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 Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.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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“In spite of this, the retail prices of certain food items are still very high, for example, the retail price of pork. Although the price of pigs has gone down to $110 or $120 per picul, the retail price of pork has so far remained unchanged. I would like the Minister and the Consumers' Association as well to take note of this. I believe the Government should do something to bring about a reduction in the price of food. Although the Consumers' Association of Singapore has done well in bringing about a lowering of prices, it must spare no effort to monitor food prices and make suggestions to the Government to maintain a fair level of prices in order to alleviate the burden and hardship of the people. The third matter is on how to encourage our people to use local products. The Economic Survey made by the Ministry of Finance says that about 57% of consumer goods were imported, while locally produced consumer goods constituted only about 43%. Obviously this is a problem that we should pay careful attention. On the one hand, while our products are very popular abroad, on the other hand our own people do not seem to be interested in our own local products. Thus, large sums of money will have to be spent on foreign exchange to import foreign goods. Why should our people pay more for imported goods than buy our own local goods which are cheaper? I do not think the quality of our local products is inferior to the imported products because the popularity of our goods abroad is a clear evidence of the good quality of local products. What then is the reason? I feel that the reason is a psychological one and an improper understanding of the true quality of local products. Therefore, the first problem to tackle is to instil a confidence in our people in locally produced goods.”
“In spite of this adverse international economic recession, we were able to register a 4.1% economic growth which was not as good as in the year 1975 when the growth rate was 6.8%. However, this is still a very creditable performance compared with other developing countries. The fact that despite economic recession we were able to progress steadily and to carry out our various economic developments, could be attributed to three important factors. First, the farsightedness of the Government in carrying out various practical economic policies to promote industry and trade. Secondly, the enormous outlay on infrastructure in the public sector resulting in considerable success in anti-depression measures. Thirdly, our workers' diligence, and high level of technological skill contributing greatly to our economic development. Although the Minister has criticised our workers saying that they are not as hardworking as those in Korea and Taiwan or Hong Kong, however, I am sure that by and large, our workers are hardworking and are not inferior to them. Now my question is: When the international economic situation has recovered from the recession, are we well prepared to catch up with such a recovery speedily? If so what are the prospects of our economic progress this year? Can the Minister forecast the growth rate for this year? The second question relates to the control of inflation, The rate of inflation is quickly declining and according to the consumers' price index there was only an increase of 3% last year. This has resulted in a definite improvement in the cost of living of the people generally. Compared with Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan our price index here is much lower than in those countries.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Budget speech which was delivered on 1St March 1 976 announced no tax increases except on cigarettes. This is indeed good tidings for the people. The increased tax on tobacco should not affect the general livelihood of the people except cigarette smokers. Therefore, for the sake of the health of the people especially the younger generation who should not be encouraged to smoke, I believe that such tax increase on a non-essential item will receive the support of the majority of the people. What 1s amusing is that the Minister himself earnestly pleaded certain people including some of his Cabinet colleagues to give up smoking. I believe the Minister himself is not a smoker. Mr Speaker himself is also not a smoker because. I believe he is a doctor and he knows that smoking is bad for the health. Smokers tend to rationalise their bad habit by saying that a cigarette after a meal will induce a sense of euphoria. Men of letters say that smoking will help them to think better and will bring richer inspiration to them. So they go on smoking for the rest of their lives. Those who smoke, including Ministers, Parliamentary Secretaries and Backbenchers, should pay heed to what the Finance Minister has said and give up smoking in order to safeguard their physical and mental health so that they may not dissipate themselves away. Sir, I would like to raise four questions under this amendment. First, on economic growth, as the Minister for Finance has pointed out, last year was a bleak year of economic recession. The major industrialised countries, e.g., the United States, Japan and West Germany, were in the throes of depression resulting in a rapid decline in industrial production and mass unemployment.”
“I would avail myself of this opportunity to ask the Senior Minister of State a question, namely, the redundant teachers in Chinese schools, I shall be grateful if he will inform this House how he is going to deal with this problem.”
“On 23rd October, 1972 a circular was issued by the Ministry of Education to all primary schools to the effect that from 1973 the exposure time for second language should be increased from 18% to 25% of the total curriculum, and that by 1974 such exposure time was to be increased to 33.3%. Again, it also says that by 1975 the exposure time should be increased to 40%. But surprisingly, on 19th September, 1974 another circular was issued to all principals of primary schools saying that, dependent on Circumstances in each school, principals would be allowed to adjust the exposure time for the second language so long as it would not drop below 25%. Mr Speaker, Sir, does the second circular signify a relaxation of the policy on second language? I would also like the Senior Minister of State to clarify this. Next, I would like to refer to the question of redundancy of teachers in Chinese schools. I understand that in the first semester of this year there are a number of redundant teachers in some Chinese schools. I would like to know how many Chinese school teachers in the primary and secondary schools have become redundant, and what is the Ministry of Education going to do about them? I would also like to know how many English schools are under-staffed. According to my understanding these vacant posts are manned by relief teachers. This is an abnormal situation. I would also like the Senior Minister of State to answer this and inform the House how is he going to tackle such problems.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have heard a number of Members speaking enthusiastically on education. I endorse their views in many respects. But I feel that education in Singapore is not entirely a fiasco. I feel that we have been successful in our education insofar as providing primary education for all our children is concerned. We have also increased the provision for education to $390 million for this year and it now takes the fourth position in the entire allocation of Government expenditure, This vote is to maintain as well as develop various stages of our national education. This is only right. It also shows how much importance our Government has given to the question of education. Undoubtedly education occupies a very important place in nation building. It is only with universal education and the development of talents of our people that we are able to proceed with nation building. Mr Speaker, Sir, over the past few years there have been far too many changes in our education policy, as has been mentioned by other Members in this House. The main changes relate to exposure time for second language and the extension of primary education from six to seven or nine years. These issues have caused much confusion in educational circles. Even those in the school inspectorate are confused because when questions are asked of them, the school inspectors are not able to give a clear answer. They just give a very vague answer on these matters. In this regard I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State to clarify the whole position. Next, I would like to touch on the question of emphasis on teaching the second language.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, having heard the reply from the Minister concerned, I notice that the answer is about the same as given last year except that there has been some improvement in the number of cases approved. So I feel that the Registry has already improved its efficiency in their work. As regards the two cases I have mentioned, the applicants' qualifications have been accepted for the application in question. The question now is not whether they are eligible to apply because their applications have already been accepted for consideration. Here I have the two relevant letters which I propose to send to the Minister concerned tomorrow for his consideration and approval. Sir, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr J. F. Conceicao - (10) That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of item (b) of subhead BAA 2090.”
“In view of the fact that he is not a citizen he has to pay more in terms of school fees and other charges, thus increasing his financial burden. From the two examples I have quoted, I feel that the Registry of Citizenship should give more sympathetic consideration to their applications because they were both born here but happened to have their birth certificates mixed up and lost during the Shonan-to era, resulting in their citizenship being revoked. For this kind of application for citizenship, more liberal consideration and speedier approval should be given. For the next question, I would like to ask the Minister in the past one year how many applications for citizenship have been approved and how many have been rejected, and what were the reasons for such rejections?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead HAA 1111*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr P. Govindaswamy and Dr Ong Leong Boon.) Under this amendment, I would like to raise two questions to the Minister, First, will he consider relaxing the conditions for the approval of applications for citizenship? I know that many people have applied for citizenship for many years without any success. I would like to quote two practical instances. There was a person who was born in Singapore but his name on the birth certificate happened to be similar to the name of another person. So his birth certificate was not accepted by the authority concerned and as a result his pink identity card was changed to a blue one. He therefore had to apply for citizenship. Three years have already gone by, and he is still awaiting for news. According to my understanding, it is regrettable for him to have been born here during the Shonan-to era. His name was mixed up in the registration for a birth certificate. Members of his family like his parents and brothers can prove that he was born here. His neighbours can also certify that he was born in Singapore. But the Department concerned would not accept this. The second instance is about an applicant who was born on 13th June, 1935 in Singapore, and he lost his birth certificate during the Japanese occupation. But he has lived in Singapore since birth and he had cast his votes in every general election, including the 1972 general elections. However, after the last general elections his pink identity card was withdrawn and he was issued with a blue card. Thus he lost his citizenship status. He has three children who were also born in Singapore.”
“Sir, since the Minister does not want to consider this proposal. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn,”
“Sir, before I withdraw my amendment. I would like to ask him this. If there is sufficient manpower, would he consider this proposal?”
“Sir, I am fully, aware of the tasks and duties of the Vigilante Corps. Of course, they could be deployed to do other jobs in addition to looking after the lifts, This could be part of their work. They could perform other duties. I entirely agree. I do not mean that they should be deployed to look after the lifts only and neglect the other duties.”
“Sir, I feel that this is a decent or honourable type of job. It is not without any meaning. If the Member for Kim Seng is willing to go. I would like to accompany him to have a look-round.”
“Sir, there is no problem of manpower recruitment. We have 40,000 national servicemen in the Vigilante Corps at the moment, but next year the strength will increase to 50,000 and it increases year by year. For the 2,000 lifts in Housing Board estates, the men can be deployed on a part-time basis, say, at four hours each night. Therefore, there will be only one shift for each lift. There is no need to have two or three shifts; that is unnecessary. They need only to carry out their duties at night. It is therefore not correct to say that there is a shortage of manpower because every year we have new members joining the Vigilante Corps. If we have one shift of men to look after the lifts, there is no question of manpower shortage.”
“Sir, I do not quite agree with the Parliamentary Secretary that looking after the lifts is not a meaningful job. It is a useful job. Some of the Backbenchers have said that if they are deployed to do beat duty, they will be just strolling about surveying the road and it will be very monotonous, But if they are deployed to look after the lifts, they will see that the lifts are safe for use by the residents. They will thus be contributing to the safe use of the lifts in addition to keeping the lifts clean. They will also help to keep away those bad elements. There are as many HDB flats in the Parliamentary Secretary's Constituency of Bukit Merah as there are in the many Housing Board estates elsewhere. Many other housing estates will also benefit from the scheme to deploy Vigilante Corps members to look after the HDB lifts.”
“The platoon leaders and the Corps members involved in such misdeeds should be severely dealt with. The platoon leaders should be more severely dealt with. Secondly, would the Minister consider making arrangements for the VC members to become part-time lift attendants in the Housing Board estates? We have often heard of robberies and women being molested in the lifts by evil elements. If the VC members could be assigned to look after these lifts, such crimes will be reduced; at the same time, the lifts can also be looked after and kept clean. There is no point in getting other people to do this work because there are 40,000 members in the Vigilante Corps at the moment. Therefore, there is an adequate supply of manpower available. 7.15 p.m.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head U be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead EAA 1111. Sir, there is no doubt that the Community Security Force of the Vigilante Corps comprising national servicemen has done a great deal for our people. Its service has been immensely valuable. With a strength of 40,000 it constitutes a very strong peacekeeping force. Its members have been deployed to patrol the various areas in the Republic every night. Ever since the CSF was formed, there has been a marked improvement in the standard of our security. The crime rate has gone down. Generally speaking, a more secure and peaceful environment has been created for the people. Our people have been favourably impressed by their services. Although by and large these CSF men have acquitted themselves well, there are still some defects within the Corps. I would, therefore, like to take this opportunity to raise two points. Firstly, is the Minister aware that absenteeism is still evident in the Vigilante Corps? I understand that the absenteeism usually begins with the platoon leaders. At present the VC members are formed into platoons of four or six members each. Having signed their attendance at the Area Office, they would go to the designated areas to perform beat duties. However, some platoon leaders would absent themselves under one pretext or another and, thus, leave the members to perform patrol duties themselves Being left alone by their platoon leaders, the VC members would also stay away from their own duties. This is a very sorry state of affairs, I would, therefore, like the Minister to take note of this situation and take the necessary measures to remedy it.”
“Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, I would like the Minister to pay attention to what I am going to say. He himself has admitted that some of the hawker inspectors on their beat duties have been quite ill-mannered, unlike our Minister whose attitude is very proper and good. So they should learn from our Minister not to be so ill-mannered in their dealings with the public. Sir, in view of the fact that I am satisfied with the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendments stood on the Order Paper Supplement -”
“I would like to ask the Minister to take note of this and to take the necessary steps to rectify the attitude of hawker inspectors. The next question I would like to ask is whether the Minister will consider giving farmers a certain period of time to sell their produce, poultry and vegetables. This opportunity to sell will help their family livelihood to a small extent. These people are poor and if they can sell some of their vegetables or poultry, say, in the morning for a brief period, they will be able to make some money to assist their family budget. Would the Minister allow such a sale by the farmers? The third question is in regard to the hawker centre to be built at Chong Pang village in Sembawang. When will it be built, and when will it be completed? How many stalls will be provided in this hawker centre? What are the items that will be sold? How many parking lots will be provided in the car park? I would like the Parliamentary Secretary or the Minister to answer these questions.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BGA 1111*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Hwang Soo Jin. Ho See Beng and Ho Kah Leong.) Sir, under this subhead, I would like to raise three questions. The first matter concerns hawker inspectors. Their ill-temper and callous attitude in dealing with hawkers, such as issuing summons at random have caused many unpleasant incidents. Let me give an example. A distributor for aerated water in my constituency had come to me with a complaint. He said that one day when he was unloading some cases of aerated water from his lorry a hawker inspector approached and asked him for his identity card, saying that he had committed an offence. This aerated water agent then asked what offence he had committed. The hawker inspector said that he was conducting illegal hawking activity. The agent was taken aback and was at a loss to understand. He explained that he was an agent for aerated water and he was only unloading cases of aerated water and that he was not doing anything illegal. But the hawker inspector did not pursue the matter further to establish the truth or otherwise of the statement and simply issued a summons. The distributor complained this to me and I forwarded the case to the Hawkers Department for an investigation. After careful investigation by the senior officials there, it was ascertained that this man was, in fact, an agent for aerated water. So the summons was withdrawn. This incident shows that if it were not for the slip-shod work of the hawker inspector, such trouble would not have happened and the time of the people concerned would not have been wasted, and unnecessary friction would not have been caused.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether he can send the disabled persons to the community centres to do some light work such as cleaning and tidying up the centre, grass cutting, and so on? At the moment it seems that there is such a need. So I would like to ask the Parliamentary Secretary whether he would consider giving these jobs to such people. 3.30 p.m.”
“Sir, in view of the detailed explanation given by the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, the Senior Parliamentary Secretary said that he hopes the private sector and members of the public could do something to help the aged to "return to the society". I agree with him on that suggestion. I would like to ask him whether he has got any concrete plan to help the private sector to do what he has suggested.”
“Sir, before I withdraw my amendment, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary two questions. In his answer, he said that his Ministry has always encouraged private charitable and welfare organisations to expand their work and will support any organisation that is prepared to build homes for disabled children. This is, of course, very good and I hope that his Ministry can implement this policy effectively. According to my information there are about 8,000 disabled children and they are in a very pitiful state. In view of the present inadequate capacity of the homes to accommodate all of them, I hope the Social Welfare Department can do something concrete to help such an unfortunate lot. I would like to ask him another question. Recently the Social Welfare Department has been promoting a "Return to the society" campaign for the aged people living in institutional homes. This campaign is to encourage them to go back to their personal home environment so that they can enjoy their remaining years in a more congenial atmosphere with their families. Of course. I agree to this beneficial measure. We must befriend all people and treat the children of other people as our own and respect the elders and the aged of other people as our own. Since we are a democratic socialist state which aims at and pays respect to virtues of a welfare state, I support this policy. However, I would like to ask him for more details and whether he is satisfied with its implementation and achievement so far.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BEA 1107. I would like to ask the Minister whether he could set up a home for disabled children or children born with congenital diseases. According to statistics, there are about 8,000 such children. I think this is a very urgent problem and requires immediate attention. I make this request because I understand that the number of homes for the care of unfortunate children managed by the Salvation Army and other charitable organisations are not sufficient. I received an appeal from a housewife in my constituency who told me that she was unlucky enough to have a child who has been afflicted with poliomyelitis since birth and could not move all these years. Her family is poor and most of the members of the family have to go out to work and so they are not able to take came of this child. She has asked me to approach the Social Welfare Department to find a place for her child. I have made several applications to the Social Welfare Department. However, all the replies have been negative, stating that there is no vacancy and the child has to wait. Another case relates to a petty trader. He is unfortunate enough to have two children both with some congenital diseases. One of them is being taken cane of by a home for disabled children but the other child is left out as there is no place for her. I believe theme are many more such cases. I would therefore sincerely request the Minister to consider establishing a home for such children in order to alleviate the hardship of those families. However, as a temporary measure, the Ministry could find some suitable place to accommodate these children until a proper home is built.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am glad to hear from the Minister for Social Affairs that he would be building eight squash courts this year. May I ask him in which constituency will the squash counts be built? Will any be built in Sembawang? The Member for Jalan Kayu has suggested the construction of a swimming pool. In the case of swimming pools, we have two in Sembawang Constituency and we are prepared to give him a swimming pooI if he wants it. If theme is such a plan, we are prepared to give up one swimming pool to a neighbouring constituency. As regards the building of squash counts, if possible, I would like to have some built in my constituency because the young people in the rural areas are also very fond of squash. If squash court facilities are concentrated in the urban areas, then those living in the mural areas have to travel a long way to the City area to play squash. Sir,I hope the Minister for Social Affairs will consider the possibility of building squash courts in the rural areas.”
“Sir, I would like to take this opportunity to ask the Minister whether the cultural troupe in the People's Association is put on circuit performances, Circuit performances have received good response from the public. The various items in these cultural shows are very interesting, which include performances by the Girl Piper Band, folk dancing, singing and the various dance items. These cultural performances have attracted more than 1,000 spectators in my constituency. 6.10 p.m. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] This proves that these cultural performances are appreciated by the people. If the cultural troupe can perform in the various constituencies, this may be one way to promote cultural activities at the grassroot level. I hope the People's Association will send bigger cultural troupes to perform in the various community centres in the constituencies.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there are quite a number of Members who have talked on the subject of Culture. In the Minister's reply, he seems to have forgotten my question regarding undesirable literature. 3.45 p.m.”
“At the moment, because of the high charges, interested organisers do not find it easy to organise such performances. So our people are deprived of more opportunities to enjoy such performances of a higher standard. Third, whether the Ministry has taken note of the many undesirable, phantasmic and erotic literature and pictures being put on sale in the streets. Last year I asked the Minister about this and he promised to look into it. One year has passed. How is it that this sort of thing is still going on? Is it because the staff in the Ministry of Culture are not efficient in their work, or is it because the staff concerned are not willing to shoulder their responsibilities? Fourth, what plans the Ministry of Culture has in the promotion of various community cultures and artistic activities? All these traditional many-splendoured cultures and arts should be propagated because they will help to enrich our cultural heritage and, at the same time, give us a good image internationally, besides boosting our tourism. 3.00 p.m.”
“So for the future of our youths, our task now is to strengthen our healthy cultural force in order to promote and popularise healthy and artistic cultural activities so as to help them recognise their values and be able to distinguish the good from the bad. This will benefit them in their life-time. Among our youths, there is a sign of decadence. It is mainly because of the fact that some of them have been affected by the bad habits of Western youths. They take to a life of enjoyment, are easy-going and are not interested in our healthy cultural and artistic performances. This is a very urgent task pertaining to the pattern of thought of our youths that is facing the Ministry of Culture and all of us. Obviously, the main task of the Ministry of Culture is how to face this challenge, how to help the young to be receptive to good culture and to rectify their errors and wrong thinking and to recognise which type of culture will bring them beneficial influence. In this way, we can mould our youths into a great force in our nation building and cultural development. Sir, I would now like to advance four suggestions to the Minister for his reference, to help policy formulation. First, this concerns the work of raising the consciousness of our people; in other words, national consciousness. What kind of plan, of organized activities is the Ministry of Culture going to take in order to promote our cultural quality? Second, will the Minister consider reducing the rental charged for the use of our National Theatre, the Victoria Memorial Hall, or reducing the entertainment duty on certain performances in order to help more artistes, both local and foreign, to perform in Singapore? These will include pugilistics, music and concert shows.”
“Sir, the Ministry of Culture certainly has great responsibilities to discharge. On the one hand, it will have to actively propagate a multi-racial culture and values of our people. On the other hand, it will have to raise the cultural quality of our people, their thoughts and character, in order to cultivate them to be people of good quality. This is not an easy task. Over the last few years, the Ministry of Culture has actually put in some effort in the promotion of various healthy cultural and artistic activities, such as the holding of public art exhibitions, the organising of public music concerts for the people and so on, to popularise artistic tastes and appreciation among the people. Radio and TV Singapore have also put forward a number of good programmes such as students' debating forums which help them to have a better understanding of and interest in current affairs and in academic studies. There have also been programmes like News Magazine, Children's Magazine, Daily Digest which are meaningful as well as educative. However, the number of such healthy programmes is too small. On the contrary, there is a greater number of nonsensical programmes which outweigh and nullify the influence of healthy programmes. In spite of the cultural contribution of the Ministry of Culture, there exist in our society also undesirable cultural pieces in the form of sensual, erotic, monstrous and phantasmic films, literature and pictures which exert a great degenerating and corrupting effect on our people, our youth in particular. and turning them into a weak lot.”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister two questions. First, regarding telephone equipment ordered and bought from abroad. Just now the Minister said that it was necessary to place orders for such equipment five years ahead. Why should we have to wait for so long before we can get them? I would like the Minister to explain. Secondly, is it possible for our manufacturers to produce telephone equipment here, since we have reached quite a high level of technology? If so, there will be no problem for the EDB and the Ministry of Science and Technology to set up factories to manufacture our own telephone equipment for our own needs. In this way, we will be able to get our telephone facilities earlier.”
“(12) That the sum to be allocated for Head O be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AAA 8301.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on this amendment. I have two matters to raise for the consideration of the Senior Minister of State. I have received written complaints from those who are affected by resettlement that they are not given alternative shop premises, and therefore they are not able to make a living because they depend on their business for a living. Now that they are asked to quit, without given alternative shop premises, how are they going to make a living? There are also complaints that when they were asked to leave, the officials from the Resettlement Department told them that they would get alternative shop premises very soon. However, today, after a lapse of one or two years, they are still without a shop and so they are suffering unnecessary hardship. If there is some truth in their allegation. I feel that the resettlement officers have been less than honest in their dealings with the people affected by resettlement. The other matter is about the widening of a road in Sembawang area. I would like the Minister to tell us how many people are affected by this scheme, and what will the Government do to help those affected by the road widening project? As an MP for that area, I am naturally concerned with their problems. I would like the Minister to direct his officers to solve any such problem in a proper way so that the people affected by this project can be given assistance so that their hardship can be alleviated.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister of State for having given me a detailed reply. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the names of Messrs Sim Boon Woo and Ng Kah Ting (5) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead DEA 1111.”
“Sir, in view of the detailed reply given by the Minister of State, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Mr Ho See Beng: Sir, before I speak on the next amendment on which I want to make some comments, may I crave your indulgence to say a few words in connection with the proceedings of this Parliament?”
“Although I thank the Public Works Department for having done a good job with Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim and other roads which have been widened or improved. I feel the situation can be improved there to a great extent. Last year, touching on this topic, I suggested to the Minister that we could link up Jalan Buroh and Jalan Penjuru by a bridge so that we could have one more road to link up with Jurong town. The Minister then replied that his Ministry would consider this suggestion. I now raise the matter again to see what has been done after one year. Although the Minister is not here now but his Ministry still exists and I hope something will be done in this respect. I wonder whether any decision has been made in this regard. I hope the Senior Minister of State can help to solve this matter. 6.00 p.m.”
“This will not only relieve traffic congestion but it will also be conducive to our health and help us to economise. Secondly, I would like to ask the Minister whether he will consider changing the hours of work for all roadwork in the Central Business District. Generally roadworks are always carried out in the centre of the road and this takes up space and makes the roads even more congested. Why not change the hours of work to the night as it will considerably alleviate the serious traffic congestion in the City area, I would like the Minister to consider my suggestion seriously. If he thinks that this will increase our expenditure, then I would say that the higher cost is justified for the smooth flow of traffic in the CBD. This will also help our commerce and industry. Thirdly, the new road extension work in progress in the Thomson and Sembawang areas. I would like to ask how long is the road and whether there will be any ramifying roads in these areas. Mr Ho Kah Leong (Jurong)(In Mandarin): Sir, under this amendment, I would like to raise the question of solving the problem of traffic congestion in Jurong. As we all know, Jurong is the industrial centre of our country. We can find hundreds of factories there and thousands of people working there, and their numbers are increasing. However, to the west of Jurong there is Jalan Ahmad Ibrahim, and the other road is Jurong Road. During peak hours in the morning and in the afternoon there is heavy traffic congestion in these roads. The Senior Minister of State had worked in Jurong before and I hope that he would take note of this and perhaps pay a visit to his old colleagues in Jurong so that he can be better informed of the situation which is now getting worse.”
“Mr Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BAA 1105.* (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Ho Kah Leong and Ch'ng Jit Koon.) Sir, the main task of the Public Works Department is to plan and execute the construction of our nation-wide network of public roads, the sewerage system and their maintenance. The PWD has very heavy responsibilities. Our network of public roads has all along been well maintained. The road surface is generally smooth and even, which goes to enhance our image. However, in recent years, there has been a rapid increase in the number of vehicles and also an increase in construction work everywhere. All this presents the serious problem of traffic congestion. If this problem is not solved quickly, it will certainly affect our daily lives and the further development of our commercial and industrial activities. In view of this, I would like to put forward two suggestions to the Minister to help solve the problem of traffic congestion. Firstly, we can build bicycle tracks along the main roads. At the moment, the Government is trying its best to reduce the number of vehicles on the road in order to facilitate a smooth flow of vehicles. In line with this objective we should encourage more people to use the bicycle as a means of transport. In order to encourage this the PWD should construct bicycle tracks along the main roads in order to provide safety to cyclists. If this plan is carried out positively and extensively, I believe. it will bring about desirable results. When that day comes, the whole workforce from the commercial and industrial sectors and even the public sector, including Ministers and Members of Parliament will be able to go to office on bicycles.”
“I appeal to the Minister to consider this very seriously, because if we allow this tender system to continue then rents will be higher, and such higher rents will in the end nullify Government's efforts in countering inflation. Thirdly, I would like to ask the Minister to consider the feasibility of building more HDB flats in the Sembawang constituency to meet the increasing needs of the people there. In Sembawang there are at present orly eight blocks of 3'room and 4-room flats, totalling some 720 units, built by the Jurong Town Corporation. These are inadequate to meet the present demand Furthermore. Sembawang is being developed into a large industrial estate, as provided in the Estimates Senoko in Sembawang has been zoned "Industrial". Very soon there will be factories coming up and thousands and thousands of workers will be working in these factories So, for the convenience of the workers and residents in the constituency. I appeal to the Minister to consider building more flats in the area so that they can live and work happily there.”
“Sir, there are many vacancies in the thousands of HDB flats in Singapore. However, the civil servants in the HDB do not seem to pay much attention to these vacancies. They do not seem to be interested to house the needy in these vacant flats, resulting in a loss of revenue to the Government. I hope the Minister will pay attention to this problem. I have also received complaints that applications for transfer of flats have been made five years ago but the HDB is still unable to effect the transfer. As far as know, most of these applicants are living in one-room flats. They have applied for transfer to larger units because of a bigger family. They have about six or seven persons occupying one room. This is not only unhealthy hut also undesirable. So I would ask the Minister concerned to pay more attention to this The next question is whether the Minister will consider the abolition of the tender system for shops. Instead of the tender system, a proper rental rate should be fixed by the Government or by ballotting. I raise this matter because I understand that tenders for HDB shops have reached fantastically high levels. For example, in Toa Payoh, some shops have been tendered for over $3,000 a month. `when the floor area is only about 700 to 800 square feet. This works out to about $40 per square foot. about ten times higher than the most expensive rental in the commercial centre in the city. In the case of a restaurant, where the floor area is 1.800 square feet, the tendered rent is $5,000. It works out to about $30 per square foot What will be the result of these exorbitant rates? Well, since wool must con-,e from sheep, the result will be a greater bu-den for the consumers. There will be a higher rate of inflation.”
“Sir, over the past decade the Housing and Development Board has done a great deal in terms of public housing for the people. With the efforts of the Minister and all persons concerned. Singapore has achieved much in public housing and enjoys a good international reputation. The Housing and Development Board has solved the housing problem of more than 50% of our population. So with this achievement the old problem has been solved and there should not be any more problem for the Housing and Development Board. But that does not seem to be the case because with a new environment new problems have arisen. Therefore. I would like to raise four matters for the Minister to consider. One is the rejection of applications for transfer to larger units. I have two examples to bring up. In the first case there is a family of three, husband, wife and daughter, living in a one-room unit. Ten years ago there was no problem, but today the problem has arisen because the daughter is a grown-up young lady of 20 years old. Problems begin to creep into their daily life. There is a great deal of inconvenience and this has necessitated the application for a transfer to a larger unit. But their repeated applications have been rejected on the ground that there is no bigger unit available The second case is similar. A family of four lives in a one-room unit; a couple and two children, a boy and a girl. The children are now grown-up, and the parents have made application for a transfer to a larger unit. The daughter is also married and there is a marriage certificate to prove it. And as the son-in-law wishes to stay with them they have a good reason to ask for a larger unit, but their application was rejected without any good reason.”
“Sir, in view of the Minister's reply, I beg to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I would like to clarify one point from the Minister. Does he mean that in the midst of a labour shortage these small provision shops will not be allowed to continue to exist? Is this the wish of the Government to see that these small shops are closed?”
“Sir, I would like the Minister to reconsider my case. I agree with him that we must look after our industrialisation scheme. We have emphasised that our economy is a diversified one. Apart from industries we must also look after the other aspect of our economy, for example, the petty traders. Local Singapore citizens are not interested and they are, therefore, forced to employ non-citizens. If we want to emphasise a diversification of our economy, we should look after the other sectors of the economy too and not just industrialisation alone.”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered the other point relating to the application for a work permit by garment and food factory workers who have to wait for three weeks to one month for a decision. I made the request just now that we should allow them to work while their applications are under consideration.”
“It is not that they do not want to employ local people. Another complaint is about the difficulty encountered by garment factories and food packaging factories in applying for work permits for the number of workers they require. They have to wait from three weeks to one month before receiving a reply as to whether their applications have been approved. How are these factories, going to proceed during this long wait? I would like to suggest to the Minister that during the period when their applications are being processed whether it is possible for them to engage these factory hands so that they could continue with their productive work. Once their applications have been decided, they can then carry on with their work or they can be told to leave, depending on the outcome of their applications. With this sort of arrangement, it will help the productivity of the factories concerned.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker. Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead ACA 1111*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon.) Sir, I would like the Minister to consider liberalising the granting of applications for work permits by shop assistants, barbers, cooks and certain categories of factory workers. The complaints I have received from these people are that it is difficult for them to apply for a work permit. According to a storekeeper, he found it difficult to engage local hands and therefore he has applied for a work permit many times but all his applications were turned down. So, it vexed him very much. There was also the complaint of a restaurant owner. He has a son born in Malaysia, and he has passed Secondary IV examination. The father applied for a work permit for his son to work as a captain in his restaurant. But this was turned down. The reason given was that his son had no such experience. I find this reason unjustified because it is not difficult for a Secondary IV boy to become a captain in a restaurant. The work is not difficult. With a certain amount of training, one can be very efficient in this sort of work. In rejecting the application for work permits for shop assistants, the reason given by the Ministry of Labour was that the salary was too low for this kind of job. But such a reason is no longer applicable now because in his Budget Statement the Minister for Finance has pointed out that there should be restriction in wage increases otherwise our wage rates would be the highest in Southeast. Asia after Japan. Therefore, we should review and liberalise the consideration for applications for work permits by such people. It is a fact that shopowners cannot get local hands.”
“Sir, if we say that all our nurses are discourteous, it is not fair. Nevertheless I have also received complaints about the incorrect attitude of some nurses. They are impatient and would not listen to complaints made by the patients. But, generally speaking. most of our nurses are well-mannered. Our medical standards are very high because some foreigners who were treated in our hospitals got well very soon. And comparing the facilities in their hospitals, they say that our medical standards are very high. Just now the Member for Anson mentioned that some nurses who were not treated well by their superiors would vent their grievances on the patients. I think this is possible, especially those elderly nurses who have to allocate work to the other nurses. For -instance, on a Sunday the wards do not need as many nurses, but they would nevertheless send a great number of nurses to man the wards. If the Minister were to visit such wards, particularly in the Maternity Hospital, he would find such instances there. I think this is one case that the Minister should give his attention to. There are certain spinster nurses attached to the Family Planning Unit. These nurses do not have their own families. So if the Minister wants to promote family planning, I do not think that it is proper to post spinster nurses to that Unit. They should not be asked to work in the Family Planning and Population Board. 4.30 p.m.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy - (3) That the sum to be allocated for Head K be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BAA 1201. Mr P. Govindaswamy: I am not moving. Sir. The sum of $652,748,100 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $65,100,000 for Head K ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. 4.00 p.m. Head L -”