Teo Ho Pin
Singapore
“Mr Chairman, Sir, when Total Defence was first introduced in 1984, it was recognised that threats will not simply affect our military but potentially Singaporeans, combatants and non-combatants alike. Thus, we must continue to build resilience in our people and community.”
“Chairman, over the past year, we have witnessed an increase in the number of cybersecurity breaches. As a response to these incidents, many countries are stepping up efforts to strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities.”
“Sir, I wish to seek an update from the Minister on the skills upgrading and development of public officers as well as aspiring public officers, especially in the three areas which I have mentioned. Can the Government also consider giving out scholarships to nurture and attract talent in these fields? Role of PMO”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we should empower the community to come up with innovative solutions like North West 911 and build capabilities in our people to cope better during emergencies.”
“The French Government passed a law in 2016 mandating that large supermarkets have to donate excess food to food banks and charitable organisations. If we had a similar initiative in Singapore, we can not only reduce the amount of food waste, but we can also help those in need.”
“Sir, I have three clarifications for the Senior Minister of State. First, will the Ministry consider licensing PMDs so as to manage the growth of PMDs in Singapore and also to make it compulsory for the PMD riders to attend a safe riding course?”
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“We should remove such barriers and provide multiple platforms to promote volunteerism. Many young Singaporeans would like to contribute to the community but usually cannot commit their time on a sustained basis. This is a concern which we must address. Volunteerism must entail responsibility and continuity in order to better our community. Without sustained volunteerism, much disruption can be caused by the high turnover of volunteers in the delivery of community services. Therefore, we need to further study the motivation of youths in volunteering in the community. We must also strengthen our volunteer management system to be more effective in attracting and retaining volunteers in the community. I would urge the Government to allocate more resources to support the training of volunteers and accord more recognition to volunteers in our community. To lead a fruitful and meaningful life, one has to explore and learn throughout one’s life. Volunteer work provides excellent lifelong learning and enriching experiences. But we need to inculcate these values from young. I would urge the Ministry of Education to step up its Community Involvement Programme (CIP) so that more opportunities are given to students to volunteer in the community. An active community is one where both young and old are voluntarily and actively engaged in community work. Sir, I hope I have convinced the House that the yields of community bonds are high and that we should all invest in community bonds. Sir, I support the motion. 4.53 pm”
“To further inject vibrancy into our community, MICA must provide more support to arts and culture groups and encourage them to perform in the community more regularly and at affordable ticket prices. Sir, I fully support the construction of an indoor sports hall for each school to encourage physical education activities. The Ministry of Education should ensure that these sports halls are made available to the community so as to ensure a higher utilisation rate. These indoor sports halls should ideally be designed to be stand- alone facilities and be regarded as community halls instead. The construction and maintenance of these indoor halls should be funded by the Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC) fund. In this way, it will address concerns about the upkeeping of these sports halls. To attract Singaporeans out of their comfortable homes, we must further improve the range and quality of arts and culture performances in the community. The National Arts Council should provide more support to community-based organisations, such as the CDCs or grassroots organisations, to organise more of these activities. A vibrant community is one where there is a constant flow of community activities to engage Singaporeans and improve their quality of life. Five, an active community. A strong and cohesive community must comprise active citizens. We must encourage more Singaporeans to take ownership of their respective communities. We must provide more opportunities for Singaporeans to volunteer their time for the community. Many Singaporeans who do not do community work cited “no time” or “do not know how to volunteer or contribute” as reasons for not volunteering in the community.”
“To build a resilient community would require deeper understanding among our multi-racial and multi-religious communities. The ongoing efforts on racial and religious harmony should be further enhanced to provide more outreach to Singaporeans, especially the younger generation. As we attract more foreign talent to Singapore, we must also make efforts to integrate them into our community. To further strengthen the resilience of our community, we must put in place conflict resolution mechanisms to resolve conflicts in the community. Community mediation has proven to be an effective means for resolving community disputes. Thus, I would propose that more community mediators be trained and more resources be allocated to provide community mediation services. The Ministry of Law can also consider delegating its community mediation functions to the community. Four, a vibrant community. To be a global city, Singapore must create more buzz in our society. Arts, culture and sports provide excellent platforms to increase human activities in our city. The proposed integrated resorts, proposed sports hub, our existing Esplanade and various local tourist attractions will complement one another to give both Singaporeans and tourists a unique experience in Singapore. Unfortunately, the hot, humid and wet weather in Singapore has hampered many outdoor activities. Therefore, we must consider developing more indoor facilities for arts, culture and sports. The URA can also facilitate this by allowing more flexibility, such as their gross floor area (GFA) computations or reduction of development charge levy, to encourage developers to provide such facilities in their developments.”
“Sir, a resilient community is one where Singaporeans are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to respond to emergencies, such as terrorist attacks or disease outbreaks. I fully support the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) which was launched in February 2006. It aims to broaden and deepen the ties among Singaporeans so as to build a resilient community. Every Singaporean must play a part in enhancing the security of our environment and keep pace with the threats on our community. I would urge all stakeholders of our community (that is, the public, private and people sectors) to step up efforts to train Singaporeans in emergency preparedness knowledge and skills such as first aid, CPR, disaster management, disease management or emergency response tactics. The Ministry of Home Affairs should delegate the Community Engagement Programme to community stakeholders, such as the CDCs, grassroots organisations or VWOs, so as to encourage better ownership among stakeholders. In addition, we should also explore IT and new media to set up an emergency alert system which can activate our emergency response agencies and volunteers in times of emergency. An emergency preparedness virtual community can be set up comprising key stakeholders of our community, such as CDCs, grassroots organisations, voluntary welfare organisations, religious organisations and Government agencies. This platform can also be utilised as an e-learning environment to train and disseminate information on emergency preparedness. In times of emergency, the virtual community can be adopted to alert residents promptly through SMS or email broadcasting, thus enabling them to respond appropriately.”
“More state land should be allocated by SLA or various Government agencies to build community keep-fit or sports facilities such as soccer fields, badminton courts, or multi-purpose courts in housing estates and workplaces. I would urge the Government to provide more Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC) funding to the Citizens’ Consultative Committees (CCCs) to expedite the provision of such community keep-fit facilities. But in allowing state land for temporary use, we must also provide an exit management strategy for the users to return the land for national development purposes. Both the applicant for TOL use of the land and its users must understand that the land parcel is designated for future developments. Thus, permission is granted for such sporting or recreational uses for a specified period only. This will avoid lobbying pressures on the Government agencies. Besides the provision of infrastructure for exercising, we should also provide more support to instructors and volunteers who champion healthy lifestyle. The Singapore Sports Council can provide affordable and professional training courses for instructors and volunteers. We must train more instructors and volunteers who will in turn help to encourage more participation in healthy lifestyle activities. The promotion of healthy lifestyle would require extensive community outreach. I would urge the Health Promotion Board and Singapore Sports Council to delegate their mass participation healthy lifestyle or sports functions to the community. The key performance indicator of a healthy community is the number of Singaporeans who exercise regularly. Three, a resilient community.”
“As Singaporeans pursue their five Cs in life, we should also develop a caring culture among our people. With a strong caring culture, we will be able to identify fellow needy Singaporeans more quickly and render help accordingly. Inculcating a caring value among Singaporeans will require the efforts of everyone to show care. We should train and appoint more community caring ambassadors or community befrienders to further strengthen the bonds of our people. The key performance indicator of a caring community is the number of Singaporeans who care for one another. Two, a healthy community. Sir, Singaporeans know that we must eat right and exercise regularly to keep fit and healthy. But how many of us are practising good eating habits, and exercising three or more times a week for at least 20 minutes? While Singaporeans are generally quite health conscious with food, the number of Singaporeans who exercise regularly is still low. This is a major health concern or challenge facing Singapore. Exercising regularly requires discipline and will power. It may be too late for many Singaporeans to start exercising when they become senior citizens. Many Singaporeans have cited “no time” and our stressful work and life environment as reasons for not exercising regularly. These are areas which I feel would need more attention. We must provide a more conducive environment to encourage more Singaporeans to exercise and keep fit regularly. More resources should be set aside to provide accessible and affordable keep-fit amenities, such as park connectors, parks, fitness equipment, sports facilities or commercial keep-fit outlets. We should promote more community keep-fit programmes such as brisk walking, taiji, qigong, swimming, cycling, in-line skating or community sports.”
“To further facilitate the work of the CDCs, I would urge the Government to consider devolving more “community development” functions to the CDCs, such as financial planning, health promotion, sports promotion, social defence, community safety and security, environment issues, and community arts and culture. Sir, how can Singaporeans build a strong and cohesive society? I would like to propose five areas where we should invest our resources in building community bonds, namely, (1) A caring community; (2) A healthy community; (3) A resilient community; (4) A vibrant community; and (5) An active community. First, a caring community. Sir, we have often seen cases of needy Singaporeans who are jobless, homeless, without dependants, living in deplorable conditions and in financial hardship being reported in the media. There were also frequent calls by Singaporeans for more effective outreach to the needy and more help to be rendered by the Government. Sir, with rapid globalisation, there will always be new needy Singaporeans emerging every day. As such, it is not possible for the Government or various help agencies to keep track of all needy cases. We should avoid this mindset among needy Singaporeans to be dependent on the Government to provide welfare assistance. This is unsustainable, especially with an ageing population where there are fewer economically productive Singaporeans supporting more elderly. Sir, we should instead focus on developing a caring community where Singaporeans will look after one another. Individuals should take care of themselves, family members should support one another, and the community can provide a social safety net as a last resort. A strong and cohesive community is one where the community can be self-reliant.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, globalisation has posed many challenges to Singapore and Singaporeans. It has affected the livelihood of many Singaporeans and their quality of life. In a fast-paced society like Singapore, globalisation will cause more friction among our people, thus affecting social cohesion. As we prepare Singaporeans to face these challenges, I support the call from our President that we must do more to strengthen cohesion, trust and confidence between the different communities. We need to further strengthen social cohesion among Singaporeans. The Government is doing the right thing to invest in the future of Singapore. Resources have been appropriately channelled to invest in our people, our built environment and niche industries, such as biomedical sciences, interactive and digital media, and environmental and water technologies. While it is important to get our economy right, it is equally important that we should get our social well-being right. We can continue to invest in Government bonds or corporate bonds to generate yields for our ageing society. But we must also invest in “Community bonds” so as to sustain our society. Ultimately, it is the people factor that will make a difference to the meaning of lives among Singaporeans. Sir, the Community Development Councils (CDCs) were formed in 1997 to foster social cohesion among Singaporeans. While the CDCs have provided many opportunities for Singaporeans to bond, more can be done to deepen the bonds among Singaporeans, in particular, among different racial and religious communities. Every Singaporean has a role to play in building a strong and cohesive society.”
“But ST Engineering would not have the capability to successively win non-defence contracts if not for the core competencies they have built up in developing systems for MINDEF. For example, ST Engineering has made breakthroughs in selling C2 systems to customers in Hong Kong in recent years. Its C2 capabilities grew due to C2 work done for MINDEF. In summary, we have strong R&D capabilities in DSTA and DSO to ensure that SAF's unique requirements are met. Commercial spin-offs will be generated when there are opportunities. Mr Leong Horn Kee: Sir, I would like to seek a clarification from the Minister on this issue of equitability of cohorts. First, I would like to ask the Minister whether it is correct that MINDEF does allow two months of early disruption, as the Minister has just said that MINDEF does not allow two months of early disruption. But it does allow two months of disruption as a general rule.”
“Such capabilities have resulted in sensors and weapon systems which are more effective and better networked, resulting in platforms and combat systems with better survivability, enabling our commanders to have better situation awareness and make better decisions, and our soldiers to enhance their combat effectiveness. Sir, defence R&D is about building up expertise in our people and building up intellectual capital. It is a long-term investment. Therefore, we have committed about 4% of our defence budget to defence R&D and a further 1% to experimentation of new operational concepts. Dr Teo also asked whether there are plans to commercialise the output of our R&D efforts. Let me just say that the primary purpose is to create knowledge and build up our defence capabilities. While there are dual-use technologies that we have built up and that have commercial potential, we will indeed exploit them. Such examples include a portable biochip system to detect pathogens which was originally developed jointly by DSO and NTU for biodefence, and an intelligent information search and analysis software developed jointly by DSO and a US research institute. A consortium comprising DSO, NUS and two A*STAR institutes have also successfully developed a multi-layer substrate packaging technology that can be commercialised. However, in pursuing such commercial spin-offs, we are mindful that our engineers and scientists must not be distracted from their primary mission of defence R&D. We, therefore, rely upon our defence industries to produce the commercial spin-offs. Indeed, ST Engineering now earns more revenue from their non-MINDEF work than they do from MINDEF.”
“It undertakes R&D to sharpen the cutting-edge for our defence in areas such as sensors, electronic warfare, guided weapons, information systems, and chemical and biological defence. An excellent illustration of how our R&D capabilities have multiplied the fighting capabilities of the SAF is in the development of the Combat Management System (CMS) for our frigates. The ship may have been designed and developed in France, but the CMS, which is the brain of the ship, was developed locally by our own defence scientists and engineers from DSTA and DSO. This Combat Management System fuses the information from a myriad of combat sensors, evaluates the threats faced by the ship and matches the appropriate weapons to neutralise any threats. The CMS enables the commander to make superior decisions to deal decisively with operational situations. Without it, the commander would have required a much larger crew, taken much longer to understand the situation and decide on the appropriate response, and thus put the ship and its crew at greater risks. The force-multiplying effects of a system like the CMS is therefore clear. And this explains why we have been able to reduce the ORNS full-time National Service from two-and-a-half to two years. DSTA also works closely with our defence industry to produce platforms and capabilities to meet the unique requirements of the SAF. Some examples of such successes are the Bionix vehicle, the Primus self-propelled howitzer and the Pegasus Lightweight howitzer. These products, together with the CMS of our stealth frigates, are some of the examples of high-payoff capabilities which have made possible the transformation of the SAF into 3G SAF.”
“MINDEF will also improve the convenience of other exit control measures recommended by RECORD, as these changes to exit controls take time to implement. Details will be announced in the next four months or so. We will also strengthen the Total Defence effort and, as a start, the role of the Advisory Council for Community Relations and Defence (ACCORD) will be expanded to engage more Singaporeans in Total Defence. In the area of recreation, RECORD IV has recommended a SAFRA clubhouse be developed in Jurong to cater to the needs of NSmen living in the west, and this has been accepted. In addition, the committee has also recommended that the existing Toa Payoh Clubhouse be upgraded. By fully accepting all the RECORD IV recommendations, we hope to underscore again the Government's and the people's appreciation of the role of National Servicemen and the contributions they have made. They are the bedrock of our defence, and they remain as critical as ever in the light of the changes in the security environment. Sir, let me now address the comments raised by Dr Teo Ho Pin on defence research and development. Apart from its key function of acquiring systems to meet the SAF's requirements, the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) undertakes R&D in building protection and developing critical real-time command and control (C2) systems for the SAF. It also manages the defence R&D budget for MINDEF by investing in promising R&D activities with potentially high payoffs for defence in the DSO National Laboratories, our universities, defence industry and other research institutions. It is the DSO which does the bulk of our front-end defence R&D.”
“As Dr Loo eloquently pointed out, this is not a quid pro quo way of registering our thanks. It is a simple way of saying "thank you" for all their sacrifices and efforts. The key recommendation is to give more to NSmen in the next surplus-sharing exercise. This additional sum is called the 40th Anniversary Bonus and is part of the Progress Package. The Prime Minister announced details of this in his Budget speech. This is a strong recognition of the role our NSmen have played in the defence of Singapore. 5.45 pm We have also announced acceptance of various other recommendations, and this is the Operationally Ready NS (ORNS) Completion Award, where NSmen who complete their training cycle from 1st January this year will receive a monetary award of $300. The first payment will be made in April 2007. Thereafter, MINDEF will give this award on an annual basis to those who complete their training cycle in the previous work year. MINDEF has accepted RECORD's recommendation to relax the MINDEF Notification Centre requirement. Currently, NSmen going overseas for more than 24 hours or less than six months are required to notify MINDEF of their trips. Henceforth, NSmen who have already completed their ORNS training cycle and have been phased into the MINDEF Reserve will now be exempted from this notification, even if they are below the statutory age. MINDEF has also agreed to relax exit control measures for full-time National Servicemen. Currently, NSFs are required to apply for an exit permit when they travel overseas, regardless of the trip duration. With the change, they will be required to apply for exit permits only for overseas trips of three months or more.”
“There is thus a need to strike a balance between the inconvenience caused to the NSman by the in-camp training and the impact on the unit, if the NSman is granted deferment. The commander on the ground is in the best position to make the judgement, and rightly so, because it is the commander who is held accountable for the readiness of his unit. All requests for deferments are therefore decentralised and put up to the unit commanders for consideration. Dr Loo, as in his perennial wish, also asked women to be called up for NS in non-combat roles. As stated by my Minister before, we currently have no operational need for women conscripts to serve in the defence force. NS, yes, must be for the critical need of security and survival. While National Service can help in national education and character building, these are not sufficient reasons in themselves to call up women for NS. Dr Loo will also be interested to know that, indeed, there are women volunteers in the SAF, as well as in the Civil Defence (CD). There are currently about 5,666 active CD volunteers, out of which 36% are women. So they do serve a useful role and they can volunteer. Sir, let me now move on to RECORD IV, and I have spoken at length on how MINDEF balances its operational and training requirements. All male Singaporeans are called to serve National Service. Despite many competing demands for their time, our National Servicemen understand the need for NS and have remained committed in fulfilling this duty to the nation. I am therefore happy to note that the Government and MINDEF have accepted all recommendations put forth. We have circulated our report, but I will not go into all the recommendations. I would just highlight the key ones.”
“However, MINDEF does not allow disruption to those who are trying to start an overseas course or a local course one academic year ahead of their male peers within the same cohort. This is the very example that Mr Leong brought up. Mr Leong suggested that we disrupt them to allow them to enter the university. Using the same example, we would not allow disruption for an 'A' level NSF enlisted in December 2005 to start university in September 2007. This would be unfair to his peers of his cohort in Singapore who can only commence their studies in 2008. It is, in fact, untenable because of the expanded choice of universities, both here and locally, where almost all students could find a place to start at some university earlier, and apply for disruption. As for disruption for scholarship holders, only PSC scholars have been given special consideration for disruption, after serving six to 10 months of NS to do their university studies before returning to complete the remainder of their full-time NS. Annually, only about 30 are granted such early disruptions. This is not extended to other scholarship holders as early disruption has a significant impact, and this should be minimised. Such special consideration is only given to PSC scholarship holders as it is an important conduit for bringing key talent into the public service. Dr Loo asked for greater flexibility with regard to deferment for in-camp training (ICT) for NSmen. There is already a high degree of flexibility and we have granted deferments for those who have just started a new job or getting married during the ICT. But for operational reasons again, such deferments cannot be free for all. Every NSman has a role to play and the unit is affected if he is deferred from in-camp training.”
“For equity, we will allow disruptions for those who are enlisted for NS in later intake batches so that they are able to start university in the same year as their peers, or of the same school cohort who were enlisted earlier. Let me give some examples so that Members can understand what I am saying. For example, National Servicemen serving full time, belonging to the same 'A' level or polytechnic cohort, are typically enlisted over two intakes. We cannot bring them all over because there is the problem of the flow. So they are typically brought over two intakes, due to capacity constraints at the training schools. 'A' level holders are typically enlisted in December and March intakes - there are basically two intakes - while diploma holders are typically enlisted in the June and September intakes. In each of these cases, MINDEF will allow disruption of up to two months to those who were called up in the later intake so that they could enter university in the same year as those who were enlisted in the earlier intake - the principle of equity. Allow me to illustrate this with an example because it can get quite confusing. An 'A' level NSF enlisted in December 2005 will complete his two years' NSF liability in December 2007 and will be able to commence his university studies, if he wanted to, say, in February 2008 if he starts, let us say, in an Australian university. But his classmate, who was enlisted in April 2006, will only complete his NS liability in April 2008. In other words, the classmate was enlisted late and his peers now start university in February 2008. For such cases, because it was due to a different call-up date, MINDEF may grant a two-month disruption to pursue his university studies.”
“Even for those who do their pre-university studies overseas, more than 75% of those granted deferment for pre-university studies in the past returned to serve their NS before proceeding to university. As part of our rationalisation, ITE students will now be able to proceed to undertake a polytechnic diploma course - a basic educational qualification - before enlisting for NS. Even then, we will only allow such deferment if they are below 20 years old as at 1st January of the year of commencement of the course. I know there are many National Service full-time men with ITE qualifications who are already currently serving in the SAF. We will allow early disruption to all those who have completed their BMT to pursue their polytechnic diploma in April 2006 or April 2007, provided that they qualify for the deferment under the new policy. Let me talk about disruption. Mr Leong, Dr Ong and Dr Loo called for greater flexibility in granting disruption from full-time NS for tertiary studies; in other words, someone is enlisted for National Service and then allow him to disrupt to enter university. I have previously spoken on deferment. Some Members have asked that disruption be granted for all scholarship holders, or for some people who can enter into prestigious universities. Let me clarify that disruptions not only affect the training and operational readiness of the individual but it also impact the unit as a whole, because the army fights as a unit. It will compromise unit standards and its operational readiness. This is especially so because the duration of NS has been reduced to two years. MINDEF therefore allows disruptions only in selected cases, based on the same three principles. First, it must be subject to the operational readiness of their units being compromised.”
“MINDEF has therefore decided to get back to basics, rationalise our deferment policy based on operational needs and the primary goal of National Service. This is the starting principle, and it is a fundamental one. In rationalising our policy, it is understood that NS is a sacrifice which may mean that Singaporeans have to defer their university studies till after they have completed National Service. We apply the key principles of universality and equity to ensure that everyone within the same cohort could receive more or less the same treatment in allowing them to attain their educational qualifications. Therefore, MINDEF will only grant deferment for pre-enlistees to gain their basic educational qualifications. Let me define "basic". Basic is 'A' levels, polytechnic diploma, or below. This is reasonable as most of our 18-year-old NS enlistees would either have completed their basic qualification programme or about to complete it. As university degrees are considered high educational qualifications, deferments for university studies will no longer be allowed. This new policy for deferments has been in place from the end of last year. The vast majority of our enlistees will not be affected by this rationalisation. Our past records showed that under the old previous deferment policy, less than 100 a year were granted deferment for university studies in the past. This was a special 100 in that sense. Moving forward, this will no longer be allowed. For those who are affected, what it means is that they have to serve NS like the rest of their peers before going for university studies. This is, indeed, the norm.”
“By enlisting them around 18 years of age, we optimise the ability of the SAF to fulfil its mission with an energetic and able-bodied defence force. Despite the legislated enlistment age and operational requirements, MINDEF had exercised flexibility in the past by allowing some groups of students to complete their studies before serving their national service full-time (NSF). We were not rigid. MINDEF had granted deferment to those who could start their full-time course of study before the age of 18 for local courses and before 17 1/2 for overseas courses, and this was assuming that such courses would not last more than three or four years. Similarly, pre-enlistees are granted deferment for 'A' level and polytechnic diploma courses if they are below 19 years old as at 1st January of the year of the commencement of the course. Such exceptions are workable if the majority of NS-liable males entered into a few institutions with fixed starting terms. We could predict quite reliably the proportion and number of students that would be deferred. But educational opportunities have expanded exponentially in the past few years. We now have a proliferation of institutions with a variety of modules in Singapore. New compressed integrated courses have also been introduced so that students could theoretically start any time within the year. The opportunity to study abroad and at different times of the year have also increased as Singaporeans have become more affluent. Many Singaporeans would be able to start universities or other courses before ages 17 1/2 abroad or 18 locally. It is, therefore, no longer tenable to grant deferments based on past criteria.”
“Because we recognise, and Members of this House often say, that NS imposes considerable cost, both to the individuals and the nation. So it is not something that we call upon our Singaporeans to do unless it is for a critical national need of national security and survival. The second and third principles are universality and equity in implementing the liabilities and duties of NSmen. Why universality and equity? Because, otherwise, it is very difficult to impose these liabilities on Singaporeans. These same three principles also govern our approach to issues related to deferment, disruption, flexibility in call-ups and women in NS. Let me first touch on deferment and explain the basis. For deferments that we have previously allowed - Mr Leong alluded to them - and the recent changes that have been put into place, under the Enlistment Act, any NS-liable male can be called up for NS as soon as he turns 18 years old. There is a reason for this enlistment age. We should be clear that the SAF must be able to maintain and project a credible force to achieve the critical need to ensure our security and survival at all times. This is the raison d'etre. And it has to do so with a conscript army because of our small population. In other words, when the button is pushed, who do we depend on? We depend on operationally-ready (OR) NSmen. They form the backbone of our SAF. Therefore, not only do we require them to be trained to be soldiers and leaders within the two years of NSF, they also play a critical role as operationally-ready soldiers during their remaining NS liability. For many, this would mean that they are required to serve up to the age of 30-plus.”
“Sir, in technology-driven and knowledge-based battle field, we must constantly build capabilities to explore technologies to multiply the fighting capabilities of our Armed Forces. Research and development can not only put our Armed Forces into the frontiers of defence technology world wide, but also provide opportunities for our SAF to be more effective and efficient. Sir, I wish to ask the Ministry the following questions: (1) What are the key achievements of the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) since its formation in year 2000? (2) In what ways has DSTA multiplied the fighting capabilities of our SAF? and (3) Are there plans to commercialise the output of our R&D efforts? The Second Minister for Defence (Dr Ng Eng Hen): Sir, let me thank Members - Mr Leong Horn Kee, Dr Ong Chit Chung and Dr Loo Choon Yong - for raising various issues on deferment, disruption, flexibility on call-ups for incamp training and the role of women for full-time National Service. MINDEF welcomes this opportunity to clarify our policies. 5.30 pm As a starting point, there are clear fundamentals in which we base our policies on these issues. Recently, this House debated the issue of NS defaulters following the Melvyn Tan episode. It was a useful debate because it allowed MINDEF to explain the fundamental basis for National Service. It also caused Singaporeans to examine what right we have to call NS-liable men to service and under what terms do we implement the Enlistment Act. To refresh Members' memories, let me summarise what Minister Teo then articulated. There were three fundamental principles. First, National Service must be for meeting a critical national need of national security and survival. We repeat it, but it should not be largesse.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister how many units of flats are actually affected by this $30,000 cap and whether the Ministry will consider, instead of capping the cost of each benefiting unit, can we cap the subsidy instead and allow the owners to decide whether they would like to top-up to carry out the Lift Upgrading Programme?”
“Sir, the HDB upgrading programmes, namely, the Main Upgrading Programme (MUP), the Interim Upgrading Programme (IUP) and Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) have benefited many Singaporeans. Many older HDB estates have been rejuvenated with better amenities and improved living environment. Feedback from residents has been positive and many Singaporeans are urging the Government to expedite the upgrading programmes, in particular the Lift Upgrading Programme. Sir, I wish to ask the Ministry the following questions: (1) Are there plans to further expedite the LUP and IUP Plus Programmes? (2) Can the Ministry revise the selection criteria for IUP Plus Programme to include blocks completed between 1981 and 1990? (3) Can the HDB remove the $30,000 cap for the IUP Programme for each benefiting unit so that more flat owners can benefit from the programme? Lift Upgrading Programme”
“Sir, in 1997, leaders of ASEAN charted the ASEAN Vision 2020 where they envisioned ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward-looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in the community of caring societies. This vision was further reinforced at the ASEAN Bali Summit in 2003 where three key pillars were laid out for ASEAN's move towards the ASEAN Vision 2020: (1) ASEAN Economic Community; (2) ASEAN Security Community; and (3) ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Sir, but the recent political developments in Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar have raised concerns on the future of ASEAN. Political instability and frequent changes in political leaders in various ASEAN countries have made it difficult for ASEAN to have a stable and sustainable leadership to spearhead or implement its plans. The ASEAN principles of non-interference in the domestic affairs of its member countries and consensus decision-making processes further reduce its effectiveness. Unless there is political will among ASEAN leaders to quickly develop an operating framework for the achievement of its vision, I am pessimistic that ASEAN's Vision 2020 will be realised. Sir, I wish to ask the Ministry the following questions: (1) What is the status of ASEAN's Vision 2020? (2) What is the action plan to achieve the vision, and which countries are spearheading the plans? (3) Are there plans to provide more opportunities for political leaders, parliamentarians, government officials and peoples of ASEAN to have more interactions and bonding?”
“In addition to the flat rate Growth Dividend, the Government can also come up with specific help packages for specific groups of Singaporeans needing help at that particular time. These could be low-income workers, physically handicapped persons, the elderly or middle-income families. At different times, different groups of Singaporeans may need the support of the Government to progress together. Thus, a fixed plus variable Growth Dividend package can motivate all Singaporeans and, at the same time, help specific groups of Singaporeans in need. The Growth Dividend is indeed a good gesture to recognise the contributions of all Singaporeans. Opportunity Funds Sir, I support the setting up of Opportunity Funds for schools to help needy students to participate in enrichment activities. This will level the playing field for all students to maximise their potential and learn useful lifeskills. To be an inclusive society, we should also pay attention to students with learning difficulties at school. We need to devise a more systematic approach to help schools identify children with learning difficulties, such as those suffering from attention deficiency disorder. Expertise is needed to help those students with learning and reading difficulties . I would propose that the Opportunity Funds should be extended to organisations which provide intervention and support programmes for children with learning difficulties at the community. These support programmes must be heavily subsidised so that parents can afford to send their children to address these learning problems. Sir, if we wish to invest in the next generation, we must nurture every child to his or her fullest potential so that they can be useful citizens in the future. Sir, I support the motion. 2.45 pm”
“However, there is feedback with regard to the criteria for distributing the Growth Dividend. In general, Singaporeans agree with the principle that more help should be given to the needy, lower-income and elderly. However, a criteria-based method of distributing Growth Dividend does have some shortcomings. Let me cite a few examples to highlight the shortcomings of using annual value as a proxy of a person's wealth. For example, a person who has just bought a five-room HDB flat and has not paid up his mortgage fully cannot regard the full value of his flat as his wealth. Two, an occupier of a private apartment could be staying with his or her relatives and thus do not own that apartment. And, three, multi-tier families tend to live in bigger flats and, thus, their family members will be placed at a disadvantage when computing the Growth Dividend. Sir, as the Growth Dividend is to share the fruits of our success with all adult Singaporeans, we should provide a flat rate dividend to all Singaporeans without criteria. This approach is similar to the distribution of corporate dividend which applies equally to both major and minor shareholders. The manner of distribution will ensure that no one is left behind when sharing our fruits of success. The Government can declare a fixed amount of Growth Dividend to be distributed to all adult Singaporeans based on a quantum of budget surplus. In this way, all adult Singaporeans will get equal recognition for their contributions to the country, irrespective of their vocations or wealth status. They can be working adults, home-makers or retirees. A flat rate Growth Dividend will also ensure that all adult Singaporeans get an equal share of the fruits of success and motivate all to rally together.”
“Today, many have employed foreign workers to supplement their workforce in order to deliver their services. I hope that the National Council of Social Service can also spearhead a Job Recreation Programme (JRP) for our social services sector to create jobs for the elderly. This can be in the form of full-time, part-time or flexi-work arrangements, thus offering a wider range of job options for the elderly. We can also set up a golden opportunity fund for these social organisations to create new jobs for the elderly. Sir, many retirees are concerned about healthcare and living costs in Singapore. While the CPF savings and medical insurance will address some of these concerns, we should explore more innovative approaches to encourage Singaporeans to save for retirement. The interest rates for personal savings have been pathetic for many years and many people are at a loss as to how to save or grow their savings. The lack of financial planning knowledge amongst many Singaporeans has led to poor investment by some Singaporeans. Sir, we need to provide more guidance to help Singaporeans to save and grow their retirement funds. The MoneySense programme by MAS should be conducted more regularly to reach out to more Singaporeans, especially the heartlanders. I would urge the CPF to also reconsider its investment portfolios so as to provide a higher return for Special Account holders. We should also provide more incentives for Singaporeans to save. Progress Package Growth Dividend Sir, the Progress Package is well-received by many Singaporeans. I commend the Government for coming up with the innovative Growth Dividend scheme to share the fruits of our success with Singaporeans. It is given out in cash and almost immediately.”
“Sir, the only way for low-wage workers to increase their income is either to upgrade their skills and go for higher-paying jobs or take up additional jobs to supplement their income. While we continue to encourage skills upgrading amongst low-wage workers, we must also provide more opportunities for them or their family members to increase their household income. More home-based work, cottage industry or part-time jobs should be created to provide opportunities for Singaporeans, especially low-wage workers, their family members or the elderly. We should be more supportive of micro-business set-up, consultancy services or lifeskill enrichment courses. Of course, we must always be mindful that businesses do not offer just part-time employment, thus reducing full-time job vacancies. Helping older workers and retirees As for helping older workers and retirees, the key approach is to offer them more options to either continue working or retire meaningfully. Sir, I understand that many older workers are keen to continue working but at a slower pace. Some retirees would like to take the opportunity to work in areas where they are passionate about, such as nursing homes or voluntary welfare organisations. Besides encouraging companies to continue employing their older workers through the ADVANTAGE scheme, I would urge the Government to support the social services sector to create more job opportunities for older workers. Many voluntary welfare organisations, self-help groups, non-governmental organisations, societies and religious organisations offer good job opportunities for older workers. However, these organisations are usually constrained by their limited financial resources.”
“The Job Recreation Programme must not only help the existing low-wage workers, but also keep pace with changes in the economy so as to create new high-value jobs. Sir, I support the investment of $30 million over the next three years to help 45,000 low-wage workers attain skills under the Workforce Skills Qualification System. I commend WDA for identifying the employable skills of our future workers. But I would urge the Government to provide more support to encourage low-wage workers to learn new skills. I have two suggestions to make. First, we must ensure that all generic skills training courses are easily accessible to low-wage workers. I would propose that WDA appoint Community Clubs or Residents' Committee Centres as training centres for their accredited generic skills courses. This will make it convenient and less costly for low-wage workers to attend such courses. In addition, I propose that we should incentivise low-wage workers to make efforts to upgrade their skills or learn multiple skills so that they will be more employable. We can adopt the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points as awarded by professional bodies to ensure that their members upgrade themselves continually. Low-wage workers can also clock in their skills upgrading hours and be rewarded accordingly upon completion of the generic skills courses. The completion of skills upgrading courses can also be factored into the Workfare Bonus as performance bonus. Having identified the employable skills of our future workers, WDA must adopt a multi-pronged approach to achieve maximum outreach and take-up rates by our low-wage workers in skills upgrading. This will build resilience in our workforce and reduce our vulnerability to structural unemployment.”
“This is one of the key impediments to having a high rate of Internet access to all households in Singapore. Sir, having a comprehensive IT infrastructure is necessary to spearhead our R&D efforts. Broadband wireless Internet will facilitate access to knowledge and exchange of ideas anywhere in Singapore. In this way, researchers will be able to conduct their research work more effectively and link up with their respective partners, such as businesses, Government agencies or community easily. I would urge the Government to invest in the IT infrastructure to support R&D. Opportunities for all Helping low-wage workers Sir, I fully support the recommendations as put forward by the Committees on Low-wage Workers and Older Workers. As a fast aging society, Singapore faces the daunting task of keeping our elderly healthy, active and employable. At the same time, there will always be a pool of low-wage workers who will require help to keep pace with the progress of our nation. Many post-war baby boomers are badly affected by globalisation. They do not have the relevant qualifications and skills to take up jobs in the new economy. As a result, many are engaged in low-paying jobs, thus making it difficult for them and their families. We must do more to help this group of low-wage workers. Although the Job Recreation Programme (JRP) has helped 4,600 job-seekers to secure recreated jobs last year, many low-wage workers will have to wait for many years to benefit from this programme. Therefore, I would urge the Prime Minister and Finance Minister to increase the $40 million allocated to JRP to further expedite the JRP programme.”
“As land cost in Singapore is relatively higher as compared to our neighbouring countries, the Government should construct more purpose-built R&D parks, such as the Biopolis or Science Park, to lease out to R&D set-ups or companies. In addition, the Government can consider granting double tax exemption for capital and operating expenditures for R&D projects incurred by companies. (2) R&D talent. To be a knowledge and R&D hub, we must provide a conducive and intellectually stimulating environment to attract global research talent to Singapore. I propose that the Government provide more research scholarships and fellowships to nurture and attract both young and mature researchers to conduct research work in Singapore. In addition, I would urge the Government to provide more local research scholarships for Singaporeans to pursue a career in research fields. Today, many Singaporeans are not willing to take up research as their career, as they cannot see any prospect in the research industry. Furthermore, many fail to understand the challenges and potentials of research. We need to step up our recruitment campaign for researchers in Singapore. It is only with the critical mass of researchers that we will be able to develop a research culture amongst our companies and research institutions. (3) R&D infrastructure. Sir, I support the development of a new national broadband network to link up Singapore to the world. In today's advanced technology, we must make high-speed wireless broadband accessible to all at a lower cost. In today's Straits Times, page 4, it was reported that 29% of the respondents from a recent survey conducted by the Infocomm Development Authority highlighted that Internet access is too expensive in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the key thrust of this year's Budget, which is to build a vibrant economy where opportunities abound and an inclusive society where no one is left behind. The Budget, which provides support for strategic industries and goodies for Singaporeans, has received very positive feedback. Many Singaporeans welcome the generous handouts given to them, especially the lower-income group, elderly and NSmen. The Budget has given new hopes to many Singaporeans, both young and old. Sir, as we progress as a nation in a competitive global environment, Singaporeans must continually gear up and adapt to changing economic conditions to survive and do well. We must be highly vigilant of changing global economic conditions and build adequate resilience in our economy and workforce to better cope with future challenges. The structural unemployment which hit Singapore several years ago has thought us to be more alert of globalisation trends and equip our workers with more employable skills. First, expanding the economy. Sir, I support the measures to upgrade and expand our economy. We need both a strategic and broad-based economy. Looking ahead, we should focus on an innovation-driven, technology-driven and service-driven economy. Knowledge would be the key driver in an innovation-driven economy. As such, I fully support the setting up of the National Research Foundation and R&D Trust Fund. To be a magnet for global talent, we must invest more resources to make Singapore an R&D hub for global brands and services. I would like to propose three areas to focus on. (1) R&D set-ups. We must provide more incentives to encourage global and local firms to have R&D set-ups in Singapore.”
“The Ministry should also accredit training institutions providing safety courses to ensure consistency and high training standards. (2) Occupiers of workplaces should be committed to invest on the safety infrastructure to provide a safe work environment for all our workers. (3) Employers must ensure that all workers are properly trained to adopt safe work practices. In addition, they must set up proper safety management system to facilitate the nurturing of a safety culture. (4) Self-employed persons must take on more individual responsibilities to adopt safe work practices. (5) Principals of specialist works must be more hands-on to ensure that workers undertaking their works are properly trained to install their systems on site safely. (6) Every worker at our workplaces must place "Safety First" and protect themselves accordingly. Workers must be more vigilant at workplaces, and look after one another to reduce accidents. Sir, I hope the Ministry will take the lead to champion and enhance the safety of all workers in Singapore. We should change the slogan of "Safety First" to "Safety Saves Lives" so that all stakeholders will understand the importance of providing and working in a safe environment. Sir, I support the Bill. 5.25 pm”
“They no longer can rely solely on the "minimum compliance" of rules as having done due diligence in providing a safe work environment. I hope the stakeholders will understand the seriousness of this clause, and change their attitude towards safety at our workplaces. Sir, one of the key hurdles in developing a safety culture at workplaces in Singapore is cost. Who should pay for the safety of our workplace and workers? I have mentioned in my motion on workplace safety that we should not subject the provisions of safety to competitive tendering. This will definitely result in corner-cutting and safety lapses. Instead, we should have an independent safety checker system to vet through designs, and develop a safety management system for each workplace or construction project. This is especially so for high risk and complex projects or workplaces. Sir, to develop a safety culture would require the investment of a safe workplace infrastructure and system, and the total commitment of all stakeholders of the industry. I do not believe that safety at workplaces can be self-regulated or achieved through a performance-based approach. Safety must be inculcated through a top-down approach whereby authorities and top management of firms commit to champion it. Thus, I would propose the following follow-up actions for the Ministry to consider: (1) The Ministry of Manpower must allocate more resources to conduct regular enforcement on workplace safety. This will incur more Government expenditure and show commitment on the part of the Government to protect our workers. Besides enforcement, the Ministry should launch an extensive outreach campaign to promote workplace safety and health.”
“Our tendering evaluation system which focuses on the lowest bids will further enhance this "no need to comply" mindset as many stakeholders, especially designers and contractors, may not know or see the potential safety hazards of a project. Sir, I propose that we should adopt a hybrid method of using both prescriptive and performance-based approaches to safety. Certain high-risk areas will require more stringent prescriptive rules for compliance. For example, safety measures to prevent falls from height, measures for deep excavation works, or handling of inflammable materials on site. The performance-based approach can instead be adopted for low-risk areas, such as house-keeping matters. The key objective is to reduce both fatalities and minor accidents on site. Sir, many minor accidents have occurred at workplace without much attention being paid to them. Many workers have suffered various disabilities, thus affecting their earning abilities. I hope the proposed Bill will comprehensively address these minor accidents too. Besides promoting industry ownership, the Ministry of Manpower must also take ownership and adopt a more hands-on approach to effectively implement the Act. Three, punish poor safety management practices. Sir, I support the imposition of greater financial disincentives and penalties on workplaces with unsafe systems before accidents occur on site. This will serve as an effective deterrence to unsafe practices, and foster a safer work culture. Clause 47 of the Bill which places the onus of proving what is reasonably practicable on the accused will impose more responsibility on various stakeholders to think through their workplace safety practices.”
“As such, more needs to be done to train contractors on site planning and work processes so as to make our workplaces safer. Two, promoting industry ownership. Sir, I support the approach to promote greater ownership among the stakeholders of our workplaces. Although the spelling out of the duties of all stakeholders, such as occupiers, employers, self-employed persons, principals and persons at work, will provide better accountability, there is a need to ensure that all stakeholders are properly trained and capable of fulfilling their duties. Thus, I fully support the appointments of Workplace Safety and Health Officers and co-ordinators, Workplace Safety and Health Committee, and Workplace Safety and Health Auditors as proposed in clauses 28, 29 and 30 of the Bill. All these appointments will set the framework to ensure adequate checks and balances on the respective stakeholders in fulfilling their duties. However, I would caution against the use of performance-based approach in encouraging greater ownership on safety. Experiences in other countries have shown mixed results in the use of performance-based approach. This is due to the lack of knowledge and commitment among various stakeholders. While it is true that the prescriptive nature of the current Factories Act has created a "minimum compliance" mindset among stakeholders, the industry, especially the construction industry, is not ready and fully equipped to adopt a performance-based approach on safety. Under the present competitive environment, a performance-based approach for safety may result in more accidents on site as stakeholders will most likely adopt a "no need to comply" mindset.”
“Sir, I have proposed before that we should set a specific sum for safety based on the size of the contract, and it should not be subject to tendering. Furthermore, the lack of understanding among designers on the construction risks of various designs has also further increased safety risks at workplaces. For example, certain architectural designs, such as protruding structures, have made it difficult for contractors to erect scaffolding or temporary structures to construct, thus increasing construction risks unnecessarily. Sir, I support the three key approaches as taken by the proposed Bill as follows: (1) Reduce risks at source; (2) Promote industry ownership; and (3) Punish poor safety management practices. First, reducing risks at source. Sir, research has shown that more than 60% of construction accidents are attributed to poor planning and design. Therefore, we need to focus on the practices of developers and consultants of building projects. How can developers and consultants play a role to enhance safety in the construction industry? Sir, I support the new Workplace Safety and Health (Risk Management) Regulations as proposed in the Bill. Although there is a requirement to conduct risk assessment before work commences, it may be difficult for contractors to reduce risks at source if the risks are already incorporated in the design of a project. To be effective, it is crucial that risk assessment be conducted at the design stage. In this way, risks can be removed or managed with safe designs or appropriate safety measures during construction. Another key contributing factor of construction accidents is the planning of construction site and its activities. The poor planning of site layout and processes will lead to an unsafe work environment.”
“However, due to the large number of workplaces in Singapore, the Ministry may face problems in enforcing the Act. That is why safety rules were sometimes enforced after accidents had occurred. Thus, the Act may not be effective in preventing accidents at workplaces. Sir, I would propose to the Ministry to appoint an enforcement agency, such as SPRING, to enforce safety at workplaces regularly. We must conduct more random checks to ensure that our workplaces are safe at all times. With regular enforcement like the traffic police, we will be able to effectively promote safe workplace practices among all stakeholders. Sir, the construction and chemical manufacturing and gas bottling industries have been identified by MOM as hot spots where a high number of accidents occurred due to unsafe practices. Sir, let me use the construction industry as an example to illustrate the undesirable state of the industry, and propose how the Workplace Safety and Health Act can be implemented to develop a safety culture in the industry. I believe the solution lies in the commitment of our stakeholders of the industry and the enforcement agency, that is, the Ministry of Manpower. Sir, at present, the various stakeholders in the construction industry are either not committed or constrained by industry practices to develop a safety culture. This problem is further aggravated by the intense competition through open tendering, and the inclusion of safety provisions in competitive tendering. The undesirable outcome is that contractors who won tenders at the lowest bids or highly competitive bids are unable to provide adequate safety measures to prevent accidents happening on site.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. Sir, I moved a motion in this House in May 2004, together with my parliamentary colleague Ms Irene Ng, to urge the Government to re-emphasise safety at workplace in Singapore, and to review the current safety standards and practices so as to further enhance the safety of our workers. I am pleased to note that the Government has heeded our call, and has come up with a comprehensive set of legislation to raise the safety standards of our workplaces in the proposed Bill on "Workplace safety and health". Sir, accidents occur at workplaces due to many reasons. Very often, it is attributed to a lack of professionalism and commitment on the various stakeholders at workplaces. Despite stringent safety legislation, there is still a high rate of accidents in certain industries, especially the construction industry. Sir, the root cause of this problem is the lack of safety culture in our workplaces. Although the proposed Bill will provide impetus to improve safety standards in our workplaces, we need to ensure that its implementation is effective in building a safety culture among various stakeholders. Otherwise, it will be like having a set of traffic rules without any traffic police to enforce the rules. Sir, the reason why our roads are safe today is not due to our strict traffic rules alone. It is because we have traffic police patrolling our roads daily to ensure road safety. Despite that, we still have many road users flouting the traffic rules, resulting in accidents at times. Sir, while it is possible to develop a safety culture, we need a strong enforcement regime to "nurture" the various stakeholders of our workplaces.”
“Sir, I welcome the measures as announced by the Minister, which I believe will have a positive impact on the property market, the construction sector and also the finance and investment sectors. I just wonder whether the Ministry has done any analysis on the positive and negative impact on these sectors which will create any new jobs for Singaporeans, because this is one critical area which we are looking at. My second question is: what is the likely take-up rate of the available flats in HDB and also the private sector with this set of measures? The Ministry must have done some forecast on that.”
“Sir, the recent review of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management 2004 Act has decriminalised many non-compliances of the Act so as to facilitate self-management. Similarly, I would urge the Minister not to introduce criminal penalties in the Town Councils Act. On the contrary, we should make more provisions to encourage Town Councils to develop self-management capabilities. Sir, although the proposed amendments to the Town Councils Act will not involve the Government in any extra financial expenditure, it will however help many Government agencies to save financial expenditures in the provision of facilities on non-common property in a town. Sir, may I seek clarification from the Minister as to whether various Government agencies will continue to manage and provide facilities such as covered linkways, footpaths, landscaping and other public amenities on non-common property in a town. If the proposed amendment is part of the devolution of Government's services to the Town Councils, there must be corresponding provisions of financial resources to the Town Councils for the proper management of such public amenities. Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Instead, we must ensure that the respective public authority or community-based organisation be held responsible for providing such facilities. This will provide a better check and balance approach in the provision of facilities on non-common property in a town. It will also ensure that such facilities are properly thought through, implemented, and properly maintained in a sustainable manner in the long run. Criminal penalties for the misuse of Town Council funds Sir, I support the approach of encouraging more self-management of the Town Councils. At present, there are sufficient checks and balances in the Town Councils Act and other legislation to ensure the proper management of our towns. As we further empower and entrust Town Councils to take on more responsibilities, we should also review the Town Councils Act to facilitate self-management and self-responsibility. Therefore, it may not be necessary for the Town Councils Act to impose criminal penalties on the Chairman and Secretary for the misuse of Town Council funds. There are existing legislation to prevent such abuses. The introduction of criminal penalties for the Chairman and Secretary runs contrary to the spirit of entrusting elected members to run the Town Councils and encouraging self-management. Sir, we must understand that Town Councils are merely managing agents helping HDB (who is the land and building owner) to manage the common property of a town. Thus, it is not appropriate to impose such criminal liabilities on the Chairman and Secretary of the Town Council. Instead, HDB and Town Councils should design a corporate governance framework where there are joint responsibilities and liabilities of both parties should there be any misuse of Town Council funds.”
“HDB residents are usually more familiar with Town Councils due to the daily presence of our Town Council staff in the estates. Many do not understand which parcel of land within a town belongs to which landowner. As a result, Town Councils often receive requests from residents concerning matters outside their scope of work. These include problems like cleanliness, pest control, mosquito breeding, overgrown trees and shrubs, illegal structures and requests for improvement projects relating to land parcels belonging to HDB, SLA, LTA, ENV, PUB and even some private landowners. This lack of understanding or confusion by residents has inadvertently increased the workload of Town Councils. It has also conveniently allowed various Government agencies to "transfer" their responsibilities to the Town Councils. Sir, this situation is unfair and unhealthy, as the added responsibilities have affected Town Councils in their delivery of services. It has also increased their cost of operations. While the Town Councils are prepared to act as managing agents for a public authority or community-based association to provide facilities on non-common property in their town, I do not think the Town Councils should be held responsible to repair and maintain these facilities. Town Council funds should be used solely for the maintenance and management of common property for the common benefit of residents in their respective towns. Very often, facilities on non-common property are costly to erect and maintain. These include covered linkways, footpaths, lightings, landscaping and football fields. These facilities will add an undue financial burden on the Town Councils and their residents.”
“The Lift Upgrading Programme is actually not cyclical work. It is a form of upgrading work to alter the design of HDB blocks. Furthermore, based on the criteria as given by the Ministry, only some blocks are eligible for the Town Council Lift Upgrading Programme. But these blocks are scattered all over the estates as they were built at different times and with different designs, ie, some with standard corridors and some with staggered corridors. Therefore, if the Town Councils were to carry out Lift Upgrading Programme for these blocks, there will be frequent construction works going on in different parts of the estates. This will cause much disruptions and inconveniences to our residents. Furthermore, these upgrading works are "piecemeal" in nature, and do not enjoy any economies of scale. While I support the empowerment of Town Councils to carry out lift upgrading, I would propose that the Ministry consider integrating the Town Council Lift Upgrading Programme into the HDB's Lift Upgrading Programme. The Town Councils can co-pay the contribution for those blocks eligible for Town Council lift upgrading. In this way, we can expedite and better coordinate the Lift Upgrading Programme for our residents. Erect, repair and maintain facilities on non-common property Sir, clauses 3 and 4 of the Bill amend the Town Councils Act to expand the functions of a Town Council to include the erecting, repairing and maintaining of facilities on non-common property in the town. Although Town Councils manage the HDB estates within their defined town boundary, there are many public and private amenities in the town, such as covered linkways, footpaths, parks, drains, roads and open fields.”
“First, the use of sinking fund will deplete the reserves of the Town Councils. The Town Councils have accumulated healthy sinking funds over the last 15 or 16 years. The purpose of the sinking fund is to carry out future cyclical works of HDB blocks, which are ageing. On paper, it looks as though Town Councils have lots of money in their sinking funds. But, in reality, the accumulated sinking funds may not be adequate to carry out future cyclical works unless more service and conservancy charges are collected. This would pose undue financial burden on our residents. Over the years, the Town Councils have prudently managed to save much expenditure on their cyclical works. This is attributed to the Government's HDB upgrading programmes. Most Town Councils would normally time their cyclical works so that these works need not be carried out in precincts selected for HDB upgrading. In this way, monies were saved, thus reducing the financial burden of residents having to pay higher service and conservancy charges. But, once the upgrading of the older estates is complete, the newer HDB high-rise blocks may not be suitable for HDB upgrading programme. Newer HDB blocks were built with higher plot ratios, and do not provide much scope for upgrading. The designs of these blocks are also more complex and sophisticated. These 20, 30 or 40 storey blocks are also more costly to maintain as they have different types of façade treatments and installations. The increasing price trends of building materials, labour and utilities have also imposed heavy financial burden on the Town Councils. Thus, I would caution against the use of the present accumulated sinking funds for Town Councils' Lift Upgrading Programme, which is very costly.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I wish to declare my interest as Chairman of Holland-Bukit Panjang Town Council. Sir, I support the purpose of the Bill, which is to provide a legislative framework to empower Town Councils to carry out lift upgrading works and improvement projects outside its common property. In view of a fast ageing population in Singapore, it is crucial that we expedite the HDB Lift Upgrading Programme so that all HDB blocks can attain 100% lift access at every floor level. The HDB Lift Upgrading Programme has benefited many residents, especially the elderly, handicapped, sick and young children. In order to expedite this programme, the Ministry is now proposing to tap on the Town Councils' sinking funds to co-pay the Town Council Lift Upgrading Programme. In addition, the Bill also empowers a Town Council to erect, repair, and maintain facilities on non-common property in its town. This amendment will provide more flexibility for Town Councils to meet the needs of its residents. Basically, the proposed Bill has widened the scope of Town Councils' roles and responsibilities with regard to lift upgrading and the maintenance management of facilities or non-common properties within its town. However, the proposed Bill raises fundamental questions on the roles of Town Councils and various Government agencies in the management of our built environment. Sir, I wish to highlight three concerns regarding the Bill as follows: Use of Town Council's sinking fund for lift upgrading Sir, although the Ministry has provided guidelines on the proposed use of the sinking fund for the Town Council Lift Upgrading Programme, which is at 10% cap, there are certain practical problems in implementing the programme.”
“Sir, I want to clarify about the service benchmark for CDCs. CDCs do set a certain standard, in terms of delivery of social service, which is six weeks, and most of the time we are able to achieve that. But most of the time, the delay is because the recipient is not responding to the CDC. That is one thing which we have to bring the message across. It is the responsibility of the client also to make an effort to contact the CDC. It is not a one way communication. It is a two-way communication in order to reach out to the needy. This is to clarify her point.”
“Sir, I would like to seek clarification from the Minister concerning the safety and health framework. I agree with the Minister on the three principles of reducing risks - to promote self-regulation, to have ownership for safety, and also to use penalty to develop a safety culture. But what is important in terms of reducing risks, I think we have to have a framework to avoid risks in the first place. For example, in the construction industry, we need to look into durable design, maintainable design and safe design. I think we need to have a framework so that upstream, we will avoid risks rather than to look into reducing risks. I just want to check whether the Ministry is working with BCA and MND to look into this area. Sir, the second question is on ownership. It is good to have ownership but we need to build the capabilities of the various stakeholders in the industry. So, what kind of framework do we have to facilitate capabilities building in the industry, especially in the construction industry? Thirdly, the penalty. It is good to have a penalty but we need to have an enforcement agency and we need to have, again, a certain framework where there is a check and balance. And we do not want to interrupt with the operations too much as to hamper productivity. What is the framework to carry out enforcement to ensure safety on site?”
“Within MINDEF, there is an organisation called NEXUS. It coordinates with all the other Ministries. It is not a very high-profile organisation. Perhaps, that is the reason why Dr Teo does not know that MINDEF is the championing agency. We need to do more. I welcome Dr Teo's help in bringing Total Defence down to the grassroots level even deeper.”
“Sir, just to seek a clarification. I can understand that it is quite difficult to measure Total Defence in totality. But I think we still need to come up with some indicators to measure our efforts as a nation, so that we know how we are progressing. So, it would be good if the Senior Parliamentary Secretary can provide us with the statistics or figures as to how far we have achieved in terms of Total Defence, ie, for the five pillars. You can measure the individual pillars, but to measure our progress in Total Defence, the five pillars in totality, it is going to be quite difficult. Maybe, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary can highlight MINDEF's KPIs for Total Defence for this year? 1.00 pm Assoc. Prof. Koo Tsai Kee: Sir, I thank the Member for his suggestions. For KPIs, we validate whether the outreach programme for Total Defence has reached Singaporeans. We also test the attitude to National Service and their readiness to defend Singapore. Based on previous surveys, we have found these results to be very encouraging. Can we do more? Yes, we certainly can do more. Dr Teo mentioned in his speech that Singaporeans are not prepared because they do not have an emergency pack, for example. I know that the emergency pack was promoted by Mr Wong Kan Seng a few weeks ago. In fact, every family member has a radio and a torch. It is just that they did not put them together. So this is a reminder for families to put aside a torch with a fresh battery and a radio with a fresh battery. These are little reminders that we can do. What else can we do? On the ground, we need Members of Parliament to work together with us on this. We have the ideas, and we need to reach out to them. The Members of Parliament and the Mayors have their own ideas. We can work together.”