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 Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.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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“Therefore, the one important task facing the Ministry of Culture is to formulate a complete policy on culture and cultural activities, to promote healthy cultural activities, and to help various civic and cultural organisations in this respect. It should also curb all unhealthy and pornographic cultural activities which are poisonous and will endanger our nation-building. Sir, our industrialisation and economic progress has been described as very encouraging. I can also mention housing construction. On this I should congratulate the Minister concerned. These achievements have contributed greatly to our national well-being. I also hope that cultural activities under the guidance of our Ministers can also flourish and bring us a step further to be more culture conscious so that we can show our culture throughout the world. I will now congratulate the Ministry of Culture on its efforts, achievements and work in the promotion of the national language during the Language Month, which has also received the warm support of the people. But one matter for regret is that certain political parties such as U.M.N.O., the Barisan Sosialis and the Alliance have adopted an attitude of indifference to this campaign. This has enabled the people to see through them. Their so-called support for the National Language campaign is entirely a deception trying to fool the people. Finally, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister to give an answer to what I raised on the 5th of this month when I was making an adjournment speech touching on various points on cultural activities and cultural construction.”
“At the moment, I do not have the exact date of the magazine, but it was something like a souvenir magazine of the mission. When I have the opportunity in future, I will certainly give him the information. On the first point, about the promotion of Malaysian culture, I will change it to the promotion of Singapore culture. That is the main emphasis. The second point is the promotion of the interchange of the various cultures. Thirdly, the promotion of a healthy culture. The next point is the promotion of a sense of loyalty, patriotism and national consciousness among those taking part in cultural activities in order to build our Singapore - at that time they used Malaysia; I think I should use Singapore now - and the promotion of the cultural activities of our civic organisations. Sir, I feel that these four objectives enumerated in the magazine should also be encouraged. They are still valid because we should know our task and objectives at the present juncture in relation to cultural activities. They are, firstly, to promote healthy cultural activities; secondly, to promote the interchange of the cultures of the various races; thirdly, to promote goodwill and understanding among the various races; fourthly, to promote an understanding of cultural activities and to encourage people to devote themselves to cultural activities and nation-building; fifthly, to raise the standard of cultural activities, be they singing, exhibitions, concerts, dramas or playwriting, etc. 4.15 p.m. The contents should be in the nature of promoting love and patriotism towards one's country and instilling in the minds of the people a sense of national consciousness and loyalty to our country.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to touch on cultural activities under this vote. Generally speaking, cultural activities have flourished in this country, in spite of the fact that there have also been unhealthy cultural activities which have influenced our people adversely, as I mentioned on 5th December in this House. But the Ministry of Culture's efforts in the promotion of healthy cultural activities cannot be denied. Moreover, the efforts of our civic organisations to promote healthy culture should also be commended. There have been achievements and manifestations of our cultural activities. For instance, recently a Hong Kong All-Star troupe of singing artistes visited Singapore. There was also a Japanese cultural mission to Singapore recently. [Mr Lim Cheng Lock in the Chair] 4.10 p.m. Locally, there have also been a number of concerts, choirs, dramas and other healthy cultural activities. Undoubtedly the performance given by foreign as well as local organisations will help to promote the interchange of cultures in South-East Asia and enrich our cultural life. Sir, another point which needs to be mentioned is that the Ministry of Culture some time ago organised a mission which performed in Seremban, Malacca, and elsewhere in West Malaysia. That was part of our cultural activities. Cultural magazines and publications have also published those items. Let me --- Mr Fong Sip Chee: Sir, I was the Secretary to that mission. But in order to refresh my memory, could the Member please quote the name and date of the publication?”
“(In Mandarin): I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,205,400 for Head 1001 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 1002 - The following amendments stood in the name of Mr S. V. Lingam - That the sum to be allocated for Head 1002 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1221. That the sum to be allocated for Head 1002 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1269. The Chairman: Mr Lingam is not present.”
“The Department has to look into this and increase the public assistance given to such families.”
“More important still, this organisation must start a campaign for the improvement of women's status in Singapore, for example, educating rural women folk, making more women understand current affairs and the political situation, creating more employment opportunities for them, encouraging more women to take part in social activities, teaching them handicrafts and the importance of their role in national construction through their own labour and sweat. All these are matters which must be considered for the actual raising of women's status so that they are able to contribute not only to the needs of their own family but also to the needs of society. Mr Speaker, I hope that the matter I am raising now will receive better consideration and a better reply from the Minister. It is my hope that he will give new hope to the women in Singapore. Mrs Devan Nair (Moulmein)(In Tamil): Mr Speaker, the Home for the Aged, which is run by the Social Welfare Department, is not serving Muslim and Indian food. Malay and Tamil newspapers are also not provided. These matters have been brought to my notice. If they are true, can the Minister take appropriate steps to remedy the situation? Secondly, if a husband is the breadwinner, then the public assistance given to the family who live with their parents is very small. If there are four children in the family, very little money is given to them. The parents can provide only lodging, but they cannot provide other facilities. The mother has to provide food for five persons, clothing and other amenities. She has to pay for all the expenses, except the rent for the house. The public assistance given by the Social Welfare Department is not enough even for one week.”
“Mr Speaker, to remove this injustice, you will agree with me that it is the duty of the Government to take effective and immediate action to assist women to stand on their own economically so as to change the entire status of women in society. This is what we have always been reminding the Government. We have been urging it to implement the pledges as mentioned in The Tasks Ahead by setting up a Women's Institute. This matter was raised by me in 1965 when I spoke on it with the Minister concerned. The reply given to me was that the authorities were still considering the setting up of this institute. But up to date, Mr Speaker, we are still awaiting its establishment. There has been no better reply than the one already given so far. There is a Chinese saying to this effect - that we only hear footsteps, but we do not see the person coming down the ladder. So today we must raise this matter again in this House so as to urge the Government to take immediate steps to set up a Women's Institute so that women of all races would be able, under the banner of this institute, to consider the problems of women and try to solve them by a concerted effort. Mr Speaker, I shall stress again the importance of setting up a Women's Institute in Singapore. It is not an institute of an advisory nature only or just for discussion purposes or for prestige. It must be an organisation charged with the responsibility of working out solutions to women's problems and of improving their employment opportunities and welfare.”
“Certain efforts have been made by Government to improve the lot of women, and to do away with the legacies left behind by the colonial past. For example, in 1961 the big axe was swung to do away with polygamy in Singapore which had existed for over one hundred years. Steps have also been taken in some sections to see that equal pay is given to women for equal work so that the status of women is raised to the same as that of men. Thus women's social problems have partially been solved. More creches and clinics have been set up all over Singapore. Homes for misguided girls and women have also been set up in Singapore. Action has also been taken to wipe out illiteracy among women folk in Singapore. But the efforts exerted so far to solve the problems of women have not shown that the Government has been able completely to improve the status of women as a whole and solve their entire social problems basically. The Government should look into the matter and try to improve the social status of women in Singapore as promised by them. Mr Speaker, circumstances have changed in Singapore. Our country has become independent and has entered a new stage in its history, particularly in the population where one half is female and the other half is male. In other words, both women and men are equal in political potentials and we must encourage women folk to come out and take an active part in social activities together with men so that they can work together shoulder to shoulder in national construction. We must also depend on the efforts of women to improve our economy. In this respect, it is the duty of the Government to look after the widows and the children.”
“In order to solve this problem, I would like to suggest to the Singapore Government that the name of U.M.N.O. and its flag should be prohibited from being hoisted in any building, including the U.M.N.O. building in Singapore, until the amendments to the U.M.N.O. Constitution have been submitted to and approved by the Registrar of Societies. Madam Chan Choy Siong (Delta)(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, under this Head 1001, I would like to touch upon matters relating to women in Singapore which have been shelved for a very long time. 3.15 p.m. Mr Speaker, as a female representative of the people, I crave your indulgence and ask you to allow me to speak about the problems of women after Singapore achieved independence. It is undoubtedly clear that since the P.A.P, came to power in Singapore, there have been tremendous achievements all round for everybody to see. However, concerning the basic problems of women, up to date there has not been much improvement. Such problems are still in existence. As an efficient Government we must not be complacent about our achievements so far. On the contrary, we must go a step further and work progressively for the people in general, irrespective of sex. We must contribute to the population as a whole, particularly as there is no Opposition. As representatives of the people, we are given an additional role to play, i.e., to supervise the work of Government in general so that we can truly say that we have come from the people and shall work for the people and we will go back to the people at the proper time. Mr Speaker, basically speaking, the social problems of women are no longer of an outstanding nature.”
“House at Changi Road, when the people of Singapore celebrates National Day. This is to demonstrate their hostility towards Singapore. Thirdly, Inche Ahmad Haji Taff and Syed Ali Redha, who claim to be leaders of U.M.N.O. Singapore, have collaborated with the employees of Alsagoff Estate in circulating application forms for the purchase of land in Alsagoff Estate. This is done from the office of U.M.N.O. Singapore. These people have been engaged in false propaganda to the effect that if the residents of Geylang Serai refuse to fill these forms and purchase the land, then the Government in 1968 will acquire the land and demolish the Malay houses and instead put up flats. This has proved that Inche Ahmad Haji Taft and Syed Ali Redha have used U.M.N.O. and U.M.N.O. House as a tool for their nefarious activities and selfish ends, in order to create unrest among the Malays, so that they will be hostile to the Singapore Government. What steps does the Minister propose to instruct the Registrar of Societies to take, and will he condone such nefarious acts? I feel that if these people are allowed to continue with their nefarious activities, they will endanger the safety and peace of Singapore. As U.M.N.O. Singapore has the same name as U.M.N.O. Malaya, this will confuse the people of the two independent countries. U.M.N.O. Singapore is engaged in undesirable activities controlled by Inche Ahmad Haji Taff and Inche Syed Ali Redha. As U.M.N.O. Malaya is the ruling party in Malaysia, so is the P.A.P. the ruling party in Singapore. We should, therefore, maintain a close relationship between the two neighbouring countries. We should avoid indulging in matters which will lead to a misunderstanding between the two countries.”
“Therefore, I raise the matter with the Minister with a view to asking him to consider giving a rent subsidy to those recipients of Social Welfare assistance in the hope that it will help them in their livelihood. Mr Speaker, the Republic of Singapore has practised democracy by allowing people to carry out political activities freely. All this is under the charge of the Registrar of Societies, which is under the Ministry of Social Affairs. There are occasions when some societies commit a breach of the rules. However, the Registrar has taken no steps to remedy the situation and this has resulted in the societies committing further breaches. I am not quite sure whether the department concerned is aware that U.M.N.O. Singapore, which is under the control of Syed Ali Redha and Inche Ahmad Haji Taff, are engaged in activities which are against the law. There are three types of breaches of the law. First, members of U.M.N.O. Singapore are not elected from amongst their members in Singapore. This was explained by Inche Ahmad Haji Taff, as head of U.M.N.O., at the U.M.N.O. delegates meeting, a few months back. This was reported in the Berita Harian. The committee of U.M.N.O. Singapore was appointed by leaders in U.M.N.O. Malaya. There is nobody in Singapore U.M.N.O, who can dissolve the committee. With this announcement, it is clear to us that U.M.N.O. Singapore is not a political body in Singapore but is a part of U.M.N.O. Malaya and receives directions from Malaya. Secondly, I wish to say in this House that U.M.N.O. Singapore, which is led by Inche Ahmad Haji Taff, has not yet shown its allegiance to the Republic of Singapore. Although this country is independent and sovereign, U.M.N.O. Singapore even up till today has never hoisted the Singapore flag, not even in U.M.N.O.”
“I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to consider giving some kind of rent subsidy or increase the amount of public assistance in cases like this, so that the people concerned will be able at least to live at subsistence level. The second point I wish to raise relates to disabled persons and children. At the present moment, there is no home for them, other than two which are not run by the Government. One is run by the Salvation Army which takes care of disabled children and persons, and the other is run by another organisation. But there is no Government run organisation, institute or home for these people. I do not know whether in our future plan, or even at the present moment, the Government is prepared to set up a home to house these disabled persons. Mr Speaker, I beg to move. Inche Rahamat Bin Kenap (Geylang Serai)(In Malay): Mr Speaker, I wish to get an explanation from the Minister for Social Affairs. He informed the House recently that there was no suggestion to give a rent subsidy to the recipients of the social welfare dole. As the Housing Board rents in Singapore are relatively high, it is appropriate that the Minister should consider the possibility of paying a rent subsidy to the recipients of the social welfare dole. in the absence of a rent subsidy, these recipients are obliged to lodge with their friends or relatives. The officers of the Social Welfare Department will then consider that they have received all the assistance from their lodgers. This is an added responsibility to those who provide lodging for them. This also results in people refusing to provide lodging facilities to recipients of Social Welfare assistance, because they fear they will be responsible.”
“Thank you. In talking about the other aspects of the Ministry of Social Affairs, I would like to direct my remarks to the policy of the Social Welfare Department. Mr Speaker, we are spending a great deal of money every year on public assistance, amounting to about $10 million a year, in order to help the poor and unemployed people, including all those who suffer from T.B. With Government assistance, these unfortunate people are able to pull along for the time being. I have discovered that the efficiency in the Department of Social Welfare is praiseworthy. In my Meet-the-people sessions, I am receiving less and less complaints against this department. This goes to show that it is taking great care in handling matters relating to the people receiving public assistance. For example, the payments are very prompt and very little trouble is given to the recipients of public assistance. But I have some other aspects to deal with. The recipients of public assistance have complained of the inadequacy of such assistance. I give you one concrete example. In my constituency, there is a widow with two children. Every month she receives public assistance amounting to $36. But out of this she has to pay $20 for rent, leaving a balance of $16. According to her, she is unable to maintain three persons on $16 a month. As a result of this complaint, I have suggested to the person concerned to do some work, for instance, washing clothes. She has said that if this is discovered, then her public assistance allowance will be cut off. Under these circumstances, we can see that the public assistance given to this family is far from adequate to maintain it.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I ask your indulgence to listen to me first before you decide. Mr Speaker, as I have already indicated earlier, healthy cultural activities have been flourishing in recent years. This is a good sign, of course, although there have also been some unhealthy cultural activities going on, as I mentioned to this House on 5th December during my adjournment speech. In any case, when we are making efforts to promote healthy cultural activities, we must also pay attention to the positive measures taken by civic organisations and individuals. We must pay our respect and tribute to their efforts.”
“Mr Speaker, I feel that what I am going to say is related to other aspects of the Ministry of Culture and not just on Culture alone. The Chairman: Could you please proceed? But in case I find that these matters are more related to Head 1002, I will draw your attention to the matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I feel that my remarks are on a matter of policy relating to Culture, which I think are appropriate under this Head, but I shall be happy to accept your ruling.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $3,993,570 for Head 0807 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0809 -”
“I do not understand the basis of assessment of property tax on attap houses by the Assessment Department. I hope the Minister can explain why the property tax on this man's house has been greatly increased. The second point relates to the overdue payment of property tax. I have also received several complaints from people in my constituency who were fined from 50 cents to several dollars because payment of property tax was delayed for about two or three months. According to what they told me, it seems that they were not to blame. They did not pay property tax as they did not receive any notice and no reminders were sent to them. This was probably due to the postmen who, being new, were not able to locate their addresses. Therefore, there was no delivery of notices to their addresses, as a result of which they did not know about them and payment of property tax was delayed. The officers in the department concerned did not accept the explanations given by these people. Of course, according to regulations, they can be rightly fined for delaying payment of property tax, but, according to their explanations, it would appear that we were rather unfair to them. Another point is that the Minister for Finance has announced that property tax on houses in the urban area will be reduced from 36 per cent to 12 per cent. I would like to ask him whether he has any intention of reducing property tax on houses in the rural areas as well.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0807 be reduced by $100.* (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Tang See Chim.) Mr Speaker, Sir, of the $590 million revenue, the revenue from taxes, customs, etc., takes up the most part, and revenue from investments takes up about $42 million, which includes property taxes in the rural areas. Although it is a small sum to be derived from the rural areas, the Government is implementing a scheme whereby the property tax is $6 per year for an owner-occupied attap house. 6.45 p.m. On the other hand, generally speaking, the rural people in the lower income group do not have the means to stay in modern concrete houses. Therefore, they need not have to pay large sums of property tax. Sir, as our Government stands for democratic socialism, it is only right and proper for it to look after the poorer people in the rural areas. Under this Head, I would like to speak on three points which are relevant, and I hope the Minister will give me a reply. The first point relates to assessment rates of houses in the rural areas. At the moment, I understand the maximum rate is 27 per cent in respect of property tax. I feel it is necessary to consider a reduction in the rate, because the Minister for Finance has announced in this House that the property tax on houses in the urban renewal area will be reduced from 36 per cent to 12 per cent. I have received several complaints from the people. For instance, one man with the surname of Lim occupies a structure with a zinc roof. The property tax on this house was $20 last year. But he received a new bill this year increasing the property tax to $40, which means a 100 per cent increase in property tax.”
“I thank the Minister for Finance for his detailed explanation. I withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $53,010,080 for Head 0801 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0804 - The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0804 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2191.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to say that I have not been tricked by the propaganda of other persons. As a matter of fact, we cannot deny that there is an unfavourable trade balance. But I am glad to learn, that the Minister for Finance has clarified the position further by saying that this unfavourable balance has been offset by income from, invisible sources, such as the provision of services, shipping and repairs, etc. That means that our prosperity is a stable one. In other words, it is well-rooted and not a superficial prosperity. In any case, Mr Speaker, I believe our Finance Minister will agree with what I have said, that is, there is a problem to be solved in relation to trade expansion overseas. We must try to cut down our overseas investments and our unfavourable trade balance. If we do not have an unfavourable trade balance, we will be able to earn more foreign exchange. This will go a step further in developing our industries. As a result of this development and construction, there will be more employment opportunities for our people and their livelihood will be further improved. Talking about the war in Vietnam, I am not disputing that we should have any trade with Vietnam. No. I remember that during the Korean war there was a lot of trade between Singapore and Korea. It reached an unprecedented peak. But we must have more reliable sources of trade with other countries in the world. Our development in trade will thus be stable and more dependable and we will earn more foreign exchange in future. In any case, I am happy with the explanation given by the Finance Minister. It proves that he has every confidence in our ability to develop further our economy, industries and foreign trade. This, of course, is good news to the two million people in Singapore.”
“Trade between South Vietnam and us has increased. This is mainly due to the fact that there is a war going on in Vietnam. It is a rather abnormal situation. But I believe that once the war is ended, then trade in this respect will also reduce. So I believed the Minister will agree with me when I say that if we want to rely on our trade with South Vietnam to keep our economy going well, then that will not be quite reliable. Better prospects for our trade may perhaps to a great extent depend on the trade between Singapore and Indonesia and East European and some Afro-Asian countries. This is a better way out for our trade. Another point I want to suggest to the Minister is that in future, when our country has any trade treaties with other countries, we should try to attain a balance of trade. For instance, we have signed trade agreements with Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary and other countries. We should see to it that we are able to maintain a balance of trade with these countries so that we will not incur losses in foreign exchange. Finally, I hope the Minister can inform this House how much profit every year we are getting out of our foreign reserves, amounting to $1,100 million.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his detailed explanation. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $28,957,520 for Head 0703 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.”
“For instance, in my Sembawang Constituency, the people have been afforded the opportunity for free X-rays. This is a commendable action on the part of the Ministry. I hope this work will continue. I would like to mention another matter. I remember that at the previous sitting of Parliament, a few Members raised the question of cleanliness and cleansing on the island. I ask the Minister whether he is considering launching a cleansing campaign on a national scale. He might be able to call upon all Members of Parliament and other people concerned to clean up the whole island. Finally, I hope that the Health Ministry can do their task better next year than this year in all fields, whether in relation to hawkers, cleansing, etc., in order to maintain our standard and reputation.”
“I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $100. Just now our Minister has said that before some Members start their speech, they will sing praises about the Government first, after which they will turn round and criticise it. But here I will just give my plain facts. The task of the Public Health Division is an onerous one. Whether our city can become the healthiest and cleanest in South-East Asia depends on the work of this division. Why do I say so? Let me give some examples. We know that during these two years Singapore has never experienced any cases of malaria or any epidemic. This is a very commendable situation. In other countries epidemics are very prevalent. It shows that we are very progressive in our health services. The rate of mortality is also decreasing. This shows that our medical services are quite efficient. Our Health Ministry is also propagating family planning. This is a very commendable effort. I would like to congratulate the Minister and the people concerned on their achievements in these meritorious services. I would now like to touch upon the regulations imposed upon the hawkers. Hawkers are a major problem in our society. The aim of controlling hawkers is to put our hawker problem in proper perspective. Hawkers are also our citizens. To hawk is their right in order to make a living. We are allotting sites to them. This is in keeping with our economic policy. Hawkers in the Telok Ayer Basin also have a hawkers' bazaar there. That is also a way whereby a few hundred hawkers can make a living. It is one of the good actions taken by Government. Another aspect is about the X-ray campaign undertaken by the Health Ministry.”
“I thank the Minister for his explanation. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $5,587,330 for Head 0501 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. 8.00 p.m.”
“Although in the diplomatic field, English is the more common language, we must have officers with a knowledge of Malay, because some people may not want to speak to you in English but in Malay. So if our own diplomats cannot speak our national language when addressed in that language, it will be a big joke indeed. So I would like the Minister to pay attention to this matter. Another point is that protocol officers are insufficient in number. I have heard about representatives from foreign lands visiting Singapore. If one foreign visitor comes for one day then our protocol officers will be able to bring him round. But if we have two or three foreign visitors in one day, then our protocol officers will be short-handed and they will be unable to bring them round our country. If this news spreads overseas, then it is not a great credit to us. It is far from complimentary. So I hope the Minister will increase the number of protocol officers in order that our distinguished visitors will be better treated.”
“And it is this 70 per cent (the small countries) which have the majority vote. So although our country is small, our voice for justice and righteousness can and must be transmitted all over the world. Mr Lim Cheng Lock in the Chair] 7.35 p.m. Our love of peace must also be transmitted. We cannot be swayed in our stand in this regard. For example, our chief representative in the United Nations, Mr Coomaraswamy, recently spoke in support of the admission of China to the United Nations. He said that the policy to shut out China is improper and unreasonable. The Prime Minister has also condemned the minority regime in Southern Rhodesia. This is representative of our sense of justice. On the vote to be allocated to the Foreign Ministry for next year, I note that the sum is slightly increased. But I think the increase is insufficient. So I would like the Minister for Finance to consider a further increase in the vote for this Ministry. At the present moment, the number of foreign missions set up is inadequate. The money to be spent on foreign missions is not wasted at all, because if we have closer diplomatic relations with other countries, it will mean that our trade relations also will be improved or further strengthened. That means that there will be economic returns for us. In other words, we will be able to earn more foreign exchange. Another point that I wish to bring to the attention of the Minister is that in recruiting staff for diplomatic missions at present, it seems that the English-educated have some kind of supremacy, because the common language officially used so far is English. We must also realise that Malay is our national language.”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0501 be reduced by $100.* (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr Chow Chiok Hock and Mr Tang See Chim.) Mr Speaker, ever since we attained independence on the 9th of August last year, our Minister has announced that we will adopt a non-aligned foreign policy in order to establish friendly relations with various countries in the world. This is indeed a very commendable, farsighted, praiseworthy, and judicious policy. Our achievements in the field of foreign affairs are really encouraging indeed. In the first place, we have smoothly gained admission to the United Nations. We have also been admitted to various other international organisations, such as ECAFE and the Asian Development Bank. In the establishment of diplomatic relations with various countries in the world, we have also made achievements. We have set up diplomatic relations with many countries in Asia, Africa and Europe. We have even sent diplomatic missions to India, Cambodia and other countries. Indonesia, too, has resumed trade relations with us. On the European continent, Italy, West Germany and other countries have also become friends with us. Both Canada and America have established relationships with us. Bulgaria, Hungary and Russia have signed trade pacts and are doing business with us so that our trade and economic income will increase. Mr Speaker, we are a small country, and according to a saying, a small country could have no diplomacy. But in the present context, this saying is no longer applicable, because in the United Nations, which has 120 members, there are many countries which are very small in size and population - about 70 per cent.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Minister for his reply, and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $78,894,020 for Head 0401 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0501 -”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to bring forward two other points in reply to the Minister. I agree that it is probably the responsibility of the parents to see that their children do not gamble. But if the police can give a warning to such children, I think that will serve them well and help to check this gambling in public. Concerning this tikam-tikam business, Mr Speaker, if it is merely a matter of winning a small or a big prize, then I agree it is quite all right. If you put down a 5-cent stake, you may win or lose 5 cents. If you win, you may sometimes have a prize of 20 or 30 cents. But often the draws result in blanks - no prize. That is quite a different experience from that of the Minister in his childhood -when he was quite sure of getting something in the tikam-tikam which he himself indulged.”
“Thirdly, I hope that the authorities concerned will take more effective measures to carry out the work of defence and security so that the lives and property of our people will be better protected. Fourthly, I would like the Ministry to stop children from playing poker and other games on five-foot ways. In some cases, hawkers operate tikam-tikam on five-foot ways. A child picks out a number and, if he is lucky, he will get 30 cents or some other prize; otherwise he loses his stake of five cents. This kind of tikam-tikam game is very detrimental to our school children.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $100.* (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Tang See Chim.) Mr Speaker, Sir, in an independent country, defence and internal security are very great responsibilities to be shouldered, although at the present moment, we still have the British base to assist us in our defence. But, as a matter of fact, this is only a temporary measure. There will come a day when we will have to rely on only ourselves for defence and internal security. Mr Speaker, Sir, in the past year, the Ministry of the Interior and Defence took steps to expand the police and the army and great achievements were made in this field. There has been a tremendous response from various quarters to join the Police Defence Force. So I must congratulate the Minister on his achievements. The sum allocated is $78,894,020, which is more than the estimate for last year. The increase is due to the necessity of buying more military vehicles and for other expansion purposes. It also shows that the Minister has made careful and long-term planning for the future. This is a very appropriate move indeed. But I would like to offer certain points for his consideration so that the expansion scheme in the Interior and Defence field will have more objectives of an idealistic nature. Firstly, on the training of members of the Police Defence Force, we must not only train them in the use of arms but we must also have, at the same time, a national curriculum to instil in them a spirit of patriotism and national consciousness. Secondly, I hope that the plans for civil servants to undergo military training will be implemented as early as possible, and it can be undertaken on a part-time or off-time basis in the early stage.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his explanation. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,146,300 for Head 0309 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0401 - The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1301.”
“Sir, I would like to withdraw. But before I do it, can I clarify certain points in view of the Minister of State's answer? Can I ask him to tell us whether he has any plans to issue more taxi licences?”
“I hope the authorities concerned will not inconvenience them too much and will be more flexible in dealing with their cases, because they have a great burden in maintaining their families' livelihood. I hope the Minister will consider this matter. Tuan Haji Yaacob(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, there is no need for me to reply. It seems that the Member has paid tribute to the Registry of Vehicles. The request that we should not be complacent has been noted. We will continue to make further improvements to the Registry of Vehicles. On the question of issuing licences for taxis to carry school children, at this stage the Registrar of Vehicles has received 650 applications and 180 vehicles have been registered to carry school children. School children are on holiday at the moment, and it is hoped that when the schools reopen this matter will be finalised. On the subject of parking places for taxis, I wish to inform the hon. Member that it is not under my Ministry. It is under the charge of the Ministry of National Development. There is no necessity for me to reply except that I thank the hon. Member for paying tribute to the Registry of Vehicles. 7.00 p.m. Mr Teong Eng Siong rose -”
“I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0309 be reduced by $100. The Registry of Vehicles is one of the busiest Government departments, because there are 250,000 motor vehicles as well as other types of vehicles. Under the old Government this department was the object of attack by members of the public, because when they went into the department to pay their road taxes and do other business, they had to wait for at least two hours to half a day. Since the P.A.P. Government came into office in 1959, there has been a great change and improvement in this department. Members of the public are generally satisfied with it. But I would like the Minister to pay attention to this point. It is necessary to make the officials of this department more efficient in order to meet the expectations of members of the public. They should not take the view that, because of the present satisfactory situation, they could relax their efficiency. In September this year we issued 300 taxi licences so that about 600 taxi drivers would have jobs. But according to what I have gathered, there are many people who are still waiting to have taxis to drive to make a living. So the number of taxi-driving licences issued is too small. According to what I have learnt, there are about five to six thousand people applying for licences to drive taxis to carry school children. I hope this kind of licences will be issued as soon as possible in order to give them an early opportunity to make a living. There is another point, and this is about parking places for taxis. I have learnt from the taxi drivers, and this is their complaint, that they are receiving summonses very often, sometimes up to ten summonses per month.”
“Some of these visitors would like to extend the period of their stay in Singapore for a further three or six months. In such circumstances, the Immigration authorities would ask them to put down some more deposit. But in my view, as they have already put down a deposit once and may have a return ticket as well, it is not necessary for them to put down a second deposit to extend their period of stay here because it is a very troublesome and redundant procedure. Finally. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to bring to the attention of the Minister certain complaints regarding the attitude of some officers in the Immigration Department. I do not know whether this is true, but I would like him to look into the matter.”
“But according to this voter, his nephew was sent away from his parents in China to Manchuria, so that he is not in a position to look after his mother in China. I hope that the Minister will give sympathetic consideration and approve the applications of the cases which I have mentioned so that these aged parents will be allowed to come here and reunite with their children. Mr Speaker, Sir, there is another type of applicants. Some people were born here about ten years ago. According to our immigration regulations, any person who leaves Singapore for a period of more than five years will be treated as an alien and he is not allowed to re-enter Singapore. I have received several complaints on this matter. For example, in one case, the applicant was born in Singapore. He left Singapore for a period of five years and a few months. His parents applied for an entry permit for him, but their application was rejected on the ground that he had been away from Singapore for a period of more than five years. In the past, some people went to China under emotional circumstances or for other reasons. In so far as their birth-place is concerned, they should be considered as Singapore citizens by birth. Although they left Singapore on impulse, they have now realised that the circumstances in some countries are not so good and they find it necessary to come back here. They have relatives here. They are helpless in a foreign country. So we should sympathise with them. There is one other point, Mr Speaker, Sir. I have received another complaint which has been brought up by other Members of this House. This relates to applications for visit passes which require that there must be some guarantors to pay some kind of deposit.”
“Mr Speaker, I fully appreciate that in recent years we have been rather restrictive in our immigration policy in order to control the immigration of foreigners into Singapore. This, of course, is due to the fact that we are a small island State with hardly any natural resources and we cannot afford to have an over-populated population. That is why we must have a restrictive immigration policy which is quite different from that of 1948 when the policy was rather lax. At that time we had only about a million population, but now we have double that figure, i.e., about two million. As our Deputy Prime Minister is aware, there are many citizens in Singapore who have parents in India or China. 6.15 p.m. Because of the difficulties of earning a livelihood in these two countries and also because of their advanced age, these parents of our local citizens are rather helpless in their country of birth. So they have written repeatedly to their children here, who are Singapore citizens, asking them to apply for permits for them to enter Singapore. As a matter of fact, we have approved a few hundred such applications and allowed many people to come in every year. But there are still many whose applications have been rejected on the ground of their age. The stipulated age limit is now 65 years, but the applicants may be 62 or 63 years old and they are therefore not eligible to come here. There may be another set of grounds for disqualification. The applicants may have relatives in China to depend on. For example, in my constituency, there is a voter who complained to me that he had made an application for his-mother to come to Singapore, but because he has a nephew in China his application was rejected.”
“In that case, I would not like to speak on it. 5.00 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to suggest three points on the subject of Civil Aviation. May I do so?”
“Sir, I have no more views to air on this Head.”
“Sir, let me see where I am. Perhaps I was mistaken.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head 0302 be reduced by $100*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Tang See Chim.) Sir, we are now entering an era of the space age and the world is shrinking in size. Our jet planes are able to travel beyond the speed of sound - at supersonic speed. This is especially important to Singapore which is situated at the hub of South-East Asia and the cross-roads of Asia and Europe. Therefore, the system of transportation should attain international standards. Our Paya Lebar Airport, compared with airport facilities in other Asian countries, is quite up to the standard. But if it is compared with airports in advanced countries such as America and other countries, it is still backward. To substantiate my argument, let me quote from the Far Eastern Economic Review, the title of which is "Whether the Airports in the Far East are safe?"”
“I fully support the Government's budget for next year.”
“The building of bridges, construction of roads and various projects will require millions of dollars. Many projects are nearing completion. When the road linking Connaught Drive and the Katong area is completed, the traffic congestion in this area will be relieved. There are expansions of road surface and other public projects. All these will tend to solve our traffic problem. The Government's vote for the Public Works Department next year amounts to $34.8 million. This is a large sum of money. This will be used for various projects in both the rural and urban areas. One of the projects will be construction work to alleviate the flood situation in certain areas, and this will be good news to the residents in these areas. I would like to touch on another point - education. The vote for Education for next year is the highest, amounting to $143 million. Other than recurrent expenditure, $26.5 million will be used to set up primary and secondary schools to develop further our education. From this we can see that the Government is paying great attention to our education problem. Next year's vote for Health will be $4 million, which will provide medical facilities to take care of the health of our people. The vote for social welfare is $10 million for next year, which will be used to advance the welfare of our people. To sum up, the budget for next year is a very progressive one. Judging from the point of view of democratic socialism, it is an ambitious budget because it reflects our firm determination in economic development. It also reflects our wish and desire to promote the standard of living of our people. It also manifests our resolute spirit and confidence in marching towards a more industrialised and modernised Republic.”
“According to the Minister for Finance, our external trade export and import trade - totals about $7,200 million. This is an increase and the reason is that, firstly, we have pursued a non-aligned and neutral foreign policy and we have been able to gain the respect of countries all over the world. Many countries have established friendly trade links with us. We have not only maintained our links with our old friends in trade, but have also established new friendly relationships, including trade relationships, with our new friends, including countries such as Russia, America, Britain, Bulgaria and Hungary. They have all concluded trade treaties with us on equal terms, and African countries are continuing to trade with us. Indonesia has now discarded its confrontation policy and has resumed trade with us. This will encourage our trade and further contribute to our economic prosperity. Secondly, our favourable and advantageous geographical position will be a great help. We are situated at the hub of South-East Asia and at the cross-roads of Europe and Asia. We have favourable conditions for a trading centre in South-East Asia, plus our harbour which can accommodate big steamers of up to thousands of tons. On top of this we have very good harbour facilities and banking and insurance facilities. All these contribute to our being the trading centre of South-East Asia. It is not an accident of history. In fact, our port is the fifth largest in the world. It has contributed very greatly to our economic life and prosperity and has earned for us a lot of foreign exchange. Now I want to talk about public construction by the Government. The development in this respect has been rapidly carried out.”
“More incentives must be devised to help industrialisation, such as those which have been announced by our Finance Minister, in order to develop our pioneer industry in the next five years, and to cope with our unemployment problem. We are glad to hear of the three new incentives announced by our Finance Minister which have been well received by our businessmen and investors alike. With the passage of time, I hope a lot of investment will go into our industry, either from local sources or from abroad. We welcome their active participation in our industrialisation programme. Mr Speaker, Sir, we know that the international market has become highly competitive. Therefore, we must try our best to raise the quality of our products and to lower costs. Only thus can we compete with products from other countries. Another method to market our produce is to encourage our people to use locally-manufactured goods. The Economic Development Board and our manufacturers should jointly hold trade fairs and industrial fairs in order to introduce and sell our goods to foreigners. In regard to the increase in productivity, as far as I know, certain factories in Jurong have started a campaign to raise output and yields. They do this by giving cash and other encouragement. On the other hand, the N.T.U.C., the Manufacturers' Association and the Employers' Federation have also drafted a charter for industrial progress in order to guide and encourage the growth of productivity. From the point of view of democratic socialism, an increase in output and profit must be accompanied by an increase in wages, because our industrial programme can be successful only if the benefits are mutually shared by management and labour. Now let me review our external trade.”
“I do not know what is their reaction to the present site at Jurong now. The reasons for such success are that, firstly, the Government has been actively encouraging and promoting industrial development. The Economic Development Board has been giving all sorts of aid to the investors, including industrial financing, and a tax-free period of five years. Secondly, there is the economic and social stability in our country, plus our advantageous geographical position. All this is conducive to confidence and investment in our country. Thirdly, there is labour stability. We have quite a lot of skilled workers. In the past few years, under the guidance of the N.T.U.C., our democratic trade unionism has been put on the right track and workers in various sections of industry have been better organised. No doubt, labour stability is a very important factor which contributes to the success of industrial development, because with the help of large armies of labour, we will be in a better position to carry out our industrial programme and to boost up our output. But, at the same time, we must also treat the workers well. This is our basic task. In this field, I believe the N.T.U.C. will look after the workers. Mr Speaker, Sir, according to the Finance Minister, in the past five years, although we have been able to create 58,000 more jobs for our people by industrial development, we still fall short of the number envisaged, which is 70,000 jobs. We are still short of about 12,000 jobs. This goes to show that our industrialisation programme has not reached the anticipated target and we have to strive further. Much more effort must be made and better schemes must be devised.”