong in being pious. However, these changes and trends have made the Chinese and Indians colour their attitudes towards them. I do not think this is racial in nature. I blame this on human nature's association of thoughts, trends and events, that have made them feel this way. I think this attititudinal change happens everywhere. We have seen it happening in the United States, Australia, Britain, and even in Belgium in a place called Antwerp. But we must take swift action not to allow this to sow seeds of distrust. Over the years since independence, at the ground level, each community has contributed to the closely-knit society of multi-racial living and that probably helps a great deal during such trying times. However, we must never take things for granted. We must move forward and continue to work on this foundation, reinforcing the need to live together harmoniously, and giving assurances and words of comfort to each community. Thus, the many statements of support from the Malay community, especially outsiders, help to give strong signals of assurances to the non-Muslim communities, that the JI is the work of a minority of Muslims, and that the majority of Malays are against their actions and wrong-doings. Moderate Malay leaders must not let the extremist minority call the agenda. Non-Muslims watch the reactions of our Malay community towards this White Paper because non-Muslims want assurances, and investors also want assurances. Yesterday, my colleague, Ahmad Khalis, told this House that more than 127 Malay organisations have openly come out to support the Government's action and condemned the JI. This is the most significant stand and speaks well for the Malay leadership.”
“We must do our utmost to prevent them from spreading their network, and this is where every citizen counts in our approach to block, frustrate, and to check their activities and movements. We must remember our security is under attack, and unless our citizens show their determination and resolve to protect what we have built up over the years, we may suffer severe damages to lives and targets. The White Paper showed clearly the targets these people are gunning - MRT stations, shopping and crowded places, places of worship, airports, and many soft targets - where civilian casualties will be high. They are not worried about killing Muslims, Christians, Hindus and foreigners. To them the ideology comes first. They want to create chaos - security, racial, religious, social and economic chaos - preventing investors to come, and disrupting and destroying the infrastructures we built. This is a national issue. And all races must band together and not let these anti-national elements break us apart. We have come this far through working together and enjoying the benefits of strong economic growth, good education, medical care, good housing, and security. We walk the streets safely. Do not let these be taken away. These are all worth fighting for, and dying for. We must not give these up easily by allowing these people to throw a spanner into our society and make our Chinese and Indian communities distrust the Malay community, just because they happen to embrace Islam. The media, television, radio and newspapers have put Muslims in the limelight because of events like September 11, and the carnage at Bali. Our Malay community, being Muslims, have been drawn into this. Moreover, of late, our Malays have become more pious and religious.”
“Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, for letting me speak. Today's debate is important because we are discussing a topic that has affected and will continue to affect the lives of all Singaporeans. For 30-odd years, we have enjoyed peace and prosperity. Then came September 11 which shook the whole world. To many Singaporeans, this tragedy opens the eyes of many to the dangers that could fall upon them. This fear was confirmed when we discovered a terrorist group and arrested 15 members of this radical Islamic group, Jemaah Islamiyah, in December 2001. They had very sinister motives, including bombings of foreign embassies and even local targets, like Yishun MRT Station. Then in August 2002, ISD arrested another 21 persons. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the message is very clear. We better get to understand and expose the terrorist network and the dangers they pose before our citizens get hurt or killed. Judging from the information being covered and linking this with other countries' findings, this is going to last a very, very long time. Therefore, this White Paper is timely. Because of the in-depth discussion on the terrorist operations and the people involved, this White Paper is a must read for all who cherish this place. It provides an important source of information and understanding for the average citizen, who must know, by now, how close we were to tragic happenings of the kind seen at Bali where more than 200 lives were lost. They will better appreciate why we took such swift actions against these anti-national elements. The truth of the matter is that the terrorists are at our doorsteps.”
“Right. I hope you get what I am trying to say.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I just seek a point of clarification from the Minister? This is a matter concerning CME and registration. Must a person be a practising doctor before he can do his CME? For instance, there are quite a number of doctors here in this House, eg, Dr Balaji Sadasivan, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, who are no longer practising. They also need registration but they are non-practising doctors. Can they get registration also, without having to go through, say, the CME, because they are in this particular position, and let them take the CME later, say, when they have finished their political career and they want to go ---”
“I know that the original reason why they did not allow was that many women, who took up medical studies, finally did not end up practising, and that is a sure waste of manpower. I remember also in the old House, we had a lot of discussions on why women, who want to take up medicine, should have a little less priority. But through the hard work of Dr Lily Neo and many Members in the House, the Minister has changed this. The other point is enlarging the list of overseas medical colleges and universities. Yes, we had actually many cases of very bright students who could not get places in the universities here and they had gone into some of the overseas universities which were very good. But, unfortunately, they did not get recognition. Dublin, Adelaide, for example, are very good universities. But they did not fall into that list and the students who graduated from those good universities failed to get registration. And that is a pity. So I hope that list would include such good universities too. With that note, I support the Bill.”
“When I first read the Bill, there is one particular clause that caught my attention and, that is, the new sections 49A and 49B which actually call for the interim suspension order. And like Dr Neo, I was a little bit worried because we might be actually prejudging a doctor and subjecting him to some sentence before he is actually found guilty. But having heard the Minister, I am quite comforted now. He said that this particular interim order will only be used when there is compelling evidence. And he also cited compelling evidence like doctors who may be of unsound mind. After some time, we doctors, through years of practice and ageing, may also have undergone mental changes. Some of them may also be a bit of schizophrenic. When you get all those cases, I would agree with the Minister that you had better suspend these doctors first before you put them back into practice, or even wait for the lengthy procedure that usually takes place when we investigate a doctor who is subjected to disciplinary procedures. He also mentioned about the safeguards for the rights of doctors, and I do not want to elaborate on them. The other point was this full registration of doctors or housemen who are Singapore degree holders. I honestly do not see much change. In the past, it was also the same. The doctor who has completed six years of medical school, goes through one year of housemanship and then he gets registered. Of course, he must subject himself to a review by his peers to make sure that he is fully qualified because passing an examination is one thing, but doing the practical aspects of medical practice is another thing. Therefore, I agree with the Minister too. The other point is that he also mentioned that there will be more women being allowed to enrol into medical school.”
“Mr Speaker, I did not give notice to speak. But having heard the Minister and also Dr Lily Neo, I thought I want to say something. In particular, I am very concerned about CME. I remember 20-odd years ago, when I was in the College of General Practitioners, we mooted this idea of CME. I am indeed glad that it has been adopted now. 20 years is a long time. But, at that time, we set out the format for doctors to undergo this CME training. It is true that doctors should stay abreast of science and also the practice of medicine. However, I can see some problems now because many practising doctors, especially general practitioners, are trying to find time to attend all these lectures and talks. At the moment, I notice that there are also drug companies trying to participate in these CME exercises, and I remember this has stretched as far as 20 years ago when we started this, where they invited a lot of practitioners to attend the talks that were given by drug companies and the lectures were given by doctors and specialists. I thought that was very good. In the year 2000, as stated by the Minister, 39% managed to fulfil the 25-point requirement, and in the year 2001, 49.5% fulfilled. I hope that the Ministry, or the people who are in charge of this CME, would find some easier format for the hardworking doctors, both practitioners outside and also in the institution, to be given the time to participate in this CME exercise. In other words, like Dr Neo said, it must be flexible and achievable. I am sure the Minister would take note of that and make those recommendations to the people who are formulating all these CME exercises.”
“Sir, my question was whether these were two factors ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, is the Minister of State aware that in the debate on public transport, I moved an amendment asking this House and the Government to take into consideration two factors in any price increase? One factor is the state of the economy. The other factor is the unemployment situation in this country.”
“Sir, I beg to move an amendment to item (3) of the amendment moved by Dr Tan Boon Wan, as follows: In Item (3), line 3, after the word "as", to insert the words, "the state of the economy, the employment situation,". I hope Members will support this amendment.”
“Sir, I would like to make an amendment to Dr Tan Boon Wan's amendment, to take into consideration all the three points that I have brought up. Can I refer Members to lines 5 and 6 again? With my amendment, item (3) of”
“They will know that this is an important request, coupled with a better communication process, as suggested by the Minister, would put things right in future. There are two limbs to this original motion and Dr Tan Boon Wan amended the first limb. He also included, in his amendment, PM's call for his support for the principle of PTC granting small increases. I think we have no objection to that. As for his other amendment in lines 5 and 6, we also have no objection, except that we would like to see the order of the two factors that he put to this House reversed. Can I refer Members to his amendment? Item 3, the third and the fourth lines, it says, "to take into consideration relevant factors such as the viability of the public transport operators and affordability of the commuters." I think the reverse is more correct. Because if we were to look at his amendment, it would seem that we are favouring the transport operators. For us, our concern, as Members of this House, is that the commuters should come first. So we will reverse the order - "affordability of the commuters" should come first, followed by "viability of the public transport operators.". The amendment, however, fails to address two important issues which have been dealt with at length by Members of this House. One is the state of the economy. I do not want to discuss this at length because so much has been spoken and so many figures have been given. We all know the state of the economy. The other one is the unemployment situation. Figures have been thrown out - 88,000 from the Deputy Prime Minister in the Budget debate, and my colleague, Mr Tan Soo Khoon gave a figure of 100,000. So, the unemployment situation is an important consideration in any future fare increase by the bus operators.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak on Dr Tan Boon Wan's amendment. When speaking on this motion, I asked myself whether this debate moved by Mr Tan Soo Khoon has achieved the objectives that he and a group of us have set out. We have listened to the Minister. He has given a lot of explanations. It is not only by him, but by the former Minister for Communications and the Senior Minister of State for Transport on the need for the price increase. A lot of explanations have been given and we do hope that the public will receive these explanations well. However, I am not so sure whether people understand the CPI + X factor. I know the Senior Minister of State for Transport has said that if we really understand the formula, all things will be solved. I think there will be another session for this. We have set out three objectives. The first objective is to let the Government know of the sentiment and the feel of the ground. We have achieved this in this debate. I guess we have done very well hearing from all my parliamentary colleagues. We could feel that they have expressed the true feelings of the ground and, to sum it up, do not take them for granted. And the Minister has already given us his assurance that they will listen, and we do hope that the message has been put across to them. We also have another objective, which is to let the transport operators show to the ground that the efficiency is not at the expense of the general commuter. Again, judging from the numerous suggestions and requests made by Members of Parliament in this House, I think the message has also been put across to them. We also want to let PTC know that we want more transparency. And, again, judging from all the various suggestions, I think the message has already been given to them.”
“In my view, a 20% error for 10 bus rides is unacceptable. I understand that the ez-link card has been introduced only recently. Perhaps the Minister should request the bus companies to have a longer testing period of the ez-link card until September this year, as originally announced, before the bus operators be allowed to use the ez-link card again. Apparently, it is difficult to collect a refund for over-payment. This prompted one, Mr J Seow, to write to the tabloid, Streats, on Monday, 17th June 2002 issue, advising other readers: "Do not bother to claim your refund should you forget to tap your ez-link card when you alight from the bus. It is not worth the hassle." If that were truly the case, then I wonder why the PTC should allow bus companies to use the ez-link card system to collect fares at all, if the error rate remains at 20%.”
“The public not only save on their telephone bills but also get better service. Another issue with the bus service is the recent introduction of the ez-link cards to replace the TransitLink farecards. I have been told that in the case of the ez-link cards, there are possibilities of over-payment on the part of commuters. Commuters nowadays board a bus and, if a commuter is using the ez-link card, on entering the bus, the maximum fare is automatically deducted from his ez-link card after tapping it on the card reader. When the commuter reaches his destination, he taps his card at the exit card reader. Any balance of the maximum fare is credited back to the commuter's ez-link card. Should there be a malfunction of the ez-link card before he alights from the bus, nothing shall be credited back to the ez-link card of the commuter, which means that he has to pay the maximum fare; currently, up to $1.53 for air-conditioned trunk services and up to $2.13/$2.28 for SBS/TIBS express services. Commuters know that if they forget to tap their ez-link cards, they shall be charged the maximum fare. However, how many know that if the ez-link system malfunctions in any way, they shall also be charged the maximum fare? In addition, a transfer will be classed as a new "ride", and they will lose the transfer rebate of 25 cents for trunk services and MRT rides. One commuter complained to me that he experienced out of 10 bus and MRT journeys, including transfers, when using the ez-link card, he encountered ez-link malfunction twice, ie, about 20% error rate, after which he immediately stopped using his ez-link card for several weeks. The commuter has requested me to ask the Minister what is the error rate of the ez-link card on buses.”
“SBS Transit reported last year, despite a dip in profits of 22%, it still made $39.6 million. This was reported by Mr Tan Soo Khoon just now. When SBS Transit was formed out of a large number of small bus companies in the 1970s, the Senior Minister, who was the Prime Minister then, was so confident of its success that he could promise shareholders of at least, or a guaranteed, minimum of 5% annual return. I believe, that promise has very much been exceeded. I believe that the SBS Transit is now paying shareholders something like 17% dividends. So the major bus companies in Singapore are definitely making good profits. Sir, I believe the Government has no qualms about treating public bus companies as purely profit-orientated companies, and are not too concerned about their role as providers of public service. I personally feel that in our present Singapore context where the two major bus companies are so protected, they should show an interest in providing public service. They must have the public responsibility because for a large number of Singaporeans that is their only means of transportation. Therefore, they cannot increase their fares on a regular basis to ensure that every year they make hefty profits. If bus companies want to be treated as purely commercial entities, then they must be subjected to the open market competition. The Government should not protect just two bus companies but allow free open market competition. Allow as many bus companies to operate as the market can take. With free open market competition, bus fares shall surely drop, and not steadily increase as in the present case. See what has happened in the case of telephone companies. With competition, SingTel rates have dropped drastically, which the paying public benefit greatly.”
“As we can see, the Government shall also be the beneficiary when there is a bus fare hike. The Government shall be assured of payments of the proposed increase in GST and the ERP charges. As for the ERP charges, it was reported that the Government shall collect something like $4.2 million a year from buses in Singapore. Buses may have to pay more ERP charges when the night ERP charges come into effect. The bus companies are, in a way, a means for the Government to transfer the commuters' money into its own pocket. The bus companies' excuse for fare hikes is the increased cost, especially of staff salary. They say that they have to pay more CPF to their workers when the employer's CPF component was restored a further 4% in January 2000. However, the CPF paid by bus companies to their workers are still lower than the pre-1998 level, when the cost cutting measures were put into effect. The SMRT Corporation reported in the Straits Times of 24th June 2002 that "the cost of operation, both systems, train and bus, has increased 3.1% despite efforts made by the company to contain costs and improve productivity. The SMRT Manpower Productivity in terms of train-kilometre operated per staff member has improved by 4.8% from FY 2001 to FY 2002 through skills training, automation and reviewed processes." It would appear then that the staff salary increases have been mitigated by the improved productivity. The fact remains that the two major bus companies in Singapore, namely, the Singapore Bus Services Transit (SBS Transit) and the Trans Island Bus Service (TIBS) enjoy all the bus business in Singapore. They form a duopoly. They share all the well-designated routes in Singapore, and they annually make good returns or profits.”
“This debate should be seen as an eye-opener for the Government not to take the people for granted. For such public services, where there are no true competitive forces, Government should not allow any increases without acceptable reasons. Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, I am heartened to hear the two Tans who spoke before me. I would like to commend them. At least, now I know that there are PAP Members in the PAP Backbench who do care for the common man in the street. Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion. I say it is very unfair for the Public Transport Council to allow the bus and MRT fares to be increased at this point of time when times are hard. The worse effects of the recession are still not over. Workers who have been retrenched are still suffering, the majority of whom have not been re-employed. They are still floundering in the wilderness of unemployment. The Government, instead of helping them ease their suffering, is making the situation worse for the unemployed. With this bus fare hike, they have to pay more for one of their essential needs - transportation. With the fare hike of between 3 cents and 10 cents, the average worker shall probably have to pay about 10-20% more for bus rides, taking into account the over-payment they shall have to make with the introduction of the ez-link cards due to the fault in their cards, and also their forgetfulness. Why squeeze the poor workers at this point of very difficult times? I would like to call on the Government to get the PTC to revoke forthwith the decision to increase bus fares, which have been increased with effect from July this year, and to freeze the bus fare hike for at least one year, or until the economic situation significantly improves.”