Yatiman Yusof
Singapore
“I would like to ask whether this concept would be incorporated together with the parks development, and whether MEWR is working closely with the National Parks Board. Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Yes, Sir.”
“In areas where there are both land and water bodies, such as East Coast Park, Sembawang Park, Seletar, MacRitchie and Bedok Reservoir Parks, the gardens or park developments often end at points where the land meets the water.”
“We work hard in stimulating growth for this sector and then work towards providing the manpower needed either by bringing in talent and expertise from abroad or training them locally.”
“Facing an open sea, it could be developed into a seasports centre for those who love to go yachting, boating, sea-kayaking, wind surfing and even sports fishing. The untouched Semakau Island could be a unique place for nature lovers to view its fauna and flora.”
“If they do so, they would have to chalk up the difference with cash. I appreciate the assistance that the HDB gives to them by allowing them to defer their payments, but this does not solve their problem. I also know that in some instances, HDB did consider the request on a case-by-case basis.”
“Sir, since 2003, the MDA has worked with MediaCorp to subtitle the Prime Minister's National Day message, something which Ms Olsen said is not a big deal, but we have made a start.”
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“Sir, after hearing the question of dollars and cents, taxation and expenditure, some of us may ask what have street names and residential building names got to do with the Ministry of Finance. Sir, the answer lies with the Property Tax Division under the Ministry which is responsible, inter alia, for deciding the names of streets and residential dwellings, with the assistance of an Advisory Committee in which I am one of the members. I, therefore, declare my interest. Sir, naming of streets in both public and private residential places is a serious business. To an ordinary buyer and man-in-the-street, the name must strike a harmonious link with his taste. So their preference for something which is pleasant, warm, friendly and accommodative must be reflected. For some, especially those who spend a lot of money to buy a private property, the name must reflect some economic and social status. For some who believe in luck, the name must provide satisfaction in this area, and if possible, a lucky one. That is the reason why we have Lucky Heights, Lucky Plaza, and so on and so forth. For our developers, Sir, the name is very important indeed. In fact, it is not an over-statement to say that whether a private housing project would succeed or fail in reaching, or being marketed, to the people will depend on how creative the pitching of the name is done. As the concept of integrated or total development becomes more acceptable, more and more projects are evolved, involving the architects, the planners and designers that come together with the name of the project. So you have a combination of the architectural concept, the location and landscape, and the target group of potential buyers for such a project.”
“They would certainly be using more than 20 cubic metres, whereas if these eight or ten people were to live separately, they would escape the higher tax. This would be in keeping with our aim of encouraging extended families to live together.”
“Now, the EDB Annual Report stated that 3,000 international and over 70,000 local enterprises had set their businesses here. It is also important to note that during the same period, the South Koreans embarked on different paths of development, following the Japanese. They encouraged the conglomeration of local enterprises, provided financial backing and poured in their experts to build their local giant enterprises. These are the enterprises, together with their smaller feeder support enterprises, that are seen in expanding their operation abroad. We, on the other hand, invited the MNCs, improved our economic infrastructures and set up a number of Government-owned or Government-linked corporations. In view of the above, Sir, apart from the measures and facilities mentioned by the Minister for Finance, the step-by-step privatisation of our statutory boards mentioned by MTI, what are the other plans and measures the MTI has in mind to encourage the growth of our local enterprises? Encik Harun bin A. Ghani (Hong Kah GRC)( In Malay): Mr Chairman, Singaporeans need water and the Government has spared no effort to meet this need. This is commendable. The Government wants Singaporeans to conserve water because water consumption has been on the increase every year. The Government has therefore found it necessary to restrict water consumption further by raising the water conservation tax from 5% to 10%, for households using more than 20 cubic metres a month. I am appealing for consideration that the tax be imposed based on the number of persons in a household, rather than on the per household basis. I mean, if we talk of a small household of, say, three persons, they might not use more than 20 cubic metres. But what about a larger family of, say, eight to ten people?”
“Sir, Singapore's economy has long been known as one that is closely related to trading and services. Industrialisation and manufacturing expansion were made after separation in 1965. Further development in the service sector was made much later. Sir, compared to other industrialised countries in Europe, America and Japan, Singapore has an extremely short period of development of our local enterprises. Our initial objective of overcoming massive unemployment and attracting investments had resulted with special emphasis given to the MNCs and foreign investors. Our desire to globalise has resulted in further infusion of capital from big business and manufacturing corporations, thus providing highly paid and also highly skill-oriented jobs to our population. Apart from this, we also have Government-related companies, which the Minister had kindly touched earlier, which are involved in a number of manufacturing and service activities. Sir, despite the existence of this rather harsh environment, we have seen the emergence of small and medium enterprises which are beginning to globalise their operation. In this respect, I wish to thank the Minister for Finance yesterday for his very elaborate answer on various incentives given to our local SMEs. Sir, the question of promoting our local enterprises is not new. It was raised again and again in this House. We are happy that the Government has looked into this matter seriously. Dr Goh Keng Swee, the founder of EDB, had this to say: 'Business people do not embark on new ventures for political objective. They do so on a calculation of profit and we want to introduce them to develop new industrial enterprises. We must make the economic setting suitable for the promotion of this activity.' That was in 1961.”
“On that note, I support the motion standing in the name of the Minister for Finance.”
“In this respect, we may not have big corporations equal to those of the South Koreans, but we do have medium and small enterprises. It is here that we can pin our hope. While the creation of the Growth Triangle in this region and the presence of free market climate in China, Vietnam and elsewhere provides us with a new opportunity and new challenges to our local entrepreneurs, there are also opportunities open to us for joint ventureship with our traditional trading partners from the developed world, namely, Germany, the USA, the UK, Canada, Australia and many others. In fact, through our participation in joint ventureship with firms from developed countries, we are able to enter into high value-added activities and benefit from the more active transfer of technology. Perhaps more incentives in the form of reduction of corporate tax or even direct participation from Government-linked corporations, as proposed by the Member for Eunos GRC, could be given to local companies to move in this direction. In the field of productivity, I wish to congratulate the National Productivity Board for its untiring and creative efforts in improving our productivity. However, we are facing a tight labour market and a new generation of workers who were born and brought up under less trying circumstances and are thus different in their attitude towards work and life. Herein lies the great challenge to our productivity improvement. Sir, Singapore's economy is in good state. We enjoy full employment. We have low inflation. Our per capita national saving is still one of the highest in the world. We are opening ourselves to new opportunities. We may face short-term difficulties but we can still strive for a better future.”
“Fourthly, they provide the easy way out, but not necessarily the best solution to our problem. Fifthly, it delays the process of upgrading and restructuring of our industries. Finally, in the areas where industries are of strategic importance to us, the sudden withdrawal of its foreign workers which form the majority of the workforce, for whatever reason, can cause paralysis to us. Sir, the most compelling reason to control and ultimately to reduce our dependency on foreign labour is our desire to improve our indigenous per capita income. We fought so hard when some countries tried to graduate us. Our argument was that our indigenous per capita income is much lower because of lower indigenous GNP. Sir, with so many of our MNCs bringing in their own managers and top supervisors and technicians, we will be placing ourselves in great peril if positions at the middle and bottom of the pyramid as well are occupied by foreigners. Nothing will be left for us. To my mind, the more acceptable solution to the unit cost constraint can be found through (a) improving our productivity; and (b) exporting our capital to other countries with labour surpluses. If the Japanese solution to similar high labour cost problem had produced a tide of manufacturing jobs in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea, there is no reason that we should not do it. We may not be able to act as a "big dynamo", a term the Senior Minister used for Japan and its role in the industrialisation of the NIEs. Few, albeit smaller dynamos, can collectively produce bright economic horizon for the region and elsewhere and at the same time provide additional "sails" to catch the wind, so to speak, for our nation's economic growth.”
“It forces Singaporeans to review whether they have been fair and practical in their demands. And more important, Singaporeans have two options. First, accept the low growth cycle and make necessary adjustments and review our expectations; and second, reassess our position, identify new areas of growth and new strengths, formulate new strategies to overcome our space and manpower constraints and move ahead. Sir, I do not see Singaporeans settling for the first option. The Western industrial powers coped with these changes by drawing immigrants from poorer countries and at the same time automating themselves to remain competitive. We have tried this to some extent when we faced difficulties in the early 80s. We shelved, for a while, our plan to upgrade and restructure our industries and relaxed a bit the policy pertaining to our foreign workers. Now, as a result, we have something like 200,000 foreign workers, excluding about 60,000 maids in Singapore with all its social and political ramifications. I am sure that the Government is doing everything possible to strike a balance between our economic needs and our social objectives. However, the reality is that we cannot continue fuelling our economic growth by using cheap foreign workers. The reasons are many. Firstly, they will not remain cheap forever. Our experience with the Malaysian workers is a clear indication of how the cost could increase fairly rapidly. Secondly, socially, we are beginning to feel the negative effects. MPs are quite familiar with the number of applications for contract marriages between work permit holders and the locals. Thirdly, an over dependence on foreign workers will cause us to be held at ransom by them in case of a major economic downturn.”
“There is a basic difference between our economy - its structure and its powerhouse, hence its sensitivity to the changing world economic environment - to those of the South Koreans. In this respect, even Taiwan and Hong Kong are different. Each has its own strength given under certain circumstances. The South Koreans have their own giants, well-known as the chaebols in Ssangyong, Samsung, Hyundai, Daewoo and many others who are able to shift their operations away from the high cost home base and hence retain their competitiveness. Singapore does not have such big corporations both in size and number, equal to that of the South Koreans, and our relocated industries are mainly small and medium enterprises. Yet, we have our own strength. We have a better standard of living. We live under a better physical environment, less polluted than the city of Seoul and many others. We have a lower cost of living compared to the South Koreans. These together are more meaningful than sheer annual growth of another country. Sir, the main problem for Singapore is that, to the businessmen, the bottom line remains that the cost of doing business in Singapore is relatively higher, both for the manufacturing as well as the service related industries. With our labour market still tight with an unemployment rate at 1.9%, our productivity growth remained low at 1.5% in June 1991, our dollar appreciated faster than other NIE currencies, we have to look into the question of rapid erosion of our competitiveness seriously. Unless we act quickly and decisively, we will face a situation similar to that which haunted us about a decade ago. Sir, the lower economic growth also has its sobering effect on us. It lowers our expectations.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join my colleagues in this budget debate. Sir, the Singapore economy grew by 6.7% in 1991, 1.6% lower than in 1990. The annual growth rate for 1992 is estimated to be even lower. It is therefore not surprising to see the budget interpreted by Members as cautious, balanced and some describe it as a budget for continuity. Some critics, of course, are quick to point out and blame the Government for what they perceive as a failure to create a higher growth. The hon. Member for Potong Pasir even rhetorically asked: if South Korea is able to achieve 8.6% growth, why not Singapore? Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not an economist. But even as a layman, I can understand why the South Koreans are doing better than us, though I shall qualify, in some respects. My colleague from Tanjong Pagar GRC has completely demolished the argument that growth per se is the only and final indicator for success. I do not wish to go through his very complex yet convincing argument to show that what we have today is a lot better than what the South Koreans are having today. Sir, Singapore's economy is plugged to the developed countries. They form the wider external environment with tremendous influence over our economic future. The world economy grew by an estimated 0.9% last year, compared to 2.2% in 1990, with many industrial countries such as the UK, the US, Canada and Australia suffering from a recession while countries like Japan and Germany experienced slower growth. Some of us may ask: if Singapore is affected by the growth of these countries, so is South Korea. As I said earlier, Mr Speaker, it is not so simple and this brings us to the second reason.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the success of Singapore depends on sound policies and the proper implementation of such policies as well as the values of the people, ie good government and good people. The policies are based on the long-term interests of the country. With the right attitude and the correct values, the people of Singapore will be able to distinguish between the good and the bad, the right and the wrong, and continue to support the Government.”
“This is a measure that is most welcome. Last year, there was an increase of 10-30% in HDB shop rentals. Many of the tenants found this a great burden, especially those operating in the older housing estates where the mobility of the population was high. Younger couples had moved out and gone on to the new towns. The purchasing power of the residents was correspondingly reduced. It takes a few years to convert the 2-room flats into 4-room flats and during this period of transition, business in the shops is affected. The success of the shop ownership scheme depends on the selling price, the interest rate payable and the repayment period. Some of the shopkeepers are concerned that the prices of the shops may be beyond their means. If the prices of the shops to be sold are to be based on the tender prices of the fast food and coffee shops in the new estates, they will not be able to afford them. I hope that the Minister for National Development will be sympathetic to their plight. In fixing the price, the different circumstances of the housing estates should be considered. Even within the same housing estate, business will vary according to the location, the population and the availability of parking facilities. Furthermore, these sitting tenants have been paying rent for many years and therefore should be given special consideration. A number of shop tenants have been contributing to the community services in the housing estates. They donate money and take part in the activities of grassroots organisations to enhance the quality of life in the estate. When they are facing difficulties, we should be more flexible in working out the terms of sale.”
“Emphasis is placed on the responsibility of the individual to the group and less is mentioned about the individual's rights. In these four countries, ours is the most open society. Western trends and way of life are becoming more and more prevalent. Yesterday, I read in the newspaper about the transvestites' show in the Bugis Street area. I do not know whether the show was staged by the STPB to please the tourists. A friend of mine told me that two years ago, while he was in a cinema in England, he saw a documentary on Singapore and as soon as the word "Singapore" appeared, there was a loud shout "Bugis Street" from the crowd. This is the impression of Singapore in the minds of the foreigners. Is Singapore equivalent to Bugis Street? Singapore cannot be represented by Bugis Street. We should review the desirability of these shows in public places. I believe that consolidation of our cultural foundation is not aimed at achieving better economic performance only or a defensive reaction. Learning the mother tongue, knowing our culture, is to enrich our own lives, to reaffirm our identity, to strengthen our self-respect and to understand our responsibility to the family, to society and the country. In times of difficulties, we can use the experience of our ancestors to encourage ourselves and to move forward. When we are successful, we should not become arrogant and conceited. The future performance of Singapore will not only depend on the establishment of more science parks, a national electronic network, the use of smart cards, an intelligent island but also depends on the proper balance between tradition and new concepts. The path of cultural development is a long and tortuous one. Mr Speaker, Sir, the HDB plans to sell most of its shops to the sitting tenants.”
“Although they are poor in resources and lack proficiency in the foreign language (except Singapore) and their industrial base is weak, these disadvantages have not prevented their products from entering into the world market. Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea have the following points in common - strong family relationships, respect for the old, and mutual support among members of the family. This constitutes a source of strength which is significant. We know of many examples of brothers and sisters who, for the sake of their younger ones' education, sacrifice tertiary education by starting to work early in order to support their younger brothers and sisters through the university. The next common attribute is the emphasis on education. The Asians believe that education can upgrade the standard of living of the people and I am glad to note what the Minister for Education has said about the importance of education in our future development. The Deputy Prime Minister also mentioned yesterday the importance of educating the talented students to develop their full potential. Even in China, there are special schools set up for the talented, so that they can achieve greater heights and serve society better. We should cultivate and train the talented so that they could make a greater contribution to our country. The next point in common among these Four Dragons is harmonious human relations. Oral agreement is as good as the written contract. In America, there are 500,000 lawyers whereas in Japan there are slightly over 10,000. Another point in common is thrift and diligence -- more savings, less consumption. Another common attribute is the group spirit.”
“But the infrequent use of the mother tongue has made some people feel that there is no value in learning the mother tongue and in knowing our own culture. Recently, the China Times has published a report on Singapore. It has high praise for Singapore. Whether it is the Chinese on the mainland, or in Taiwan, regardless of differences in their political systems, their views on Singapore are the same. Why is it that some Singaporeans are not prepared to learn their mother tongue? This has caused a great surprise to the China Times reporter. What kind of people are willing to give up their language and culture? We all know that we should absorb the cultural values from both the East and the West. We should not blindly follow the fads and fashions of the West. Some people believe that everything Western is modern and everything Oriental is backward. But the fact does not confirm this. Even the idea of democracy is not the monopoly of the Western world. In 1863, a leader of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom (Taiping Tianguo) suggested the idea of secret ballot in municipal elections. We know that Great Britain introduced the secret ballot in Parliamentary elections in 1872. Literature, the arts, the rule of law and the rigorous approach to research are aspects of Western culture worthy of emulation. The economic success of the four Little Dragons of Asia has attracted the attention of Western sociologists and economists. According to two American scholars, Hofheinz and Kalder, there is a correlation between the outstanding economic performance of the four Little Dragons and their traditional values.”
“Of the 10 countries Singapore has the least natural resources, but it is unsurpassed in the following areas: industrial efficiency, monetary resources, human resources, international orientation and social stability. Moreover, in the areas of public transport, public health, environmental protection education opportunities and the sharing of economic growth, there are many concrete examples. Of course, in every society there are the lower income groups, people who are unable to catch up with the rest. Therefore, in his Address, the President has appealed to Singaporeans to help this group of people to ensure that every Singaporean will be able to adapt to changing circumstances and raise the educational level of their children so that they could contribute to the country. I am glad that the Government has agreed to display multi-lingual signs in public places. For a number of years, we know that the Government departments have been using English only. This has caused great inconvenience to the middle-aged and older people. Some old people, who are sick and are unable to read the English signs in the hospitals, have to go round and round in circles before they can find the place they want. If you have multi-lingual signs in the MRT stations, then the senior citizens will find it very convenient. I hope that the Government departments will not use administrative convenience as the reason for not displaying the multi-lingual signs. We must dispel the sense of alienation of the older citizens so as not to make them feel that they are lost even in their own country. Mr Speaker, Sir, many years of English education have brought about an international outlook and enhanced our competitiveness.”
“Mr Lau Ping Sum (Ang Mo Kio GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, last year the world saw great changes with far-reaching impact. The civil war in Yugoslavia and the disintegration of the Soviet Union have confirmed the collapse of Eastern Europe. In the "Desert Storm" operation in the Middle East, the power of high-tech weaponry displayed by the United States had also confirmed the value of a wealthy nation with a strong defence capability. Following the detente between North and South Korea, the peace talks in Kampuchea have reached a certain conclusion. Having been insulated from the world for many years, Vietnam is now waving her hands at the investors from the capitalist countries. ASEAN, except the Philippines, has been progressing steadily. Over the past ten years, our per capita income has increased from US$4,000 to US$12,000. Foreign reserves have reached $30 billion. Yet, the Member for Hougang said that the wealth in the Government coffers does not benefit the people. The Deputy Prime Minister has rebutted what he has said. Singaporeans are enjoying the highest quality of life in Asia. An ordinary wage earner can live in an attractive and spacious flat while senior managers of Japan earn much higher salaries, they cannot have accommodation comparable to that of our ordinary workers. From 1982 to 1991, the inflation rate of Singapore has been maintained at a level below 4%. All this is attributable to the strength of the Singapore dollar and our strong foreign reserves. The 1990 Report on Competitiveness in the World made a study on the performance of the 10 newly industrialised countries.”
“Second, those who say and strongly believe that we should be ruled by our heart and should be more charitable and generous to the extent of practising welfare state philosophy with its long-term crippling effect to the country. Although voices belonging to the so-called exponent of state welfarism is slowly fading out of this House, we do occasionally hear such line being echoed. The third body of opinion came from those who chose the middle-of-the-road approach. This is best reflected by views expressed by the hon. Member for Leng Kee who said that we should pursue the free market system up to a point. Sir, we have to be clear in our mind as to which path will best lead us to the new height and at what cost. We need to be sure of the ultimate result. In doing so, there is a need to reconcile between the need to be competitive internationally by remaining at the forefront and becoming the best on one hand and the need to avoid the feeling of alienation among fellow Singaporeans who are unable to keep up with the pace of change and development on the other. In this respect, I share the view of the hon. Member for Leng Kee. This should be the basic consideration for the levelling up. Sir, I fully agree with my colleague from Marine Parade GRC when he quoted a marathon analogy from a Japanese source. Yes, in a marathon, when we are in front we have to keep running faster so as to keep the gap open and to prevent ourselves from being overlapped. However, Sir, we always have to bear in mind that it is a team competition. While remaining the leader of the marathon, we must also keep our pack of team members with varying abilities not kilometres apart, otherwise you win but the team loses.”
“It is a healthy thing to pursue. In fact, in the face of the unrelenting onslaught of Western values -- some positive, some negative -- such preoccupation becomes necessary if we are to remain as ourselves, distinct, unique yet capable of emanating or radiating our own well-founded strength. The other option is to go along with the Member for Potong Pasir's self-proclaimed, authoritative interpretation of Singaporean Singapore. This would mean perpetuating the way of life that will lend us to be another Caribbean or some English speaking African countries. Sir, let me illustrate. In one of my trips to the African countries, one Sunday morning, as the delegation was taken through the villages of Africa, out of these thatched huts in the poverty-stricken village area appeared some gentlemen with dark suits and dark ties. So I asked my fellow African, "What are they doing?" He said, "They are going to church. This is what we learned from the Englishmen." But must it be in dark suits in the hot climate? If we pursue the Member's proposed option (of Singaporean Singapore) will this lead us to a more dynamic, supple and successful Singapore? I am not so sure it will. Free Market System Sir, the second issue which requires our serious examination is the question of the free market system. Listening to the various views expressed by Members in this Chamber over the past many years had led me to conclude that there are three schools of thought. First, those who believe that we should pursue vigorously the concept of free market -- this is the free marketeer group.”
“I think this is the issue which has been touched by many Members of this House, including the speaker before me. I am not so sure. Economic factor will remain as one of the factors, but it will not be the major factor. As our society becomes more mature, characterised by a slower economic growth and as we move to higher plane, there is a need for us to identify and develop new bonding factor or factors. Working towards the developed country status is a target that requires new bonding. In fact, by itself, this objective could be a means towards such a bonding. At the same time, newer challenges and problems are also appearing. More and more new ideals and aspirations are beginning to appear across the horizon, some tangible but most are not. For our survival, we have moved into bringing ourselves above the poverty line and under-nourishment to achieving minimal standards in education and employment, housing and health services. Now we are facing a problem of managing our success and pursuing life par excellence. Arts and culture may soon become the necessary enriching "vitamins". This can also become a contentious issue. Mass consumption, individualism and taking our good life for granted are some of our new problems. Sir, I sense some under-current or centrifugal forces are at work now. The biggest danger to us is the tendency to behave like a developed nation with all its spending habits when we have yet to become one. Sir, there is a Malay saying, "Kalau gajah berak besar, kancil pun mahu berak besar." Pardon me for my language, Sir, but you can imagine how difficult we can be and what will happen to our foreign reserves. We are looking inwards to rediscover our new strengths, new vitality through our varied but rich history, values, philosophy and creativity.”
“These countries, some of heterogenous societies, were kept together through the autocratic rule. When the lead was removed, the centrifugal forces of ethnicity were unleashed. The result is disaster. Sir, the creation of material wealth through economic development and the ability of the leadership to move the people towards this end are crucial in forging the bonding between the people and the government at the initial stage of nation building. Only after this is achieved can we move to broaden our other national goals and objectives. The Hon. Deputy Prime Minister Lee is right when he said that economic success is a pre-condition to other goals. We have achieved this and we are setting our sights on the other goals. Sir, I am not saying that the communal forces had ceased to be a threat for Singapore. It is there, latent, waiting for conditions to change and ready to be exploited by the unscrupulous chauvinists to our peril. In taking greater interest in our respective culture and language, are we lighting up the flame of communalism? We do not, and we will not. Contrary to the claim made by the hon. Member for Potong Pasir, the PAP has not made an "about-turn" from the basic philosophy underlying the concept of "Malaysian Malaysia". Unless I misunderstood him, the Singaporean Singapore is very much alive and being practised here. Each group is free to pursue its interests. It is the concept that underpins multi-racialism. We believe, and we practise, "unity in diversity". Sir, the more important question facing us is this: Will the sustained economic development and fair distribution of the nation's wealth continue to be a major bonding factor for Singapore?”
“But now, with nation-wide resettlement, these people are living within the same neighbourhood; some even living under the same roof. We have English as our first language and mother tongue as second language, thus enabling us to communicate, interact and mix with each other. We understand each other's similarities and differences. Almost all of our children go to multi-racial schools, share the same classrooms, can- teens, and they play together. At neighbourhood level, our people of different ethnic groups are more actively participating in our community life. Sir, I would like to emphasise that diversity is not necessarily a hindrance or non-compatible to nation building if we succeed in upholding the higher and broader ideal and objective while pursuing the smaller group's objective; if we are able to control and neutralise the ugly centrifugal force of communalism; if we succeed in preventing the domination of one or more ethnic group or cultural group over the other; and if we succeed in achieving sustained economic growth and use the wealth to further improve our standard of living, invest in broad-based human resource development, regardless of ethnic groups. These are things which Singapore has already done and will continue to do. Sir, the Americans started with a diverse society, even slavery, but they use economic development to improve their standard of living. The Japanese, although ethnically homogeneous, started with a fractured community, ruled by feudal clans and warlords. They too use the post-war economic miracle to upgrade their human resource and enhance their communitarian spirit. The East European countries, on the other hand, embarked on systems and policies that had failed to achieve the material wealth for their people.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the opportunity to join my parliamentary colleagues in supporting the motion standing in the name of the Member for Hong Kah GRC in thanking the President for his Address. Sir, I would like to focus on two areas. First, on multi-racialism and, second, on our economic and social philosophy as underlined by the levelling up theme in the Presidential Address. Multi-racialism It has long been accepted that one of the basic pillars of Singapore is multi-racialism. It is therefore logical if this subject has, and will, remain among those upmost in our mind. As multi-racialism is critical for Singapore's survival, stability and prosperity, there is a need for us from time to time to clarify, restate and re-emphasize its original position, its meaning and its function. Sir, I am compelled to restate the spirit and meaning of multi-racialism in the light of a recent statement by an Opposition Member of this House. The Member had, in his speech on Monday, highlighted his grave fear on the negative effect of the alleged "compartmentalised" approach, which according to his analysis, would turn Singapore into another Quebec. I wish to add to points made by my other parliamentary colleagues in reassuring our fellow Singaporeans that such a conclusion, though appearing to be logical, is devoid of facts and, worse still, misleading. Sir, the reason is simple. We do not have the geographical pre-condition to be another Quebec or even Yugoslavia in which there remain pockets of ethnic groups perpetuating or breeding intense feeling of dislike or even contempt to the other groups in pursuing their groups' interests. Such pockets did exist in the fifties and sixties in Chinatown, Geylang Serai and Serangoon.”
“I can assure Members that we would set aside more funds to support these cultural bodies so that they would be able to attain greater heights in performance. 4.00 pm”
“She also mentioned that many of our audiences feel that our local artistes are not good enough. She hopes that our Ministry would allot more funds to help our local cultural organisations so that they could achieve better standard in performance. Sir, in recent years, although we did not have a Ministry of Culture, that did not mean that the Government was not concerned with our cultural and art development. When the Arts Division was under the Ministry of Community Development, arts and culture were being promoted actively by the Government. We have been giving financial aids to some cultural organisations. Over the years, we have given them substantial support in various forms. For example, we have the Home for the Arts so that the cultural organisations will have a place to rehearse and to perform. Initially, the support was nominal, but if these organisations had applied to us for financial subsidy, we would give them some form of support. Of course, we hope that in future the quantum of such financial support can be increased. The Member also asked whether the Ministry has responded to the suggestions by the Advisory Council on the Arts. I can say that the Government has in fact accepted most of the suggestions raised by the Advisory Council. As mentioned by my Acting Minister just now, we would like, for example, to have the National Arts Council established for which legislation will be introduced soon to put this into effect. Subsequently, we will be building a very large Singapore Arts Centre in Marina. Also, we want to create a Museum Precinct so that we could have more exhibition space and art galleries. These were all mentioned by my Acting Minister just now.”
“Mr Ho Kah Leong( In Mandarin): Sir, first of all, let me thank the three Members for their contributions and support in the promotion of arts and culture. The Member for Braddell Heights has talked about bestowing the honour of national treasures to our well-known artists in Singapore. I think this is something that we would all agree. Our Acting Minister has described Mr Pan Shou as our "National Treasure". Yes, indeed Mr Pan has attained great achievements in calligraphy as well as in poetry writing. He is also well known internationally. I agree whole-heartedly with the Member for Braddell Heights that Mr Pan indeed deserves that honour. There are also many local artists whose achievements are just as great as that of Mr Pan. Just as the Member for Braddell Heights has said, we have been awarding Cultural Medallions to some of our local artists. Some of our local artists are decorated at the National Day awards but there are yet many other people who have been making a lot of contributions to the promotion of culture and arts but have not been given the honour and recognition they deserve. I agree with Mr Goh Choon Kang that we should have some cultural heroes to inspire and motivate our younger generation, so that they would attain greater heights in the arts and culture. I can assure the Member that the Ministry of Information and the Arts will give serious consideration to his suggestion. Meanwhile, MITA will liaise with and consult the other ministries to place some of our well-known artists on the guest list for important functions. Sir, the Member for Yuhua talked about cultural development. I fully agree with what she said. Cultural development has to take a natural course. We cannot force our way.”
“But at the same time, I feel that we should also help to encourage and promote some traditional oriental arts, so that our cultural image will be more balanced, and that we could strike a balance between the oriental and Western arts and culture in Singapore. If we can form a Chinese orchestra of the same standard as our SSO and give them the opportunity to perform overseas, and if we could help to train some talents in traditional oriental dances, it would be a great encouragement to them. Particularly in a modern society like Singapore, we should not feel that the promotion of traditional arts is a matter of the past. We must educate and help our people to have a better appreciation of our traditional arts. There are some traditional arts and cultural performance which are very helpful in the promotion of our shared values. I hope that the Government will give more support to these traditional arts and the organisations which are active in the promotion of traditional arts. First, we must give financial aid to existing traditional art organisations, so that they could further promote their arts and do not have to end up in dissolution. Secondly, we should also offer bursary and scholarship awards to those who are interested in the oriental arts and music, so that they could be trained in the same way as the SSO members are being trained. This would be a great help. We could send these people overseas to learn either the Chinese traditional arts, Malay arts or the Indian classical mucic, so that they could come back and train our people. It would not only raise the standard, but would also be a great boost to our cultural scene.”
“We have more than 70 cultural organisations in Singapore. We should be able to identify some of them who are more serious, who are not profit orientated, to help them perform more professionally and with good standard. The Government practises dollar-for-dollar subsidy for a number of fund-raising projects. Are we going to give our cultural organisations such a dollar- for-dollar support or subsidy as well? We can see that many of our cultural organisations spend so much time raising funds to support their activities that they do not have the time to concentrate and improve on their performance. In the past, the Advisory Council on the Arts has made a number of suggestions to improve the promotion of the arts in Singapore. Has MITA accepted any of these suggestions or has it made any response to them? Mr Peh Chin Hua( In Mandarin): Sir, I am very glad to hear from the Acting Minister for Information and the Arts that he was going to support the promotion and preservation of our traditional culture and also to support our Speak Mandarin campaign. I hope that his Ministry would also place more attention to the preservation and promotion of our traditional arts. Presently, the promotion of traditional arts is only carried out by our amateur cultural groups. The support and encouragement they receive so far has been rather limited. I feel that in encouraging and supporting the arts and culture, the Government should come out with a comprehensive development programme. When we notice that our Singapore Symphony Orchestra with the support of the Government has been well received in the musical scene both locally and overseas, it is very encouraging indeed.”
“When we are talking about preserving our own culture, our own traditions, are we looking into what we are learning now? Most of our students are learning Western instruments. There is nothing wrong with it. I do appreciate Western music and the symphony orchestra. But the more important thing is that we must absorb the essence of the Western music. We send our children to learn the piano and to learn ballet. How many of us learn the Chinese instruments? As the Acting Minister said just now, when our root is still not deep, we must not eradicate our original root. We must let the original root continue to grow. So while we are absorbing the essence of the Western culture, many of our cultural organisations and community centres are working very hard to preserve our own roots. As I can see, the standard of their performance is not very high, but we must do something in this direction. Is MITA considering setting aside some money to help these cultural groups to promote their own roots, so that our next generation would not become rootless? The other point that I like to raise is about preserving our culture. On most grand occasions, groups from China, Japan, the United States or from the European countries always put up performances of very high standard. But when we introduce our local groups, a very natural response from our audience is "Oh, it is our own group. No wonder they are so shabbily dressed." We are not looking down at our own people. In fact, some of our groups are performing in a very professional manner. But with our population of only 2.6 million, it is difficult for us to find a large number of people who are good and willing to participate in cultural activities. Despite that, we do have some people who are interested in cultural activities.”
“While we are continuously talking about how to promote culture in Singapore, I think we should give credit when it is due and praise the Government for its recent move to accommodate our cultural organisations in venues for their activities and to give tax concessions to people and organisations which donate towards the promotion of cultural activities. These are some of the improvements in recent years. When my Parliamentary colleagues discussed with some people outside this House on our cultural developments, some people wondered whether we should let each race promote its own traditional culture or go for a melting-pot for all the cultures of the various races. I feel that when we are talking on this subject, it is very idealistic. When we are talking about this culture, are we going to participate or to look into the type of cultural activities that we have in Singapore? Then we would be in a better position to understand our cultural scene. 3.45 pm Apparently, over the past 100 years, because the Western society has been in the leading position in economics, in trade and in various developments, so their culture has been exerting great influence on the others. For example, in Japan, over the last 100 years, they have been learning the piano, ballet and western orchestra classical music, and they manufactured a lot of Western instruments. They make their people learn the Western music and at times perform better than the Westerners. Recently, a professor from Japan told me that their symphony orchestra and music students are just as good as those in the West. But now, they are pursuing their roots. There are more students now learning the ancient Japanese instruments. This is a very natural development.”
“We frequently say that in the process of nation building, we need to have some heroes to inspire and motivate our people. Sir, I believe in the area of arts and culture, we also need to have such heroes among us to inspire and motivate our people so that they would be involved in spiritual construction. In fact, in Singapore, we do have some artistes who have outstanding achievements who are worthy of being regarded as our "National Treasure". I know that we do have these Cultural Medallion Awards every year, but I feel that is not enough. I suggest that our Ministry of Information and the Arts formally adopt the description used by our Acting Minister to honour some of our outstanding artistes who are internationally renowned. Of course, if we want to confer this title on them, then we must give them that prestigious status and perhaps to consider giving them certain concessionary treatment. Perhaps, we should have a special committee to study this point, but at least we should reserve a place in our National Museum where the outstanding works of these "National Treasures" may be permanently displayed. I hope that the Acting Minister can accept my suggestion. Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon (Yuhua)( In Mandarin): Mr Chairman, I am very glad to be given this opportunity to speak on arts under the Ministry of Information and the Arts. Not too long ago, I was rather disappointed that we would not have the Ministry of Culture again in Singapore but I am very glad that the Government has given arts and culture the status and emphasis they deserve, and the previously abolished Ministry of Culture is now resurrected. The resur- rection of this Ministry has injected a strong stimulant to our arts and cultural circle.”
“Mr Goh Choon Kang( In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RC 1500 of the Main Estimates. What I am going to talk about now concerns the honouring or recognition of our local renowned artistes. Mr Chairman, Sir, in Japan, every year in spring, they have a very grand ceremony in which some unknown artistes who excel in their traditional arts would be honoured. The mass media in Japan would describe them as their "Living National Treasure", or Ningen Kokuho in Japanese. In other words, they are the living treasure, not the dead treasure. Living treasure of the nation. The conferment of this title is the greatest honour to these artistes who have been involved in the traditional arts in Japan. To them, it is a reward for their life-time contribution in the promotion of their traditional arts. Normally, when they are conferred this title, they would be in their 60s, 70s or 80s. Nowadays, in Singapore we place much emphasis on the preservation of our national monuments and our historical documents and cultural relics but I think we should also value our "living national treasures" because we do have these "living treasures" among us. To us, the preservation of national monuments and the recognition of these national living treasures are equally important. Recently, on 26th February, the Acting Minister, BG George Yeo, officiated at the opening ceremony of Pan Shou's 80th Birthday Poetry and Art Exhibition at the National Museum Art Gallery, and he described Mr Pan Shou as a "National Treasure". I think the achievements by Mr Pan Shou in calligraphy and poetry certainly entitle him to be conferred such a title.”
“However, a number of them have responded with some rather specious arguments, particularly when they alleged that the Campaign was aimed at promoting Chinese as a working language at the place of work or that the Speak Mandarin Campaign would undermine our racial harmony. This argument is certainly fabricated and distorted. Most regrettably, even our SAP schools and Channel 8 of SBC were dragged in unnecessarily. I believe this storm has left some dark clouds hanging over last year's Speak Mandarin Campaign and some people are worried that the Speak Mandarin Campaign may be hindered because of this, and that the officers concerned may be demoralized. I hope that the Minister can give us an assurance that the efforts in this campaign will not be relaxed and I also like to take this opportunity to urge the Speak Mandarin Campaign Committee to work harder and strive for better progress, and do not be discouraged by this little setback last year. I also hope that Channel 8 of SBC would produce more exciting and interesting Chinese programmes because Channel 8 of SBC has played a very important role in our Speak Mandarin Campaign, especially the SBC News in Chinese - a programme I watch every night. It helps me to improve my Mandarin. BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Chairman, Sir, let me assure Mr Goh that there will be no let-up in Government's support for the Speak Mandarin Campaign. This is a campaign which we will need for many more years to come. It is part of Government's overall policy to support and promote the use of the mother tongue. Indeed we will support it even more enthusiastically in the future. Mr Goh Choon Kang( In Mandarin): Sir, I thank the Minister for the assurance and I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, before I withdraw my amendment I would like to draw the attention of the House of this image of ugly Singaporeans when they are in Johor. We are quite well known for our tendency for queue-jumping while driving along the Causeway, littering and spitting. The more conscious we treat ourselves as what we are while we are abroad, the better it is for us. With that remark, I wish to thank the Minister and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for their answers and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. Mr Goh Choon Kang( In Mandarin): Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RB 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the Speak Mandarin Campaign has entered its 12th year. This campaign has attained significant success. According to statistics in 1980, among Primary 1 students from Chinese families, 65% of them spoke dialects in the family and only 26% of them spoke Mandarin in the family. In 1987, 70% spoke Mandarin and only 7% of them spoke dialects in the family. However, during this period, there was a great increase in the number of people speaking English in the family, from 9% in 1980 to 23% in 1989. In this respect, as the Acting Minister has said, we have also to promote the mother tongue among the EL1 students of Singapore. Sir, for the Speak Mandarin Campaign to attain its success today, I think credit must be given to our senior citizens for making their contributions and sacrifice. At the same time, the departments concerned had also worked very hard. Unfortunately, in last year's campaign a certain slogan in English caused quite a storm in a tea cup. I believe some people may have some strong feelings towards this slogan.”
“Sir, we have to strive to make our neighbours and the world understand the uniqueness of our society, our dreams and fear, our success and constraints. As our image abroad is often formed and coloured by foreign media and by the manner our citizens behave while abroad as tourists, students or business people, efforts to improve our image must cover these two areas. Sir, I am not about to suggest that we mount another campaign to educate our citizens on the do's and don'ts while they are abroad. For any social education to be effective and meaningful, we need a subtle, slow but continuous process. What I have in mind, Sir, is a piece of an extremely valuable tool for our PR. It is no other than the excellently crafted book "The Next Lap" produced by the Ministry. In it contained our heart and soul, our dreams and hopes, our fears and fragility, our vision, our successes and our limitations. Is the Ministry planning to use this book as one of our marketing tools to improve our image abroad? I certainly hope so. I believe that there are other similar publications which we can use to better our image abroad. In this respect, Sir, I would like to join my colleagues in this House to welcome the setting up of the Singapore International Foundation. This is yet another quantum leap in our endeavour to take a higher profile internationally and to improve our image. As the media, business groupings, officials of other countries and our citizens or former citizens living abroad are considered as important opinion-makers, they would, I hope, be included in our attempt to make others understand ourselves better. Over and above these, I would like to ask the Minister what else can the Government do to change or improve our image aborad.”
“Not only a long time was required to gather such information, the charge was $300. Sir, for Singaporeans to mature as a society, there should be more and readily available information. In this connection, I would like to ask the Ministry the following questions: (1) In view of rising need for public participation in our decision-making process, whether the Ministry would create an environment of greater openness among various Government Ministries in their information-sharing exercise. (2) Whether the existing arrangement of having Public Relations Officers is sufficient to meet the rising expectations and requirements. (3) How many Ministries are equipped with such PROs and whether such officers are senior enough in ranking to enable them to make quick and correct decision in releasing information? (4) If cost is involved for information to be made available, would the Ministry consider encouraging other Ministries to reduce, or better still, if possible, waive such cost? On the subject of Singapore's image abroad, Sir, I think we are quite familiar with the term "Ugly Americans" and in recent years, as the contacts with the Japanese increased, the term "Ugly Japanese" has also entered our list of mindset. As we ourselves become more developed and more successful in the field of economy and trade, there may exist similar perception among those whom we have contacts with. Sir, just like the Americans and the Japanese, much as we feel that the label "Ugly Singaporean" is not only grossly unjustified, unfair and extremely damaging, it is a development which requires our full attention. Sir, success breeds envy, superiority breeds contempt. Our success had made us one of the most misunderstood people in the world. We can only ignore them at our own peril.”
“Thank you. Sir, we are entering a new era, an era of rapid change. With it comes the need for rapid decision-making process on issues, some of which could be a matter of life and death to us. In this respect, Sir, there are two types of decision-making processes. First, one that is based on narrow knowledge but tipped with sheer power and authority. This is less desirable because not only it is less palatable but it also leaves many questions - some unanswered - in the minds of those affected by the decision. Second, one that takes into account views of the others. This style of decision-making process is more desirable and it is more in line with our new leadership style. For this reason, we encourage members of public and other opinion-makers to give their views and feedback from various channels available. Sir, in our effort to create the right environment for participatory democracy, views which we so earnestly solicited from the public are very much welcomed. Any view, be it in the form of perception or facts, is of great value to us. It helps in enhancing the quality of our decision-making work. However, views which are based on facts, obtained from a knowledgeable and well-informed person, tempered with wisdom, are of greatest value to us. Such views are often well-founded, well-balanced, rational and well-considered. Sir, in trying to achieve this desirable end, we are a bit handicapped by the lack of information, or rather great difficulty in obtaining them. During the debate on the Elected President, I was told of an incident in which our local press tried to obtain information on the number of companies with paid-up capital of more than $100 million from the Registrar of Companies and Businesses.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head R be reduced by $10 in respect of Code RA 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, since I have two subjects, could I take them together? The Chairman: Yes.”
“Choo's point that we should have a second newspaper and take a more hands-off approach, I elaborated on this at some length during the debate on the Presidential Address that what we are involved in is the creation of an establishment that has an instinctive consciousness of what the core interests of Singapore are. If there is someone interested to start a second establishment newspaper in Singapore, I welcome it.”
“MITA will now regularise the position and allow all institutions to apply for TVRO, and if they are supported by MAS or EDB, MITA will give them annual licences at a cost of $1,000 as from 1st May. In this way, we regularise the position. Ministries and statutory boards recommended by their Ministries will also be allowed. In this way, we make sure that the information needs of the business community and of Government are fully met. For hotels and households, it is a more complicated matter because it involves values, it involves entertainment. And I do not think we should be too quick to say, "Let's open up to everything and be prepared to accept anything." Imagine, if one day, someone were to put a porno channel up there and all Singaporeans are able to receive it, is that good for us or is that not good for us? I know that one day it may not be possible to regulate, but for as long as it is possible to regulate, I would say let us have some control in place. But for these controls to be workable, we must ensure that we widen the choices for Singaporeans. So we are now embarking on a scheme to increase the number of channels available to Singaporeans. Many of them would be pay-channels so that we can meet the needs of specific segments of our community. Within a year, I would expect that we would be able to put up two or three UHF channels and later on we can move into microwave and into cable. So, in this way, for residence and for hotels, eventually we will provide them a range of channels more than they will ever need. But let us have some control in place and not too quickly, too peremptorily, open TVRO to all and sundry. I do not think that is wise, nor right now is it necessary. On Prof.”
“MITA is not only promoting the Chinese language. We are promoting all languages, all mother tongues. We support Bulan Bahasa and we intend to increase the support of Bulan Bahasa this year. But, of course, for the Malays, the issue is not really the use of Malay as a mother tongue, because Malay is being used as a mother tongue among Malays in Singapore, but how to use it in the standardised way, or what is called Bahasa Baku. In the case of Tamil, here I think we need more discussion with the Indian community, because if we promote Tamil in Singapore it will divide the Indian community. So we have to think through this very carefully and decide in the end whether we should be promoting the use of Tamil. And if so, we may have to promote the use of Punjabi, Malayalam, Telugu and so on. But I would not want to rush this. I would say that when the Indian community in Singapore is ready, MITA will be ready to support them. But, of course, finances being limited, we will have to give more support to the official languages than to the non-official languages. In the years ahead, it would be better if we engage more the enthusiasm of the communities involved by requiring them also to provide some part of the resources needed to conduct such campaigns. Mr Yatiman and Prof. Choo talked about the information age and the new imperatives which technology is forcing upon all of us. We cannot avoid this field of battle. It has come upon us, regulations are being eroded by technology, we have to adjust and adapt in order that our position can be held. So even though we have been reviewing the policy on TVRO for some time, because of the Gulf War we have to move quickly. So we issued temporary TVRO licences to members of the financial community.”
“And we should not downplay the difficulty because if we downplay the difficulty, we ignore the difficulty, we will make things more difficult for people. What we can do is to make it livelier and not be too tense, too mono-dimensional in the way we teach the mother tongue. Make use of music, make use of the karaoke, make use of art forms, make use of comic books, to make learning a language more fun, more interesting, so that our promotion of it will be more effective, and not less effective. This, in fact, is the approach that we will take for the Speak Mandarin campaign this year, to make it livelier, in order to promote it more vigorously and more enthusiastically. But here, with respect to the Speak Mandarin campaign, I think we have to increasingly reckon with the fact that an important target now is no longer the older generation, but the EL1 Chinese Singaporeans. They are the ones at whom our campaign should increasingly be targeted, because they are the ones who are at risk of losing the use of their mother tongue. If you look at the Primary 1 entrance statistics, increasingly, children come not from dialect-speaking homes, but from Mandarin-speaking homes. But the proportion of students coming from English-speaking homes is rising very rapidly. So I would say that, yes, in the past our preoccupation was with less dialect, more Mandarin. I would say that in the future we should, in addition to that, also worry about how we can encourage EL1 Singaporeans to retain the use of the mother tongue. With respect to that, I have discussed this with Mr Ho Kah Leong, my Senior Parliamentary Secretary, and he will include EL1 Members in his Speak Mandarin Campaign Committee so that we know whom we are marketing the campaign to.”
“I am in complete agreement with him that there must be no excessive stereotyping of each other's strengths and weaknesses, that every culture, every civilization, has its strong and its weak points. It is an approach which we should take in culture and in the arts. Personally, I am confident that in the end we will remain Asian, that in the end the Asian spirit will prevail and triumph, that whatever Westernization we see is superficial and will blow away. Of course, in the process, we absorb what is good in the West. But others, maybe like those in the Chinese newspapers, feel much more anxiety. Maybe they are right. But whatever the tactics involved, our strategic perspective must be one of an objective assessment that throughout human history East and West have been learning from each other. Can I here correct him that I have never read Das Kapital from front to back? I did try to go through it as an undergraduate. I think I read more than the first page which was what Harold Wilson claimed that he only did. But I certainly could not muster the energy to finish it. Let me take the point about mother tongue which was raised by Mr Lau Ping Sum. I fully agree with him that we should support and promote the use of the mother tongue, because it is an important part of our culture and heritage. It is the sap which runs through the root that we are trying to preserve. You take away the sap, that root will die. Yes, by all means, promote the mother tongue. Do it in a way which enables people to learn it more easily. I do not think it is true that it is not difficult. I think it is difficult, particularly for adults, to learn CL2, or EL2 for that matter.”
“Among the Indians too, it is a very complicated business because far less than the Chinese, there is much less of a historical basis for a common sense of being Indian. There is a strong sense of being Tamil or being Malayalee or being Punjabi, but there is no strong sense of being Indian. Here again, it is for the Indian community to decide and not for MITA or for any Government agency to try to impose its views upon the others. In the end, Sir, I think in Singapore we have a high political ideal which is that we do not insist on any Singaporean having to choose between his ancestry and being Singaporean. You can be Jew, Parsi, Arab, whatever, but you can be that and be Singaporean at the same time. And here in Singapore, unlike in many other countries, you are allowed to maintain your own shrine, your own cultural temple, your synagogues, your clan associations, your SAP schools, your mosque centres, whatever, it does not matter. But here in Singapore you can have your own and still be Singaporean, of course, with the proviso that whatever you nurture should not tear us apart, but should bring us together. I think that really is at the heart of Dr Lau Teik Soon's concern, that while we nurture our ancestral roots, in the end they should all be supporting one common tree which is Singapore, and not be tearing us apart. So I think that is the caveat, that is the concern which we should not dismiss lightly but should always bear in mind even as we make sure that we promote unity in diversity. Mr Lau Ping Sum gave a very interesting exposition of the relationship between East and West and how East and West should learn from each other.”
“And maybe after decades, after generations, then those roots may be able - I am not sure - to supplant our ancestral roots. How long that will take, we do not know. But let us take it decade by decade and let us not weaken our society unnecessarily. Of course, what Dr Lau recommended with respect to having more multi-cultural events, catering to more multi-cultural audiences, that we should do. And that in fact we do all the time, particularly when the event is ceremonial and symbolic in nature. I think it is very important that we not only should be fair but we should be seen to be fair. Then everyone feels better about himself. But you cannot have too many ceremonies in life. It gets very tiresome. Sometimes you attend a show or you go to a restaurant to enjoy yourself. And you insist that it is all mixed and that everyone has his quota. It subtracts from the sense of being natural, from the enjoyment of the event. So I would propose that we take a more relaxed approach and say, "Okay, where it is important, where it concerns the whole nation, where it is symbolic and ceremonial, let us make a show of being together. But where it is private, where it is community-based, let there be diversity." And it is not just all Chinese coming together and all Indians coming together and all Malays coming together. Among the Chinese, the clans and so on, they may or may not wish to get together. The Teochews I know are very keen on having a cultural centre with respect to their new Ngee Ann City. The clan associations are also keen on having something collective. They should decide what they want, because in the end they should only preserve and sustain what they feel comfortable with.”
“I say we leave them where they are, we water them, we nurture them. If some bits die and wither, let them die and wither. But the main branch roots, I say we preserve them for what they are. Because although intangible, they provide an unquenchable source of strength to a people. Let me give an example in the case of Chinese civilisation. When the Chinese fought the Japanese in the 30s, and there was ruin and despair all around, the rickshaw puller, the hawker, the pedlar, even the beggar, despite all that went on around him, never doubted the superiority of his culture and his civilisation. Mind you, this is all myth, because nothing around them could justify such optimism. But it was there deep inside them and it kept them going despite the privations and the difficulties. And in the end, it was that spirit which galvanised the nation together and which in the end enabled China to get rid of Japan. So in times of stress, in times of difficulty, these deep roots, which appear sometimes to be hard and gnarled, are very important. Therefore, I say MITA's approach should be not at all to strangle these roots or to cut them off, but to nurture them. And particularly the community itself, since they want to nurture these roots, I say we should encourage them. It is for this reason that I encourage the establishment of heritage centres. This will complement what the National Museum will do to strengthen Singaporean history and the Singaporean identity. In this way, we have a proper balance between the centre and the periphery, from the grassroots' interest to preserve ethnic heritage and so on and at the centre, building up national institutions, so that with each passing year the Singaporean roots get longer and longer.”
“In this exercise, he will engage the participation of many Singaporeans, some in the committee, some through public representations, so that as many of us as possible are involved in this process of deciding what our own moral standards should be. Mr Heng Chiang Meng also asked whether we will classify video tapes. This is a difficult business. In some countries they do it. In some countries they do not. I will leave that to Prof. Koh's committee to recommend. And he will also recommend on how we should review the censorship procedures and criteria for books, publications, performances, magazines and so on. Mr Goh Choon Kang talked about the confusion on the ground as to the approach MITA would take towards cultural development. Let me assure him that we will adopt the approach of unity in diversity. Let there be no doubts about it. And here I would like to disagree somewhat with Dr Lau Teik Soon as to his approach, because I think our ancestral roots are very important to us, and very important for the strength and future development of our nation. I like the emblem of the Singapore Heritage Society which is a big bushy tree but with equally big and deeply penetrating roots, the metaphor being that the more you want the tree to flourish and to grow, the deeper its roots must be. And we are drawn from ancestral cultures which go back thousands of years. So these are very deep roots. Yes, we are growing Singaporean roots and our national institutions are all founded on the idea of a single Singaporean nation. But these are short and shallow roots, no more than 25 years, and they will be subject to stresses and strains. So I would be very wary about too quickly saying that those old roots are not good and we can cut them off.”
“These are enormous projects which are difficult for the private sector, corporations and individuals' to subvent. So those the Government will undertake as part of its investment in the people of Singapore. As regards support of theatres, particular shows, I think here there should be equal partnership. Government can help by providing IPC status, by tax subventions, by tax deductibility, by initial contributions to endowments and so on. But there should be an equal participation by individuals and by corporations. I think that is the surest way and the best way to ensure a healthy development of the arts in Singapore. On the point of censorship, I mentioned earlier in the debate on the Presidential Address that we will be introducing a film classification system. I can now tell the House that we will implement it as from 1st July. It is a simple system of classification. Basically, we will have a general category which is the kind of films that we now have. Over and above that, we have a restricted category which should be much like restricted categories in other countries in the world. But there will be no X-films. I think however we relax, we must maintain certain minimum standards against pornography, against excessive violence and against themes which inflame racial and religious hatred in Singapore. As to how exactly to establish these benchmarks, I have asked Prof. Tommy Koh and he has agreed to chair a committee to advise the Government on how we should reorganise ourselves and how we should establish standards for ourselves.”
“So he says it is not hardware, it is not software, in the end it is heartware. You are appealing not just to function, you are appealing also to people's sensitivities. And I think this is the overall approach we should take towards the arts in Singapore, combining it into our economy, into our social life, so that it strengthens us in the long term, so that expenditure on the arts is no longer seen as consumption but as investment. I welcome the many proposals to finance the arts on a stable basis, so that it is not subject to the vicissitudes of the annual budgeting cycle. There are proposals to use cess, there are proposals for other modes of subvention. We should consider all of them and finally decide how best to put the arts on such a proper financial footing. But in the end, we should not just leave it to Government to subvent. Because if it is only Government financing, I think that will destroy the market. That will destroy artistic development in Singapore, because the Government will then adopt a dirigiste top-down approach, which means I know better than you, bureaucrats decide and there will be tremendous frustration on the ground. What we need is a kind of partnership between Government, corporations and individuals. Government should facilitate, Government should nudge, Government should apply a light touch, but never, never a heavy hand in the field of the arts. In the provision of infrastructure, Government will play a very decisive role. As you know, we are now embarking on a project to build a Performing Arts Centre on the shores of Marina Bay. That is a big ticket item which will cost us hundreds of millions of dollars. We also have a plan to build up the entire Museum precinct and to increase our Museum floor space ten-fold within 10-15 years.”
“But coming back, in the long term, for arts to be placed on a sustainable basis, it must somehow strengthen our society, promote social cohesion, uplift the morale of the people and be woven into the economic fabric. I read recently an article in the Economist about the importance of design in this decade and in the next century in the manufacture of products and in the provision of services. The main point made in the article was that it should no longer be a specialist function to be farmed out to someone else. For companies to do well in this next phase of global competition, the CEO himself must internalise these design considerations. An interesting example was given about the design of an electric shaver. On the side were ribs and someone thought that the ribs were there purely for aesthetic reasons. But they were not, because they help in the grip. Also they found out that by having those ribs, you will be able to use a lower quality plastic which saved the manufacturer a lot of money. Here, because the manufacturers and the marketeers thought together, they were able to combine the fit, form and function into the product and make it better. 2.30 pm So whether you are Singapore Airline or a Japanese restaurant or in any of the service industries, it is very important that all the way down from the CEO, creative elements, design, art are built into the system. I remember having a conversation once with the CEO of Fuji Sankei, the largest Japanese TV company, Mr Shikanai. He said that the way he operated is like the way MITA operates. They combine information and culture together. Because he felt that for industry of the future, for competition in the future, the more the two gets entwined together, the more competitive you become.”