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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“This will let beneficiaries take advantage of any upturn in prices or get out of a falling market. It is not unusual for estate assessment to take one to two years to settle. Beneficiaries should not be penalised unnecessarily because of the lengthy process.”
“Sir, I move this amendment to highlight some of the problems associated with estate duties. Many Singaporeans have built up assets in terms of housing, CPF savings and fixed deposits, stocks and shares, unit trusts, etc. Many will die with some assets for the family, and some will have to pay estate duties. I am not asking for the removal of estate duties. In fact, the estate duties imposed are not onerous. But the process of the IRAS' assessements is lengthy and causes hardship to the deceased family. At my meet-the-people-sessions, I have complaints relating to this. All assets are frozen immediately at the time of death, especially when the deceased is the main sole breadwinner, and this causes financial hardship. Adding to the distress, the family has to pay up in advance an estimated amount of tax and an interest charge is imposed if the amount is unpaid, all this at a time when they have no access to the estate. Obtaining valuations of assets to submit to IRAS is difficult and lengthy. Much work has to be done to obtain valuations on properties, cars, unit trusts, contents of safe deposit boxes, etc. IRAS also requires information on transactions in bank accounts for the past several years, I think up to five years. It is not possible and impractical for family members to trace transaction details of the deceased unless he had kept an impeccable record. The frustrations are immense, especially if the family members are not well versed in managing financial matters. 4.15 pm Assets are frozen until IRAS is satisfied with the assessment and this can take a long time. Nowadays, stock markets are volatile and to a certain extent the property cycle. Perhaps IRAS can consider allowing assets to be sold first and held in a trust account.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion moved by our Prime Minister. Like him, I share the President's grief for the loss of his wife. The President told me a moving tale of his wife when she attended the Charity Ball function. He said she sat through the night function with no signs of any problem. It was a long night and she patiently and courageously went about her duties as the First Lady. But beneath the strong composure, was a woman in severe and excruciating pain. It was only when she reached home that she collapsed in pain. She must be very strong to have gone through this and I am sure she must have put up such a strong front in the course of her duty as the First Lady. She had always stood by the President. She carried her duty as the First Lady with the courage very few can match. Mr Speaker, Sir, my condolence to our President and his family.”
“Have we, for example, any figures to show Singaporeans that the number of such talented foreigners working here is not a threat to them? That is all I want to say, Sir. 5.41 pm”
“If not, this S21 Report carries no meaning. We want Singaporeans to stand tall. Yet, we give too much praise on foreigners. We have good bankers, good business leaders, administrators and they must be very good, or else Singapore cannot be what we are today. We rarely single out such people for recognition. We take them for granted. I am sure we must have many Singaporeans who will be good role models for younger Singaporeans, and we should highlight these people who have made good in their respective fields. Professor Tommy Koh, for example, Fock Siew Wah and even Philip Yeo. I criticised him but I respect that man, because I think he has good talent. He has got vision. He can go round the world and scout for good and appropriate industries to come to this country, so that they can set up factories here and give jobs to our people. That is talent. So we should, in fact, pay a little bit more emphasis to our local talent. I will give another example. We always cite Christopher Tan as a foreign talent, but I think he is a local talent. I know him. We went to school together. We went to university together. We stayed in the same college. He took up biochemistry. But he left Singapore, and he went to Calgary and made a good name for himself. He stayed there and he established a good name. We are proud of him and we brought him over. But now we call him foreign talent. Maybe he has not changed his citizenship. But these are our own local talent, and we should be proud of them. I think Singaporeans deserve a clearer definition of "foreign talent". Who are these talented people? I am not against foreign talent. I want it to be very clear. But I want us in this House to let Singaporeans know who are these talented people.”
“Calling for toning down a message is a disservice, I asked myself? Then how can an ordinary Singaporean stand up to raise issues when such treatment was meted out to a long-standing fellow MP? It is no wonder that the Committee has asked for OB markers, so as not to "stray into them unwittingly". That request for clear guidelines or OB markers could reflect a lack of confidence people have in their judgment and in their thinking. I just want the Minister to enlighten this House on why this recommendation was put into Singapore 21, as I feel it is contrary to openness and creativity. I listened to the discussion on foreign talent very carefully, because I started it in this House, and now I am less clear about the term "foreign talent". It would seem that we are throwing the net very wide, to include people like SIA girls and hairdressers. To me, there is a difference between need and talent. I think it is corporate wisdom to employ Japanese girls to be SIA stewardesses to serve the Japanese sector. That is a need and we should encourage that. It is also good that we should employ European girls to man the European sector and, of course, Indian girls to man the Indian sector. But that is not talent. To me, it is a need. Therefore, I want to be clear now. Later, I hope the Minister or someone can tell me what "foreign talent" really stands for. I can understand if we get an international figure like Mr Olds to look after DBS Bank. He is well known. He is knowledgeable. We all accept it and most Singaporeans too accept it. It seems that if you talk to Singaporeans and say that foreigners are now talented people, they would say that we surely must have local talents too. We must give Singaporeans a sense of pride being Singaporeans.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Singapore 21 Report. I think it is a good Report and we should all support it. I went through the Report and I was quite impressed. I came to page 54 and there was this short paragraph. I will read it out: 'Fourthly, there should be an attempt to spell out the "out-of-bound markers" in more precise and transparent terms. When these "OB" markers are clearer, people can be encouraged to take a more active part in civic life, knowing that there is less danger of straying into them unwittingly.' This Committee has asked the Government to spell out these out-of-bound markers. It is not specific. The Committee did not specify any particular field where Singaporeans should not dwell too deeply into. When I read this, I was thinking of areas like race and religion, but I am not so sure. That is why I want the Minister to clarify this point later. To me, the fact that this has been asked means that young Singaporeans want guidance, clear boundaries, so that they can think and act within set rules, and they will not think beyond pre-set boundaries. Do young Singaporeans want this, I asked myself, to be told what they can say and what they cannot say? Can this be the basis for creative minds to flourish in Singapore? Can we have meaningful discussion and thinking? Why do people need OB markers before participating in debates and discussion? When I read this, I was drawn back to the discussion I had earlier on in this House when I asked for the toning down of the call on foreign talent in this economic crisis. I, who have stood in this House with a record of nearly 19 years of public service, was labelled by a Minister to be doing a disservice to my country for bringing up this subject in this Chamber.”
“This way, I hope our minority races will feel more comfortable about our SAP schools. 2.30 pm Sir, we can never totally address this problem because of the way that SAP schools were set up. But we can try to minimise the minorities' concerns with the cluster school concept. However, it is not just at our SAP school level that we want to see better interaction. There is more to this. While it is the moral duty of the majority race in a multi-racial society to look after the interest of the minority races, our minorities must also make special effort to come and participate in the many activities organised by the CCs and Residents' Committees at the community level. I lament the current low rate of participation. Great effort by every race should be made to make our multi-racial society work. I hope the Minister would take what I suggest seriously.”
“Amongst many other topics, he expressed similar fears that SAP school students may not be able to empathise with other races. I quote him: `Whatever we say, I think it undeniable that their empathy, their understanding of the minority communities would be less than that of their predecessors who grew up in schools with members of the other races.' In fact, on that very day, there was a call by the Association of Muslim Professionals to study SAP schools' policies on racial bonds. This morning, NMP Zulkifli also expressed similar fears. The Deputy Prime Minister gave what I thought was a frank and honest response. To me, it was a good response. I am sure Mr Shanmugam understands but I am not so sure that his ground does. People want assurances, not by words, but by deeds in such situations. Therefore, we must translate our intentions into really working models at the ground level. I believe this can be done. The reason why my original idea of twinning was not taken up seriously was probably due to a lack of awareness of the serious misgivings amongst the minority races. However, having listened to the Deputy Prime Minister's suggestion of the cluster school concept, I am inclined to go along with it. But the cluster school concept must be clearly defined. And it must expand its administrative role to include activities of the kind I suggested in my twin school concept. DPM suggested that the SAP schools should be part of the cluster of schools so that the students from the SAP schools will have greater opportunities to interact with non-SAP schools within that cluster. I like that idea. It should be explored further. But it must be properly structured with an appraisal system and an appraisal team monitoring it, and with good publicity given.”
“Sir, I understand the reasons behind the setting up of SAP schools, and I support it. Having said that, I am also concerned about the SAP school students having little opportunity of interaction with students from the other races, ie, the Malays and the Indians. It is a concern of our minority races as well as it is a well known fact that a sizable number of able Chinese students attend such schools and some are going to be leaders of this country. That is why as far back as 1990, the former Member of Parliament, Mr Chandra Das, brought this issue to the House. I also remember in 1995, the Nominated Member of Parliament, Kanwaljit Soin, also brought up this matter in this House. Both expressed the worry that there is little mixing of SAP school students with others. On both occasions, I offered a way out of this concern by calling for the twinning of a SAP school with a national-type school. Obviously, no one paid attention to my call. Or Mr Shanmugam would not have to come to this House again and bring up the same matter. Let me quote what I said in 1990, nine years ago: "The twinning of schools would allow the schools involved to develop programmes in the non-academic areas. For a start, like games, having a common rugby team with players from both schools, common football team, netball team, and also common cadet or scout groups. If such programmes work out well, then other areas, including sharing academic teaching methods, could be explored. These schools should be sited preferably close to each other." Mr Shanmugam gave a profound and thought-provoking discourse on the concerns of the minority. He goes beyond just the SAP schools. He questioned the very fundamentals upon which this society was built, ie, multi-racialism.”
“Some economists and academics have expressed the view that the pay-as-you-bid system could establish a stronger incentive for collusion among motor vehicle dealers to ensure that they bid close to the lowest successful price. The Committee also felt that it was not fair to always penalise the top 10% or 20% bidders, especially if their bids are close to the lowest strike price. Based on the statistics of past tender exercises, the Committee noted the trend that bids were converging towards the low as you bid. Generally, the successful bids clustered around the 20% to 30% above the lowest strike price. Taking the above into consideration, the Committee decided that the current method based on the price of the lowest successful bid should be retained. I may not have given him the best answer he wants, but maybe later on in the course of the debate we could discuss further. But I do hope the Minister will really take into consideration all the proposals that we have made, and perhaps give them a try, especially the open bidding system for the open category. 1.00 pm”
“Sir, I was one of the members in this Committee. I rise to lend support to my Chairman. And I would like the House to know that we did deliberate very seriously on this matter. We invited so many groups of people to come, representing people of many varied interests, including the individual car owners. So I would say that we did a very thorough study on this matter. And I thought that at this juncture, after having heard Mr Chew Heng Ching mentioning the pay-as-you-bid system, maybe I would like to state our Committee's reasons why we did not accept the pay-as-you-bid proposal. The Committee actually received several suggestions to replace the current single strike price system, with the pay-as-you-bid system, or its variations such as asking the top 10% or 20% successful bidders to pay their bid amounts. We have given these suggestions due consideration in the course of our review. The Committee is of the view that the pay-as-you-bid system is not superior to the current system. It has its own shortcomings. But some of the feedback received by the Committee had expressed the following concerns about the pay-as-you-bid system. There could be an additional source of discontent among the successful bidders as no one likes the idea of having to pay more for the same item. Only the ones paying the lowest premiums would be happy. Some laymen might have difficulties in deciding on the right price to bid, for fear that they might be penalised for bidding too high. This could lead to greater reliance on motor vehicle dealers. The pay-as-you-bid system will cause confusion in the motor vehicle trade and vehicle financing industry.”
“These community health services centres would provide the following modalities of care - home care services, community care services which include coordinating the many health service providers like the community hospitals, outpatient clinics, general practitioners and a group of what I call the allied health care organisations like the diabetic society, the renal society, cardiac society and so on. It could also serve as an information and advisory centre on health problems. And, of course, it should be involved in the health maintenance programmes and also health screening. We have to determine the number of such centres. I think they should preferably be distributed evenly throughout the island, perhaps around eight centres. I am only just mentioning this number. It could be more. A few CDCs may be involved in one centre together with the Home Nursing Foundation. A proper study, of course, needs to be made on the location of such centres and whether it will be a stand-alone building or whether we could tie up with some very well equipped community centres like mine. To do all these, I suggest that the Home Nursing Foundation be considered seriously as the institution to organise and manage the care of the elderly. Of course, we need proper funding and manpower should be provided. It is only a suggestion. I do hope that the Minister will take into consideration what I have just said.”
“Sir, the Report of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Healthcare for the Elderly has made many recommendations. However, I notice that there was no mention of an institution to spearhead these recommendations. So I am asking the Minister to consider whether the Home Nursing Foundation could be used as the institution to spearhead all these recommendations. Of course, we need to upgrade the institution. We need to give it higher stature, responsibility, function, to oversee and initiate the many health programmes and services, not only for the elderly but also for other modalities of healthcare. What are the services that the Home Nursing Foundation could embark on? I would include rehabilitation programmes, chronic illness management, health maintenance, home care, health education at community level. And what are the target groups? The target groups are the recently discharged hospital patients for continual rehabilitation programmes complementing the hospitals, chronic disease patient management like diabetes, strokes, some spinal problems, hypertension, asthmatics, etc. And the other area they should take care, of course, is the senior citizens on the health maintenance programmes. How do we do it? I would like to make a suggestion. I think to get it better organised and spearhead all the recommendations the Committee has made, we could set up what I call a community health services centre. We could set up these centres between the Home Nursing Foundation and CDCs.”
“Yes. The Minister is worried that I may send the wrong message to foreigners. I think we should be worried that we might be sending the wrong message to Singaporeans. I was only sending a message of assurance to Singaporeans.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak. I was not in the House when the Minister questioned my message on foreign talent. In fact, I was surprised that the Minister chose to misinterpret my call for the toning down of the foreign talent message, as a call against foreign talent. I think this is not fair. I have always subscribed to the open system of recruiting the best into our service. And where there are gaps in our recruitment exercise, we should allow foreign talent to come and fill those gaps. But I said that in this crisis, charity begins at home. Did I ask that we should stop them from coming? No. Did I ask that we sack them and replace the vacancies with Singaporeans? No. All that I asked is for the Government to play down this message in this crisis. Is that wrong? Is it wrong, Sir, for me to ask that Singaporeans should take priority in the Government's plans to tackle the economic crisis? Is it wrong?”
“If they choose to interpret the Bill according to what is stated, then we may face problems in future, and this goes for the other future medical Bills. Finally, Sir, I wish our Bills can be drafted in a manner which is easy for lay people like myself to follow. The number of times I have to turn the pages to understand which section relates to which, and which clause must be inserted into which statement, I find all this tiring. I am sure in my discussion today when I mentioned those sections, some of you are also quite blur. Mr Speaker, Sir, I must confess that each time I read a Bill, I find that to get a coherent understanding it eats too much into my time and understanding. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support this Amendment Bill and hope the Minister will look into what I have suggested, that is, inserting the word "designated" before "sexually". VISIT OF DEPUTY VATANYAR SAIDOVICH YAGYAAND HIS DELEGATION FROM ST PETERSBURG LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY (Presence in Gallery)”
“Thus, clause 7, which amends section 20D, as stated in the Explanatory Statement, and I quote: 'provide for more exceptions to medical confidentiality [in subsection (1)] in relation to information that would identify a person who is suffering from AIDS, Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection or any other sexually transmitted disease.'. Mr Speaker, Sir, this last phrase "any other sexually transmitted disease" is all encompassing. Unlike AIDS, many sexually transmitted diseases are not fatal with modern management of the illnesses and thus pose no serious danger to society. Take, for example, this Protozoa infection called Trichomonas. It is sexually transmitted but easily treatable and is fairly common even among married couples. I am not sure whether, according to what I interpret from the Explanatory Statement, that this Trichomonas infection needs to be disclosed. In fact, I wonder why this particular statement was introduced in this Bill. It seems to be out of place. In the original Act, the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 137), all infectious diseases listed in a specific form must be notified to the Ministry. And this is correct, as it allows the medical body to monitor the pattern and spread of these diseases. I have a form here for Members who want to know or want to see it. They can come and see me afterwards. In this form, there was no mention of Trichomonas infection. Therefore, to make matters clearer and to avoid any ambiguity in interpretation in the future, I would suggest that we add the word "designated" before "sexually", so that the phrase would now read: "any other designated sexually transmitted disease". I think this is much clearer. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry is now run by non-doctors at the top as administrators.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to declare my interest. I am a family practitioner. Disclosing patients' medical records is a breach of medical confidentiality. Medical confidentiality is the cornerstone of medical practice, that is, we doctors never reveal any patient's problem even to close relatives who call up to find out what is wrong, unless the patient's consent has been given, and this builds up trust between a patient and his doctor. However, as disease patterns change, and new illnesses, like AIDS, which pose a danger to the society at large, doctors are prepared to compromise and surrender their medical confidentiality under very special circumstances. This is for the better good. This Bill, amongst others, seeks for more exceptions to medical confidentiality with regard to patients suffering from AIDS, Human Immunodeficiency disease. But in seeking this breach of confidentiality, this Bill very carefully avoided indiscriminate disclosures by imposing strict guidelines as to who, when and how these disclosures can be made. Thus, in section 20D of the Infectious Diseases Act, and under clause 7, amendments to section 20D of the original Act, there is a list of personnel and departments where such disclosures can be made under certain conditions. This is very reassuring and I support the amendments. However, let me bring Members to the attention on the Explanatory Statement on pages 6 and 7. This is where I want to seek clarification from the Minister. If you look at the Explanatory Statement in the two pages I have mentioned, there is a phrase "any other sexually transmitted disease". It is not present in the Amendment Bill itself.”
“I do not think we should use such words like "elitist" But when we make this call to improve Chinese teaching among our Chinese, I think we should also be aware that in a multi-racial country like Singapore, we must not give the non-Chinese the impression that we are doing it at their expense. Therefore, I agree with DPM that those Malay and Tamil students who do well should also be given equal opportunities to pursue their course of study in Tamil or Malay. If there should be sufficient numbers, like DPM said, we should actually form a class to take them in. With regard to Singaporean English-educated Chinese whose children are not very good in Chinese, I welcome the DPM's call that we should have another syllabus, CL `B'. But I also agree with some of the Members who have called for caution that we must not allow these English-educated Chinese to let their children do this softer option of CL `B'. As an English-educated Chinese, I realise that I am at a terrible disadvantage. If I had not known Hokkien, I do not think I can harness the number of votes in Ayer Rajah. But that also is not a consolation. I would really encourage Singaporeans, especially the English-educated Singaporeans, to continue to strive hard to ask their children to do Mandarin well. Mr Simon Tay is an English-educated Chinese and, he, like me, would want our Singaporeans to continue to do Chinese as well as their English.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the mother tongue language policy. I agree that the Singapore students have done very well. The more able ones who are good in Chinese should be encouraged to do Chinese. In other words, they should be given opportunities to study Higher Chinese at our SAP schools and at junior college, these students should be enrolled into the Language Elective Programme. They will then be able to continue to teach and promote our Chinese language and culture. Moreover, they should be able to conduct businesses in China with a knowledge of Chinese. I have listened to Dr Ow Chin Hock and I think Mr Peh Chin Hua and also DPM and the words "Chinese elite" kept cropping up. In fact, we should avoid labelling such group as Chinese elite group. Being proficient in Chinese do not qualify them as elite Chinese. What do we call those Singaporeans later on who do CL `B'? For that matter, what type of Chinese am I? I am a Singapore born Chinese, educated in English, I speak Hokkien, Malay and a few words of Mandarin. I do not belong to this elitist group. So what type of Chinese am I? I therefore am not comfortable with the words "Chinese elite". I think it is a very divisive term and we should in fact do away with this term and just continue with what we intend to do, that is, to get able Chinese students to do Higher Chinese so that we can have a group of good Chinese educated Singaporeans to help us to teach our next generation of Chinese better and also to encourage our Singaporean Chinese who have to do business in China to do well. I think that should be it.”
“They know that we are a tough people, that we tackle our difficult problems head on and that Singaporeans work and fight as a team when the going gets tough. I support the recommendations.”
“Now that the Committee has made such a call, I do hope it will be implemented. And I guess one reason for the Ministry in not setting up this Inter-Ministry Committee is that most Ministries guard their turfs very jealously. I think the Prime Minister's Office should take the lead in establishing this Inter-Ministry Committee. What we lose out in labour cost, we must make up through a highly-skilled, well-trained, disciplined and agile workforce, able to master new technologies, especially information technology and new skills. We must always be prepared for change. I agree with the Deputy Prime Minister when he said, "Change will affect not just individuals, but also entire sectors of the economy." The way forward, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, is to strengthen our key success factors, that is, to build on our strength, good infrastructure, good communication links, good services, clean Government and, of course, very important, political stability. An investor wants to make sure he gets returns for his capital investment as quickly as possible. Through today's debate on the CSC's Report and other sub-committees' reports, we have shown the world that Singapore is determined to better the investment climate. This will be a clear signal that we will adapt change to meet the new business climate and Singaporeans will be seen as a unique people, ready to accept even pay cuts at a tremendous personal sacrifice to meet this challenge, a gesture that shocked my friends in the West and in Australia. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is not the first time nor will it be a one-off affair. We did it in 1985 and I am sure we will do it again, if need be. Those who are watching how we manage the recession will marvel at our people's sacrifice.”
“In particular, emphasis is in the manufacturing and services sectors as its twin engines of growth and these are correct strategies. We must avoid being a property economy as it is very unproductive. The emphasis on hub services is a good move in the right direction. We should build Singapore as a premier service hub in Asia, emphasising our existing hub services where we have achieved international repute, for example, financial services, international trading, transport and logistics, exhibition management and tourism, and of course develop new high growth hub services in health care, education, media communication and information technology services, e-commerce and direct marketing. All these are in the Report, and they are good. To achieve these recommendations by the CSC, page 118 of the Report calls on the Government to review Government regulations and bureaucratic red tape. Page 118 of the Report, item 12.b., lays down how to minimise the costs of compliance incurred by businesses, and I quote: `We should consider setting up an Inter-Ministry Committee to coordinate the formulation and implementation of all rules and regulations to ensure that there is no conflict or overlap. This Committee should be an extension of the SIU. Government agencies can further increase their cooperation so as to improve efficiency;' I was reminded, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, when I was the Chairman of the Feedback Unit, there was a call for the setting up of an Inter-Ministry Committee. Many similar calls were made by the private sector then to see whether we could coordinate many of the issues that involve different Ministries and the setting up of an Inter-Ministry Committee was called upon. It never took off.”
“(3) Those whose CPF are fully committed to housing loans but have no disposable income left to make up for the shortfall of the 10% cut. The present unemployment figure of 20,000 and above will be growing. Unlike in 1985, this economic downturn is going to be more prolonged and its effects will be worse, primarily because of heavier loan mortgages and a higher cost of living. In 1985, housing was not so expensive and people's commitments were less. The longer term issue is how are we to compete with our neighbours when recovery comes as costs of doing business in the neighbouring countries are very much lower. This is one big challenge we face: how to convince investors to want to come here and set up business and thus create jobs for our people despite our higher costs. Our strong Singapore dollar compared to the devalued baht, rupiah and ringgit is an obvious factor. But we have no intention to devalue our currency. The Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and the Minister for Trade and Industry have many a time explained why and I do not think I can do any better except that I support this view that our imports are obviously cheaper with a stronger Singapore dollar. Our measures to bring down costs will definitely help. But I think it is still not enough to counter the much lower business costs in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Korea. Either we move our business to the region, as some are doing, or we stay and find niche businesses that the others are not able to compete with us. It is easier said than done. But we hope the EDB team will scout the globe and come back with businesses that will capitalise on our country's manpower and skills. The CSC has made recommendations on the strategies for the future competitiveness.”
“I have come across many retrenched workers who are unable to meet payments in utilities and conservancy charges. Yet, they are reluctant to accept lower paying jobs. There are twin problems facing them. One is in the area of utilities and conservancy charges. The other one is to meet the daily household needs. I have therefore proposed to my Bukit Timah CDC to help pay part of their arrears in utilities and conservancy charges provided they first accept available jobs and show a commitment to stay employed. This will go a long way to ease their worries on overhanging debts. Businesses have also responded. Banks lower interest rates and reschedule loans. Rentals are falling everywhere and in every sector, although my feedback is that the largest property players are not responding in a significant way to the tenants' cries for help. I hope this perception is wrong. The people at the business sector are stretched. But the Government still has substantial reserves and this is the time to stretch that hand and use that umbrella for a while. Limit to a quantum we can afford without seriously undermining the economic foundation. I ask the Government to look into this because a fair number of Singaporeans cannot reconcile the fact that they have to take cuts on their wages and CPF, and yet the Government is prepared to give billions of dollars of loans to our neighbouring countries. Retrenchment and wage cuts are a real blow to many Singaporeans. There are a few categories. (1) Those who have been retrenched and cannot find another job easily. Many are sole breadwinners of the family. (2) Young couples have problems with their 20% cash payment for the new HDB flats. Perhaps, we should reduce this to 10% on a case-by-case basis.”
“It has already given property tax rebates and taken other steps to alleviate various sectors in the $2 billion off-Budget package. On the other hand, the labour movement, through NTUC union leaders' alertness and tireless work, not only persuaded successfully workers' acceptance of wage cuts but work speedily to come out with a package to help reduce the pain. The various steps taken by NTUC to help is commendable and should be highlighted. The NTUC should be praised for taking steps like cutting the prices of groceries, 122 items had about 9% cut, childcare centres, NTUC pharmacies, Denticare, and providing about $2 million loan grant scheme for students who need textbooks, and food outlets. In addition, I learn that NTUC is using $12 million to help NTUC Income policy holders and borrowers to pay premiums and housing loans. These measures worth $23 million will help to soften the effect of CPF and wage cut to lower-income Singaporeans. Singaporeans, on the whole, as I said, should be thankful that NTUC has come out to provide this safety net for some of the domestic costs. For those who lost their jobs, there are many agencies trying to find alternative jobs for them. These include our Community Development Councils, the Ministry of Manpower and, again, NTUC. Workers who need jobs should not be too fussy. They should take up the jobs given to them. We have always depended on foreign workers to clean the tables at our hawker centres, domestic help and construction work. I think the time has come for Singaporeans to do some of these tasks and be less dependent on foreign workers. Attitudes must change to accept these jobs as an honest and respectable way to earn a living.”
“I do not propose to read out what is clearly stated in pages 2 to 5 of the Report. I think the one item that has made the headline is item 20.a. of the Report and I quote: `Reduce total wage costs (including contributions to the Central Provident Fund (CPF) by 15% from 1997 level to bring our wage competitiveness, as measured by RULC, [that is the relative unit labour cost] back to the level of 1994. To achieve this, the employers' CPF contribution rate should be reduced by 10% points. The rest of the cost reduction should be achieved through the flexi-wage scheme, by a reduction in the annual and monthly variable components of wages. The public sector should take the lead in this;' Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I support this recommendation. It will affect all individuals with CPF accounts. It will affect their housing loans and mortgage payments. And it will affect their overall old age savings. It will mean that they will suffer a drop in their take-home pay if there is a further cut in the variable wage component. All these will have a tremendous effect on Singaporeans, especially the middle and lower-income group. Added to this is the fear of job loss or retrenchment. The CSC's recommendation had been hotly debated by many. Some good and useful suggestions have been made. But one thing is for sure, people are agreeable fundamentally to the various tough measures recommended. They differ only in the sharing of the burden over the three sectors - the employees, Government and the private business. Although it has been explained that the employee's share is in line with its proportion in the total cost, I think that there is a case for the Government to take on a bit more of the burden. It is not that the Government has not done anything.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the effects of this severe recession are well known and keenly felt in all sectors of the economy. Companies have borne the brunt of falling businesses, rising unemployment, increases the anxieties of the consumers. In turn, the contraction of demand sets off another cycle of business downturn. Some have criticised the Government for responding too slowly to the recession. On the other hand, the Government has earned high marks both internationally and from a majority of Singaporeans for her steady and measured response. On a macro level, we are progressing well to address the problems thrown up. The Government has instituted steps to prepare and persuade our people to accept the bitter medicine. It has to be taken at this juncture. This is but the first step. The economic situation is regional but could be global soon, if Japan does not stimulate its economy. We also know that the American demand is already flagging as is evident by the latest report on non-oil domestic exports. We should not be gloomy and just wait for changes in the region to benefit us. We know this will not be in the near future. Even then, things will not be the same again and we, the people of Singapore, must stand together to define and achieve relevant new roles in the future millennium. Cost-cutting measure is a temporary step to help business survive and save jobs. Doing this alone cannot ensure our success in the new environment of a global economy. Continual long-term development towards a creative and knowledge-based economy has to be pursued vigorously. The Committee on Singapore's Competitiveness has recommended six strategic responses to the crisis and recommended five specific measures to deal with immediate challenges posed by the regional crisis.”
“These are strengths of POSBank. Those that are needed by the ordinary people and are deserving of preserving should be preserved.”
“POSBank is recognised as the bank of the ordinary people. Anyone, rich or poor, young or old, can open an account. You do not have to have a lot of money in the account. This is not how other banks operate. In recent years, many banks have openly discriminated against the less wealthy. If you do not maintain a minimum monthly average of typically a thousand dollars, a service charge will be levied. Their justification is that it is not profitable to provide such accounts. It is well-known that Singaporeans are a people who save their money. The POSBank, I believe, has much to do with Singaporeans having this good saving habit. No matter how much you have, you can squirrel them into your POSBank account. To make it easy for the people, POSBank branches sprout out all over the island. Over time, the amounts in these small accounts built up. Campaigns were developed at the young and adult population. I believe that profit is not the driving force underlying the operations of POSBank. Will this national effort go the way of the dodos if the profit motivation of banks takes precedence? Society will rue the day when this happens. Unfortunately, this harmful effect will only be seen in the long term. I can see another useful role the POSBank has played. Besides giving voice to the ordinary Singaporeans, it has also spurred the services the bank provides to the people. By providing a reasonable alternative to the commercial banks, this must have put a cap to the charges that they have imposed on their services. Due to the high quality of services the POSBank has provided, this must have spurred the other banks to also up their services. What will replace this benchmark with the merger? I would urge DBS to identify these unique functions and services of POSBank.”
“Sir, I would like to conclude by extending my deepest appreciation to the POSBank staff, past and present, who have built up the Bank from its humble beginnings to the pre-eminent position it enjoys today. We were all once POSBank's savers. I am concerned that this sterling service will not always be remembered by all Singaporeans they have served all these years. Dr Tan Boon Wan (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Speaker, globalisation is here to stay. The present crisis is only a correction to its unrelenting growth. Current oppositions to its progress are just aberrations. They will be smoothened out in due course. The process will roll along after this interruption. Hence, our policies are sound and we should stay the course. Singapore will in the future be merged more closely with the world financial system. Foreign banks and financial institutions will make their way here. Our banks and institutions must in turn venture abroad. The competition, both at home and abroad, will become more intense. Size will be a factor in the competition. For a population of just under four million, the number of local banks and financial institutions is too many. They are also small in comparison to those who come in from overseas. I therefore support the merger of DBS and POSBank, and hence the Bill standing before the House. However, it is important to note that this merger came about not because the POSBank is no longer viable. It is to prepare for the coming competition. POSBank is a relevant and useful institution to Singaporeans. It is thus important that the merger does not result in the disappearance of unique functions and activities that it provides to the people in Singapore. Let me now re-emphasise a few of them which several of my hon. colleagues in the House have already spoken on.”
“I think it is hard to argue the merit of maintaining the lower than market interest rates of Credit POSB which benefit private property owners and give a higher yield for their depositors who are largely HDB residents. There is an argument that lower mortgage rates help Singaporeans to own homes. But we must bear in mind that these Singaporeans are already in the higher income bracket. Sir, I share Dr Toh See Kiat's concern. Because POSBank is a statutory board it could place national interest ahead of commercial considerations in many of its operational decisions. For instance, it has always taken the lead to bring innovations and introduce IT to banking in Singapore. POSBank was the first local bank to computerise its savings accounts records, thereby paving the way for on-line banking. POSBank introduced GIRO to Singapore in 1974, and direct salary crediting as early as 1972. POSBank pioneered the concept of the self-service banking, being the first local bank to introduce the ATM in 1979, a passbook updating facility in 1993, and a cheque book dispenser in 1995. Even now, POSBank is piloting a three-in-one ATM which allows cash deposits and passbook updating in addition to cash withdrawals, all in one machine. In this way, POSBank is a prime mover of new banking innovations and performs national service. I am concerned that in future no banking institution will be playing this catalyst role. This is important. Unless we keep on harnessing technology to innovate and improve our productivity, we run the real danger of losing our competitiveness and not achieving our objective of becoming the premier financial centre in this part of the world.”
“One of the major complaints from Singaporeans regarding the acquisition of POSBank is the prospect of paying higher mortgage rates for their Credit POSB's housing loans. The merger agreement stipulated a time-table for the mortgage rates to move progressively towards the market levels. I spoke to Dr Wang who told me that the difference between the rate of Credit POSB and that of DBS today is between 1.25% and 1.5%. As the loan base of Credit POSB is about $7.6 billion, this could potentially mean an additional revenue in the region of between $95 million and $114 million per year for DBS if the rates were completely equalised. I mention Dr Wang here because he had to go to Hong Kong with DPM. Therefore, he is not in this House. So some of the points I have mentioned here were also his. Sir, those who have borrowed from Credit POSB, including Dr Wang himself, will feel the pinch of the higher mortgage rates. However, we should consider this fact. Most of the depositors of POSBank live in HDB flats. They obtain their housing loans from HDB. All the borrowers of Credit POSB are owners of private properties, like condominiums and landed-properties. Mr Fong Yong Kian, Press Secretary to the Minister for Finance, gave the following figures in the Straits Times Forum Page reply of 20th August 1998: "The average Credit POSB loan is $460,000. Out of the 10,900 granted in the last two years, 1,650 loans exceeded $750,000 or 650 exceeded $1 million." I agree with Mr Fong that there is no justification for the Government to provide these borrowers mortgage loans at below market rates.”
“While the POSBank has been outstanding in providing service, it has not been able to match the commercial banks in providing its depositors with a better rate of return. This is so because the investment avenues open to POSBank were severely limited by the Ministry of Finance which is not surprising, because the deposits are guaranteed by the Government. To protect customers' funds, the investments had to be safe and these usually yielded lower returns. The interest earned by POSBank's customers is tax-free. To level the playing field, POSBank penalised its bigger customers by giving a lower interest rate for deposits in excess of $100,000. This is counter intuitive if the goal is to attract more customers with bigger deposits. This principle was laid down by the Ministry of Finance in 1978 and remained unchanged for nearly 20 years. Meanwhile, the environment has changed. Tax rates for individuals have come down. Taxes have gone up. What was considered a lot of money in the past is no longer that much today. Singaporeans have become more sophisticated in their banking needs. There are also more investment options open to them. Therefore, POSBank's two-tier interest rate structure was reversed in the earlier part of this year, the better reward, the bigger depositors. Not responding to changes would have been suicidal in today's most competitive environment. As a statutory board, POSBank has been constrained in its response to changes. The growing financial sophistication of Singaporeans and POSBank's limited product range has already reduced its market share of deposits. If this trend continues, the Bank's relevance in the lives of Singaporeans will diminish over time.”
“There is a global trend, as more and more governments find it more efficient to focus on the business of the government while privatising other functions such as running their national savings bank. In the early 1980s, the idea of corporatising POSBank was actively evaluated. It received strong support from the management and staff of the bank. I believe this idea was scuttled when it met strong opposition from the local commercial banks who felt that a corporatised POSBank would provide unfair competition. Most Singaporeans, on first hearing of the acquisition of POSBank by DBS, lamented the demise of POSBank. Paradoxically, this is also the strongest endorsement of the Bank. POSBank has been relentless in its pursuit to provide outstanding and convenient service to all its customers, including the small depositors. From a discussion with Dr Wang, I learned that a third of POSBank's customers, including children, students and foreign workers, have deposits of $100 or less. In fact, over 90% of POSBank's deposit base is contributed by only 20% of the customers. Therefore, POSBank's accounts are being subsidised. Moreover, the cost of servicing these accounts has been escalating all these years, as costs of ATMs, staff and premises have gone up relentlessly. POSBank could not have gone on subsidizing such a large proportion of its depositors. The House might be interested to know that the Bank had been considering for some time the recovery of a portion of these costs from its customers. Some measures have already been taken, for example, GIRO charges on service providers and charge for coin exchange. More were being contemplated. As I have indicated earlier, whether POSBank is merged or not, the days of free services from POSBank were numbered.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. The acquisition of the POSBank came as a surprise to most Singaporeans. For the keen observers of the financial sector, this acquisition may have been anticipated once the Keppel Bank-Tat Lee Bank merger was announced. A merger of smaller banks and the bigger ones is also the new paradigm of the financial services review that is being spearheaded by Deputy Prime Minister. Given the global mega-merger of big banks, one cannot go against the trend if banks in Singapore are to survive. The merger of the Dutch POSBank with NMB Bank and subsequently with Nationale Netherland to form the ING group in Europe and the Travellers Group with Citibank in America are examples of this global trend. I discussed this subject with Dr Wang Kai Yuen, who is a board member of the POSBank since 1987, and he communicated to me many of his views, and I share his views. They are all very valuable. So some of the comments that I make here are also shared by Dr Wang. I have heard comments that the Government by selling POSBank has given up its role in promoting the habit of saving amongst Singaporeans. I do not agree with that as the promotion of the saving habit is already deeply enshrined in our CPF policy. To promote saving in the form of a savings account is a task that now rests on the shoulders of the private sector. In its public statements, Mr Dhanabalan, the Chairman of DBS, has said that POSBank will continue in this role by providing basic banking services at affordable charges. Indeed, for children, students and full-time national servicemen, these services will be free. Moreover, I would like to point out that the idea of privatising an organisation like POSBank is not new.”
“Sir, the Minister has answered my question. But I am just wondering and this is a very practical question. On 1st August, a train leaves Johor Bahru and it comes all the way to Tanjong Pagar. The passengers must seek clearance from the Malaysian authorities. They cannot leave Tanjong Pagar. So they have got to take the train back to Woodlands, get clearance from the Singapore Immigration and then they can leave. That is what I understand, or do they have to stop at Woodlands?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have been in this House for 18 years and I have engaged in many debates in this House and I do not think we were adversarial. We were hard-hitting, yes. We take the Ministers on. They give us a few punches back. But at the end of the day, we have a meaningful debate. We share views, constructive in nature, yes. But we were never adversarial. So I was quite surprised when this subject was brought up, asking for a less adversarial parliamentary system. He even said that during the Barisan Sosialis days, yes, those were hot days when the debates were very heated, but I do not think, if you go through the Hansard, there were instances where there were things being thrown around. But in asking this House to support for a less adversarial system gives the impression that we had an adversarial system in the past. It had been non-adversarial debates in this House for so long. So I do not know whether he is directing this to any political party in this House that is adversarial. I can say that the PAP Members in this House are not adversarial. We are hard-hitting, as I said, sometimes. But at the end of the day, we are not adversarial. So the Member who proposes this motion should state clearly in this House which political party is adversarial.”
“Sir, thank you for giving me this chance to ask the Minister a question. I think we have heard enough of subsidies. I am just asking a very practical question. I think most of us at our meet-the-people sessions would have come across this. These upgraders who are receiving keys to the new flats face this problem of not being able to sell their present flat. Would the Minister allow them to take up the new flats after they have sold their present flat? Of course, we must make some provisos. In other words, if the owner has made several attempts to sell his flat, and we can check this from advertisements in the newspaper whether he has really made an attempt to sell his flat, and he gets no response from the advertisements, would HDB be able to buy back those flats at HDB's assessed value?”
“Okay, I will summarise my speech. Most important, they must give funding. If they do not have funding, the Home Nursing Foundation will not be effective and the CDCs will be very happy to work along with the Home Nursing Foundation to achieve what I want to say.”
“To do this, I would propose that the Home Nursing Foundation should actually go along with the allied health care services that are provided by some societies, like the diabetic society, cardiac society. Or the rheumatic society. Of course, these societies will come in and they can work out programmes as to how to manage patients, maximising related to the various societies' expertise so that there will be a good exchange of information and management skills. To be effective, we actually need a proper, if possible, standalone building, for the Home Nursing Foundation.”
“Sir, I shall be as brief as I can, although I have a lot to say. Sir, the Home Nursing Foundation, if Members remember, was started by Dr Toh Chin Chye many, many years ago. It has a good mission and that was to take care of the sick at home, and I think they have done a very good job. But I am just wondering whether we should look at the Home Nursing Foundation again and see whether we could expand its modalities of care. At the moment, I think the Home Nursing Foundation takes care of the recently discharged hospital cases by dealing with simple nursing and perhaps some counselling. But I am wondering whether we could expand this modality of care. Because if we watch our population pattern, we are getting older, and diseases like diabetes and hypertension are more common, and disabilities will set in, especially when they reach the age of 65 and above. We know all these are coming. So what do we do? I would propose that at least we must have some proactive programmes on the part of the Home Nursing Foundation. The Minister has just mentioned about preventive care. I agree with him, and I have always asked this House to put more money into the primary health care portion rather than put so much money into hospital care. But, unfortunately, I lost the battle. The Government is putting up huge hospitals. But this expansion of the modalities of care would involve actually going to the homes. How do we manage diabetic patients at home? How do we manage hypertensive patients at home? These are challenges that I would pose to the Home Nursing Foundation: how are they going to have programmes to handle all these?”
“Sir, I think what Mr David Lim wants is an assurance from the Minister that in the case of a paediatric emergency, could the New Changi Hospital at least take care of that patient for just that emergency period and later you can do the transfer? I think he must give the Singaporeans staying in that area the assurance that in such an emergency, a hospital of that size must at least be able to take care of that sort of emergency, and not let the poor fellow run all the way to KK Hospital. Am I right, Mr David Lim?”
“Sir, if we are so short of doctors, would the Ministry then consider expanding the approved list of medical schools, so that we can have a bigger intake of doctors? The present list is quite narrow. Does the Minister like to expand that list?”
“Sir, I just like to ask the Minister how many of the 160 doctors who were recruited were from the approved list of medical schools.”
“He asked him to resign because he said, and he told me, that, first, he is a Government Member of Parliament, and that the issue is a Government policy, and for those two reasons, he asked him to resign.”
“If I can clarify, Mr Speaker, Sir, that Chng Hee Kok's point was the issue of the Chairman asking him to resign, and also those MPs, who concurred with him on that view, to also resign. So as a Parliamentarian, and he is also a Parliamentarian, telling me this story, I believe him. I am asking whether that issue is right or wrong.”
“So if you were not present at that meeting, I was wondering how did you come to that conclusion that Chng Hee Kok's statement was not the complete truth.”
“Maybe he wants to ask Chng Hee Kok to clarify the matter.”