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 Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.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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“May I ask how much pocket money is being given to the old people in the Homes? Is there any provision made for an increase in pocket money for these people?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1002 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (*The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Sim Boon Woo and P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, the Government has all along been paying adequate attention to the welfare of the poor people. We have allocated millions of dollars every year in the form of welfare aid for the aged and the destitute to ensure that they are able to keep body and soul together in a comfortable way. All these are very good measures and worthy of our comment. 5.30 p.m. But recently I have received complaints from certain quarters that in the administration of the public assistance scheme, applications have not been processed quickly enough. I hope the Minister will look into this matter to improve its administration. The next complaint is on the necessity for the recipients to queue up for the collection of public assistance allowances every month. The recipients have to wait for a very long time for their money as the queue is very long. This is because there is only one centre for the payment of public assistance allowances. I think some administrative improvement can be made, and I hope the Minister will take steps to remedy the situation. Next, I would like to ask the Minister how many public assistance recipients were on the register last year and what was the total amount paid out? Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a complaint that the food provided in the Homes for the Aged is not palatable. Is it possible to improve the quality of food so that when the aged inmates finally go to the happy hunting ground they would at least be satisfied with the quality of the food provided? The cost of living has risen in Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has given a detailed reply. He has promised to take the necessary measures to improve the efficiency of the Bureau, and I therefore beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1171. Sir, the Legal Aid Bureau was set up to help the great number of labouring class of workers in legal matters so that they will get a fair deal. Recently I received a number of complaints about the way the Legal Aid Bureau has been dealing with their affairs. The Bureau seems to be very slow in the conduct of its affairs. It sometimes takes as long as six months to a year before any matter can be dealt with completely. Why is this the case? Is it because of the short-age of legal officers? If this is so, then it should employ more legal officers. Or is it because of the inefficiency of the Bureau? I hope the Minister will investigate the matter and take immediate measures to remedy the situation. I would also like to ask the Minister how many cases were dealt with by the Legal Aid Bureau in 1972.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has given a very detailed and clear answer to the queries. He has taken, I think, about one hour to answer all of them. I understand a lot of what he has said, and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Tay Boon Too - (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1005.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we all have heard what you have ruled. So what else is there to say?”
“I think the Parliamentary Secretary is talking something which is quite irrelevant to what we are discussing here. I think we should have a fair view here. We are talking about how we are going to promote sports more effectively. But what he has been talking about is irrelevant. He is trying to show his capability that he was a second grade sportsman in his school days. He is trying to show off his ability. I wonder what he has in mind. I am a bit puzzled here. I regret very much.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Parliamentary Secretary is talking rubbish! Mr Fong Sip Chee: Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek your ruling on the last remark of the Member for Sembawang as to whether or not it is parliamentary?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this is quite irrelevant to what we are talking about.”
“This is also one way to promote tourism. Thirdly, we should publicise through Radio and TV the sports events. In this way, we can inform our people better. At the same time we should prepare our athletes well so that they can win laurels for our country in the Games. 2.45 p.m.”
“It has only concentrated its attention on soccer. It appears that the NSPB has neglected to promote other sports like badminton, basket-ball, volley ball, field and track events, judo, and others. If it is so, I hope the Minister can rectify the matter. Sir, 1973 is undoubtedly an important year in our sports history because the SEAP Games will be held in Singapore in September this year. In addition to playing our part as the host country, we should also be able to ensure that our athletes put up a good performance in order to qualify for participation in these Games. I would therefore like to ask the Minister whether he has started any intensive training courses for our athletes to raise their standards. The other matter I wish to mention is that not enough publicity has been given to these Games. And very little has been done in respect of promotion or readiness for the Games. I feel it is not enough to have just a few posters pasted at the back of buses as advertisements. It is our glory that these Games will be held in our country. So the National Sports Promotion Board should publicise early so as to enable our people to be aware of this important event and the NSPB should also put in more effort to get the people to support the Games. Sir, I would like to give some suggestions to the Minister for his consideration. Firstly, a magazine should be published to introduce the sportsmen of the various countries who come here to participate in the Games. Our local newspapers can also do this. In this way, our athletes and sportsmen will be better prepared. Secondly, the NSPB should prepare in advance the various souvenirs, gifts, and awards depicting our national characteristics so as to give a good impression on the competitors from abroad.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 1001 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, the National Sports Promotion Board, under the Ministry of Social Affairs, has the great responsibility of promoting sports. In recent years, the NSPB has done a lot in this respect. We have seen a lot of sports activities being carried out because of its efforts. For instance, under the auspices of NSPB last year, we conducted the first soccer competition among the various constituencies and also a basketball tournament. All these had been very successfully organised. However, the NSPB still has much to do to further improve sports activities. Firstly, since the responsibility of the NSPB is to promote and raise the standard of sports, it should go all out. For instance, in badminton we were well known in the past. But our standards have fallen "10,000 feet" down, and are still on the decline. Every time our players took part in badminton competitions, they scored Nil. And for basketball or soccer matches too, the score was Nil; if it was not a chicken's egg, then it was a duck's egg. So as the NSPB is the nerve centre for sports promotion and as the Government has allocated large sums of money for this purpose to make our next generation a rugged one, the NSPB should live up to its name by not letting the people down, but give them confidence and hope that it will succeed. Sir, I would like to ask the Minister what has the NSPB done or achieved since its inception to raise the standard of sports. I regret to say that it has done nothing. It seems that the NSPB has not paid enough attention to promote sports and games in the last two years.”
“Yes. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, * That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1751. (* See footnote, col. 771) Film shows are one of the most popular forms of entertainment and recreation for the masses. The film industry has made a great profit, which may amount to millions of dollars. Since our people have spent so much money on film shows, they deserve to get back something for what they have paid, that is to say, the films the people see should be healthy and meaningful. However, I regret to say that the films shown in recent years have been bloody. They are violent, nonsensical and meaningless to the audience. Some of the films depict sex, and the pornographic art. These films have deleterious effects on the minds of the people. They also have an adverse effect on the morals of the people. Many parents now realise that they should guide their children along the right path. They feel that it is difficult to get films which are healthy for their children. In recent days we have read in the newspapers about juvenile delinquency. There was a case when two teenage boys robbed a couple at a bus station. One even kissed the girl and tried to assault her. This incident did not occur without any reason. I think it is the result of bad social influence. The other reason may be due to the deleterious effects of films depicting sex and violence. In view of the harm that is being done by these films, the Board of Film Censors should take positive action to ban these films. The Ministry of Culture should encourage the showing of more healthy and educative films so that the general mass of the people can enjoy healthy films which will be of benefit to them. In this way, our society will be more peaceful and secure.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, this provision of $2.9 million is for the development of colour TV. I recall that during last year's debate on the Budget, I talked about this matter too. The Minister told me then that he had plans to implement colour TV. 1 am very glad that in this year's Estimates, he has very quickly and rapidly provided for the expenditure of this item. This goes to show that the Minister is doing his job efficiently. We know that colour TV has already been introduced in other South-east Asian countries. As a financial centre of South-east Asia and as a country with a high level of culture and education, Singapore should not lag behind other countries. We should catch up with other countries and provide this service for the benefit of our people. What I want to raise now is in two parts. Firstly, under this provision of $2.9 million, what sort of plans are in hand? Can the Minister give us some details of the various plans? Secondly, the Minister told us last year that colour TV would take three to five years to implement. I think that is rather slow. I would like to ask the Minister when can we actually implement colour TV programme.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am quite satisfied with the Minister's reply. What he has said is quite logical. He is sincere and quite moderate in his views. Of course, the Minister himself was formerly associated with cultural activities. He is very sharp with his pen. He has fought against colonialism. I am sure he is capable of leading our country in establishing distinguished cultural traditions, so that Singapore will become the cultural oasis of Southeast Asia. I hope he will practise what he preaches. I also hope his Ministry will do something for our local writers and that an indoor music hall will be built by next year. Sir, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Yeo Choo Kok - (2) That the sum to be allocated for head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1003.”
“This kind of programme should be continued and promoted and the contents of these concerts should be enriched to bring culture to the people and to ensure that the broad masses of the people can also enjoy cultural programmes. I hope the Ministry will revive the programme of holding concerts in the rural areas.”
“Sir, radio and television command a large audience. And the radio and TV programmes will therefore certainly have a great impact on the audience. If the programmes on TV and radio are of an educative nature, the people will get not only entertainment hut also education at the same time, if the programmes put up by Radio and Television Singapore are nothing more than decadent music about love and so on, and a lot of fuss which they call "comic sketches", then such programmes will be of no value to the audience. Instead, they will have a bad effect on the young audience or viewers. I am not denying the fact that there are good programmes broadcast by RTS. I am just making a fair comment. There are, of course, good programmes such as Youth Festival, and the various programmes on forums, reports and reviews, and "What's Happening in Singapore", and a host of others. But very few such programmes are broadcast or televised. I think programmes of this nature should be increased both in scope and in volume so that those farcical programmes can be reduced to a minimum. Sir, sometime ago in order to promote cultural exchanges, the Ministry of Culture sent a cultural delegation to Adelaide, and this was well acclaimed overseas. It is a good plan to send cultural troupes overseas. It will give encouragement to our local artistes and will also promote cultural understanding between countries. I would like to ask the Minister for Culture whether there are any plans to send cultural delegations overseas this year. The Ministry of Culture has conducted healthy and sound cultural activities such as concerts at grass-root level in the rural areas. But this programme was stopped. I do not know for what reason.”
“Secondly, the writers are not able to write on a full-time basis even with the necessary encouragement. So if assistance can be given in this field, I am sure the situation will improve. Sir, in the field of music, the Ministry of Culture should also do more promotional work. In this respect, the National Theatre under the Ministry of Culture should set up a National Symphony Orchestra. At the moment, there is a Chinese orchestra in the National Theatre. With the setting up of a National Symphony Orchestra, we can have better performance at our national functions or festival occasions. On this point, when the Minister of Defence opened the Seiwen Japanese Garden at Jurong, he made an appeal for the setting up of a National Symphony Orchestra. He said that this was an important and urgent matter, and I endorse his view. A National Symphony Orchestra will be of great importance for Singapore in the inculcation of music consciousness among the people and the attraction of tourists. The Ministry of Culture has done a great deal in the promotion of cultural activities such as the organisation of Music for Everyone, concerts and other activities. But the performances are limited and the effect has not been so wide. I hope that the Ministry of Culture will give encouragement to local music groups or give them financial assistance for the purchase of musical instruments and for expenses incurred in rehearsals. At the same time, the Ministry of Culture can also encourage cultural activities in the various schools by making arrangements for school children to perform at the National Theatre or for Radio and TV. In this way, the younger generation will be given the necessary encouragement to form a successor to our cultural effort.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0901 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead l001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ho Kah Leong.) Sir, culture and art have a very important influence on the life of a people. A country must have flourishing cultural and artistic activities to enrich the spiritual life of the people. It is only then that the people will be encouraged spiritually to take part in other endeavours for the interest of the country and the society. Sir, in the field of culture and artistic activities, there have been a number of foreign cultural delegations performing in Singapore, such as the Russian and the North Korean dance troupes and so on. They have achieved a very high standard of the performing art. They provided our people with an eyeful of what cultural life is like in other countries. The Ministry of Culture has done its part in the promotion and the development of culture and art. It is the responsibility of the Ministry of Culture to develop the fine traditions of culture, art, music, painting and other literary works. Encouragement must be given in all these fields to ensure that activities of this nature will flourish in Singapore. At the same time, the Ministry of Culture should formulate a definite policy on culture for the development of culture in Singapore. For example, a publication bureau or a publishing house should be established to encourage local writers to have their work published. This is one of the concrete forms of encouragement for local writers who can be encouraged to write works of local content. There are many causes for the low level of publications in Singapore. It includes, firstly, the fact that publishers are not willing to publish local works.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has answered my question satisfactorily, and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 20. Sir, mechanisation of the Public Cleansing Services is given a provision half as much more than last year's Estimates. I do not know what type of equipment will be necessary for these services. But what I would like to bring to the notice of the Minister is that the refuse, that is being dumped in bins for daily collection by this Service, is not collected daily because the refuse vehicles cannot enter into these areas. Hand-carts cannot go through these lorongs and lanes because they are damaged, as for example, the roads and lanes in Kampung Kembangan. These hand-carts collect refuse from only five or six houses where the refuse is being thrown. These workers find difficulty in pushing their hand-carts because they are so full of rubbish. Moreover, the roads are not properly surfaced. Such places which are inaccessible to lorries and hand-carts should be improved. House owners pay for such cleansing services every month, whether the refuse is collected or not. Therefore, 1 feel that people who send their refuse to rubbish dumps elsewhere should be exempted from paying for this service. 3.45 p.m.”
“The hawkers had to stop their business on the instructions of the Ministry concerned. The livelihood of these hawkers was badly affected. Although they were given assistance by the Social Welfare Department, it was only given as a token of sympathy by the Government. It was far from sufficient to meet the needs of their families. I urge the Minister for the Environment to take steps to provide a hawkers centre in the Kampung Kembangan area so that such an epidemic would not happen again.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0801 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 19*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi.) Sir, our Government has done all it can to look after the welfare of our hawkers. Hawkers were formerly under the control of the Ministry of Health, but now that they come under the control of the Ministry of the Environment, many new measures have been introduced, for example, the resiting of hawkers, and issuing of licences to hawkers to enable them to carry out their business in hawkers centres. These hawkers now ply only on one side of the road, whereas previously they used to ply on both sides. This has helped to ease traffic congestion. We have also built hawkers centres, for example, near Newton Circus, 6th m.s. Bukit Timah. All these are very good measures for the benefit of the hawkers. In the current Estimates, there is a provision of $5 million for development and improvement to markets and hawkers' sites. I would like to ask the Minister two questions concerning this provision. Firstly, where will the new hawkers' sites be? I know there is one in Sembawang; so I am not going to ask one for Sembawang, but for other areas. Yesterday the Minister said that other areas will be looked after too. So where will the new hawkers' sites be? Secondly, what are the old markets that are going to be developed and improved? Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi (Kampung Kembangan)(In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, during the cholera epidemic 2 1/2 years ago, the area that was affected by cholera was Kampung Kembangan and its neighbourhood. According to a statement of the Ministry of Health at that time, the condition of the stalls was poor.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his detailed reply, and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $2,356,390 for Head 0706 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $1,343,000 for Head 0706 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Pursuant to a resolution of the House, Mr Deputy Speaker thereupon left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“In view of this, I hope the officers in charge will adopt a more sympathetic attitude when testing new cars, and not just apply the regulations in a very strict manner, thus causing suffering on the part of the car owners. The second matter relates to the inspection of taxis which is being carried out even more strictly. Taxi drivers have to send their taxis for inspection at the ROV when certain parts of the taxis are found to have corroded or when certain parts need replacement or repair. They cannot get through the test as the procedure is also very strict. Hence they do not get approval. Therefore, this brings about great difficulties to the taxi drivers because their income is reduced as they have to send their taxis for inspection again. I hope the Minister can consider their case sympathetically and apply a certain measure of flexibility to help them clear the inspection tests.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0706 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs J. F. Conceicao, Sim Boon Woo and P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, the Registry of Vehicles undeniably is a very busy department because it takes charge of nearly 470,000 motor vehicles. Its function involves the registration of motor vehicles, the collection of road taxes and the registration or transfer of motor vehicles, inspection of taxis, and other related work, in the past, when this Department was under the Lim Yew Hock Government, it was one of the departments most criticised by the public because the supervision of work was in a mess at that time. However, ever since our Party came to power we have tried our best to improve the running of this department. It cannot be denied now that this department is run more efficiently and output has been raised to a greater extent. Also there is improvement all round. However, there is still room for further improvement. Sir, there are two matters which I would like to raise with the Minister. I hope he will look into them. Firstly, there are many people who have complained that when they send their vehicles to the Registry of Vehicles for inspection, the inspection has been too strict. Certain new vehicles after testing have been found to emit too much smoke. Even new vehicles cannot pass the test, and have to go through various tests again. After several days they still cannot be passed. I do not deny that at the moment we are carrying out the anti-pollution campaign which involves paying close attention to the possibility of doing away with vehicles which emit too much smoke. But all cars will emit smoke to a certain extent.”
“Sir, the Minister has given us a very good reply. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0705 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 2016.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0705 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (*The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs P. Govindaswamy and Ng Kah Ting.) Sir, may I first congratulate the Minister for in the past year the Postal Services Department has shown a tremendous improvement in efficiency. This is because I have raised many criticisms last year in the House. Only when there is criticism can there be progress and improvement. The number of letters handled by the Postal Services Department comes to millions. The Postal Services Department is efficient and letters for local delivery are received on the same day. Very seldom do we find letters misplaced. This is a sign that the efficiency is pretty high. I would like to put forward a suggestion for the consideration of the Minister. Can he consider setting up a small post office in Kampung Tengah, 15 m.s., Sembawang? There are about 10,000 people living in the four kampungs in that area. The only place they can go to now is the post office at the third milestone, which is about two miles away from the kampungs. So if the residents can go to this suggested post office in Kampung Tengah, which will be nearer their homes, it will be so much more convenient for them. I am sure that the expenses involved in building the post office will not be very much. We need perhaps one clerk and one jaga.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 34. Sir, the provision here is $2 million for the construction of a new sub-terminal building. I would like to ask the Minister when will construction of this building commence. On completion, what sort of better services will be provided?”
“In view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 32. Sir, the provision for the New Air Freight Terminal is $1 million, which is a considerable sum of money. I would like to ask the Minister whether this project has commenced and, if so, when is the completion date? On completion, what sort of services will this Terminal provide? 6.45 p.m.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr Ng Kah Ting - (4) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 he reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 23.”
“Sir, the Minister has not answered my query. Perhaps he was not paying attention when I spoke on the amendment. All I want to know is when will the extension work begin, and when will it be completed. It is a very simple question, and I have not got an answer yet.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 22*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ong Teng Cheong.) Sir, this is an allocation for the extension to the Airport runway from 3,350 metres to 4,020 metres, and it amounts to $4.5 million. This is an indication of further improvement to our Airport. I would like to raise one question under this amendment. When will work on the extension be commenced, and when will it be completed? 6.30 p.m.”
“Sir, I am glad to get a very reasonable answer from the Minister. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1431. In the absence of Mr P. Govindaswamy, the amendment was not proceeded with.”
“If the operators of taxis are given some office space, then there is some fairness. In fact, there should be no discrimination between the two types of operators. I hope the Minister will look into this matter and ensure that there is no discrimination. There should be fair competition between the taxis and SZ cars for hire. We must allow both services to operate on an equal footing for a fair competition. The next point concerns the handling of luggage at the Airport. Sir, recently I have received a number of complaints from tourists. Some of them are my friends. They have complained that the handling of luggage at the Airport is still inefficient and slow. Passengers arriving at the Airport have to wait for half an hour before they can collect their luggage. The Minister has said that that is not the case. Perhaps he should send special investigators there to look into the matter. If the handling of luggage is too slow, it will affect tourism in Singapore. The tourists will get a bad impression of Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0703 he reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.) Sir, I would like to raise two questions under this amendment. First, it is the matter of taxi services at the Paya Lebar Airport. Secondly, it is the slowness of the terminal services at the Airport. Mr Speaker, Sir, Paya Lebar Airport is one of the busiest, if not the busiest, airports in Southeast Asia. Everyday many tourists come to Singapore through the Singapore International Airport. 6.22 p.m. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] Therefore, more taxis should be made available at the Airport for the convenience of tourists. Sir, at present there are about 200 taxis operating between the City and the Airport for the convenience of tourists and others. So far the services rendered by these 200 taxis are quite satisfactory. However, I would like to mention that I have received a complaint from the Taxi Drivers' Association. The Association applied to the Director of Civil Aviation for an office space at the Airport so that better services could be provided for the tourists. However, this application was turned down by the Airport management. There is, however, an office for operators of SZ vehicles which are for hire to tourists. Since both the SZ cars and taxis are meant for the convenience of tourists, how is it that operators of SZ cars for hire have been given an office space whilst operators of taxis have not been given any office space? In fact, I would say that the taxi drivers provide a more important service to the tourists. I wonder why the officer-in-charge of the Singapore International Airport did not approve the application of the Taxi Drivers' Association.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Minister has replied to the queries in great detail. I agree with him that the reorganisation of the public bus services is a very great task indeed. The Ministry of Communications has done its part, and the Minister has also admitted that the reorganisation is still going on. It is not yet completed. I hope that his Ministry will put in more effort to complete the reorganisation of the bus services in the shortest possible time. If he can undertake to do that, I will withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The following amendment stood in the names of Messrs J. F. Conceicao and Ng Kah Ting: (2) That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 11.”
“Other than the fact that the lines are engaged, what is the explanation for my not being able to get through a line after dialling the first digit? I hope the Minister will look into the causes of these breakdowns in our telephone service.”
“But bad impression is created for tourists because of these disputes. It is my view that the Ministry concerned should hold consultations with the unions of bus workers and the Association of Bus Employers for the general improvement of the services provided by the bus workers. We can hold courtesy campaigns and training courses for the bus workers. Mr Speaker, Sir, the next point I wish to raise is the improvement of telephone services. Generally speaking, telephones arc a common feature in Singapore. They are even available in the rural areas. However, the popularity of telephones in Singapore does not mean that our telephone services are efficient. We all have this experience, Sir. Very often, we cannot get through a call because of some faulty lines, particularly when a call is being made to Government Ministries, for example, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Education, or even the Ministry of Communications itself. We have a Ministry of Communications which cannot be communicated with! Sometimes when I try to put a call through to these Ministries, it would take me more than half an hour to do so. As the Member for Sembawang, I have to make a number of calls every day in order to get in touch with either the branch officials or the Management Committee members of the Citizens' Consultative Committee because many matters have to be attended to. Very often I have tried to get a call through for half an hour and even then I might not get through. After dialling 5-0, I cannot get beyond that number. In some other instances, I cannot get through when I dial the last digit. It may well be that the line is engaged. But sometimes before I could complete dialling the number, I would not get the proper signal.”
“Or is it because buses are too old and the engines are not in good condition? I hope the Minister will take measures to improve this situation. 4.45 p.m. Thirdly, we should take immediate steps to ensure that the over-aged buses are replaced. I remember that in April 1971 when the White Paper on the Reorganisation of the Motor Transport Service was published, the Minister explained in great detail how a time-table would be provided in which old buses would be replaced gradually. Every year a certain number of old buses would be replaced according to a time-table. But in spite of that time-table we still see old "bone-shakers" on the road. There are many breakdowns of old buses on the road, and some bus drivers would just put a triangular Safety sign at the tail-end of the bus and walk off leaving the bus behind for display. As a result of such breakdowns, traffic congestion is frequently seen on the road. I hope the Minister can tell this House whether the replacement of old buses has been carried out according to the time-table, which is to ensure that old buses are replaced completely in due course, thereby improving our public bus services. Fourthly, Sir, the attitude of bus conductors should be improved. We have read in the newspapers many complaints about the trouble between bus conductors and passengers. Many people have written to the newspapers to complain that there is discourtesy on the part of bus conductors. Of course, explanations have been given by the bus conductors, and there have also been accusations by bus conductors against passengers. We are not arbiters in such disputes. In any case, it is bad to hear of disputes and trouble between bus conductors and passengers, no matter who is right or wrong. It may be due to some misunderstanding.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0701 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs Cheong Yuen Chee, Ong Teng Cheong and Ho Kah Leong.). Sir, I would like to raise two matters: (1) improvement to bus services in Singapore; and (2) improvement to electrification programmes. On the question of public bus services, Sir, it cannot be denied that after the reorganisation of the motor transport service two years ago, there has been considerable improvement. For example, the routes of the bus services have been extended to cut down the necessity to change buses. These are very good measures. But in spite of all these improvements, there are still some shortcomings which merit our attention. Firstly, buses fail to keep to their schedule. We have received many complaints from the public about this, and I myself have seen that at many bus stops there are always crowds. The complaints are that a lot of people have to wait for more than half an hour for a bus, resulting in their being late for work. At other times, half a dozen or more buses will arrive at the same time, as if they are on a rampage, thus causing traffic congestion. This is a serious situation, and it is my hope that the Minister will take immediate and effective measures to remedy this. Secondly, there are many accidents involving buses. Over the past year, we can see that the number of accidents involving buses is increasing. Many people have been injured or even killed on the roads because of such accidents. Mr Speaker, Sir, what are the causes for such an increase in the accident rate? Is it because of the poor driving of the bus drivers, or because of lack of experience, or because of some other reasons?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think the Minister's reply is reasonable as we feel that there is a shortage of skilled workers. It is my hope that the Factory Inspectorate will get the necessary staff to enforce the rules and regulations more effectively against industrial accidents, so that we need not have to talk about industrial accidents any more next year. On this note, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“It is my hope that the Minister will consider a further relaxation of the requirement for work permits in respect of clerical staff and shop assistants so as to help these shopkeepers.”
“The number of factories was then very small, around 300 to 400 factories. But now we have some 2,000 factories in Singapore. In spite of this increase in the number of factories, the number of factory inspectors still remained at 20. How can this number be enough? Because of this gross under-staffing, a lot of Labour regulations cannot be enforced or implemented. This shortage of staff should be overcome. Are we going to allow this shortage to carry on and do nothing about it? No. We can recruit more inspectors. Is there any problem about the salary or the terms of the conditions? There should be no problem because the number is small, only 20. We have a surplus of some $20 million. So, to increase the number of factory inspectors will only mean increasing our burden by a very small degree. I hope the Minister will recruit more factory inspectors to go on rounds in the factories to enforce the rules and regulations, and to ensure that old machines are not allowed to be used any more. Employers must be held responsible for the continued use of old and inefficient machines. It is only then that industrial safety measures can be implemented properly. Secondly, the question of relaxation of requirements for work permits. Although there has been some improvement in recent years, this improvement is only in respect of the building construction industry. So a review has to be made in other respects. For example, shopkeepers and clerks are still in short supply because of this over-restrictive requirement for work permits. As a result of this, some shops for example, barber shops and coffeeshops are still shorthanded.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0601 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (*The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy.). Sir, I would like to raise two matters: (1) how to prevent industrial accidents, and (2) relaxation of the requirements for work permits. Because of the rapid development of our industrialisation programme all these years, industrial accidents have been on the increase recently. Workers are either injured, disabled or have lost their lives. The Government has taken various steps to prevent industrial accidents, but the situation still remains the same. In fact, in spite of the various measures taken by the Ministry of Labour, industrial accidents are still on the increase. According to statistics given by the Ministry of Labour, over the past ten years industrial accidents resulting in death increased by 258, and the number of workers involved in nonfatal accidents increased by 500 per cent. What are the causes for all these increases? We must find them out and take preventive measures. According to an explanation given by the Minister, one of the reasons for these accidents is that the Factory Inspectorate is still under-staffed, and as a result, inspections cannot be carried out extensively, and that there is really very little that can be done to improve the situation. Last week, during the debate on the Budget statement, the Minister for Labour revealed that the Factory Inspectorate has a staff of only 20 members. This number may have remained the same for the past ten years. This is a very unsatisfactory state of affairs. We know that ten years ago our industrial development was still in the initial stages.”
“Sir, in view of the detailed reply given by the Minister to my satisfaction, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated to Head 0501 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001. Sir, after the independence of our country, we have actively pursued a policy of non-alignment and neutrality, maximised the number of friends and minimised the number of enemies. This is the fundamental of our foreign policy. As a result of this policy, we have established diplomatic relations with many countries in the world and have maintained very close relations with many of them. We have built up our reputation in international circles. This is the result not only of the policy of the Government, but also the result of the performance of our knowledgeable and learned Minister for Foreign Affairs. The implementation of our foreign policy has been very smooth and has met with no obstacles whatsoever. In recent years, we can say we have been very busy in our foreign activities. For example, the Prime Minister went to Europe and Thailand; the Minister for Foreign Affairs went to India and Sri Lanka for State visits. In all these visits they have accomplished their mission and our country has been able to further strengthen and consolidate relations with these countries. Now there is peace in Vietnam and international relations have progressed further. I would like to ask the Minister, in view of this development, whether our foreign policy will be modified. I would also like to ask: now that there is peace in Vietnam, in what direction will our foreign policy be taking? Will there be any basic change? What are the new diplomatic missions to be established in foreign countries to further strengthen the relations between these countries and Singapore?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as the Minister has given us a constructive reply, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave withdrawn. The sum of $448,550,790 for Head 0401 ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $65,338,000 for' Head 0401 ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head 0501 --”
“When we deal with applications like this, I suggest that the Department concerned should give their sympathetic consideration. Secondly, for those who are studying abroad, we should either relax the conditions for national service or we grant them deferment. The parents of these students have paid a deposit with the Government to guarantee that their children will return to serve national service when they are required to do so. This is, of course, a reasonable arrangement. Some of these students, after graduation, may be granted scholarships and would therefore like to proceed for another year or two to do post-graduate research. The parents of these students therefore apply for deferment of national service for their children, and I hope the Minister will also give such cases his sympathetic consideration. These graduates will be able to contribute more for the country when they have further equipped themselves with qualifications, and I hope the Minister will help them to fulfil their wishes. There is another case where two brothers have received call-up notices. As both brothers are called up, the family will be affected to a great extent. Their parents have applied for deferment or exemption for one of the boys until the other boy has at least completed his national service, so that this arrangement will not affect whatever business the parents have. This will help the family to carry on. I think requests of this nature are reasonable, and the Minister should therefore consider them sympathetically.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0401 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. (* The same amendment also stood in the names of Mr P. Govindaswamy and Tuan Haji Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi.). Sir, the Ministry of Defence, in a very short space of time, has done a great deal for the defence of our country. Our young people in the national service understand the problems of our country and they have actively taken part in the national service to shoulder the responsibility of defending our country. Since this task has now been established on a firm basis, we should now proceed with lesser speed. On this point of view, I remember that at the opening of this Parliament, when the President delivered his speech, he mentioned that we can now proceed with the task of nation building and defence at our own pace. The sum to be allocated now is $65 million for development. It is only half that of last year. This is a good trend. For this reason, I would like to make two suggestions for the Minister to consider. First of all, relax the applications for part-time national service. There are some people who have to provide for their families. Some of them may be graduates and they are very much required both by the Government and, the private sector. May I quote an example? There is a hawker for soft drinks. Because of ill-health (he was suffering from high blood pressure) his business was carried on by his children. However, his son was called up for national service last year. This particular hawker, that is the father, applied to Central Manpower Base for his son to do part-time national service. The reason he gave was that his health was failing and that he could not look after his business. Unfortunately, his application was rejected.”