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 Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.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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“I would therefore like to ask the Minister what plans are afoot to send further cultural missions overseas. I think that the sending of cultural missions overseas is both significant and meaningful. 7.00 p.m. The fourth point is related to a symphony orchestra for Singapore. I had brought up this question last year. At that time the Minister's reply was that he was prepared to consider this suggestion. Now, after a year has elapsed, I would like to ask the Minister what has he done in respect of this suggestion. Or has he completely forgotten about it? The fifth point is a question of helping and assisting local writers to publish their works. I had similarly raised this matter last year. The Minister at that time said that it was a good idea. Again, a year has passed, and I would like to ask the Minister what has happened to this suggestion. Has he provided any assistance to local writers to publish their works? The sixth point concerns the question of punctuality. Sir, in our call on our people to economise and to be thrifty, I think we should also conduct a campaign on punctuality to cut down the waste of time. We should spend our precious time in productive and constructive work. Since we have conducted various campaigns on Health, Save Water, Keep Singapore Clean, and Keep Singapore Green, I think there is need for a campaign on punctuality to encourage people to be more punctual. I hope the Minister for Culture will assume the supervisory role in making people realise the importance and the advantages to be obtained by being punctual. The idea is to make our people cultivate and acquire the habit of keeping to time and to be punctual.”
“(2) We should set up a cultural committee to supervise the content of the programmes on television and radio to ensure that the programmes will play a greater role in education. (3) We should promote and finance activities in the schools and in the various organisations so that they can organise more cultural programmes. In the hiring of the National Theatre, they should be given cheaper rates as an incentive. (4) We should adopt more stringent measures on suppressing yellow culture. We have to ensure that our young people grow up in a healthy environment. Sir, I would now like to raise a second point. This is in regard to the question of colour television. Last year when Parliament was debating the policy of Government, the Minister informed the House that colour television would be introduced this year. This year will herald in the era of colour television. I would like to ask the Minister as to what progress has been made. How far has preparatory work been done for the introduction of colour television? When will the official commencement date be? The third point is in regard to cultural delegations which are sent abroad. In the last two years, we have sent cultural delegations to friendly countries for visits. The aim was to introduce our cultures to other countries so that those countries could better understand the development of our country. Sending such cultural delegations and missions have advantages in many respects. We can only improve the cultural intercourse between countries. We can also improve the friendly relationships between countries. In addition, it will provide our cultural workers with a great incentive and encouragement to continue working in their respective fields in order to bring forth shining and glorious recognition of their work.”
“They are the various forums and seminars on the fuel crisis, on inflation, the presentation of the debates between the Universities in Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, programmes "For the Family" and children's corner, and so on. These programmes are good and educational. However, a great majority of the programmes are meaningless slap-sticks, meaningless stories without any educational significance. Let me quote some examples. There are some programmes full of mystery and professional gamblers who teach us how to swindle our way through various situations. And there are also some stupid comedies. The content of these programmes is not right. There are supposed comedies all of which are nonsensical and without any educational significance. This will be a stumbling block in our effort to build a healthy culture and will be an unhealthy influence on our young people. Sir, I notice that the Minister has often emphasised the need to build a healthy and cultural life so that our people will be good and have a healthy outlook. But I am afraid the people in charge of these television programmes have not implemented these policies properly. In order to further promote the cultural arts, I would like to suggest the following measures: (1) We should promote healthy cultural activities on a large scale. For example, we should periodically hold cultural festivals. In these festivals we can allow a rich intermingling of the various songs, dances and dramas of the various cultures. If we do this, we will provide an opportunity for the various cultural workers in the various language streams to come together and develop the cultural activities more fully.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head JA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1004*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs P. Govindaswamy and Lai Tha Chai.) Sir, we know that culture and art are very important in the life of the people. Besides such necessities as food, shelter, clothing and transport, the cultural life of the people is an indispensable aspect of their lives. Culture and art are not only the spiritual food of the people but also symbols of their spiritual outlook. A country without culture and art is like a body without life. It is like living in a desert. How do we expect one to survive? Sir, we are a newly independent country. We have many cultural traditions. Basically, if we work hard to sustain and promote the rich traditions of our various cultures, we can develop them further and so ensure that our people will be a cultured race. Just as the Minister said last week, the ASEAN countries have a rich heritage of cultures. But what have we done in the promotion of our cultures? I believe the Minister will agree with me when I say that, in the development of our cultural work, we are going about it very slowly. We are not making much headway,. No doubt the Ministry of Culture has done something in the promotion of our cultures and art. In the last few years, for example, the Ministry has organised public art shows, public concerts, appreciation of drama, and so on. But this is not enough. There is not enough effect. On the other hand, Radio and Television Singapore has not taken a leading role in the promotion of our traditional cultures. In their broadcast programmes only some have any educational value.”
“If we do not provide taxi drivers with taxi stands, they will not be able to park their taxis. They will have to park along the roadside, which will lead to traffic congestion. For this, they will he ticketed by the Traffic Police, causing an additional burden on them. So I would urge the Minister to consider their case in a sympathetic manner. 3.30 p.m.”
“Since taxis are inspected every six months, I do not see any reason why taxi drivers should be asked to send their taxis to the ROV for another inspection. This only results in the taxi drivers losing a day's income. My second point is with regard to the setting up of more taxi stands. Because of the drawing up of the special bus lanes, the taxi stands along many roads have been abolished. For example, along Robinson Road, Bras Basah Road, and Beach Road, the taxi stands have been removed and the taxi drivers are experiencing difficulty in getting a place to park their taxis. I would like the Minister to consider whether it is possible to allow taxis to make use of the bus lanes to allow them to drop or pick up passengers. Since taxis are also a kind of public transport and they also provide an important service to the people, I think it is only reasonable that they should be allowed to use the bus lanes for the passengers to alight or to get in. Another point concerns the setting up of a taxi stand at the cable car terminal at Jardine Steps. I have received a complaint from the Taxi Drivers Association that it has applied to the Car Parks Division of the Ministry of National Development for permission to park taxis there. The application was recommended by the Association hut it was refused by the Port of Singapore Authority because the area comes under the jurisdiction of the PSA. Since the PSA is also under the Ministry of Communications, I would like the Minister of State to take note of this complaint by the Taxi Drivers Association and to direct the PSA to reconsider the application for parking facilities at the cable car terminal. Many people go to the cable car complex and many taxis are plying at the terminal.”
“Sir, under this amendment, since the Minister for Communications is not here, I would like to ask the Minster of State two questions. The first is on the question of smoky exhausts of taxis and, second, on taxi stands. Sir, I have received many complaints from taxi drivers who complain that they arc receiving summonses from the Registry of Vehicles about the smoky exhausts of their taxis and the fine is usually about S50. It is a heavy burden on them. They have a very limited monthly income. After paying the instalments and fuel costs, whatever is left is very limited, about $200 to S300. They have to support their families with this meagre income and it is not easy to do so. As a result of the endless summonses they receive and the fines imposed on them, they are in a very distressed position. Because of this, I realise that many taxi operators have resorted to getting loans from moneylenders at high interest. They are indebted and they deserve our sympathy. Taxi drivers have also complained to me that they have frequently been summoned to the ROV for inspection of their taxis by ROV officers to see whether the engines are in order and whether there is any emission of smoke from the exhausts. These taxi drivers told me that they have to send their taxis to the ROV and it takes about one day for the inspection to he carried out. In this way, they lose one day's income. I do not understand why the inspectors at the ROV resort to this sort of surprise inspections. According to the regulations, all taxis have to he inspected every six months before they are allowed to ply on the roads. If there is any fault with the engine, it has to be repaired before approval is given for it to ply on the roads.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister of State for his reply to my questions. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $11,745,760 for Head HC ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $50,848,400 for Head HC ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“Sir, I need only half a minute more. The second question i5 on taxi stands at the airport which are inadequate. I understand that there are more than 200 taxis operating at the airport. But there are taxi stands for only about 20-odd taxis at the airport precincts. I think this number is not enough. I would like the Minister to consider whether the number of taxi stands could be increased at Paya Lebar Airport in order to improve the service provided by the taxis.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head HC be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1106*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.) Under this Head, I would like to ask the Minister of State two questions. The first question is on the taxi service at the Paya Lebar Airport. Many years ago, the Airport had a system of permits which were issued to taxis to ply between the airport and the city. Only those with permits could enter the precincts of the airport to pick up passengers. The number of taxis which were given permits were selected from a few thousand applications. Selection was done by the Civil Aviation Department, the Registry of Vehicles, the Traffic Police and so on. With this system of permits, I am afraid there is quite a lot of confusion at the airport at present. The reason is that there is inadequate control. However, there are also some taxis plying between the airport and the city without permits. This defeats the purpose of issuing permits. I would like the Minister to investigate into this matter.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank you for your guidance and advice. What follows will be more on policy than on details. Secondly, Sir, at present the buses only display the Service numbers without indicating the routes that they are supposed to run. The destinations are not clearly indicated on the buses for the benefit of the commuters. I hope that an improvement will be made to ensure that no inconvenience is caused to passengers. Thirdly, buses should be properly scheduled. Too many buses are now usually found to congregate in one bus terminus. My proposal is that there should be a board indicating the bus that will be taking off or the first bus that will be leaving the bus terminus, so that passengers do not have to chase after the buses at the terminus which would create a dangerous situation. Fourthly, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister to consider the employment of female bus conductors to relieve the shortage of labour, and possibly to improve the bus services. It has been proved that female workers are equal with the male workers in the performance of work. What the men can do, the women can do too. For example, in the early days of Singapore there were few women police constables. Nowadays we can see many women police constables everywhere, and their good performance has already been acknowledged by the society. Fifthly, I would ask the Minister to consider the introduction of season tickets to relieve the work-load of bus conductors. We can have season tickets at, say, $5 valid for a month or a week, and the bus conductors need only to punch the ticket for each trip.”
“Sir, the public bus service should be improved. I asked an Oral Question in this House a few days ago, and the Minister in reply gave an assurance that the bus service would be improved stage by stage. On the basis of that assurance, I was gratified. But I am still waiting to see an improvement. It is my belief that the Minister will be able to put his plan into practice. I would now like to propose some concrete measures for consideration. Firstly, the possibility of introducing a 14-seater mini-bus service in Singapore. These 14-seater mini-buses can operate within a radius of five miles from the City so as to facilitate speedy travel by commuters in the City area, instead of the use of lorries and omnibuses.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, although the question of industrial accidents is causing concern to all of us, however, what we are glad to hear is that the Ministry is taking steps and measures to deal with it. I hope that next year when we debate the Budget, we will not be raising the same question again. I can only hope that in regard to preventive measures against industrial accidents attention is being paid to the co-operation of all parties concerned, namely, the Government, the employers and the employees, in order to achieve better effect. We all realise that at a time when we are short of manpower, the safety of our workers is particularly important and necessary at this juncture because they provide the necessary manpower `for our production lines. I hope that the Ministry of Labour could take immediate and effective measures to promote industrial safety for the benefit of the workers. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“But we can prevent more than a hundred people from dying and the consequent tragic effects on their families.”
“So there is a great need to take positive action and all possible measures to reduce the number of such accidents. On the other hand, there are many cases of deaths in construction sites, including cases of people falling off from scaffoldings. I remember last year the Minister ordered a Commission of Inquiry into the cause of deaths at construction sites so that it could make recommendations on safety standards to be observed in construction sites, and ensure that all workers follow such measures. Why is it that we still have cases of industrial accidents? What is the reason for the continuation of this state of affairs? I would urge the Minister to take early action to find out the real cause of these accidents. Secondly, I would like to refer to the number of staff in the Factory Inspectorate. We have raised this question many times in this House and the Minister himself has agreed that there is an insufficient number of people in this section. The main reason, according to him, is that the Ministry of Finance has not approved additional provisions for the Factory Inspectorate, and therefore they could not increase the number of Factory Inspectors. If that is so, I would like to sympathise with the Minister for Labour. Although he is a man full of sympathy, we cannot expect him to pay out of his own pocket for the additional staff required in the Factory Inspectorate. I think the responsibility lies with the Ministry of Finance. I notice that the Minister for Finance is not here. I would like to urge the Minister for Finance to consider increasing the provision for the Factory Inspectorate immediately. At the moment, the provision is only $365,000, which is an increase of $73,000. This is not a very big sum.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head GA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BA 1l09.* (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs P. Govindaswamy, Hwang Soo Jin and Ivan Baptist.) Sir, I want to raise two questions. Firstly, industrial accidents, and secondly, the question of insufficient number of staff in the Factory Inspectorate. The question of industrial accidents has attracted our attention every year. The reason is that there are too many industrial accidents causing a tragic effect on the workers and their families. There are people who say that with great industrial development, it is inevitable that industrial accidents will occur. Although this may be so, we cannot say that because industrial accidents will happen, we should allow them to happen. On the contrary, we should try to find out how best we can prevent or reduce the number of industrial accidents. 3.45 p.m. I know that the Minister has often asked our workers to raise their productivity to help our industrial development. This is indeed the right thing to do. In order to achieve this, we have to provide a safer working environment to reduce the number of deaths due to industrial accidents. Last year alone 160 people died from industrial accidents. Although it shows a slight increase as compared with the figure for the year before, this number is still very high. Of this figure of 160, the construction industry accounts for the highest number, 60. Another industry accounts for 46; transport and related industries, 38; and other industries, 16. We can say that the number of people who died from industrial accidents is very high. The number of our factories has grown from year to year because of industrial development.”
“Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for giving detailed answers to all the questions I have raised. I would like to mention here that it Was not my intention to praise him. But we should give credit to his humbleness. With this observation, I beg to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Thank you, Sir,It was really unnecessary for the Member for Telok Blangah to raise his point. (2) Last year the Minister for Foreign Affairs disclosed in this House that there were about a hundred items of co-operation with ASEAN countries, including tourism, cultural and other activities. I would like to ask: How many kinds of economic activities or plans have been implemented and completed? What kind of benefits have been derived by this kind of co-operation? (3) Undoubtedly, international situations are changing all the time. However, our foreign policy is that of neutrality and non-alignment. We have a very able Minister in charge of relationships with other countries. So we can rest assured that matters relating to foreign affairs will be well looked after. However, I would like to ask him whether he has any plans to establish new diplomatic missions and, if so, where.”
“I know that in Cairo, we have only a Charge d'Affaires to run a diplomatic mission there. I would like to ask whether the Ministry concerned would establish more diplomatic missions in the Middle East.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head FA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1003*. (*The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Cheong Yuen Chee and P. Govindaswamy). Sir, under this Head, I would like to raise three questions for answer by the Minister concerned. (1) I know that the Minister for Foreign Affairs has recently made a goodwill tour of six countries in West Asia. This visit took place at a time when there was international turbulence in those countries. As a result, many people have paid much attention to this visit as it took place during the oil crisis. Sir, we can say that the Minister for Foreign Affairs is wise and acute in his judgment, and has good vision and foresight in handling affairs with foreign countries. Therefore, his recent visit has undoubtedly brought benefits to our country. Sir, as you know, our foreign policy is to cultivate more friends and to cut down on the number of enemies. Of course, if we do not have any enemy, it is so much the better. According to the principle of our foreign policy, we should pay attention to other places in the world, other than West Europe and South-east Asia where we have traditional relationships. We should also strengthen our friendly relationship with other countries of the world. We should now pay attention to countries in West Asia and extend a friendly hand to them in order to set up ties in commercial and cultural fields, so that this relationship can bring about mutual benefits. I would like to ask the Minister whether there are any more plans to send commercial delegations to West Asian countries to make an on-the-spot study and analysis with a view to establishing wider commercial relationship and trade with them.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I withdraw my amendment I have a question to ask the Minister. This relates to our national servicemen and national consciousness. I feel that this is a long-term question which cannot be resolved easily within a short time, and the Minister has been paying much attention to this problem of national consciousness and patriotism of our national servicemen. Thus if our national servicemen do not have a strong sense of nationalism and patriotism, how can we expect them to sacrifice for the country or to serve the country? What is their position now in respect of national consciousness and patriotism? Of course, generally speaking, they are quite good in this respect. They obey their superior's orders and they abide by the regulations. But what are they internally in their own personal feelings and consciousness? It seems that they have not acquired a strong sense of nationalism or patriotism. This could be assessed from their conversation. Once I visited their barracks and some soldiers were talking to their officers who were mainly pre-University or University students. From the talk I gathered the impression that they are most concerned as to whether their studies will be affected after their discharge from national service. They are concerned about their future prospects after their period of training. They are more concerned with their personal problems than with their contribution, if any, to nation building or defence. Of course, this shows that the content of the training courses lacks the inculcation of national consciousness in the minds of our national servicemen. We should inculcate in them a sense of citizenship and other good points and virtues in order to make them good soldiers.”
“A lot of traffic accidents have resulted from this situation. I would like the Minister concerned to look into the matter to ensure that responsible officers will be detailed to properly allocate duties for the national servicemen. Fourthly, Sir, the question of recreational and cultural activities. I am glad to say that two years ago in this House when I suggested that there should be more recreational and cultural activities among the national servicemen, the Minister agreed to this suggestion. In the camps now cultural and recreational activities are conducted from time to time so that the national servicemen can have proper recreation after their training and during their leisure hours. In January this year I was invited to attend an evening function at the Changi Camp. I noticed that some of the national servicemen were quite talented. But some of the items in the programme were contributed by artistes from outside. I do not think this is appropriate because the songs they sang were not very healthy. For example, one of them sang a song entitled. "We should not pluck a wild flower by the road side." This type of song should not be introduced to the national servicemen during a cultural show. I think all programmes should be properly conducted and organised by the recreational and cultural units in the various camps. If artistes are to be invited from outside, they should come from healthy cultural organisations or choirs.”
“Therefore, those national servicemen who are interested and who have the capacity to learn and benefit from technical education should be given every encouragement and opportunity to improve themselves. Too stringent conditions should not be imposed on them if we are to assist them in furthering their training in technical education. After having completed their national service, they will be able to join the ranks of our industrial workers. Secondly, Sir, there is the question of the call-up of brothers. I have received complaints from certain families, each with two or three sons, that their boys were called up for national service at the same time of the year. This has caused great inconvenience and financial hardship to them. The call-up for such cases should be staggered. For instance, the second son should not be called up until the first son has completed his national service. I think this is a legitimate request worthy of our consideration. However, such consideration has not always been given. Applications had been made but they were turned down most of the time. I would like the Minister concerned to consider such applications sympathetically particularly those cases where the boys are contributing to the maintenance of the family. Thirdly, there is the question of allocation of duties for national service trainees. I have received complaints that, after three months of basic training, some of the trainees have been posted to the wrong units. Trainees who are physically weak are posted to the Combat Division or the Artillery Division, and those inexperienced in driving are given driving duties or are forced to learn driving. This inappropriate allocation of duties has given rise to discontent among parents.”
“The spirit of co-operation and help from the national servicemen have already established good relations between them and the people of Singapore, particularly in the rural areas. Sir, with continuing development of national service and national defence and the greater discipline displayed by our national servicemen in peace-time as evident now, we must create more opportunities for them to display and manifest their co-operative spirit. I hope that consideration will be given to set up a productive unit for our national servicemen so that, in addition to national service and military training, they can be engaged in productive processes, e.g, in agriculture where they can do animal husbandry, vegetable farming, and so on. Sir, notwithstanding all that I have said in praise of our national servicemen and the defence system, I think there is still room for improvement in certain respects. Firstly, there is the request from the national servicemen to attend night classes. I have received requests and complaints from them regarding technical classes to be made available to them in the evenings. They would like to improve themselves in technical education so that they can have better opportunities. 4.00 p.m. But when they applied for permission, their applications were turned down. The reason is that if they want to attend such technical classes they have to sign on for a further service of three years. It is because of this condition which they are not prepared to accept that they are denied the opportunity to seek further training in technical education. This is a pity. Mr Speaker, Sir, I appreciate that at the present stage of our industrial development we need more and more trained technical personnel.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head DA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1002*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy). Sir, the estimated expenditure to be allocated for the Ministry of Defence appearing in the Summary of the Main and Development Estimates amounts to over $500 million for the whole Ministry. This accounts for about 27 per cent of the total expenditure, and ranks second place to all the Ministries. Sir, I fully appreciate that the Government has to allocate such a big sum of money for Defence, and I agree that this is necessary because, as an independent and sovereign State, we must establish in our country a strong defence system and structure to ensure our safety, security and development. Without security, there will not be any development. But with security we will be able to attract foreign investments, thus increasing our prosperity. This is necessary. So the citizens of Singapore quite understand why the Government has to adopt such a policy. There are very few critics in Singapore against such a policy and if there is any criticism at all I think such a criticism is based on misunderstanding or lack of understanding of the policies and the needs of our country. Mr Speaker, Sir, undoubtedly under the enlightened leadership of our Government and the patriotic support of the people, there will be better performance among our defence personnel. I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the national servicemen who have given their help to the rural people. In my constituency, Sembawang, there are a number of roads which have been made up or repaired with the help of the national servicemen, under the gotong royong system.”
“Sir, I agree completely with the Minister for Finance when he said that we are faced with many challenges in the years ahead. These include the currency crisis, the problem of inflation, and the various difficulties encountered in our way of life and livelihood. In order to overcome these difficulties and hardships, I think we should do this. Firstly, all our people should co-operate with the Government to overcome these difficulties. Secondly, we should conduct a thrift campaign to cut down all unnecessary expenditure. Thirdly, our workers should work hard and increase their productivity so that the economy will continue to thrive. Fourthly, labour and management should co-operate to ensure industrial peace. If all our people can open up additional avenues and cut down unnecessary waste, and strive forward, I am sure we shall be able to march forward to a healthy and steady year. 5.12 p.m.”
“Our workers should be given reasonable rewards so that their families can have a decent life. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has granted four tax reliefs and concessions. I would like to express my wholehearted support and admiration for him. Apart from the registration of ships, the majority of our people will benefit from the other three items. This goes to show that our Government is concerned with the welfare of the lower and middle income groups. But there is one item of tax relief which has not been increased, and that is the personal relief for income tax. This unfortunately has led to a great deal of disappointment. As we all know, the present amount of relief was fixed 20 years ago. There is a world of difference between the cost of living then and the cost of living now. The Minister has said that the consumer price index during last year alone has risen by 23 per cent. I would urge the Minister to consider soon the question of a greater personal relief in order to reduce the burden of the taxpayer. Sir, as a Member for a rural constituency, I have paid particular attention to the financial provision for rural development. I remember during last year's Budget debate, I requested the Minister to consider increasing the provision for rural development, and he promised that he would consider. Since then, I have been looking through the various items in the Budget for this year, greatly hoping that there would be a substantial increase in the provision for rural development. But I notice that there is only a slight increase in the various items. This will bring some benefit to our people, as the projects in the construction of roads in rural constituencies like Sembawang, Nee Soon, Chua Chu Kang, Bukit Panjang, Jurong, Punggol may be completed smoothly.”
“As we know, with an increased population, there is a greater need for medical and health services, and therefore the Government should increase the provision for Health Services. We should also not be miserly in the provision for Social Welfare, so that the unfortunate people in our society can be better looked after and better cared for. These measures are not meant to encourage "parasites", but rather we have a social responsibility towards these unfortunate people. The provision for the Primary Production Department should also be increased so that more research work can be conducted to increase the supply of vegetables and meat in our country. We should also like to see a reduction in the prices of these items, thereby reducing the burden on our people. Mr Speaker, Sir, although there is an international trade recession, our external trade has performed exceptionally well, reaching the figure of over $20,000 million. This is indeed a glorious record. The fact that our external trade has been able to achieve such heights is due to the presence of a good harbour and our geographical position. In addition, the early introduction of containerisation and the increased efficiency in dealing with imports and exports are also basic factors. Besides excellent infrastructure and other essential facilities, the most important factor is the development of our industries and manufacturing. We must also improve the quality of our products so that we can compete in international markets. In order to achieve these objectives, our workers should work hard and constantly seek to improve the quality of their skills. However, Our workers should be adequately rewarded for being diligent and hard working, especially in a time of inflation.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support the financial policy presented by the Minister for Finance on the 4th of March. In this Budget, not only no new taxes are imposed but instead there are four tax reliefs or concessions which result in a reduction in revenue of about $9 million. In the midst of international inflation and general increase in the prices of commodities, and the oil crisis, the Minister for Finance has been able to present yet another painless budget. This is indeed rare and praiseworthy. Mr Speaker, Sir, the total sums in the Budget have shown an increase both in revenue and expenditure. This is a reflection of the satisfactory growth rates of our economy. For example, in terms of revenue, our total revenue is expected to reach the figure of $2,322,950,000 which represents an increase of $448,050,000. This is an appreciable increase and it goes to show that there has been satisfactory growth in such industries as manufacturing, ship-building and ship-repairing, tourism, and other services. The result is that revenue is showing constant increase and this is something which deserves praise. In terms of expenditure, Defence and Education represent the greatest. The large expenditure on Defence is necessary in order to establish a sound and efficient defence system to secure our sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity. Mr Speaker, Sir, the $300 million which is going to be spent on the Ministry of Education is to develop national education so that all our people will benefit from it. We cannot, therefore, criticise the expenditure provided for these two Ministries. However, there is only a small increase in expenditure for Health, Social Welfare, and Primary Production. This is not adequate.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I raised this question three months ago but I had no opportunity to raise any supplementary questions at all in this House. Now that three months have passed, I was hoping that the authorities concerned would pay more attention to this matter. But recently I notice that certain Government servants, particularly those in Division IV, are still sporting long hair. Even Police Inspectors are now sporting long hair. Can the Minister pay more attention to this matter?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether he is aware that the buses are emitting a lot of smoke, and whether the Singapore Bus Services Company is being penalised for running such smoky buses. Every day we see buses emitting black smoke. What measures are being taken by the Government to remedy this situation?”
“Sir, can the Minister say whether applications will be approved for those work permit holders who want to give up their work permits and who want to marry local citizens?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, although Singapore is a country without any rich natural resources, it is highly developed in commerce, industry and trade. Its population of more than two million depends entirely on its activities in commerce, trade and industry for its survival. Therefore, the laws relating to commerce, industry and trade should ensure that all activities concerning such matters are efficiently carried out. More important, they should seek to promote further development of such activities in order that the whole country and all its people can benefit even more. Mr Speaker, Sir, the introduction of this amendment Bill is a step in the right direction. It is a progressive piece of legislation, and ensures the proper control of business. This being the case, Sir, it is my hope that in implementing the provisions in this Bill, there should be simplification in the procedure as far as possible. For example, there is a provision in the Bill that business registration has to be renewed annually. In this respect, Sir, the procedure for renewal should be simplified as far as possible. It should be as simple as the renewal of television and radio licences. This is to ensure that minimum inconvenience is caused in respect of applications for renewal. There is another point to which I wish to draw the attention of the Minister. In the implementation of this Bill, what will be the position of non-residents and non-citizens? Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Sir, I would like to suggest to the Minister that those members who retire before reaching the age of 55 should be allowed to withdraw their CPF contributions for valid reasons. 4.29 p.m.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the purpose of the Central Provident Fund (Amendment) Bill is to make the implementation of the principal Act more effective in order to benefit all the workers. This is a very good amendment. Sir, the Minister in his speech mentioned that the total deposit in the CPF has now reached $1,500 million with a membership of 911,000. This is very significant. I would like to ask the Minister a few questions. Firstly, since the CPF Board has this large sum of money totalling $1,500 million, in what way will the CPF invest this money and what benefit or interest will be derived from the investment every year? Secondly, is the CPF Board prepared to raise the interest rate so that all the 911,000 members can enjoy better benefits? Thirdly, as we all know, the CPF Board is now constructing a new building. I would like to ask where does the money for this building project come from. Does it come from the Government or from the Fund itself? I have a suggestion to make to the Minister. For a long time, the rules of the CPF stipulate that only members of the Fund who read 55 years of age and retiring are qualified to withdraw their contributions from the CPF. But in my constituency there are certain people who are faced with financial difficulties because they have been retrenched and have retired before reaching 55 years of age. So they have a great need for funds. Therefore, they applied to the CPF for a withdrawal of funds or at least part of their contributions to repair their houses which are dilapidated, and for other purposes.”
“In my view the Ministry of Labour, which is now suffering from a shortage of staff, will find it difficult to conduct comprehensive inquiries into such cases. The Ministry of Labour must have adequate staff to ensure that proper inquiries are conducted, before they can submit their report to the Minister. If there is shortage of staff in the Ministry of Labour, delay is inevitable or the inquiry may be inadequate. This may result in the worker who is wrongfully dismissed not being able to enjoy the full protection of the law, and thereby could lose his employment because of such inadequacies. I would therefore like to remind the Minister concerned that more officers should be engaged to conduct these inquiries to ensure effective implementation of the provisions in the Act.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the introduction of this amendment Bill is, in my opinion, very timely in the present context of Singapore. These amendments will ensure that our workers will have better care and protection of the law. This is a progressive piece of legislation. Sir, it cannot be denied that in the past few years industrial relations in Singapore have improved considerably. The number of strikes has been reduced visibly and most, if not all, of the industrial disputes have been referred to the Labour Ministry or the Industrial Arbitration Court for reasonable or peaceful settlement. This is something that is very encouraging. In this amendment Bill there are also provisions which are favourable to the workers, particularly the female employees. There is a clear-cut provision in the law to ensure that all female employees in Singapore will enjoy equal rights. Of course, I am referring to the maternity leave benefits which will be extended from the female workmen to all female employees. This is only right and proper, because more and more women in entering the labour market are engaged in the factories. According to my estimate, about 30 per cent of the workers in Singapore are female. So it is only reasonable that all female employees should enjoy the same rights and benefits. Mr Speaker, Sir, several Members of the House have spoken on this Bill. They have touched on the question of wrongful dismissal and the remedy available to workers who are wrongfully dismissed. They have suggested that there should be proper inquiries to ascertain whether a worker has been wrongfully dismissed, and, if so, to ensure that such a worker is reinstated. But it is not easy to find out whether a worker has been wrongfully dismissed or not.”
“Therefore, we should consider giving citizenship to bachelors. Otherwise, it seems that we are encouraging them to marry and to have many children.”
“Sir, I am not satisfied with one of the reasons given by the Minister. I hope the Minister will reconsider the reason. At the moment we are encouraging small families. We do not encourage more than two children in the family.”
“Sir, I would like to ask a supplementary question. What is the meaning of "no family roots in Singapore"?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, firstly, I would like to express my congratulations to the Minister for the success he has achieved through his department in the implementation of the metric system. The Minister just now mentioned the adoption and completion of metrication programmes by various departments. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is prepared in the coming weeks to introduce metrication to the taxi services. The second question is, whether the Minister is aware that certain retailers have not yet adopted the metric system. Can the Minister see to it that retailers do not try to cheat the public when measuring out the goods to the public? If such cases are found out, what measures will the Minister adopt to deal with such retailers?”
“The third question is, after the setting up of the Industrial Training Board, what kind of industrial and technical training courses will be available, and how many students will be recruited into these various courses?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 81. This allocation is for various projects of the Industrial Training Board, to train and produce more technical and industrial personnel to meet the needs of our industries. The setting up of the Industrial Training Board is a very good move. In this respect, perhaps we may be faced with the difficulty of obtaining suitable technical teachers. At the moment the factories are in urgent need of trained and skilled technicians, and have offered attractive pay for such people. I raise this question now so that the Minister concerned will be able to give his attention to the problem in advance, that is, the pay and treatment accorded to the technical teachers. It seems that their salary is lower than that of the technicians in the factories. I am afraid the experienced and trained teachers in this Industrial Training School may be absorbed into the factories. So I hope the Minister will raise their salary at least equal to that of the skilled technicians employed in the factories. The second point is about the long hair problem. This has been mentioned when we debated on the Ministry of Home Affairs, but I would like to raise it again. We have a certain training course under the joint industry-Government training scheme, and many of the trainees are sporting long hair. The Ministry concerned with this scheme does not seem to have given any instructions to these trainees to cut their hair short. I do not know whether this is the responsibility of the school principal concerned, or whether it is the responsibility of someone else.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his detailed reply. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 11. Here, the sum allocated is $1,500,000 for the development of the ETV-CEPTA Complex. I would like to ask the Minister for Education when will construction of this complex begin and when is it expected to be completed. What kind of facilities will be provided in this complex, and what improvements will there be in respect of ETV?”
“Sir, in view of the Minister of State's fairly good reply, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“If we want a student to have a firm impression of what he has studied in the day, then it is necessary to give him the opportunity to revise in the evening. So if we can telecast it again in the evening, the parents will be able to supervise them. 4.15 p.m. The impression will be better if the students are given the opportunity to see the programmes again in the evening. We know that very often they forget what they have learned. The Ministers are all bright and learned people. So I would like to know whether it is possible to telecast these programmes in the evenings. I think this is a very good programme. Another point I would like to raise is since we are spending a few hundred thousand dollars every year, therefore we must get some returns from this expenditure. Has the Ministry of Education made any study to assess the returns we get from the provision of this service?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2081. Sir, Educational Television has been established for a few years now. The main purpose of ETV is to raise the efficiency of teaching in the schools. ETV is indeed a good method of teaching and its programmes are a very useful medium of instruction. In this respect, I have some questions to ask the Minister concerned. First the telecast time seems to be rather short and limited, and it cannot therefore achieve as much as it should. For example, the various classes in the primary schools have only seven programmes for the whole term, and each programme is only for 15 minutes. This is too short. The various classes include Primaries I, II, III, and V. Primaries IV and VI, however, do not have any ETV programmes, and this seems to give good treatment on the one hand and yet not well enough on the other. What is the reason for this discrepancy? Why are there no good television programmes for Primaries IV and VI? Is it because there is a shortage of teaching materials for Primaries IV and VI? If there is a shortage, by all means proceed to acquire the relevant and necessary materials for the benefit of the Primaries IV and VI students. In addition to increasing the telecast time for ETV programmes, I wonder whether the Minister for Education can consult the Minister for Culture, who is present here now - after all, television is under the Ministry of Culture-as to whether it is possible to telecast part of the ETV programmes in the evening. But if the Minister says that this is not really necessary because we have to let the pupils have some rest or recreation in the evenings, then I say that if this is what he thinks, it is wrong.”
“Lastly, Sir, I would like the Minister to consider setting up an HSC class for Sembawang High School or in my constituency. There are three secondary schools in my constituency, but there is not a single school running HSC classes. So my constituents will have to go out of my constituency to attend HSC classes. I think the setting up of at least one HSC class is justified because there are at present three secondary schools in my constituency.”
“I hope the Minister will consider this, and ask for more funds to be allocated for the next financial year to recruit more teachers. (6) We come to the promotion of teachers. This has been widely publicised recently, and it gives encouragement to the teachers. The promotion prospects for teachers will be an incentive for them to work harder and with stronger dedication. But there has been also dissatisfaction.”