Wong Kwei Cheong
Singapore
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head S of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code SJ 1500. My cut is on job placement and labour market information services. According to the 1995 Economic Survey of Singapore, the unemployment rate in June 1995 was 2.7%, slightly higher than the 2.6% a year ago.”
“Sir, my amendment is on conciliation services. According to the 1995 Economic Survey of Singapore, about 8,800 workers were retrenched in 1995 compared to 9,444 in 1994. Most of them were retrenched from the manufacturing sector, mainly the electronic products and textile and wearing apparel industries.”
“Sir, to help low-income families own 3-room HDB flats, the Government has raised the income ceiling from $1,000 to $1,200 in January 1996. Can the Minister give a report on the number of low-income families that have benefited from this revision? HDB has also bought back 3-room HDB flats from the open market for resale to HDB applicants.”
“Sir, the Minister has announced that with effect from 28th August 1995, the CPF Housing Grant Scheme has been revised as follows: $40,000 grant to be given to first-time buyers to buy a 2-room or larger resale flat. Those married children buying near their parents' home can apply for $50,000 grant.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W of the Main Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code WK 3100. Sir, I am speaking on the strengthening of international trade. According to the 1995 Economic Survey of Singapore, exports in 1995 rose by 14% to $168 billion compared to 23% in the previous year.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head W of the Development Estimates be reduced by $10 in respect of Code WH 5200. According to the 1995 Economic Survey of Singapore, Singapore's gross expenditure on research and development in 1994 amounted to $1,175 million, up 18% from 1993.”
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“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head T be reduced by $10 in respect of Code TC 5100 of the Development Estimates. Firstly, on the Central Expressway. The Minister for National Development may recall that during the debate in the Committee of Supply on the Ministry of National Development on 17th March 1988, I requested the Minister to study the problem of noise pollution, particularly to residents living close to expressways. I have suggested to the Minister that the PWD should send officials to countries like Japan where it is quite common to find noise reflectors placed along expressways running through residential areas so as to reduce the noise pollution. May I ask the Minister if the PWD has so far made any study in reducing the level of noise pollution along expressways and particularly along the Central Expressway, a large portion of which passes through the Cairnhill constituency. In connection with the Central Expressway, I have two further matters to raise. As a result of the construction of the expressway, the link road from Owen Road to Norfolk Road was closed to vehicular traffic. Consequently, the Pek Kio Community Centre which is situated at Cambridge Road and the Cambridge Road market/hawker centre which is situated at Owen Road are not readily accessible. I have asked the PWD to make the following changes to improve the vehicular traffic system: (a) open the link road from Owen Road to Norfolk Road, making it an "egress" from Owen Road; and (b) convert Cambridge Road and the whole of Owen Road into a two-way vehicular traffic system. As the PWD has yet to take action on my request, I would appreciate it if the Minister could look into the matter.”
“Sir, I have four supplementary questions. The Senior Minister of State may recall telling this House on 25th February 1988 as reported in the Hansard, Vol. 50, Col. 497, and I quote: 'HDB does not build flats for speculation. It builds flats to meet the need.' May I ask the Senior Minister of State why the HDB is selling the Anthony Road HUDC flats to a private developer for speculative purposes, and not selling the flats directly to Singaporeans to meet their needs? Secondly, can the Ministry of National Development inform all the tenants of the HUDC apartments at Anthony Road in writing whether their tenancy will be renewed upon expiry? Thirdly, since it will take some time for MND to sell the HUDC apartments to a private developer, will MND consider extending the leases of the tenants for a further period until such time when they can find alternative accommodation? And fourthly, is the Senior Minister of State aware that the tenants have spent thousands of dollars to renovate the HUDC apartments? Will MND consider allowing the tenants to leave behind some of these fixtures like door and window grills when they vacate the premises.”
“For the indigent and those who are genuinely unable to pay the hospital charges despite heavy subsidies, government hospitals, including those that have been restructured, will continue with the present practice of granting waivers or remission of charges. TRAFFIC CONGESTION ALONG EAST COAST PARKWAY 5. Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for National Development whether an interim measure will be taken to enable a free flow of vehicular traffic from Benjamin Sheares Bridge to the East Coast Parkway (ECP) between 4.30 pm and 6.30 pm from Mondays to Fridays and from 12.30 pm to 2.00 pm on Saturdays (except public holidays), pending the completion of the flyover at the Fort Road/ECP junction.”
“The objective of restructuring is to give hospitals greater autonomy in managing their daily operations and to be more responsive to the needs of patients. This will improve the level of service to the public. Restructured hospitals will be required to adopt commercial accounting practices. The stricter financial discipline and greater cost-consciousness necessary will result in better cost control which will ultimately benefit the patient. Over 70% of the cost of running a hospital is due to the salaries of the staff. The cost of running a hospital has increased significantly, and will continue to do so with increases in salaries. For example, the recent increase in salaries for nurses resulted in an increase of $15.6 million in the wage bill for financial year 1989. Advances in medical technology and the introduction of new and sophisticated tests and treatment procedures will similarly increase the operating costs of hospitals. This has resulted in an increase of over 42% in the recurrent expenditure of Government hospitals over the last five years, from $220 million in 1983 to about $312 million in 1988. It is therefore inevitable that fees will have to be increased periodically in line with cost increases whether or not a hospital is restructured. Patients, however, can continue to choose the class of ward accommodation they wish to be admitted into. Those who prefer greater privacy and a more personalized treatment would have to pay the full cost of such services without subsidy. Patients from the lower income group, however, can be assured that the fees for the highly subsidized C and B2 class wards will remain affordable.”
“Sir, I hope the Minister of State is aware that since the reduction of the SDF from 4% to 1%, the policy has been changed to the training of workers, and not workers and managers. So there is now a big need of additional government funding for the training of managers. Since the Minister for Labour has previously reported that the Government is expected to collect $400 million from the foreign workers levy this year, I am wondering whether the Minister of State would consider using part of this money for the training of managers. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, additional funds for the training of managers should be considered on its own merits. There is no need to link the requirement for such training with the collection of foreign workers levy which is principally an administrative measure rather than a revenue-collecting measure. If there are good proposals for expending more money on the training of managers, I am sure any such proposal will be carefully considered either by the National Productivity Board or the Minister for Trade and Industry. PRIVATIZATION OF THE SINGAPORE GENERAL HOSPITAL 4. Mr Chew Heng Ching asked the Acting Minister for Health if he will com- ment on the fears expressed by some members of the public that the privatisation of the Singapore General Hospital will result in higher fees for medical treatment. The Acting Minister for Health (Mr Yeo Cheow Tong): Mr Speaker, Sir, let me first of all clarify that the Government's intention is to restructure the management and operation of the Singapore General Hospital and not to privatize it. The ownership of the hospital will still remain with the Government.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Bill. Touting in the sale of counterfeit goods used to be a very popular occupation. Right in the centre of the Orchard Road tourist belt, as mentioned by the Minister just now, many touts used to brandish their copy goods, copy watches, copy bags, and copy T-shirts for sale by the side walks, in hotel lobbies and at shopping centres. They will harass the tourists and jostle them to buy some of the fake products. However, ever since the First Reading of this Minor Offences Bill in Parliament on 19th January 1989, touting has dropped substantially. I have checked with members of the Singapore Retail Merchant Association and was told that touting activities in places like Lucky Plaza, Far East Plaza and C.K. Tang have dropped by more than 50%. Perhaps if the NCMP were to take a walk along Orchard Road today and dress himself as a tourist, he will be less accosted by touts and will agree that the added fine of $5,000 is certainly a bigger deterrent to touts than the original fine of $200. It shows that the tough action by the Government as specified in clauses 17 and 18 of this Bill is effective and will be effective in curtailing illegal activities in Singapore. However, in order to reduce touting and sales of counterfeit goods to a minimum, I hope the Government will also amend the Trademarks Act as the current penalties under this Act are insufficient to deter countfeiters from faking branded products. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Bill.”
“Sir, I support the Bill. Mr Peh Chin Hua (Jalan Besar GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Immigration (Amendment) Bill. Those who have illegally over-stayed in Singapore over 90 days should be dealt with more severely so that this will prevent foreign illegal workers from committing more crimes, disturbing the peace and order of our society and creating social problems. On the question of legal foreign workers and illegal immigrants, if we amend the Immigration Act, we can prevent illegal workers from overstaying more than 90 days in our country and at the same time we will prevent legal foreign workers becoming illegal workers. Therefore I support this Bill. I remember when I went to the Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre, I used to see a big hole being cut at the wire fencing there. After the hole was mended, it happened again. I suspect this has something to do with illegal immigrants.”
“Sir, as I have recently filed a Question for Oral Answer to the Minister for Labour on illegal foreign workers and as most of the points raised have been answered by the Senior Minister of State, I would like to withdraw that Oral Question. I would like to take this opportunity to make my comments. Firstly, Mr Speaker, Sir, I share the sentiments expressed by many speakers, especially the sentiments of the Member for Paya Lebar, and that is (a) the problem of illegal foreign workers shows very acutely that there is a very serious labour shortage problem here in Singapore, and (b) this labour shortage problem is faced by many employers, especially the local employers. As mentioned by the Member for Paya Lebar, and I am sure, as experienced by many of the MPs here at our meet-the-people sessions, we often have local employers coming to us with work permits rejected - work permits for mechanics, for skilled workers, carpenters and so on. I would like the Senior Minister of State to give, if possible, of all the illegal workers that were caught by the Ministry of Labour so far, a breakdown of the number of such illegal foreign workers? When they were caught, how many of them were working for foreign employers and how many of them were working for local employers. I do not have the figures, but I am sure if the Senior Minister of State has the figures, he will find that many of them have been working for local employers. I would therefore seriously ask the Senior Minister of State to study this problem and, if there is indeed a big problem faced by local employers in the employment of workers, especially if there is a bias in Government policy in the employment of foreign workers by local employers, can the Senior Minister of State seriously consider reviewing this policy.”
“According to the present rate of $160 pm and the subsequent increase to $200 pm in July, the Government revenue in this would be close to $100 million. I believe with this revenue the Government would be able to set aside more funds as an aid for the child care centres which amount to $6 million at present. One other point I would like to talk about now is on family education which relates to community education. I have no objection to domestic science or home economics subjects being taught in the schools for female students who must not give up their traditional duties and natural endowment of looking after their own children at home in their later married life. In view of changes in family economy and domestic affairs, we should also include teaching of family life and responsibilities at school, I believe, and I would suggest to the Ministry of Education that male students should also be taught such subjects so that both the boys and girls would acquire some basic knowledge about marriage, the family life, social responsibility, etc. so that when they grow up and get married they could contribute better to their family life and nation building. In this way, with the help of the Government and the support of the people, I am confident Singapore would be able to solve all the new problems in coming years.”
“The reason why there are long queues and long waiting lists for admission to some creches is that they do not have adequate qualified people to man these chlid care centres. I believe the subsidy of $100 per child is not sufficient, other than for the 3 to 6 year olds, particularly for the babies who need more personnel to look after. I hope that the Government will consider this and increase the subsidy for such children. Another matter which has been raised in this House many times is the care for pupils. For example, the community centres would be a useful place for looking after children, from primary 1 to 6. They can go there after school so that their parents can also go there to look them up after work. From what I know, there are many children from Primary 1 to 6 who are unable to have a proper lunch at home when both their parents are out working. They have only milk and bread for lunch. I hope something can be done for them. There is another point. For the past 10 or more years, we have been urging the companies and employers, wherever possible, to provide child care centres or facilities in their place of work for workers' children. I would urge the Government to seriously consider legislating to stipulate that the employers, particularly those who employ large staff, should set up child care centres in their place of work so that the womenfolk could come out from home and work with peace of mind knowing that their children are being looked after. The Government should jointly with the employers and IE provide the training of qualified staff for them so that they could look after such children. As regards the necessary funds for such facilities, as the Member for Bukit Timah has pointed out just now, the levy on 40,000 foreign maids will yield a large sum.”
“As I have stated just now, more than 50% of our families in Singapore require the housewives to come out to work so that they can live more comfort- ably. Some of my colleagues in this House have talked about or urged the Governnment to look into the question of setting up more creches and child care centres and also to defer the increase in foreign maid levy until such time when we can provide sufficient child care facilities to look after the children. Government's foreign maid levy merely lends partial treatment to the problem, not comprehensive solution of the matter. It may address some social anomaly, but it does not help to solve the basic needs and financial problem of the family. Only because of such fundamental needs that the families had to resort to the aid of foreign maids. To substitute these foreign maids, we would have to increase the provision for alternative facilities. Although in the past 10 years the Government has contributed greatly in setting up creches and child care centres which after the Government has subsidized $100 per child. The number of child care centres has increased from 20 to more than 170 now, but this still cannot satisfy the demands of our people at present. We have about 200,000 children in the age group of 2 to 7 years. Only 4% of them, ie, 8,000, make use of the creches and child care centres. If we include some babies from the age of two months to two years, then we are acutely short of creches and child care centres. There are also abnormal phenomena. Some of those more popular creches and child care centres have a long waiting list while others are under-utilized. The latter, I think, is a problem of training of staff because of a dearth of qualified staff.”
“Only 20% of the men are able to earn above $1,500 a month and, of course, their wives are more fortunnate. They can afford to stay at home to look after the children and enjoy a better standard of living. But the majority of our people are not so fortunate and are not contented with what they have. Of course, some people say that if you have harmony and contentment in the family, you do not need so much money. But these manifestations come from affluence. The conditions of a poor family cannot generate such feelings or happiness. So these are the new challenges faced by such families in Singapore and I think the Governnment should have a long term policy and strategy for this. Last year, the Government set up six committees to study the various problems, but the most important thing is to coordinate these six committees and to draw up a comprehensive national plan and policy to help these families in this modern age. That is to say, the challenges and problems the families face today are not what these families can solve by themselves. The Government must come out with the necessary facilities to help the families so that they may, after their daily necessities are satisfied, come forward to take part in economic growth and also contribute to the National Ideology. This also calls for the women to join the workforce and to contribute to our economic growth. Of course, I am not suggesting that the people must leave all their responsibilities to the Government. What I am saying is that the Government and our individual families must have better coordination and better relationship. Talking about consolidating the family unit, I would mention two important points, one is the basic financial strength of the family and the other its educational standard.”
“If we take a look at the other developed countries, we know that in countries like Japan, the United States and some European countries like the United Kingdom and Sweden, many families are enjoying middle class living standards because the number of women joining the workforce is in the region of 50%. In Singapore, it is important that we urge more women to join the workforce if they hope to enjoy a better standard of living and for the future of their children. However, I would like to point out one thing. Very often, we believe that if the wife is unable to look after the young children in the family, then a very simple solution is just to stop working and stay at home. Do we realize that today there are 380,000 Singaporean men, ie, about 53% of the total number of working men, who earn only about $800 or less a month? And after deducting CPF contribution, they have a take-home pay of only about $600? According to a survey, the basic cost of living of a family of four living in a 1-room flat is about $500 a month. If the man earns only $600 pm how can he afford to give the family a better standard of living? Although family members have a duty to consolidate the family unit and improve themselves, the Government and social institutions also have the obligation to help them. If you want their children to have better education, if you want them to excel in their studies, in order to give them a better life and for the good of the family, then the housewife has to come out to work. However, men already comprise about 50% of the workforce, not mentioning the 20,000 poorer families who are living on an income of around $600 pm and who have to carry some 80,000 dependants with them.”
“Nowadays, we see that in many families both husband and wife are working. In our oriental society, traditionally the husband would not be looking after the family but goes out to work to earn a living for the family and the wife would normally stay at home to look after the children. But this sort of arrangement has been changing over the last few years. More and women women are joining the labour force. The figure has increased from 36.4% in 1976 to 47% in 1988. The figure for married women working has also increased from 29.5% in 1981 to 36.4% in 1988. Another problem facing the family is how to look after the older folk and younger children in the family. Now with more women getting into the workforce, this has become a new challenge. Because of this, the birth rate has also decreased. Yet another challenge faced by the family nowadays is in respect of its role in the inculcation of traditional values in the family. Now that the trend of single family unit is catching on, so when more women are joining the workforce they have less time for the family and less time to educate their children in the homes, while the grandparents are also hardly around for any help. Now, more and more families are aspiring and trying to move into the middle-class society. They have to earn more and to improve themselves. In doing so, they help the society to improve. There is nothing wrong about it because everybody wants to have a better standard of living and more members of the family will have to come out to to work to earn more money so that they can attain their aim.”
“In the Speech, the President reiterates that the Government is determined to create a better life for all Singaporeans and to make our people aware of what the Government will be doing for the next five years and in what direction. While we talk about a National Ideology, a middle class society, a better life and a gracious society, I believe the foundation for all these developments must start from the family, how we are going to consolidate our family unit. It is because the family unit is the nucleus of a nation; it is the cohesive unit of a society. There must, first of all, be good families with good life before we can have a good and gracious society and a strong and prosperous nation. Let us have a look at the family life and concept of our people and review their traditional family concept vis-a-vis the new challenges brought about by our rapid economic progress - the full scale mobilization of our human resources with higher educational standard, resulting in more and more of our womenfolk being better educated and more easy to find jobs, thus enjoying better status in the society. All this will have certain effect on our family structure and concept. On the question of the concept and problems of marriage, the younger genration has a different view of what marriage is or requires. Some of them are marrying late and some of them do not even want to get married. Another problem is the increase in divorce cases. In 1988, 4.8 couples out of 1,000 couples were divorced, an increase from 3.7 per 1,000 previously. The divorce rate has been increasing over the last few years. There have been changes to the responsibilities shouldered by members of the family. Both husband and wife are sharing in family chores.”
“Thirdly, Sir, one cannot but agree with the Government that there must be afford- able child care services for working mothers. However, the recent increase in levy of foreign maids and the lack of child care facilities are likely to attract more women to work. This also stifles the effort in encouraging working mothers to continue working and many of them are contemplating that they would stop working because they are being affected by this new policy. The levy also counteracts the new population policy of "three or more". The negative impact of the foreign maids levy need to be assessed. The substantial increase in the levy will defnitely hurt those who are really in need of domestic help. It may not deter those who are not really in need of domestic help. There are many of those who engage foreign maids but they are not in dire need of their services. It would be appropriate therefore not to impose the second stage increase for working couples, particularly those with very young children to care for or elderly sick parents to attend to. This will be helpful to those who have more urgent need for foreign maids. I urge that some criteria be established to discriminate those who require such a support. In conclusion, Sir, may I urge the Government to ensure that social services remain affordable to most people. By providing these services at an affordable rate we are neither creating dependency nor promoting welfare syndrome. These are much needed basic services which will provide the foundations of our future growth. The charges should remain reasonable so that people can get access to these services. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to join the Member for Siglap in thanking the President for his Speech.”
“They feel that future increases in prices may cause them to abandon their plans to upgrade their housing. This can negate HDB's programme to redevelop older housing estate neighbourhoods and goals towards achieving a home-owning society. Our housing policy has provided a stake for people to be committed to Singapore. It is hoped that the pricing of flats will continue to remain within the reach of our population, particularly the young married and the lower income group. Sir, the lower income group also faces difficulty in finding ready cash to renovate their new flats. As a result they tend to go for older flats which do not entail cash outflow for renovation. If such a trend continues, ethnic enclaves are likely to become more accelerated. It is hoped that HDB could extend a renovation loan to lower income families so that they could be attracted to the new towns and thereby reduce ethnic concentration in the older housing estates. I suggest this is worthwhile reviewing and a move in this direction would be positive. Secondly, Sir, the plan towards reorganization of the health service and more specifically the cooperatization of hospitals has generated speculation of increases in health cost. The question is the amount of increase, Sir. This is the question that people are talking about and it is worrying them. People are worried that hospital charges will be steep and this will impose further burden on the average income and lower income families. We must, Sir, make hospital charges reasonable. Otherwise, Sir, it would be a pity that we get to a situation where we have modern hospitals but those who really need to be treated for their illness are unable to use these services.”
“Sir, our Government in the last 30 years has made a conscious effort to provide the majority of our population with better housing, health, education and security. Such an effort has created a closer bond between our Government and the people. We have to continue to strengthen this bond, Sir. However, Sir, with the recent moves by Government institutions and statutory boards to corporatize or privatize, call what you may, Sir, I think the bottom line is whether services are going to be more expensive. Are people going to pay more? I think this is the bottom line of it. The average income families are concerned about a number of crucial issues. They are asking: Will my family be able to own bigger homes? Will health cost go up to an extent that it will strain the family's budget? Will transport become too expensive? Is education going to remain affordable to my children? Will child care services be still affordable? These are some of the queries of the average income earning families. Sir, we can and we must allay these anxieties. This is provided that those managing primary service sectors are not too profit-orientated and devise a pricing system which makes it difficult for people to get access to the basic social services. Sir, I will deal with only three areas in which affordability is much discussed about. People are talking about these areas of concern which is worth highlighting. Firstly, Sir, HDB housing has remained affordable to the majority of our population. However, the HDB's recent move to adjust its flat pricing system to reflect variations in design, location and finishes has generated concern among families who are living in older housing estates and those planning to upgrade their housing.”
“Sir, every Singaporean who migrates is a loss to Singapore. Our talent pool will be affected in the long run. Semi-professionals and professionals are some of those who have migrated. I have gathered from some of our friends who have migrated that there are varying reasons to suggest why they have gone. When asked why they have migrated, they replied that it was for the sake of their children's education. When pressed further, they said they expected more opportunities for initiatives. They feel Singapore is to some extent very stifling. Sir, for whatever reasons there may be, I think it is crucial for us to look into the underlying reasons for their migration. Perhaps through reviewing and knowing these reasons we can take some positive steps to lessen the attrition. Sir, abrasions and conflicts between and among various social and economic groups can result. This might lead to divisions in our community. When these are attached with ethnic and religious labels by opportunists and fanatics, they could become minefields and be very explosive. We must therefore be on the guard to prevent people from playing up racial and religious sentiments which have ill effects to Singapore. We must look into ways to prevent religious groups from indulging in politics. This is crucial and I hope that we will be able to review and take this into serious consideration. Sir, another negative consequence is that our potential for human development could be stifled. Without access to affordable health, housing and education, people may become demotivated. If they see that by working hard they can get the benefit of these services, they are likely to aspire to achieve better. All these need not be handout services. All that they are asking for is reasonable pricing of the services.”
“' Sir, it is important for us to see that basic social services such as health, housing and education remain affordable to most people in Singapore. These services have provided the foundations for our nation building and contributed to social stability in our society. In providing affordable social services to people we can achieve a number of desirable objectives. We can develop a more cohesive society; facilitate self-help; prevent frustrations among different socio-economic groups; promote mutual support and enhance human development. It can in the long run prevent people, particularly those in the average and low income groups, from being left out from the mainstream of our society. I feel that excessive profit-orientation in the long run without taking into consideration the ramifications of such a pursuit, can in a way leave out a large number of people from participating in our main stream. Therefore, Sir, in the implementation of our future social policies, attention must be given to the question of affordability of social services. Sir, there are some negative consequences if basic services become non-affordable. These are more often than not accumulative and policy makers must be mindful to assess their impact over a period of time. Without such a sensitivity we may polarize various sectors of the community whose support and continued participation in the main stream of our community activities will be eroded. I would like to highlight a few of these negative consequences. Sir, there is now a pressing sign in the number of Singaporeans migrating to various developed countries, particularly in the West and South Pacific regions, namely, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and America. We say that it is no loss to Singapore.”
“Vasoo (Tiong Bahru GRC): Mr Speaker, I rise to support the motion moved by the Member for Siglap. Sir, in countries which are developing and maturing there are a number of indicators which suggest that their society is progressing. These indicators include, Sir, people feeling happy and proud that they belong to the place; they are willing to commit themselves to various challenges; they want to protect their place at all costs; they are interested in supporting one another. In these aspects, Sir, how do Singapore measure? Singapore has achieved some of these indicators. This is because people have generally shared the benefits of accessible and affordable basic social services. Sir, it is in this area that I would like to probe the conscience of our policymakers. A gentle reminder would be useful in terms of what they would be formulating in relation with the various policies related to social services. They should not become too profit-orientated in their policy formulation. The danger with such an emphasis is that it can become an end in itself rather than a means to achieve social and economic development. To quote Prof. Kenneth Boulding, an economist, he says: 'We are always trying to live precariously between the too little and the too much and are always in danger of falling into one or the other. This problem is just as important in economic policy as it is in social policy; it cannot be assumed that higher rates of economic growth are always better. Even here there is a problem of the optimum. A society that forces itself into too high rate of growth pay dearly for this in terms of social disorganization, misunderstanding between the generations, and the break-up of its traditional integrative system.”
“Sir, in yesterday's debate on the President's Address, I mentioned in my speech the Chinese saying: shi nian shu mu, bai nian shu ren ( ) to mean that it takes 10 years to develop a tree but it takes a hundred years to develop a man. I stand by what I said, as I have before me a chi yuan ( ) which is a dictionary of Chinese idioms as printed by Commercial Press, first published in 1915. On page 789 of this dictionary, shu ren is defined as pei chi ren chai ( ), which means to nurture and develop a capable man. Therefore, the saying shi nian shu mu, bai nian shu ren, taken idiomatically, means it takes a hundred years or a long time to nurture and develop a capable man. Whereas it takes only 10 years or a much shorter time to plant a tree. The dictionary continues to elaborate quoting Guan Zi ( ) a sage who lived in the same historical period as Confucius, as follows: yi nian zhi ji, mo ru shu gu, shi nian zhi ji, mo ru shu mu, zhong shen zhi ji, mo ru shu ren which means that if you plan for a year, you plant grain; if you plan for ten years, you plant a tree; but if you plan for a lifetime, you nurture and develop a capable man. Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Changi in his speech yesterday has emphasized on the hundredfold reward in nurturing and developing a man. To do so, the Chinese saying which I use should then be changed into: shi huo shu mu, bai huo shu ren rather than shi nian shu mu, bai nian shu ren However, Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to emphasize that I have not quoted out of context and I stand by my interpretation of the long-term nature of nurturing and developing "man" in my speech yesterday. Shi nian shu mu, bai nian shu ren has often been used to express the need for a long-term programme to nurture and develop the young. Dr S.”
“I am confident that many of their suggestions will also lead to improved labour-management relationships, better work attitudes, higher productivity; and more importantly, a lower dependence on foreign workers. Finally, Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to touch on the Addendum to the Presidential Address by the Minister for the Environment, which says: 'With all street hawkers completely resited, the Ministry is reviewing its plans for markets and food centres. It will privatize management of these facilities gradually, and raise the standard of hygiene and cleanliness in all food outlets.' Mr Speaker, Sir, these are very noble goals. However, during implementation, may I suggest that the Ministry bear in mind the core values for the national ideology as recommended by the President in his Address to Parliament. In particular, in the process of privatizing the management of markets and food centres, the Ministry of the Environment officials should bear in mind the President's recommendation to resolve major issues through consensus instead of contention. There are today several hawker centres, especially wet markets, where many of the stalls are vacant. With the privatization of such hawker centres, Environment officials should take into consideration the welfare of existing hawkers and hold extensive discussions with them as their livelihood would be affected. Ever since the introduction of the demerit points system, hawkers have a perennial fear of Environment officials, and are afraid to hold discussions with them Mr Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of the Environment should understand the situation and encourage its officials to carry out the privitization process with tact and with minimum conflict with the hawkers. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion.”
“The Government has recently announced that in order to dampen the demand for foreign workers the Government (a) increased the foreign worker levy from $170 per month to $220 per month from 1st January 1989 and to $250 per month from 1st July 1989; and (b) reduce the ceiling on a firm's foreign worker dependency ratio from 50% to 40%. Mr Speaker, Sir, in view of the strong economic recovery and the tight labour market, the higher foreign worker levy will put a tremendous upward pressure on wages. Singapore workers will once again fail to see the linkage between higher productivity and higher wages. Workers will no longer find it necessary to develop good work habits like hard work, honesty and loyalty as employers are forced to increase wages mainly by the tight labour market. Bad work attitudes may once again flourish as it did in the late 70's and early 80's. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I suggest that the Government form a special task force to study the problems arising from the tight labour market and try to seek a long term solution. In fact, many of the core values that were recommended for the national ideology could be used as a basis for this long term solution. For example, if our workers can learn to place society before self, they will learn to develop more loyalty to the company that they are working for. If our workers can learn to accept hard work, honesty and justice as part of the national ideology, they will offer to form quality control circles and help their companies increase productivity and reduce the dependence on foreign workers. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I suggest that the Government invite employers, union representatives and workers, to give their suggestions on the core values that should form our national ideology.”
“Are their policies consistent with this effort to build up a national ideology? I am pleased to note in the Addendum to the Presidential Address by the Minister for Education which says: 'The inculcation of core values must begin in the home. The values can be reinforced in the primary schools by ensuring adequate proficiency in the mother-tongue, and through appropriate lessons in the Social Studies, Moral Education and Extra-curricular programmes.' This is certainly a move in the right direction to help Singaporeans develop into well-balanced human beings. May I suggest that the effort to inculcate core values should not begin and stop at the primary schools. This effort should continue all the way to the secondary schools and even to the tertiary institutes. After all, the Chinese have a saying: Shi nian shu mu, bai nian shu ren, ( ) which means it takes 10 years to develop a tree but it takes a hundred years to develop a man. Next, I turn to the Addendum to the Presidential Address by the Minister for Labour which says: 'With full employment, employers must upgrade and mechanize further to improve productivity. The Government will continue to regulate recruitment of unskilled foreign workers, so that Singapore will not become over-dependent on them.' Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe the Government realize that currently there is an acute shortage of workers, especially young female unskilled or semi-skilled workers. Many companies in the manufacturing sector resort to foreign workers mainly because Singapore workers shun shift and overtime work.”
“' Mr Speaker, Sir, I fully support this statement. For during my Meet-the-People sessions as a Member for Parliament, I have assisted at least three retired old men who have been forsaken by their children, some of whom are graduates and holding good jobs. What then is the solution? The President in his Address to Parliament suggested that we should preserve the cultural heritage of each of our communities and uphold certain core values which capture the essence of being a Singaporean. The President identified four core values: (a) society above self; (b) upholding the family as the basic building block of society; (c) resolving major issues through consensus instead of contention; and (d) stressing racial and religious tolerance and harmony. The President emphasized that we should enshrine these core values in a national ideology which should be promoted and inculcated in the minds of all Singaporeans. The national ideology was first proposed by the First Deputy Prime Minister in October last year. It was further expounded by the Minister for Trade and Industry in his speech at the Alumni International's Third Singapore Lecture early this year. Now that the President has made the national ideology as the main theme of his Address to Parliament, we can expect the Government to focus on this subject as one of its priorities for the next five years. Mr Speaker, Sir, I am confident that Singaporeans will respond favourably and contribute their suggestions to the national ideology. They may consider other core values such as filial piety, diligence, honesty, loyalty and justice which should be added on to the national ideology. What is more important, however, is the contributions to be made by various Government Ministries.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to fully support the Motion moved by the Member for Siglap to thank the President for his Address at the Opening of Parliament. The President in his opening remarks stressed that the Government's goal is to create a better life for all Singaporeans. During the past three decades, the Government and the people of Singapore have worked hard and achieved social and economic progress which is remarkable by any standard of measurement. As mentioned in the Presidential Address, I quote: 'With basic necessities taken care of, Singaporeans can now look to cultural and artistic pursuits. Then we may not only be knowledgeable and useful citizens, but also cultivated and well-balanced human beings.' This, I believe, is a major step for Singapore. I believe that Singaporeans are now ready to participate in more cultural and artistic pursuits. I am pleased to note in the Addendum to the Presidential Address by the Minister for Community Development that the biennial Arts Festival will become an annual event in the 1990s and that the Government will build an Arts Complex, and remodel three historical buildings to house a Fine Arts Museum, a Children's Museum and a History of Singapore Museum. With such encouragement and support from the Government, Singaporeans will soon become more knowledgeable, cultivated and useful citizens. What about the goal for Singaporeans to be well-balanced human beings? How would the Government help Singaporeans to achieve this goal? First, the problem. I believe the President in his speech made this very clear when he said: 'Traditional Asian ideas of morality, duty and society which have sustained and guided us in the past are giving way to a more Westernized, individualistic, and self-centred outlook on life.”
“Sir, can I ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary that the request by the Cuppage Road Market Stallholders Association for the vacant stalls to be converted for the sale of household wares and sundry goods be considered?”
“May I therefore ask the Acting Minister if his Ministry has been able to monitor the medical fees charged by our specialists so that they will not overcharge their patients and give Singapore a bad image. Can the Acting Minister also inform this House the kind of incentives, for example, accelerated depreciation allowance and pioneer service status for investments in specialized medical facilities and services to help the medical profession to be more cost competitive?”
“Sir, the 1985 report of the Economic Committee has emphasized the need for Singapore to be developed as an international medical centre of excellence. May I ask the Acting Minister for a progress report on what his Ministry has done to help Singapore achieve this objective. More specifically, I hope the Acting Minister can enlighten this House on the manpower development plans, especially in the training of doctors, nurses, medical specialists, technologists and technicians. I understand that there are currently only about 2,600 doctors in Singapore, giving a doctor to population ratio of about 1:1000. Can the Acting Minister confirm if there are sufficient doctors in Singapore to serve 2.6 million Singaporeans as well as the additional potential market of thousands of Indonesians, Malaysians, Thais and Filipinos who may come to Singapore for their medical treatment. Can the Acting Minister inform this House the projected doctor to population ratio that his Ministry is targetting for, and are we producing enough medical graduates to meet our goal of establishing Singapore as a Centre of Medical Excellence? There is a tremendous demand from Singapore students to study medicine, but the National University of Singapore seems to limit the intake of new students into the Medical Faculty to about 200 a year. Can the Acting Minister inform this House the additional doctors required over the next 10 years so that NUS can expand its Medical Faculty accordingly? Another serious complaint that I have often heard from overseas visitors is the high cost of our medical treatment, especially in the private hospitals.”
“These will be the people whose children will benefit if CPF funds can be used for tertiary education in Singapore. For overseas education, fees are very much higher and the Minister should seriously consider the use of CPF monies even for overseas education. There is, of course, the danger that some of the overseas graduates may prefer to work overseas for a few years before returning to Singapore and the parents may not be able to depend on them for support in their old age. For this reason, may I suggest to the Minister to consider allowing CPF members to use their own CPF for higher education. Many Singaporeans today are keen to acquire a second degree, especially after they have worked for a few years. The Government should encourage Singaporeans to upgrade themselves by using their own CPF to study for higher professional qualifications. These are older and more mature Singaporeans and are very likely to return to Singapore immediately after their overseas education. As a security measure, for all monies withdrawn the beneficiary can sign an undertaking with the CPF Board to return the amount to the account holder, once he is gainfully employed, through monthly deductions from his own CPF account. There is strong grassroots demand for the use of CPF for education and I hope the Minister will reconsider this issue.”
“Sir, I am afraid I do not agree with my Chairman of the GPC as I will be speaking on CPF for education. Sir, the CPF was established by legislation in July 1985 with the aim of providing financial security for wage earners in their old age. Although old-age security remains the main objective of the CPF, it also has schemes that enable members to use their CPF savings for many purposes, such as to buy flats from HDB and Mindef, for home protection insurance, to invest in approved residential properties, to invest in approved commercial properties, to meet hospitalization expenses for themselves and their dependants, and to invest in shares and in gold. Since the CPF is working out more schemes for public benefit, it should seriously consider a CPF scheme to pay for education expenses. Sir, education is an investment for the future. Since CPF monies can be used for so many forms of investment, including shares and gold, it is difficult to justify to the public why CPF cannot be used for the education of our children, especially for tertiary education. Education expenses can be classified into two categories: (a) for local education, and (b) for overseas education. As nominal fees only are charged for primary and secondary education locally, Singaporeans have no financial problems in sending their children for such education. The problem lies mainly in tertiary education, which is expensive, especially for household incomes of less than $1,500 per month. Currently, university fees in Singapore are at $2,000 per year for an Arts degree, $2,400 per year for a Science degree, and $3,900 per year for a Medical degree. According to the CPF 1985 Annual Report, there are 717,817 or 80.7% of active CPF members as at 31st December 1985 drawing salaries of $1,499 and below.”
“I believe the Singapore National Employers Federation has recently submitted a paper to the Ministry of Labour for a review of labour legislation for the regular part-time workers. I do not intend to take their case to this House, and I wish them success in their discussions with the Ministry. I am, however, glad to note that the Minister, in his earlier reply to our cut on labour shortage, has indicated that the Employment Act will eventually be amended to cater to the needs of part-time workers. In the process of making such amendments to the Employment Act, I would like the Minister to consider two points that I brought up in the Budget debate to encourage part-time work, namely, (a) CPF contribution for part-time workers should be reduced or removed completely; and (b) the cut-off point of $363 where full CPF contributions are made should be revised upwards so that part-time workers can benefit from more take-home pay. I hope that by the next Budget debate part-time work will be properly enshrined in the Employment Act and I look forward to a more detailed report on part-time workers in the next Annual Report of the Ministry of Labour.”
“Sir, in view of the labour shortage problem in Singapore, employers have no choice but to look for alternative sources of labour supply from housewives, persons above 55 years of age, school-leavers awaiting for examination results and students. There must be thousands of part-time workers in restaurants, hotels and factories. Most of the workers in fast-food joints, like McDonald's, are part-timers. Whenever hotels have large functions, they will engage part-time waiters and waitresses to supplement their existing workforce. Unfortunately, on reading through the 1986 Annual Report of the Ministry of Labour, there is no section dealing with part-time workers. I realize that the Ministry of Labour conducts annual surveys of the Labour Force. I would like to suggest to the Minister to include a section dealing with part-time workers in this survey, if it has not already done so. Again, I would like to ask the Minister if part-time workers are covered by the Employment Act. If they are, then I believe many of them are not working within the ambit of this Act. Sir, I believe this is a serious problem. I am not suggesting to the Minister to discourage part-time work. I am only suggesting that they should recognize the important role played by part-time workers in labour-scarce Singapore and review labour legislation for regular part-time workers. The Minister should recognize the fact that part-time workers are less efficient than full-time workers. Employers are forced to employ part-timers mainly because of the lack of labour supply. However, part-timers are also workers and should receive some form of legal protection from unscrupulous employers.”
“Many employers are apprehensive of this move as older employees will cost more than younger employees if the wage structure is not changed to reflect the lower productivity of older employees. The Japanese have successfully introduced a wage structure that has this feature. Wages of workers above the age of 49 will be gradually reduced so that the wages of workers above 65 are about 60% of wages of workers in the 45-49 age group. The Minister has already mentioned that CPF for workers above 55 will eventually be reduced so as to encourage employers to retain them. May I suggest to the Minister to also encourage employers and unions to introduce a further component into the wage structure to reflect the lower productivity of older workers. In this way, more senior citizens will be gainfully employed and the Minister will not have to resort to legislation in order to force employers to extend the retirement age beyond 55.”
“Sir, the Minister for Finance in his Budget Speech paid tribute to the workers of Singapore who took pay cuts and endured wage restraints in order to restore our competitiveness during the last recession. This shows the need for a more flexible wage system which will facilitate the process of adjusting wages both up or down in accordance with the national economic peformance in general and the company's profitability in particular. It is only correct for the government to encourage employers and unions to negotiate for the reform of the wage system. Of the 891 companies monitored by the Ministry of Labour, some 170 or 19% have already implemented flexible wage systems. In the 1986 Annual Report of the Ministry of Labour, two models for wage reform were highlighted, namely, (a) a profit-sharing model, and (b) a variable productivity payment model. Both these models start off with (1) a basic wage; (2) a service increment of around 2%; (3) an AWS of one month's basic salary; and (4) a variable bonus depending either on profitability or on productivity. These two basic models have the support of the employers' organizations as well as the unions. Many employers, however, are looking to the Government, as the biggest employer, for guidance. Perhaps the Minister can enlighten this House of the progress made by the Government on the wage reforms to be made for its employees. Sir, since the Government is promoting wage reform on a national basis, may I suggest that the Ministry of Labour should modify the two standard models to include an additional component to take care of our older workers. The Minister has recently hinted that legislation may be introduced to extend the retirement age beyond 55.”
“Sir, can I ask the Minister to check this point raised by some industrialists - that the cost of foreign workers in Singapore is not really cheap but, in fact, it is higher than the cost of Singapore workers by as much as $80 to $100?”
“Sir, women in other developed countries like Japan and the United Kingdom do rejoin the workforce after a few years of marriage. May I suggest to the Minister to send his officials to these countries to study the incentives provided by their governments to encourage married women to rejoin the workforce. Then they can introduce similar measures to Singapore. Sir, I was told by several industrialists that foreign workers in Singapore cost much more than the Singapore workers by an average of $80-$130. This is because they have to pay the $170 levy from 1st April and provide housing and transport on top of the basic wages. I hope the Minister can do a survey to confirm this fact. If employers are prepared to pay so much more for foreign workers, then we really have a very serious labour shortage problem in Singapore. I hope the Minister can inform this House of the measures that his Ministry has adopted to resolve this problem.”
“Sir, Singapore has a perennial labour shortage problem. As pointed out in the 1985 Economic Committee's Report, our indigenous labour force is projected to grow by less than 2% per annum for the next 10 years. The Economic Committee recommended two measures to help increase our labour force, namely: (a) to increase female participation in our labour force; and (b) to encourage all the workers to continue working and retire later. Since several Members will be speaking on raising the retirement age, I would like to comment briefly on the female participation rate in our labour force which was only 45.6% as at June 1986 of women aged 15 years and above. The problem in Singapore is well known, ie, the female labour force participation rate peaks at 80% for the 20-24 age group and then declines continuously thereafter. This shows that women in Singapore tend to leave the workforce after marriage. The Economic Committee pointed this out in its 1985 Report. To date, the problem remains unresolved. Sir, may I ask the Minister what measures his Ministry has adopted to help more women to rejoin the workforce after marriage so as to increase the female labour force participation rate? Has the Ministry made an in-depth study to find out why women in Singapore do not join the workforce after marriage? One problem lies in the lack of child care centre facilities, thereby forcing married women to stay at home to look after their children. Has the Government provided enough child care centres to meet the needs of our working mothers? Many married women are prepared to work part-time. But are there sufficient incentives for employers to employ married women on a part-time basis? As part-time employment is a subject of another cut, I will have more to say on this topic later.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Thereupon Mr Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“(c) I note from the Budget Statement that the Government intends to increase training expenditure to 2% of payroll for training of all employees in 1989 and to 3% by 1992. May I ask the Minister to confirm that the SDF levy will be increased to 2% in 1989 and to 3% by 1992. If this is the case, I hope the Minister realizes that this will increase the labour cost for the next few years and will erode our competitiveness in the world market. In conclusion, I hope the Minister will consider introducing incentives to build up a training tradition in Singapore as it is done in some advanced countries. In Singapore, our SDF levy system for employees will result in heavy cost for employers who in turn may introduce training courses that are not relevant to the workers just in order to recover the SDF levy that they have contributed.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head V be reduced by $10 in respect of Code VJ 3000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the Minister for Finance in the Budget Statement has rightly pointed out the need for Singapore to equip our workforce with the skills and education to cope with new technologies and processes. More emphasis must be paid on how well we upgrade our workforce through continuous education and training. Unfortunately, as pointed out by the Minister for Finance, only about 1% of our national payroll was spent on training of workers compared with the 1-4% of payroll which advanced countries and MNCs spent on training. It is obvious that we have a serious problem of under-investment in training and it is time that the Government worked out a long-term plan to build up a training tradition in Singapore. Since the Skills Development Fund comes under the purview of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, I would like to raise a few queries. (a) Can the Ministry of Trade and Industry do an in-depth study of how advanced countries like Japan and Germany build up a training tradition and how tax and other incentives are provided by these countries to encourage the private sector to invest more in training? (b) Is it wise for Singapore to promote training through a levy currently at 1% which all employers have to contribute for employees drawing salaries of $750 and below? I hope the Minister realizes that the SDF system of promoting training amounts to a punishment in the form of a fine equivalent to the SDF levy on employers who do not train their workers. In the past, or even currently, many employers started training schemes mainly to recover the money that they have put into the SDF.”
“I am not speaking, Sir, as the Member for Leng Kee has already covered the points which I wanted to raise. Dr Ow Chin Hock: Sorry about that.”
“They cannot get it from the big board, the main stock exchange, so they get it from Sesdaq. So far, about 10 companies have been listed on Sesdaq. Two of them have enjoyed assistance from the EDB. More will be listed in due course. The conclusion is that a lot is happening. Work is being done and there are some visible results. We do not talk about it very loudly but we do it. Apart from the Sesdaq companies, others are also doing well. For example, among supporting industries which supply the multi-national corporations, we now have quite a stable of mould-making, moulding, precision-tooling factories. They are small, $1 million each, turnover a few million dollars a year, but they have established a reputation for quality. They have won overseas markets and I think they will form a very fertile base in which multi-nationals can come and take root. So please do not under-rate our local entrepreneurs. The Member for Leng Kee mentioned the retail sector. Yes, it has some special problems. It is a dual sector - a few big companies, and many small ones. The small ones have great difficulty. The Member, I think, referred to an article - or if he did not refer, I will refer to it - in the Business Times on 10th March ---”
“1986, as we were recovering from a recession; we set up the Small Enterprise Bureau. The loans doubled to $250 million. Last year, it went up even further to $297 million. Up to-date, cumulatively, more than $1 billion of loans have been made. These are loans jointly made by participating financial institutions, banks and other institutions and the EDB at a discounted interest rate. They are good loans because the default rate is low. They have helped companies both in the manufacturing and in the service sectors to invest in capital equipment, sometimes to get some operating capital, and I think it is successful. Otherwise the amount would not have grown. Similarly the LIAS - Liberalized Investment Allowance Scheme - addresses a basic problem, namely, under-investment in fixed capital. It was one of the recommendations of the Economic Committee which was implemented. The first year we made $5 million of investment allowances. Last year, it went up to $25 million. Likewise with the upgrade programme. The LIUP helps small companies in the supporting industries to upgrade themselves and to do so with the help of multi-nationals. So far, 10 multi-nationals are participating. 41 suppliers have taken part to try and improve their quality, their product reliability. We want to bring in five more multi-nationals a year. We think by 1990 we will have 350 local companies participating. The scheme will raise their efficiency and help them become internationally competitive. They can then become models for many other companies to do likewise. Then we set up Sesdaq. It is not a loan or grant scheme. It is one important institution which is needed to help small companies to grow big. They need capital.”
“The SME Division needs to work with other Government agencies, because it concentrates all the assistance given. So to further this, we set up two committees. One is at the working level, chaired by the Chairman of the EDB. It brings in EDB, NPB, Sisir and Tourist Promotion Board and TDB. I chair one at the policy level, which brings in the Permanent Secretaries of the relevant Ministries. In case there is any hold-up whatsoever at the bureaucracy level, a policy decision can be made. In fact, the bureaucracy is not a problem because the SME Division has received full cooperation from the other agencies, including those which belong to Ministries other than MTI. For example, National Development is involved in drawing up the SME Retailer Master Plan in Housing Estates, Finance is involved in the Government Procurement Scheme, or Labour or Environment. At the same time the SME Division also works closely with the private sector to get some inputs and feedbacks for its work. The Member for Cairnhill asked whether SMEs are benefiting from Government initiatives. I think they are, in different ways. They are benefiting from the many schemes we have, the acronyms which you are very familiar with: SIFS (the Small Industries Finance Scheme), SITAS (the Technical Assistance Scheme), LIAS (the Liberalized Investment Allowance Scheme), and so on. These are comprehensive schemes designed to help SMEs gain access to financing, to fixed capital investment, to technology, to know-how. For example, SIFS overcomes one of the basic problems which the Member for Leng Kee mentioned, ie, lack of financing. In 1984 we gave $112 million of SIFS loans. It was then the highest to-date. 1985, the number went down because of the recession.”
“Very often, their application for work permits were rejected even though they were prepared to pay the foreign worker levy. Can the Minister inform this House the measures made by the Government to help local entrepreneurs resolve the labour shortage problem? One final point, Mr Chairman, Sir. According to the 1985 Economic Report, the Government has set up a $100 million Venture Capital Fund to assist local entrepreneurs. May I ask the Minister how many local companies to date have benefitted from this Fund and how much have been spent in assisting such companies? BG Lee Hsien Loong: Sir, the Members for Leng Kee and Cairnhill have raised a variety of issues related to local entrepreneurship and the retail sector. May I take this opportunity to give a general reply to explain how MTI sees the problem before taking up some of their individual points. I agree with the Members that local entrepreneurship is important to us. It is symbolic. It is what made Singapore start to prosper in the first instance. It is now facing some difficulties and needs some assistance to upgrade and to do well. The question is what needs to be done. Listening to the speeches gives one a sense of deja vu, that means, it sounds like last year. Because it is the same problems, same issues, same questions raised. The impression might therefore be created that nothing has changed and nothing has been done. But fortunately that is not true. The Government has devoted considerable attention to building up local businesses. We established a Small Enterprise Bureau in 1986. Now it is called the Small and Medium Enterprises Division of the EDB. But it is the same thing: a single agency to spearhead and to oversee assistance which is to be given to SMEs, which are mostly Singapore companies.”
“According to page 696 of the Budget for Financial Year 1988/89, the total expenditure of the Ministry of Trade and Industry in FY 88 is projected to be $367.86 million, an increase of $116.78 million or 46.5% over the revised FY 87 expenditure. This is a tremendous increase and, according to the first paragraph of page 696, the increase is accounted for by higher outlays of about $230 million, under the Economic Development Board's Economic Development Assistance Scheme (EDAS). Reading the Budget Analysis and Review of MTI, it appears that the EDAS is used by the EDB for its various industrial promotion and upgrading programmes. May I ask the Minister (a) if such programmes also include assistance programmes to develop local entrepreneurship, especially local entrepreneurs who have started small and medium enterprises, and (b) what percentage of the EDAS has been budgetted for the assistance of local entrepreneurs. I understand that the Government, through the EDB, has developed a comprehensive plan to assist local small and medium enterprises. According to the 1986/87 Annual Report of the EDB, the plan identifies the problems and needs of SMEs, evaluates the adequacy of existing SME capabilities; and proposes new initiatives in business areas such as finance, management, technology, innovation and the availability of markets. The EDB report, however, did not say how successfully this plan has been implemented or gave examples of local companies that have benefited from the plan. Perhaps the Minister can enlighten the House on these two points and also the role played by the Economic Development Assistance Scheme in this plan. On speaking to some local entrepreneurs, one of the key problems lies in the shortage of workers.”
“But you have over 140 stalls empty at Cuppage Centre for more than four years! Mr Eugene Yap Giau Cheng: Sir, again, I had not replied out of courtesy. I will just read a report which I have here. 'There are 148 vacant market produce stalls in Cuppage Road Market. Most of the vacant market produce stalls were frozen since July 1981 as there was then a proposal to convert these vacant stalls into cooked food stalls. The proposal was approved at an estimated cost of $266,000. However, the cooked food stallholders in Cuppage Road objected to the proposal because they were concerned with competition from these additional stalls if they were built. And through their MP, Dr Wong Kwei Cheong, they appealed to the Ministry to drop the project. They also appealed through another Minister who had a ministerial walk there, and the whole project was dropped.' That is the reason why there are vacant stalls in the Cuppage Road market.”
“Sir, I do not think that is the issue. The issue is why are there two big organizations controlling hawkers in Singapore.”