Teo Chong Tee
Singapore
“Sir, may I be allowed to express my heartfelt thanks to the Ministers for Communications, especially Dr Yeo Ning Hong and Mr Mah Bow Tan, and all the various transport authorities, for finally agreeing to bring the MRT extension line to Changi Airport after nine long years. [Applause].”
“Sir, may I ask the Senior Minister of State for Education whether he is aware that there is a growing population in Simei Estate, in particular, and there are a lot of young children who are now in our PCF kindergarten education centres? So we see a need for a primary school to be built within the Simei Housing Estate.”
“Having heard the Minister of State's reply, I have got a supplementary question. Why is the extension line not planned to go beyond the passenger terminals to the airline cargo complexes and engineering complexes where there are several thousand workers who are also dependent on public transport?”
“In view of the above circumstances, may I request the Minister to, firstly, consider reviewing the rules on the forfeiture of the security bond to protect the interest of the Singaporean employers and, secondly, consider allowing Singaporean employers whose maid has run away to employ another maid without delay while they search for the m…”
“Given the emotive element of this issue, it would be helpful if Singaporeans are informed of its progress from time to time and the approximate time-frame for the implementation of the committee's recommendation. Sir, I would appreciate it if the Minister would consider this suggestion.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his reply and beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $51,364,070 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $257,500 for Head S ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.”
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“May I ask the Minister the likely date that this project will begin?”
“Sir, may I ask the Hon. Minister why this hotel project was not planned earlier in line with the airport project which is expected to be completed and become operational by the first quarter of 1981?”
“I hope not. All these increases have caused much hardship to the lower income wage-earners. The tax reliefs of $1,000 for the wife and $750 for a child are hardly adequate in view of all these increases. That is why our representation as elected Members of Parliament on such matters should not be ignored. I welcome the additional relief given to a taxpayer who maintains a handicapped person in the same household. Additionally, it only benefits a handful of such taxpayers, but this is not good enough. I hope the Hon. Minister will not continue to ignore our representation again. Finally, Sir, may I congratulate the Hon. Minister for Trade and Industry for the favourable Budget Statement on the whole presented to this House on 5th March 1980. 3.55 p.m.”
“The personal relief of $2000 which has remained stagnant for more than three decades and the meagre reliefs granted to dependent members of the family have become absolutely unrealistic in view of the significant rising cost of living over the last few years. Prices of foodstuffs continue to rise. PUB charges have increased. Even SBS took the opportunity to increase the bus fares some months ago.”
“As the lower income wage-earners form a larger base in contributing their services to the notion as a whole, they should be equally rewarded. On the qualitative aspect, there are many workers whose limited skills do not qualify for earnings in the higher salary scales; thus they are deprived of better benefits from tax reduction. This is unfair to them, as they will continue to enjoy a meagre benefit in tax reduction even though they may strive as hard as they can. This is because they fall within the lower income brackets. The higher income groups, however, are a happier lot most of the time because they benefit very much more in the tax reduction. Although their saving in terms of percentage is lower, their actual saving in terms of dollars and cents is a substantial sum, as can be seen in Appendix Ill of the Budget Statement presented by the Hon. Minister. Why is there this disparity in granting benefits to the different groups of income earners? Where equally hard work has been contributed by both income groups for the general well-being of the country, equal benefits should be fairly awarded to both groups. A favourable solution would be for the Government to increase tax reliefs. Mr Speaker, Sir, my colleagues in this House would share my sentiments that personal income tax reliefs need to be reviewed to lessen the burden of taxpayers, particularly the lower income wage-earners. Year in and year out, many of us in this House have argued for an increase in personal and earned income reliefs from income tax for taxpayers, but our representations have again fallen on deaf ears.”
“If the influx of foreign unskilled workers continues at the same pace as it has been over the years, will the productivity of workers fall further this year? May I ask the Hon. Minister what positive stops will the Government take to reverse the trend? Mr Speaker, Sir, the Budget though considered painless has brought little joy, particularly to most income taxpayers. The across-the-board reduction of income tax rates proposed by the Hon. Minister is benefiting taxpayers in the higher income brackets. Why is there such a discrimination against the lower income wage-earners? A closer look at the different brackets of taxpayers shows that there is only a token concession gained by the lower income brackets. The token concession will not benefit the lower income brackets in the light of inflation that has taken place in the past years. The average saving for income taxpayers is 16.1%, but in terms of dollars and cents, this gain is negligible, e.g. taxpayers in the first, second, third and fourth tax brackets save a significant 19.9%, 16.8%. 13.8% and 12.0% respectively. In fact, the actual saving in terms of dollars and cents for taxpayers in each of these tax brackets is a meagre $12.60, $36.20, $61.30 and $86.50 on the average. The saving hardly comes to $100.00 a month. With the escalating cost of living as a consequence of high oil prices, what real benefits does this saving give to taxpayers in these tax brackets? I am not against the rationale for a wider tax base so as to cover as many individual taxpayers as possible, but I am not in favour of the Government's usual principle of having the higher income earners benefiting more than the lower income wage-earners in the tax reduction.”
“Having recognised the concerted efforts that employers, employees, trade unions and the Government have worked hand-in-hand for the benefit of the people and the economic well-being of the nation as a whole that brought about the 9.3% real growth rate of our economy, I therefore extend to all concerned my heartiest congratulations. However, what I am concerned about is the fact that our economic growth was achieved more through a quantitative input of workers than through productivity increases. According to the Economic Survey, productivity dropped from 4% in 1978 to 2.6% in 1979. That was the effect of an influx of foreign unskilled workers to Singapore. We all know that the Government's aim is to increase productivity of our workers. Measures have been introduced to upgrade our economy to a higher technological level. Wages have been increased to compel employers to economise on the use of manpower by organising work practices for more efficient manpower utilisation. At the same time, incentive schemes are also implemented to enable employers to upgrade the skill of their workers through intensive training and to replace their labour with modern labour-saving equipment. Notwithstanding efforts that have been taken to effectively implement these measures, foreign unskilled workers continue to be attracted to fill the vacuum of labour shortage in the Republic. As these foreign workers, most of whom are unskilled, continue to flood the labour market, would they not frustrate the aim to increase the productivity of our workers? The Economic Survey has already revealed that productivity of workers as a whole dropped last year.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, with the slow growth of the economies of the OECD countries and the uncertainties in the economic prospects of the developed as well as the developing countries due to the continued escalation of oil prices and the increasing protectionism in many advanced industrialised countries, one would expect that the best we could do was to maintain our previous growth rate of 8.6% in 1978. However, the real growth rate of our economy turned out to be better than what many people had expected. The results of the incredible 9.3% real growth rate of our economy obviously out-paced all our ASEAN neighbours. Comparing it with the growth rate of our other close competitors in Asia, we are second only to Hong Kong. This, in fact, is a marvellous achievement for our small nation. The comparatively high rate of growth was by no means achieved by chance but through the careful planning and the farsightedness of our Government leaders who, I am confident, will continue to soundly steer us through any economic crisis ahead of us. Having an efficient Government comprising capable and farsighted leaders is by itself not sufficient to ensure that we have a bright future. We need the co-ordination and the co-operation of employers, employees and trade unions without which the Government's economic policies could not be implemented smoothly. Fortunately, employers, employees and trade unions realise that as an independent country, we have to look after our own future as we cannot depend on big powers to support us economically. Past experiences have shown that the bigger nations looked after their own interest.”
“As the cost of upgrading the quality of television and broadcasting services will undoubtedly be high, whereby the SBC has to pay for it, it is hoped that such high cost will not be eventually passed on to our viewers and listeners. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill. 5.11 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to say a few words in support of the Bill. RTS has been frequently criticised, both in this House as well as by members of the public because the standard of television and sound broadcasting services is not up to expectation. It is now realised that the only way to upgrade the services is to relieve RTS from the strings of the Ministry of Culture by which it is attached all along. The Singapore Broadcasting Corporation Bill will certainly put the RTS in the right footing by upgrading its television and sound broadcasting services. The Bill, when passed, will effectively free RTS from all the policy, the administrative and above all the budgetary constraints which have been standing in its way of improvement and progress for years. With its new freedom, it is hoped that the SBC will be able to work out its excellent conditions of service to attract more talented people and, most important of all, to retain them with better monetary rewards. Therefore, it is hoped that the longstanding shortage of trained, talented and experienced personnel can be resolved. We can expect to see an overall improvement forthcoming, particularly in the colour production of more local programmes and also news with newsreel presentation. If our locally produced programmes are comparable to foreign productions in terms of quality in the future, the SBC could perhaps look into the possibility of exporting them to our neighbouring countries or to other foreign countries, just as RTS is presently importing relevant programmes from overseas to meet the demand of our local viewers. This will also possibly help SBC to earn revenue.”
“Sir, may I ask the Hon. Minister whether there are any plans to build Housing Board flats, although the number of residents in Changi is getting less and less each day?”
“Sir, may I further ask the Minister whether he could provide figures to show the number of such applications for entry permits which have been rejected, approved and pending during the last two years? Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, I do not have the figures of applications approved and rejected for the last two years. I happen to have figures for the period from January 1977 to August 1979, which is more than the two-year period. For the period January 1977 to August 1979, 11,870 applications for permanent residence were approved. This compares very favourably with 4,021 applications which were rejected during the same period. In other words, 11,870 applications were approved as compared with 4,021 applications rejected. PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMITTEE (Implementation of recommendations) 4. Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Finance what measures his Ministry contemplates to take in regard to the observations and recommendations of the Public Accounts Committee contained in Paper Parl. 4 of 1979.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister whether special consideration will be given in the case of a single aged parent, all of whose children are either Singapore citizens or permanent residents?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to raise a few questions to the Hon. Minister for Communications and Acting Minister for Culture. Last year, I spoke and criticised Radio and Television Singapore on the quality of our locally produced programmes. I am not going into it again this time. But I just want to pose a few specific questions as a follow-up on this subject. I would like to ask the Minister six questions which I hope are not too many. (1) Were any of our producers and senior technical staff sent out from Singapore for training during the last two years? If there were, where were they sent to? (2) Are there difficulties in sending staff for training overseas? If there are, what are these difficulties? I hope it is not a financial problem again. (3) Do we have foreign experts presently stationed at RTS to assist in the upgrading of the quality of our locally produced programmes? (4) What is the present status of the training school run by RTS? (5) How many sub-titlers are there in RTS? What are their qualifications? (6) Finally, could we have more sub-titles in Chinese for English programmes for the benefit of the Chinese educated viewers?”
“They were built very close to each other. If we are to build a lift tower in between the buildings we will reduce further the very small spaces between the buildings. I will give the Member for Whampoa this assurance. The people living in a six-storey flat have to climb a maximum of five flights of stairs. If there are old people who find it difficult to climb the stairs to the top floor and they wish to move to a lower floor, I will ask the Housing Board Allocation Committee to consider their case very sympathetically. Our new Parliamentary Secretary is the Chairman of the Allocation Committee. He knows all their problems. In fact, if a Member of Parliament were to write to him about any particular resident living with old parents who cannot climb the staircase, I think the Parliamentary Secretary will be very sympathetic and will transfer them to a lower floor and allocate the higher flats only to the younger people.”
“On the points raised by the Member for Mountbatten regarding the "swimming pool", the Housing Board was actually building a few more blocks in his constituency and the contractors had most probably left pools of water all over the construction site. Our climate in Singapore is such that if water is left stagnant for a few days mosquitoes will breed in it. The Ministry of the Environment has taken stringent action against the contractors. Contractors who are unable to keep their worksite clean and free from mosquitoes will be fined, sometimes heavily. Some contractors have come to ask me for help to reduce their fine. I told them, I could not do that. I could not go to the court and ask the court not to fine them, I told them that since they allowed their worksites to become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, and since they were caught by the inspectors from the Ministry of the Environment, they had to pay the fine. But in the Mountbatten constituency I think the construction work has reached up to the roof of the building. I expect this mosquito nuisance to residents living in the surrounding areas will soon be minimised after the buildings have been completed. The Member for Whampoa has raised several points. We have, in fact, made a study of the installation of lifts in the six-storey flats. We have found that it is not practical because the flats have tiled pitched roofs. In other words, they are not made of concrete. If we are to provide a lift we will have to construct a separate lift tower away from the building, and not as part of the building. But if we have to construct a lift as part of the building, then we have to move the residents out and take down the roof before we can install the lift. Unfortunately, these buildings were constructed in the early 60's.”
“Sir, the Hon. Minister has also not answered my point on priority in the allocation of flats to those affected in the conversion of one-room flats. Mr Teh Cheang Wan: On the conversion of these one-room flats, I have already explained just now to the Member for Kim Seng. Our procedure is that if only a few units are still left occupied in a particular block of these one-room flats, the Housing Board will offer them flats in the more popular areas, so that when they move out from that particular block we can pull down the whole block of flats for redevelopment. In the case of Katong constituency, there are only a few units left occupied in Block 12. That is why we offered them alternative accommodation in Block 1 in the same housing estate so that we can clear the whole of Block 12 and pull it down for redevelopment. As for the other blocks, I think the occupancy rate is more than 90%, as the Member mentioned just now. 4.15 p.m. The Housing Board will most probably study the whole situation. If they come to the conclusion that it would be difficult to clear any more blocks despite offering them alternative accommodation within Tanjong Rhu Estate where there are, say, 50 or 100 units of flats available, the Housing Board will say that the residents in those blocks are not prepared to move out and that it is not the policy of the Housing Board to force them to move out against their wishes, and therefore they will be allowed to remain in those blocks in Katong. The clearance and redevelopment scheme will have to be deferred for a year, two years or even three years. Therefore, this group of residents will not be offered priority in the allocation of flats. That is how we formulate our policy.”
“Minister will consider granting priority and expediting the allocation of flats to these applicants who are so anxious to move out from their present living conditions. Sir, knowing that the Hon. Minister has been very kind and generous in acceding to several MPs' requests concerning his Ministry since he assumed office, I would not like to take advantage in this instance by asking for more than what the Hon. Minister can give. But I believe the Hon. Minister will continue to be kind and generous. It is my hope, on behalf of the hon. Member for Katong, that the Hon. Minister will favourably consider the points I have raised.”
“10, 11 and 13 still have a total occupancy rate of about 90%. Most of the residents from Block 12 have been given priority and are now resettled at Bedok New Town. Others have been given the choice of 3-room flats at Block 1 at Jalan Batu, Tanjong Rhu housing estate. Sir, this works out very well for those living in Block 12 as about 97% of the occupants have already moved out. But residents in Blocks Nos. 10, 11 and 13 are still waiting for a transfer to bigger flats. Most of the applicants have requested for priority in the allocation of flats in the same housing estate, particularly in Block 1 where it is understood that there are many more vacant units. There are others who are still waiting for priority in the allocation of flats in other housing estates of their choice. These applicants have high hopes for getting their flats early. Unfortunately, their high hopes faded away when they came to know that the HDB had deferred the conversion and demolition of Blocks Nos. 10, 11 and 13. They also understood from the HDB that, in view of the deferment, not only would they not be given priority of flats in Block 1 of the present housing estate but also other housing estates where they had registered for transfer. They also understood that their applications for transfer to bigger flats of their choice would be treated on a first-come-first-served basis. Sir, I would like to find out from the Hon. Minister whether this is true. If it is, then it is unfair on the part of HDB to deprive the applicants of their priority just because the HDB decided to defer the conversion exercise. If it is not true, I hope the Hon.”
“Sir, thank you for the opportunity to speak on this amendment. I am one of the MPs sitting in for the hon. Member for Katong who is presently away from Singapore. I would like to take up a small matter on his behalf which concerns the one-room flats at Jalan Batu which is within the Katong Constituency. Sir, Jalan Batu in Tanjong Rhu is also one of the old housing estates in Singapore. There are four 12-storey blocks of mainly one-room flats, a few units of two-room flats, some shophouses and one community centre. The blocks are Nos, 10, 11, 12 and 13. When the people moved into these one-room flats some 15 years ago, they were either newly married couples or small-sized families. In these 15 years these families have expanded. Children have grown up. Most of them are schooling in nearby schools. Adults are either employed or are in business within the housing estate. There living conditions are very poor. There is insufficient space for them to live in. The residents in these one-room flats have been tolerating such living conditions for years. Some of them have on their own accord applied for transfer to bigger and larger flats. Others have been told to apply for transfer to other housing estates as these blocks of flats have been earmarked for conversion and demolition. In most cases, they have applied for transfer to bigger flats preferably within the same housing estate. There are others who have requested transfers to flats in nearby housing estates, like Kallang Bahru and Geylang Bahru. These applicants have been told that priority will be given to them in the allocation of flats in view of the impending conversion and demolition. However, with the exception of Block 12, which has about 16 units still occupied, the other three Blocks Nos.”
“Where are the Enforcement Officers? Sir, the next problem I would like to touch on briefly is indiscriminate parking by motorists. Indiscriminate parking by motorists is yet another example where no stern Police action is taken against the culprits. Although double yellow lines are drawn along Upper Changi Road in front of Changi Village, vehicles are seen parked beside the double yellow lines every day. Even the parking lots reserved solely for the parking of tourist buses along this road are also taken up by inconsiderate motorists. As a result, the tourist buses have to be parked at other undesignated parking lots. I believe that such indiscriminate parking by motorists is seen not only in the Upper Changi Road area. If one drives around, he will be able to see indiscriminate parking of vehicles everywhere. I hope the Traffic Police will intensify enforcement action so that more erring motorists who flout the law can be booked. This will not only make our roads safer for all motorists and pedestrians but also reduce the number of traffic accidents which at present are still on the increase. In these circumstances, I would like to find out from the Hon. Minister what further measures he proposes to take to improve the situation.”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak. Under this subhead, I would like to touch on a few small points regarding traffic enforcement. Sir, we have heard so much about measures taken by the Traffic Police to track down inconsiderate drivers on the road. However, it is unfortunate to say that the situation today has not improved. The roads are still reigned by motorists with their reckless and terrorising manner of driving. The lack of discipline on our roads is not due to the lack of human and vehicular traffic rules and regulations but the ineffective enforcement of these rules and regulations by the Traffic Enforcement Department. The demerit points scheme, for example, is an effective weapon against hell-drivers and riders as well as other road-user offenders if it is properly administered. Unfortunately, most of the motorists get away with infringement of the traffic regulations. Those who are penalised under the demerit points scheme and subsequently suspended from driving for a certain period of time, are the unfortunate few who happened to violate the traffic regulations in the presence of the traffic policeman. The yellow-box junctions are introduced to ease traffic congestion at road junctions. These serve a good purpose if motorists follow the rules of the yellow-box junction. However, it is observed that motorists do not seem to strictly observe the rules. Time and again, in some of the yellow-box junctions away from the main city, motorists are seen caught with their vehicles in the middle of these junctions, thus causing obstruction to other vehicles moving off when the traffic light turns green. In most cases, they manage to escape from the arm of the Law because there is no Traffic Enforcement Officer around to book them.”
“Due to inflation in past years, this relief has now become unrealistic and workers in the lower income bracket ire the ones who are affected most. In the past, personal income relief was not reviewed because the Government's aim was to widen the tax base. However, the Government should look into this again, and if an increase in the personal income relief will have only a minor effect on the tax base, it should be raised without delay. As we all know, the income tax issue has been a controversial one over the past years in this House. Year after year most of us, as Backbenchers, have voiced for increased relief for taxpayers. But this has not come about to benefit the ordinary man-in-the-street. We hope that the Hon. Senior Minister of State will take this into serious consideration in the future Budget. Mr Speaker, Sir, on the whole, the Budget is a reasonable one, considering the uncertainties we have to face in the years ahead. It is better than what the majority of the people Have expected. Of course, we would like to have more tax concessions so that more people could benefit from them since we all have done well in the previous year. Finally, I would like to join hon. Members of this House in congratulating the Senior Minister of State for Finance for presenting this Budget. 4.04 p.m.”
“We hope the Government will continue to review the situation and take further steps to keep our economy sound and healthy. Turning now to the tax concessions, I should say that they will generally benefit only a certain percentage of the population. These tax concessions appeared to have been carefully selected to benefit certain sections of the population. The Government's policy is to reward effort, talent and skills at all levels so as to avoid disincentive to work hard. The tax concessions are geared towards achieving this objective. However, a closer look shows that only people in the higher income bracket will benefit from the tax concessions. Does this mean that the lower income group is at present adequately rewarded for their effort, or has the Government forgotten that they should also be rewarded or else their incentive to work harder will also diminish? The Hon. Senior Minister of State for Finance has qualified the Budget as "even mildly pleasurable". At this juncture, perhaps our economy can absorb only a small concession in tax because of the uncertainties facing us in the years ahead. The tax concessions given this year are presumed to be the most crucial ones and the Government has granted them so as to provide a greater stimulant to our economy. However, we should not forget that the majority of our work force are in the lower income group and they have also played their part in building up our economy. Therefore, they should not be forgotten when more tax concessions are considered in the future. The personal income relief, in particular, has to be reviewed because it has remained unchanged for a long time.”
“This uncertainty will deter capitalists from investing in Southeast Asia and thus slow down the economic growth of this region. To ensure continued progress for our country, we must prepare ourselves to face these problems. The Government must continue to seek ways and means of encouraging the inflow of capital from advanced countries. The employers, trade unions and workers must continue to work hand-in-hand for their mutual interest. We must also bear in mind that some of the problems we face could only be tackled successfully when the ASEAN countries are united as a single block of nations. Thus we should work towards closer cooperation among ASEAN countries. To partly alleviate the effects of increasing oil price, we should also try our best to cut down our demand for energy. Both industries and households should play their part in preventing wastage of energy. Sir, this year the Government has decided to introduce more concessions for manufacturers who invest on advertising and promotional campaigns overseas. Tax incentives are also introduced for new manufacturers who invest in research and development of their products. These measures will, to a certain extent, have a favourable effect on the current account of our balance of payment. The deficit in the current account had deteriorated in 1978. Fortunately, we did not face any balance of payment problem because of the heavy inflow of capital from overseas. This situation should not be allowed to go on forever. The Government has therefore taken a step in the right direction in encouraging more aggressive marketing overseas. However, the concessions given are expected only to have a mild effect on our economy.”
“Our present economic strength is achieved through years of hard work and sacrifices. Our future progress depends on how we tackle the economic and political problems as we plod along our way to economic prosperity. If we become complacent now, we would be swamped with economic problems and all our past achievements would go down the drain. The economic prospects in 1979 are uncertain. Among the problems which will continue to plague our economic growth are slow growth in the economies of industrialised countries, hike in oil price, and protectionist policies of developed countries. The OPEC countries had announced a 14.5% increase in oil price this year. The economies of developed countries will be affected by this oil-price hike. As we are heavily dependent on the economies of developed countries, our economy will also be affected. Besides, with the hike in oil price, our oil bill will also be inflated and this will have an adverse effect on our economy. Another serious problem which we have to bear in mind is the intensifying of protectionist policies by developed countries. Formerly, these policies were restricted to trade. Now, they have been extended to the air by Australia. The end-to-end civil aviation policy initiated by Australia has been received favourably by some other developed countries, and there are signs that other developed countries will try out the new policy. If they do, all developing countries, including Singapore will be adversely affected. Another problem we have to face is the unsettled conditions in Indochina. No one can predict what the communists will do when they have consolidated their position in the whole of Indochina.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this year's Budget came as a pleasant surprise to most of us. For the past few years we had budgets which were described as "painless" and "no-shock". This year, rumours were rife that the Government would impose additional taxes as part of the economic planning and to cover the ever-increasing expenditure. However, the additional taxes did not come about, and instead we were given a few tax concessions. The budget presented by the Senior Minister of State for Finance was described not only as "painless" but also "mildly pleasurable". Sir, in 1978, in spite of numerous economic problems confronting us, we had forecasted an economic growth rate of 6-8%. This was an optimistic forecast and to achieve it was not an easy task. However, we did better than what we expected. We managed an incredible growth rate of 8.6%. Of course, our growth rate is moderate when compared to that of Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea which managed 10-13% last year. Nevertheless, our economic growth can be considered a rare achievement in view of the numerous obstacles we had to overcome. Our 8.6% growth rate was achieved in spite of the slow-down of the economies of industrialised countries like the United States, Japan and the EEC countries. Other problems which we encountered include the rising oil price and protectionist policies of developed countries. The credit of our achievement should go to the Government for her good leadership, the manufacturers for their foresight, the trade unions for their cooperation with employers for their mutual benefit, and the workers who continued to strive hard. Now that we have built up a sound economic and financial base, we should not take for granted that our continued progress is assured.”
“It is not formulated with the travellers at heart, but with the aim of selfishly restricting travellers between Australia and London to Qantas and British Airways. Travellers should realise that Australia is aiming for a duopoly, i.e. the sole right in carrying passenger traffic between Australia and London. This is not to the travellers' interest because, once the duopoly is established in their favour, they will jack up the airfares again. Moreover, travellers will have no choice but to travel in either one of the two carriers. This will lead to deterioration of services in the long run. To make sure that the ASEAN countries show as little resistance as possible to the low-fare policy, Australia would like to see the breaking-up of ASEAN solidarity. She may put pressure on certain ASEAN countries so as to create disagreement among us. Therefore, we must be on guard against any attempt to break up our common stand against the protectionist low-fare policy of Australia. Collectively, the ASEAN countries should sit back and think of retaliatory actions. Our retaliatory actions need not be restricted to the air industry. We could also contemplate other measures as well. Finally, I would like to join my colleagues in congratulating the President on his re-election and we wish him good health. 2.44 p.m.”
“Developed countries have always expressed their desire to help developing countries in their economic development. But the economic policies of these countries show that they are more interested in protecting their own economies. Australia is a clear example of such hypocrisy. On the one hand, while criticizing protectionist policies, on the other hand she was putting in all her efforts to devise policies to protect her own economy. The proposed low air fares between London and Australia is an indication that Australia is taking advantage of her economic strength to cover up her weaknesses. Already our trade balance with Australia is not in our favour. Instead of taking measures to correct the imbalance in trade, Australia imposed tariff and import restrictions on our goods. Now that the protectionist policies are showing their effects on our trade, she has formulated another protective measure to cut our national carrier off from passengers on the London/Australia run. Australia claimed that the new low-fare policy is to make air travel available to more people. If this is the aim, Australia should allow all airlines operating along this route to participate in the low-fare scheme and not restricting it to only the two end-to-end carriers, that is, British Airways and Qantas. Besides, travellers should be allowed to break their journey at reasonable cost. Furthermore, if Australia is sincere in offering cheaper travel, the airfares between Australia and the ASEAN countries should also be lowered to encourage people to travel between ASEAN countries and Australia. Therefore, a closer look at Australia's proposed low-fare policy indicates that it is only a protectionist policy.”
“Sir, in recent years the Building Control Division of the Ministry has been spending considerable time and effort in the rural areas demolishing structures which were found to have been constructed not in conformity with the building laws. It is understandable that demolition action has to be taken against newly-built private dwellings and structures which were constructed without prior approval from the BCD. However, where the structure is small, in the form of extension by the kampong folk and it has been in existence for many years, the BCD is requested to be sympathetic and not to be too harsh on them. Their appeals for retention should be kindly considered. Many of the rural folk, in their ignorance of the BCD requirements and needs, have somehow committed minor infractions of the building law, such as putting up corrugated zinc awnings in front of their wooden houses, additional bathrooms, kitchens and other minor extensions. In spite of the fact that these structures are old and in poor condition, the owners are still served with demolition notices, as they are not able to produce documentary proof to justify their claim that the shed or structures have been in existence for many years. Such unauthorised structures are bound to appear in the rural areas. It is only a matter of time before the rural folks are resettled in Housing and Development Board flats in view of our fast developing programmes. It is my hope that this matter can be favourably reviewed by the BCD which should divert more of its energies to the bigger projects and problems rather than to small issues and minor projects. I am sure many of my colleagues in this House will fully share my sentiments.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, when the House rose yesterday I was speaking on the Addendum on the Ministry of National Development. I would like to continue today. The administrative procedures of the Housing and Development Board should be revamped to cut down unnecessary queuing time. People who go to the HDB offices either to register for flats or to collect keys to their flats have to queue for as long as half a day, if not more. This is unhealthy as hundreds of man-hours are wasted each day, and many people are subjected to a lot of inconvenience. People who queue up at HDB offices to apply for flats or to collect keys to their flats have to take time-off from their work or business. To these people, time is precious. Some of them, after queuing for a long time, are even turned away and told to return later because they have failed to follow certain administrative procedures due to ignorance. Their anger and frustration are often unpleasantly expressed in heated arguments with HDB officials at the service counters. This, in fact, is happening every day. Previously, when large numbers of people called at the HDB office to apply for flats, it was unavoidable that applicants had to queue up for some time. However, now that the number of applicants has reduced significantly, they should not be made to wait too long before being attended to. The HDB should find out what is wrong with the administrative system and rectify the situation immediately. As for applicants who go to the HDB office to collect the keys to their flats, they should be expeditiously attended to. The HDB should know, through past experience, the number of people it can serve a day. Therefore, it should space out the appointments with applicants so as to minimise queuing time.”
“However, the HDB must bear in mind that more than half of the population in Singapore has already been housed in flats. Improving the environment of the present housing estates is equally, if not more important than providing better and bigger flats in future. Thus, the HDB should continue to plan and work towards better housing with improved social and recreational facilities, better infrastructure and public amenities in pleasant and gracious environment in the coming years. In fact, during the past years, the Housing and Development Board had already made vast improvements in the design and quality of flats. This is evident when one compares the old housing estates like Toa Payoh and Queenstown with the new housing estates like Bedok, Ang Mo Kio and Clementi. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of workmanship. In fact, when one compares an old flat with a new one, one can see clearly the deterioration of the workmanship. Therefore, I suggest that the HDB also concentrates on improving the workmanship of flats. The officials from the HDB should also be more vigilant to ensure that contractors adhere closely to specifications.”
“If they are in the midst of the people, they will definitely be more available to the people. Regular patrols at the rural areas should also be intensified. In dealing with crimes, Police should adopt a more exacting and effective method of work, mode of organisation and strategy for security in order to ensure that our people continue to live in peace without unnecessary harassment from any sort of undesirable elements. With proper deployment and marshalling of Police manpower to be augmented with the Police national service reservists, we will be able to achieve quantitative expansion in addition to qualitative improvement, and this will put our future task of security on a better vantage ground. At this juncture, I would like to commend the Ministry for the efforts put up to attract more brain power into the Police Force. Without a strong leadership, the Police Force would degenerate due to short-sightedness and poor planning. However, in our enthusiasm to build up top leadership, we should not forget the base, that is the junior Police Officers. Whether they are serving in the army, police or VC, promising young men who have keen interest in the job should be encouraged to join the Police Force. Opportunities for advancement should be made more attractive to encourage them to take up Police as a career. The Addendum of the Ministry of National Development states that having housed 60% of the population, the Housing and Development Board will now concentrate on improving the design and quality of flats to be built. Providing bigger and better-designed flats for would-be flat dwellers and present flat dwellers who can afford to give up their flats and acquire bigger flats is welcomed.”
“In its Addendum, the Ministry states that foot patrols will be introduced in Housing Board estates from January this year and that Police national service reservists will be used to supplement the regular police officers in patrolling duties. By July this year, 122 reservists will be available to perform patrol duties each day. This figure will be further increased and it is to be welcomed. As foot patrolling of housing estates is labour-intensive and more housing estates will be built, the number of reservists available for patrol duties may not be adequate to achieve results unless there are sufficient regular police officers. Nowadays, it is becoming more and more difficult to recruit male police officers because the Police Force has to compete with the industrial sector which is rapidly expanding. However, in order to overcome the shortage of manpower, the police should consider recruiting more women so that they can take over all the administrative work, leaving the men to do patrol duties. To serve the people more effectively, the police should be based at heavily populated areas. Since our population is concentrated in housing estates, the Ministry should consider building police stations in every housing estate. Preferably, the police stations should be located at town centres which are at the heart of these estates. By setting up police stations in these estates, the services of the police could be readily available to the public. Perhaps it is a good idea to have police officers serving in their own housing estates as they would know the surroundings and the people better. Moreover, to tackle crimes more successfully, police officers should be at the scene of the crime immediately or within a short time when they are called upon.”
“However, with the passage of time, when memories of the sufferings fade away, safety consciousness of both management and workers will again be lacking unless the Ministry of Labour takes the initiative to see that safety measures are strictly followed by the responsible parties at all times. Employers should show more interest in implementing safe working methods and in providing adequate safety apparel and a safe working environment, with equipment, machines, tools, etc., regularly serviced, maintained and guarded. They should not only be interested in making huge profits as quickly as possible at the expense of the workers. The Government has repeatedly given warnings about giving proper industrial safety and health protection to their workers but these have often fallen on deaf ears. As a consequence of their negligence, severe bodily injuries and loss of precious lives among workers are frequently caused. Such acts of negligence should not be tolerated and enhanced penalties should be meted out accordingly. Workers should continue to be educated on safety consciousness. For those who refuse to use the safety equipment supplied to them, disciplinary action should also be taken against them, particularly the recalcitrants. The Ministry of Labour should intensify its supervision on worksites and punish both management and workers who fail to observe safety rules and regulations. Therefore, I hope the Ministry of Labour would put in more efforts in supervision rather than concentrating on formulating rules and procedures which are not seriously observed by management and workers. Sir, may I now turn to the Addendum on the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
“As for our communist neighbours, we should try to foster goodwill with them but not at the expense of our independence. To ensure that we continue to progress, our next generation of political leaders should be capable of facing the challenge of more complex and diverse responsibilities of government. To this end, new blood is continually being injected into Parliament. It is encouraging to note that more capable administrators will be attracted into the Administrative Service and the Statutory Boards through a total revamping of the rewards and salaries of senior officers. However, in realising this objective, we must not create an elite class which is totally alienated from the rest of the civil service. Sir, I share the Ministry of Labour's concern over industrial safety and health. To date, the Ministry's efforts in improving industrial safety and health are concentrated on taking safety measures, penalising those responsible for such accidents, and educating workers on industrial safety. Unfortunately, there seems to be no improvement in the standard of industrial safety, if the number of accidents and casualties is to be taken as a measure of the seriousness of this problem. Ship-repairing, ship-building and high-rise building construction have the highest rates of industrial accidents involving serious bodily injuries and even death as happened in several cases. The Spyros incident can be cited as an example of the ineffectiveness of the measures taken by the relevant authorities. Now, when the sufferings caused by the Spyros incident are still fresh in everybody's mind, management and workers are aware of the importance of industrial safety.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the Motion moved by the Member for Serangoon Gardens to thank the President for his speech in which three major issues that will influence events and help shape the deliberations of this Session of Parliament were singled out. Sir, the President has predicted that we will be able to achieve 6 to 8% economic growth this year. This figure was derived at after the OPEC had announced an oil price increase of 14.5% spread over the year. A growth rate of 6 to 8% this year may seem quite improbable because the economies of Japan, the EEC countries and the United States are expected to face a downturn in view of the hike in oil price. Nevertheless, I am quite confident that our economy will continue to grow if we channel all our economic resources into the production of goods and services. However, our young workers should not be complacent nor should they be despondent. They should continue to acquire greater skills and diligence. They should be self-disciplined, thrifty and enterprising and should always place national interests above all personal interests. As for the conflict between Vietnam and Kampuchea, let us hope that this will not spread to Thailand and the rest of Southeast Asian countries. The conflict is clearly a conflict between the two communist giants who are trying to extend their influence to Southeast Asia. To avoid being drawn into the conflict, we must always be on guard against any attempt by the big powers to draw us into their sphere of influence. Singapore as a nation may be too vulnerable to the big powers, but as a member of ASEAN, we are quite safe. Therefore, we must strengthen the ties among the ASEAN countries.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's explanation, I beg leave to with- draw my amendment. Amendment by leave, withdrawn.”
“Therefore, it may be useful for the Government to set up a fund for the inmates of the old homes. The Government can even encourage the people to contribute towards this fund by giving them tax benefits. This fund can be used to organise regular functions for the inmates. If these measures are carried out, I am sure the inmates of homes for the aged would be a happier lot. Looking after the physically and mentally disabled aged persons is another area where something need to be mentioned. I agree that it is the responsibility of every family to look after any member who is physically or mentally disabled. However, this may not be possible sometimes. For example, take a family of three, consisting of a couple and an aged parent. If both the husband and the wife are working, who is going to look after their aged parent if he of she is physically or mentally disabled? The couple may not earn enough to pay a nurse to look after their parent. However, they certainly would not mind paying a small sum of money if the Government has the facilities to look after their disabled parent for them. This problem will become more critical in future because of two factors. Firstly, industrialisation in Singapore will develop further and thus more people will be employed. Secondly, with the encouragement of the Government, the present trend is to have small families. Therefore, now is the time for the Government to think of expanding the essential facilities for the care of the mentally and physically disabled as these facilities are presently inadequate in Singapore.”
“We seem to think that our job is completed once we put the aged in homes for the aged. Merely by giving these people lodging and food, however, is not enough. Life is not only a matter of living but to live meaningfully. To start with, may I know from the Hon. Minister what facilities do we offer to the inmates of the homes for the aged? I should think the more important facilities are medical and recreational facilities. The medical facilities in most of these homes are far from satisfactory. As old people are more prone to sickness, we should even consider having mini hospitals in the bigger homes. The present recreational facilities in the homes for the aged are far from adequate. At the least the inmates should have facilities to exercise their body and mind. They should be taught simple skills in handicraft if they are able to, so that they can make use of their time fruitfully. Besides, television sets should be available for those who care for this type of entertainment. Perhaps film shows should also be screened regularly for these people. The inmates of homes of the aged also like to feel that they are not forgotten. Today certain supportive groups make visits to the aged destitutes to befriend them and to cheer them up. However, these visits are too rare to be considered useful. There should be regular visits throughout the year. Perhaps the Government can start the ball rolling by encouraging civil servants to visit the homes. It is also very rarely that functions are organised for the aged. These functions are particularly important because besides giving them the idea that they are not a forgotten lot, they are also something for the old folks to look forward to. Right now, I understand these functions are rare because of the lack of funds.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code WC-04 of the Main Estimates. Sir, it is unfortunate but true that our society is becoming more materialistic nowadays. Today the people are in a rat race. They work as hard or even harder than the past. However, they are only concerned with their own interest and benefits. Therefore, when it comes to social work, there is still room for improvement. Care for the aged destitutes is an area where more attention should be focused. Looking after the aged is always a problem in our society. Today there are a number of homes for the aged, some of which are run by the Government and others are run by social bodies. However, these homes are still insufficient to accommodate all the aged who need help. There are a number of aged destitutes who are sometimes seen roaming about in the streets. Some of these old people sleep in the open and they depend on the people for food. One cannot understand why some of these old people are not accommodated in the homes. Is it because they do not qualify for admission, or is it because there is no place for them in the homes for the aged? Therefore, one would like to know what are the criteria for admission? Are the relevant authorities following these criteria strictly, or are they giving special consideration to certain old people who require urgent help? Next, has the Government carried out a survey to find out how many aged destitutes require accommodation in homes for the aged? It is clear that more homes for the aged are required than what we have at present. I wonder whether the Hon. Minister would consider building more homes for the aged.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, since the subject of the Fire Brigade has been touched upon by the Member for Anson, may I be allowed to speak on the same subject?”
“(7) That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of item 1210 of Subhead Code VD-02 of the Main Estimates.”
“One classic example is the comic sketches performed by artistes in our army uniforms which featured in the Chinese variety shows. Their performance brought amusement to all television viewers and they should be congratulated for their good work. However, has anyone thought of the impression they give to our viewers as regards our armed forces when they started clowning around? Would not the people go with the idea that the whole army is a bunch of clowns? Surely such performances should depict something more cultural. It is the aim of our Government to promote the linguistic ability of the people, especially the youths. To achieve this objective, the Government should consider having more programmes in Mandarin rather than Hokkien. Cantonese or Teochew. Besides, all programmes in Mandarin should have Chinese sub-titles. This is useful because people can learn fast if they can read the words and listen to the pronunciation at the same time. 8.00 p.m.”
“Are we happy with the easy availability of programmes produced overseas and thus not making an effort to improve our own techniques? Judging from our present programmes, a few weaknesses can be identified. Firstly, our present techniques in programme production are mediocre when compared to those of foreign countries. To remedy this, why does the Ministry not consider sending our cameramen, producers, editors, recording engineers and other technical personnel to countries, which are more advanced in such techniques, to learn from them? Secondly, I believe there is a shortage of talented artistes. With a population of more than two million, I am sure we have talented people around. Perhaps the present conditions of work of our artistes are not attractive. Why does the Ministry not take steps to recruit more talented artistes and put them on permanent appointment? The artistes recruited should be sent overseas to learn from their counterparts, if necessary. Another way of overcoming our present weaknesses is to offer incentives to attract foreign experts in the field of programme production. These experts can be contracted to work for us for a few years. Besides helping to improve our techniques in programme production, they can also train our local people who can take over their job eventually. We should also pay careful attention to the suitability of our programmes. Unsuitable programmes will have an ill-effect on our society. However, before we talk about suitability of programmes, we must be very clear in our minds what are our objectives and what type of a society do we want. At present, I think not enough thought is being given to this aspect of programme production. Consequently, some of our programmes are not very suitable.”
“Sir, the hon. Member for Boon Lay had earlier on spoken something on television programmes, and that is why I would like to touch on the same subject. However, since then we have been making an effort to produce our own programmes and today we are proud to note that some of the programmes featured in our television are our own work. In future, we can expect locally produced programmes to take up more of our television time. However, we cannot deny the fact that programmes produced by foreign countries, especially English programmes from the United States and Britain and Chinese programmes from Hong Kong and Taiwan, are still the favourites among our television viewers. This is so because programmes produced locally are not up to our expectation. In fact, over the years we hardly see any improvement in the quality of our own programmes. On the other hand, the quality of programmes produced overseas has improved considerably. This state of affairs should not be allowed to continue, otherwise we would have to rely on foreign countries for television programmes indefinitely. There is also a danger involved because programmes produced by western countries may not be very suitable for local viewers. If our youths are exposed to too much of the western programmes, they may tend to imitate western life styles and habits and this is not very good for our society. I am not saying that we should not have western programmes if we are self-sufficient in our own programmes. What I am stressing is that we should have more local programmes because they are more relevant to our local context. What has been done to upgrade the standard of our programme production?”
“If you allow me to proceed, Sir, then I will go ahead. If not, I will speak tomorrow.”
“Sir, in view of the limited time left for the Minister to answer, I might as well make use of the few minutes left to say a few words. Sir, television has been in existence in Singapore for more than ten years. In the beginning we were totally dependent on other countries for our television programmes because we did not have the expertise and technical knowhow to produce them ourselves.”
“degree course in Education but they have not been able to get study leave from the Ministry. The Ministry of Education should support this whole-heartedly. However, the bureaucratic process of seeking approval to pursue such courses sometimes discourages teachers. One also gets the impression that the Ministry of Education is not really keen on professional advancement in the educational service but would rather let the status quo remain undisturbed. Perhaps the Hon. Minister could review the matter. In the light of upgrading the qualifications of our teachers, will the Ministry consider conducting part-time (Bachelor of Education) courses for the serving non-graduate teachers with the requisite experience and qualifications? Many of these teachers cannot be considered for any overseas awards because of the age limit but yearn to do a degree course. Surely we should not only concentrate on the quality of the new recruits but also help the old guards upgrade their skills. Now that there is a great shortage of quality graduate teachers in our schools, it is time the Ministry took another look at the matter.”
“Will it not save much time and minimise frustration if only those teachers who are likely to be promoted are called up? No wonder the promotion exercise has been branded as a big farce. There is definitely something wrong with the present system of promoting teachers. Due to the large number of teachers involved, a promotion exercise is very complex. The Ministry of Education should sit down and think of a more acceptable system. Presently, it seems that the Ministry of Education is working on an ad hoc basis, that is, discussing weaknesses of the previous system and merely seeking solutions to these weaknesses rather than attempting to tackle the issue as a whole. Can the Hon. Minister also enlighten us on the average number of serving teachers who have been sent to colleges and universities overseas to upgrade their professional qualifications annually and how are they deployed on their return? I am given to understand that quite a significant number of teachers who have been sent overseas for training are non-graduates (particularly the English Language teachers and technical teachers) who upon their successful completion of their respective courses are posted to secondary schools. May I know whether these teachers are given some incentives (monetary or otherwise) to serve in the secondary schools? Here I am referring to teachers sent to do various diploma courses and not undergraduate courses. In view of the fact that the Ministry has stressed so much on professional development of teachers, some highly motivated and professionally-oriented non-graduate teachers, because of their relevant teaching experience and qualifications, have been accepted by reputable universities in the United Kingdom to do the one-year M.A.”