Teong Eng Siong
Singapore
“Sir, on a point of order. (In Mandarin) Sir, just now the Minister said that by suggesting the granting of citizenship to these people I would be inviting competition because they would then be allowed to apply for hawker licence and HDB flats. I did not say that.”
“Only two? Mr Chua Sian Chin: Two out of 35 from the Land Divisions and 18 from the Radio Division. I think that is sufficient. If the Member is not aware, may I say that we have asked the Management Services Department of the Ministry of Finance to make a recent study into the adequacy of patrol cars on patrol at any one time.”
“Very often on pay days they crowd into the post office and pack up all the space, and the small number of staff would be kept very busy. According to my understanding, the small post office there will soon be receiving payments for PUB bills for the benefit of the people there. Of course, this will be convenient to the residents there.”
“Sir,I have also noticed that roads built under the gotong royong scheme are much better than those built by the contractors. Even after several years of use, these roads are still good.”
“Sir, in view of the Parliamentary Secretary's satisfactory explanation. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $159,839,000 for Head O ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $1,213,685,000 for Head O ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head P -”
“Another problem concerns the many HDB flats in certain areas which have not been taken up after allotment and have been left vacant for a long time. There are many such vacant flats in my constituency, for instance. Marsiling (a part of the Woodlands New Town), and I believe the same is true of other housing estates. Why?”
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“Sir, just now I mentioned that many countries are practising price control on goods. As to its effectiveness, it is another matter. I did not refer to South-east Asian countries. I just said in some countries in the world.”
“I hope the Minister can pay attention to this. Secondly, ours is a developing country. The development projects need large funds which come from taxation and the issue of public loans. Sometimes you have to get loans from international organisations. I would like to know how much we have borrowed from international organisations or from which country and how much interest we have to pay every year. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 5.05 p.m.”
“Sir, I note that the estimate for this Ministry has reached the figure of $57,776,690. This is about $4 million more than for 1967. This means that this Ministry has expanded and there are more items of expenditure. In the past, this Ministry has made great achievements in its work, such as the issue of new currency, the expansion of new industries, and effective control of the revenue of our country. All these achievements should be praised by all. Undoubtedly our present economic position is very sound and stable. Therefore, the various schemes and policies of the Government have been fully implemented. The national income of our people has also increased. This is because of the general improvement in the economic situation and the standard of living of our people. But it cannot be denied that there are certain difficulties facing our country, namely, the problem of unemployment. This has also been recognised by the Minister as the most serious challenge facing us. How are we going to overcome this serious problem? I feel that the Minister for Finance should adopt better and more effective measures to deal with this and to expand industries, tourism and external trade in order to solve this problem of unemployment step by step. Finally, I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. First, whether he intends to set up a price control committee or bureau in the very near future in order to control prices of goods. This scheme is being practised in many countries. We know that the stabilisation of prices will bring about a peaceful and stable situation and keep the social order in manageable proportions. Otherwise there will be fluctuations in prices which will cause a lot of difficulties to the people's livelihood and will affect other economic factors.”
“According to observers in various countries, the Prime Minister's visit was a great success. From our point of view, his efforts are highly commendable. Another point to be mentioned is that the Minister for Health represented our country at the United Nations 22nd General Assembly. His performance was a most remarkable one. He brought with him the liveliness of our country. The points of view he expressed won the recognition of all the countries there. Therefore, we should congratulate him on his efforts. Finally, I wish to raise three questions. First, when are we going to establish an embassy in Indonesia? Indonesia is very near to our country, and it is our biggest customer in trade. Secondly, what is the progress made after the establishment of ASEAN? What efforts have we made in this direction? Thirdly, what sort of benefits can we derive from ASEAN? I wish the Minister can give me a reply to these questions.”
“Sir, this year the Estimates for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reached the figure of $7,395,530. This is an increase of about $2 million over the figure for last year. I know that this increase in the estimates has been due to the increase in the number of missions in various countries and because of additional expenses incurred in acquiring accommodation. This has been necessary in order to strengthen our relationship with other countries, especially in trade. [Mr Lim Cheng Lock in the Chair] 7.09 p.m. This has also been necessary to increase our national income. Therefore, I support the increase in the expenditure of this Ministry. This increase is meaningful. We have to admit that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the able leadership of our Minister, Mr Rajaratnam, has successfully carried out our neutral and non-aligned policy. We have seen just now that the Minister has the air of a diplomat. Our policy in foreign affairs is to have the maximum number of friends and the minimum number of enemies -best of all, not to have any enemies at all. This has won approval from many countries in the world. Sir, I have to mention that in October this year our Prime Minister, together with the Foreign Minister and the Minister of State for Education, visited the United States of America and they were welcomed by the American Government with the greatest cordiality. The speeches made by the Prime Minister were very well received by the people in America, and other countries too. In fact, the visit of our Prime Minister has not only strengthened our position in international affairs, but it has also enhanced our reputation. At the same time, it has also facilitated our efforts to increase foreign investment here.”
“And if we stipulate that old folks must be above the age of 65 before they can be considered for entry into our country, then this is an unreasonable condition. Normally when they reach the age of 65, they may not be healthy enough to come to Singapore, and even if they should come, I am afraid they may die soon after their arrival; in which case their families here will have to spend money on their coffins. The other question is that while Singapore is now reclaiming land, the space taken up by these coffins meant for these old folks from abroad will give rise to a shortage of land. This ill be another drain on our limited resources, which is land. So from these various points of view, I feel that the present regulations controlling immigration are not quite proper. We should reduce the age limit of 65 so as to enable more people to come in, so that they can have more years with their families here. I hope the Government will give sympathetic consideration to my suggestion. I hope all families affected by these regulations will be comforted by the new Government policy on this subject.”
“Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, since the previous two Members have spoken on this amendment, I am taking the opportunity of joining in the debate so that I do not have to speak on Head 0402. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am in full agreement with the points raised by the Member for Bras Basah. We know that in the past immigration restrictions were imposed for sound reasons. The age limit was fixed with regard to factors prevailing in the past. Now that Singapore is independent and there is a sense of loyalty to the Republic among the people, we should not ignore the fact that our citizens long nostalgically for their parents in China or India. In order to ensure that they are able to concentrate their attention on their business in Singapore, I feel we should change the outdated regulations and restrictions particularly affecting people who are more than 65 years old. This will strengthen the sentimental links of our people with their old folks in foreign countries. If our citizens have parents abroad, they usually remit money to them on which there is no limitation. If they also have relatives abroad, then they have to remit more money. This will invariably affect and drain our national income. If our citizens can be reunited with their families, they will incur less expenditure as they do not have to make large remittances abroad. 6.30 p.m. Another point of view is for humanitarian reasons. Filial piety is something we should consider and this is also a point of morality. All of us would like members of the family to be united. So if we try to separate the members of the same family by our strict laws, it will be rather inhuman.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I heard with interest the speech made by the Member for Bras Basah and I have the same sympathetic feelings for our citizens who have parents in China, India or other countries. We should consider their applications sympathetically. If the parents of our citizens are over 65 years old, we should give them a chance to come into Singapore. I do not want to dwell any longer on this matter. I want to refer now to the complaints against the staff of the Immigration Department for being discourteous to the public. They come into close contact with people from all over the world. It is important that they should be courteous because the tourists who come to Singapore will then be able to tell the world at large about the courteous service accorded to them in Singapore. So if they give courteous and efficient service to tourists, we will then have a good reputation. If they are indifferent or rude, that will damage our international reputation. This courtesy accorded to tourists must also be extended to our own people. If the staff of the Immigration Department cannot treat the people well, they cannot treat others well. Mr Speaker, Sir, the next point is about the strict regulations on travellers. Many travellers from abroad come to Singapore for a stay of about three months and sometimes they ask for an extension of stay of two or three months. They have their sponsors in Singapore. So we should give them every facility and grant them an extension of stay in Singapore because they come here to spend money and this benefits our country. I hope the Immigration Department will consider this. These are the two points I wish to bring to the notice of the Minister.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $100,819,730 for Head 0401 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 6.15 p.m. Head 0402 -”
“Although the British military forces will be withdrawn, we will have to consider whether our military strength is able to protect us against any foreign invasion. Sir, I hope the Minister can give an assurance in this House so as to ensure that we are going to protect our people.”
“The position of Singapore after independence is still of great strategic importance. So the importance of Singapore, other than in trade and commerce, lies in its ability to defend itself against any foreign control or invasion. Some people say that the progress of armament nowadays, the technique of military strategy and form of military warfare have undergone so great a revolution that the defence of our country has become unnecessary. But ever since ancient times there has been an immutable principle, i.e., people will have to defend their country and armaments are meant to protect the country against foreign control or invasion. Arms alone are not sufficient to occupy others' territories, Our country is still suitable as a naval base, Without defence forces, we cannot become an independent country. We may not be able to protect our people as an independent people, to enjoy freedom and to exist as a people. The defence programmes have been aimed at our protection against foreign invasion and the protection of our sovereignty and territorial integrity. In view of this, it is necessary to continue to develop our defence preparedness. Based on this principle, while we are developing our economy, we should also develop our military capacity. This is also important at the present juncture. Therefore, to develop our defence capacity, we must pay attention to the study of military armaments of advanced countries, coupled with science in the development of the economy, so that scientific development and military development can both be used to achieve the greatest benefit to the country. These three kinds of development -economic, military and scientific -will make a country strong. Therefore, Singapore should also develop its military capacity.”
“This is a very good thing and I hope that all personnel will abide by this code. Sir, I have two suggestions to make to the Minister of Defence. I hope he will pay very careful attention to what I am going to say. He must not misunderstand my suggestions and give me answers which are not what I have asked for, or to give me answers which I do not expect. The first suggestion is about the spirit of unity of our people. Based on this principle, we must improve the relationship between the police and the public. In the colonial era and also under the Lim Yew Hock regime, the police represented an instrument for suppression of the people. But now we are an independent and democratic country. Therefore, the police must in their dealings with the people behave well in order to make the people know that they are their protectors. In the past, the police had to conduct certain campaigns such as, "Be together with the people". These campaigns were meant to improve the relationship between the police and the public. I think they are very meaningful and should be encouraged. The second suggestion is that women should also take up national service, because ours is an egalitarian society. Therefore, they should be allowed to join the armed forces. They have put up a very good show in the People's Defence Force, the police and the Vigilante Corps. Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, we have heard a lot from the Member for Sembawang urging other people to join the armed forces but he himself has not volunteered. Talking about defence, there is something which we should recognise, i.e., the independence of Singapore. After the British military withdrawal, we still cannot completely change the concept that Singapore is a military base.”
“I hope in future I will be able to speak in Tamil. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $100. The Ministry of Defence in the past one year has done much to build up our armed forces and expand the police force. The sum allotted for this Ministry is about $100 million. It is quite a large sum and is a great deal more than what was allotted for 1967. In the circumstances, I feel that this amount is necessary to match the present conditions of Singapore. I feel that the defence forces and the police are necessary for the protection of the lives and property of the people and the maintenance of law and order in our country, Ours is a very small country. Our population is small and we do not have much money to spend on the building up of our armed forces. Therefore, we have the national service scheme to enable young people to join these forces. On the one hand, this will lessen our economic burden. On the other hand, this will enable our youngsters to take up their responsibility of national defence and service to the country. This scheme was implemented in March this year. It is supported by people in all walks of life in spite of the opposition by anti-national elements to whom nobody pays any attention, This move to take up national service is a very patriotic act and should have our praise. Sir, ours is a non-Communist, democratic, socialist country. Ours is a country which looks after the welfare of all the people. So the aim of the armed forces is to inculcate in the minds of their members the spirit and consciousness to defend the country. Therefore, the Defence Ministry issued sometime this year a code of conduct to the armed forces.”
“Hence they have to wait for a considerable time. I hope the Member for Sembawang will participate in this campaign and urge members of the public to pay their road tax by post and in that way reduce the congestion at the R.O.V. Regarding taxi stands, actually this subject is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of National Development. It is therefore proper for the Minister in charge of that Ministry to reply.”
“I think the Government derives thousands of dollars every year by way of taxi licence fees. So I suggest the R.O.V, should build enough taxi stands to enable the taxi drivers to operate their business properly, because they have paid their road tax and they have a right to earn a living. Tuan Haji Yaacob(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, to reply to the Member for Kampong Kembangan. As a result of the Prime Minister's visit to the Geylang Serai Constituency, an appeal was sent to him to impose restriction on heavy vehicles using the roads in question. A decision had to be made whether the roads should be made up or restrictions imposed on vehicles. As a result of careful investigations by the traffic police, the Director of P.W.D, and the Director of the Trade Division, it was decided to impose restrictions on heavy vehicles, especially those carrying logs, using Jalan Ubi. This involved 32 roads in addition to Jalan Ubi and the other roads mentioned. Perhaps the road signs there are insufficient. I will ask the traffic police to increase the number of warning notices regarding the restriction on the use of the roads by heavy vehicles. With regard to the matter raised by the Member for Sembawang, I shall be grateful if complaints about the discourteous behaviour of some of the staff can be addressed direct to the Registrar of Vehicles or to me. We will certainly take appropriate measures. Regarding the long wait to pay road tax, we cannot put the blame on the R.O.V. We have launched a campaign over the radio and on television advising licence holders to pay their road tax by post, and thus do away with the necessity of having to wait long if they pay at the R.O.V, counters. But, unfortunately, our campaign has gone unheeded by certain quarters.”
“Mr Speaker, we all know that the Registry of Vehicles is a very busy department. This is because Singapore is a prosperous city. Business flourishes, the population is increasing, and the car-owning class is expanding from year to year. For example, in the case of private cars, in 1962, according to statistics, there were only 77,379 cars; but five years later, that is, today, we have 115,283 cars. That means in five years' time there has been an increase of 40,000 cars. The same increase is also seen in motor-cycles. There has also been some improvement in the efficiency and administration of the R.O.V, to cope with the increase of work. But undoubtedly there are some defects in this department. As a result, I have received complaints from members of the public and I wish to take this opportunity to convey these complaints to the Minister to enable him to take immediate steps to improve the situation. Firstly, some members of the staff in the R.O.V. -I stress some only -are very bad in their dealing with the public. They are rather bureaucratic in their attitude and they do not receive the public well, They are not very courteous. This should not be so. Secondly, I think the department should constantly review its administrative machinery to maintain a high standard of efficiency. I have received complaints from members of the public that they have to wait for as long as half an hour or even one hour to pay their road tax. That is a waste of time and a great inconvenience to the public. Thirdly, I have to appeal on behalf of the taxi drivers. I have received complaints from some of them that they are reported to have committed traffic offences and were fined heavily as a result of the lack of taxi stands in certain places.”
“Mr Speaker, I do not wish to move my amendment. The following amendment stood in the name of Inche Mohd. Ariff bin Suradi - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 3086.”
“Mr Speaker, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Teong Eng Siong - (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1102.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0301 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1101. Sir, this is in conection with the Elections Office. For the past few elections which were carried out successfully and smoothly, I must praise the efficiency of the Elections Office. However, there is still room for improvement. I would like to suggest the following proposals for future reference by the Elections Office. First, the boundary of each constituency should be delineated clearly, because there is some confusion over the present electoral divisions, i.e., a voter in Sembawang will have to vote in Nee Soon or in Bukit Panjang. Second, the days for inspection of the electoral registers should be extended because the number of voters has increased. Third, in some rural constituencies such as Sembawang, Nee Soon, Bukit Panjang, and Choa Chu Kang, the centres for inspection of the electoral registers should be increased for the convenience of the people.”
“This is a good way of increasing our national income, and I do not know whether the Government will give serious consideration to this proposal. Thirdly, we should vigorously expand our fishing industry. We are an island State and we must make use of our geographical position for our economic growth. The people of Singapore consume a lot of fish, and we depend on various countries for fish which amounts to 75 per cent of our actual consumption per year. Fourthly, we must expand our tourist trade because a lot of countries in the world depend on tourist trade for their national income and foreign exchange. These countries include Japan and Hawaii. In short, Mr Speaker, the present Budget is a very progressive and praiseworthy one because the main items of expenditure are on education and the social services. This is a sign of the Government's efforts in the creation of a welfare State, and I believe that with all efforts put together, our national economy will progress even further, thereby bringing us nearer to the creation of a prosperous, a more fair and equal society, with all the comforts for our people. Finally, let me read you a poem in the vernacular language in praise of this Budget. The lines are as follows: - Tributes to the Budget of 1968, Men in commerce and industry have paid, Delighted are the people in general, With a painless Budget which they hail. 4.23 p.m.”
“Secondly, the creation of 18,000 jobs for the unemployed and the creation of a further 25,000 jobs for the new job seekers. That means a total of 43,000 jobs per year. How are we going to create so many jobs? According to the Finance Minister, we have only been able to create about 5,000 jobs a year in industries, which include the building trade, tourism, and manufacturing industries. So the jobs created are far, far below our actual needs. But according to him, in spite of all this, we have every confidence in overcoming our problems. I entirely agree with his view, because at the present moment our Economic Development Board is on the proper course and we are able to face this challenge. But I feel that we should do all we can to marshal all our natural and human resources in order to overcome all these problems. I would like to offer four proposals for the consideration of the Finance Minister who, I hope, will pay particular attention to what I have to say. Firstly, we should immediately look into the possibility of agricultural expansion, such as setting up animal husbandry in the neighbouring islands. We must not overlook animal husbandry because this industry gives about a few million dollars' income to Indonesia. By creating animal husbandry, we can give more jobs to our people. Secondly, we should look into the question of growing seaweed. Dr Tham Ah Kow, who is the head of the Fisheries Division of the University of Singapore, has said that there are many uses to which seaweed can be put. According to him, seaweed is edible and some kinds of seaweed can be made into cosmetics or even preservatives. In his estimate, if we have about 1,800 acres for the growing of seaweed, we can earn more than $10 million in foreign exchange per year.”
“So we can see that there are three kinds of increases, although the last kind of increase is not so very good and I believe it is not an increase that is welcome to our Finance Minister. Our problem is: how can we solve it? The Finance Minister has given these figures: firstly, there are at the moment 52,630 unemployed persons according to the Sample Household Survey which, according to the Minister, is more reliable. Secondly, in the next three and a half years the run-down of British military bases will give rise to about 12,000 unemployed, persons. Thirdly, every year we have about 25,000 youngsters entering the labour market on leaving school. These problems are a challenge which our country is now facing. As regards a solution to these problems, the Minister has offered three ways: '(a) generate an additional $80 million expenditure each year to offset the reduction of British military expenditure; (b) create 18.000 additional jobs a year to absorb those who are now unemployed and to provide work for base employees expected to be retrenched; (c) create a further 25,000 new jobs each year for the teenagers coming of age and looking for work.' But after offering all the solutions, he asked, "Can we do this?" Mr Speaker, I want to ask: how can we do this? First, according to the Minister, we have to generate an additional expenditure of $80 million, My question is: where and how are we going to spend the money? Is it the intention of the Government to invest the money in industry, or to assist the present industry, or to set up a bigger dockyard, say, in Sembawang or in other parts of Singapore? Have we got a comprehensive plan for all this? I hope I can get an answer from the Minister for Finance.”
“In this respect, we have achieved good results and I believe that with greater effort we will provide more jobs for our people. Mr Speaker, Sir, in his speech, the Minister for Finance also revealed that there has been an increase in our external trade from January to September last year. In 1966, our imports amounted to $5,530 million. The figure for this year is $5,956 million - an increase of about $425 million. This was due to our increased exports to Indonesia and Vietnam. This was made possible because of the fact that we have won independence and have adopted a non-aligned policy in our foreign affairs. But we must be aware that the international market is highly competitive. If we want to sell our goods in the international market, apart from adopting a non-aligned policy and establishing friendly relations with other countries, we must also try to lower the cost of our production. If we can sell more of our products, there is no cause for our manufacturers to worry about their profits. We must also try to raise the quality of our products. I have often said that our local products are not as good as foreign goods and that, therefore, the consumers do not want to buy them. If this is so, then our manufacturers must try their best to improve the quality of their goods in order to compete with other foreign goods on the international market. Mr Speaker, Sir, although in the past one year there has been an increase of 7 per cent in national income and an increase of 8 per cent in trade, we should not be complacent because, according to a disclosure of the Finance Minister, there has also been an increase in unemployment.”
“If the people are lazy, disunited and extravagant, this will lead to an economic recession. Our national task is to promote the spirit of thriftiness, industry and discipline in our people not only in their private lives but also in their work. Sir, we are also glad to note in the speech that tremendous progress has been made in our pioneer industries. This can be shown in the following figures. In 1966, there were 97 pioneer industries, but this year we have 126 industries - an increase of 30 per cent. In terms of capital investment in 1966, the figure was $293 million. The figure for this year is $336 million - an increase of 25 per cent. Last year, there were 11,000 people working in the pioneer industries but this year the figure is 13,5000 people - an increase of 22 per cent. This shows the tremendous progress that has been made in our pioneer industries, in recent months, almost every day sees new factories being opened. In November, ten factories were opened with a capital of $25 million, the greatest of which was the sugar refinery. The sugar produced by this sugar refinery is not only sufficient for local consumption but it can also be exported to other countries to earn foreign exchange. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 4.10 p.m. We have better prospects of our industrial development. For example, many investors from Hong Kong have come here to invest their capital which runs to $50 million. Many East European countries have also expressed their willingness to come and set up factories here. These facts indicate the bright prospects of our industrial growth. Of course, industrialisation, apart from strengthening our economic position, will also provide more employment for the people.”
“The Minister for Finance delivered his Budget Speech on the Estimates for 1968 on the 5th of December. It immediately won the acclaim of the business community. They are all agreed that this is a far-sighted and, wise economic policy of the Government. It is also an indication of our stable economy. The main feature of the Budget is that there is no tax increase and that there will be a surplus of about $30 million. The stable economy and industrial progress can be attributed to the following factors. Firstly, our political stability with a favourable investment climate which is rarely found in other South-east Asian countries. Secondly, our economic incentives and facilities for industrial investors. Thirdly, our excellent geographic position and other economic infrastructures. Fourthly, industrial peace and excellent co-operation between management and workers and their desire to increase industrial efficiency. It goes without saying that we must try to maintain these four factors and strengthen them so as to enable our economy to advance steadily and to bring prosperity and a higher standard of living for our people. Sir, in his review of our national economy, the Minister for Finance came to the conclusion that we have been able to achieve an increase of 8.7 per cent in our G.N.P. According to him, this is rarely achieved in the newly emergent Afro-Asian countries. They have only achieved an increase of about three to four per cent in their G.N.P. This shows that our economy is thriving and flourishing. In order to have economic progress, it is not only necessary to have competent political leadership in the economic field but also to promote a spirit of thriftiness and industry.”
“Sir, I would like to stress that our currency is very strong because we have a backing of 400 per cent in reserves, in fact, the currency in Singapore is trusted by many. Not only do the people of Singapore have confidence in it, but many other countries also have full confidence in it. For instance, our Deputy Prime Minister recently passed through Bangkok, and according to him, the people there are using our currency. From this we can see the strength and prestige of our currency. Sir, because our currency is backed by 400 per cent in reserves and also because we are maintaining our currency at its face value, our people can buy more goods than before. 4.08 p.m.”
“Sir, I fully understand the contents of the speech made by the Member for Bras Basah. He has touched on the undesirable effects arising out of the devaluation of the British Pound. He has proposed several suggestions in his speech, and I agree with some of them. My first point is about those workers who are getting wages of between $2 and $2.50 - their claims for a wage increase should be considered favourably by employers by reason of the fact that daily-paid workers who are receiving between $2 and $2.50 per day are finding it difficult to maintain their own livelihood and that of their families. We all know that they are poor families and out of this meagre sum of $2 and $2.50 per day they have to make ends meet. This is an almost impossible task. We also know that low pay may have bad effects. Firstly, because of poor income, the food may not be nourishing enough. As a result, the health of the workers will be adversely affected, and it will in turn affect their productivity. Secondly, the workers themselves may have family problems, and this will affect their whole attitude towards their work. And this too will affect their productivity adversely. My second point is that we should make use of the tripartite council to look after the interests of the country as a whole, labour and capital in particular, and to avoid any hindrances or undesirable influences or results which might be at a disadvantage to any of these three; the country, labour and capital. So the tripartite council should take up its responsibilities and implement the tasks that are assigned to it as suggested by the Member for Bras Basah.”
“Further, in his talk on the "The Role of the Singapore Arts Council", the Minister of State for Culture again made clear his democratic stand on the question of having different arts and cultures when he said -I quote again: `The lighter entertainment programmes provided by the entertainment industry have an overpowering narcotic effect on the mass audiences who consume them. It is against this background that the Arts Council was formed. In a democracy, the Arts Council or even the Government has certain limitations in deciding what is good or bad for the people. That is the price we have to pay for democracy. There have been suggestions by some high-brow intellectuals and those who are more puritanically minded that we should ban the twist, the a-go-go or even the James Bond, pictures. Others felt that the lowbrow entertainment programmes should not be shown at all over the T.V. In a democracy, particularly where the population is multi-racial, multi-religious, multi-cultural and multi-lingual, is it right for any section of the community to impose its cultural taste on to the others?' In another passage, he also said: `I do not believe that the passive methods of banning this or that would solve problems. It requires mental ruggedness to accept the challenge to win over the minds of the young people to the side of disciplined appreciation of the worthier things in life instead of allowing them to be won over by the sheer debasing, sub-artistic, uncivilised entertainments.'”
“The essence of totalitarianism, call it "cultural revolution" or any name you like, is to destroy the autonomy of every sphere of life and to bring all fields of thought under the control of the State.' Sir, in another passage the Minister of State also said: `The pluralist theory demands that science, music, literature or art will have its own autonomy. Autonomy does not mean that science, music and other forms of art have no social function and social responsibilities.' He continued: `We feel that it is up to musicians, artists, scientists, the cultural workers, the people and the representatives of the Government to get together to discover ways and means of raising the musical level or generally the artistic level of the people. Ways and means will also have to be found for enlisting music, art, painting, drama and other forms of artistic expressions in the task of instilling national consciousness, a common sense of loyalty to the nation and generally in nation building.' Sir, I fully appreciate that through these passages the Minister of State for Culture has made clear the enlightened attitude of the Government towards the problems of art and culture. This attitude advocates free competition amongst the development of different kinds of art and culture in our country. At the same time, this attitude also emphasises the social responsibility of art or culture in imbuing the people with national consciousness, undivided loyalty and the concept of nation building. This then is the positive aspect of the Government's attitude.”
“The Minister of State for Culture, Mr Lee Khoon Choy, on the 22nd of July this year, made a speech at a meeting of the Y's Men's Club of Singapore on the topic "Search for a national culture in a multi-racial society". And on the 12th of October he made another speech at the Rotary Club of Singapore West meeting on the topic "The Role of the Singapore Arts Council". Each of these two speeches numbering some 10,000 words distinctively and comprehensively expounded Government's cultural policy. The Minister of State has demonstrated his resolute endeavour to promote culture and the arts of our country. For this I would like to pay my heartfelt thanks to him. But following this praise, I must criticise what he has already said. To show you what sort of criticism is forthcoming, I wish to quote from his speech on the "Search for a national culture in a multi-racial society". He said: `As democratic socialists, we do not believe that the state should interfere with the private life of the individual or decide the taste for the people in the field of art and culture. We should not tell the people what types of clothing or hair-do they should put on. Would it be proper for the state to say what is the right music and what is wrong music and dictate to the musicians what type of orchestral theme or orchestration they must follow? Some people get the impression that it is the function of the Ministry of Culture to decide on the pattern of clothings all Singaporeans have to wear or make music, dances and plays which must be followed by the people. This may be so in totalitarian countries which tend to put the writers, artists, composers and generally cultural workers into uniform.”
“At the same time, through the exchange of new films with other countries, we are able to view the latest documentary news films of many countries. For instance, recently Russia celebrated her 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. Our people were able to see a documentary film on this quite soon thereafter. Besides these, Television Singapura also arranged forums on political and social topics to enable the people to have more understanding of these questions. Such programmes certainly have educational value and I hope we will have more of them hereafter. [Mr Tang See Chim in the Chair] 6.23 p.m. Sir, there was a programme on physical exercise, teaching people how to get fit, but it has suddenly disappeared. In fact, this sort of programmes on physical and health education should not only be preserved but also further developed. For example, the pugilistic art is now very popular in our country. Some of its basic movements should prove very suitable if made into films as instructional material for broadcast to the viewers to help them learn them. Of course, in the beginning the reaction of the viewers may not be favourable, but if Television Singapura persists and uses various methods to publicise the good points about learning physical exercise for health, I believe there will gradually be good results. Sir, Radio and Television Singapura has great responsibilities in spreading knowledge and promoting culture among the people. At present, there are 67,000 sound receiver licence holders and 76,000 combined sound and television receiver licence holders. From these figures we can see the popularity of radio and television in our country and the extensive influence they wield. Sir, I would like now to touch on Government's policy on culture.”
“Of these activities, those on a larger scale were the cultural nights and recreational concerts organised by the People's Association; dramas, local traditional plays and concerts, etc., staged by various civic organisations. Some of our P.A.P. branches, including the Sembawang Branch, also put in some effort to promote local plays. In addition, in the fields of painting and photography, many of our young artists and photographers held numerous public exhibitions, presenting to the people their works on the description of the lives of the people and reflecting the social realities. At the same time, many cultural and artistic organisations from abroad came here to perform, such as the Russian dance troupe, the Hongkong Sin Tian Chye Teochew drama company, and the Hongkong Thye Loon Hong Cantonese drama company, etc., who brought to our masses novel cultural recreations. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Culture, from January to October this year various cultural nights, dramas, plays, concerts, choirs, carnivals, art and photographic exhibitions, etc., were held at the National Theatre, Victoria Theatre and the Victoria Memorial Hall, on 217 occasions, some of which carried on for one or two weeks at a stretch. If these were added together, Sir, there would be about 300 occasions of such activities. In other words, in our country there are different cultural and artistic activities held every day to enrich the spiritual lives of our people. Sir, I will now follow up with the radio and television programmes. In the past one year there have certainly been quite a lot of changes in the programmes. We now have such programmes as "It is Happening in Singapore", the introduction of art, music for the home, etc.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, time passes very quickly. I remember on this day last year I spoke in this Parliament on the adjournment on "Culture in Singapore's Nation-Building". It is exactly one year since that occasion. I also remember that in the course of that speech I proposed a ten-point suggestion relating to the question of our cultural construction, including the formulation of a national cultural policy, the establishment of a cultural consultative committee, a national film studio, a national academy of arts and the holding of a cultural festival, etc. These suggestions have, in fact, largely been implemented by the Ministry of Culture this year. This indeed gives much cause for pleasure and encouragement. The Government's efforts in promoting cultural and artistic activities, the establishment of the Arts Council, the building of a national academy of arts, and the holding of creative singing competitions for the promotion of our arts and culture deserve our unanimous praise. These achievements should be attributed to the effective planning and leadership of our able Minister for Culture and Social Affairs who is not here now, the Minister of State for Culture, and the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, as well as to the full support given by society. As for the humble opinion given by myself, I dare not brag of its contributing merit in any way. I was doing my duty as a representative of the people. Mr Speaker, Sir, let me review the general conditions and cultural activities in the past one year. In the past one year there have been more cultural and artistic activities than in any period previously. This surely is an encouraging sign.”
“Thank you for your direction. I have prepared my rebuttal to the editorial but I have no chance to do so now. Sir, finally, I feel that this amendment Bill to re-adjust the constituencies is in keeping with our changed conditions. The constituencies can be better developed and can serve the people better. This is something that should not be delayed. As a responsible Government, we must introduce this Bill at the present juncture. We cannot allow the present situation to continue because it will lead to chaos. If we are not doing what we are now doing, then it will mean that we are negligent. So any criticism of the change in the constituencies is baseless and malicious. On the other hand, I think this action on the part of the Government is most judicious and farsighted. It is a necessary step in the history of our parliamentary democracy.”
“Sir, thank you for your reminder. The Opposition Parties have made certain statements, so I feel that I must rebut their arguments. Now I would like to touch on the editorial in the Sin Chew Jit Poh on the 7th of ---”
“But these people should not forget their past evil records which are well known. The people know they are adventurers. They cannot fool all the people all the time. As regards the Alliance Party, this is a Party that was discarded by the electorate in the 1959 and 1963 elections. So their policy is not new. One of their requests is to prolong the period for campaigning in the general elections. They think that by this they can get more people to support them. I would say that they are day-dreaming. We know that the support which a political party can get from the voters depends on whether they have served the people well and have an efficient democratic system. In other words, basically the question is whether they have come close to the people and have helped them to solve their problems and difficulties. If they have done so, then when the general elections come along, the people will vote for them on the basis of their record. If certain political parties normally close up their offices for the most part of the year, and in their branches not anyone of their members can be found, how can they expect anybody to vote for them? Naturally the masses will cast their votes in such a way as to wipe off such political rubbish from the political scene, such as the Lim Yew Hock regime and the anti-national elements -”
“If we do not make any adjustments in the boundaries of the constituencies, we may not be able to serve the people better. Sir, ours is a non-Communist democratic country. We have an enlightened policy of equal treatment for all streams of education and all races. This policy has welded our races together and is the basic factor in our nation-building. I believe we will soon set a very good example in South-East Asia as a democratic, multi-racial country. We will also set a leading example to all the multi-racial countries in the world. Sir, let me now consider certain views expressed by some of the Opposition Parties. I think their views are not constructive. For instance, U.M.N.O. have said that the Government has not allowed them any time to express their opinions. This is not true, because in a democratic country everybody has the right of free speech. Whether or not their views will be accepted by the Government will depend on whether they are constructive and whether they meet the wishes of the people. For instance, certain political parties want us to do away with parliamentary democracy. They do not want general elections. Does it mean that we are bound to accept their anti-national policy or views? I would ask them whether they have the interest of the people at heart, or whether they are just making noises before the general elections, and when the elections are over they will take to their heels. They will close up their party offices. Our people know these adventurers very well. The Singapore Chinese Party has suggested five points, one of which is to ask when the Government will hold general elections and also to give them sufficient time to prepare themselves. This would set the people guessing as to their true intention.”
“Sir, I fully support the Parliamentary Membership Bill. The history of parliamentary democracy in our country is not long. It is only 12 years. Since 1955 there have been only local and partial elections. But judging from the healthy manifestation of progress of our parliamentary democracy, we are not less democratic compared with any other country. The success of our parliamentary democracy is due to two basic factors. First, our citizens have a rather high standard of political consciousness and they understand the true meaning of democracy. Second, in recent years, the Party to which I belong has made great achievements in nation-building and in various other spheres. As a result, the voters have more faith in democracy. Sir, with regard to the increase in constituencies, I feel that it is very apt and proper. As I have just pointed out, there has been a great increase in our population, and accordingly there are more voters. Judging by our present achievements in housing and other fields of activity, we have made great changes in recent years. At the moment, we have quite a number of satellite towns, such as Queenstown, Aljunied, Kallang, and Toa Payoh. Hence, the population in certain areas has increased. So if today our constituencies have the same boundaries, will that be in keeping with our present changes? In certain constituencies there will be more voters. For instance, in Queenstown at present there are more than 100,000 residents, but the number of voters in the last elections was 40,000. In Mountbatten there were 28,000 voters. In Delta there were 26,000 voters. Because of the shift in population, some constituencies will have more voters, whereas others will have less. For instance, in Geylang, Crawford and Havelock, the population is crowded there.”
“Sir, if that is the case, I will say something briefly on this Bill. I feel that this Bill is very timely and is in keeping with the present situation, because there have been a lot of changes in our country. I also feel that after the amendment Bill relating to citizens is passed, the number of citizens in Singapore will be known definitely so that every general election will be conducted more successfully and smoothly. Therefore, I support this Bill.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the Singapore Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill. Sir, undoubtedly the introduction of this Bill at the previous sitting has been most timely. This is in keeping with the present situation because we know that in the past ten years the conditions in our population and society have been far different from those obtaining before. According to statistics, there were 1,445,900 persons in 1957, but there are 1,939,000 persons now -ten years later. This is an increase of 500,000 persons. According to the latest statistics, the number of electors in 1959 was 555,655. In 1963, it was 635,782; in 1966, it was 708,316. At present, the number of electors is --- Mr Speaker: Mr Teong, I am having some doubts about the relevancy of your speech. What you are saying may perhaps be more relevant to the next Bill on the Order Paper.”
“C, more effective, it is quite all right.”
“Sir, first of all, let me praise the Government for their achievements in the past few years, especially in the field of rural development. This is in keeping with our policy and is inseparable from our policy of developing the rural areas. We implement rural development programmes in order to improve the livelihood of the masses of the rural people so that these people, who were neglected by the Lim Yew Hock Government and by the colonial government, can now enjoy modern standards of living. Sir, although the rural development plan, taken as a whole, has achieved much, I feel that we should go a step further and develop the rural areas and not to cut down on the expenses of or slow down the rural projects. As regards what the Member for Choa Chu Kang has said, namely, that the amount of $2,700,000 allotted for rural development has been cut down to $1.9 million, I also feel that this is not proper and right. I would like to make two suggestions. Firstly, on the implementation of projects, I feel that the authorities responsible for the various projects are not doing their best. For instance, when certain projects are approved by the Urban and Rural Services Committee, it usually takes about a year or more for the work to get started. Secondly, I feel that it is necessary to set up a system of supervision over the projects, because in many places the work has not been properly done. For instance, in Sembawang, one or two months after Kong Loong Road was made up, there were big holes in it. This shows clearly that there had been malpractices in the building of this road. As for the setting up of the Projects Committee on top of the Urban and Rural Services Committee, I think it may not be too important. If such a Committee can make the U.R.S.”
“Mr Speaker, on principle, I support the Minister in his policy to reclaim more land for development purposes. However, I am afraid that because of this massive programme of reclamation we will have to suffer a great loss in our natural sea-bed and foreshore. This will, of course, mar our reputation as a beautiful island State. This will affect indirectly our tourist trade. I would like to put forward to the Minister my suggestion that when reclamation work is undertaken in future the location should be diverted, that is to say, instead of reclaiming the sea-bed, we should level off the hills and use the earth to fill in the marsh lands and swampy areas. This will certainly go towards increasing our land area and, at the same time, preserving the beautiful view of the horizon from our seashore. This will give an impetus to tourism.”
“What I wish to point out is that this should not only be enforced against these Chinese physicians. There are also cases of Western-trained doctors who are guilty of some advertising. I think the enforcement should not be discriminatory. It is my hope also that the Bill will be referred to a Select Committee which will then hear views and representations from the Chinese physicians regarding the causes affecting their profession.”
“They must know what is right and what is wrong, and cannot do things merely with a view to profiting at the expense of their readers who constitute the public. In my own humble opinion, this amendment Bill will certainly receive the support of the doctors and the professional bodies in the medical field. It will certainly promote the medical profession in our Republic so that the services and medicines prescribed by qualified doctors will be given attention to, without the quack doctors fishing in troubled waters. In this way, we will certainly become a country in South-east Asia with the highest standard in the medical profession. Mr Speaker, I fully support this Bill. 3.55 p.m. Madam Chan Choy Siong (Delta)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, I do not propose to talk too long on this matter. As we all agree, this Bill has been introduced to safeguard the interest of the public and it also indicates that the Government is now paying great attention to this matter. With this amendment Bill I am quite sure that the people of Singapore will have greater protection medically, and they will have one more safeguard against the quack doctors. Another aspect of this Bill is that those who are really interested in the medical profession in Singapore will not have their business affected or jeopardised by the unscrupulous advertising of quacks in Singapore. In this way professionally qualified people will be able to serve the people better and will be able to improve themselves to serve the people. Mr Speaker, I wish to raise one point. The Minister has reiterated just now that the Bill will be enforced against that sector of the Chinese physicians who have resorted to medical advertisements.”
“Mr Speaker, I fully support the amendment Bill now before us. This is because the introduction of this Bill aims at controlling undesirable and immoral medical advertisements and stopping quack doctors from profiteering and deceiving those people who are suffering from various diseases. This will, of course, give an impetus to those fully qualified doctors and other persons who are professionally qualified to serve our sick people and to promote public health. Mr Speaker, if you turn to the Chinese newspapers, every day you will see from the advertisements that there are so many undesirable advertisements relating to various diseases. There have been a lot of quack doctors blowing their own trumpets in the advertisements to show how efficient they are and that they can turn a sick man into a healthy, robust person. There are gullible people who fall for these advertisements. They not only lose their money, but some of them even lose their lives. So we can see the extent of the harm done by these undesirable advertisements. As a matter of fact, Mr Speaker, we are quite satisfied with the code of ethics of our medical profession and we must also take legal steps to ensure that this code of ethics is observed so that the interest of the public together with that of the medical profession is upheld to the exclusion of those undesirable and unscrupulous quack doctors who poison our people with all sorts of drugs. In this way, Mr Speaker, we can see to it that the good reputation of the medical profession is not damaged, and the health of the public is not jeopardised. Mr Speaker, in point of fact, the rise of these medical advertisements can be attributed partly to the newspapers themselves. They should have some moral responsibility towards their readers.”
“Mr Speaker, can the Minister state why courses on subversion should be taught to these students?”
“Sir, can the Minister clarify his attitude to this question?”
“Can the Minister clarify what I have just mentioned, and that is the complaint by certain members of the Vigilante Corps that they have only one uniform each? Will he consider this complaint and explain to this House?”
“Recently I have received complaints from members of the Vigilante Corps. They say they have only one uniform. They have to keep this clean and neat. Because of this, I think they should be issued with at least two uniforms. In my opinion, their request is very reasonable, and I hope the Minister will consider it. Sir, this Bill provides that the basic task of the Vigilante Corps is to help the police maintain law and order, to preserve public security, to prevent criminal activities, and to arrest criminals, etc. At the same time, it also provides certain penalties against any members of the Corps who commit any offences. Generally speaking, I regard this Bill as perfect and I hope that after its implemenation, the Vigilante Corps organisation can be further perfected and strengthened and grow from strength to strength, making it more effective in the preservation of our social order and in carrying out their task in serving the country and protecting the lives and property of our people. 4.43 p.m.”