Wong Kan Seng
Singapore
“We all want a better future for our children and the future generations. Amid the debates, let us not lose sight of what we are working for – we are working for the benefit and future of Singaporeans. Not for growth targets, not for foreigners, but for Singaporeans.”
“Mrs Mildred Tan also suggested doing a longitudinal study on the impact of new citizens on Singapore. I am told that there is a periodic study on the perception of integration and rootedness of Singaporeans and PRs. A study is now ongoing too.”
“All they need to do is simply declare that they meet the residential criteria. EASING IN US ECONOMY (Impact on Singapore) 9. Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Senior Minister what will be the expected impact on the Singapore economy arising from the US Federal Reserve's announcement on 3rd November 2010 of a "quantitative easing" of the US economy…”
“Well, from the data I have here, 553 registered to vote before the 2006 GE and this is the data I have but Ms Lim may be right. There may be 1,000-odd that Ms Lim had mentioned. From what I am told now, we have 1,325 Singaporean overseas who are eligible to register to vote have registered.”
“But, as I said, there are so many other possibilities that they could come in and there could also be many possibilities that we could have missed and they have entered or left Singapore. LAND SWAP AGREEMENT FOR KTM STATION AND RAILWAY LANDS 2.”
“They are also recruiting people by offering them scholarships. So, we hope more of our companies can do that. Hopefully they come here to work for a while and, if they like our place, they may want to settle down. This is a place which they can think about. POPULATION AND TALENT DIVISION 5. Assoc. Prof.”
The complete record
Every one of 3,192 lines we hold for Wong Kan Seng, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 35 of 64.
“Sir, we have maybe close to 30,000 hotel rooms in Singapore and definitely nobody expects the Police to go round checking all the hotels to ensure that they do not engage in prostitution. But when there are complaints against somebody operating a brothel in a hotel, then, of course, Police will go and take action.”
“If Police receive complaint that somebody is living on the immoral earnings of somebody, then, of course, they will take action.”
“Sir, prostitution per se is not an offence under our laws. This has been so since the colonial days. Singapore is not the only country where prostitution is not an offence. Many other countries also adopt the same position. Governments around the world and through the ages have tried to eradicate prostitution, but none had succeeded. Criminalising prostitution will only drive such activities underground, resulting in crime syndicates taking control over such activities. The Ministry of Home Affairs therefore has taken a pragmatic approach of recognising that the problem cannot be totally suppressed or wished away. Our approach is therefore to contain the situation, particularly through continuing enforcement against prostitutes and pimps who solicit in public. Soliciting and pimping in public are offences under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act and the Women's Charter respectively. The Police also conduct regular checks at known locations and on those involved in the trade to prevent criminal gangs from exploiting the prostitutes, and underaged girls from getting involved.”
“Women make up 55%, indeed a majority, of fitness test participants. Women's participation in the Learn-to-Play Schemes has also increased, from 19,237 in 1996 to 27,735 and 40,145 in 1997 and 1998 respectively. At the community level, women are encouraged to use the ClubFITT gymnasium facilities available at the Regional Sports and Fitness Centres. In 1998, there were 143,922 female users. This is up from 9,635 in 1996 and 88,200 female users in 1997. At the national level, the Singapore Sports Council, together with the People's Association Women's Executive Committee Co-ordinating Council, the Ministry of Health, the NTUC Women's Programme Committee and the Singapore Council of Women's Organisations (SCWO) will be organising the third National Sports Carnival for Women on 6th June 1999. We anticipate that this event will attract 13,000 women participants. To further emphasise the promotion of women in sports, the first Women and Sports Conference was held in Singapore in March this year, during which Singapore endorsed the objectives and principles of the Brighton Declaration to increase the participation of women and girls in sports in Singapore. As a follow-up to the Conference, a working group is being established to draw up an action plan to promote the greater participation of women in sports.”
“Sir, I think the public is already quite unhappy that we have so many motorists who violate the law, and that they want the Police to take tough action against them. An example is this question of illegal parking. Readers of newspapers would have noted that the newspapers ran a series of articles carrying views from residents, motorists and other people who complained about illegal parking and they want the Police to do more in dealing with this problem. As a result and in response to this - the Traffic Police has also been considering this - the Police has therefore demarcated a number of areas to attract demerit points if motorists park in these areas. And the number of such zones which will attract demerit points for illegal parking will increase to quite a significant number. I can assure Members here that the Police will go all out to deal with this problem. PARTICIPATION IN SPORTS AMONG FEMALE POPULATION 2. Mrs Lim Hwee Hua asked the Minister for Community Development what measures are being taken or being contemplated to promote participation in sports among the female population, especially at the community and recreational level. The Minister for Community Development (Mr Abdullah Tarmugi): Sir, participation of women in sports and physical fitness activities has grown considerably since the launch of the Sports For Life Programme by the Prime Minister in 1996. Under the Sports For Life Programme, the Singapore Sports Council administers fitness tests and organises the Learn-to-Play programme. Between September 1996 and December 1996, a 4-month period, 763 women participated in the Sports For Life Fitness Assessments. For the whole of 1997, the number jumped to 15,968 and more than doubled to 42,674 in 1998.”
“Sir, the implementation of the speed limiters will be carried out in phases. The first phase will begin with new heavy vehicles which are registered from 1st July onwards. Thereafter, existing heavy vehicles will be installed with speed limiters in phases over a period of time, and we hope they can do it as soon as possible, because it is actually a very simple device costing just a few hundred dollars to install. As for the demerit points and the fines, the whole demerit point system is being reviewed, whether it is just parking at demerit point zones, speeding or any other offence that would attract demerit points. I think far too many people are beating red lights and speeding. These constitute about 70% of the total traffic offences. I think motorists should be advised not to violate any of the traffic regulations because the Traffic Police is earnest and serious in addressing this problem, and they will up the demerit points quite severely.”
“The Traffic Police will also charge drivers of heavy vehicles who are caught speeding. Errant drivers will be liable for heavier penalties as well as disqualification from driving. For careless driving, a first offender will be liable to a fine of $1,000 or 3 months imprisonment. For dangerous driving, the offender will be liable to a fine of up to $3,000 or 12 months imprisonment or both. The offender can also be liable to disqualification from driving. In suitable cases, the Traffic Police will press for a deterrent sentence, including imprisonment sentences and disqualification from driving. Sir, the Traffic Police takes a serious view of motorists who blatantly flout traffic regulations, such as driving on expressway shoulders. Expressway shoulders are meant only for vehicles to stop temporarily during emergencies, for example, when a vehicle breaks down. Motorists should not treat a road shoulder as an additional carriageway. Anyone who drives on the expressway shoulder can be fined up to $1,000 or 3 months imprisonment. The offender will also be given 4 demerit points. A repeat offender can be fined up to $2,000 or jailed up to 6 months. Sir, the Traffic Police is currently reviewing the demerit points system. The review will include all offences that currently attract demerit points, such as driving along expressway shoulders. The Traffic Police would also like to advise motorist whose vehicle has broken down along the expressway to switch on the hazard lights and display the vehicle breakdown sign. The motorist and his passengers should move away from the breakdown vehicle and stand behind the guard rail. They should face the direction of the on-coming traffic and not venture onto the carriageway at all times.”
“Sir, the accident involving Mdm Khor was very unfortunate. The Traffic Police and the Land Transport Authority already have plans in the coming months to facilitate the early towing away of breakdown vehicles on expressways, as well as to control the speed of heavy vehicles. The LTA introduced an Expressway Monitoring and Advisory System (EMAS) for the Central Expressway (CTE) on 1st March 1998. EMAS spots accidents and breakdown vehicles which are then removed by LTA's towing contractor. The quick removal of obstruction ensures that the source of danger is removed as soon as possible and also minimises delays to other motorists. EMAS will eventually be extended to the other expressways, like the BKE, PIE and ECP. The Traffic Police is also working with LTA and transport associations such as the Motor Traders Association and the Freight Forwarders Association to look into requiring heavy vehicles to install speed limiters. These limiters would restrict the speed at which heavy vehicles can travel. Once the vehicle reaches a certain pre-determined maximum speed, the petrol-supply to the engine would be regulated, and the vehicle would not be able to travel beyond that speed. Such limiters are already in place in almost all SBS and TIBS buses. The first phase of implementation is expected to start in July this year. Besides taking preventive measures, the Traffic Police will also step up its enforcement against heavy vehicles. The Traffic Police has been charging drivers of heavy vehicles involved in serious and fatal accidents and, on a selective basis, slight injury accidents. Henceforth, the Traffic Police will charge all drivers of heavy vehicles who are involved in accidents in court.”
“The number of rape cases, the age profile of the rape victims and the number of convictions from 1990 to 1999 (up to the month of March) are given as follows: RAPE CASES REPORTED IN 1990 - 1999 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999* Cases 111 74 80 79 81 102 99 103 104 25 Reported Cases 63 53 68 64 56 75 48 61 76 16 Cleared** Cases 2 0 0 31 16 31 15 19 9 0 Convicted Clearance 57 72 85 81 69 74 48 59 73 64 Rates*** (%) _____________________________ * January to March. ** Cases such as the following are categorised as cases cleared: - cases where arrests are made; - cases where the accused is charged in Court; - cases where the accused is warned in lieu of prosecution; - cases where there is insufficient evidence to proceed in Court. *** Clearance rate = No of cases cleared/No of cases reported x 100% PROFILE OF VICTIMS BY AGE 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Below 10* 1 2 4 4 3 2 10 - 144 15 40 31 41 35 5 15 - 19 16 16 19 24 27 7 20 - 24 17 23 18 14 19 3 25 - 29 18 11 8 13 8 5 30 - 34 5 5 9 3 6 2 35 - 39 6 3 5 2 2 40 - 44 3 3 3 2 3 45 - 49 1 1 2 1 1 50 - 54 55 - 59 1 60 - 64 1 65 - 69 Above 70 1 TOTAL (not available) 82 104 99 105 105 25 _____________________________ * Of the 176 cases in 1994 to 1998, 147 (84%) were statutory rapes, i.e. the victims were below 14. Out of the 147 statutory rape cases, there was consent in 67 cases (46%). FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE 2. Dr Lily Neo asked the Minister for National Development whether there is any danger of the foot and mouth disease spreading to Singapore from Malaysia in view of the recent outbreak of the virus in Negri Sembilan.”
“The incidence of crime by illegal immigrants and overstayers has remained low. In 1998, the number of crimes committed by immigration offenders was about 250. This is about 0.5% of the total number of seizable offences reported in 19981. Of the 1929 foreigners arrested for crimes in 1998, 210 (10.9%) were illegal immigrants and 46 (2.4%) were overstayers. These immigration offenders were mostly involved in minor offences, such as shoplifting. It is not practical to devise specific measures targeted only at the immigration offenders involved in crime. Hence, my Ministry's approach is to deter and take tough enforcement action against all immigration offenders in Singapore. In this regard, we have enhanced the penalties in the Immigration Act. Immigration officers have stepped up their vigilance at our checkpoints, the Coast Guard has intensified its patrols and surveillance of suspicious activities at sea, and the Police has conducted islandwide raids at suspected places of refuge. This has led to a record high of 23,000 in the total number of illegal immigrants and overstayers arrested in 1998. The Home Team will maintain its enforcement efforts to ensure that the immigration offender situation and the associated crime problems remain firmly under control. _____________________________ 1 In 1998, 48,260 seizable offences were reported. WRITTEN ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS RAPE CASES 1. Mdm Claire Chiang See Ngoh asked the Minister for Home Affairs if he will indicate, between 1990 and 1999, (a) the number of rape cases; (b) the age profile of the rape victims; and (c) the number of convictions.”
“I have been here for 10 minutes answering his questions and he still could not understand.”
“We all know that an assets declaration register is implemented in many countries, in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and, nearby in the region, in Taiwan. But has that stopped corruption?”
“How is the public to know? Let me answer the question.”
“I do not know where Mr Jeyaretnam has been when I was answering his question. If he becomes the Government, he can set the standard. This is the Government that has been in charge since 1959 and we set the standard. The standard has been that we uphold an incorruptible Government. And if there is any hint of corruption of anybody, the law will bear down on him.”
“Precisely, Sir, because the people are the ones who elect the Government every few years. They decided to have a PAP Government and they have given the PAP the mandate to rule and govern for the last 30-over years.”
“Sir, whether the Government is honest or not is well-documented by many agencies, whether it is PERC, WEF or any other agency, studying the reputation and integrity of the Government. I think it is quite well-known that this Government is completely honest. No system in the world can stop corruption if that person wants to be corrupt. What is most important is that the men on top, ie, the Prime Minister, his Cabinet and the whole leadership of Government, are completely above-board. They set the standard. If the men on top do not set the standard, then they cannot enforce the standard down below. It is quite clear that we have a system that works. We have the CPIB that also works very hard and if there is any hint of corruption by anybody, I think the CPIB will bear down on him.”
“Certainly. Transparency is one of the things that the Government firmly believes in. That is why the Government has always behaved and conducted itself in an above-board manner. Everything that the Government has done is in accordance with the law. Prying into the personal affairs of the Minister or the MP is not one of the subjects of transparency. It is completely transparent to the Prime Minister what his Ministers or office holders possess. But it is not within public knowledge and it is not a matter for public scrutiny.”
“The total number of Indian migrants who took up permanent residence and citizenship in Singapore between 1st January 1990 and 31st December 1998 were about 32,900 and 8,600 respectively. The breakdown of the numbers by Indian sub-ethnic groups and their mother tongue Indian languages is not available. PULAU UBIN 4. Mr R. Ravindran asked the Minister for the Environment as to why the beaches of Pulau Ubin are polluted and what steps have been taken by his Ministry to keep the beaches there clean.”
“If that is indeed a problem, I will ask the Elections Department to study it. From what I see, and what I have experienced, indeed there is enough space and privacy for the person to hide his ballot paper and mark it. So there is no need to worry about the secrecy of his vote. Nobody is going to peep at the other person and see what he does with his vote. 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. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read.”
“What we are doing now is to provide for other methods of authenticating the ballot paper. What is provided for in the law now is perforation with a perforator. So we are making provisions for it to be also authenticated by a stamp, a marking or a signature.”
“Yes, he is correct. It could be a stamp or a marking.”
“I think Mr Low knows the process quite well. Just briefly, it is something like this. When the voter goes to the polling station, he presents his IC and his name is called. The Presiding Officer or his assistant will then check to make sure that he is indeed a registered voter. Once it is confirmed that he is, the Presiding Officer will then record on the ballot paper his IC number and give him the ballot paper. That ballot paper, before it is given to him, is perforated with a perforator, in the presence of everybody. But with the present system, sometimes when the Presiding Officer pulls out the perforator, the ballot paper is torn and when the vote is actually counted, there could be questions about that vote. With the new system, it is the same thing. The Presiding Officer or his assistant will ensure that it is properly stamped in the presence of the voter that he is indeed the voter and that is indeed the piece of paper from the counterfoil, perforated, stamped, marked or signed. So that process is totally transparent. He will then take his ballot paper to the ballot box, mark it and put into the box. If there is any doubt at all, the whole process can be questioned there. Mr Chiam See Tong: Sir, can I clarify with the Minister? The new authentication will not require a perforation, just only a stamp. Am I correct?”
“But with the number in the counterfoil and the number at the back of the ballot paper, we can then compare the two and say, "Yes, indeed, such a paper was issued and the counterfoil is here, apart from the stamping, the marking and the perforation.".”
“The members of the press are very keen to see this. Every time, the Elections Department announces that the ballot papers would be taken out for burning, they would go to the High Court and look at the boxes to ensure that the boxes' seals had not been broken. This controversy came out again in the 1976 general election and Dr Lee Siew-Choh, the Opposition leader then, had said that nobody, not even the Government, would know who voted for whom. He was trying to assure the voters not to worry and that their vote was secret. So if Dr Lee Siew-Choh has also said that the vote is secret, and we have been saying that the vote is secret, I think the people should not doubt that the vote is indeed secret. In the rally speech in Queen Street in December 1976, Dr Lee Siew-Choh told his audience not to be afraid to vote, I suppose not to be afraid to vote for the Barisan Sosialis, as the vote is secret and he also explained the elaborate process that had to be followed before the ballot papers could be taken out to be examined. In 1991, my colleague, Prof. Jayakumar, also explained that the numbered ballot papers provided the means to settle allegations of election fraud. If voters alleged that the ballots had been switched with forgeries, the numbered ballots would then allow the charge to be settled conclusively. With the numbered ballot papers, no one can accuse the Government of rigging an election. If we do away with the numbering of ballot papers, as Mr Low's last point seems to suggest, I think we will also face a new problem. The new problem would be: how do we know that some of these ballot papers are genuine? How do you trace that they are genuine? Even with the mark, stamp or signature, it will not be easy to tell.”
“On the ballot paper itself, the number is to establish clearly that there is indeed such a ballot paper and there is a corresponding counterfoil to show that there is such a ballot paper. It shows the genuineness of the ballot paper. The writing of the person's number on the counterfoil is to show that that particular ballot paper is given to that particular voter so that in the event that there is a dispute, such a vote can actually be traced and that it is a genuine vote and not a forgery. This numbering of ballot papers is not an invention of the PAP Government. I think people tend to forget that. The British introduced this in the late 40s. I am told that in Britain, New Zealand and Canada, they have similar provisions in the law for the numbering of ballot papers. One of the reasons for numbered ballot papers is to prevent crooked election practices, such as the stuffing of election ballot boxes. More importantly, after the election, all the unused ballot papers, as well as the counterfoils, are put into the boxes and sealed and they are then kept in the vault of the High Court. The boxes cannot be opened without an election petition and without the permission of the court, and permission will only be granted if there is a petition to show why such a process needs to be taken. Six months after the polling day, these boxes are then taken out of the vault of the court and brought to the incinerator for burning. When they are taken out, anybody could go and take a look at them and see whether indeed the seals of the ballot boxes were broken, and anyone had seen the ballot papers to find out who voted for whom. That process is transparent and I am sure Mr Low Thia Khiang and Mr Chiam - I do not know about my other colleagues - have actually witnessed this process.”
“Sir, I thank the Members for their comments and questions. First, on Mr Rai's question on an election commission. I do not think there is any doubt that our Elections Department has carried out its duties faithfully, dutifully, and without any fear and favour. As he himself has said, our elections since 1959 have been clean and fair. So far, there has been no allegation that the Department has been unfair. At every election, a Returning Officer is appointed from among the senior civil servants who would ensure that the whole process is carried out smoothly. And there is no question that the whole process has been done properly. There had been very few election petitions to the courts to open up the vault to check the ballot papers or to question the whole election process. The results speak for themselves. Since the system works well and the Elections Department is doing a good job, I do not see any need for an election commission. Sir, the next question which all our three colleagues mentioned here is the secrecy of the vote. This subject of secrecy of the vote is, I suppose, as long as we have elections in Singapore. Members may not know that this subject has been raised periodically and, every time, when it is raised answers are given. Sometimes, we forget the answers and sometimes we are still wondering whether the answers are indeed what they are. We want the people's fears to be allayed. Sir, the Government has stated very clearly why we need to have the serial number on the ballot paper as well as to have a counterfoil. The counterfoil is to establish that indeed such a ballot paper has been issued.”
“The amendments in this Bill are practical changes to enhance and fine-tune the current electoral processes, and hence make our elections, be it the Presidential Election or the Parliamentary Election, more streamlined and efficient. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Clause 9(7) therefore amends section 43 of the Presidential Elections Act to provide for the appointment of up to 20 persons as Election Agents for each Presidential candidate, of whom one shall be appointed the Principal Election Agent. As there would be up to 20 Election Agents, one of whom is the Principal Election Agent, there is a need to differentiate or identify the main roles of the Principal Election Agent. These roles are spelt out in the relevant clauses in the Bill. Clause 9(4) amends section 31A(2) of the Presidential Elections Act to make it mandatory for the Returning Officer to inform the Principal Election Agent of a presidential candidate of the counting places. Clause 9(5) amends section 32 of the same Act to provide that only the Principal Election Agents or presidential candidates may be present at any principal counting place where the votes are eventually added. Clause 9(14) amends section 49 to require personal expenses of the candidate exceeding $1,000 to be paid by his Principal Election Agent. This is a change from the current position where the sole Election Agent is responsible for paying such expenses. The same clause also amends section 56 of the Presidential Elections Act to impose on the Principal Election Agent the sole obligation to file the returns on election expenses. Section 64(2) of the Act is also amended to require the Principal Election Agent to inform the Returning Officer of the candidate's campaign offices in each polling district. Mr Speaker, Sir, these amendments are necessary to further improve our election processes without compromising the security of the process.”
“Currently, in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC), there is a Principal Election Agent and a number of Election Agents. Only the Principal Election Agent can appoint polling and counting agents. This involves much administrative work, which could be done by other Election Agents. Clause 6 amends section 49 of the Parliamentary Elections Act to allow the Election Agent of any candidate in a group, in addition to the Principal Election Agent for that group, to appoint counting agents. Clause 9(5) amends the corresponding section of the Presidential Elections Act for the same purpose. Similarly, the election agents of candidates in a group will be allowed to appoint polling agents. This will relieve the workload of the Principal Election Agent, who is currently the only one allowed to appoint polling agents. Clause 8 amends section 64(1A) of the Parliamentary Elections Act and clause 9(8) amends the corresponding section of the Presidential Elections Act for this purpose. Presidential Elections Act (Cap 218) Sir, I now come to the Presidential Elections Act amendment. The counting of ballot papers is undertaken in counting places, which are usually located in schools and community centres. The results of the count at each counting place are tallied at constituency level by a number of Assistant Returning Officers. Once these results are tallied, they are transmitted to the Returning Officer who will then add up the results of all the constituencies. For the first Presidential Elections held on 28th August 1993, only one election agent could be appointed for each candidate. This was found to be inadequate, as there was much administrative work to be done.”
“One set of Registers was produced on 9th May 1996 for public inspection on voter eligibility, and the subsequent set was produced on 27th June 1996 after the public inspection to incorporate fresh changes of addresses up to 23rd May 1996. This is unproductive and a waste of resources. With the proposed amendment for a common cut-off date for both voter eligibility and changes of addresses, the same Registers of Electors will be printed, exhibited for public inspection, and subsequently certified for use. No reprinting will be done. Should there be any amendments as a result of the public inspection, they can be produced as additions or deletions to the same Registers of Electors. With one common cut-off date, the period between the production and exhibition of Registers for public inspection and certification is reduced, as there is no processing of address changes. Clause 3 amends section 13(4) of the Parliamentary Elections Act to exclude alterations to the Registers of Electors on account of changes of addresses notified on or before the last day of inspection of the register prior to the certification. With this amendment, the Registration Officer will prepare the Registers of Electors based on the addresses of electors as recorded by the Commissioner of National Registration as of 1st July or the common cut-off date specified by the Minister. He will not be allowed to accept any change of address made after 1st July or the prescribed common cut-off date. (C) Empowering Election Agents to appoint Polling and Counting Agents Mr Speaker, Sir, let me now explain why there is a need to amend the Parliamentary Elections Act to empower election agents to appoint counting and polling agents.”
“Clause 9(2) amends the corresponding section of the Presidential Elections Act for the same purpose. Clause 5 amends section 42(2) of the Parliamentary Elections Act to provide for an election official to either affix or stamp or mark the ballot paper to officially complete the authentication, if a ballot paper has not been fully authenticated. Clause 9(3) amends the corresponding section of the Presidential Elections Act for the same purpose. Even with the change in the method of authentication, a ballot paper shall be rejected if it is not fully and properly authenticated by a pre-printed design, stamped, marked or initialled by the Presiding Officer. Clause 7 amends section 50(1) of the Parliamentary Elections Act and clause 9(6) amends the corresponding section of the Presidential Elections Act for this purpose. (B) Common cut-off date to determine voter eligibility/address Now, let me explain the rationale for aligning the cut-off date for changes of addresses with the cut-off date for voter eligibility. Currently, the cut-off date for voter eligibility is 1st July or such other cut-off date as specified by the Minister. Following the cut-off date for voter eligibility, the Registers of Electors are printed and exhibited for public inspection for 14 days. However, the present cut-off date for changes of addresses is the last day for public inspection of the Registers of Electors. With two different cut-off dates, the Registers are therefore produced twice. Let me give this as an example. In the 1996 Registers of Electors, there were two cut-off dates, ie, 15th April for voter eligibility, and 23rd May 1996 for the changes of addresses. In this instance, the Registers had to be produced twice.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." This Bill proposes the following amendments to the Parliamentary Elections Act and the Presidential Elections Act: (a) to introduce more efficient authentication methods; (b) to have a common cut-off date to determine voter eligibility and change of address; (c) to extend the powers of election agents to appoint polling and counting agents; and (d) to modify the election agent system for the Presidential Elections. I will deal with each of them in turn. (A) Ballot paper authentication Let me first explain the problems of the current system of authenticating ballot papers. On Polling Day, a voter is given a ballot paper by the Presiding Officer to mark a candidate or a group of candidates of his choice. The ballot paper is perforated with the official mark made by a perforator as proof that the ballot paper is an authorised one. The perforator is a precision instrument which is delicate to handle. Those unfamiliar with its usage tend to jam it when attempting to perforate the ballot paper. This causes the ballot paper to be stuck to the perforator. In trying to remove the paper, it often ends up torn. These perforators, belonging to the Elections Department, were purchased in the 1950s and are relics. With the passage of time, they are prone to breakdowns despite regular servicing. The Elections Department has therefore been looking at more efficient means to authenticate ballot papers. The Elections Department is proposing that ballot papers be henceforth authenticated in the form of a pre-printed security pattern, rubber-stamping or other markings. Clause 4 of the Bill amends section 40 of the Parliamentary Elections Act to provide for the authentication of ballot papers by these new methods.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have finally come to the end of a very long sitting. On behalf of the Members here, I would like to thank you and your Deputy for chairing this session and for your patience in seeing through these nine days of debate. On this note, I beg to move, That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed.”
“Sir, before we continue, maybe I just respond to these two points. Right now, we do not see a need to reveal the names of under 16 offenders. If there is a need to, we will do so. We will have to consult the various agencies, including the Attorney-General's Chambers. On the presence of police with the new Neighbourhood Police Centre system, there is a greater number of patrols on the road than in the previous system where NPP officers sit in their centre at certain times and wait for the public to see them for services or to receive complaints from them. Sir, actually we do see slightly more police on the roads on vehicles than in the past. But it will take a while for this NPC system to be implemented throughout the whole of Singapore. It will be done by the year 2001.”
“Those found not to have taken enough measures, their operating hours will also be curtailed. The courts have also meted out very severe imprisonment terms of between 12 and 18 months to an Ecstasy abuser. To deter smugglers and traffickers, the Misuse of Drugs Act was amended last year to introduce a presumption clause, which means that anyone arrested in possession of 10 grammes or more of Ecstasy would be deemed to be trafficking in that drug. Dr Neo was concerned about the variants of the Ecstasy. So far we have not detected any abuse or presence of DOB or flatliners, but CNB remains vigilant and will not hesitate to take action to stamp out the problem.”
“The Police, the SIR, and the various Home Team agencies have got the situation under control and they will continue to raid the various places to flush out such people. All we need also is the cooperation of the press to publicise it so that every Singaporean is aware of it. But they get tired of reporting on the raids from time to time. Because when there are too many raids, the press say it is the same old thing again. Dr Lily Neo is concerned about Ecstasy and other kinds of psychotropic drugs. Let me assure Dr Neo that the problem of Ecstasy and its variants are also well under control. We anticipated this problem in 1996 and have taken prompt action to nip the problem in the bud. Ecstasy only emerged on our local scene in 1996. CNB arrested 661 abusers and seized more than 39,000 Ecstasy pills in 1996. The number of abusers fell from 661 in 1996 to 403 in 1997 and only to 180 last year. The number of Ecstasy pills seized also fell from 54,000 in 1997 to about 2,200 in 1998. In any case, most of these pills that are seized were actually intended for other countries rather than to be sold in Singapore. Abuse of Ecstasy was controlled by the unrelenting enforcement, deterrent custodial sentences and intensive preventive educational efforts plus the tighter laws targeting at Ecstasy traffickers. Like other countries, ecstasy abuse is closely associated with night clubbing scenes and, in particular, with rave dance parties. Most of our abusers were arrested in discos or night entertainment outlets. Since 1996, CNB has been working very closely with the night entertainment operators and owners to prevent Ecstasy abuse in their premises. CNB conducts regular raids at these places to flush the abusers and the pushers.”
“00 pm The law was amended last year to impose stiffer penalties on the abetment of immigration offences. We have also built in a presumption clause and introduced the onus on the suspected illegal immigrant to satisfy the court that he was not attempting to enter Singapore illegally. We will review our legislation from time to time to make sure that it serves the need to protect our shores as well as to deter immigration offenders. On publicity and the suggestion on advertising in TV and newspapers in other countries, we have thought about that. We are not sure how effective that will be because to advertise in China, India, Thailand, Indonesia, and to make sure that the advertisements reach every of their citizens is not easy. So what SIR does is that for every one of these illegal immigrant or overstayers who is repatriated, he will be given a set of press cuttings, a set of newspaper reports, on what happens to these people, the police raids and the sentences that they get. On the ferry boats that ply between Singapore and Indonesia, we also have video shows on them to show the stiff penalties that illegal immigrants will face if they come into Singapore. So we try as much as we can to deter people by telling them not to come illegally. The main message to all these people is: do not even think about coming in illegally. Singaporeans can certainly help us to deal with this problem. For example, if they suspect anybody to be an illegal immigrant or overstayer, they can report them to the police and action will be taken. For those who harbour or employ them, they will also be dealt with accordingly. Let me assure Members that although there is a large number of arrests of immigration offenders, the situation is under control.”
“The Police have also targeted the harbourers and the employers of these immigration offenders at their residential premises, such as HDB flats and lodging houses. The Police also conduct routine checks on the roads, set up road blocks, at MRT stations and open areas to check on people whom they suspect to be an immigration offender. So the Police have stepped up their efforts in this area. On enforcement at sea, we have deployed our patrol boats to check on motorised sampans which smuggle in illegal immigrants. And we have also used our radar system to detect any boats that come to our shore and which are suspected to be boats bringing in illegal immigrants. We have also set up border patrols and observation points and ambushes along the coastline, where illegal immigrants tend to land in Singapore. At the checkpoints, the Singapore Immigration and Registration (SIR) has also intensified the checks of people who come by air, sea or land, and those who are suspected to be illegal workers will not be allowed to come in. Last year, SIR turned away 23,000 such people who were suspected to be illegal workers. We have also mobilised other Home Team agencies' resources to deal with this problem. For example, we have deployed the Civil Defence dogs to sniff out the illegal immigrants who hide in car boots or in secret compartments of coaches, buses and so on. And those buses or vehicles which convey such illegal immigrants will be confiscated, and those who smuggle illegal immigrants into Singapore will be heavily punished. For instance, one person who smuggled in 15 illegal immigrants a few months ago, was given a 10-year jail term and 24 strokes of the cane by the court. 2.”
“There could be a new category like Friends of the Police, as Mdm Claire Chiang has suggested, and indeed if there are such other categories which will contribute to the CFP, we will think of new ways of recognising them. Sir, Members also spoke on the illegal immigrant situation which I briefly touched earlier on. Let me now elaborate a bit more on the illegal immigration offender situation. I said that in 1998, about 23,000 immigration offenders were arrested, and immigration offenders include illegal immigrants and overstayers. Mr Chng earlier on gave the figure of 23,000 illegal immigrants. That is not correct. We only had 14,000 illegal immigrants arrested last year. But the total number of immigration offenders arrested last year was 23,000. In other words, 9,000 of them were overstayers. This is a very significant increase over the figure that we had in 1997. Where do they come from? These immigration offenders come mainly from the region, ie, Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar and Thailand. These are the major contributors to our immigration offender problem. How do they come? They came through our checkpoints or they smuggled themselves in by boats, cars, lorries, motorcycles and other means. 9,000 of them came in legally with proper social visit pass, but they overstayed in Singapore, and they became overstayers and therefore also fall into the category of immigration offender. What do we do? We stepped up enforcement action since March last year against all these immigration offenders. The Police have raided the various immigration offenders' haunts, including construction sites, workplaces, forested areas.”
“Like Mr Rai said, every citizen should be concerned about their own security, when they deal with illegal immigrants, for example. So we want everyone to share in this responsibility. But, of course, MHA would not run away from its main responsibility of ensuring safety and security. The PA and MHA have conducted a number of courses/programmes for the grassroots leaders and the Home Team officers to change the mindsets of these people who are involved in the CFP. If there are other organisations that need to be involved in the CFP, eg, the voluntary social workers and the voluntary organisations, we will also involve them. It is not just CDCs, grassroots organisations and the Home Team, but if there are others who need to be involved, we will certainly include them in this project. Training of officers therefore is important in changing the mindset of the people, and the various suggestions put forth by Mdm Chiang, such as the joint training with the staff, with the community leaders and so on, are already being done. We will consider the other suggestions and implement them if they are practicable. As for funding, the PA and the MHA are committed in providing the necessary resources to ensure that the CFP implementation is effective and successful. In general, we will adopt the principle of co-funding in the implementation of the CFP activities. Then there is ownership and there is also shared responsibility. Members have asked how we can recognise the grassroots leaders and organisations and others taking part in the CFP. For those organisations under the PA, we will take into account their participation in CFP by awarding them points when we consider awards for PA organisations like the CCC, RC and the CCMC.”
“So the proposal to install security cameras or CCTVs in strategic locations is not new, and has been found to be effective. The Police will encourage the grassroots organisations and the community to install these cameras in crime-prone areas to supplement the Police presence and deter crime. We are happy to work with the community organisations to implement this local initiative if they find the need to do so. Several Members also asked about how the CFP initiative has progressed so far. As I said, quite a few of our CDCs have already implemented the CFP programme, eg, Tanjong Pagar, Bukit Timah, Sembawang and Hong Kah CDCs have implemented the CFP programme since 1998. By the end of this year or so, all the CDCs would have implemented the CFP. I agree with some Members that this term "CFP" may not be easily understood, and we need to do a bit more publicity. I have asked the People's Association and the Police to look into how we can find a new term to better explain what CFP really means to the residents, and they are now brainstorming for a new term, and this will be announced later when they have found a new word or term. There is a need indeed to communicate the CFP initiative to the public, so that we can raise the awareness of this programme. The PA and the Home Team agencies will mount a sustained publicity programme to educate the public on the benefits of taking part in the CFP. Madam Claire Chiang talked about changing mindsets and training the people. Indeed, that is the case. CFP involves a shift in mindset, not just of the officers taking part or doing the CFP, but mindset of the people in general, that safety and security is the concern of only the Government. It is not. Safety and security is the concern of everyone who lives in Singapore.”
“The Community Focus Plan is indeed a new initiative launched by the CDCs in partnership with MHA agencies. Each CFP is simply a series of action plans drawn up jointly by the CDC, the grassroots organisations, the residents and the Home Team agencies to tackle the specific safety and security issues in a particular community. This approach draws on the residents' own knowledge of their own community's safety and security issues to work out solutions to the problems that they face. Each CFP is therefore tailor made to address the unique needs of each community. This targeted approach would therefore yield better results than one-size-fits-all approach. I want to assure Members that this CFP is not a disguised attempt by the Ministry of Home Affairs to transfer its responsibilities to residents or to the grassroots organisations. MHA will continue to be responsible for ensuring the safety and security of all Singaporeans, but the CFP initiative will promote self-help and mutual support to build up a more cohesive and caring community. This is something which the MHA cannot do without the community's involvement. I thank several Members for citing examples of the CFP initiative and how they have succeeded in their own constituencies, and we ought to do more. Mr Sin Boon Ann asked about getting residents work with the Home Team and have a CFP programme to install cameras within certain places. Let me give an example where this has already been done. Vagrants and displaced workers were found sleeping in the food court in Chander Road at night. After some discussion with the Tek Kah RC Chairman and the Police, the owner of the food court actually installed and managed six CCTVs in the food court. He also lit up the place. The situation has since improved.”
“Mr Chng is concerned about road bully incidents reported in the press where motorists resorted to violence over the use of the road, and he suggested enhanced punishment for road bullies. The Police take a very serious view of road bullies and have taken very tough measures against them. Over the years, tough police enforcement action plus deterrent sentence handed down by the courts have helped to keep the problem in check. Road bullying incidents have actually declined from 14 in 1994 to only 3 in 1998. Mr Chng said that many cases were unreported. I would advise these people to report them so that the Police can look into their problem. If they do not report, then what Police have in hand are reported cases, and it shows that there is a decline. To maintain the deterrent effect, in fact, I amended the Road Traffic Act just recently to empower the courts to disqualify road bullies from driving. With effect from 1st March this year, the court can disqualify drivers who are road bullies from holding licences if they are convicted of certain Penal Code offences, including voluntarily causing hurt and voluntarily causing grievous hurt to other drivers or the passengers arising from road accidents or disputes. Motorists who therefore resort to violence on the road will risk losing their right to drive, in addition to being charged for the act of road bullying. I do not see a need right now to enhance the penalties, as suggested by Mr Chng. But we will continue to monitor this and if there is a real cause for concern that we have to do something more than what we are now doing, we will certainly look into it. Several Members talked about the Community Focus Plan (CFP) that the Home Team agencies, not just the Police, and the People's Association have implemented.”
“A set of textbooks called "Mr Policeman is my friend" for kindergartens and "Mr Policeman" for upper primary and lower secondary students are now being used by schools. The Police and CNB officers also conduct joint school talks on the consequences of being involved in juvenile delinquency, secret societies and drug abuse. These talks are given to small groups of high risk students comprising not more than 50 students a group. This will enable officers to counsel the students more effectively. There is a programme called the Caution and Visit Programme which is part of the rehabilitative programme for youths. They are either students or out-of-school youths who have been identified as gang members or were involved in gangs. These youths are first cautioned by the officers of the Secret Societies Branch of the CID against future gang involvement. Besides attending talks conducted by the CID, these youths will also take part in the prison visit programme so as to let them experience the harsh realities of prison life. This tour includes a live mock caning session. On drug rehabilitation or preventive-drug education, we also have a Drug Rehabilitation Centre Visit Programme which is a joint effort in preventive drug education by CNB and the Prisons Department. This programme was initiated in 1990, and up to now more than 50,000 students and youths have taken part in the programme. Anti-drug lectures and tours of the DRCs are conducted for these students or youths during each DRC visit. 1.45 pm Mr Peh Chin Hua's concern about sending youths to visit these institutions is already being carried out. We have an Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime which coordinates the efforts of the various agencies to tackle the problem of juvenile delinquency.”
“Insurance companies are also encouraged to reduce the insurance premium to vehicle owners who take steps to secure their own vehicles. The Police will also work closely with the Manpower Ministry, URA, the developers, town councils, the Singapore Retailers' Association and various grassroots bodies in the implementation of neighbourhood watch zone schemes. These coordinated efforts have proven to be effective in curtailing the rise of crime in the last quarter of 1998. As regards illegal immigrants who come to Singapore to seek employment and can pose a danger to our social security, Police have also stepped up their patrols in our territorial waters to detect their entries. On land, the Police have conducted many major operations against immigration offenders, including against the employers and harbourers of these people. Members are right that it is important that Singaporeans should play a proactive role in ensuring a safe and secure Singapore. The Community Focus Plan (CFP) was crafted to enable local community organisations and the residents to tackle these security and safety issues in their own areas. The Police are confident that with the shared ownership of these programmes, the sense of safety and security in the community will be enhanced. Mr Chng also asked how we can educate our people, particularly the youths, on crime and the consequences of committing crime. MHA has several programmes involving the youths, to educate them that they should not commit crime. For example, we have got a formal crime prevention programme in the school curriculum. This is being taught as part of social studies. The programme seeks to impart crime prevention measures and to impress upon the students the importance of respecting the law.”
“Feedback so far from the residents is that these NPCs are doing well in ensuring the safety and the security of our residents. 28 more NPCs will be implemented over the next three years, with six coming on stream this year. Although crime has increased, when we look at the figures, we know that the increase in crime mainly related to property crime and a lot of these crimes can be prevented had precautions been taken. For example, the number of thefts from vehicles increased sharply from 3,470 cases in 1997 to 5,620 cases in 1998, and that is a very sharp increase of 62%. In most cases, it is because the Cashcards and the handphones were left in the car, exposed, unattended, and therefore, inviting opportunists and criminals to take advantage of breaking into the car and stealing the item. If vehicle owners take precaution, they would save themselves a lot of trouble in having to go through the process of reporting the crime and suffering losses and damage to the car. To address this, the Police will focus on public education on crime prevention measures and also through crime prevention exhibitions and public media such as the Crime Watch series. It will highlight the common modus operandi used by the criminals and give advice on how to prevent the crime. Let me just give some examples of these measures that the Police would take. For example, to deter motor vehicle thefts, crime prevention signboards will be put up in multi-storey carparks. A notice of advice will also be placed on the windscreen to remind owners not to leave valuables unattended and exposed. In addition, the motor vehicle importers will be approached to install security features in the vehicles at the point of sale such as vehicle number engraving, installation of burglar alarms, etc.”
“Sir, Mr Chng Hee Kok is concerned about the rising crime rate and asked for an assurance that the Police would do something to ensure that it does not go up. We must put the 1998 crime data in perspective. Although crime rate went up by 5.2% last year, if we compare that with 1997, excluding the immigration offenders, crime rate only went up by 4.4%, There is still no comfort that crime rate has gone up. If we take into account the population growth and we measure crime rate by, say, per 100,000 population, the crime rate actually only went up by 1%, because there was a population growth in 1998. Despite that, an increase in crime rate is still a cause for concern. When we look at the 1998 data, we are actually going back to the situation in 1995 or 1996 and that is about the same rate of crime that happened during the two years that I mentioned. This is against a backdrop of nine consecutive years of decrease in crime. From the measures that the Police have taken plus the publicity and crime preventive programmes, we seem to see a slight decline in the last few months of 1998 and the first two months of 1999. We hope this trend will continue and we hope to be able to return to the normal low crime rate. The Police will continue to step up anti-crime patrols and enforcement actions in crime-prone areas. With the new Neighbourhood Police Centre concept, residents in the community can be assured of faster Police response and more frequent patrols and better quality on-the-scene investigations. We will set up 32 Neighbourhood Police Centres in the whole of Singapore and, so far, four NPCs have been set up in Jurong East, Queenstown, Clementi and Bukit Merah West.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the proceedings on the Estimates for FY 1999/2000 on 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th March 1999, be continued beyond 4.30 pm, and be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1 until 6.15 pm on each day. This is because many MPs have filed amendments to be moved in the Committee of Supply and we wish to give them as much time as possible. Resolved, That, notwithstanding the Standing Orders, the proceedings on the Estimates for FY 1999/2000 on 10th, 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th March 1999, be continued beyond 4.30 pm, and be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 1 until 6.15 pm on each day. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1999 TO 31ST MARCH 2000 (Paper Cmd 2 of 1999) Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [lst Allotted Day]. [Mr Speaker in the Chair]”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek your consent and the general assent of the Members present to move that the proceedings on the item under discussion be exempted from the provisions of Standing Order No. 45, so as to remove the time limit and enable the Minister for Finance to adequately reply to all the points raised by Members?”
“CNB has also been targeting "Ice" trafficking syndicates in its enforcement actions and has intensified its publicity on the dangers of the drug. There is no evidence that younger persons from more affluent backgrounds are taking synthetic drugs in Singapore. "Ecstasy" abusers are usually in their late 20s while "Ice" abusers are older, between 35 and 39 years of age. They are typically Chinese, male and employed in low skilled jobs. SUBSIDISED HEALTH CARE FOR EMPLOYMENT PASS HOLDERS AND DEPENDANTS OF WORK PERMIT HOLDERS 36. Mr Low Thia Khiang asked the Minister for Manpower why employment pass holders and dependants of three-year work permit holders are eligible for subsidised health care whilst dependants of Singapore citizens are not.”