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.”
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“Mr Speaker, Sir, the President will be present in this Chamber at 8.30 pm to deliver his Speech at the Opening of Parliament. May I seek your consent and the general assent of Members present to move the suspension of this sitting until 8.30 pm this evening?”
“The Government is more interested in what Members say in helping to improve any aspect of its policies. We want to hear the constructive comments on how certain things can be done better. I can assure them that constructive views would be well received. We want to hear alternatives if they disagree with the present policies. But if their views are plainly wrong, they must expect a strong encounter from the Government. Under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act, Members are free to speak their minds. But let me remind them that they shall have to take responsibility for what they say. We have had a clean record in the Seventh Parliament when no Member was taken before the Committee of Privileges. I hope Members will keep this record up and not require the Committee of Privileges to meet in the Eighth Parliament. One final point, Sir. We now have four Opposition Members in this House, three of whom are from the same party, the SDP. For informal communication between me, as Leader of the House, and the Opposition, I propose to deal with Mr Chiam as the unofficial Leader of the Opposition. It is like the position in the Legislative Assembly in 1955 when the PAP won three out of four contested seats in the Legislative Assembly, and Mr Lee Kuan Yew was unofficially and de facto Leader of the Opposition. As its unofficial Opposition Leader, this House should give Mr Chiam due courtesy and precedence among Opposition MPs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I, on behalf of all Members of this House, extend to you our congratulations on your re-election as Speaker. You are not new to this high office, having been first elected to it three days short of three years ago in 1989. Your re-election today signifies our continued confidence in you in the discharge of this onerous responsibility. During the Seventh Parliament you have guided our proceedings most efficiently and ensured that order and decorum were observed in keeping with the dignity of this House. You have acted fairly and firmly to all Members regardless of whether he was a Minister, a Government Backbencher or an Opposition Member. You have ensured that Members did not stray from the agenda under discussion and that you did not hesitate to bring an errant Member back to his correct path. I am sure all the Members here will continue to give you our support and cooperation in the years ahead. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Lim Boon Heng who has contributed to the proceedings of this House as our Deputy Speaker. He now has other responsibilities and he will no doubt be taking part in the proceedings of this House in his new assignment as Senior Minister of State. We are also privileged to have the continued services of Mr Abdullah Tarmugi as our Deputy Speaker when he is duly re-elected. On behalf of the older Members, I would like to welcome the 14 new Members into this House. We look forward to their maiden speeches and to their participation in the debate. Parliamentary debate is serious business. What matters is the substance of what Members say, not how they can impress the viewers in the "Today in Parliament" programme.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That Parliament do now adjourn. Question proposed. NATIONAL SERVICE IN-CAMP REQUIREMENTS OF PART-TIME TERTIARY STUDENTS 4.23 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as there are six more Bills before the House, I propose that we adjourn now and sit again tomorrow. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Twenty- Two Minutes past Four o'clock pm. WRITTEN ANSWER TO QUESTION 'A' LEVEL PASSES IN PRE-U CENTRES 1. Dr Lee Siew-Choh asked the Minister for Education if he will state, for each of the years 1988 to 1990, the number if students in Pre-U centres and their percentage of passes in the 'A' level examinations.”
“Whenever a session is held and when there is a need to widely publicise it, it is always done.”
“If other Members of Parliament do not routinely get a copy of these views, why should Dr Lee get one?”
“Obviously, Sir, Dr Lee has not been following the subject of Feedback Unit and the reports in the newspapers. All the things that he has suggested have actually be done. It is not just getting views from the grassroots organisations. Anyone can write to the Feedback Unit. Anyone can walk into the Feedback Unit, phone up the Feedback Unit or fax messages to the Feedback Unit. There is no restriction. Let me say again that there is no restriction on anyone wanting to give their views to the Feedback Unit. All the views that have been collected during the feedback sessions are summarised and, at times, they are also publicised. One example, I think he must have forgotten this, is the session on the Environment Ministry officials meeting the hawkers. It was widely publicised. The session on weekend car scheme was widely publicised. And the views expressed by the people attending these sessions had been summarised and submitted to the Ministries concerned. In fact, the Minister for Communications himself participated in the session, and many of the views which were put forward were accepted by the Ministry when it considered the weekend car scheme and announced it in the papers. So I do not know what precisely Dr Lee is griping about. If he thinks that his views have not been publicised or have not been heard, do so in this House. If he thinks that there are people who wish to take up issues with the Feedback Unit and have not been able to do so, let me know about it. I will look into it.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think the Member really does not believe in what he said, otherwise he would not be laughing and giggling away. And he tried to lead us thinking that that is really his real position. Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates for the financial year 1991/92, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.”
“The bulk of this money went to the various welfare organisations which participated in this fund raising activity and also the Community Chest received a substantial sum with which to form an endowment fund. There is a balance of about $39 million which the Government will put into an endowment fund which will be used to help low-income families, the destitutes and for such purposes. This is a very large sum of money and my advice to all the VWOs is to use the money wisely and not to squander this money on wasteful projects which do not serve the needs of the community. Sir, the Member for Telok Blangah talked about the family service centres. I am glad to say that he is pleased with the support given by MCD to his family service centre and I believe that his family service centre is working out well and I am happy to be associated with its opening in a couple of months time. Again, we have given enough funding to this family service centre just as we have done to all other family service centres supported by the Government. Whatever the problems they face, we will try to help them resolve these problems. We have suggested to the management committee of Telok Blangah Family Service Centre that perhaps they could invite an MCD official to sit in the management committee and this is one way of providing them with some guidance and assistance. My Ministry is also thinking of organising a seminar for all the operators of the family service centres so that they can get together and exchange ideas and share the problems and see whether they can learn from each other and improve on the service that they are going to provide to the various users. On a quarterly basis also, we will try to get the operators together, again with the purpose of sharing views and ideas.”
“To truly reflect the amount of assistance and subsidies given and the opportunity cost to Government, a proper accounting method will be necessary. VWOs should pay, for example, the market rental for the land or the property or other facilities they use, or for the services provided by the various Government departments. And MCD will give them, with funds from the Finance Ministry, a subvention to pay for rent and such services and the public will know how much help the Government has given to these voluntary welfare organisations. Early this year, the Government also implemented a new financial assistance scheme for the voluntary welfare organisations. Under this scheme, the Government will provide financial assistance on a 50-50 cost sharing basis with the VWOs. This is to help the VWOs set up and improve existing services and facilities for the aged and the disabled. The scheme also covers recurrent expenditure to run existing and new facilities such as family service centres. Earlier on I mentioned that $92 million has been put aside for this. As far as I am aware, my Ministry officials, having met the voluntary welfare organisations and having explained to them this new financial assistance scheme, found their response has been positive. So I am not aware of the concern expressed by Dr Vasoo that they are worried that Government would withdraw the funding. I have also said that $95.2 million have been raised in the 25th Anniversary Charity Fund and with the Government's matching of $95.2 million, there will be more than $190 million altogether for the various voluntary welfare organisations.”
“MCD also helped this Home get the Institution of Public Character (IPC) which means that it can get tax exemption for the donations given to it. And MCD also channelled a sum of $170,000 from one donor to the Home and supported the recruitment of nine foreign workers and granted free medical benefits to 90 residents when they call on the Government hospitals. The Ministry also got the permission of the People's Association to use the community centres in Sembawang and Yishun to conduct tuition classes for the children there. Throughout this development of the Home, our officials worked with the Home management and fund building committees. The second example is the Moral Home for the Disabled run by the Tai Hua Huan Moral Society at Jalan Eunos. Again, my Ministry helped the Home to get a 30-year lease at a nominal rent of $12 a year, and we also channelled a sum of $3,000 from a donor to the Home and got it the IPC status. In addition, the Government also gave the Home an annual grant of $110,000 for the first five years and undertook to pay for any periodic maintenance and repairs. And we granted 31 of the residents free medical benefits and supported the recruitment of six foreign workers. We have also arranged for the staff to be attached to the Ministry for training at the Tampines Home run by the movement for the intellectually disabled children. Sir, these are just two examples of the kind of help that the Government gives to voluntary welfare organisations. And the kind of assistance and hidden subsidies have not been quantified. So it gives the wrong impression to some people that the Government has not done enough.”
“I do not know why there is a misimpression that the Government has not done enough. Let me just give you two examples of how MCD or the Government has gone out of its way to help these voluntary welfare organisations to do their work. Take the Sree Narayana Mission Home, for example. The Sree Narayana Mission Home for the Aged Sick was set up by the Sree Narayana Mission (SNM) on 1st February 1979 at the former British Armed Forces Maternity Hospital in Blocks 87-88 Canberra Road. At that time, the Ministry of Social Affairs obtained approval from the Land Office to give these two units of buildings to the SNM at a very nominal rent of $12 a year. Then in January 1982, the Home was told that it would be affected by the Chong Pang redevelopment and it had to move. So the Ministry of Social Affairs went around looking for alternative accommodation for this Home. The SNM then approached the Commissioner of Lands and the HDB. The HDB offered them a site of 2,000 sq metres in Yishun New Town, but SNM rejected this offer, because they had plans to increase the capacity of the Home from 100 to 300 and they therefore wanted a bigger area. As the Home had to move out, it was given temporary accommodation at the Sembawang Hospital when the Health Ministry returned the Hospital to the Commissioner of Lands in May 1983. In April 1984, MCD found two sites in Yishun New Town for the SNM and it selected one of these sites. Through the Land Office, MCD bought the land from the HDB for $415,000 and leased it to SNM for 30 years at a nominal sum of $12 a year. Building works are now in progress and the building should be ready by the middle of next year.”
“The Member for Tiong Bahru GRC and Dr Koh Lam Son have also asked about the Government's funding policy to help the voluntary organisations and they expressed concern about the ability of voluntary organisations to raise money. Let me say again that the Government has worked very closely with all the voluntary welfare organisations which provide welfare services supported by the Government. There are indeed altruistic people who for their own altruistic reasons want to help others and the Government will do everything it can to help these people do their work. And this is the example of what we meant by promoting the spirit of community above self and also community support for the individual, two of the shared values highlighted in our Shared Values. The Government's policy in giving grants or financial subsidies therefore is to help such organisations with the seed money so that they can take off, implement programmes and start something to provide services to the people whom they serve. But at the same time, let me also stress that VWOs cannot solely depend on the Government for financial assistance. They themselves must also do their part in fund raising. And indeed the effort last year during our 25th Anniversary is a fine effort of community support. I think never before has such an activity been organised and raised over $90 million from the community and with the support of the Government's dollar-for-dollar funding, the Fund stands at $190 million which is a large sum of money indeed. These VWOs therefore can go to the Community Chest to apply for funding assistance. Or indeed many of them have taken part in fund raising activities themselves and they have benefited from the Government's matching grant. So I think we have done quite a lot for them.”
“45 pm As regards the frail aged and the families who need considerable support if they were to remain with their families, I have said many times in this House that my Ministry has worked out a number of such programmes to help these frail aged to remain within the community and stay in their own homes and, if necessary, they can go to nursing homes or day care centres or respite care centres. I must emphasise that the community day services using the family as the focal point for the care of the frail aged is a point we always take into account when we plan community services. We discourage admission to homes for the aged. But let me say again that no one should be denied residential care if he needs it or his family, given the best of will, is unable to look after him. There are now about 50 such homes for the aged, half of them run by the private sector. The Government is now helping another 10 such homes either to replace the existing homes or to put up new purpose-built homes. When all these homes come on stream over the next four years, there will be more than enough beds to cater for the frail and bedridden. The VWOs will continue to receive Government financial assistance and other forms of assistance to pioneer new and innovative programmes or to even improve existing programmes and facilities. Earlier on, I mentioned that the Government has set aside $92 million and the bulk of this money will go towards helping to provide facilities for the aged. So there are enough of such programmes and if there are specific ideas that the Member thinks we should explore, I would be very pleased to look at them and see whether we can implement them or not.”
“Sir, the Member for Tiong Bahru GRC has raised questions on the aged programmes, and so on. I think this must be the fourth or fifth year that he is doing this. Every year, I have been trying to give him a good answer. Apparently, that is not enough, and now he tries to restate this again. The Government's policy is to help the aged to live independent lives of their own. We must remember that the bulk of our aged population, 97% of them, are well-aged. They are fit, they are ambulant and they do not need much care. The aged therefore can continue to play a role, provided they are fit, provided they also project themselves by keeping fit, healthy, being active socially and possibly remain financially strong and take part in the mainstream of community activities. And every year, my Ministry mounts a public education and awareness programme on the aged and we have the Senior Citizens' Day to honour our senior citizens. There are a number of programmes for the well-aged, whether they be in the community centres, or in the Residents Committees (RCs), or in the various citizens' clubs, or other organisations, enough to keep our senior citizens active. And pre-retirement programmes have also been worked out and implemented to help the aged plan a second career or develop leisure activities when they retire. But for the small number of frail aged, they ought to be helped. The way we help them is to help them remain in their own homes, living with their own family rather than to encourage them to be sent to an old folks' home or to go to the hospital. 3.”
“The Health Ministry is facing difficulties in recruiting professionals such as medical social workers, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and psychologists for the treatment of psychiatric patients, outpatients, and senile dementia patients, as recommended by the Advisory Council on the Family and Community Life and the Aged. To alleviate these difficulties, the Health Ministry is planning to set up an Institute of Health Services to train more medical professionals to meet the shortages. Sir, there are no major hitches in implementing the Advisory Councils' recommendations. The developmental projects that require a longer time span to implement should be completed within the next four to five years.”
“A small pilot scheme has also been set up to help individual members of low income families to acquire basic vocational skills so that they can find jobs. In the area of family and community life, the first of the four pilot family service centres was opened last year in Bukit Gombak. The remaining three will be opened within the next few months in Telok Blangah, Tiong Bahru and Tampines. This pilot scheme is aimed at testing out the concept of providing counselling and other kinds of support services at the community level to the family in need of help and assistance. In the area of sports, the Singapore Sports Council has already begun building the artificial hockey pitch at Delta Stadium, and this will be ready for use in May this year. The Singapore Sports Council, however, has decided not to proceed with the skateboard park because commercial facilities are available. Other facilities recommended by the Advisory Council on Sports and Recreation include an international shooting range, an archery range, an Olympic gymnasium, and a BMX park. These are still under consideration. In the area of the arts, Sir, the Acting Minister for Information and the Arts has recently announced that we can expect the Arts Council to be set up sometime this year. And the development of the Singapore Arts Centre is progressing quite well and we expect construction to begin sometime in 1992 or 1993, and completed around 1998. The projects under the Education Ministry and the Health Ministry are progressing as planned. The Advisory Council on the Disabled has recommended the setting up of a school psychological service by the Ministry of Education, and applicants are now being interviewed for this particular unit in the Education Ministry headquarters.”
“Sir, last year I informed this House that 233 of the 290 recommendations of the six Advisory Councils had been accepted by the Government and implemented, and that only about 57 major recommendations are still awaiting Government funding before we implement them. I do not want to bore this House by listing all these 233 recommendations that have been implemented, otherwise you will be here till tonight. But I am pleased to report that the Government has given its approval to implement 56 of the 57 recommendations that require additional funding. The only recommendation that has not been taken up is the one on the setting up of four gymnasiums in selected schools by the Ministry of Education. The reason why this has not been taken up is that there is no immediate need for these facilities. I would now try to highlight some of the progress made so far, after the funding approval has been given. In the area of social welfare, Sir, my Ministry recently announced details of the financial assistance scheme for voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) on a 50-50 cost sharing basis. This financial assistance scheme will enable VWOs to set up facilities and provide services to meet the needs of the disabled, the frail, the aged, and the low income families. The Government has put aside $92 million for the scheme over the next five years. The Advisory Council's recommendation on the Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme to provide financial assistance and counselling to families in arrears of HDB rentals and PUB charges has also been implemented. The scheme is now administered by the Singapore Council of Social Service. It began on 1st October, and now 68 families are on the scheme.”
“Sir, the Ministry's wide network of grassroots organisations such as the Citizens' Consultative Committees and the Residents' Committees also provide avenues for residents to volunteer their time and to enable families to get together and meet other families within the community, thereby building on this kampong spirit, enhancing community spirit within the public housing estates. And among other things, these grassroots organisations also provide welfare, or education, or bursary funds, and programmes like these to help families in need. Some of them have set up family clubs or recreation clubs within the RC centres with the idea or objective of getting the families together again so that they can socialise and get to know one another. Sir, our Ministry will continue to strengthen and expand these grassroots organisations and the voluntary and community welfare organisations, so that we will provide more opportunities for Singaporeans to do their part in keeping their families together and to share and cherish the values set out in our Shared Values.”
“Under the Public Education Programme on Aging, the Ministry promotes the values of care and concern among family members for the elderly, and encourages families to keep their elderly dependants as far as possible within the family and in the community. Sir, to support the family and to help families to continue to care for their own members in the family and in the community, several community-based services have been implemented, for example, child care programme; the Ministry in 1985 launched a child care programme to provide child care facilities to working parents. There are now more than 220 child care centres providing almost 15,000 places to children. In addition, the Ministry also encourages the development of before-and-after school care programme to help working parents in the care of their school-going children. Secondly, we have also implemented a number of community-based services for the aged and the disabled. We have encouraged the development of a wide range of community-based services for such people. This will enable the family to continue to care for the aged and the disabled within the community. Financial and other assistance is given to voluntary and welfare organisations to provide such services like day care centres for the aged, day care centres for the disabled and sheltered workshops for the disabled. Thirdly, Sir, we have also piloted the development of family service centres, and four such centres have been set up or are being set up within the next few months. These family service centres are to provide support services to families and to promote family life.”
“The basic approach therefore is in helping these people to help themselves. We strongly support the principle enunciated in this Asian proverb: It is better to teach them to fish than to give them fish. We also believe that the family is and should be the primary agent for the care and nurturing of its members. The Government cannot and should not replace this primary role. The Government's role is to provide the environment that will preserve and strengthen the family as a unit and support the family in meeting the needs of its members. Sir, in administering this network of social support services, we therefore aim to preserve the family as the basic unit of society and enhance the continued well-being of the family and individuals. We also aim to support families in carrying out their responsibilities of caring for and nurturing their members and assist those who are in genuine need of help. This network is now further strengthened by the formation of the National Advisory Council on the Family and the Aged. The National Advisory Council's primary role is to look into the implementation of the recommendations on family life and aged made by the Advisory Council set up by the Government a couple of years ago. In addition, my Ministry has also formed a Policy Committee to deliberate on policies affecting the family and the aged. Both the National Advisory Council and the Policy Committee are co-chaired by two Ministers of State, Dr Seet Ai Mee and Dr Aline Wong. Sir, to underline the importance of family as the basic unit of society and to promote family togetherness and family responsibility, the Ministry has implemented several public education programmes such as the annual Family Week and Parent Education Programme since 1985.”
“Sir, as Mr Tarmugi has just said, we have had indeed a full debate on the White Paper on Shared Values only a couple of months ago. We all agreed that these Shared Values are for all Singaporeans. They are to be taught in schools, practised by individuals at home, and reinforced by society. And there is no need for any particular Ministry to be charged with the responsibility of overseeing or coordinating the implementation of these Shared Values. Each Ministry concerned will have to work out its own programmes so that these Shared Values can be taught, practised and reinforced by the different groups, at home and in the community. But I am glad to say, Sir, that my Ministry's objective has been to support a number of these Shared Values. For example, we have worked out programmes to support the family, keeping the family together - one of the shared values stated in the White Paper. 3.15 pm Our mission in the Ministry, Sir, is to foster, with maximum community participation, a cohesive society which is compassionate and robust. Our programmes are therefore aimed at getting the widest possible participation of the community in the provision of welfare, social and community support services. We want to get as many helping hands as possible to work together to promote a better family and community life for all Singaporeans. And in the process, we will keep the family together and instill in every Singaporean this strong sense of community support for the individual. Sir, the thrust of my Ministry's welfare programme is to develop a comprehensive network of social support services to meet the needs of the less fortunate in our community and encourage Singaporeans to show concern and to be compassionate towards others.”
“Then investments would take some time too.”
“I am amazed by Dr Lee's remarks that we should keep quiet after the Americans have gone into Saudi Arabia. In fact, from what I have read and from what I know, there is no change of mood and opinion in South East Asia. A small segment of the people in our neighbouring countries may have expressed such a sentiment, but I believe the Governments have stood very firm in supporting all the UN Resolutions. So I am amazed that Dr Lee could suggest that Singapore should keep quiet after the multi-national force has taken their place in Saudi Arabia. If we were to keep quiet, then where should our position be? Are we so ambivalent and have no courage to speak up on the side of right?”
“Sir, the quantitative and qualitative upgrading of the Foreign Service will be achieved through an increase in manpower to undertake new initiatives, new responsibilities, activities, improved training, particularly language training, the upgrading of conditions of service to compensate for the disruptive life-style that diplomats and their families have to suffer in the course of their nomadic existence. Overall, the attractiveness of the Foreign Service will be enhanced, in order to attract and retain Foreign Service officers. Sir, to meet these new requirements, therefore, MFA's share of the total operating budget has risen modestly from 0.14% to 0.16% of GDP. I believe it will be money well spent given the front-line role of MFA in promoting Singapore's national interests. An enhanced Foreign Service will be essential and yet very much affordable. Dr Lee Siew-Choh: Clarification, Sir. I think the Minister has missed the thrust of my argument. I did not disagree with the stand taken by the Singapore Government. All of us agree that we should stand on the side of Kuwait against Iraq. But after the Americans went into Saudi Arabia, there was a considerable change of public opinion all around in Southeast Asia. I am referring to the fact that we should not try and antagonize public opinion around us. We are a multi-racial society. We have a Muslim world around us. What we say must not be completely and diametrically opposite to what the Governments in Indonesia and Kuala Lumpur have been saying.”
“Aside from manpower increases, equally important is the need to properly train our officers to be sharp analysts at home and effective diplomats abroad. In this regard, we will tap think tanks such as the Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS), the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), the Institute of East Asian Philosophies (IEAP), the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA), to gain access to other perspectives on long term trends and other policy issues. For example, SIIA recently organised bilateral colloquia with Malaysia and Indonesia, and MFA officials took part in these colloquia. We found these colloquia useful in enhancing mutual understanding between our countries. Such institutions are also a resource of ideas and brainpower that supplement and complement the limited manpower pool in the Ministry. These institutions should be strengthened. Dr Ong Chit Chung commented on the Singapore International Foundation. Of course, we will try to cooperate and work with the Singapore International Foundation to achieve its objectives. Therefore, the activities of the Singapore International Foundation would be funded by income earned on an initial $50 million endowment fund. The plan therefore is for the private sector to raise $25 million, which will then be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by the Government. Although the Foundation will be a non-Governmental organisation, its activities will no doubt have the support of the Government.”
“The foundation for an enduring and cooperative relationship with our nearest neighbours has been laid. It should be obvious from what I said that the small Foreign Ministry which we have had for over 25 years to protect the interests of a small developing state in a relatively stable regional and global environment will have to be significantly strengthened to cope with the needs of a newly industrialised economy, faced with larger regional and global responsibilities in a more fluid global environment. In the coming decade, therefore, the Foreign Ministry will have to be transformed to keep pace with the wider range of international interests of a newly industrialised economy. Both in quantity and quality, the Foreign Ministry's role and performance will have to make a quantum leap. This cannot be done with existing resources. Mr Charles Chong asked about expanding our overseas links and representations. Let me say that in 1990 we added a new mission in Seoul. In future, we will consider setting up other missions, possibly including one in Vietnam when the Cambodian problem is resolved. But we must always remember that Singapore has a very small population and the Foreign Ministry is a very small one, and we have limited manpower resources. Therefore, we cannot over-stretch ourselves to be represented in every part of the world. So some of our overseas representation needs will have to be met by the appointment of roving ambassadors and honorary consuls. We will also have to devote more manpower and financial resources to meet Singapore's regional and international responsibilities in such areas as technical assistance, participation in international disaster relief operations and in UN peace-keeping.”
“Sir, Encik Wan Hussin has also asked whether Singapore should not host a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference. We will study his suggestion very, very carefully before a decision is made. As he knows, Parliament does not have a large staff. Even when Singapore has to host the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO) meeting comprising only five countries, staff from Parliament are not enough to cope with that and additional staff have to be enlisted from other Government departments before such a Conference can be held. What more of a CPA Conference of 49 countries. Sir, we are mindful that even as Singapore promotes and expands ties with the rest of the world, strong relations with our ASEAN partners remain fundamental pillars of our foreign policy. We therefore have an active foreign policy that, on the one hand, builds on our network of international linkages, while on the other hand, maintains and strengthens our relations with our neighbours. Today, Singapore enjoys good relations with all our ASEAN neighbours, in particular with our closest neighbours, Malaysia and Indonesia. This is not by accident. Instead, it is the result of efforts by all the leaders and their Governments to work together, both within the ASEAN framework and bilaterally. The signing of the agreements on economic cooperation in the development of the Riau Province, and on the protection of investments, in August last year with Indonesia, was a milestone. In November last year, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, then Prime Minister, concluded the historic water and gas agreements with Malaysia. These agreements are benchmarks in our bilateral relations with Indonesia and Malaysia. These agreements testify to the desire of all three countries to cooperate for mutual benefit.”
“So we must speak up when our national interest is at stake and it is not a question of being partisan. If all nations do as Dr Lee suggests, then I think Iraqi forces will still be in Kuwait today. Sir, both Encik Wan Hussin and Dr Ong Chit Chung have spoken of Singapore's international obligations. It will make for a better world if nations help and cooperate with one another. It is for this reason that we have gradually increased our participation in various international operations. For example, we participated in the UN peacekeeping effort for the first time in Namibia. We also mounted a significant medical rescue exercise during the Philippines earthquake in July 1990. More recently, we sent an SAF medical team to provide humanitarian assistance during the Gulf crisis and to help Saudi Arabia cope with the burdens of meeting a major threat to its existence. The Saudi government has expressed its gratitude to Singapore for our participation. 2.30 pm Sir, we have benefitted from the generosity of other nations. Singaporeans have been trained abroad under the Colombo Plan and countless other kinds of programmes. Countries like France, Japan and Germany have set up joint training institutes in Singapore. We are better off today because other countries have seen it fit to help us and help us upgrade the skills of our people. So we are now in a position to do the same. We will consider extending our assistance programmes beyond our currently modest ASEAN training awards and Colombo Plan programme. We are now developing a larger technical cooperation programme to help the less developed countries in areas where we have the expertise. We will give due consideration to countries and organisations with whom Singapore has not cooperated in the past.”
“We must also be prepared to explore multiple approaches for regional security which will accommodate the big and small regional countries in a constructive framework that will minimise conflict, encourage dialogue, build confidence and enhance cooperation. Over the long term, the security of South East Asia and the Asia-Pacific can be best served by having an engagement of all powers, large and small, if necessary, in overlapping and multiple security and political frameworks. Sir, Dr Lee Siew-Choh has also asked why Singapore took such a strong position on the Gulf crisis and advised Singapore Ministers to keep their remarks as neutral or as non-partisan as possible. The answer is very simple. Singapore's achievements have depended on an international system that places a premium on cooperation over confrontation, on the rule of law rather than the law of the jungle. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait challenged the rule of law. In the Gulf crisis, in spite of strong emotions aroused in the Arab and Muslim countries, no country in the world has acknowledged the right of Iraq to invade Kuwait. We ignore threats to international order at our peril. In recent times, both Afghanistan and Cambodia have been victims of violent aggression by large powers and more powerful countries. Singapore opposed these acts of aggression and voted for various UN resolutions condemning such acts. It is a matter of principle. Sir, we do business with the world. We depend on free access to world markets for our survival. We are a member of the world community of nations. We cannot isolate ourselves from the rest of the world. It is therefore in our interest to do our part in strengthening that community which we are a part of.”
“Recently, Sir, there have been various proposals made to strengthen regional security not only in South East Asia but also in the larger Asia-Pacific. Both Australia and Canada have proposed an Asia-Pacific equivalent of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe. At Vladivostok in 1986, President Gorbachev suggested an Asian version of the Helsinki Conference. Then in 1990, the former Soviet Foreign Minister, Mr Eduard Shevardnadze, suggested the holding of an Asian Foreign Ministers meeting in 1993. Malaysia has suggested a security system in South East Asia built around the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation. Indonesia has proposed talks on the South China Sea. Singapore and the other ASEAN states should consider all these proposals. Also, the traditional ASEAN dialogues, which now take place mainly with ASEAN's major trading partners, may be expanded to include dialogues with other major powers such as China, the Soviet Union and India that have an interest in the region. But a new form of dialogue relationship may have to be evolved with powers with whom ASEAN has little or less economic relations. Sir, even as we search for new security structures, it will be wise to sustain tried and tested arrangements for regional security, such as the Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) and the maintenance of US presence in the region. We must be realistic that history is made by the interactions among major powers. ASEAN states have a vested interest to engage in a full scale dialogue with these major powers to ensure that South East Asian concerns are taken into full consideration as these major powers map out their strategies in the coming decade.”
“How ASEAN should organise itself to strengthen economic cooperation in South East Asia and the Asia-Pacific will be an important focus in ASEAN forums in the next few years, and we expect to discuss this in the next ASEAN Summit to be held in Singapore. There is much work to be done if ASEAN is to take substantive steps towards greater economic cooperation. Sir, the Asia-Pacific region, apart from the Korean Peninsula, Cambodia and the territorial disputes over the Spratley Islands and the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, is largely free of tensions that mark other areas of the globe, like the Middle East. But we should not take this peace and stability for granted. The relatively smaller South East Asian states must recognise that at least four major powers are present in the Asia-Pacific region in full force, namely, the United States, the Soviet Union, Japan and China. India is also emerging as a major regional power. Its navy can comfortably reach South East Asian shores. We must accept that in the inevitable contest for power and influence among these major powers, South East Asia will be used as an arena as it has been in the past. Another factor central to the stability of the region is a good US-Japan relationship. If bilateral strains resulting from protectionist policies on either side cause a breakdown of this relationship, then the stability of the whole region will be threatened. To maintain regional stability, we need to find a framework not only to engage all countries in the region, but also the large powers contiguous to the region. We need to find structures that will keep the relationship between the United States and Japan stable, economically and politically.”
“Mutually beneficial economic cooperation can be enhanced either through the AUI or bilateral free trade agreements. So the Growth Triangle, APEC, EAEG, AUI are the basic building blocks of complementary informal and institutional economic linkages. If the countries of Indochina and Myanmar adopt policies that bring them closer economically and politically to the countries in the region, then there is no reason why they will not in future be part of this network of economic linkages, contributing to the region's economic growth. Indeed, we recognise that these countries have the potential to play a positive and constructive role in maintaining global and regional stability and in promoting economic development. Dr Lee Siew-Choh asked why we are preventing our businessmen to invest in Vietnam. Dr Lau Teik Soon also asked about our relations with the Indochinese states. Mr Charles Chong asked whether Singapore will forge links with countries regardless of ideology. Sir, Singapore has stressed its readiness to improve political and economic relations with the Indochinese countries, once the Cambodian issue is resolved. It is not an issue of ideology. We have urged Vietnam and the Hun Sen regime to stop their opposition to the UN peace plan. Therefore, the Government stated in October last year that the ban on investments in Vietnam and Cambodia will be lifted as soon as the Supreme National Council of Cambodia is represented in the United Nations. To lift the ban before this would mean easing of pressure on Hanoi and Phnom Penh to settle the Cambodian problem as quickly as possible.”
“Singapore and its ASEAN neighbours should explore all possible avenues to enhance economic and political cooperation, both along the Western shores of the Pacific and across the Pacific Ocean. It does not matter whether these are regional organisations or groupings so long as they do not run counter to the multi-lateral trading system and harm our national interests. For example, APEC is a significant initiative for developing economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific. Singapore hosted the Second APEC Ministerial Meeting last year. We strongly support it and we continue to remain committed to its success. But we should also explore other complementary institutional linkages. The Malaysian Prime Minister's idea for an East Asian Economic Grouping (EAEG) is another constructive proposal that Singapore can and should support, because it will be GATT-consistent, it will complement APEC and it will enhance ASEAN economic cooperation. Given the dramatic increase in investment and trade flows up and down the western shores of the Pacific, the East Asian states need a common forum to exchange ideas. This will also help them to coordinate their positions so that East Asian interests are not neglected in the Uruguay Round when the giants from Europe and America work together to create a global framework for economic cooperation. Individually, or even as ASEAN, we may not be big enough to have a say in GATT, but APEC and the EAEG can help ensure that our common interests are better represented. Similarly, the ASEAN-US Initiative (AUI) also holds promise for the ASEAN states. It is in the long-term interests of both the US and ASEAN to strengthen the traditional links that bind us.”
“These developments in Europe and North America reflect the trend towards greater regional economic cooperation. Obviously, the Asia-Pacific countries cannot remain inactive in the face of these significant developments. The Asia-Pacific is a region of great diversity - in political systems, in the levels of economic development, in language, in culture and even in religion. In spite of this, the rapid expansion of trade and investment flows, which have been rising in a spectacular fashion, has paved the way for the emergence of an Asia-Pacific consciousness. Indeed, the Asia- Pacific is the fastest growing region in the world today. Japan, the Asian NIEs and ASEAN have all achieved and sustained high growth rates unmatched anywhere else in the world. These countries have achieved economic growth largely on their own. But if they work together, much more can be achieved. The challenge is to transform the Asia-Pacific through greater economic linkages, through appropriate cooperative structures and institutional frameworks to tap this potential so that the 21st century will truly be a century of the Asia-Pacific. Mr Ng Pock Too, Dr Lau Teik Soon and Mr Charles Chong all raised the issue of our involvement in the various economic groupings and how we reconcile our global outlook with trends towards regionalism and implications of joining all these regional economic groupings. Sir, as a nation that does business with the world, Singapore should be connected, through diversified linkages, to all major economic groupings and all our business partners and countries that want to do business with us. There are a variety of options open to Singapore and South East Asia. We should consider all these options which serve our national interests.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, before I reply, may I say that I share your view expressed earlier on that any allusion to Mr Goh Chee Wee having breached parliamentary privileges is unfounded. If Mr Goh had actually breached parliamentary privileges there is no doubt that the Committee of Privileges would be convened to look into the complaint against him. But the reason why I had to remind the House yesterday was to ask Members to stay within the confines given to them under the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act. Mr Chairman, Sir, the momentous development in Europe which heralded the end of the Cold War created an atmosphere of hope in the world. That hope was cruelly shattered by the brutal Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on 2nd August last year. The multi-national coalition force of 30 nations supported by a great majority of UN members succeeded in reversing Iraqi invasion. This success has restored the earlier hopes and signalled the possibility of emergence of a more peaceful and stable world order. The conflict in the Gulf is not the only major global challenge. I agree with Mr Ng Pock Too's observation on the changing world and the dangers posed by a breakdown of the multilateral and liberal trading system. We know that vast changes are taking place in the global economic and political framework and it is within this context of change that Singapore has to work together with the other nations to meet the challenges of the 1990s. 2.15 pm Mr Ng is right in saying that Europe continues to set the pace for regional integration. The vision of a greater "European Economic Space" has already emerged. And North America has taken note of this European challenge by creating a US-Canada Free Trade Area (FTA). This FTA will be further enhanced when Mexico is included.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, before I move that Parliament do now adjourn, may I take this opportunity to remind Members of the House that they are all given Parliamentary privileges and they are certainly free to say what they want to say in this House and for good reasons they are protected by the Parliament (Privileges, Immunities and Powers) Act. But, at the same time, they should also be wary not to misuse this by making references or attacking people outside the House who are not in a position to defend themselves. I hope the Members will zealously guard the privileges given to them and not abuse them. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn." - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Half-past Four o'clock pm.”
“On a point of order, Sir. The topic under discussion is on retrenchment benefits. If the Member wishes to speak on averages, income, etc., I suggest he moves an adjournment motion at some time during the sitting or at the next sitting, and he can have a full debate on this issue.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That Parliament do now adjourn. Question proposed. POLICE HARASSMENT OF THE WORKERS' PARTY 4.21 pm”
“I hope also that the hawkers should not take an indifferent attitude, on the other hand, and deliberately contravene the rules with full knowledge. They should cooperate with the Ministry of the Environment in enhancing the standard of hygiene of hawker centres. In many hawker centres, the standard of hygiene is far from satisfactory and it has to be improved. So with a higher standard of living of the people in general, the consumers have greater demands. The hawkers should also keep pace with the change of the environment and improve their image and standard of hygiene.”
“Why should the Ministry of the Environment make mountains out of molehills and introduce so many new rules and regulations? To these hawkers, we should go through the method of education, to persuade them to change their old concept and methods, and to give up the old, bad habits. I must say that to those who have refused to listen to persuasion and education, and who do not care about public hygiene, and continue to sell unhygienic food, then apart from the educational method, the Ministry of the Environment has to take appropriate punitive measures. I will give you a few more examples, Mr Speaker, Sir, to show that, up to now, there are still many hawkers who do not quite understand the rules and regulations of the Ministry of the Environment. My parliamentary colleague, Mr Chandra Das, the Chairman of the Feedback Unit, has recently conducted a dialogue session with the hawkers. One of the hawkers who attended this dialogue session asked if according to the regulations of the Ministry of the Environment, a fruit stallholder could only sell a watermelon in whole. So if a customer wants to buy only half a watermelon, can the hawker display the other half for sale? Or if somebody wants to buy half a watermelon, he must look for two customers, each wanting to buy half, so that he could sell the whole watermelon. These questions may sound ridiculous. But it reflects a problem and, that is, generally, the hawkers do not quite understand the regulations of the Ministry of the Environment. So I feel that the Ministry of the Environment should take the trouble to explain, and, if necessary, explain again to the hawkers all the rules and regulations of the Ministry.”
“Then the hawker inspector who was, in "ambush" suddenly came out from somewhere and caught him using his bare hand to touch the watermelon. And so he was summoned. I think this is too much. The hawkers feel that they cannot be blamed entirely for all the faults. For example, if rats and cockroaches are found in their stalls, then the hawkers will be severely penalised. But the hawkers said that these rats and cockroaches are not bred by them. Many of them come from the sewers nearby or the rubbish-heaps in the neighbourhood. But once they are found inside the stall by the hawker inspectors, then bad luck for the hawker concerned. So, now, what the hawkers fear most are the rats, cockroaches and the hawker inspectors! And if the rats, cockroaches and hawker inspectors do not visit the stall at the same time, there will be no problem. But if by coincidence all the three come together, then it is just bad luck, woe betide for the hawker. In short, I hope that the Ministry of the Environment will take a dialogue and educational approach with the hawkers, in order to enhance food hygiene and the hygiene of the hawker centres. I am not saying that the Ministry of the Environment is not doing this. In fact, over the past two years, the Ministry of the Environment has indeed done some educational work and taken measures to enhance hygiene in the hawker centres. This, of course, needs our commendation, and the GPC on the Environment has always been supportive of these measures. But I feel that education and explanation should be further enhanced and strengthened because, at the moment, there are still some hawkers who feel that they have been using the same method of operation, from one generation to another generation, without any problem whatsoever.”
“If food is pre-prepared at home and sold at the stall, then it is illegal. But we must not forget that certain kinds of food cannot be prepared inside the stall itself, because the space within the hawker stall is too small. This is another practical problem faced by the hawkers. The Ministry of the Environment is worried that the food prepared at home may not comply with the standard of hygiene. But I would like to ask the Minister whether he has got any facts to prove that food prepared at home has failed to live up to the standard and has caused food poisoning. Another complaint by hawkers is that the hawker inspectors, in carrying out their duties, lack flexibility. They tend to make mountains out of molehills. They are discourteous and unreasonable. I hope that the Minister for the Environment will take note of this point and should give proper directives to the hawker inspectors that, in carrying out their duties, they should not adopt the attitude of the police catching the thief. They should not resort to the method of "ambushing" the hawkers. If hawkers should make any mistake, it is for the hawker inspector to tell them where they have gone wrong and show them the right way of doing things, in the first instance. And if such mistake is repeated, then the inspector can summon them. I have received some complaints. A fruit seller has cut some fruits and displayed the cut pieces of fruits like apples, watermelon and papayas inside the glass case at the stall. On his right hand, there was no glove because he had to hold a knife. On his left hand, he had to hold the fruit, so he wore a glove. But one of the pieces on display was out of alignment, so he used the right hand, which had no glove on, to put it right.”
“But the preparation of certain food, such as popiah, cannot be done without using your hands. But the Ministry of the Environment officials say that if they want to handle food with their hands, then they must wear gloves. But the officials forget about the inconvenience caused by wearing gloves. I have a few samples of gloves here [indicating]. So you can see that some of these gloves, made of plastic, are ill-fitting. Because they are made of plastic, there is no ventilation and a lot of heat is generated inside the gloves. Some gloves are too large. So if you wear an over-sized glove and you have to cut something, it will also cut away the fingers of the glove, and these will go into the popiah. This is a real problem. Worse still, when they are wearing gloves and have to collect and change money, they must not forget to remove them. And if they change money with the gloves on, then it will be even more unhygienic. Even assuming that the hawker keeps on taking off and putting on the hand gloves, the gloves will become dirtier. And it is against the standard of hygiene. So this is a practical problem. Maybe the Ministry of the Environment should not insit that food handlers must wear gloves. Instead they should require that all food handlers should keep their hands clean. In other words, before they handle food, they must keep their hands clean, and they are not allowed to handle money or other things with their bare hands. Then, of course, they should not be allowed to dig their noses and ears. If they are found indulging in unhygienic practices, then should be fined. This is feasible. Now, another headache to the hawkers is the Ministry of the Environment's ruling and insistence that all cooked food must be cooked within the premises of the hawker stalls.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That Parliament do now adjourn. Question proposed. ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS ON HAWKERS 3.15 pm Mr Goh Chee Wee (Boon Lay)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, over the past few months, the Ministry of the Environment has suddenly conducted very stringent inspections on hawker centres. They have also issued summonses and imposed fines on hawkers, thus causing grave concern and fear among the hawkers. So on this development, I hope that the Ministry of the Environment will give a proper clarification and explanation. First of all, I would like to state that the Government Parliamentary Committee on the Environment has always been supportive of the Government's measures to enhance food hygiene. The GPC on the Environment has also repeatedly asked for appropriate actions to be taken against those food manufacturers, restaurants and stallholders for causing food poisoning. But I feel that the recent actions of the Ministry of the Environment against the hawkers have been excessive and overdone. These controls and regulations should, therefore, be reviewed. The Ministry of the Environment's objective, of course, is to enhance food hygiene. This is generally understood and supported by the people. But how to enhance the level of food hygiene is a question of the method of implementation. Therefore, it is necessary to have consultations and discussions with the hawkers concerned. Because certain measures may appear feasible, in theory, but may, in reality, have problems with implementation. As an illustration, the Ministry of the Environment officials say that hawkers are not allowed to handle food with their bare hands. They should use forks and spoons, or other utensils.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion* standing in my name. The motion speaks for itself and I need not say more. *The motion reads as follows: That this Parliament, in accordance with paragraph (1) of Standing Order 95, appoints the following as members of the Committee of Selection: Mr S. Chandra Das Dr Lee Boon Yang Mr Lee Yiok Seng Encik Sidek bin Saniff Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam Mr Wong Kan Seng BG George Yong-Boon Yeo. Question put, and agreed to. Resolved, That this Parliament, in accordance with paragraph (1) of Standing Order 95, appoints the following as members of the Committee of Selection:- Mr S. Chandra Das Dr Lee Boon Yang Mr Lee Yiok Seng Encik Sidek bin Saniff Dr Tony Tan Keng Yam Mr Wong Kan Seng BG George Yong-Boon Yeo. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed." -[Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Twenty-five minutes past Five o'clock pm to a date to be fixed. figures - VEHICLE QUOTA SYSTEM (Cols. 261 - 262)”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we have come to the end of a very long sitting which began on the 12th of this month. And in the process, I think one of Dr Lee Siew-Choh's bugs must have gone into Dr Koh Lip Lin - apparently he is not here - when he made the comparison between Minister Dhanabalan and some of my other colleagues, ie, about them "making money" and "not making money" in formulating their policies. In my working experience with all my Cabinet colleagues, I believe all of them make decisions for the purpose of public good and not for the purpose of "making money". On that note, Sir, I beg to move, That Parliament do now adjourn to a date to be fixed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I just want to make a clarification on Mr Chiam saying that he did not sign or initial the Report. Under the procedures, there is no need for any Member to sign the Report. It is the Chairman's Report of the Committee that is presented to Parliament. I remember that at the last but one meeting when this detailed Report was discussed, Mr Chiam was not present. Neither was I, but I applied for leave. He did not apply for leave. At the last meeting when we met to confirm the Report, it was only at the conclusion of our meeting that Mr Chiam appeared at the meeting.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I think five Bills are quite enough for a day. We have four more Bills for debate and these four Bills will be taken tomorrow, just in case Dr Lee again says that he is not forewarned, notice is now given to him. He has more than a couple of hours. In fact, I remember the Whip putting up a notice in the Members' Room on Monday saying that we have Bills outstanding and that Members who wish to speak should inform the Whip. I believe he also must have read the same notice on Monday. ADJOURNMENT Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn. - [Mr Wong Kan Seng]. Adjourned accordingly at Two Minutes past Three o'clock pm.”