Toh Chin Chye
Singapore
“--- And meet their friends. I do not know. How do we go about it? Supposing we have an impasse. We cannot find anyone who is willing to take on the job of the President. It is a lonely job, yes. I have no ambitions to be called "His Excellency".”
“28 also provides that if the Government is going to change the Constitution in order to modify the powers of the President, he must go and seek a mandate from the people twice (not once, but twice) - first,in a general election and win a two-thirds majority, come back to this House, change the Constitution, and then take the amendment bac…”
“The Minister has not made it quite clear what is tax avoidance, what are the examples of tax avoidance that he would like to close. The Comptroller of Income Tax no doubt has many cases on his hand. If the public, who are paying taxes, are given to know what is legitimate and what is illegitimate, then I think they would be more at ease.”
“It will be invidious for special legislation to be passed for companies that provide essential services so that Government control over them can be maintained.”
“For a whole family to lose their property just because of the act of one is unjust. It is similar to what happened during the days of the Emergency in Malaya when whole villages were resettled because a few were deemed to have collaborated with the Malayan Communist Party. It is exactly the same principle.”
“And, of course, on the HDB side, its accounts will show a deficit because it has to pay high interest, or vast amounts of money in terms of interest, back to the Government. Yesterday the Member for Rochore pointed out to this House the sum of $8.8 billion which was loaned by the Government to the HDB.”
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“These powers are vested in the Director of Medical Services and his officers, and the proposed amendments are to enable the Director of Medical Services to delegate powers to control hawkers and stalls to a statutory body or statutory bodies as and when it is found necessary. Two sections only of the Ordinance are amended, i.e., section 77 which relates to stalls, and section 78 which relates to itinerant hawkers. These two sections of the Ordinance empower officers to arrest, serve notices and impound properties and articles which are put up for sale by unlicensed stall holders and hawkers. The important amendment is given as an additional subsection (15) to section 78 which extends the definition of public officer, for the purposes of these two sections, to include "any officer of a statutory board or body". In this way any officer of a Statutory Board, such as the Housing and Development Board, can exercise control of stalls and hawkers in their premises or properties. The other amendments made to sections 77 and 78 in each of their subsections (10) are similar to each other. The amendments will enable an officer to impound or seize property or goods of unauthorised stalls or hawkers not only in police stations or Government depots, as provided in the existing sections, but to any "such other places" as may be approved by the Director. These amendments will enable officers of the Housing and Development Board, for example, to impound such seized properties within the Board's own premises. Obviously, Mr Speaker, Sir, it would be impractical if the seized goods have to be carted to a police station or a Government depot.”
“The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Lim Kim San): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Over the last few years there has been an increase of unauthorised hawking within the numerous Housing and Development Board Estates, where they ply their trade without order or control, thereby causing health nuisances, litter and obstruction to traffic. Uncontrolled hawking is a menace to the health, sanitation and cleanliness of our city, and in many cases is a traffic hazard. To assist in the more effective solution of the problem, laws have to be updated. In February 1964 a new Hawkers Code was announced and registration of hawkers for the whole of Singapore was initiated. In the first phase, 11,000 pasar malam hawkers were registered followed by the registration, resiting and control of hawkers in the various constituencies beginning with Cairnhill, River Valley and Stamford in 1966. This year a re-organisation of the Cleansing Department was started to control the environment. This involves a four-pronged attack on problems of hawking, public cleansing, mosquito control and general sanitation. With the experience gained in Geylang West, the programme has been extended to three other constituencies, in Anson, Tanjong Pagar and Telok Ayer. The aim of the present Bill is to enable statutory bodies which have hawkers plying within the limits of their estates to exercise powers and control normally vested in the Health Authority. This will enable effective and expeditious action against those who are plying their trade without order or control in these estates.”
“I will only add, Mr Speaker, Sir, that it is my intention today to introduce only these two Bills and to defer debate on them when the Second Reading comes up on the 14th of this month. BILLS INTRODUCED 3.24 p.m. PRINTERS AND PUBLISHERS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Printers and Publishers Ordinance (Chapter 196 of the Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Culture and Social Affairs (Inche Othman Bin Wok); read the First time, to be read a Second time on Tuesday, 14th November, 1967, and to be printed. SINGAPORE PARLIAMENT ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance (Chapter 53 of the Revised Edition)", presented by the Deputy Prime Minister (Dr Toh Chin Chye); read the First time, to be read a Second time on Tuesday, 14th November, 1967, and to be printed. PARLIAMENTARY MEMBERSHIP BILL "to vary the number of elected Members of Parliament", presented by the Deputy Prime Minister (Dr Toh Chin Chye); read the First time, to be read a Second time on Tuesday, 14th November, 1967, and to be printed. INCOME TAX (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Income Tax Ordinance (Chapter 166 of the Revised Edition)", recommendation of President signified; presented by the Minister for Finance (Dr Goh Keng Swee); read the First time, to be read a Second time on Tuesday, 14th November, 1967, and to be printed. MINOR OFFENCES (AMENDMENI) BILL "to amend the Minor Offences Ordinance (Chapter 117 of the Revised Edition)", presented by the Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker); read the First time, to be read a Second time on Tuesday, 14th November, 1967, and to be printed. LOCAL GOVERNMENT INTEGRATION (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.30 p.m.”
“This Bill will amend the Ordinance to provide for the preparation of the first registers of electors from the register maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration and to include in such electoral registers the names of all entitled persons who were, on the first day of July 1967, citizens of Singapore and to whom identity cards were issued. The present registers of electors were first compiled nine years ago in 1958. In the past, any person who possessed an identity card which shows his place of birth as Singapore, or who is ordinarily resident in Singapore on the first day of February in any year and not less than 21 years of age on the first day of July in that year, was automatically included in the registers of electors. It is obvious that with Singapore's independent status only citizens can be given the right to stand for election and to vote. In the recent re-registration campaign of persons, it was discovered that a number of identity cards had been forged. Also, a number of persons with identity cards showing their place of birth as Singapore were not given citizen's identity cards due to lack of adequate proof of Singapore citizenship. For these reasons, fresh registers of electors have to be compiled. The fresh registers of electors will be-compiled from the records of citizens maintained by the Commissioner of National Registration and will include only those persons who produced satisfactory evidence of Singapore citizenship and who, on the first day of July 1967, were entitled to have their names entered in the fresh registers of electors. After the Singapore Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill has become law, a Gazette Notification will be published to specify the names and boundaries of the 58 revised electoral divisions.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, a White Paper on the Report of the Electoral Boundaries Delineation Committee has been presented to Parliament as Command 22 of 1967. The Government has decided to accept all the recommendations made by the Committee with regard to the sub-division of ten large constituencies and the creation of eight new ones with consequential adjustments to three constituencies. It has also decided to merge the electoral division of Southern Islands with the electoral divisions of Jurong, Pasir Panjang and Telok Blangah. The number of electoral divisions will be increased from the present 51 to 58. The Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance (Chapter 53) provides that each electoral division shall return one member to serve in Parliament. The Constitution of Singapore stipulates a Parliamentary membership of 51 unless it is varied by law. Accordingly, a Bill entitled the Parliamentary Membership Bill will be introduced at the present sitting of Parliament in order to increase the number of electoral members of Parliament above the present membership of 51. This increase will come into effect as from the next general elections. However, for the purposes of the next general elections, it is necessary to publish a Gazette Notification under section 8 of the Singapore Parliament Elections Ordinance specifying the names and boundaries of the 58 revised electoral divisions and to prepare for public inspection the 1967 registers of electors under section 10 of the same Ordinance. In order to enable these steps to be taken, the Parliamentary Membership Bill, 1967, will be introduced at this sitting of Parliament. Another Bill, entitled the Singapore Parliament Elections (Amendment) Bill, 1967, will also be introduced.”
“It was only in recent years that we removed this by-law as it was patently obvious that snow does not fall in Singapore. The moral that I would like to draw is that it would be foolish for us to insist on, or to have imposed upon us, the facilities and standards which are required only in those airports which face the perennial problem of fog or hazardous approach due to obstruction by hills. NON-CITIZENS IN CIVIL SERVICE ELIGIBLE FOR SINGAPORE CITIZENSHIP 2. Inche Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister for Finance the number of non-citizens in the Civil Service eligible for Singapore citizenship under the proviso to paragraph (c) of Article 57 (1) of the Constitution who have applied for citizenship and the number who have not.”
“Mr Speaker, the Member for Joo Chiat need not really worry that Singapore Airport lacks a reputation as being a safe airport. The fact that there are 20 airlines operating through Singapore is eloquent evidence that facilities at Singapore Airport are acceptable to them. And, in fact, there is a Facilitations Committee which consists of my officials as well as representatives from the airlines which meets frequently to discuss what measures we ought to introduce at the Singapore Airport that will make commercial operations viable. The I.C.A., or the International Civil Aviation organisation, of which Singapore is a member, prescribes standards regarding airport operations. They include air traffic control, radio communications, air navigational and landing heads, fire and rescue services, meteorological and other aeronautical information services. As far as Singapore is concerned, we have complied with the prescribed standards, and the Member no doubt is referring to a newspaper article published sometime ago in which criticism was directed at all airports in Asia, excepting Hongkong. I would like to remind Members of the House that the approach to Singapore is free of hilly obstructions; neither do we suffer the disadvantage of having fog which interferes with the vision of pilots. Because we do not have these disadvantages, we must, therefore, use our common sense and discretion in equipping Singapore Airport. I might mention that once upon a time Singapore had housing by-laws which were taken wholesale from the United Kingdom building by-laws when Singapore was under colonial administration. One by-law insisted that the roofs of houses in Singapore must be built at an angle of 60° so that when snow falls the snow will slide off the roof.”
“The General Manager of the Singapore Telephone Board is on the permanent establishment and the General Manager of the Public Utilities Board is on contract. PRICE TAGS 2. Mr S. V. Lingam asked the Minister for Finance if he will consider asking shopkeepers to display price tags on important consumer goods such as rice, sugar, flour, etc.”
“The Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Department (Tuan Haji Yaacob Bin Mohamed) (for the Deputy Prime Minister)(In Malay): Mr Speaker. Sir, at present, the sounding of horns on any motor vehicles (other than an ambulance or fire brigade or police vehicle) is prohibited during the day or night in the area specified in the Schedule to Rule 6 of the Motor Vehicles (Sounding of Horns) Rules, 1950, except for the express purpose of preventing an accident. This area is bounded by Jalan Sultan in the north, Clemenceau Avenue and River Valley Road in the west, and South Bridge Road and McCallum Street in the south. In view of the increased urbanisation and growth in vehicular traffic, consideration is being given to revising and enlarging this area as far as practicable. [Mr Tang See Chim in the Chair] 2.40 p.m. FLOW OF FOREIGN INVESTMENTS INTO SINGAPORE 5. Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Finance whether there has been a flow of foreign investments into Singapore recently, especially from Hongkong, and if he can give details of such investments.”
“Bathing and swimming in the reservoir can, there fore, be very dangerous to the swimmer who may get stuck in the mud and drown. The Public Utilities Board is in the process of drawing up regulations to prevent water pollution in the MacRitchie Reservoir and misuse of the MacRitchie Reservoir Park. These regulations will, among other things, prohibit fishing and bathing in the reservoir or streams, spitting in the park, eating or smoking on the bridge in MacRitchie Reservoir Park, and litter, rubbish or other refuse must be thrown into receptacles which are specially provided for them. The Board has formed a MacRitchie Reservoir Park Committee to look after the maintenance of the park and to ensure that visitors comply with the regulations. A number of patrolmen have been employed to patrol the whole area of the park grounds and more will be recruited to ensure that the regulations, when promulgated, are not violated by visitors. It is not the intention of the Public Utilities Board unnecessarily to impose rules and regulations on all those who visit MacRitchie Reservoir Park, but I think all of us will agree that the park will look more attractive not only to our citizens but also to all tourists and visitors if we ourselves, the public, make a particular effort to keep the place clean. PROHIBITION ON SOUNDING OF MOTOR VEHICLE HORNS THROUGHOUT CITY LIMITS 4. Mr R. A. Gonzales asked the Deputy Prime Minister if lie will consider an amendment to rules under the Road Traffic Ordinance to extend the prohibition on the sounding of horns by drivers of private motor vehicles, taxis and buses throughout the City limits except for the purpose of preventing an accident.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the question is a very timely one and I am quite sure there are many people who share the anxiety expressed by the Member for Choa Chu Kang on the necessity to keep the waters in MacRitchie Reservoir and elsewhere clean and unpolluted. I would like to say that members of the public who visit the reservoir should be fully conscious of the dangers of polluting the water in the reservoir and urge them to cooperate to prevent such contamination from occurring. I would like to point out to Members of the House that there have been many cases in recent history when there were outbreaks of infectious hepatitis, a disease which affects the liver, in several countries - Hongkong, Germany, Sweden, India - and on investigation it has been found that the source of this epidemic has been traced to water being contaminated by sewage either at the point of intake of the water from the reservoir or river or in the distribution system. The worst outbreak of this disease, hepatitis, was in New Delhi in 1955/56 when there were 30,000 to 50,000 cases. The virus causing hepatitis is resistant to standard methods of purification used by municipalities. Treatment with large doses of chlorine is necessary to destroy the virus but this raises enormously the cost of purified water. The possibility of contaminating the reservoirs in Singapore comes from picnickers who wash or swim in the reservoirs. As it is not possible to make a complete patrol of the reservoirs, we can only appeal to the civic consciousness of the picnickers and hikers in the reservoirs not to bathe in the reservoirs or to allow dogs to enter the water. As a note of warning to all adventurous people, I would like to add that the reservoir is very deep and in many parts the bed is muddy.”
“Scientists by virtue of their training in analytical and deductive processes can quickly grasp the essentials of a problem and understand its nexus with other problems. Our local scientists can take heart that it is this endowment which qualified a well-known British professor of anatomy, an expert on monkeys and apes, to act as chief scientific adviser to the British Secretary of State for Defence. Singapore will not need scientists or engineers to build atom bombs, but we will need them for the many practical problems which face us in our task to make this island a viable State. With the concentration of talent that we have in Singapore, we can be assured that our economic and social development can take place in a purposeful direction and that we will not arrive at our goal by a painful process of trial and error or by expensive rule-of-thumb methods. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Dr Toh Chin Chye]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. JUDICIAL COMMITTEE (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 5.52 p.m.”
“Civilisation is now also associated with the presence or absence of those utilities which make living more comfortable and which have been made possible by technical inventions such as a ready supply of electric power, a working telephone system, modern sanitation and so on. But all these utilities would not be possible if we do not have the technical manpower to organise or maintain them. We are fortunate that we have in Singapore well over 2,000 scientists, engineers and technologists. Of these, about two-thirds are practising their professions in either the public or private sector and the remaining one-third are teaching in the schools. In the past this wealth of talent has not been as fully utilised as it should be nor has it taken a leadership role in Singapore's social development because of the absence of an organisation which can co-ordinate their activities or stimulate them to creative endeavour in different fields. It is my hope that the Science Council and the Singapore Academy of Science will be able to fill this vacuum. The popular image of the scientist is that of an absent-minded and impractical person lost among his test-tubes and other laboratory paraphernalia and equally lost when confronted with real-life problems of this work-a-day world. This is an image which our scientists should discard and take on instead the role of a man of action, No doubt there will be problems of a purely technical nature which will require the attention of the back-room boys, but scientists and engineers can be more effective if they can also comprehend the relationship between technological innovation and economics and develop a flair for administration.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." An Ad Hoc Scientific Committee was formed in February last year to advise the Government on problems of science and technology. During the one year of its existence, the Committee has given valuable advice in different fields. Subcommittees were formed to study problems of water utilisation and water pollution, to make an appraisal of available literature on the desalination of sea water in conjunction with the generation of electric power, and to survey available scientific and technical manpower in the State. The Committee also made recommendations on the teaching of science at pre-University level, studied the equipment requirements of the Nutrition Laboratory and Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of the Department of Primary Production, and collected data for U.N.E.S.C.O. on research facilities in Singapore. The experience of the Committee during the past year has revealed that, because of its non-official status, it was handicapped in carrying out its work through lack of budgetary support and could not have access to confidential official data. The purpose of this Bill is to remedy these deficiencies and to give such a scientific advisory body official status. The functions of the Scientific Council will be to investigate problems of a technical nature which are of interest to the Government, to report on matters involving scientific and technological research and development, to study how industrial development can be promoted by the effective training and utilisation of scientific and technological manpower, and to establish official relations with other scientific organisations. In modern societies it is not cultural values alone that are the attributes of civilisation.”
“May I end my sentence, Mr Speaker? It is necessary for them to impress upon the public that civil servants are here not to throw their weight around, not to repress the public and not to appear as a bureaucratic organisation, otherwise the confidence and the belief of the public in our system of government will not prevail. I have given a warning to all that if matters do not improve, then the axe will fall. It must be so this way if we wish to make a success of the system of government which we have now. 6.30 p.m.”
“" And so we go along a policy which is neither fixed nor determined, and in the end we will end up quite confused as to whether immigration has or does not have a policy. I must reiterate to all Members that we are very sympathetic to our citizens whose parents are living in those countries where times are hard, be it in India or in China. But I am quite sure that these parents have other relatives, other children, uncles, brothers or sisters with whom they are living. It must be so, otherwise they would have applied for admission to Singapore long, long ago. This is a policy we have kept all these years and we propose to carry on with it, that parents must be 65 years old and above before their applications can be considered. Besides, there must be adequate proof that they rely solely on their children in Singapore for their maintenance. As for the complaint about discourtesy by immigration officials, I myself have put on the carpet officials of the Immigration Department, and I hope that irresponsible officials will learn a lesson. If they do not and I continue to receive further complaints about discourtesy or lack of public relations, then there will be no alternative but to submit them to a departmental inquiry and, if necessary, have them removed, transferred, or have them retired in the public interest. I have time and again told all the officials in departments of my Ministry that all of them - from R.O.V, to Immigration - every day for six days of the week that they come into contact with the public -”
“In answer to the Member for Sembawang, those who leave Singapore without a re-entry permit surely must be considered as persons who do not wish to retain Singapore citizenship, and we assume that such persons are enjoying the rights and privileges of the countries they have gone to. If this is so, then they will not be carrying Singapore passports; neither will they have re-entry permits. Therefore, technically, whether they are born here or not, they have no right to be re-admitted to Singapore. It is only in bona fide cases where they carry passports and have been given the right of re-entry that they will be allowed to return. I would consider persons who have run off illegally as mere opportunists who hope to improve their own prospects outside this country, but when they find that things are not going too well for them they become disillusioned and want to return here. I do not believe that sympathy should be given to such persons. Frankly, if such opportunists are allowed to return, I do not believe they will contribute anything to the welfare - politically or otherwise - of this country. I am very sorry indeed that applications from parents who are 62 years old have been rejected. But we must draw the line somewhere. The line is 65 years old. If a person is 62 years old, it is regrettable indeed that his application will not be considered. The best that can happen is for him to wait until he or she is 65 years old. We cannot one day say, "Well, the line is 65 years old. But, never mind, because you are my special friend, I will make it 62 years old." And having made it 62 years old, somebody comes along and says, "I have a mother or a father who is 61 years old or 60 years old.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to inform Members of the House that passports are not given to citizens as a matter of right. Nobody can say that just because he is a citizen he must be given a passport. According to the Ordinance, passports are issued at the discretion of the Minister in charge of Immigration. Sometimes there are cases which come up before the Department where it is questionable whether passports should be given to such people, particularly when information has been received from the Security Branch of the Ministry of the Interior and Defence that such and such a person proposes to travel abroad for some illegal purpose to further his clandestine activities, or to make contact with smugglers or make other types of undesirable contacts. When it comes to our knowledge that the passports in such cases will be abused, then, of course, it is up to the Minister to decide whether or not such applications should be considered. I think we would be very foolish if, knowing full well from information received that these persons are going to do this country no good by their travel overseas, we were to give them passports so that they can carry out their objectives. There is no difference between a citizen born in Singapore and a citizen by registration. In most cases -- I would say in 99.9 per cent of cases - passports are given and it is only in the 0.1 per cent of cases where doubts are very strong indeed that these are undesirable characters who are going to subvert the security of the State, or who are going to make contact with the underworld, the smugglers, that passports are not given.”
“With regard to the sum of $14,880 under the subhead of Maintenance Removal and Repatriation Expenses, I would like to explain to the Member for Choa Chu Kang that this money is used to feed illegal immigrants in our detention gaol when they are caught out, and also the cost of repatriating them will be borne by this sum of money. We have from time to time unwelcome visitors from neighbouring islands, and when they are caught out, they have to be kept here until we can find a boat or an aeroplane to pack them back. This is quite apart from the deposit which is required from all those who apply for a visit pass.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the person referred to by the Member for Bukit Merah is a catering officer employed by Pan American Airways and apparently the Controller of Immigration referred the application for this man's visit to the Director of Civil Aviation who supported the application, and on this ground a professional visit pass for 12 months was given. However, I will investigate the details of the case and find out whether this catering officer possesses a skill that is not available locally and, therefore, Pan American Airways had to bring in their own man. If we wish Singapore to develop economically, we must be generous at times and realise that Singapore today is what it is on account of an immigrant population and also on account of expertise which has come from overseas. While we are proud that we are independent and would like very much to rely on our own ability and our own strength, nevertheless, we should also recognise our own weaknesses and deficiencies. And if we adopt a dog-in-the-manger attitude while we are still not in a position to improve our own technical skill, then I am afraid Singapore will take a very long time to develop. It is on these grounds that we have adopted a liberal policy vis-a-vis applications by industrialists, technologists, professional men and other experts who come here to help in some way or other our commerce and industry for a short period. These persons are not going to stay in Singapore permanently. In most cases a period of 12 months' stay is granted to them. In the case of this particular catering officer, I myself am not quite sure about the circumstances for supporting his application, but I will investigate it when I return to the office tomorrow.”
“Members of this House, of course, will sympathise with the Immigration Department on the problem, but if there are specific instances where they believe that their constituents have not been given justice, then they could write to me until the end of the year, or they could write to the Minister of the Interior and Defence from next year onwards and give him specific instances where they can truthfully support the applications for a social visit pass or permanent entry. But I would like Members of the House to know clearly that applications for permanent entry are applicable only to certain categories of persons - wives, children, parents. All others who wish to visit Singapore must do so on a social visit pass, unless, of course, there are special circumstances which warrant the permanent entry of such persons. As I have indicated, persons who can help our plans for industrialisation or who can bring economic benefits to Singapore or who can bring in expertise or technical skill one way or the other, such persons surely can be considered for permanent entry. But I do not think we can allow any other person to come freely into Singapore.”
“In the experience of the Immigration Department, some Singapore citizens have successfully applied for social visit passes for their friends and relatives and, in many cases, the Department has not been able to find out whether such persons have left the island or not. On investigation sometimes it has been found that such people have conveniently disappeared. If we are in earnest to contain the growth of population in Singapore, we must also be determined to prevent an uncontrollable influx of foreign immigrants. Some come in illegally. Some come in legally. But whatever way they choose to come in, we must ensure that those who come in are those who are going to bring economic benefits to Singapore. Also our citizens should comprehend that the limitations of the State itself do not warrant an unrestricted flow of visitors, whether it be for three or six months, for this flow cannot be fully controlled. However, when the Immigration Department is transferred to the Ministry of the Interior and Defence as from 1st January next year, we hope that with the collaboration of the police, the Immigration Department would be able to develop more effective measures to ascertain whether visitors to Singapore, be it on a professional visit pass or social visit pass, or an employment pass, do not overstay the periods that they have been given, and so there is some check on the population growth in Singapore.”
“This is the present regulation which we intend to continue. With regard to the question of whether or not a deposit is necessary from those who come to Singapore on a social visit pass, I am in favour that a deposit should be asked for, because the money is not retained by the Singapore Government but is returned to the visitor when he leaves the island. The sum of money is to ensure that if the man over-stays his visit, and he might be kept by the Government, then this sum of money can be used. Or in other cases, the money would be used to repatriate those persons who have come to Singapore for a period longer than was intended. However, what we can do is to adjust the quantum of the deposit. This is the first time it has come to my knowledge that a deposit of $2,000 had been asked for from this particular lady from Cambodia. I can recollect very faintly that I did receive a letter from somebody about the application by this lady for a social visit pass, and it was I who agreed that she should be allowed to come to Singapore. But I did not know that the Controller of immigration had asked as much as $2,000 for a deposit. If that is so, then I think perhaps he has not been so judicious in his decision. This is a matter which I hope I will be able to take up with the Immigration officials. However, Members will understand that the question of immigration is a general problem. It is very difficult indeed for the Immigration Department to keep track of all those who come to Singapore. There is no preventive branch of the Immigration Department to visit the addresses given by those who have entered Singapore and ascertain whether they have overstayed the period allowed to them, or whether they have disappeared.”
“To answer the first query whether the Controller of Immigration is an expatriate. Mr Speaker, to my recollection, I believe that he is a local citizen and he is not under contract. I have not bothered to look into the antecedents of civil servants in my Ministry. But this is the first time that I have been queried whether the Controller of Immigration is an expatriate. However, I shall return and check the facts, but I believe he is not. [Interruption] No. I think you had better make it quite clear. I was asked whether he is an expatriate or not. My answer is that he is not an expatriate. On the general question of applications for a visit to Singapore, I want to make it quite clear that Members of the House should be able to distinguish between those who wish to come to Singapore to settle down, and those who wish to come to Singapore on a social visit pass. As far as those who propose to settle down in Singapore are concerned, the rule is that citizens of Singapore should not be separated from their wives or their husbands for more than five years. Otherwise, the proof that the man or the woman still has an interest in the other half does not exist. In the case of children, everyone knows that children who it is proposed are to be brought into Singapore should not be above six years old, and for aged parents they should not be more than 65 years old. So I do not want the question of admission into Singapore to be mixed up with applications for social visits. As far as applications for permanent entry into Singapore are concerned, they deal with the immediate relatives of the applicant. You cannot say just because you are a Singapore citizen, you want to apply for the permanent entry into Singapore of your uncle, your brother, or your auntie or your sister-in-law.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Establishment Branch of the Treasury is looking into the position and since the Salaries Commission is now sitting to revise salaries for all grades of the public service, I am quite sure that the problem of whether or not the Airport constables will be paid at the same rates as constables in the Regular Police Force will be discussed and considered by the Commission.”
“Experience sometimes is lacking and, therefore, we have to approach the problem rather conservatively, particularly in technical departments which find it very difficult indeed to recruit local citizens with the essential technical qualifications. The Polytechnic Nautical Department has started pre-sea training courses and is arranging opportunities for students who finish this course to work on board ship so that eventually they will be able to work towards a Mate Certificate, and ultimately a Foreign-going Master's Certificate. But all this training takes time, and it does not mean that a man who has recently acquired any certificate should therefore be the head of a department. It will indeed be a very foolish and short-sighted policy to believe that the mere acquisition of a certificate alone entitles any local citizen to be the head of a department. He still has to work his way up in the department, acquire the necessary experience administratively or otherwise, and hope eventually in the course of time to be promoted when a vacancy occurs. Up to today, I am satisfied that the policy of gradually replacing expatriate personnel in the Marine Department is working according to schedule, although I must publicly say I regret very much indeed that local citizens who may possess the necessary qualifications have been very slow in coming forward or reluctant to work in the Marine Department. On the other hand, they prefer to work on board ship as Masters of vessels simply because they can earn a better salary than they can in Government service. This is the problem we face. I do not think any local personnel in the department in my Ministry grudge the presence of any expatriates we have now.”
“On the matter of freight rates under the control of Conference Lines, I will only say that this is a matter which is dealt with by the Department of Trade. It does not come under my Ministry. Nevertheless, I personally do take a keen interest in this matter. I think it is inappropriate indeed to discuss Conference rates under this Head 0302 --- Marine, which is solely responsible for running the motor launches and the lighthouses in Singapore waters. On the second point raised by the Member for Choa Chu Kang as to whether or not the expatriate posts in the Marine Department will be Singaporeanised, I say that if we can find local citizens with the necessary qualifications, we will be only too happy to employ them when the expatriates retire. The hon. Member should realise that to obtain a Foreign-going Master's Certificate requires a lengthy period of training and sitting for examinations which take almost as long as six years. Since 1959, we have made positive efforts to encourage local officers to take this higher sea-going examination. In fact, there are two local citizens who are officers in the Marine Department. I presume that in the course of time, when the contracts of the expatriates expire, these officers will take over the duties which are now being performed by expatriate personnel. However, until I am assured that we have enough local people with such qualifications who can fill the places, I think the best policy is to utilise the services of expatriates wherever we can get them. I do not believe in Singaporeanisation simply for the sake of Singaporeanisation, because in our experience we have found sometimes - it is sad to say - that Singaporeanisation has not brought about more efficient or improved services and administration.”
“May I just clarify, Mr Speaker, Sir, not only for the Member but also for the public about the new arrangements which are being made to transport officials, their families and other members of the public between Singapore and St.. John's Island and Pulau Brani? There will be a new organisation called the Southern Islands Tours Organisation which has contracted with Government to provide six services a day between 5.45 a.m. and 8.40 p.m. on week days, two trips on Sundays and public holidays. The contractor will transport the persons I have already mentioned between St. John's Island and Singapore and Pulau Brani and Singapore. One of the launches used by the contractor, the Jaya Manis, was launched recently and it will soon be put to use. Any claims which the Government may make against the company will be indemnified by the company, if necessary. The contract with the organisation is for a five-year period at a sum of $9,750 per month.”
“Sir, the simple answer is that those who use this ferry service are the officials in the course of their duties between Singapore and St. John's island and Pulau Brani, their families, and school children who are living in these islands and have to come to school in Singapore to study.”
“Yes. Just to sum up, Mr Speaker, Sir, I will only say that it is our hope that the bus workers will understand that unification or rationalisation of bus transport simply by nationalisation does not solve the problem of public transport at all. It is up to the workers in bus companies to ensure that their companies remain financially viable, because if a company keeps on losing a million dollars every year, then there is no alternative but for it to close down. That, of course, will not be to the benefit of the bus workers themselves. I can also add a note of warning, that if a company were to close down, the Government would not just step in and say. "We will take over the bus company." So please understand that however much the bus workers' unions want the Government to take over bus transport, we cannot promise them that we are going to do so. Therefore, it is in their own interest to make the bus companies in which they are working a going concern. 4.35 p.m.”
“If the economics warrant it, then I would say the other best form of transport we can have is an underground subway system, such as you have in the big capitals of the world. This certainly will remove congestion from the streets. More people will go underground and there will be no necessity to take your car from your house to the centre of the city when you go to work. But, at the same time, subways or underground trains can supplement overhead traffic. If the Minister for Finance is prepared to put money into such a venture, I am only too happy to go around looking for people who will want to co-operate with the Government in building an underground system. Perhaps we could do it on a 49-51 per cent basis, or whatever other percentage basis is preferred. It finally boils down to the simple fact whether the Treasury can stand the load of investing very heavily in a new venture which is not certain to bring profit or revenue to its coffers. The Traffic Unit which the Member for Choa Chu Kang has mentioned is located in the Public Works Department. Its primary job really is to study the flow of traffic in the main roads of Singapore and thereby help plan how such roads can be widened or new roads can be built so that the flow of traffic can be evenly distributed throughout the streets of Singapore rather than that all traffic be concentrated along a few major roads. The Chairman: Dr Toh, we are approaching the guillotine time.”
“I see no purpose in allowing a company to run an inefficient bus service along the routes which have been allocated to it. It must be prepared to expand and improve its organisation. 4.30 p.m. This is a point which the Road Licensing Authority will be looking into. We would like to remind all bus companies of the rule that all licences to operate routes hold good only for one year. All these licences must be renewed, and if we should come across complaints or come across in our own investigations that certain companies are not operating certain routes as efficiently as they ought to, then the Road Licensing Authority will be asked to repeal these licences and give them to some other bus companies which are prepared to expand their organisation. With regard to the suggestion by the Member for Choa Chu Kang that perhaps the central area of the city be forbidden to all private car owners, I would like to say that all car owners, in the first instance, do not travel in buses. The fact that you have so many cars in Singapore is surely a reflection on the affluence of the people and that the population is fast becoming a middle-class population. It is not only the car owners who would rather prefer to travel by themselves rather than going in buses, but there are also those who use motor scooters and motor cycles who would rather use their own vehicles than buses. Nevertheless, I agree that a long-term approach to the problem of public transport is very necessary. The Hill Report, which has been mentioned by the Member for River Valley, is to a certain extent out of date. Briefly, it recommends that the Government should take over all public transportation. But we have to compromise between what is practical and what is wanted.”
“This will, therefore, make it easier for anyone who wishes to travel from one part of the island to the other without having to change buses. We are at present making a study of a new Bus Licensing Bill which will apply not only to the S.T.C. but also to the Chinese bus companies. It is true there are today two separate Ordinances governing the operation of the S.T.C. and the other bus companies. We have in our studies come across problems which involve matters of finance- not only finance in terms of royalties and taxation which affect the Treasury, but also the financial operations of the companies themselves. It will take some time before we receive a final draft of this new Bill. But when it happens, we also propose that some of the smaller companies should amalgamate, as this will help the Road Licensing Authority to allocate routes which will be more to the convenience of the travelling public than to the bus companies. In my discussions with bus officials, I have explained to them the necessity of expanding their services and ploughing their profits back into the operation. Some of the bus companies, far from using their profits to improve their bus operations, have used them in building houses, investing in real estate, or delving into other types of business. While we do not prevent bus companies from participating in other business ventures, we must at the same time impress upon them that their first responsibility surely must be to have a more efficient organisation of their bus operations. More recently, the Singapore Traction Company have notified us that they plan to purchase 100 new buses for operation on the routes, and we have encouraged them to do so.”
“Mr Speaker, may I supplement what the Minister of State has said in reply to the Members who have raised the question of the desirability of nationalising bus transport? The Member for River Valley thought that the Government should be courageous enough to embark upon such a venture. I would only say that in embarking upon a new enterprise, it is not courage that is wanted. I would say it is wisdom that is necessary in considering this problem, and where wisdom is lacking, courage becomes foolhardiness. The Minister for Finance has stated very clearly indeed that civil servants are incapable of running a business enterprise, much less a bus company - whether it be a statutory company or an organisation directly run by the Government. I fully share the misgivings of the Minister for Finance that in nationalising bus organisations, far from bringing in more revenue for the coffers of the Treasury, the Minister for Finance instead would have to subsidise bus transport on the island. However, I do not consider that by having a unified bus service there is going to be a rationalisation of transport. No one can say that the bus transport service in Singapore is adequate or efficient. Although we have 15 bus companies, I do not see how, by having only one bus company in the future, it will make the bus service more efficient. It may well be that it would be desirable for users of buses to have perhaps integrated bus routes which can be operated by fewer bus companies. Instead of having 15 bus companies now, we can perhaps persuade some of the smaller bus companies to amalgamate and thereby assist the Road Licensing Authority, which is responsible for allocating bus routes to the companies.”
“As far as the encyclopaedias --- Encyclopaedia Britannica or Encyclopaedia of social sciences or any type - are concerned, I am in agreement with the Member for Choa Chu Kang that we could very well do with these books as they are very useful sources of information. To end, I only hope that all Members of Parliament will put forward their suggestions to the House Committee on how the Library position can be improved and we will look at them with sympathy.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I myself am in sympathy with the Member for Choa Chu Kang when he found that our Library is inadequate for his own needs. We are happy indeed to have an active Member like him who will possibly make suggestions to the House Committee on the types of books which he thinks Members of Parliament ought to read to improve the standard of their debate and the amount of information which they ought to acquire. However, I would like to point out that the Librarian is always at the service of Members of Parliament, and if there are Members who wish to obtain books for their reading which are not available in the Library here, she would be only too happy to secure them from the National Library. We must, however, remember that we do not wish to duplicate the National Library in Parliament House and, therefore, the Library in Parliament House is a specialised one. The books which we find in our Library are those relating to constitutional law, Keesing's Contemporary Archives which give you an up-to-date account of current events, and there are many other forms of literature which I am quite sure will be very useful to all those Members who wish to extract information to help them. As far as books on economics, commerce, maybe accountancy too or the social sciences are concerned, I myself have felt that we are lacking in these, and I hope the House Committee can put forward suggestions and make recommendations to the Ministry of Finance. I am quite sure the Minister for Finance will be sympathetic and grant the House Committee a supplementary vote next year if it is found that the vote in this Budget is inadequate.”
“If today the House sees only a one-Party representation, it has been at the behest of the people. It is ultimately the electorate, the people of Singapore, who decide whether they wish to maintain political stability, whether they wish that there should be an efficient, honest and stable government, to run the affairs of State and, therefore, determine the future of our two million population. With these words, Mr Speaker, I will only reiterate that the hopes and wishes of all those who wish parliamentary democracy to be upheld will not be in vain, and it is our intention to continue a custom which we have had for the last decade. You yourself, Mr Speaker, have expressed on behalf of the House your appreciation of the gift and the goodwill visit which was paid by Members of the House of Commons, and I do not wish to add further to what you already have said. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this House expresses its warm appreciation of the generous gift of a bookcase and books which it received on the 16th of November, 1966, from a delegation of the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a token of friendship and goodwill on the part of the House of Commons and people of the United Kingdom towards the Parliament and people of Singapore to commemorate the attainment by Singapore of independence within the Commonwealth. 3.45 p.m. REGISTRATION OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS (AMENDMENT) RULES, 1966”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to move, That this House expresses its warm appreciation of the generous gift of a bookcase and books which it received on the 16th of November, 1966, from a delegation of the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as a token of friendship and goodwill on the part of the House of Commons and people of the United Kingdom towards the Parliament and people of Singapore to commemorate the attainment by Singapore of independence within the Commonwealth. Mr Speaker, Members of the House will recollect that last month a delegation representing both sides of the House of Commons paid us a visit and at the same time presented us with a bookcase with some books on Parliament and Constitutional Law to the C.P.A. in commemoration of Singapore's attaining independence. We had the opportunity to discuss many matters with them on that occasion, and I have no doubt that as a result of our discussions, they left Singapore with the conviction that this Government is determined to carry on the practice of parliamentary democracy, notwithstanding the fact that today we see Members of the People's Action Party alone occupying seats on both sides of this Chamber. This is not our fault; neither is it our intention to destroy the Opposition, but I must certainly say that the Opposition in its madness has destroyed itself. There is no clause in the Constitution of Singapore which forbids or prohibits the formation of other political Parties. Neither is there any law which prevents representatives of political Parties, or Independents for that matter, from contesting the General Elections or, as the case may be in the recent bye-elections.”
“Govindaswamy asked the Minister of Defence, in the demonstration by Ngee Ann College students in front of the City Hall on 4th November, 1966, how many Police officers and how many students were injured, and how many students were treated for their injuries at the General Hospital.”
“Mr Speaker, as long as there was a curfew imposed in Singapore port waters, it was easy to detect any craft making its way to Singapore. With the ending of Indonesian confrontation, the curfew has now been lifted and, as is to be expected, numerous small craft make their way to Singapore from the neighbouring Rhio Islands. Some of these are barter traders who conduct their business at Telok Ayer Basin, while others conceivably bring in illegal immigrants who land at odd spots along the Singa-port coast line. The Immigration Department itself does not have a preventive branch to check these illegal entries, but relies on the Ministry of the Interior and Defence for surveillance of our coastal waters. The Immigration Department is liaising with the Ministry of the Interior and Defence on how to improve marine and beach patrols. Immigration and security responsibilities will be integrated when the Immigration Department is transferred to the Ministry of the Interior and Defence from the 1st of January next year. More effective measures to control illegal entries can then be worked out. I suggest that the Vigilante Corps in those areas close to the sea can perform a public duty by patrolling the beaches as they did previously, and help to detain illegal entries. From time to time, the presence of illegal immigrants has been reported by public-spirited citizens to the Immigration Department. Raids are conducted and illegal immigrants are deported after serving a term of imprisonment according to the law. STUDENT DEMONSTRATION OUTSIDE CITY HALL 3. Mr P.”
“Mr Speaker, as I have pointed out just now, there is a contract by which the Singapore Government has to abide. And as I have indicated to the House, we are now negotiating with the company concerned to transfer the fountain to the Government within five years as soon as possible, and until we do so we are not in a position to control any advertising slogans which are now located on the fountain itself. However, I am quite certain that the company, being a longstanding company in Singapore, will co-operate with the Government, and I am certain that there will be no difficulties when we come to negotiate with them by which such a transfer can be made to the Government. ILLEGAL ENTRY OF PERSONS INTO SINGAPORE 2. Mr Sim Boon Woo asked the Deputy Prime Minister whether he is aware that there are people entering Singapore illegally along the coast of Mata Ikan and Padang Terbakar, and what action he has taken, or proposes to take, in the matter.”
“Mr Speaker, the decision to allow the firm concerned to incorporate an advertisement in the fountain built and paid for by the company at a cost of $69,000 at the approach road to the Paya Lebar International Airport was approved by the Malaysian Ministry of Transport on the 5th July, 1965, when the Department of Civil Aviation was under its control. The company does not pay concession fees for the advertisement, but it is responsible for the proper operation and maintenance of the fountain, estimated to cost $5,000 a year, in addition to the cost of electricity and water consumed. At the end of five years, from 1st January, 1966, the fountain and all its fittings will become the property of the Government. As advertising on the fountain has drawn unfavourable comments from visitors to the Airport, negotiations will be taken up to transfer the fountain to the Government within the contract period.”
“Mr Speaker, to clarify the doubts of the Member for Choa Chu Kang, I would like to inform the House that the re-routing of the SEACOM cable was contingent on account of Indonesian confrontation. The original plan called for a cable which would run from Australia to New Guinea, New Guinea to Jesselton, and Jesselton to Singapore. However, when confrontation broke out in 1963, the plan had to be revised, and consequently the cable went up to Hong Kong, Hong Kong to Guam, Guam to New Guinea and New Guinea to Australia. Singapore, as a partner of SEACOM, has always been consulted on any changes in plans in cable routing, and the increase in capacity is to the advantage of all SEACOM partners. In fact, from what I gathered just now, the forecast is that even the capacity of 160 two-way channels will be very much limited in the near future, when the project itself opens. That is one of the reasons why ways and means are now being studied as to how to improve telecommunications between SEACOM neighbours - between Singapore and Australia on the one hand, and Singapore and Tokyo, and Singapore and Europe, on the other hand. I can assure the Member for Choa Chu Kang that all plans have been considered very carefully. It is not the intention of the SEACOM partnership to waste money unnecessarily. In any case, this is an investment because telecommunications brings in revenue and the expectations are that we will be able to recover our capital expenditure within the next 6 to 7 years.”
“Yes, Mr Speaker. If the Member will give me the name of the applicant, the reference number of the letter which he received or which his constituent received from the Controller of Immigration, I will look into the matter. But I must emphasise to him that there must be absolute proof that there is nobody in China who could look after the applicant. The Member has forgotten that the ruling applies only to widows who are 65 years old and above, and if she happens to be 62 years old, then I am afraid she is not covered by this regulation and therefore cannot be granted admission. KEBUN UBI COMMUNITY CENTRE AT JALAN PENGGAGA 2. Inche Rahamat Bin Kenap asked the Minister of Defence, with the resumption of normal relations with Indonesia, whether steps will be taken to contact the owners of the premises of the Kebun Ubi Community Centre at Jalan Penggaga with a view to regularising the tenancy of the Centre and if improvements will be made to the premises, particularly to avoid flooding during heavy rains.”
“I can assure the Member, as I have done at the last sitting, that all applications are considered on compassionate grounds but, at the same time, we have also got to be fair not only to ourselves but to the State so that we do not see that Singapore is encumbered with unnecessary social problems.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the existing rule is that widows of 65 years and above and widowers of 70 years and above will be considered for admission into Singapore. I am prepared to revise this rule by including widowers who are 65 years and above. However, the Government has examined the question of whether the age limit should be lowered to 60 years and has come to the conclusion that, for the moment, it would be inadvisable indeed to permit immigration of aged people below 65 years. Mr Speaker, the House is aware that as a little island State, it is very necessary indeed that we should exercise a firm immigration policy. Otherwise, faced with our own population expansion together with an influx from other territories, we might in the near future be encumbered with considerable social problems. I would like, for the information of the Member, to tell him that last year a total of 26 applications were approved and this year, from January to September, a total of 39 applications have been approved. The majority of applications which were rejected were mainly because the applications referred to those who were below 65 years old. Another major reason was that the applicant was living with other children either in China or in India, and therefore could not be considered. I may also further emphasise that this regulation concerning admission of aged parents into Singapore refers expressly to widows or widowers and that these persons should provide full evidence that they have no other means of support if they are not permitted to enter Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, Singapore Government Departments have discontinued the use of foreign honours and titles for Singapore citizens. All foreign missions in Singapore have also been informed and have noted that it is not the practice in Singapore to use any foreign titles, including that of Malaysia, when addressing or referring to any Singapore citizen. I hope also to take the opportunity to inform the Press that this is the ruling of the Singapore Government and we would be obliged indeed if Singapore papers in particular would remember the instructions that we have given not only to our own departments but also to foreign missions based in Singapore. However, it is the common practice that foreign titles and decorations can be used at any function given by or in the country of origin. And in any case, I do not believe that those Singapore citizens with any self-respect, while they cherish the honour bestowed on them by past colonial governments or by foreign governments, will want to distinguish themselves from the rest of the people of Singapore by being publicly referred to by their title. 1967 PRIMARY I CLASSES IN KAMPONG KEMBANGAN 3. Inche Mohd. Ariff Bin Suradi asked the Minister for Education (a) how many children from the Kampong Kembangan Constituency have registered for the 1967 Primary 1 classes in each of the four language streams; and (b) how many of them will be given places in the schools at which they had registered and how many will be sent to schools elsewhere.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." The Bill seeks to amend the Merchant Shipping Ordinance (Chapter 207) to enable a Singapore register of ships to be set up. The Bill will enable the Minister to prescribe regulations for preventing collisions at sea and to make the necessary provision that ships registered under the new Singapore Registry shall be governed by the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Ordinance. The Bill provides that the Singapore Registry shall be confined to ships owned by Singapore citizens and bodies corporate established under and subject to the laws of Singapore. This is in accord with the principles of the Commonwealth Shipping Agreement with which Singapore has been associated all this while. The principles of the Registry are also in accord with accepted international practice, and the Minister is empowered to exempt any ship or class of ships from the requirement to register in Singapore. As a member of the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation, Singapore has been asked to accept the 1960 International Regulations for preventing collisions at sea. Provision has been made in the Bill for the Minister to prescribe such regulations, and as soon as this is done, Singapore will be able to inform the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organisation of our acceptance. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. -[Dr Toh Chin Chye]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. PAWNBROKERS (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.51 p.m.”
“You can be assured, Mr Speaker, Sir, that our side of the House will give you all the co-operation that you require, and I only wish that a Member of the Opposition were here today to say a few words on your election. But, unfortunately, their absence in this House is entirely beyond my control.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I say a few words of congratulations to you on behalf of the Government Benches on the occasion of your election as Speaker to the House? The House might want to know that Mr P. Coomaraswamy was born in Johore. He comes from Malaya as his predecessor did, was educated in the English College in Johore Bahru, and subsequently studied law at Nottingham University where he was an active member of the Students' Union and also the President of the University Law Society. In 1956, Mr Coomaraswamy was called to the Bar at Lincoln's Inn and on returning to Singapore he entered into private practice as a member of the Singapore Bar. It might interest Government Members also to know that while in Singapore Mr Coomaraswamy did considerable public service in the interest of his profession. He was a member of the Law Faculty at the University of Singapore. He was also on the editorial board of the University Law Review and other bodies. Moreover, he was the Chairman of one of the many advisory committees on the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance. Mr Coomaraswamy was also recruited as a member of the advisory committee on the P.P.S.O., and his services as a member of the public are perhaps best remembered as Secretary of the Singapore Bar Committee. In fact, I myself first met him in Select Committees of the House when he, representing the Singapore Bar Committee, came forward to give evidence on behalf of his colleagues. We are now very happy indeed that Mr Coomaraswamy, arising out of his legal expertise and experience, has been able to resign from his private practice in order to take up full-time duties as Speaker of this Parliament.”