Tan Soo Khoon
Singapore
“May I just seek your indulgence and the Ministers for me to raise a little clarification? I raised the point about the absence of a medical officer at Changi Naval Base when the incident at sea happened last year.”
“We all look forward to its people obtaining their legitimate right to democracy and freedom, though I must add here that it should not necessarily be the kind we now see in some other Southeast Asian countries where democracy, unfortunately, has been taken to mean fluctuating between people demonstrating on the streets and the threat of m…”
“The West is unable to accept that it will soon be overtaken by the emergence of Asian powerhouses and fears that it will become irrelevant in an increasingly globalised world it refused to wake up to.”
“They are committed to Singapore and they want to do their National Service, but they just want MINDEF to exercise flexibility when they request for deferments. Mr Speaker, recently, MINDEF granted a deferment of three months to one Mr Stanley Aw to allow him to participate in the Singapore finals of the World Cyber Games.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this issue of the revenue pooling between the two airlines of Singapore and Malaysia is not a new issue. But can I ask why is it that in this era of competition and trade liberalisation, we are still allowing the two airlines to have this archaic policy of revenue sharing which, in fact, results in higher prices for trave…”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, does the Minister of State believe that it is in the interest oftravellers between the two countries to allow what is essentially a cartel made up of MAS and SIA to exist?”
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“As many Singaporeans happily found out, SIA slashed prices so that it could keep its planes flying. So, there we have it. Three companies are operating in the broader transport sector. One proves itself to be highly cost-efficient, overcoming all odds to turn in another profitable year in a highly competitive industry. Two other companies in a highly protective environment, perpetually grousing about higher costs and demanding more from its customers. SBS Transit also says that its ridership fell by 3% last year and in the first four months of this year, it fell another 2.8%. I now have one question to ask. According to the Chairman of SBS Transit in his year 2001 Annual Report, TIBS took over 17 SBS services and this transfer of the 17 services to TIBS had an impact of $13.9 million on the bottom line of SBS Transit. It was SBS who chose to lose this source of income by giving up the routes. It therefore lost ridership because it gave up the routes to its competitor. Is it justifiable to use this as an excuse to make up for its loss in revenue and make the customers pay more? Even if they tell me that this is not the reason but that there are just simply less people taking their buses these days, then let me say that what SBS is doing to overcome the situation is certainly very unorthodox business practice. Any businessman will tell you that if you find your customers running away, the last thing you do is to increase the prices of your products or services. What you do is to hold on to your prices, or you reduce prices, you give discounts, you run promotions, take a cut in your margins and keep the goodwill of your customers during the bad times, and not frighten them away with even higher prices so that they will run into the arms of your competitors.”
“Now, Sir, there was a time when CPF contributions were reduced from 20% to 12%, but I do not recall the transport companies reducing their fares. This question of wage increases, which they have used as a reason, perplexes me. Today, in Singapore, the Government, the trade unions and the employers are all calling for wage restraint. Wages are frozen. Bonuses are lowered. You are lucky if your wages have not been cut. So, what is this wage increase that the two companies are talking about? Is it to get more staff to provide for new operations and new routes? Would the new revenue from new routes not cover the wages of additional staff? Or are they telling us that the staff has actually got wage increases? Sir, I have here a report in today's Straits Times headlined "Slashing of staff and fuel costs helps SIA stay in the black." It says: "The national carrier cut staff costs by some 14.5% or $188 million to a total figure of $1.13 billion [a cut of 14.5%]. This was despite a larger staff strength with the company employing 3.9% or 539 more staff ." Now, how is it that SIA can rein in its staff costs and enjoy savings in its wage bill even though it had a larger staff strength? It too had to face larger contribution to the employees' CPF. The answer is simple. Singapore Airlines is in a business that is highly competitive. Not only that, last year, as everyone knows was the most difficult year for the airlines business, especially after the September 11 attacks. SIA was confronted with the first possible loss in its history. It did what many sensible businesses in such times do to stay alive. It imposed wage cuts from 2.5% to 15%. When passenger load factors fell, did it increase ticket prices to make up for the loss in revenue?”
“People are not only fed up, they are frightened about their future. As a cartoon in a local newspaper puts it graphically, all these price increases, to parody the title of a movie that was just shown, add up to "The Sum of All Fears" for Singaporeans. The public transport fare increase has become the single issue on which to peg all other frustrations, and some of these may not even have to do with price increases. This issue has become a lightning rod. Sir, I was therefore appalled by the response of the Minister for Transport when he was asked by the press what he thought of the price increases. He said, "While unemployment has gone up, 95% of Singaporeans are still working." Well, really! Sir, he is telling us what is the big deal, only 5% are not working, so what is all the fuss about. Well, let me tell him that 5% unemployed is just 5% too much. Will we next be telling these 5% of the population that if they cannot have food on their table, it is all right because the other 95% of the population can feed themselves? Many Singaporeans have already lost their jobs, and many more have taken pay cuts. So, let us not make callous remarks to dampen morale even further. The Minister has also refuted the allegation that the transport companies are profiteering from the price increases. He said: "They must have a rate of return that is reasonable and which is not excessive. You cannot control them to the extent that they lose money." Sir, both transport operators have cited increased costs, such as wages, the increases in CPF contribution from 12% to 16% since January last year, and investments in service improvements, as reasons for asking for the increases in fares. The PTC has said that it wants them to remain financially viable.”
“Little did we know that what the PTC meant was no increase next year did not mean no increase this year! I do not know if you would call this twisted or sardonic humour, but I think it is, almost for sure, not funny at all to Singaporeans. How sure are we that, next year, we will not be told again by the PTC that never mind the increase in GST, but operating and maintenance costs have gone up again and therefore we have to have another increase in fares. The Prime Minister has come out to question the timing of the increases. On 17th June, he was quoted in the press as having said that this is not the best time to put up the increases, and I think the House should endorse what he had said. The House must therefore solicit some definitive response from the Government at the end of this debate. I have asked that the PTC review its decision and I will elaborate further on this later. We need to know how the PTC arrives at its decision, whether the reasons put forth by the transport companies for the increases are justifiable, and we need to know how the PTC intends to act with regard to future requests for fare increases. We need to know if the PTC will not just respond to the requests of the transport companies, but whether it intends to respond also to prevailing economic circumstances and to the needs of the commuters. This debate is not just about bus and MRT fares. It also has to do with the slew of increases in charges of other public services that have taken place, or are about to take place. Sir, I believe that this is the main cause of discontent on the ground. Consider this: GST up, ERP up, petrol up, car park charges up, telephone charges soon to be up, and, of course, unemployment is up, retrenchment is up. Morale is upside down, and so is our pay, it is down.”
“We will probably ask some supplementary questions, get some answers, but with the limited time available for questions, at the end of it, we will all go home less than satisfied. And we would have failed to articulate many of the concerns on the ground, and the House would not have been able to take a position on the issues. I, therefore, decided to table this motion and got the support of five of my colleagues, the maximum allowed under Standing Orders, but I am glad to see that we have a long list of Members who are waiting to speak on this subject. Sir, what are the issues that face us in debating this motion? Let me start by explaining the different parts of the motion. We are in the midst of the worst recession since independence 37 years ago. There are no signs on the horizon that there is going to be an economic recovery in the near future. Yes, we may get promising statistics in one month for our manufacturing sector or for exports. But in another month, these figures can come down. So there is no definite trend that the outlook will improve very soon. It is still early days to draw any conclusion. Unemployment has exceeded 100,000 and most who have lost their jobs cannot find any work at all. In some cases, there are many who want to work for less pay but the jobs are just not there. Even the gainfully employed have difficulties making ends meet, what more the unemployed. The announcement by the PTC of the fare increases therefore came as a rude shock to Singaporeans, as they felt that it could not have come at a worse time. The Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister had told the House in May, when making his Budget statement, that the PTC had decided that there would be no need to raise fares next year as a result of the increase in GST.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That this House, being aware that Singaporeans are suffering from the effects of a recession, mindful that many Singaporeans, in particular the unemployed, are having difficulties making ends meet and agreeing with the Prime Minister that this is not the best time to increase bus and MRT fares, (a) urges the Public Transport Council to review its decision on the increase in public transport fares; and (b) further urges the Government to take steps to ensure that the prices of public services are not unreasonably increased during these difficult times. [*The motion also stood in the names of Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Mr Leong Horn Kee, Dr Wang Kai Yuen, Mr Chay Wai Chuen and Dr Amy Khor Lean Suan.] Sir, on 11th June 2002, the Public Transport Council announced increases in the fares of public bus and train operations. These increases, already operative since 1st July, are as follows: adult bus fares and adult MRT/LRT fares by 3 cents and 4 cents respectively for commuters using ez-link cards. For those using magnetic fare cards and those paying cash, the increases went up by 5 cents and 10 cents respectively. There were also other increases affecting students, NSmen and senior citizens. Since the announcement of the increases, there has been a huge public outcry over these increases. Many have questioned the explanations put forward by the PTC and the two operators, SBS Transit and SMRT Corporation, and many more question the timing of these increases. Sir, several Members had submitted Questions for Oral Answers on this issue, but I felt that merely asking questions would not do justice to the groundswell of discontentment, and we would just get a reply from the Minister for Transport.”
“Sir, in the dialogue that we are having with the US Embassy, have they pointed to us in which areas we are supposed to have failed? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, for example, on the question of foreign women coming to Singapore to offer commercial sex services, it is a matter of different countries' approach, whether this amounts to human trafficking for sexual exploitation. As far as Singapore is concerned, we are very clear. We have answered this question before in this House a few times, ie, in Singapore, we take an approach that is pragmatic and that works for us. The Minister himself and myself have responded on how things are done in Singapore. We know that there is prostitution. Women do come here. But what is important is that the women who come here are not coerced, forced or tricked into prostitution. They come here voluntarily. That is important. So it could be a matter of definition and approach. But it is a dialogue that we must continue.”
“Sir, given our very strict laws and our vigilance on this matter, may I just say that not only was I surprised at our inclusion as a "Tier 2" country, but I was very unhappy. Can I ask the Senior Minister of State what is the response of the US State Department or the US Embassy to the disagreement that we have lodged with them? Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, I think it is a continuing dialogue. For example, when we received last year's report, we corresponded with the US Embassy setting out the inaccuracies, eg, for stating Singapore to be a destination country for trafficking of women for sexual exploitation. We said that this was not so. But this inaccuracy was again reflected in this year's report. So it is a matter of continuing dialogue. We will continue to point out these inaccuracies to the US Embassy and, over time, to convince them that we are not what they say we are. But what is more important, Sir, is that Singaporeans here know of the tough laws and measures, and our position on this matter. For example, even in the US Congress, the Under Secretary herself said that people can debate about the criteria and, indeed, they are looking at so many countries. It is not a matter of science. But, of course, we disagree with the classification and we have said so very clearly, and we will continue to point out inaccuracies in the report.”
“Sir, I take exception to the Senior Parliamentary Secretary's reply that the problem of spalling concrete is not due to poor workmanship. Is he not aware that poor workmanship has, in fact, been stated as the cause of spalling concrete problem in this House, maybe not by his present Minister but by previous Ministers in the House? Why is it that residents are made to pay for repair to a problem which is, in fact, inherent? Is he not aware that in my constituency, and in many other constituencies, this problem has been evident since the day the flats were completed, and this is particularly true in my constituency when the flats were built in the 1980s? So, is it not time that HDB dealt with the problem, instead of now just telling the people to paint their ceilings? Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Mr Speaker, Sir, I mentioned earlier on that the Government carried out two goodwill programmes, one in 1988 and another in 1995-1998. With these two programmes, the flats in Bedok, for example, would have been completely taken care of. If any spalling concrete did occur because of workmanship, I do not agree.”
“We have just started, so we have to be very careful. At the end of five years, we have to go back to Government if we need more, I suppose. But the $500 million does not include the money that we will need in order to redevelop the Kallang Sports Stadium. For the moment, our assessment is that $500 million will be sufficient for the next five years for us to lay some of these foundations. Beyond that, we will probably have to review, and go back to Government for the funds. CONCLUSION OF DEBATE IN COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY (Statement by Mr Speaker)”
“That was the kind of spirit that I saw, and I think most of us in the sporting fraternity will agree that we want to achieve that kind of level of participation. I do not have anything else to add other than the fact that I agree with him on the kind of fighting spirit that we see now of the old Rafflesians in order to lead the revival of the rugby team in Raffles. My brother was a rugby player from RI. He is also very disappointed. I am sure Mr Zainul, who was his contemporary in RI, is also disappointed. Something needs to be done. We applaud such spirit. Where possible, SSC will come in and help the schools, as we have done. As I mentioned earlier in my reply, we are working with schools in order for schools to encourage those who are normally not keen in taking up sporting activities to engage. These are not competitive sports, but it allows them to participate in a sport of their interest. Developing that base is very important. It is a pyramid. We develop the base and the industry, so that we can get people to participate. As I have mentioned earlier, we are looking into redeveloping the Kallang Stadium, to revamp it into something which is new, not like the old stadium, something that can promote a lifestyle and attract people there throughout the year. Finally, Sir, in terms of the pyramid at the top, we have, as he has mentioned, the athlete programme, the ACT, to help some of our top athletes. We give them support. Some of them have been sent overseas. I know the recent winner, Sports Girl of the Year, is now in California, undergoing intensive swimming programme while pursuing her studies. These are efforts that we have put in place. Whether we will need more money or not the $500 million is there. We have only spent about $35 million.”
“When I was the Mayor of Central Singapore, we started a football league for young kids. We worked through the FAS to get support from Home United, which is located within Central Singapore. The programme is well-received by my residents at that time and we have, since then, started a second centre in Bishan Stadium. The first centre was at Beatty Secondary School. There are efforts along the way, be it directly through the schools or in collaboration with the schools, with the CDCs and the NSAs to encourage more people to take up sports of their interest. I understand that Southeast CDC has also been working with Geylang United to bring sports to the heartlands, especially soccer because there is a lot of interest, and to start young. The third pillar is the sports industry. I agree with Mr Tan that we need the base, and people who are prepared to pay to watch and then to support. Like Mr Tan, I grew up with the Kallang Stadium. I was part of the Kallang roar. I remember those matches. I think it is very good for us to be able to achieve that sort of support. Earlier this year, we had the Singapore Rugby 7. Mr Speaker himself was the Guest of Honour. I was there in my capacity as Sports Minister. The atmosphere was fantastic. There was a lot of support. There were a lot of expatriate community members because they have a passion for rugby. I suspect beer supplies went up over that weekend, because there was a lot of involvement by the community for that particular event. The sporting spirit was indeed very remarkable because, at the end of the day, even though they may be English or other supporters, but when there was a game between Fiji and Samoa, they always supported the underdog, and cheered the underdog on.”
“The Singapore Sports School will therefore feed off some of the primary schools which are involved in some of the sports programmes that they have undertaken. We hope to be able to attract swimmers from the feeder schools that have gone to ACS. They might consider going to the sports school where intense training will be undertaken for their passion for swimming and for other sports that we have identified as important in order to build sports excellence. Secondly, in terms of building up sports excellence, we are revamping the National Sports Associations (NSAs). Mr Tan's feedback that some NSAs have told him that they have not seen the effect of the $500 million is because we have to be very careful on how we spend this money. As Mr Tan has mentioned, accountability is very important. What we have done is to make sure that we have a system in place. We have recently launched a system to evaluate the NSAs and classify the sports according to core, merits and others. This would allow them to receive different funding levels. The system is transparent. It will allow them to evaluate where they are in terms of the ranking system, and what more do they need to do in order to improve. In all of our discussions with the NSAs, we make it clear that governance is important, and how they must manage the sporting fraternity. Secondly, we also talk about developmental programmes - what are the things that they should do in order to develop the athletes under their charge. I mentioned earlier in the CoS debate about programmes for youth development, which the NSAs are supposed to undertake. In this regard, I would like to add that NSAs are also working with some of our CDCs to ensure that we start young.”
“In his speech, he mentioned twice that the $500 million is for the ACT scheme. The $500 million is the budget for the Committee of Sporting Singapore (CoSS). ACT is just one part of the programme under CoSS. Secondly, he mentioned that the principal of the Singapore Sports School, Mr Moo, will be retiring soon. From what I have been told, he is less than 55 years of age. So he is definitely not retiring as yet. That is why we recruited him for the sports school because we know that he will be able to lead the school towards what we want to achieve. Sir, I certainly do not disagree with everything that Mr Tan has mentioned - we need to build sports heroes, we need to spend a bit more. The $500 million that has been allocated by the Government and Singapore Pools is actually towards that end. The three pillars that I mentioned earlier - sports excellence, sports for all, sports industry - will ultimately build towards the kind of excellence that we want. I think we have to take the approach of building up the base, as he has rightly mentioned, and that we need to build a sports culture. We are trying to increase the sports participation rate towards 50% by 2005. We will try as much as possible to encourage as many people as possible to take up sports. We certainly do not disagree with Mr Tan's point about getting the schools involved. I am not quite familiar with some of the schools' programmes, but I do know, for example, schools, like Saint Andrew's Junior School, have a very intense programme in rugby where some of the kids who graduate, can go on to Saint Andrew's Secondary School so that they can continue with their passion in rugby.”
“I know that Singapore Pools has provided the large part of the $500 million ACT grant. But like many, I believe that Pools can do more. Perhaps it is time now for the Government to reconsider Pools' original mission of a direct link between its earnings and the promotion of sports, if we are to find the large funds to help us achieve sports excellence. With its large earning capacity, Singapore Pools can be the long-term provider of large funds to sports in Singapore. To be fair, Sir, to do this, if we want more money from Pools, I am sure Singapore Pools will want more accountability. As a benefactor, it would want to know how well the money is spent and what results are produced. We need to have a kind of accountability. Sir, in conclusion, we need to build sports heroes. There was a time when the name of Fandi Ahmad was on the lips of everyone in Singapore, young and old. Everyone probably knew him better than they knew who their MP was. I am not particularly worried about this. Fandi was not world-class, but he was our best of that time. He was a rallying point for the people, an icon and a role model. I hope that one day we will be able to produce another Fandi who can evoke the same passion and nationalistic pride in us, but one with the class of Beckham or Ronaldo. Assoc. Prof. Yaacob Ibrahim: Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank Mr Tan Soo Khoon for his kind words regarding sports development in Singapore. Personally, I do not have anything to disagree with him on the points that he has raised. With regard to how Pools should change, I suppose that is a matter that is best left to the Ministry of Finance and Temasek Holdings, and not for the Ministry of Community Development and Sports to decide. Let me clarify two things first.”
“They are probably paid less, but they are just one such team out of many other teams in the football league in England. The ACT grant can help push towards sports excellence. But I think we need more to make a quantum leap and sustain it over a long period. It takes more than five years if we want to have a constant stream of stars. The report of CoSS states that it takes 8-12 years to have an athlete of international standard. Sports excellence must therefore be assured of a constant stream of funds. But where do we get the money? I hope the Minister for Finance does not see this as an opportunity to further increase GST. I would like to make a suggestion, ie, it is time for us to revisit Singapore Pools. Singapore Pools, if Members recall, was formed in 1968 to legalise forms of gambling. It ran the first Toto and later on, the Singapore Big Sweep, 4D and now sports betting. It was clearly stated then that its net proceeds would go towards the building of the Kallang Sports Complex, which would include the National Stadium and other sports facilities. If we further recall, the Big Sweep tickets even carried a picture of the National Stadium for a long time. To cut a long story short, we built our National Stadium with funds from Singapore Pools by early 1973. In 1980, Singapore Pools was no longer a company owned by the Ministry of Finance. It became a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings. Sir, Pools' earnings are huge. Last year, it made $114 million before tax. Singapore Pools is one of the finest corporate citizens in Singapore. It gives generously to sports, charities, the arts, even funding the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay. I applaud its generous contributions to many worthy causes.”
“This is the kind of fighting spirit I like to see, people rallying behind to support their favourite team, and the team fighting all the way to win. I remember when I was a student, my school, Anglo-Chinese School and a few others like RI and Chinese High, were always fighting it out annually to be the top school in athletics. ACS was, of course, the undisputed swimming champion for many years. Dr Tan Cheng Bock told me recently that ACS always beat RI in swimming was because the RI had swimmers like Mr Goh Chok Tong! Sir, I would like to add that the reason ACS was strong in swimming was because they had swimmers like Mr Chiam See Tong. Luckily, this is probably the only thing that Mr Chiam can ever beat the PAP in. But such was the spirit of competition in those days, both with competitors and the spectators. To get to the top, we need money, which is what this speech is all about. The Government has been very generous with its $500 million grant, but it might not be enough to produce sports stars. As we have heard earlier from the Minister, the $500 million is spread over three things: sports excellence, sports for all and sports industry. So, sports excellence is not going to be getting very much. Even some of the National Sports Associations have told me that they do not feel the effects of the $500 million trickling down to them. The operating expenditure of the Sports Council has also been reduced: $45 million in 2001, $39 million this year. Even this year's reduction represents a re-allocation of funds to the sports and youth programme under CoSS. It is still transferring from one pocket to another. To put it in another perspective for Members. David Beckham, we all know who he is. He is paid $1 million a month and there are 22 others like him in the team.”
“The school had decided to drop its annual sports day, citing practical constraints for this decision. This school, which was once a track and field power base in the 1960s and 1970s, will now no longer be able to produce national champions. Contrast this with what is happening in Malaysia. There, the Ministry of Education has embarked on a programme to produce world-class sports stars by getting primary school students to be active in sports. It has realised that at the secondary level, it is too late to develop true sports potential. It has to start in primary school to ensure that a continuous stream of talent can be produced and nurtured. The overall aim, in its own words, is for the country to be able to produce its own David Beckham and Tiger Woods. Sir, I know we have a sports talent identification programme, but we must ensure that talent is spotted very early and not too late. The establishment of the sports school in 2004 to provide for students with the ability to pursue excellence in sports and academic studies is very encouraging. It will be headed by a person who is well-regarded. But I heard from the grape vine that one of the first things this gentleman will be doing when the school opens is to retire, as by then, he would have reached retirement age. I am a bit worried about this. Along with this early identification of talent must be a competitive spirit. Sports is all about competition. It means not being afraid to beat the other guy in order to excel and win. It is heartening for me to read that the old boys of Raffles Institution are not happy that they have lost the school's rugby championship title to ACS for many years. They have gotten together to raise $1 million to help their Alma Mater regain the title.”
“I do not want to repeat what is stated in the Report of the CoSS, but I wish to make a few points. First of all, we need to develop a sports culture in Singapore. This is a point which was highlighted in the report. It seems to be the starting point. Australia is a sports power because, amongst many other factors, its people are just crazy about sports. We, therefore, need to raise the people's interest and awareness in sports. In turn, sports needs a high profile in the country. We need participants, but we also need spectators who talk sports, watch sports and cheer for sports. Secondly, we need to identify talent early. Tiger Woods became the champion he is today because he started hitting around with a golf club at the age of three. South Korean woman golfer, Park Se Ri, also started playing the game when she was at a tender age, at around five or six. I am not suggesting that we start arming our little toddlers with golf clubs or badminton rackets, but an early identification programme of sporting talent, beginning with our primary schools, can be a starting point. We can import foreign talent as a short cut. People like Jing Jun Hong and Li Jia Wei and, now new citizens, like Li Li and Jiang Yan Mei, have done a lot for us. And they serve as good role models for others. But they cannot evoke the same kind of passion as home-grown talents like Wong Peng Soon, Tan Howe Liang or Ang Peng Siong. We need to start them young, real young. Sir, I have heard that some schools have even dropped games like soccer and hockey from their CCA. Even Siglap Secondary School, I read recently, is a school known for producing top athletes in the past, most noticeably, Chee Swee Lee who won our last athletic gold in the Asian Games in Tehran in 1974.”
“Our recent record of achievements has not been encouraging. Our best performance in the Southeast Asian Games was way back in 1983 when we won 50 gold medals when the Games were held in Singapore, finishing fourth out of nine countries, and even edging out Malaysia. In the last SEA Games, we won only 22 gold medals, finishing sixth out of 10 countries, ahead only of lightweights like Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Brunei. Compare this with Malaysia's 111 golds, Thailand's 103, Indonesia's 72, Vietnam's 33 and the Philippines' 30. And that is only the Southeast Asian Games. Take football as another example. In 1998, Singapore was ranked 94th in the world and 12th in Asia. Today, we have slipped to 115th in the world and 22nd in Asia. Goal 2010, getting into the finals of the World Cup, is, at best, a dream. We have not had much to boast of lately. In the 1950s, we had household names like Wong Peng Soon in badminton. In 1960, Tan Howe Liang became our only Olympic hero when he won a silver medal for weightlifting. Over the years, we had other notables like Junie Sng, Ang Peng Siong and Joscelin Yeo. We were not exactly deprived, but sports heroes have been few and far in between. An oft-heard excuse for not producing champions is that we are a small nation and, as our population is small, we do not have the large base from which to tap sporting talent. This cannot be further from the truth. India, with a population of one billion people, is not exactly known for sporting achievements, except maybe for cricket. And, indeed, Ireland, a country with a population comparable to that of Singapore, can produce a team for this year's World Cup. So, too, Denmark. How can we produce champions?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, one of the important recommendations of the Report of the Committee on Sporting Singapore (CoSS) was that we should aim for high-performance sporting achievements. The successful pursuit of excellence in sports manifested by victories in international competitions enhances our national pride and our international standing. This represented a marked shift from just providing for sports for all. Sir, success in sports has that magic effect of strengthening community bonds. I remember in the 1970s and 1980s, when we played in the Malaysia Cup, regardless of race, language or religion, everyone cheered as a Singaporean. Chinese, Malays and Indians sat and cheered together, rain or shine, each time the national team played. And I remember well the Kallang Roar, which was heard loudest way up in Shah Alam, when we last won the Cup in 1994. We did not need any Inter-Racial Confidence Circle then to bring us together. I remember that when someone shouted "referee kayu" or "kelong", all of us knew what it meant and we all shouted in unison. Such was the nationalistic fervour and the powerful bind that pulled us together every time we tasted success and glory. The Government has given its support to the recommendations of the Committee, 40 in all, with a generous grant of $500 million under the Athletes Career and Training (ACT) scheme, which will go some way in helping to make a quantum leap in sports development. The CoSS' target is to make Singapore one of the top 10 sporting nations in Asia by the year 2010. The question I wish to pose now is: can we get there? Can we produce champions who can become our sports heroes and icons, people who can instill a national pride in us and enhance our international prestige? In other words, can we win?”
“Sir, in the budget for MCDS, there is an allocation of $21.8 million for the sports and youth programme. According to the budget, this money is mainly for the implementation of the Committee on Sporting Singapore Programme. I would like the Minister to enlighten the House as to the details of the sports and youth programme. Following the recommendations of the CoSS, the Government agreed to give a grant of $500 million to promote sports to be spread over five years. I would like the Minister to inform the House how much of this money comes from Singapore Pools, and how much is actually from Government funds.”
“Sir, am I right in saying that in implementing a full MNP system in Singapore, it would cost about $100 million which, in the larger context of things, is really not very expensive? On the point of paying charges for full MNP, is the Minister aware that, in Hong Kong, the introduction of MNP resulted in a 60% drop in tariffs, as operators braced themselves for the change and they became more competitive? Actually, in the end, the consumers benefited.”
“Sir, we pay for the call forwarding, and that is the point I am trying to make. Is the Minister aware that in other countries, where MNP has been introduced, it has resulted in greater convenience for consumers? It has also resulted in cheaper telephone rates, and it has also not affected the profitability of telephone companies.”
“Sir, the Minister's reply was actually referring to call forwarding and SMS portability, but I am actually talking about retention of telephone numbers for mobile phone users. So I believe he has not answered the question.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, rather than leave the matter to guidelines, which means a decision would then have to be made by, presumably, a Ministry official, would it not be practical to have legislation to permit the transplant of the organs, so that the decision is not a discretionary matter? Secondly, could we also not, when introducing such legislation, take steps to ensure that it would be an offence to engage in the trading of organs?”
“Sir, I am sure the Minister is aware that most countries have already opted for the CPP system. Although he has stated that the fixed line callers may end up paying more, is he aware that the experience in other countries is that, under the CPP system, operators would actually come out with a great variety of charging plans and thereby offering consumers greater choice, which in the end actually results in lower prices?”
“Sir, the Minister did not answer my question about the cost to HDB of an open surface car park and a covered carpark.”
“Sir, Government's policy has been that the cost of ownership of cars would be reduced over the long run, but the cost of usage will increase. Hence, we have increases in ERP charges. We have ERP almost everywhere, or soon to be everywhere, that we are going to have ERP day and night. I think very soon, ERP will mean "every road pay". Sir, the day will be quite soon when the only safe place to leave your vehicle is at home, if you are lucky enough to own a landed property. You can well imagine that, one day, if I drive out of my house, the first thing I hear would be this "beep" sound coming from the little device on my dashboard, and everywhere you go, you will be hearing "beep, beep, beep", instead of car horns. Sir, the Minister of State for National Development was quoted as saying that HDB is going to suffer $99 million loss a year in running the car parks. Therefore, it needs to increase its car park charges to cover this deficit. Whereas his Minister was quoted as saying that the reason why HDB wants to raise the car park charges is that it would have more money to build more car parks in future in order to anticipate the increase in the number of cars in Singapore. So I would like to know which is which, and to be more precise, I would like to hear from the Minister how much does it cost for HDB to build one car park lot, uncovered and covered. I hope we will have enough time so that I can follow up with more questions after we get the figures.”
“Sir, I have three questions. First, if HSA does not have the resources to test everything that is imported, can this work be done by private laboratories? Second, in the case of Slim 10, I understand that the decision by HSA to ban Slim 10 was made on 15th April. Why was the public informed of the ban through press release only on 30th April? Why was there a wait of two weeks? My last question: is there a way for HSA to inform the public as soon as it is possible of dangerous drugs, instead of having to wait, as in this case, for two weeks?”
“Sir, I was a bit surprised by the Minister's answer. I thought it was the job of HSA to safeguard public confidence in the quality safety and efficacy of healthcare products. Is he not aware that last year, there were 561 cases of people suffering from side effects from approved medicine which were reported to HSA? Does that not say something about the way HSA goes about doing its work?”
“Sir, why can the laboratory tests not be taken when the importer submits the declaration at the same time?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in the case of the Slim 10 product, I understand that the routine laboratory tests discovered the presence of two controlled substances, nicotinamide and fenfluramine, after the product had been put on the market. My question to the Minister is why can the tests not be conducted before the product is put on sale and, in the case of Slim 10, why was it allowed to be sold for five months before any action was taken by HSA?”
“I join Mr Chay in asking whether PSA is now re-thinking this policy. Maersk Line was also attracted to Pelepas because it was offered a 30% ownership in the port. Recently, the Prime Minister has suggested that PSA should think of selling shares to the major shipping lines. I also read just a few days ago that PSA's IPO has now been postponed. Does this mean that PSA is now re-looking at it or will it have a private placement of shares to shipping lines? Lastly, on the horizon, there is a bigger threat to us. Just yesterday, it was announced that Thailand has revived the idea of a canal through the Kra Isthmus, and it is going to be called the Thai Canal. This idea of a canal through the Kra Isthmus has been on the cards for something like 200 years. But, I think, this time the Thais mean business. This will cut shipping traffic through the Straits of Malacca and certainly will affect not just Singapore but Tanjung Pelepas. But I also understand that the Thais have offered Singapore a stake in the project. I would like to know the Government's thinking on this.”
“Sir, Singapore's status as a premier port in the region and a transshipment hub is under siege. The loss of Maersk Sealand last year to Tanjung Pelepas and now, this year, Evergreen, means creaming off at least $2.2 million twenty-foot equivalent units of containers, or 15% of PSA's annual volume. What is probably just as serious is that if you lose two big customers, you also lose the feeder lines that provide the connectivity. Sir, how will a line like Evergreen manage to squeeze a good deal is something which is quite well-known in shipping circles. It just went from PSA to Tanjung Pelepas back and forth, pushing down prices with each offer and counter offer, until one side blinked. This is a common business tactic. When you have a choice, you can bargain until the other side gives way. It also shows that during bad times, no matter how much you tout your strength, in terms of efficiency or innovation, or how far you are ahead with information technology in your operations, in the end, what counts most to the customers is cost. Sir, when you are in business, you sometimes have to be prepared to take a cut in your profit just to make it attractive for you to lure a customer. The important thing is to get your customer first, then make the money later. Sir, I am aware that PSA did go through great lengths to keep these two major customers. But I think the danger here is whether the loss of these two major lines will in the end attract others to move ahead, others like COSCO of China and "K" Line of Japan. And Mr Chay Wai Chuen has just said, what about the downstream effects on the economy? One reason why Maersk moved was that it could not get a dedicated terminal from PSA with which it could have then been in a better position to manage its own logistics and costs.”
“When we first had this system of demerit points, the idea was to punish road users or drivers, who drive their vehicles in such a way that they cause a hazard to other road users. I can well understand that we need to issue demerit points to people who speed, or even to people who use their handphones when they are driving. But why are we issuing demerit points to a driver when it is his rear seat passenger who refuses to buckle up, or maybe the passenger could have buckled up, but along the way, while the vehicle is moving, he unbuckles himself? How can the driver, who is right in front, see what is going on behind him? Sir, it is just like when you fly on an airplane, if the seat belt sign comes on, and you still refuse to buckle up, and something happens - bumpy weather, you bump your head - well, good luck to you - but you do not punish the pilot. 2.00 pm Lastly, Sir, I refer to the report some 2-3 weeks ago in the Sunday Times souped up cars were speeding along Orchard Road in the early wee hours of Sunday morning, something like 3-4 am. What surprises me also is why the Traffic Police were unaware of this, because I understand that this is common knowledge amongst quite a lot of people in the motor industry or in the business of souping up cars, and I think at that early Sunday morning hours there are still a lot of people walking along Orchard Road. So I do not understand why the Police, who were patrolling the streets, were not aware of this problem, unless, of course, at 3.00 am on Sunday morning, the Traffic Police have gone to bed.”
“Sir, I have just three quick questions to ask the Minister. My first question concerns the road accidents involving the motorcyclists. Last year, about 100 motorcyclists died on our roads. The sad thing is that many of them who died were in the prime of their lives. A lot of accidents involving motorcyclists involve motorcycles which were below 200 cc. My question is: what can we do to reduce the number of road accidents involving motorcyclists? I understand that in the United States, the authorities there are very strict regarding motorcyclists. Apart from the fact that it is compulsory to wear crash helmets, authorities there issue guidelines as to what the motorcyclists should wear on the roads. For example, they advise that motorcyclists should put on jackets, so that in case they are involved in some accidents, the jacket would help to protect them from injuries. They even advise something like "do not wear shoes with shoe laces", because the shoe lace can get entangled in the motorcycle in case of an accident. But over here, we can see people riding around a motorcycle wearing a singlet and slippers. My second question involves the recent imposition of the seat belt rule for passengers in the rear seats of motorcars. I applaud this move. I think the seat belt rule has been in place for many years. I am only surprised that it has not been implemented until recently, and vigorously. What I cannot understand is why the driver, apart from being fined, is given three demerit points. I would like to ask the Minister or the Traffic Police not to be too generous in giving demerit points. I think this is a question of overkill.”
“Madam, first of all, I would like to start off by paying tribute to the Internal Security Department for its fine work in breaking up the plot by the 13 terrorists last December. I think it would have certainly been a terrible disaster for Singapore if the terrorists had gotten their way. The unveiling of the plot has brought to the surface a new kind of threat to our country, and that is why I call it an unconventional threat. Previously, we have been prepared for different kinds of disasters. I remember that we have also run exercises, simulated emergency situations and our community is generally quite well-prepared to deal with any incident that may arise. But terrorism is a different thing. It is a different kind of threat to us and I would like to know what steps the Ministry of Home Affairs has in place to mobilise the community in case a disaster of this nature should occur. I read that the Ministry has in place a committee called the National Emergency System (NEST). I would like the Minister to provide us with more details as to what NEST is doing, how it intends to educate the population of the dangers of unconventional threats, and to what extent can the community leaders and the community be involved in dealing with a situation that may arise.”
“Yes, Sir, just one minute. Sir, a path-finder is one who negotiates a route and keeps everyone on track. I believe that unless someone is willing to clear the way, I am afraid that ASEAN will just hobble along like a lame old man and will have missed a lot of opportunities. Sir, the last point I want to make is the question of terrorism which has been raised. It is now a problem. Where the question that used to be asked was, "Is this a good place to invest?", the question now being asked more often is, "Is this a safe place?" Sir, Prime Minister Mahathir himself has admitted as much that he has a problem dealing with Islamic militants and the terrorist organisation Al Qaeda is known to have links with Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia and other groups such as Laskar Jihad in Indonesia and the Abu-Sayaff in the Philippines. Sir, my question is: now that Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines have last week signed an anti-terrorism pact and Thailand is reported to have been invited to join the pact, I would like to know why Singapore has been left out and whether we intend to sign on as a demonstration of our commitment against the war on terrorism. And apart from just signing, what concrete steps can ASEAN take together so that terrorism just does not remain a point of discussion?”
“The way Singapore has done in trying to get FTA terms with other countries has put paid to the argument that we only think of our own interest because in the negotiations with the US we have roped in products from Batam. But my concern here is that this too appears to be stalling, now that the US President has failed to secure fast track authority from Congress. Sir, the other point that was raised was also the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement. I think my colleague made a mistake. I do not think it is going to be signed within a year. From what I read, it is going to take some 10 years for such an FTA to be in place and I think 10 years is certainly a long time. A lot of water would have passed under the bridge. Sir, the other point I want to make is that ASEAN appears to lack leadership. Significant changes in the political leadership of several member states have contributed to this vacuum. Indonesia and Thailand are too busy trying to clean up their own backyards. Sometimes people ask me why Singapore cannot play a leading role. But I think, Sir, we have always said that we are small, we are pretty modest about this, and without naming names, I am sure there would be at least one or two others who would not accept us as the leader of ASEAN. So we are modest and we say no. We say that we rather get things going by pushing from behind. Sir, I think that PM therefore got it right when he said that Singapore can play the role of a path-finder.”
“And it has its priorities and must be selective in its dealings with other regions and decide who or what comes first on its radar screen. Sir, although polite noises are made that they remain occupied with an interest in South East Asia, there is no doubt that China was the focus of their dealings with Asia. And any interest in ASEAN was probably dominated by a pre-occupation with what was happening in Myanmar. Sir, no less than the EU's Commissioner for External Relations, Chris Patten, underscored this when he visited Singapore recently. He said that Europe remained interested in the region. Again it was a polite noise because in the same breath he said that EU-China ties were better and closer than they had ever been before. And he also pointed out that the level of European investments in this region has not recovered in the aftermath of the financial crisis, even after five years. And he reminded us that the attractiveness of South East Asia to Europeans and other investors would diminish with the rise of opportunities in China. And he also made the point about ASEAN's disparity and pointing to the different levels of wealth in the ASEAN countries, he said that, "setting a clear and coherent policy for dealing with that variety, is in itself a bit of an intellectual Himalaya". Sir, these are ominous words from someone who was the last British Governor of Hong Kong and who knows Asia well. Or you can read between the lines to take that to mean that ASEAN had better get its act together or it is going to miss out altogether. Sir, how can ASEAN move forward? Sir, getting FTAs with other countries is an approach that we have taken and I think it is a good way.”
“Sir, judging by what other Members have said, ASEAN appears to have lost much of its lustre. Some 35 years after its founding, several member countries are beset with political and/or economic problems. And quite a few are still dealing with the fall-out from the Asian financial crisis of 1997, reluctant as they are even to deal with obvious root causes such as inept political leadership, corruption and poor corporate governance. Sir, the admission of the CLMV countries, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam, in recent years threw up even greater disparities in the level of social and economic developments in the membership. And with that, vast differences in the approaches to different issues that confront the grouping became even more obvious. Sir, approach to trade is one such example. On the one end of the scale you have Singapore, advocate of free markets and free trade, and, on the other end, you have the CLMV countries, still far from comfortable with trade liberalisation. Somewhere in between, you get Malaysia, committed to an ASEAN Free Trade Area but still asking for protection for its motorcar industry. Sir, with such disparity, I think it is difficult to even pretend that we can find strength in diversity. The danger is that ASEAN risks being marginalised by others. ASEAN countries offer a combined market of about half that of China's 1.2 billion people and yet we get so much less attention from others. Large chunks of foreign investments are bypassing the region, heading towards China and the North East. This is discomforting. Sir, I have experienced this uneasy feeling myself when I visited the European Parliament last year. The EU is very occupied with its own problems, such as enlarged membership.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, can I know how the sample tests are conducted? Do the suppliers submit the samples to you, or do you do spot checks and take them from the consignments?”
“Lastly, Sir, the same argument again on the three-quarter tank rule. I think it is time we reviewed it again.”
“What is their reaction to the position taken by the petroleum companies? Sir, I would like to also make just three more points regarding how we can keep petrol prices at a reasonable level. One of the complaints by the petroleum companies is the high price of sites for petrol stations. During the good days, when the economy was booming, some of them bid as high as $40 million for a site. I believe that they are now bidding around $10-$15 million per site. Many of these sites, however, were actually bid for long ago, when prices were much lower. Actually, that should not be an excuse why retail prices should be very high. Nevertheless, we should perhaps re-examine again the use of the petrol station sites. The sites are now very large. I understand it is about 30,000 square feet. My question is: why do we want such large locations? Why should petrol stations be used as supermarkets? What is the business of petrol companies to sell bread, butter, chocolates, candies and ice-cream? I think they should not be using them to run convenience stores. If we just restrict them to selling petroleum, I think they need only have half the size of what we see today. That may be the way to bring down their cost. Just two more points very quickly. Sir, the other question is the valorem duty. I know this is probably under the Minister for Finance, but I just want to quickly say that when DPM gave the answer to us yesterday, he did not tell the full story. He said that the tax valorem duty was 35%. But I think there is a floor ceiling of 44 cents on premium petrol, whichever is higher. If the retail price drops to $1, we would not be paying 35 cents' duty to the Government, but we will still be paying 44 cents. Perhaps there is a case now to remove the floor ceiling.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, the price of petrol in Singapore is a concern for many Singaporeans. We have debated this issue in the House a number of times. Now, I have read that the benchmark, Brent crude has gone up to just under US$29 per barrel yesterday, I think we are resigned to the fact that we can expect the retail pump prices to increase again. Over a year ago, it was discussed also in this House that the Government would look into the possibility of having "white pumps" in certain locations. This would bring more competition to the retail petrol business. Just a few weeks ago, the Minister told us that the matter would have to be delayed because of security concerns. However, just a while ago, I was a bit surprised to read in today's Business Times, this is an article that appears on page 22, headlined "Changes Fuelling Concerns". What are the concerns? The concerns are from the petrol companies. I understand that they have gone to MTI to raise their objections to having "white pumps" in Singapore on the ground that "white pumps" would not provide a level playing field for the retail of petroleum in Singapore. Sir, I find this very amazing because I would like to compare the release of sites for "white pumps" in this industry akin to the position taken by the Government to allow parallel imports, because parallel imports do help bring down prices, in general, of any products. Take the motorcar industry, for example. Some years ago, we allowed the parallel imports to come in and that has helped to bring down the prices of motorcars. If we allow the "white pumps" to be operated, it is a kind of parallel import and that should help also to moderate the retail pump prices. I would like to know the Ministry's stand on this.”
“And I know it might be futile to say this, but I hope the Government would rethink this.”
“Yes, Ah Mei, that is her name. So what is in a name, you might ask? Well, for one thing, changing the name means you probably have to pay some slick design consultant to think up your new name, re-do your logo, all your signboards, letterheads, envelopes and other stationery, not to mention spending lots of money to tell the whole world that you now have a new name, and at the end of it all, you are still doing the same old things, but nobody is any wiser what you actually do or how to look for you. Sir, I am disappointed that this Budget has not done enough to solve many of the difficulties that ordinary folks and businessmen have been faced with for a long time. Two recessions in less than five years have still not sent the signal that there are many issues that are fundamentally wrong in Singapore. Like others before me, I am prepared to wait for the Economic Review Committee to present its report. But I want to say something and, that is, it is not enough to bring out off-Budget measures every time we run into difficulties. Off-Budget measures are ad hoc, they do not provide the kind of certainty that we all want as solutions to our problems. The only bold thing I find about this year's Budget is the unshamed hurry to increase tax revenue under the guise of preparing for changing circumstances at a time when Singaporeans are reeling and recoiling from the effects of the recession, when unemployment is now hovering around a six-digit figure, and when new entrants into the job market cannot even smell a job interview. Sir, more than half the MPs who have spoken so far have expressed their reservations about the increase in GST. I want to beseech the Government that this is a genuine concern that strikes at the heartstrings of almost every single Singaporean.”
“MITA has seen it fit to take over an old police station, refurbish it - I have not been inside, so I cannot say what it looks like inside - but I understand that the people there might not be too comfortable, considering the fact that they are working in former jail cells. Many departments also publish their own newsletters, which contain news which are quite outdated, or PR flyers. Very often I am inundated with glossy brochures and colourful charts like this one [indicating]. It is a data sheet - Statistics of Singapore. I think I am expected to hang this up somewhere. But all these do cost a lot of money to produce and print, and I really question the purpose of many of these things which are sent out. I wonder again how many of these items that are circulated actually go into wastepaper baskets. Take again the recent renaming of statutory boards under the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Some people may feel it is hip to change the Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board to Spring Singapore, the Trade Development Board to International Enterprise or IE, and the National Science and Technology Board to Agency for Science, Technology and Research or A*STAR, but at least the old names, to me, meant what each of these organisations stood for. Can you see how foreigners, or for that matter even Singaporeans, have to scratch their heads to look for something called the IE (International Enterprise) when they just want to make inquiries about trade? Spring Singapore sounds like a nightclub. And if a lot of money has been paid to some consultant to dream up A*STAR, let me say that it also reminds me of a certain singer from Taiwan who writes her name in the same way with the (*) sign after the letter "A". So much for creativity. An hon. Member: Ah Mei.”
“Between 1997 and 2001, based on what we know - as of now - the Government netted in $15 billion. It is not a bad record, in fact, it is great, I will say, considering that we lowered income taxes and gave away so many goodies. It is a feather in the Government's cap but, Sir, it does not need to pluck any more feathers from the people. Mr Speaker, Sir, revenue is just one part of the equation. I agree with the Deputy Prime Minister when he says that Government departments have to spend only on essentials and eschew frills and extravagance. I wish that that message had been sent earlier. It seems to me that every Ministry and many statutory boards today want to have their own headquarters or corporate building. But if you see many of them, you wonder if they are looking more like 5-star hotels. Singaporeans refer to the Seven Wonders of Singapore: MOE, JTC, IRAS, the new Supreme Court, Foreign Affairs sitting on a choice district 10 land, the twin towers of Home Affairs in Thomson and the upcoming HDB headquarters in Toa Payoh. It seems that twin towers are becoming fashionable in Singapore. In fact, I cannot understand why HDB, which is downsizing as the building programme is being cut back drastically, cannot stay where it is. It has to build twin towers. I remember not too long ago too that Government offices had that spartan look. Of course, we now can afford to look better. But if you see the furnishing and fittings in many of these buildings, I think there must be a competition amongst them to outdo one another to see which one can look better than the Four Seasons Hotel. Needless to add, posh buildings mean large sums of money every year just to upkeep them. Sir, I must, of course, give credit to MITA.”