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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“Towards this, may I offer, in conclusion, three suggestions: (1) Government should increasingly adopt a hands-off policy in censorship in the various media and entrust responsible and respected citizens with this task, intervening only when absolutely necessary; (2) remove the inhibitions of our own experts in the various fields to participate in the media and encourage them to help analyze and interpret the plethora and rapidity of confusing events and trends for our locals; and (3) review commercial monopoly in our newspaper industry whatever its advantages, and see, for example, if the time is now right to promote a second serious indigenous English Language newspaper. For this last suggestion, to forestall a misperception, I must clarify immediately that I do not intend to join Mr Davinder Singh's quarrel with the New Paper. The Acting Minister for Information and the Arts (BG George Yong-Boon Yeo): Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to thank Members for their encouraging words, their advocacy of the Ministry's position and for some very thoughtful criticisms. Let me first address Mr Heng Chiang Meng's points. He talked about our overall approach and philosophy towards the subvention of the arts. He said it should not be seen as a luxury. It should be seen as an integral part of our total social and economic development. I fully agree with him. But I think he has misinterpreted the Prime Minister's speech at the re-opening of the National Museum. The Prime Minister's concern was that it is possible to waste money on the arts. It is possible to spend too much money on things which are beyond the ken and understanding of our own people. I think it is a necessary caveat because it is very easy to recommend more money to be spent especially when it is someone else's money.”
“Three clear-minded people saw the same basic information in quite different ways. In an information age, problems of perception become more acute and I shall highlight three factors: (1) sources of information become numerous and diverse; (2) information flow volume and velocity greatly increase; and (3) technology to capture information is decentralised. The effects of these can be deduced. For example, as Encik Yatiman alluded to earlier, innocuous words from a different social context may raise a storm elsewhere. Instant images evoke volatile emotions because the intellect has less time to operate. Fax and computer modems allow individuals to become parallel importers of information. This is the dilemma MITA must face. If we shut our doors, how will we become a developed society, tapping the information resources of a modern world? If we throw them open, how can we, to paraphrase one source, prevent the distortion of our political process, the corruption of our young, and the havoc on our education and public character? For example, can our communitarian shared values survive the onslaught of a libertarian information policy? In responding to this dilemma, we have to balance the need to preserve our national security and prosperity with the need to give our citizens more choices and more intellectual space. I believe the key is the progressive training of our people to safely cross the busy roads of liberty.”
“We are also thankful to the sponsors. But the question now is: will we be able to continuously benefit from this telecast? And if it is so, for how long and in what form? Will we allow the use of satellite dish publicly and thus allowing other satellite based trans-national broadcasting stations to be received here? Answering such questions means requiring us to re-examine the basic consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of practising an "open air" policy on information flow. Sir, our GPC had deliberated on this issue and in my opinion, there is merit in bringing in such broadcasts and the TVRO even into Singapore. But there must be a sufficient check and balance system so that such flow of information could be regulated, thus fulfilling our unique domestic conditions. Setting up a cable TV to be run either by the SBC or, better still, by a competitor could be one of the ways and allowing the use of TVRO is another. Individuals or institutions wishing to use such services could then pay for their need. In this way, Singaporeans are able to benefit from greater access to information flow and, at the same time, have the control mechanism should the need arise. In this respect, I would like to ask the Minister whether he would care to elaborate on his Ministry's short and long-term policies on information flow. Assoc. Prof. Maurice Choo (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, Sir, information flow is a vast issue. In the few minutes I have, I would like to confine myself to problems of perception and some possible responses. In this House a few days ago, on the issue of local wages, Mr Goh Chee Wee took the median point. Rebutting, the Finance Minister gave the mean. Later, Mr Goh argued that the raw data was skewed. The Labour Minister analyzed sub-sets.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, thank you for allowing me to join in the debate. During the Gulf War, President Bush asked his aide to call President Ozal Turgut of Turkey. The Turkish leader picked up the phone, he heard President Bush and nodded. He understood what the US leader had in mind because he had seen Mr Bush making his speech over the TV. Information is power. It is also an asset. In the same War, both the USA and the coalition forces and Iraq applied strict censorship on news and information flow through the electronic and print media. This was done to protect the success of their military operations and as propaganda. In this respect, free flow of information became a liability, thus being ruled as undesirable. Cynics may be quick to repeat the cliche that "truth became the first victim of war". But this is the reality in life. This indeed is another lesson that we learn from the Gulf War. Singaporeans were fortunate to have the CNN brought into their living rooms. They were able to follow closely developments in the Gulf War. For businessmen, such direct and rapid flow of information is crucial. It could mean saving million of dollars. But Singaporeans were also able to tune on to RTM, some to TV3, which offered to cover the same Gulf War. They saw different things flashed on their TV screens. The impact was different. This is yet another lesson that we could learn: that trans-national flow of information will bring different impact, even to the most discerning minds. Sir, forgive me for taking such a long time to illustrate my point. Like many Singaporeans, I join them in thanking the Ministry in its effort to allow the CNN telecast into Singapore and its subsequent extension, albeit on a limited number of hours, after the War has ended.”
“As such, we must ensure that they can be disseminated and spread throughout our daily life, in our relationship with others, in our customs and habits. We must go through the process of education and the mass media to spread these values so as to make them the core values of our culture in Singapore. Then, the future of Singapore will be bright.”
“The Ministry of Education, as I mentioned earlier, also the Ministry of Information and the Arts, the Federation of Clan Associations, parents etc must all discuss, at all levels, how to ensure that our common shared values can be applied more generally and accepted widely and extensively in our daily life. I can give you an example. In "The Book of Rites", it is clearly stated the various kinds of profound respect that one should give to the elderly. There is a passage which says, "60 shall sit, 50 shall stand while listening to the policy speeches, as a form of respect for the elders." In other words, those who are 60 years old may sit down, while those who are in their 50s shall stand at a side when attending the political meetings. This is a way of showing your respect to those who are older than you. There is also another passage which talks about drinking. "3 cups for the 60s (that is, those who are 60 years old shall drink 3 cups), 4 cups for the 70s, 5 cups for the 80s and 6 cups for the 90s." This is to show that you respect the elders. From today's point of view, it may not be appropriate for us to say that those who are 60 years old may sit and those who are 50 years old will have to stand when listening to others. Am I right? If this is the case, then it will not be possible for me to get into Parliament as I am not even 40 years of age, and I should be standing outside the door. There are not many among us in Parliament who are 50 or 60 years old. This is not possible. However, we must look at the essence of this teaching, that is to say, we must respect the elders and recognize the able. These five shared values will surely have a great effect on our society.”
“The Federation of Clan Associations had also expressed the view that although the various communities can have common shared values, their respective community must also strive to preserve and propagate the cream of their own mother tongue, culture and heritage. I agree with their view. I feel that through the mother tongue, we can better transmit and inculcate the common values. It will make it more personal and easier to feel for and understand the meaning of these values with a good flavour. In the past, some people and some friends said that I "wang ba" (forgot the eight virtues). I only knew that it had a bad connotation but I did not know the meaning (or origin of the expression:) "forgetting the eight virtues". Now, a friend of mine has mentioned again you "forget the eight virtues". So I made a study to find out the origin of this expression. According to the Lang Ying's "Qi Xiu Lei Gao" of the Ming Dynasty, to forget the eight virtues means forgetting "filial piety, brotherhood, loyalty, trustworthiness, propriety, righteousness, integrity and self-respect". How it gets twisted to become "wang ba" (cuckold), I do not know. The point is if we are to express this term in English, the literal translation will be "forgotten eight". If you tell somebody, in English, you have "forgotten eight", it loses its intimate meaning. Of course I do not want people to call me "wang ba", despite its intimate feeling. What I am trying to highlight is that it is much easier for us to transmit our culture, traditions and the proposed five shared values, using our own native language. Inculcation of the shared values is a very important task. How do we make use of our existing cultural heritage to inculcate such values. This is a very important step.”
“If we do not have a correct outlook in life and a good quality, then it will have aseat effect on society and the country. If the cultivation and upbringing of an individual are poor, then we will not be able to build up these five shared values. So undoubtedly, we all believe that education is very important. It is a life-long process and it takes a hundred years to build up a man. We must not only teach the children literacy, teach our young people how to earn a living, we must also teach our young people how to be a man, how to love the country, and how to love the society. In the long run, the shared values will determine the rise and fall of a country. This is very important. Shared values are a form of national education for our nationals. So we cannot just blindly coin some slogans and promote them in the form of slogans. In January 1989 when the President addressed this House, he said that we must inculcate the national consciousness among our people, especially the young people. The Government shall propagate national consciousness through all means, including the encouragement of the use of mother tongue when teaching moral education in school and enhancing the inculcation of values. I appreciate and fully agree with the President. The Lianhe Zaobao in its editorial on 7th January this year, said that we must effectively explain and interpret our shared values. It also mentioned that the Indian, the Malay, and the Chinese communities must make use of their native languages, their traditional cultural characteristics to inculcate our shared values.”
“But outside this House, Singaporeans are worried and very concerned about the crisis in the Middle-east. But I also hope that Singa- poreans outside this House will also show similar concern to this White Paper. This is a very important document that will have far-reaching effect on the future of our nation. As a matter of fact, looking at these five shared values, I can see that they have already embraced the relationship and the responsibilities as between the people, the individuals, the nation and society. They have been very vividly expressed in those terms. So if we expect our Singaporeans to accept these five values and show that they accept these values, then the Singapore nationals must have some basic virtues like showing respect for our National Anthem and the pledge that we recite in schools, and Confucian values as mentioned by Mr Chin Harn Tong, like self-confidence, self-love, self-respect, loyalty, justice, and so on and so forth. Mencius had said that the world has its foundation in the nation. The nation has its foundation in the family, and the family has its foundation in the individual. He also said that if the individual is upright, it will work in spite of imperfections. If the individual is not upright, it will not work notwithstanding perfection. So education is very important, especially in the inculcation of these five shared values. We hope to see the people of Singapore acting on their own initiative without having to be told what to do, manifesting their love and their responsibility towards the family, the individuals, and the nation. When we talk about shared values, we must also talk about the personal cultivation of virtues. We must pay attention to the culture and the upbringing of the individual.”
“Using the same analogy, this shared value of accommodation is like agreeing to eat rice on some occasions and noodles on some other, even though one may not like one or the other very much. I support the substance and spirit of this shared value. There have been suggestions made to include "religious and political values" into the Shared Values. I suggest we defer these more controversial values to a later date. As in our recipe we can always add the hot spices later. Mr Choo Wee Khiang (Marine Parade GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, having heard the speeches of my parliamentary colleagues in this House, I would like to express my own views. What sort of country do we want? What kind of future do we want? And what kind of people do we want? This will determine the destiny of our children and our country. On the five shared values that we are talking about, basically many points have already been raised yesterday and today, but most of them were trying to find the right formulation and choice of words. It is like choosing a flower pot. We have already decided on the type of plant and the kind of soil to use. Just which flower pot to use! As such, I think the most important thing is the contents. To me, the five shared values are just a framework, in caption form. How do we make the people get the feel of such values? Maybe the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Information and the Arts, the newspapers, the mass media, the teachers, the parents, all these resources may be mobilized to propagate and publicise these values so as to ensure their appreciation, acceptance and implementation among the people. So basically I fully agree with the contents of this White Paper. In these two days, we have been talking so much. Many of us are quite tired.”
“The family as the basic unit of society is also a value I think most of us can subscribe to, irrespective of our race or religion. It is like the salt in the recipe. The family influences greatly our children's values and attitudes in life. Therefore, the family unit, like salt, must not lose its saltiness, otherwise the basic structure of our society will be weakened. I can also support the shared value of community support and respect for the individual. As the White Paper says, we should not promote the community to the exclusion of the individual. Individuals should be respected and rewarded for their enterprise and labour. At the same time, those who are handicapped, disadvantaged or underprivileged should be shown compassion and assistance. This ingredient is like the water in the recipe. It softens our character and personality and helps us to reach out to those who are less able. However, there seems to be less agreement on the shared value of consensus instead of contention, which has just been amended to "consensus not conflict". Some have misinterpreted this as an attempt by the Government to discourage debate of ideas and discussions of opposing points of view. However, if you read carefully the White Paper, it states quite clearly that it means accommodating different views of the way the society should develop. I think the key word here is "accommodation", not "contention" which has a negative connotation. "Accommodation" implies the existence of different ideas and viewpoints in the decision process. And the Government must continue to encourage such free flow of ideas and views. However, some accommodation may be necessary before the final decision is made.”
“At this stage, most of us see the need for such a recipe. Even those who do not see this need would not object strongly if we were to have one. It is the agreement on what should be the main ingredients of this recipe that is a little harder to come by. As we can expect, being from different racial and cultural backgrounds, we grew up with very different taste buds. Some of us take a lot of chilli, while others prefer soya sauce. Some like noodles, while others prefer rice. But today, however, we should be looking not at chilli or soya sauce, noodles or rice, but at common ingredients like salt, cooking oil, water and fire which we all use, no matter what race we belong to and what food we cook. Without these common ingredients in the recipe, whatever food we cook will not be edible. I support the shared value of racial and religious harmony. But we all know that without it, investors will hesitate to come, and our economic growth will suffer. Enough examples in the world of what racial and religious strife can do to a country would convince us that this value should be institutionalised and systematically transmitted to our descendants if we want to continue to prosper. Racial and religious tolerance - this shared value is like the cooking oil in our recipe. It lubri- cates and smoothens relations between people, so that nothing gets burnt. Next, I also support the shared value of nation before community and society above self. Our national service law, for example, is precipitated upon this shared value. It is critical to the survival of small states. This value is like the fire in our recipe. We need some fire in our souls to put the larger interests of the nation and society above self. Otherwise, we become selfish, materialistic, lukewarm individuals.”
“However, to found a state and to stabilise a nation, we have not only to emphasis on the cultivation of individuals, but also to depend on the laws and legislation of society to provide guidance for the individuals, because not everybody can be guided by his own moral standard. For those who choose to indulge in illegal activities, they will be constrained by the law and they will be guided by the rules of society so that they will not undermine the harmony and stability of society. Sir, this White Paper is proposed by the Government. It is a document for the Government to rule our nation. In the past, our Government has organised many nation-wide campaigns with very good results. I am confident that with the leadership of the Government and the concerted effort of our people, we will be able to gradually fulfil the goals which this White Paper seeks to accomplish, that is, to have a society where there is "unity between the group and the people". Mr Lew Syn Pau (Tanglin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion before the House. Singapore is an immigrant nation. Our forefathers came from different parts of the world - from China, India and South-east Asia - bringing with them different religions, cultures, traditions and values. Despite their diversity, they worked hard to build a nation with their blood, sweat and tears. We have succeeded after 25 years. Success had not been easy in the past, neither can it be guaranteed for the future. However, if we examine the ingredients of our success and write them into a recipe for future generations to follow, then we increase the probability of continued success in the years to come. The White Paper before us is an excellent attempt to formalise the common ingredients of this recipe.”
“For this reason, they proposed the well-known philosophy of "cultivating the individuals, building the family, ruling the country and eventually to bring peace to the world." For many thousand years, the intellectuals in China have been pursuing this objective in order to set themselves up above the others. However, moral cultivation is just an individualistic concept. Not everyone who tries to cultivate himself would be able to do so. From the history of China there were indeed many people who were morally cultivated. They were loyal to the nation, they loved the people and they have distinguished themselves as great characters for us to emulate. But in the history of China there were also many villains who betrayed to the people, and caused harm to their country and society. So from here we can see that cultivation of the individual alone would not be able to build up a harmonious society where there is "unity between the group and the people". The White Paper on Shared Values stresses the sort of values which are quite similar to the ideology proposed by the Confucian scholars in China. That is, everyone would have to cultivate himself and then to put in a concerted effort to build up a just, equal, prosperous and progressive nation, and also a harmonious and stable society. In the unique circumstances of Singapore, all the more we have to emphasis religious tolerance and racial harmony in order to have stability and prosperity for our society. In this aspect, the importance of moral culture appears to be even more important.”
“Mr Chin Harn Tong (Aljunied GRC)( In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, having carefully studied the White Paper on Shared Values, I feel that this White Paper has indeed provided a framework to guide our nation and society towards stability, prosperity and progress. It can be said to be the most important document since the independence of Singapore. Sir, more than 2,000 years ago the Confucian scholars in China had promoted the philosophy of "unity between heaven and man" with the aim of establishing a society whereby there is "unity between the group and the people". The special feature of this society, where there is unity between the group and the people, is that the individuals and the society are closely knitted. The individuals are blended into the society and the society embodies the individuals. The two cannot be separated and they complement each other for the happiness of all mankind. The Confucian scholars in China believed that in order to attain this goal it would be necessary to have a set of complete theory or ideology as a basis and for that they introduced propriety. Propriety was to be the rule to maintain social peace and order. The Confucian scholars believed that so long as everybody abided by propriety, that is, everybody behaved in society in such a way as to conform with the rules of society, people would be able to live together harmoniously and there would be harmony and stability in society. How are we going to make people behave in conformity with the rules of society? The Confucian scholars in China believed in starting with moral cultivation of the individuals. They stressed that the morality of the people was the standard to judge and distinguish a gentleman from a villain.”
“However, with a faster tempo of progress, an increasing number of the aged and the inability of the lower income group and the less educated to catch up with the rest, a clear manifestation of our intention to create a more caring and kinder society must be shown. Sir, the Member for Potong Pasir, by looking at the western societies as an example to illustrate his point that there is actually no need for us to evolve our own Shared Values, had failed to comprehend a basic difference that exists between our society and theirs. America takes 200 years to evolve from the Calvinism Protestant Ethic into what they are today. Europe had taken centuries, initially having ethnically based values which were later institutionalised to become their tradition, and that needs time. If we are to follow the western way by allowing time to be the main agent of solution to our own problems, it will take 200, 300, perhaps 400 years, given the different backgrounds that all of us come from. I think choosing the NWC as an example to drive home the fear that consensus building will mean suppression of one's idea may not be a good one. The NWC was introduced in the midst of a climate of strong adversarial relationship between the union and the management. The fact is that through the creation of NWC, those contending and conflicting groups were able to sit together and agree on mutually beneficial arrangements that would ultimately guide their future. It is a good example where consensus through such relationship could finally come up with the expected result. On that note, Sir, I support the motion before the House.”
“Consensus is the end result of a process in which the diverging viewpoints were brought together through whatever way, to the Opposition it is a contention, but ultimately there is common acceptance after multiple inputs by those participating in the process. Sir, on racial and religious harmony, I am indeed most happy that this pillar of our national policy is included. As the future of Singapore depends, to a larger extent, on creating a harmonious relationship among the multi-racial society, and as I too agree that religion, at least for the time being, should not be part of the Shared Values because of its possible inherent dangers to the nation's stability, a clear expression of our desire for racial and religious harmony is most desirous. Within this framework, it ensures religious freedom for Singaporeans and calls for commitment of the people of various religions to preserve a cooperative attitude in conducting their relationship with one another. On the third value, "Regard and support for the individual", which has also been amended, the emphasis should be given on creating a society which is more caring and placing value on individuals. I believe that this is one of the things that is upper- most in the mind of the Government in including this value. As Singapore develops towards a higher standard of living, there will be a gap that exists between those who excel and a group of people who are not very successful. The problem of social underclass must be tackled immediately and urgently. Indications of social disparity has already been seen and efforts towards closing the gap had already been made.”
“Sir, in order for this value to be achieved, there must be a climate of mutual acceptance and trust between the country and the communities that exist in Singapore. Each community must be made to feel that they are not only wanted by the country, but are also needed to participate and contribute in every aspect of the nation's life, be it economic, political, cultural, social or defence. If for reasons of history or others this climate of mutual trust is not there yet, a positive step-by-step effort must be made. Let us create an appropriate "weather" that would slowly, but finally, coalesce into a desirous climate. As the saying goes, "It takes two hands to clap". The country and the community must make serious and calculated move towards this endeavour. After this end result is achieved, only then will the value "Nation before community and society above self" bears its real and deep meaning. Sir, the second value that I would like to comment is the one noted by Members as the most controversial one: "Consensus instead of Contention" which has been amended to "Consensus not conflict". The question of contention is not new, but this is also an area where a lot of inputs, some of them extremely valuable, have been heard before this House. This value can only be achieved if the Government of the day is clean and honest and is capable of delivering political goods to the broadest section of the society and policies introduced are intended to better every section of the society. In an educated and enlightened society, diverging views must be a reality which we must face.”
“The two had, so far, helped us from facing political strife and poverty which had rocked and even destroyed many societies and countries. Taken together the Shared Values in this respect could act as invaluable "social cement" for Singapore. Besides, the Shared Values must be taken as part of our continuous effort to create our national identity. While our policies on the development of a national identity in Singapore have been viewed as a success, a greater effort in the form of promoting shared values must be made to ensure the continued success of nation-building. Sir, I fully subscribe to the view expressed by the Chairman of the Feedback Unit, Mr Chandra Das, that the five shared values are the minimum common denominations worth working at. We can expand and fine-tune them later. As Singapore is a rapidly changing society, changes to our Shared Values are necessary to enable us to provide a satisfactory orientation to the new age. The question whether these values provide us with a satisfactory orientation to the new age leads us to examine some of the five values. As other Members had given their views on some, I would like to confine my comment on three of the values. To me, the first value, "Nation before community and society above self" need to be viewed as a long-term objective. Why do I say so? To enable such value to be both implementable and acceptable, there must exist conducive political and social environment. While there is general acceptance that our own Eastern tradition places society above self, and our education system has been quite successful in reinforcing it, the question of nation before community calls for closer examination.”
“To illustrate my point, some countries with relatively well-developed social and political institutions choose to rely on their racial homogeneity, historical and traditional landmarks as signposts or benchmark for their citizens' conduct in relation to the society. They work on the established principle that men act within the framework of the complex of antecedent ideas and customs handed down through successive generations; and in relation to this framework, men see and understand themselves. But Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, Singapore is different. We have a short history. Our society is heterogeneous, so are our customs, traditions and culture, language and religion. More important, Sir, is the fact that Singapore is an open society. The world, especially the West, becomes our media catchment area with all of its influences, both desirable and undesirable. Arising from these realities, there are two factors that I would like to highlight. First, a clear shift in our values from communitarianism to individualism, especially among our younger Singaporeans. Second, in our attempt to minimise the negative effect of the Western media influence, we embark upon an effort to inculcate greater awareness on our cultural roots with its own ramifications to our future social cohesiveness. Sir, the Shared Values may not be able to provide a solution to all these. But it does help to overcome part of the problem. More important, it gives us both concrete premises and time for more effective solution. Singapore has two other equally strong anchors to rely on. They are our economic success with its relatively fair distribution of wealth and our political stability.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, since the subject of Shared Values was first made public by the then First Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in October 1988 in what was then known as National Ideology, the debate on this subject had taken various paths. Years of deliberation and consensus-building process that ensued had seen re-examination, review and change resulting with crystallisation of the idea in the White Paper on Shared Values. The debate on this subject in Parliament is the culmination of consensus building effort involving the people, thinkers, the academia and educationists. Sir, the subject in focus is the relationship between man, society and nation. The objective is to find a cluster of widely accepted values that could bind together our citizens. This in turn will set in motion basic guidance in behaviour towards each other. The ultimate expected result is to create a cohesive society consisting of kinder, more caring and community-oriented Singaporeans. The ultimate test is how we behave towards each other in times of strife. Sir, it is a well-accepted fact that the relationship between man and society is a complex one. Prof. Maurice Choo uses biology to find a solution and to learn from the richness of nature. While history, customs and traditions, demographic composition and culture can collectively help in forging social cohesiveness for other societies, for Singapore a deliberate and innovative attempt on our part of the leadership to achieve similar objective through identifying and promoting some of the existing values among us is a crucial factor.”
“Sir, I fully support the Minister's view when he opened the National Anti-Drug Campaign sometime ago that we have to take the fight against drug addiction beyond our national boundary. But no matter how successful our home-based, national-oriented anti-drug drive, so long as the supply line is kept open, so long as the source of drug production and supply areas remain operating, we will not and we cannot achieve what we wanted to achieve. In this respect, Sir, while I am fully aware of the extensive cooperation that we have established with our neighbouring countries' drug agencies, I would like to ask the Minister what more can be done in this area.”
“Sir, in supporting this amendment, I would like to thank the Minister for Home Affairs for his new multi-pronged blitz on drug abuse in Singapore. The renewed and sustained drive is both timely and crucial if we are to effectively arrest the recent upsurge in drug cases. Sir, we have done almost everything within our means to curb and eradicate drug problem in Singapore. Through sustained and well-coordinated anti-drug operations to clean pockets of remaining drug-infested areas, through introduction of the instant urine test machines, closer monitoring of movements of people through our immigration checkpoints, wider community awareness programme and greater participation from among members of the public in drug-related action programme and many other steps, I believe we could improve the drug situation in Singapore. In this respect, Sir, I would be happy if the Minister could share with us the progress his Ministry has achieved in combatting the drug menace. Has there been a significant decline in drug addiction and drug-related cases, especially relapse cases? Is the Ministry committing more of its resources in solving the drug problem here? I would like to ask the Minister his view on the middle and long term prospects of our fight against drug abuse in Singapore. And since providing employment is so crucial in bringing back the ex-drug addicts into the fold of society, I fully support the views expressed by the Members for Kampong Glam and Tiong Bahru GRC on the need for Government to send a clear signal of our attitude towards bringing back ex-drug addicts by providing them employment in Singapore.”
“Sir, in supporting this amendment, I would like to draw the attention of the House to the redevelopment of Woodlands Checkpoint. Sir, the Checkpoint plays an important aspect in our effort to facilitate the smooth flow of thousands of persons and vehicles passing through the Checkpoint. When I passed through the Checkpoint recently, I realised an that a major transformation is taking place. I would like to ask the Minister whether the redevelopment has eased the flow of people and vehicles through the Checkpoint. Secondly, I would also like to ask what is the Ministry's future plan to increase the capacity and effectiveness of the Woodlands Checkpoint? Thirdly, since the Checkpoint is also a place where foreigners and overland travellers enter Singapore for the first time and it would create the first impression on them, I would like to find out whether the Minister has plans to improve the quality of the human aspect of this Checkpoint? Finally, Sir, we are aware that Lorong Fatimah has been recently acquired for redevelopment. I would like to find out whether the acquisition of the place is in line with the future plans to expand Woodlands Checkpoint further?”
“With that explanation, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, actually I have another amendment under the same heading.”
“But, Sir, in the past, we have been at the receiving end of an unbalanced flow of information resulting with countries in the world looking at us through their own tinted glasses. We have to change this unhappy state of affairs. The Hon. Prime Minister, through his various interviews given to the various major media of the world, had to some extent, succeeded in providing some kind of balance in the flow of information by telling the major media what we are, how we work, and what is crucial for our survival and what other countries must learn from us. I think there is a need for us to create an atmosphere where the flow of information is institutionalised through an effort where there will be a balanced flow of information. We have been inviting journalists from our neighbouring countries to stay here for a month, meet our Ministers and learn. We also have an exchange of wire services. We have seminars, forums and discussions among media owners. But how do we achieve this state of balance in future is a question which I would like to ask the Ministry. What is the mid-term and long-term plan to ensure that there is a balanced flow of information?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I be reduced by $10 in respect of Code IE 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, in moving this amendment, I would like to re-state the fact that information is power. It is a cliche. It also makes us more knowledgeable and wiser. Sharing of information could also increase the sense of mutual trust, especially among neighbouring countries. But, Sir, information can be a powerful double-edged knife. It can build, it can carve, it can destroy, it can kill. Therefore, Sir, managing the flow of information in a constructive and responsible manner must be a key consideration for greater and deeper understanding from among neighbouring countries and among countries in the world. To illustrate my point, Sir, the Americans came up with a proposal of Free Trade Agreement, which involved Canada. While on the economic side, the Canadians were quite happy to work closely with their closest neighbouring country, which is the biggest economy in the world, they were quietly making their fear known that there could possibly be the danger of a fall-out in the form of some kind of cultural influence as a result of the Free Trade Agreement. For us, Sir, statements made in one country by one particular constituency or by one particular group, if openly published in the media, can have an alarming effect. However, Sir, should we avoid ourselves from the possible fall-out of such exercise by closing the air or constricting the cables? The answer is no. Singapore is a country situated in an area where information flow is crucial for our survival. We have to manage our information flow in the most judicious and responsible manner.”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head I be reduced by $10 in respect of Code ID 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, Singapore has successfully moved towards globalisation of world business. As a country strategically located, we have taken full advantage of the latest developments and we are shifting towards higher value added technology based and service-related industries. It is in the port area which I would like to speak today. A fully loaded container ship can be emptied and be placed in warehouses within 12 hours. The sea and air cargo is passing through this area with increased tonnage. As a result of this latest development, Singapore has discovered that the formation of a distribution centre will require a completely new role. Singapore is introducing what is known as the distripark, a new phenomenon in our industry with a promising future. We provide a specialised service. We bring the market nearer to the buyers. We provide the modern breaking of bulk and repacking businesses. We provide, most important, Sir, the warehousing industries. Sir, in order to be successful and effective in this new area of service industry, we need to upgrade our capability so that Singapore remains competitive, not only to other ports in this region but also from this continent. In view of this, I would like to ask the Minister how much we have improved in our information gathering system, how sensitive are we in keeping touch with the changing movement of goods and services and also the demand. If there are competitors, who could be our potential competitors to our distribution centre's role?”
“Sir, in supporting the amendment moved by the Chairman of the GPC on the Environment, my mind is still fresh with memories of massive oil spills affecting the East Pacific and East Atlantic coastal regions. I imagine an oil slick 20 km long being spilled by a huge tanker near Singapore. Considering the size of the coast, the amount of money that is spent to provide excellent man-made coastal areas and the plan that MND has for the coast in Changi, what will be the extent of damage? Sir, for Singapore, oil spill of such a scale would be disastrous unless we are fully prepared to overcome this problem early. And this problem is real. Only yesterday there was an explosion, indeed, from a tanker. And we were fortunate enough because there was no oil spill resulting from the explosion. I want to draw the attention of the House to the seriousness of this problem, and I would like to ask the Minister while we are preparing ourselves in terms of providing the facilities, acquiring the latest technologies in overcoming this problem, and training our people to be better prepared, are we really fully prepared to face problems of massive pollution of that scale? I would appreciate if the Minister could enlighten the House on this.”
“Sir, in supporting the amendment, I would like to thank the Ministry of Education for coming forward in providing training programmes and facilities for kindergarten teachers. I believe that such programme is of tremendous help in upgrading the kindergarten teachers' skill in handling our young children. Recently, there is a considerable interest in nurseries among parents. This is manifested by the increase in the number of parents sending their children to nurseries. In view of the development, I would like to ask the Minister whether he has plans for his Ministry to provide training programme also for nursery teachers?”
“well-coordinated and well-programmed project, we will be mutually enriching our ability in R&D. In this respect, Sir, I would like to take the opportunity to ask the Minister for an update in the cooperation in this sphere. I would be glad too, Sir, if the Minister could share with the House his thinking on this issue, especially the future direction his Ministry intends to pursue on this matter. The adult education programme. Sir, continual education has a long history in Singapore. It is a milestone to our social mobility too. Singaporeans are fortunate because the avenue for the pursuit of knowledge, upgrading of qualifications and skills remains open for them, especially for the working adult population. The Ministry, through its various programmes and schemes, such as the VITB, has helped many who had missed the opportunity in their formal education, to better themselves. In addition, the Skills Development Fund is always available for firms to upgrade the employees' skill and ability. Sir, with compulsory primary education and implementation of continual education programme in schools, we have created a better environment and better opportunity for our students. However, Sir, despite all these efforts and schemes, I would like to emphasize the need for us to give special and additional attention to those who realise, alas not belatedly, their mistake and choose to better themselves in the later stage of their life. In this respect, may I ask the Minister whether he intends to broaden the scope for adult education and what kind of incentive, apart from personal satisfaction, it provides to those who try to better themselves academically.”
“Collectively, it is a "take-off" stage towards creating a knowledge-oriented society, a path which we have long pursued in the hope that the total cumulative result would be to help us to build a solid platform, a spring board, towards a new height for our society, our nation and our civilization. In view of this, I welcome the series of new efforts announced by the Minister recently. By widening and broadening the scope of education and training at national level, we will be able to cater for the increasing need for our people in the field of education. However, Sir, there is a limit to what we can do. Many students will still continue to pursue their education abroad. The reasons are multi-faceted - some for personal reasons, some for intellectual reasons and some for practical and pragmatic reasons. It is my humble submission that unless we act vigorously to strengthen their roots in Singapore, emotionally and ideologically, creating a strong sense of belonging, a sense of meaningful sharing of the future, we may end up unsuccessful or, worse still, a loser. In this respect, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister for his long term plan and strategy to cultivate our pupils so that their feet may temporarily be abroad but their hearts and minds are in Singapore. Sir, on the question of coordination between institutions of higher learning and research and development programme, we are fully aware that the importance of close cooperation between the institutions of higher learning and our R&D programme need not be emphasized. It has long been a proven formula for a nation's success in its economy and development. By sharing and tapping each other's resources through a well-planned.”
“Sir, the problem arising from an increasing number of our children pursuing their education abroad and the possibility of brain drain arising from it is not new. It has been a subject keenly discussed and debated by many quarters - educationists, education planners, teachers and parents. However, Sir, I feel that we have not found the most effective way of tackling this problem. Since manpower and human resource still remains the only source of our future survival and development, we have to do the best to overcome this problem. Since we last talked about education abroad and its negative effect to our human resource, the problem has taken a new dimension. Not only had the cases increased in number but also the type of people, their quality and the possible loss of use of their contribution to Singapore had also increased. With a greater number of students enrolled in the English stream, an increase in the number of those who succeed in their pre-university examinations and the widening area of qualifications, both in the academic and technical fields, the tendency to seek further education abroad is becoming greater. The increase in intake of students by NUS, NTI, and the Polytechnics has, to some extent, increased the opportunity, but it has not solved the problem. So is the new plan for the second university and the third polytechnic. Sir, the upsurge or quest for higher education among our people is a healthy one. Individually, it is a clear manifestation of our desire to achieve excellence in life.”
“Sir, I have three amendments. May I be allowed to take them together?”
“They are common problems found anywhere and are best managed through proper allocation of resources and careful but sustained efforts. Sir, it is my contention that flats built during the "boom period" are grossly inferior compared to those built recently. As a result, flats built during that period are seriously lacking in both design and quality of construction. About five to seven years after the flats were constructed, it is not uncommon for us to receive complaints relating to leaking toilet floors, cracked walls (especially those facing the sun), leaking from expansion joints and roofs. In a case or two, I was told that residents have to use umbrellas in their toilets. Sir, it is not my intention to sensationalise this issue. We all know that it is impossible to guarantee high quality of construction and finishing when we could not prevent some unscrupulous contractors from taking advantage of the boom period. In some cases, the problem is due to poor designing. I have received complaints from residents who were welcomed by splashing rain water as they opened the door of their corner flats or staircases flooded with water making it extremely slippery and dangerous, especially for the older ones. Could the HDB do something about it? On the new flats booking system, Sir, I would like to ask the Minister whether the new system of allocation is working well. What are the major problems related to it and how his Ministry intends to solve the problem?”
“Sir, on unoccupied flats, I would like to focus my comments on unoccupied HUDC flats. Sir, in my view, the problem of unoccupied HUDC flats stems from the desire of potential buyers to live in an area which is exclusively theirs, on one hand, and our social policy of encouraging greater interaction among our people from different income groups, on the other. But, Sir, privacy and exclusivity, to some extent, need not be created out of distance and isolation. The precinct concept, if handled and implemented innovatively, can achieve the desired effect. In this respect, Sir, through distinct landscaping, creation of landmark, play of colour and texture, added by subtle delineation of "visual boundary", we may be able to create the impression or feeling that the HUDC flats situated within the public housing estate as something distinct but not detached or alienated. Sir, the precinct concept was quite alien in the past. In our desire to create an environment which we hope could be conducive towards achieving a more cohesive society, we tend to fall into the trap of homogeneity and uniformity. Now, it is becoming more apparent that that sense of community can be carved through widely-perceived shared ownership, hence shared responsibility among the residents. I believe that the HDB, in planning and designing its new public housing estates, had applied not only the neighbourhood but also the precinct concept to achieve this objective. Could the HDB vigorously look into the possibility of applying or extending this concept to the already constructed but unoccupied HUDC flats? Sir, on defective flats, it is not my intention to discuss normal defects found in our flats as a result of wear and tear.”
“Sir, I have three amendments under this Subhead. May I be allowed to take them together?”
“It is, Sir. However, the HDB seems to face some difficulties in fulfilling the desirable objective in the Bedok Reservoir area, at least at this juncture. Sir, I am referring to a massive sand pile at Tampines Avenue 1, near the man-made reservoir, with attendant problems to the residents nearby. Sir, I choose the term "sand dunes", not out of climatological ignorance because, sand dunes, as it is universally known, are normally found in the desert areas. But in the case of the sand dunes in Tampines Avenue 1, Sir, the problem it caused the residents has reached a scale quite close to those sand dunes in the desert region. Not only is the glare of the white and loose sand painful to the eyes, but the dust blown by the usually turbulent wind in the open space has caused severe hardship to the residents nearby. Sweeping the flats twice a day does not solve the problem. On many occasions, the tiny sand particles landed in their eyes. The continuous movement of lorries unloading the sand had worsened the situation. The problem was also highlighted in the Straits Times report recently. Sir, I understand the sand was initially excavated from the Bedok Reservoir and left there at a time when the population was sparse in the area. Now the place is densely populated. May I respectfully suggest that the HDB consider one of the following: (1) Sell the sand to the building contractors who, I believe, will be happier to buy them than having to import from other countries. (2) Shift the sand dunes to other place far away from the heavily populated area. (3) Plant creepers or related vegetation to hold the loose sand from being blown away.”
“Sir, the HDB is widely known for its success and commitment to keep our living environment in the public housing clean and green. The swift manner in which the HDB acts to re-turf patches of grass resulting from burning of joss papers during certain festive months and the resources it spends to beautify the housing estates is a clear manifestation of its desire to keep the living environment clean and green. The HDB must be congratulated for making living in public housing such a pleasant one.”
“Sir, I have three questions to ask the Minister. First of all, the Minister mentioned that if a potential motorcyclist would like to buy a motorcycle from the common pool he has to pay 1/3 of quota premium. The question is, on what basis is he fixing the amount at 1/3 of the quota premium? Can it not be 1/5 of the quota premium, bearing in mind that the cost of motorcycle is a lot lower than 1/3 of the average motorcar price. The second question is: The Minister has introduced a surcharge of 10% for a car which is more than 10 years old. Since the Minister has, in his statement, indicated that the target objective of this exercise is to prevent cars from breaking down, is his Ministry not contemplating on looking for other more effective alternatives, for example, imposing heavy fines for cars which are more than 10 years' old whenever they break down? The third question is, since the Government policy is to find the source of traffic jams and penalising those responsible for causing traffic jams, would the Minister or his Ministry consider the possibility of being a bit strict to impose a ruling against the parties which are responsible for causing traffic jams, such as PWD and PUB, because of their frequent digging of the roads? They too cause traffic jams.”
“Sir, despite his lengthy explanation, I am afraid that the Member for Potong Pasir does not have the full knowledge before he draws his conclusion. I am concerned because the conclusion arrived from that inadequate knowledge could be misleading in supporting his view that the two riots were absolutely unrelated to religion. So my appeal is that I would hope that the Member would in future do a proper study before coming to his conclusions.”
“Sir, I would like to seek a point of clarification from the Member for Potong Pasir. He has concluded that the Maria Hertogh riot has got nothing to do with religion. But is not the Member aware that the target of the violence was mostly against Christians and there was no Chinese or Buddhist involved. And that riot was purely between Muslims and Christians. Was that not a religious-related riot? He also concluded that the July 1964 riot was purely and absolutely racial. May I ask him whether he was aware that the riot was triggered during a procession of Prophet Mohammed's Birthday celebration in which I was one of the witnesses.”
“Sir, in introducing the terms of reference, we are also fully aware of the current effort made by the Minister for Communications and Information to initiate and encourage dialogues amongst those affected. We are also fully appraised by discussions taking place in the mass media regarding this issue which Dr Hong Hai had earlier elaborated. Let us invite all the experts and the so-called experts to participate in our Select Committee. On that note, Sir, I support the motion.”
“Are current measures taken to control road usage sufficient and effective? Are they appropriate? Well, some are effective but are considered inappropriate. Some seem to be appropriate but are ruled as ineffective. We have to take this discussion into the open. Sir, we must also examine current policies for controlling the population of motor vehicles and, if possible, come out with better alternatives to such policies. In doing so, we have to be bold in our thinking if we truly want to be successful in our search for alternative policies. We have to ask many questions. Has the current policy approach using price mechanisms been effective in curbing the growth of the motor vehicle population? Or can we introduce a different policy such as the one practised in Japan by controlling it through, eg, the availability of car parks? We have applied this approach at least partially in our new housing estates. The HDB is changing its car park ratio per block. Could we then extend it to the CBD? Is it desirable for us to be drastic enough to ask for a review to the existing building requirements by giving the option, or even incentive, for the building owners to convert the existing multi-storey car park to that of office spaces? All these questions would be answered through a Select Committee hearing. This approach is based on the simple notion that car owners will not drive their vehicles into the CBD if there are not enough car parks. We have made it expensive to park cars in the CBD but they are still affordable. Why not make car parks extremely scarce so that the car park charge is so ridiculously exorbitant that people would not drive into the CBD? Such possibilities need to be aired publicly and response obtained from the public.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion moved by the Member for Bedok GRC, the Chairman of the GPC for Communications and Information. At the outset, let me first restate the long accepted fact that through our roads and streets run the very life line of Singapore's economy. Clog it in some intersections, it will cause a "stroke". A massive jam will cause a temporary paralysis. Turn such massive jams into norms of our road, it will be fatal to our economy. The effect of our traffic jams will not be confined merely to roadusers. It will also spill over and upset the smooth running of the air and sea ports which in turn will disrupt arrivals and departures of our tourists, investors and businessmen, delay the handling and transfer of our cargoes, hence undermining our capacity as an efficient centre for distributors and the region beyond. As our manufacturing sector is very much dependent to a large extent on the steady flow of raw materials, half finished and fully finished products to and from other countries, regular traffic congestions will definitely cause a decline to our exports, thus affecting our economic growth. It is for this reason that the terms of reference for the motion covers the qualitative as well as the quantitative aspect of the problem, as explained by Dr Hong Hai, and also the long-term strategies that we need to adopt to put the problem under control. Sir, we must examine the need for measures to curb road usage and the effectiveness and appropriateness of measures currently in force. In addition, we need to consider alternative measures. Based on previous public debates on this issue, Singaporeans generally agree on the need to control road usage. However, when it comes to specific measures, there is always a diversity of opinions.”
“The Satanic Verses, I am sorry. Sir, there is one point which I would like to make here. In making decisions, we ought to be seen as acting in a consistent manner. I think the book by Salman Rushdie is clearly blasphemous. It insults the Muslims. It causes great unhappiness and it hurts the feelings of the Muslims and we are quite aware of the misunderstanding and tension the book has created world-wide. However, Sir, I would like to confine to our position on the Satanic Verses in Singapore itself. Sometime ago, there was a controversy surrounding the book entitled "The Last Temptation". The Ministry was correct in detaining the book and withholding it from distribution. However, judging from comments raised in the newspapers, especially the English newspaper, we have seen prominent personalities taking a position - some publicly declaring that the book ought not to be banned. I would ask such personalities whether they feel the same on this book, whether they would be campaigning for the Satanic Verses from being detained by the Government. Sir, consistency is important so that we are not seen as being unfair, not being just. In ensuring that in a multi-racial society where religious sensitivity can be an explosive subject, a cautious, fair and judicious approach has got to be applied.”
“Sir, when I submitted a cut, MCI had not come out with any comment following a request from the Muslim Religious Council to have the book banned. It seems that the cut has been overtaken by events that MCI had finally decided to detain the book. An hon. Member: What book is it?”
“Of course, these programmes will have to match our national interests and safeguards will have to be put up to see that our values are not eroded just as a previous speaker has mentioned.”