Vikram Nair
Singapore
“I thank the Minister of State for the answer, as well as forming a workgroup to look into this issue. I think it is worrying that platform workers have a much higher rate of workplace injuries than many other groups and I think compensation is one component, but does the Minister of State think any interim measures are needed while the wo…”
“I thank the Minister of State for the answer. I think it is an improvement from the last time this question was asked two years ago, which was 17 minutes and 164 minutes. So, there is improvement. But a one-and-a half-hour waiting time is still quite long.”
“Thank you, and I thank the Minister of State for flagging the answer to me as well. So, I have a supplementary question. The answer was that the Ministry is engaging the digital service providers as well as preparing advisories for parents.”
“I thank the Minister of State for the response and to explain that the OCHA Directions are being issued to Telegram as well. The only reason I mentioned Telegram specifically is it seems to emerge in a whole range of crimes, including selling of drugs, etomidate, sexual crimes, scams.”
“It seeks to enable efficient cross-border travel while retaining Singapore's legal framework and ensuring that foreign officers cooperate within defined limits. It also provides for reciprocity, so that Singapore officers can exercise similar functions in Malaysia.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I note that amongst the different sources of energy, diesel prices have risen much higher than electricity prices. And diesel fuels many commercial operators, including buses and lorries, which feeds into many other sectors.”
The complete record
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“What this means is that students in schools will have to start learning and thinking about their future and their jobs at a much earlier stage. I think this is important. Certainly, when I was in school, career counselling was not a big part of the education system. Education was taught for the purpose of learning and that was the main purpose of education. But the reality is that students will probably have to be mentally prepared to pick up skills even while they are studying. So, starting in school is an important first step. What would be important in making this part of SkillsFuture succeed is that the education and career counsellors should have sufficient familiarity with industry to be able to advise students about the skills that they will need when they get out into the working world. The next aspect of SkillsFuture is just as important and, perhaps, the most important. This is the SkillsFuture package that will affect people after they start working. There are two components to this. The first is SkillsFuture Credit. This is where money is put aside for people to invest in SkillsFuture programmes. The second is the availability of schemes like SkillsFuture Study awards and fellowships. This, basically, provides financing for people to learn again at a future stage. Now, I suspect people should actually take these learning opportunities not only as and when they need them because trouble arises, but also in anticipation of problems. In making sure that these things work, what would be important is to ensure the SkillsFuture Credit is sufficient for people to pay for the courses they need, in order to get the new jobs that may become available, especially where industries may become redundant or companies may be folding up.”
“The Fortune 500 companies represent the largest best capitalised companies in America. If the average lifespan of even those companies is 18 years, what that means is that for many other companies, the lifespan may well be less than 18 years. In one human lifetime, that would mean that we may have to work in many different companies. Even if you look at the companies that have lasted for a long time, companies, such as General Motors and General Electric. General Motors has gone into very difficult times many times over, but has maintained its main business in automobiles. What that means for individuals who have worked within is that they may lose their jobs and there may be times when the company goes through a bad patch. General Electric is almost unrecognisable as the company it originally was. It no longer makes electrical appliances as its main business. It has moved into a variety of other businesses. So, again, what that means for individuals there is that they have also lost their jobs many times. In this respect, the first aspect of the Budget that I would like to discuss in some detail is SkillsFuture. SkillsFuture plays an important part in preparing people for the age of capitalism that we are moving into or we are living in at the moment and are likely to face, Page: 44 going forward. SkillsFuture requires our people to look towards their own lifespans with a view that they may have to change jobs many times in their life. They cannot assume that the same companies they start working in will be there forever. The SkillsFuture package starts in schools. It starts with internships and with education and career counselling for students.”
“Mdm Speaker, I speak in support of this Budget. This is a very interesting Budget in many ways. A number of speakers before me have said this Budget seems to signify a further move towards the left for the Government. Page: 43 To me, I personally find this an interesting Budget because I think we move beyond the concepts of right and left in many ways. Singapore has grown and done very well, perhaps better than many other colonies, post-independence, largely because we have always been an open economy; we have embraced free trade, free investments and these created good jobs for our people. This may classically be considered ideas to the right. At the same time, though, we have also worked very hard to protect workers' interests, develop strong unions and these may very well be classified as ideas to the left. What is really special about this Budget, though, is that it probably sets us in the right direction for the future, given the context we are in at the moment. Understanding our context is quite important. Capitalism itself was never a system that developed top-down. It was something that evolved over many years, starting very simply with people trading, eventually finance developed, people started borrowing. So, it was a system that evolved bit by bit over the centuries. Understanding where we stand now in capitalism is probably an important starting point. According to a McKinsey study, in the 1930s, the average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company was about 90 years. In the last few years, the average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company is just 18 years. This is a very important shift in the way we understand business and the way we understand capitalism. What it means is that in a person's lifetime, the company he is working for may very well no longer exist.”
“But I can see a fair argument in favour of maybe slightly longer hours, say, at the barbecue pits at East Coast Park, up to midnight or something, because that is quite far away from the public and that is the place where people ordinarily gather to have drinks and parties. This could even be tied up to, say, the booking of the barbecue pits, if you want to restrict it even more. But I think there is some merit to having a slightly more flexible framework going forward. Broadly speaking though, I think this is a very good Bill, it solves very real problems we have. It strikes the right balance in not being too heavy-handed in approach while, at the same time, doing the minimum necessary to deal with the problem of public consumption of alcohol. With that, I support this Bill. 2.34 pm”
“There might be expectations that the Police will have to come down very quickly to deal the issues relating to public consumption of alcohol. I expect this concern to get better with time. As the public understands the new rules, behaviour normally changes. This is what has happened in places like Australia and the United States. And once behaviour changes, I do not think there will be a need for an extended period of policing. But at least in the initial stage, I expect the Police will get a lot more complaints on this front. Page: 29 I have a few questions for the Minister as well. The first is, at the moment, with the designation of special zones, I understand the main concern with public order-related issues and Geylang and Little India have been designated as the main ones. But are there any other zones that the Minister thinks we should be keeping a look out for, based on these public order statistics? Anecdotally, different people have mentioned different names. I will not mention any here but I am just curious whether or not there is a range of places that have been monitored and whether others may also be designated based on these public order concerns. The second is whether the Minister might consider a slightly more flexible framework in the future. Some areas of flexibility include longer hours in areas that are further away from residential areas. One area that has been mentioned quite commonly is the beaches or, at the very least, the barbecue pits at beaches. I can understand why the Minister would not want to designate this as purely an area where drink is allowed at all times, just in case that becomes a congregation area for anyone who wants to drink, including foreign workers and everyone else.”
“I also understand that the figures of public order issues in Geylang are quite serious. We definitely do not want another issue like that there. Certainly, the legislation is flexible enough for more special zones to be designated. In that sense, this legislation framework, I think, is broad and flexible enough for us to expand, if necessary, or even cut back, if necessary. If an area gets safer and there are less concerns, it may no longer need to be designated as a special zone. One other aspect of this Bill that is quite interesting is that the Police have gradated powers of intervention. So, it is not envisioned that the first thing the Police would do is to go round and arrest someone for being caught with an opened bottle, as I think some scare-mongers were spreading. What they would probably do in the first instance is to tell people that they should move somewhere else, move back home and that power is within the framework. If the person does not listen, then the Police have escalated powers. These powers are a step-up provision and it is something that allows the Police to have some teeth but also give them the flexibility not to have to wield too heavy a stick. In that sense, I think this is quite an interesting component of the Bill that gives enough flexibility for the enforcement authorities to do what they feel it is necessary in a particular situation. Like Mr Hri Kumar, I also share the concern about whether or not Police resources will be adequate to deal with this. I envision there will be a lot more complaints, at least when this Bill first comes about. And given the additional powers, there will probably be an expectation from residents that the Police will intervene.”
“30 pm and 7.00 am. And this is flexible. The Minister has the flexibility to amend those times, if necessary, at a later stage. So, we certainly did not go to the most extreme measure of banning public consumption of alcohol. I also think it plays an important part in allowing intervention before problems get serious. Right now, the current legislative framework allows you to intervene only when things go seriously wrong, if there is a public order issue, say a fight starts or there is affray or violence. Or, in the other extreme, where the person is incapable of taking care of himself after getting drunk. But there is nothing that allows you to intervene before we get there. So, you can have people getting very drunk in public areas, making some noise but not exactly committing an offence. That is when you have the problem with the Police coming by but not being able to do very much. At least, with this Bill, you are giving intermediate power for the authorities to step in and prevent problems from getting that bad. That, I think, is an important part of striking the right balance, too. Page: 28 The third aspect that I think is very important is the flexibility to designate special zones. Clearly, you cannot treat every area as the same. In some areas, the problems are greater than others. Where the problems are greater, it makes sense to have greater restrictions. At the moment, I understand the special zones that will be designated are Little India and Geylang and this is largely a result of the figures based on the public order issues there. Having experienced the Little India riot, I think everyone here would not disagree that Little India is definitely an area that needs special care.”
“" I answered, "Anti-alcohol Bill – what does that exactly mean?" Actually, we Page: 27 were talking about this Bill. Well, I said, "I support the Bill. I do not quite think it is an anti-alcohol Bill". So, then they said, "Do you drink?" "Yes, I do, but not in public and not after 10.30 pm in open areas." When you ask the next question to many of them, "Do you actually drink on the bridge, drink at the void deck?" They would say, "No, actually we do not, but our right to do so has been taken away." And they were quite indignant. The reality is that when you talk to people more and you explain to them the issues that arise and how other people suffer as a result of it, many people start to understand why this Bill was necessary. Everyone wears two hats: one hat is of them as a resident, and the other hat is of them as a free-spirited person who likes to do what they will. And sometimes, the two are inconsistent. If you look at how this Bill balances things, I think it strikes the right balance. There is no one answer. You cannot have a perfect solution to deal with the two competing tendencies. On the one hand, people want the freedom to drink; on the other, people want the right to have a quiet and peaceful life at home. This Bill does do a good job in striking the right balance. Let me talk about the components of what I mean is the right balance. This Bill could have taken many different forms. In countries like Australia and the US, in many parts of those countries, there is a complete ban on public consumption of alcohol. In many parts of the US, you cannot even have an open bottle of alcohol on the street. That is one extreme that you could go to. We did not go that far. We only stopped the public consumption of alcohol between specific times – between 10.”
“Mdm Speaker, I speak in support of this Bill. I first learnt about the problems related to the public consumption of alcohol very early on in my stint as a Member of Parliament. As soon as I did a block visit near one of the local shops, I was told, "You have to stop liquor in this coffee shop. People drink beyond the hours. They make a lot of noise. We cannot sleep. It is even worse at about two, three o'clock. There are no toilets and they urinate at the void deck". This is a perennial problem. It continues. There are probably one or two tables of people at most who drink beyond the coffee shop hours, but they create disamenities for the entire three or four blocks that are in that vicinity. The Police are called every now and then and that creates the "cat and mouse game" that some Members mentioned earlier. They disappear for awhile and they come back later. In that sense, this Bill addresses a very real concern for many residents in the heartlands. It also addresses concerns for residents who live near the so-called hot spots, the party areas. Many people were saying that areas like Clarke Quay and so on should be permitted to be designated party areas. But my understanding is, the local hon Member, there was probably one of the first to crusade against the sale of alcohol to the public in Clarke Quay because of the public order issues. So, I believe that even in the so-called party areas, there is a necessity to limit unruly behaviour and public consumption of alcohol. When this Bill first came up, I was quite happily in support of it. Of course, as soon as the Bill was announced, the immediate reaction perhaps from the more vocal group was quite different. Some of my colleagues came up to me and said "So, do you support the anti-alcohol Bill?”
“This is broadly in line with investigative powers of enforcement agencies in other parts of legislation as well. I think there should be nothing wrong with this. Finally, I should probably also address what this Bill does not cover. I think some of my fellow Members have raised concerns about the significant disamenities that might be caused by animals, including nuisance from noise and defecation in public areas. While these are issues that obviously concern many of us and probably do require solutions, they are not really the focus of this Bill. The focus of this Bill is to look out for animal welfare and to improve the protection of animals. The nuisance caused by animals could be dealt with within subsequent legislation. I would like to thank everyone once again for their support for this Bill – without your support, we would not be able to take this important step in advancing the protection of animals. 3.06 pm”
“The second area, the penalties for individuals, have also been enhanced but not as much, recognising that individuals may often care only for a few animals or one or two and the fine here will be not exceeding $15,000 for a first offence and a maximum of 18 months in prison, or a fine not exceeding $30,000 for second and subsequent offence and a maximum of three years imprisonment. The Court will also have the power to issue disqualification orders where necessary for offenders under this Act. This will help prevent offenders from committing subsequent offences. This is a discretionary power which the Court can use when necessary. Page: 36 A number of Members earlier on raised concerns about what would happen to owners of SMEs and whether this Bill imposes more onerous conditions on them. Clause 6 of this Bill does require people who handle animals and animal-related businesses to be qualified staff. In order to make sure that this qualification is not too onerous, we should make it clear that this requirement does not apply to staff working in the business who do not deal with animals. For example, the counter staff, assistants and so on, do not need to be qualified. However, those who handle animals, I think it should be a fair minimum requirement that they have the necessary qualifications so that at least they know what they ought to do in caring for animals. The final section of this Bill deals with enforcement powers. Without these, I believe the Bill would be much more difficult or the Bill would have very little meaning. The enforcement powers were based on input from the AVA and give a wide range of powers, including powers to interview, search and investigate and powers to get documents and information necessary for investigation.”
“These include employees in pet shops and people working in animal shelters. The duty of care has been introduced on animal owners and includes a requirement on owners to provide animals with food and shelter, not to confine or convey the animal in any way that causes unreasonable or unnecessary pain, not to abandon the animal or cause the animal to be abandoned and where the animal is missing, to take reasonable steps to locate the animal. They will also have a duty to ensure that animals are cared for in accordance with the relevant codes of animal welfare. The code of animal welfare is another new feature of this Bill that allows regulators to apply specific standards. The code is also intended to be a dynamic document and may be amended as necessary, so that the rules can keep up with whatever the latest practices of cruelty might be. At the same time, the fines for cruelty to animals under section 42 have also been enhanced. It distinguishes between two types of offences. First, those who commit offences in the course of carrying on a business; and second, for those who may commit the offence as individuals. This Act recognises that those who carry on a business have a much higher standard to hold. For offences committed by those who operate the business, the fine for first offence is $40,000 with a term of imprisonment of up to two years; and for second and subsequent offences, a maximum fine of $100,000 with up to three years imprisonment. This recognises the fact that a very large deal of cruelty can be inflicted by those who operate businesses, say, in puppy farms and other areas. I do not wish to cite too many specific examples here lest it turns into a witch hunt.”
“Mdm Speaker, I am honoured to have been part of the team of Members of Parliament working on this Bill. This Bill was the product of much work and cooperation from the AVA, animal welfare groups and others who have an interest in animals, and I would like to thank all who had contributed their efforts towards this. I am also happy with MND's continued support, without which the implementation of many of the measures here would not be possible. I have always had a soft spot for animals, having grown up with two adorable, mischievous dogs in the house. However, the concept of animal rights is not an easy one and I believe every animal lover who has eaten meat would probably know this tension intuitively. One the early advocates of animal rights was probably the utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham who when discussing the rationale for animal rights asked, "The question is not, can they reason, nor can they talk, but can they suffer?" As a general rule, I believe we should do our best to minimise animal suffering wherever possible. And that is very much the intention of the original Animals and Birds Act as well as this amendment. Under section 42 of the Act, a wide range of cruel conduct, from beating, kicking and ill-treating an animal to abandonment were considered cruel and subject to a fine of $10,000 or a term of imprisonment of up to 12 months. Page: 35 However, while many examples of cruelty were prohibited under the old Act, there was never a positive duty of care on owners to take care of animals. In this Bill, we introduced the concept of a "person in charge" and this is because we realise that in practice, the people in contact with the animals, who care for them, quite often may not technically be the owners of the animals.”
“If the intention is for it to be used widely, then it might make sense to also, perhaps at a later date, review the appointment procedure which still currently involves the President, the Prime Minister and the consultation of the Chief Justice. So, if we are going to get judges to hear specific cases, a more streamlined procedure might be helpful in the administration of justice. Overall, I welcome these changes. Singapore's legal system is already one of the most highly regarded in the world and, because it is respected by both developed and developing countries, we are a popular jurisdiction for international contracts and for dispute resolution. I believe these changes will improve our system even further and provide additional impetus for parties to use Singapore as a commercial hub. 3.32 pm”
“I believe international arbitration still continues to have some advantages over the SICC, particularly in that international arbitration awards are likely to be easier to enforce under the UN conventions, whereas an SICC judgment would still be treated as a foreign judgment. However, the SICC enjoys the usual advantages of a court procedure over arbitration, with the added advantage that a suitably qualified foreign judge may be available. One feature of these constitutional amendments that I find interesting is the idea that Judicial Commissioners, Senior Judges and International Judges may be appointed to hear specific cases under clause 8(5)(a) or to be appointed for a specified period. The idea of a judge being appointed for a specific case is quite unique and, in my view, eminently sensible. As the practice of law gets more and more specialised, there will be practitioners who have in-depth knowledge of specific areas and it would make sense for them to be tapped to hear Page: 56 important cases that arise in those areas. This provision essentially allows flexibility to tap a wide range of experience since it permits the tapping of retired judges, international judges and potentially any other lawyer as a Judicial Commissioner. I can see the benefits of this procedure being used widely since it gives tremendous flexibility to find the person suited for a particular case. Once again, this is common in arbitration. I am not entirely sure if the purpose of this provision is for it to be used widely on a regular basis or for it to be used exceptionally.”
“The other interesting change is to the Judiciary: the position of Senior Judges being created to allow Judges, who have past the retirement age, to carry on sitting as Judge either for a fixed term or for a specific case. I welcome this development. Many Judges at their retirement age are still in very good health and have a wealth of experience. A good number carry on practices as highly regarded arbitrators. So, I think it would be a shame for the Judiciary to lose their expertise just because they hit the retirement age. The Senior Judges scheme allows us the ability to continue to tap on them. The International Judge is also a new and rather unique creation. It is very unusual for a country to appoint a foreign qualified person as a Judge in its own national Courts. This provision is to support the Singapore International Commercial Court which will have the capability to hear cases governed by the laws of other countries. It makes sense to have these Judges, qualified in the relevant laws, to hear these cases. This concept is similar to International Arbitration where a tribunal in Singapore can hear cases governed by the laws of other countries and issue an arbitration award. The SICC, in this sense, is like a hybrid between arbitration and litigation and I would expect that for any international commercial contract, parties that would otherwise have chosen litigation before the Singapore Courts can now choose the SICC instead, especially since this gives them the flexibility of having a Judge versed in foreign law.”
“Mdm Speaker, I speak in support of this Bill. I also declare my interest as a dispute resolution lawyer in private practice. This Bill deals with the administration of justice and includes changes to the Judiciary and the Office of the Attorney-General. Some of these amendments are to pave the way for the Singapore International Commercial Court which will be set up. I will deal with three new appointments created by this: namely, the Deputy Attorney-General, the Senior Judge and the International Judge. The appointment of the Deputy Attorney-General is set out in the new Article 35(8) to be inserted in the Constitution. The eligibility criterion is the same as that of the Attorney-General and he is empowered to carry out any duties of the Attorney-General assigned to him. The duties of the Attorney-General are broad and include advising the Government on legal matters and acting as the Chief Prosecutor. The size and complexities of the Singapore Government have grown along with the growth of our economy over the years. Crimes are getting more complex, too, and the size of the Attorney-General's Chambers has grown correspondingly with the duties it has to cover. In this regard, I think it makes sense to have additional senior people who may assist the Attorney-General with his duties. Page: 55 I know that there is scope for the appointment for multiple Deputy Attorney-Generals. I am interested to know how many Deputy Attorney-Generals it is envisioned that will be appointed, at least for starters, and whether each will have distinct duties. I am also interested to know whether this appointment will have any impact on the role of the Solicitor-General, who is, currently, the most senior person in the AGC after the Attorney-General.”
“I assume that these are simple circumventing techniques that have Page: 85 been tried many times by individuals and whether there are any ways or measures we can use to prevent such circumvention and perhaps also using more serious penalties if people try to circumvent these blocking measures. Having said all that, overall, I strongly support this Bill. I believe the scourge of gambling and widespread and easy availability of remote gambling necessitate this. Some gambling for leisure and recreation, where it is monitored by trusted operators such as Singapore Pools, in a tightly controlled environment can be permitted. And, of course, the benefit of permitting this under tight Government scrutiny is that we can then manage addiction and obviously if further measures are needed to control such exemption orders, I would also support those. I think the main advantage is we will have greater control over gambling and greater knowledge of the type of people who engage in it and also, therefore, greater ability to deal with it further, if necessary. At the moment, I believe this Bill strikes a fair balance. Most of my questions relate to the manner in which the various unique features of this Bill might play out in practice and I would be grateful for any clarifications that the Minister can provide. 5.06 pm”
“In the US, the US Attorney charged about 34 members and associates of two Russian-American organised crime syndicates with operating International Sportsbooks that allegedly laundered more than US$100 million. Earlier in his introductory speech, the Minister mentioned that illegal sports, bets placed during the World Cup in Asia alone amounted to some US$2.2 billion in dirty money which might be laundered as well in the black market. In this regard, it might also be helpful if Singapore made consequential amendments to our anti-money laundering provisions to include offences under the Remote Gaming Act which will be part of the Second Schedule to the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act as offences that are to be treated as "serious crimes". These would basically allow us to go after all these remote gambling operators but also the proceeds of remote gambling as essentially the proceeds of money laundering offences. This would give much more teeth to bite as well. The final part of my speech is on the enforcement measures and I am a big fan of the enforcement measures. I think the blocking orders both against web operators, ISPs as well as financial institutions are potentially quite effective because that way, in theory, you cut both access to websites as well as access to payment. My only concern, of course, is this. I understand some other countries such as France and Norway have actually tried these blocking practices. I am curious to know how effective this has been because one concern is that people might be able to circumvent these measures, like blocking of websites, by using proxy servers or blocking of bank accounts by using foreign P.O. boxes.”
“On a related note, section 8 of the Bill, it does not really specify whether or not the individual who gambles in Singapore using the remote gambling service has to be a Singapore citizen or resident, or whether even tourists and transient visitors might be captured. So, this might create a situation where someone who comes from a country where gambling is permitted, carries on gambling in Singapore and then ends up falling foul of the law just because he happens to be gambling in Singapore. But he may not necessarily be aware of the restrictions on online gambling in Singapore. So, the question is, would these Page: 84 potential individuals also be captured by the prohibitions in section 8 and might they find themselves getting arrested while on holiday which might make for some unpleasant newspaper headlines. Another concern – I think the Minister clarified this – was raised by the International Social Games Association (ISGA) in a letter which I believe was sent to quite a number of Members in this House. And this was really pointing out that the definition of "money or money's worth" includes "anything that recognises as equivalent to money and includes virtual credits, virtual coins, virtual tokens, virtual objects". I think their concern is that many social games, including Candy Crush and Farmville, use things like farm coins and Candy Crush gems as virtual currency. But the Minister has clarified that it is not intended to capture these games. So, I guess those of us who do have these social games on our handphones can still go ahead playing it without falling foul of the law. Let me go to a slightly more, I guess, serious topic, and these are the law-and-order concerns. Remote gambling operations where they are unregulated are not always benign.”
“I understand in public statements, there have been some statements where the Minister has listed out the criteria that will be taken into account. But perhaps to avoid doubt, the Minister could clarify whether or not, this are, in effect, the minimum criteria under section 26, or the Minister may take into account other criteria as well, in order to make it even tighter. This, at least, makes it very clear that basically, what we are doing is we are tightening the regime. We are not actually liberalising it in any way. We are not encouraging it in any way. There are a couple of other areas in this Bill that seems extremely wide. I am not sure if this width is intended or unintended. Perhaps, I will just flag some of these things so that clarifications can be made on whether or not the Bill is intended to go that far. Among the activities prohibited under section 5(4) is "the provision of facilities for remote gambling by others". This will obviously capture people who try to facilitate direct gambling but would it also, for example, capture people who develop software that might be used in the gaming industry but not necessarily to customers in Singapore? I understand that quite a number of companies that actually develop software in Singapore that might be used by the gaming industry. Similarly, I think section 9(1)(e) also says, "facilitates the participation by others in remote gambling". This might also include potentially software developers as well as those who might provide things like data facilities and routing facilities but not necessarily ISP providers. Some of these businesses are based in Singapore and I guess it is an open question whether or not we do intend to prohibit these activities.”
“This essentially means that all forms of remote gambling which include online gambling and even gambling by telephone will be prohibited. Some of the things that I think might help in clarifying the scope of these restrictions include the following. In section 26(3) of the Bill, there is a set of criteria which it is said that the Minister may consider in deciding whether or not to grant exemption status to certain operators. I think it is this part of the Bill that has attracted a lot of criticisms because many Members believe that there should be no exemptions at all or there should be stricter controls of these exemptions. My reading of this is that it looks at whether or not the exempt operator is established in Singapore; whether there is a key director or officer in Singapore; and whether the applicant is not-for-profit. This should hopefully take away the incentive to make money out of this operation. And also finally, whether the applicant has a consistent track record of compliance with legal and regulatory requirements applicable to it. Page: 83 My understanding of this exemption really is that it seems to be an attempt to make sure that any remote gambling is operated out of Singapore by people that our laws will be able to take hold over. And clearly, the profit incentive is also taken away. What this means is, essentially, we will have non-profit operators providing a service for an individual who wants to place a sport bet by telephone will be allowed to do so. In that sense, it seems to be more that we are tolerating the occasional indulgence in gambling as opposed to promoting gambling. I understand that this Bill is phrased quite generally. It says these are criteria that the Minister may take into account.”
“Many of us may not believe that is a sensible choice, we may not do the same thing, but by and large, a person who wishes to place small bets, who wishes to engage in leisure gambling, Page: 82 should be able to do so. The main justification for Government intervention in prohibiting gambling is because of its highly addictive nature and the social ills that accompany it. I think every Member of this House is aware of that. But once a person becomes addicted to gambling, it is no longer a free choice. It becomes compulsive. And there are companies out there that exploit this. People who suffer from gambling addiction cause problems not only for themselves, but also their family and loved ones. I have met a great many cases in my Meet-the-People Sessions, people coming for financial assistance. Quite often, when you probe a bit deeper, you realise that somewhere out there, there is actually a gambling story as well which they have not actually told you about. And the gambling story leads to run-ins with illegal moneylenders and potentially other illegal operations too. For that measure, I agree, by and large, that the Government should intervene and the Government should impose restrictions. In this respect, I think it will be helpful to discuss some of the restrictions imposed by this Bill, just to understand it better. And along the way, I will ask for some clarifications. First, this Bill actually prohibits all forms of remote gambling activities, unless they are exempted. It also prohibits the advertisement and promotion of online gambling. There are stricter penalties if gambling is promoted to young people. There is also a tightly controlled exemption regime which I will discuss later on in the speech.”
“Mdm Speaker, I speak in support of the Remote Gambling Bill. I also declare my interest: I am a lawyer at Rajah & Tann (Singapore) LLP and my law firm advises on gaming law. Remote gambling has grown significantly over the years. It is a large, highly profitable global industry. Typically, it includes online sports betting, card games and live-casino games. There are numerous websites offering such services and at the moment, there is almost no regulation of this sector. I have heard different numbers being bandied around but I understand that, in Singapore alone, more than $375 million was spent on remote gambling last year. This Bill introduces some of the strongest restrictions against remote gambling to be imposed by any country. In this context, it is interesting that the debate in this House has focused not on whether this Bill goes too far in restricting remote gambling, but whether it has gone far enough. This suggests that there is a clear consensus that remote gambling should be restricted by the Government. And I think that is a very healthy starting point. Before we enter this debate, we should actually look at where the starting point of Government regulation should be in the first place because, ultimately, the choice to gamble is an individual choice. You may disagree with that person's choice to gamble, but by and large, assuming he is not addicted, that is his free choice. If he wants to place a bet on his favourite team winning the game, he should be allowed to do so. If he wants to buy a 4D ticket, say, on his birthday or some other special occasion, he should be allowed to do so.”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. I have two questions for the Deputy Prime Minister. The first is the Committee of Inquiry was critical of the ground commander's actions, particularly in what was called the Second Phase of the riot. What is the Deputy Prime Minister's view on this? What actions will they take in relation to the ground commander, if any? The second is probably the flip side of the question. The Committee was also quite complimentary of the overall result that was achieved and also singled out certain Police officers for praise. Will anything be done to recognise the efforts of these Police officers?”
“I really hope that this collegiate system of government that we have in Singapore is one that we can keep and continue with for some time to come, and maintain Singapore as the special place that it is. 4.38 pm”
“He was about two weeks away from his re-election. His country was fraught with problems. I think we were having a dinner together and around the 10-minute conversation, we discussed all sorts of policies. I finally said to him, "These problems sound very difficult. How are you going to solve them?" He gave me a smile and said, "I would not solve them. I am going to lose in two weeks, and it is not my problem. I take my pension." So, in a sense, he was joking, but at the same time, it was also eye-opening. In a sense, none of them had a long-term perspective. They were living from election to election. From his point of view, he said, "Okay, I am financially secure. I have got my two terms done. I cannot solve these problems, so let someone else do it". He did lose his seat two weeks after that and the new government is also having some trouble. The third was the conversation with a fairly senior politician. He was sharing how when he spoke to Singapore's Ministers one by one and asked them, "If you have a problem, who would you speak to first?" And he said, "All the Singapore Ministers said 'our Cabinet colleagues'." He was sort of joking when he said, "In my country, those are the last people you would speak to because they will be out for you." Again, it was quite eye-opening. I Page: 64 would not say this is representative of politics everywhere, but I would say that it represents the danger of politics becoming politics in that sense. Constructive politics is one way that I think people get together as a team to solve problems, and not play games either against other people in their own party or against other parties just for the sake of staying in power.”
“And one of the things that strike me when I speak to most of the other Members of Parliament is we all feel a bit like custodians, we are quite happy to do our job, to solve the problems at hand, and when the time comes to hand over, we are quite happy to do that as well. So, in that sense, we do not have this idea of being obsessed with staying in power or anything like that at our individual level because we all are just passing on the baton to the next generation. At the same time, we are not engaging in politics just for the sake of staying in power. Mr Low also makes references to "mature" democracies to create the impression, I guess, that we are an immature democracy and there are others who are better than us. Over the last couple of years, I have had conversations with politicians from other countries and it is quite instructive, what they said. I would share maybe three stories from some politicians in what might be called "mature" democracies. I would not mention the countries' names but I would just share the stories. The first was a politician whom I had a very robust exchange with. He was saying, "Why do you open up so much to foreigners? Do you think it actually helps your country?" and so on. And his was a country that was suffering economically, in quite a bad form. By the end of the conversation, he more or less agreed that it would be better for his country if it had opened up. But he told me after that, "If I were to say that in public, they would say I am scoring one against the home team." It is something that he realised was necessary but which he could not really say in public. I would not identify the country though some Members may make a guess. The second was a conversation with a politician who had served about two terms in politics.”
“The next level, the mandatory social insurance and social security benefits – this sounds a little bit like CPF LIFE and MediShield Life. The voluntary insurance sounds a little bit like all the private insurance schemes we have. I am not sure if we need additional legislation and bureaucratic work to enforce all these things, when I think that all these boxes are currently checked. But I do agree with the Member that it is important for us to provide social protection and that is, I think, one of the focuses of the President's Address. Let me deal with one final point which I think has been very important for us to get to where we are, and this is the topic of constructive politics. In many ways, it is quite interesting that Mr Low Thai Khiang opened the Workers' Party slate speaking almost entirely on one topic "constructive politics". And I think it is a little bit tragic if the focus is going to be on the politics and not on the policies that will help the people. But be that as it may, let me talk about what constructive politics is, at least from my point of view. I was not a politician to start with, like many people here. When you work in an environment that is outside of politics, you usually have a job to do, a problem to solve. And the way you do that job or solve that problem is by working together with people, collaborating. When you brainstorm, you find the way to solve the problem in a better way. You do not do that by trying to bring the other person down who is solving the problem with you. To me, when you bring this into politics in Singapore, I think it is quite instructive. Although we have the same party ruling for many, many years, the Members of Parliament Page: 63 keep changing.”
“Our students have progressed very well in the last 20 years. In 2012, our students passing rate in Mathematics was about 80%. The good achievements made by SINDA could not have been made without the support of our community. SINDA's operating cost, like other costs, will increase. Fortunately, this year, the Government has increased its subsidy to the self-help groups, like SINDA. Additionally, some of the higher income earners, whom I have spoken to, were prepared to contribute more. I believe that we will be able to obtain more contributions, in future, from this higher income earners if we need to increase the contributions from our community. Page: 62 With continued Government and community support, I hope self-help groups like SINDA will continue its good work for many years to come. (In English): Quite apart from creating educational opportunities and economic opportunities, I also think it is important to have a good social safety net. And in this respect, I heard the speech of the previous speaker, Mr Muhamad Faisal bin Abdul Manap, and I was looking through his chart. One of the things that struck me is I can think of schemes that we have that fit almost every box. And in many respects, I think it is because we have a fairly robust system. If I was to just go through it. The income security for the elderly and disabled – we do have some of that, in terms of our Public Assistance. Assistance for the unemployed, under-employed and the poor – we have the CDCs that do job-matching assistance, and financial assistance, when necessary, can come from MSF. Income security for children – there are many different schemes to help children. Access to essential healthcare – as far as I know this is accessible to all Singaporeans.”
“" He said, "Well, some of these Page: 61 students, they may have had more learning difficulties, so you need to spend more time, more attention on them." But he had people and teachers who had the ability to deal with that. The investment was significant as well. When I went to some of the classrooms, they had some classrooms that were set up like hotel rooms so that people can pick up the necessary skills. Other classrooms were set up like supermarkets and another one set up like an industrial kitchen. In many ways, there is a lot of effort being put into training people at a very young age. At the same time, there is a light-industrial park coming up next door. I asked if there are any plans to work with them, and he said, "Once people come in, that could be a potential source of opportunities for work experience for some of my students if they wish." Almost an entire ecosystem is being created with opportunities for people. These are very encouraging perspectives. In order for us to do well, everyone must have opportunities suited to them. For the next section, let me say a few words in Tamil, in relation to SINDA's efforts as well. For this section, let me declare my interest as an Advisor to SINDA's Board of Trustees. (In Tamil): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Education is very important in order to participate in Singapore's growth. In 1999, the passing rate of the Indian students in Mathematics was about 54%. This caused a concern to us, the Indian community. SINDA came forward to help address this problem. Our community is well aware of many of SINDA's activities. Thousands of students study in SINDA's STEP programme classes. The fee is set very low for students coming from the lower-income group.”
“This flexible approach, I think required considerable investment and has allowed a group of Singaporeans who may not want to focus so much on academics still do so without losing out, and at the same time maintain their passion and interest in sport. Another school that I visited recently, Christ Church Secondary whose charming Principal, Mrs Yeo Chin Nam always shares success stories. But her idea of success stories is very different from what we might normally think. She has many students who come from families with difficult backgrounds, sometimes struggling academically, sometimes dealing with lots of other issues. She makes it a point at every gathering, at every Speech Day, to share stories of how the school helped these students to overcome these adversities. Sometimes, she helps to build their confidence by introducing to them extra-curricular activities such as their Choir which is an award-winning one, and in many ways, finding ways to build their confidence. Again, one of the things that struck me was the sense of optimism coming out of this school, coming out of the students that I meet, even though many of them may have had tough backgrounds going in there. One of the newest additions in my constituency – Spectra Secondary. Again, it is a quite a special school. It was one of the first schools that was started purely for Normal (Technical) students. I recently met the Principal, Mr Krishnan Aravinthan, and it was his first year in the school. While I was walking through the school, one of the things that struck me was how he managed to call out the students by name. I was quite impressed, and I asked, "You are the Principal; how do you know all the students by name?”
“We have been open to investments; we have been open to businesses. We have also had a proactive Government that not only allows businesses to come in but also actively seeks out sectors, high-value sectors that will allow Singaporeans opportunities. For example, in this year's Page: 60 President Address, we see emphasis on the infocomm sector. We had previous developments in the biotech sector. And, more importantly, even as the society ages, there is mention of areas such as gerontology, medicine and nursing. What we find is that, for the economy to create opportunities at big levels, we need to get our macro-economic policies right. But the macro-economic policies will only work if we have a skilled workforce and a workforce that has the appropriate mindset and attitude towards this. In this respect, I would also like to credit the school system for many things. And for this, I can actually share stories from my own area at Admiralty. It is very easy, when we talk about opportunities, we talk about high achievers and people who are doing well and for them to think the world is their oyster. What is special about Singapore is that we create opportunities at all levels. One of the schools in my area is the Sports Singapore. Recently, I went for their 10th Anniversary celebrations. Speaking to many of the athletes there, one thing that struck me because they were all very grateful for being in the Sports School mainly because they had a flexible curriculum that allowed them to priortise their interests in sport and train during the day but, at the same time, keep up with their lessons in the evening.”
“Mdm Speaker, I would like to thank the President for his Address primarily because it struck a chord of optimism and hope in what might otherwise be quite a challenging time for many in this world. Let me start by talking about the area of Singapore being a land of opportunities. In many ways, Singapore is a very special place. The macro-economic policies of Singapore have played a very important part of this. For me, when I was at the Commonwealth youth conference about one or two years ago, one of the things that struck me was in the conversations with other members of the Commonwealth, the issues facing their youths were very different and very significantly different from Singapore. In many of their countries, the best countries, they had youth unemployment rates of about 20%. In some of the worst, it hit north of 80%. Our youth unemployment rate was about 4%. In many ways, when we were thinking and talking about opportunities, we were looking at very different types of problems and very different types of issues. What struck me as quite ironical was that many countries were actually looking to us, to Singapore, to find out what we did that was so different from everyone else. This set me thinking as well. If I were to look at it, I think there are two things that are actually quite important in maintaining Singapore as a land of opportunities and making it an even better place. The first is that we must have our macro-economic policies right and the second is that we need an education system that allows all Singaporeans to benefit from this. Let me start with the macro-economic policies and I will touch on this in more general terms. By and large, Singapore has benefited because we maintain an open market.”
“For example, if a person feels that he has been having a rough ride at work and has been getting a series of bad performance reviews and things like that, that is potentially insulting, and you can insult a person with the truth. It will cause distress. I suspect in that case, the only defence might be that that conduct was reasonable. The reality is that there is a potential for a lot more workplace situations to end up being litigated with this Harassment Bill. The Courts should probably be slower to criminalise what is normal workplace activity. In relation to stalking, I note that section 7 specifies unlawful stalking. I am not sure if there is a distinction between unlawful stalking and normal stalking. For example, would this section potentially criminalise the work of private investigators? They generally follow the victims and, if the victims were aware Page: 81 they were being followed, they would probably be distressed. Private investigators are often involved in contentious matters. So, they might find themselves subject to allegations of stalking if and when the victims realise that they are being followed and a report is submitted. It might be good to clarify whether such behaviour would be considered reasonable conduct as well. Some actions taken by private investigators may well be unreasonable and may well qualify for criminalisation. I do not wish to constrain the courts too much. I think there is a potential, with broad wording, for unintentional conduct to be included as well. I do not have straight answers to whether or not these situations should be dealt with in the Bill or whether they can be dealt with in subsequent legislation. By and large, that does not change the fact that I strongly endorse this Bill and think this is timely and necessary.”
“I Page: 80 should also highlight a few areas where I think there might be some concerns where an overly broad reading of the Bill might lead to some potentially unintentional results. One is, for example, the definition of "harassment" currently criminalises "insulting behaviour" or "communication", if it is likely to cause "distress" to a person. Now, if the threshold for insult and distress is set too low, a very wide range of behaviour may be inadvertently criminalised. For example, in the course of a football game, it is quite normal for colourful language to be used against opposing team members, referees and, sometimes, even your own team mates. Such language is often "insulting" and may cause "distress" to the victim. But my own view is that such behaviour is not intended to be criminalised because they are just one-off insults that people do not think about later. At the same time, I acknowledge that it is a defence under the Act saying that if the conduct is reasonable under section 33 or 43B, then it will not be treated as harassment. It may be difficult to say that such behaviour is reasonable, but I do not think that any of this behaviour is really intended to be criminalised by the Act, unless there is a course of conduct around it. The same thing: insults by drill Sergeants in the Army or anyone else who has been to National Service. All these things seem pretty much par for the course; it may cause distress to the person suffering at the moment, but I do not think there is any long-term consequence from that. I do not think that is intended to be criminalised. One area that may be more difficult is potentially the issue of people getting negative feedback at work.”
“However, the Police told her that as it did not constitute an offence, they were unable to do anything about it. As a result, she told me that her former husband continues to harass her without any fear at all. Mdm Speaker, with the passing of this new law, the actions of her husband would become unlawful. So, the Police should be able to help her now. (In English): That was just one situation, where a remedy is available now, in which I believe that this framework will provide an even easier remedy. But that is not all. Another broad area in which I think such legislation would be helpful would be in relation to cyber harassment. Surprisingly, very strong proponents of this included a whole range of people who are active online, bloggers who themselves are strong proponents of free speech. Even they believe that legislation is needed to prevent harassment. VWOs taking care of children, who are speaking up against bullying, pointed out that cyber bullying is one of the biggest issues facing young children. This legislation will at least give a framework for us to step in. There will be some limits on criminal liability for children below the age of 12, but at least this framework does give clear measures in the law to step in where necessary. Workplace harassment is also an important issue that many groups have brought up, and sexual harassment, as the Minister has outlined in quite some detail, will also be addressed to a great measure in this Bill. While I broadly applaud this Bill, any Bill that deals with such a wide range of issues will necessarily have some areas where it may potentially lead to matters being criminalised where there may be no intention to criminalise.”
“Mdm Speaker, I speak in support of this Bill. This Bill provides a clear legislative framework for dealing with harassment, stalking and making of false statements and, in each case, gives clear remedies to victims who may otherwise have been left without recourse. I was involved in some of the engagement sessions and was impressed by the wide range of groups involved in supporting legislation against harassment. This includes VWOs and groups interested in protecting vulnerable groups, such as women and children, members of the online community, including bloggers and a number of academics. By and large, there was very wide-ranging support for legislation to deal with harassment. The fact is that this Bill, which provides a relatively simple framework for dealing with such a wide range of different issues, is commendable. Let me share a few situations in which a Bill like this might help. And the first story I am sharing involves an Indian lady who came to my Meet-the-People Session (MPS) who was dealing with her ex-husband. I should add that this is the case where she might have gotten protection under the Women's Charter by getting a Protection Order. She was reluctant to see lawyers about this Page: 79 though. So, let me share her story and, if I may, I will do this in Tamil. (In Tamil): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] A few months ago, an Indian lady who resides in the Admiralty ward of Sembawang GRC came to see me at my MPS. She told me about her problems. Her daughter lives with her. She said that she had an acrimonious divorce with her husband. According to her, her husband continued to send her insulting SMS messages. These messages generally accused her of being a bad mother and wife. The lady had reported this to the Police.”
“Mdm Chair, a few days ago, an announcement was made that the Government is planning to set up a tribunal to adjudicate what was described as "intractable community disputes". It was also mentioned that this was part of a broader framework for the management of disputes in the community. Could the Minister share more details about this broader framework for dealing with community disputes? I understand that the aim of the framework is to promote good neighbourliness and to encourage neighbours to resolve disputes amicably where possible. Could the Minister share what additional measures might be taken to encourage more neighbours to use mediation before going to the tribunal? Apart from dispute resolution mechanisms, is the Government also considering a change in the legal framework to deal with neighbourhood nuisance? This would include, for example, developing rules to deal with issues such as noise from neighbours and in public areas such as void decks, and also other elements of nuisance such as smoke from burning of papers and incense. Page: 10 At the moment, the authorities are unable to do much because there are no clear rules on what are the acceptable levels of these sorts of disamenities. While reasonable people may come to some agreement on what is acceptable, if parties become unreasonable and press for their rights, it is not exactly clear where these would fall. Exact rules may be developed as part of the community engagement that the Ministry plans to embark on in relation to the tribunal. I do believe that having such rules would be helpful, at least as a starting point for parties in their negotiations.”
“My question is on the haze. I thank the Minister for outlining the measures that have been taken. Just two points. One, I understand that ASEAN countries are cooperating on dealing with this issue. I am wondering if it would be possible under the auspices of cooperation to persuade Indonesia to enact domestic legislation that might hold concession holders strictly liable for damage caused by the haze. The second suggestion is, if all other measures fail, whether we might even consider action against Indonesia, say in international arbitration. The Trail Smeltercase might be useful for establishing liability for transboundary harm Page: 34 from pollution.”
“I have two clarifications. The first is for the Minister. I thank the Minister for saying that he is looking into protection of consumers in pay-TV contracts. Would the Minister consider coming up with a set of standard terms for these contracts at the end of this consultation, particularly as we got this scenario where consumers do not have much bargaining power, and we also give clarity to the providers of content? The second question is for Senior Minister of State Lawrence Wong on PSB funding. I declare my interest as Chairman of the Indian Programmes Advisory Committee. There is a lot of very good content being generated by this funding. Could the Minister consider dubbing content that is good in one language to another so that, say, programmes which are popular with smaller communities might have a broader reach and programmes that, say, do well with the Chinese channel could reach the Indian community as well? Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Definitely, that is a very good suggestion by the Member. I will ask MDA to study his suggestion.”
“— and consumers do not seem to have much opportunity to change that. Is MCI taking any steps to ensure that consumers' rights and interests continue to be protected in the face of such developments? Personal Data Protection Act”
“SingTel replied to his letter on 25 December 2013 and their explanation was that there were only two packages they had that offered BPL and they had, therefore, required all their existing customers to change to one of these price plans. On 27 December, another writer to the forum, Mr Peter Low Wai Keong, raised the same concern saying that he, too, had been subject to the same change, which was contrary to his expectations that once he signed up for a package, the terms could not be changed on him just because the minimum subscription period had expired. The concern raised by these two customers is that there seems to be a clause to the contract that allows the content provider to change the contract terms as and when they please —”
“Mdm Chair, the range of media content and services delivered in the pay TV market is expanding and retailers are regularly updating their programme offerings and bundling service packages. Although customers find themselves having more choice, there is also a need to ensure that the terms of subscription are not unfair. A recent exchange of letters in the Straits Times' Forum in December 2013 raised some concerns of customers that I think it might be helpful to address. A letter by Mr Nicholas Aw on 14 December highlighted some of the issues he faced with his pay TV contract. Like many people, he had subscribed for the Barclay's Premier League package and there was a clause in his contract that said after the minimum subscription expires, "any content or channel(s) will automatically continue at the same subscription rates until the subscription is terminated by the customer". The understanding that Mr Aw had was that if the customer does not inform – in this case, SingTel was his provider – that he wishes to change his contract, no change will take place. 1.30 pm However, when his minimum subscription period ended, he received a letter informing him that he would be automatically converted to a new package that included additional content and at three times the price. He was upset about this; he asked why the clause on automatic renewal of content was not being followed, and the reply he received at that time was that there was Page: 53 another clause in the contract that gave SingTel the sole discretion to change the terms and conditions of his subscription.”
“In relation to the young, I am concerned particularly about youth from lower income households and whether they would be disadvantaged if their parents are unable to give them an early introduction to the fast developing new technologies. In relation to the elderly, they may be the most affected as the traditional forms of media and technology they are familiar with rapidly become obsolete and they may also be the ones left out if the new developments require learning of new technologies. I am, therefore, interested to know if there are any plans to ensure that all groups in society, including the elderly and the young, will have opportunities Page: 34 and assistance to enjoy the full benefits of both these sectors. ICT Capability to Support Growth”
“Following the announcements in last year's Budget, there were a number of interesting developments in the Infocomm, Media and Design sectors (ICMD). The ICMD sectors go through continuous disruption and in the process create many opportunities. In the Committee of Supply debate last year, the Minister explained the evolution and convergence of these sectors. The first wave of convergence which he described as being almost complete, brought together the IT and telecommunications industries to give rise to the infocomm sector. The second wave of convergence involves in unifying data and the emergence of massive datasets – Miss Penny Low has described in some detail the opportunities arising from this. The third wave of convergence, which the Minister described as the most disruptive, involves the bringing together the infocomm and media industries. I understand that MCI's plans for these sectors are wide-ranging and involve enhancing Singapore's infocomm and media infrastructure, enhancing Singaporeans' quality of life, leveraging it to improve business competitiveness and productivity and to position Singapore for future ICMD growth. In line with these intentions, we have seen some interesting developments in 2013, including the opening of the Google Data Centre and Infinite Studios. What is the significance of these new additions to our ICMD ecosystem and what are MCI's plans to further enhance the vibrancy of these sectors? I am also concerned that not all groups might be able to benefit from or enjoy the exciting developments from the ICMD sectors. Two groups of concern are the young and the elderly.”
“Mr Chairman, one of the sectors that has been hardest hit by the economic restructuring has been the SME sector. From Mr Inderjit Singh's speech and Mr Teo's speech earlier, we get very much the experience of business people. But I also understand that the Ministry overseeing this, MTI, has also been doing a great deal to assist these businesses and there have also been many engagement sessions with various SMEs and industry associations. I am interested to know if MTI could update this House on what sort of views Page: 133 and insights these engagements have yielded, how many of the SMEs at these engagement sessions are aware of the assistance that is available and how many of them are making use of this assistance.”
“Mdm Chair, at the official opening of the River Safari last week, Prime Minister Lee said that Singapore needs to be more imaginative about drawing visitors to its shores and refreshing attractions to give tourists an unforgettable experience. He also mentioned that the Government is looking at how to equip workers with the skills, knowledge and courtesies to do well in the tourism sector as well as helping the sector deal with the manpower crunch in Singapore. We live in an age where there is intensifying competition for tourists. There is a very large variety of destinations to choose from in Asia itself where larger countries with longer histories offer tourists a larger variety of experiences that Page: 107 Singapore cannot. Against this backdrop, what is the outlook for Singapore's tourism sector in 2014? Are there any interesting developments Singapore can look forward to over the next few years? In the face of intensifying global competition for the tourism pie, is MTI taking any steps to assist tourism stakeholders in Singapore to raise their capabilities and deal with issues such as the manpower crunch? Protecting Deposits Paid by Travellers”
“I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for the answer. This is also a follow-up on terrorism, particularly self-radicalisation. It seems to be a simplistic solution. But are any steps being taken to track the sites, for example, that purveys such messages and maybe block access to the sites?”
“I have similar concerns as Mr Yeo. According to the Home Team's annual statistics on drugs for 2013 that were recently released, there was a 2% increase in the number of arrested drug users as well as repeat offenders. Altogether, some 3,574 drug abusers were arrested, of which 69% were re-offenders. The large number of repeat offenders tells the story of how serious the problem of drug abuse is. My own encounters with reforming addicts in the course of my work as a Member of Parliament leave me under no illusions about the man exposed to drugs. In this regard, I was particularly concerned because of the people who are arrested, 31% are new drug abusers and of these new drug abusers, about half were between the ages of 20 and 29 years old. This might be a long painful road ahead for these drug abusers. Page: 67 I also understand that about 92% of the drug arrests were for heroin and methamphetamine. But it was also notable that there was a sharp increase in the number of abusers of cannabis, a drug which some people might perceive to be less harmful. I understand that while heroin is the main drug of abuse for older addicts, younger addicts are more likely to use methamphetamine, such as Ice and cannabis. Could the Ministry provide an update on the local situation in relation to these types of drugs? Are any steps being taken to educate the youth of the risks of drugs such as these? Community Efforts to Help Offenders”