Yeo Ning Hong
Singapore
“The SAF always reviews and enhances its training system to maximise the contributions of NSFs to national defence during their NSF stint. We will continue to ensure that the training syllabus is relevant to the defence needs of Singapore, and NSFs' time in the SAF used meaningfully and efficiently.”
“New recruits will find military training less onerous if they take on the personal responsibility of preparing themselves well physically before enlistment. AUCTION OF #03-06 PEK CHUAN BUILDING 6.”
“Sir, on a point of clarification. I believe Dr Ahmad Mattar had earlier on attributed some comments to me. I just want to clarify that I am not waiting for July to have my views on SBC made known to the Minister for Information and the Arts.”
“Sir, to encourage the new NSmen to maintain the same physical fitness that they have achieved while they were in full-time National Service, Mindef will increase the IPPT pass standards for new NSmen who ROD on or after 1st April to the same level that they attained when they were NSF.”
“Sir, I do not think Mr Chiam has any clue whatsoever about what is involved in basic military training. It is not fitness. It is the acquiring of basic military skills, to know how to fight, to know how to ensure that you do not get killed.”
“Sir, Mr Chiam would make a most popular Member of Parliament in Kuwait - if only they had a Parliament in Kuwait. That is exactly the sort of situation that had brought the Kuwaitis the disaster they had a year and a half ago, when people are only interested in having a better life and are not prepared to make the effort to ensure that th…”
The complete record
Every one of 853 lines we hold for Yeo Ning Hong, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 14 of 18.
“I beg your pardon, Sir, notwithstanding the comments from the Member for 4-eng Kee, I want to stress that we will consider all suggestions from Members of the House, look at them seriously to see if we can benefit from it. Sir, this is a national problem. We want to solve it, so that none of us will be caught in traffic jams day in, day out. And anybody who has got a good solution, we will most surely welcome it.”
“Sir, I have stated that for the next five years we will be building roads at the rate of approximately 3% a year. If the population of vehicles grows much faster than that rate, you must expect your traffic jams to get worse and worse with each passing day. Sir, I now come to the points raised by the various hon. Members. The Member for Leng Kee has suggested that there should be a quantitative control of cars by using some form of import duty. Sir, let me say offhand that the Ministry welcomes all suggestions. It will look into them, study them carefully. Many of the suggestions are very extreme.”
“The Government is doing all these ostensibly to assist taxi drivers, yet the person most unhappy is the taxi driver himself. I, like the Member for Leng Kee, agree that the time has come for the Government to move away and remove most of these controls. I feel that licences and importation of taxis must be freed and Government should encourage fleet owners to operate taxis, as suggested by the First Deputy Prime Minister, and even allow these fleet owners to fix their own rates. In the long run, it may be useful for market forces to determine the taxi rates. While I understand the rationale for the increase in both taxi fares and diesel tax, I am afraid this policy at this point of time is totally unacceptable and I am gratified to know that the Minister for Communications has announced in this House that he will review this position. Sir, while Singaporeans will be paying higher taxi fares for the next six months, I believe it is important that for those who cannot afford to pay taxi fares they should not be penalized. By this I mean that our bus companies should not take this opportunity to increase their fares also. I hope, and I sincerely hope, that the Hon. Minister for Communications can assure this House that bus fares will not go up in tandem with taxi fares. Any assurance to thiS effect by the Hon. Minister will allay fears expressed by many people, especially those in the lower-income group.”
“Presently, in trying to control the increase in the number of cars, our tax measures are hitting hard on all existing car owners as well as new owners. Sir, the question to ask is whether this system is fair. A more equitable way would be to make new owners pay the market price and, secondly, to levy a charge or tax on all those who use the roads as such. I am told, Sir, that in Hong Kong they are trying out a pilot scheme on this and it may be worthwhile for us to monitor this project closely. This will help our car owners who, in the first place, are willing to use public transport but only use private cars for weekends or special occasions. Sir, ownership of a car is a status symbol in Singapore today and the Government must find ways and means whereby Singaporeans can own a car, just like owning an HDB flat. A tax based on actual usage of roads, I think, would be a more fair basis. Sir, I accept that there is no single answer to our car population problem. But, like other Members in this House, I believe new solutions must be found rather than strict applications of fiscal measures. Sir, I turn to the increase in taxi fares and diesel tax. Whilst I agree that increases are necessary, the quantum in both cases appear to be excessive and unrealistic and, as expected, has evoked strong resentment among taxi drivers and unhappiness among commuters. Here is a Government policy which is supposed to assist taxi drivers, yet both taxi drivers and the commuting public are unhappy. This is another example of excessive Government control in the price mechanism. For a start, taxi licences are controlled. Next, the number of taxis is again controlled by Government and, thirdly, taxi fares are also fixed by Government.”
“Sir, before we adjourned, I was speaking on the fact that it is fortunate for us in Singapore that the existence of a free market mechanism ensures that the few who seek to profiteer will always meet with competition from those who do not take advantage of occasions of cost increases of this sort to jack up their prices, and hence, by and large, our consumers are able to get their products without the burden of profiteering. Sir, the Member for Leng Kee has also raised another point which I would like to touch upon, namely, the point of peak-load pricing. In other words, to price the fares at a slightly different level when the demand is high, particularly during the peak hours and to lower the price when the demand is low, ie, during the off-peak hours. These are interesting ideas that have been taken up by some other countries, and we will in due course be looking into the feasibility of doing this for the MRT. Mr S. Chandra Das (Chong Boon): Sir, much has been said about controlling the car population in Singapore over the last few years. Various measures have been introduced, especially fiscal measures, and yet the car population is still growing. Sir, I agree that the growth of the car population must be controlled, otherwise we will end up in a situation like, say, Bangkok, where one can stay on the road for many hours just to cross two streets. I am sure, Sir, that Singaporeans who have travelled abroad do not want to see this situation happen here. Our problem seems to be one of controlling the increase in the number of cars in relation to our road system. I feel that the Government is in a position to decide on the number of cars that can be allowed into the system each year and therefore should not introduce policies which affect all car owners in Singapore.”
“Thank you, Sir. Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.”
“The number of taxi drivers and their average ages over the last five years are as follows: Average age Year No. of taxi drivers (years) 1980 20,716 41 1981 26,647 41 1982 27,747 42.6 1983 31,949 42.5 1984 33,729 42.9 1985 34,632 43.4 We do not keep a record of the median age. (All data as at 1 January.) PERMANENT RESIDENCE DEPOSIT SCHEME 7. Maj Fong Sip Chee asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Second Minister for Law (l) what is the name of the Fund set up for the purpose of receiving deposits under the scheme for the granting of permanent stay to foreigners; (2) how much has been collected in the last four years; (3) to what use the deposits in the Fund have been applied; (4) how many foreigners have been granted permanent stay under the scheme; and (5) how many applicants not under the scheme have been rejected permanent stay.”
“ROV does not collate the socio-economic profile of the more than 34,000 taxi drivers on its records. Their average age as at 1st January 1985 is 43.4 years. ROV surveys show that the average monthly gross fare collections of single-shift taxis for the period January 1984 to February 1985 is $2,439. It is not possible to calculate the nett salary of drivers because the cost of operating a taxi varies from driver to driver depending on the age of the taxi, the level of maintenance, etc. ROV estimates that their nett monthly salary is between $1,000-$1,200. TAXI DRIVERS (Population and Age) 6. Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam asked the Minister for Communications and Information, Second Minister for Defence and Second Minister for National Development how many taxi drivers there were in Singapore as at 1st January, 1985 and 1980 to 1984; of these taxi drivers, what was the median, and what was their average age.”
“3,103 new taxis were added to the fleet over the last five years, as follows:- Owned by the Companies Year NTUC S'pore S'pore Airport SBS Taxi Total Comfort Commuter Bus Services Pte Ltd Pte Ltd Pte Ltd (SABS) 1980 938 - - - 938 1981 500 - - - 500 1982 646 - - - 646 1983 309 113 100 43 565 1984 - 297 - 157 454 _______________________________________________________________ Total 2,393* 410 100 200 3,103 Average per year 621 _______________________________________________________________ * The 2,393 Comfort taxis are owned by individual members of Comfort. TAXI DRIVERS (Socio-economic Profile) 5. Dr Arthur Beng Kian Lam asked the Minister for Communications and Information, Second Minister for Defence and Second Minister for National Development what is the socio-economic profile (salary, educational status, age, type of dwelling occupied, marital status and number of children) of taxi drivers and whether there is a noticeable change of the profile in recent years.”
“Taxi drivers under disciplinary inquiry by ROV do not question the complainants in person. If this were so, very few complainants would be willing to lodge their complaints because of the unpleasant nature of a face to face confrontation. In all cases of complaints, the complainants must be personally interviewed by ROV officers. If they are unwilling to be interviewed, ROV will not pursue the case any further. The ROV is an impartial body in all disciplinary inquiries. It acts upon complaints against commuters by taxi drivers, as well as complaints against taxi drivers by commuters. Taxi drivers are given a thorough and fair hearing. They are free to rebut or deny any of the complaints made. ROV's duty is to examine the merits of each case taking into consideration all the evidence available and to perform this difficult but necessary task fairly and impartially. Only if there is evidence of wrong doing, would the Registrar of Vehicles take disciplinary action. I am satisfied that the present procedures are satisfactory and enable Singapore to have a high level of taxi service with the minimum of complaints. ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY WITH CPF SAVINGS 13. Maj Fong Sip Chee asked the Acting Minister for Labour (1) how many Central Provident Fund depositors have used their savings to acquire private properties; (2) the total amount so withdrawn; and (3) that in view of the fall in property prices, what ramifications there are for these depositors.”
“And the doctor told him recently, that there was no hope of a recovery. Perhaps it would be only a matter of days before she would die. But what he could not understand was why his wife had this kind of love for her son -to donate her kidney that put her in a coma for almost eight to nine months. Why should such a thing happen to her? Perhaps I will have to write a letter to enquire about it. This story tells us that to donate a kidney, it involves not only a great amount of courage and love but it also involves great risk of life to the donor. Sir, you are a surgeon yourself. So I believe you must know or perhaps realize that when an operation fails, how one would feel. On the other hand, if the transplant has been successful and the patient is given a new lease of life and lives a beautiful life thereafter, then it would be of the greatest merit and virtue. Thank you. 12.26pm”
“However, I agree that rigid stipulation that all students must learn a second language, compelling them to learn it, may be a passive method. Perhaps other than rigid stipulation, we may think of some methods of encouragement, not only to encourage the students to be interested, to arouse their interest in learning their mother tongue, and also to help them to understand the importance of learning one's mother tongue. Sir, just now I said that the last general election was a watershed of our political history. The new Government will have heavy responsibility to shoulder. As a new Member of this Parliament, I also feel that I have an onerous responsibility. I feel that my fellow Members, particularly new Members, have the same feeling as I, just like the Government also will have onerous duties and responsibilities. The Member for Ayer Rajah has described new MPs as donated "kidneys", that is, for the good of our body, the whole entity. He has described them as kidney transplants. I feel the description of new Members as "kidney" in kidney transplants is not quite apt. I think we are donors of kidneys. As such, we must have the kind of feeling, the kind of compassion and courage before we can be kidney donors. This is very important. I hope there will be more kidney donors in our society. Last night when I was at the Meet-the-People Session, a middle-aged voter, who was an ordinary labourer, came to see me. He appeared very sad and worried. "Why?", I asked him. He said that in June last year his wife went to the General Hospital to donate her kidney for a kidney transplant for their son. After the operation, the son recovered. But unfortunately after the operation his wife lapsed into a coma and has been unconscious since then.”
“Just as what the Prime Minister has said, a language is in fact a key to a system of culture and value concept, particularly when one is at the stage of receiving university education. I feel that at such a stage it is not the time for one to talk about whether there should be a second language. When a student has reached university level, he has come to the stage when he is able to make use of this key to open up the treasures of traditional culture and value concepts. Sir, allow me to quote a few lines from the "Great Learning" where it says from the outset, "the way of great learning of a gentleman is to understand illustrious virtues, to be kind to the people, and to achieve the utmost perfection". According to Mencius, a scholar in olden China, "Great Learning meant learning for the adult." According to James Legge's translation, "Great Learning is to illustrate illustrious virtues, to renovate or love the people; and to rest in the highest excellence". I think if we want to achieve a better society and to have a more cultured society, then it is a prerequisite. It is very important for the university students to be mentally prepared so that they can strive onward until they can achieve highest excellence. Sir, university students are the cream and the elite of our nation and they are the pillars and beams of our future nation. In future, if they are not pillars, they will be beams, like what the name "Chok Tong ( )" implies. They should be able to glorify their forefathers just like the name "Kuan Yew ( )" expresses this action. They must be able to let their nation be prosperous and strong and well. So, if such elite of our nation do not have cultural roots, then it will be most unfortunate and very lamentable.”
“The result is that the institutions that safeguard democracy and freedom are being threatened. People marry, for example, not out of loyalty or a sense of commitment or belief in the value of the institution of marriage and family, but out of a sense of "psychological self-fulfilment." They become involved in politics, not out of any civic obligation or with any desire to seek what is best for the community as a whole but in an effort to defend their own "special interests." That is why politics has become so "morally unsavoury" to many Americans and "the politician" is hold in such low regard. People assume that, if you are in the game of politics, you are not playing fairly. You are not getting involved because you are a good citizen. You are not seeking what is best for the community. You are there for reasons of utility. You are after your own interests.' (In Mandarin) Sir, if this kind of selfish behaviour appears in our society, I feel that we should be very concerned about. Even in such an individualistic country like the US, their sociologists are very concerned about this problem of individualism. What are we going to do? I feel that in this respect education and traditional culture play a very important part. Education does not mean only academic education. It includes family education. If the children are not taught, it is the fault of the parents. Therefore, parents have the duty to educate their children. Academic education is to nurture and establish a person for a life-time. It is not just for the imparting of skill or techniques alone. Another important thing is language. It is not just a tool of economy. We learn a language not because it has economic values.”
“There is only permanent national interest. Even when a country is in the best of terms with another country, there could also be unfriendly happenings, just as what has happened between New Zealand and the United States. Their relationship has now gone sour. Even in our neighbourhood, during the Chinese New Year there have been certain events happening. There was the trouble with mandarin oranges which took place just across the Causeway. Then, in a matter of just three hours away by air from us, there is war going on in Vietnamese-occupied Cambodia. And Thailand also has to contend with frequent border infringements by Vietnam. All these are eye openers which should make us sit up and realize that we must constantly be conscious of our security and must always be prepared for internal trouble and internal strife. What is meant by internal trouble? It is the disunity of the people and non-existence of mutual trust coupled with a diversity of purpose between the people and the Government, just like in a quarrelling family, even worse, where there are prodigal sons who quarrel among themselves and also fight against each other for the inheritance of their forefathers. If such squabbles take place amongst us, it would be most unfortunate. There is another thing. While we live in peace, we must also be security-conscious. We must be alert against the raising of individualism or egoism which is a problem that calls for our attention. Here, I would quote from the International Herald Tribune of 27th February 1985 which reported on the results of a study by an American sociologist on individualism. This scholar was Robert Bellah. He said: (In English) 'We are concerned that this individualism may have grown cancerous, that it may be threatening the survival of freedom itself.”
“How can we reach a concord on achieving this kind of society? I feel we could go by these means. For instance, firstly, there must be dialogue between the Government leadership and the public Secondly, there must be consultations. Thirdly, people's participation; and fourthly, which is perhaps the most important, the political will to arrive at and strive for a common objective. These are the four main approaches. I feel that the PAP or the Government is not lacking in political will but let the younger generation of Singaporeans express to their elders that they also are not lacking in this political will and determination to create a better Singapore. I would ask whether the Opposition Members also have the same kind of political will. Let them tell us and let them tell the people of Singapore. Sir, in order to create a better society, we must also be able to achieve a situation where there is security while in peace. In the book of "Yi" there is a quotation: "A gentleman when in peace does not forget danger; when in existence does not forget death; when in orderly rule does not forget disorder; so that one may be secure and the nation may be preserved". The decline of a nation has many reasons. It is none other than natural disasters or human trouble in internal strife or foreign invasion. At the moment we do not have any of such things, earthquake, floods, fire, foreign aggression, etc. Instead, externally, we have ASEAN with whose members we have a close relationship. We are getting on well with our neighbours. But let us not forget that international relations is something that does not exist without change for long. There was one Thomas Palmerstone, a Prime Minister of England, who said that there is no permanent national friend nor permanent national enemy.”
“Fifthly, I feel that Government departments, and statutory boards should pay more attention to the feelings of the people. Civil servants should not throw their weight about. They should not be bureaucratic. There should be a humane civil service. In this respect, the public relations practice of Telecoms work is worthy of emulation by Government departments and statutory boards. As a people, we should realize that we are a small country. We are like in a small sampan, always subjected to the natural elements and other limitations. Our living conditions cannot therefore be compared with the big powers. We cannot behave like the people in such big countries. We should not behave like people in some countries where there are internal squabbles and civil strife, such as the example of the United Kingdom quoted by the Member for Kuo Chuan where the coal miners went on strike for one year causing the country to incur a loss which would take us three years to earn. Perhaps that is the so-called people's expression of freedom but the price to pay is tragic and the consequences are worth taking note of. As a small country, I feel that we should try our best to arrive at a consensus on important issues, although we may not reach 100% consensus. We must try to seek concord in diversity. This is the way to our survival. What kind of society are we going to reach? On this, we must reach an accord on the character of the society. Here, the Government has formulated a blueprint that what we want is a better society. What kind of better society? How much better? This society must have this kind of attribute where there is peace and harmony, mutual trust, order and discipline, a society where there is tolerance, creativeness and viability and a cultured society.”
“On the part of the Government, the Government must adopt a new style. Some people feel that in the past the style and the method of government has been too patriarchal. It is just like what the Member for Queenstown has said, too paternalistic. This too patriarchal a style is very difficult to be accepted by the people nowadays. For instance, some people regard the priority given to children of graduate mothers is too paternalistic in style. But I do riot mean that the purpose of the priority scheme is wrong. The intention is very good. Perhaps it would take a few decades before Singaporeans realize that the Government's priority scheme as a result of the present procreation trends is good after all. They may then understand the reasons for this policy. Secondly, the Government must have a new approach in the business of government. In the past, there were certain unpleasant measures taken in governing the country which should not be repeated. For instance, when the Government wanted to reduce the number of vehicles on the road, it raised the road tax immediately; and when it wanted to reduce the number of people from taking taxis, it immediately increased taxi fares. This is not too convincing. The steps taken were too fast. Thirdly, the Government should give the people more information so that they may understand the situation better. Otherwise they may be prone to rumours. When one person starts talking, the rest will tend to believe, just like the saying that, when a dog barks at a shadow a hundred dogs will join in. Fourthly, I feel that the idea of town councils for the participation of our citizens, is worth trying. From what I know, in certain central European countries there is a kind of citizens' council. This kind of organization perhaps merits our study.”
“This also shows that under the present new situation, the government, in winning over the hearts and minds of the people, or in trying to change the bad habits or the bad points of the people, must try to put in more realistic efforts. The Government must try to rebuild the mutual trust and close relationship that existed between the people and the Government in the past. Sir, there is a saying that when there is harmony in the family, everything will be well. If the husband keeps on suspecting the wife of being unfaithful, then although they may be sleeping in the same bed they will have different dreams. If the children continue to grumble about their mother, then there will be disharmony among the members of the family and the family may not keep on well or prosper. So let us all remember that whatever it is, we are members of the same family. How then, are we going to rebuild this mutual trust between the people and the Government? First, I feel that we must understand that we are now faced with an entirely new social situation where, with popular education the standard or level of education of the people is higher. At the same time, the type of objective factors which compel the people to accept strict social discipline as in the past no longer exists. That is to say, the type of crisis-feeling of the people then is no longer in existence now. In other words, now the people have greater confidence and a greater sense of security, and they also want to have more opportunity of participation and demand more information on Government policies, and they also demand more voice on these matters. So how are we going to deal with this new situation? I feel that we must deal with this situation in two aspects, (1) on the part of the Government, and (2) on the people.”
“It was he who said "I examine myself three times a day". He did not marry and he was living with his mother. One day when his mother was knitting, somebody suddenly turned up and reported to her saying, "Old granny, your son has killed somebody! Jen Shen killed somebody!" But his mother was not moved. She continued to knit because she knew that her son was of good character and very filial and would never kill a person. Soon after, a second person also turned up and told her, "It is true that Jen Shen has killed somebody." At that time, his mother was a bit jittery in the heart, thinking that since there were two persons who had told her the same story, it might possibly be true. But still she kept calm and was not very convinced. But soon a third person turned up and said, "Yes, it is true. Your son has killed somebody." Then this old woman became very frightened. She not only threw away her work but scampered over the wall and escaped. So this story goes to show how serious a rumour could be. In fact, it was true that there was one Jen Shen who killed somebody, but that Jen Shen was another person of the same name, not Jen Tze who was the son of this old nanny. Sir, I quoted these two stories to illustrate one principle, ie, in a democratic society, if we hope to develop a healthy democratic system that would grow strong, then our people must have a higher level of intelligence and with a better sense of judgment, and should not be easily swayed by unfounded rumours and falsehoods. In other words, as people in a democratic country we must be more mature.”
“Perhaps it is an indirect first edition information that he had heard. Now, it is third edition. So with every repetition, there must be some difference. Let me read out. The first edition is, "Pay And Pay"; the second edition is, "Pay And Pay, Why Pay?"; the third edition is, "Pay And Pay, Why Pay? So, Don't Pay." It could perhaps be a practical joke, but it illustrates what I have just said about the change in the whole political scene. As I said, the whole political situation is quite different now. The mood or sentiment of the people has undergone great changes. Sir, although rumours will stop at one who is knowledgeable, unfortunately there are many people who believe in such rumours spread around by irresponsible politicians. These rumours have caused a kind of damage between the people and the Government, causing mistrust of the people against the government. This is very deplorable and lamentable. This makes me recall two stories that happened in olden day China, one of which is called "A company of three persons makes a tiger". Of course, it does not mean that the three persons together have actually become a tiger. Normally, you would not find a tiger appearing in town. But, if one day, among three people in the streets one of them suddenly shouted, "In Kreta Ayer there is a tiger." The second person also repeated the same story. Later on, the third person also said that, "there is a tiger in Kreta Ayer". Then it would lead to many people believing that there is a tiger in town, if they did not believe in the first two persons' rumour. There is another story about "Jen Shen killing somebody". Jen Shen or Jen Tze, a student of Confucius, was well-known for his filial piety. People who have read the Analects would know that he was a very filial son.”
“I will give a few examples. It is just like an old couple, a husband and wife who have gone through difficult times together for many years. Suddenly the husband suspects that his wife has been unfaithful, having committed a certain unfaithful act. After all these many years their children have grown up. It is even more pitiful when the children grumbled about their mother saying that she has been exercising too strict a control over them. That is an even more pitiful situation. Why? It must be due to interference from a third party or a fourth party. Sir, we have also heard of many rumours circulating in the market place before and after the general election, that the government was not quite clean, was always seeking profit, and was only interested in getting money, or in Hokkien "luimin" (money face). They accuse the Housing and Development Board of selling flats in order to make money. They also said that the Government's sudden proposal to delay the withdrawal of CPF savings was because the Government had no money and therefore had to keep the contributors' money in the savings for use. There was also the talk that the Government wanted to make use of the CPF funds to pay for the MRT. There were also other rumours that Singapore has no freedom. It was too disciplined. It was under too rigid rules and so on. Yesterday the Member for Queenstown (who is not here now) mentioned a story about "pay and pay", which had also been circulating in the market place. The Member for Queenstown could be likened to " " (Su Wu) who was sent to the Frigid Northern "Bei Hai" territory as an emissary where he tended a flock of sheep. After such a long absence from home, now he has come back. Maybe he has lost touch with reality here. Maybe his information is not quite direct.”
“It is of national importance and the basis in ruling a country for its good order and progress. Whether you are the government or you are the people, we are in the same boat, sharing the same fate. Therefore, we must cooperate. All must abide by certain rules, discipline and order and we all must go towards the same direction. In this way, we could ensure the safety of this boat. In the next five years, our common direction is to build a better society. This is also the direction formulated by the new generation -leaders. It is also a goal. But, Sir, I personally feel that so far these objectives and these directions and policies have not been accepted by all our people or agreed to or understood by all of them. This is presently the greatest challenge facing the new leadership and the Government. So the problem is how to convince our people, how to mobilize our people to march towards the same common goal and direction. I feel this is a very onerous task. The success or failure of this task will determine whether we will continue to develop and progress or we will enter into a state of decline or degeneration and meeting with certain undesirable consequences. Sir, after the December general election, we find that the political situation in Singapore as a whole has been quite different. In the past, for a very long time the people and the Government had always shared a mutual trust with each other, and maintained a very close relationship. But after this general election, not a few people began to lose confidence in the Government. This Government, in fact, is the same Government that has led Singapore through many difficulties and hurdles until today. Why is it that some people have certain doubts in the Government and have their confidence shaken?”
“But governing a country is not like playing a soccer game - no fun. I believe the Government, particularly the young Leaders in the Government are deeply conscious of the onerous burden of governing a country that they have to shoulder. Sir, after crossing over this water-shed, we have entered a new arena just like what Caesar of the Roman Empire said, "We have crossed the Rubicon, there is now no turning back." There is no turning back for us. We must face the future. Obviously, we cannot return to the 5Os, 60s or even the 70s. We cannot return to the time when there were labour-intensive industries nor to the days of cheap labour. We also cannot return to the days of planting tapioca, vegetable growing or chicken rearing. This is a hard fact of reality we must face. The question is what are we going to do when faced with a new situation or when facing the future? Where are we going to? How are we going to conduct ourselves? The new Government has announced six main objectives to achieve in order to arrive at a better society. This is an ambitious plan and a grand vision which calls for all our support and are worth striving for. The question is, how are we going to materialize this vision and achieve our goals? Among the six main objectives, I believe the first objective is perhaps the most important one, namely, that people must arrive at an accord on the character of the society people desire. The original quotation is: 'to reach an accord on the character of the society people desire'. On this point, I feel that rather than regard it as an objective, it would be better to say that it is a pre-condition or a pre-requisite for achieving other objectives or goals. Because I feel that unity of purpose between the people and the Government is of fundamental importance.”
“Sir, a fair wage is what all market economies pay for any scarce resource. And where a job is available and people are willing to take it, that represents a fair wage. I see the Member for Whampoa nodding his head. He is an economist and he will tell us that that is fair. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Debate on the Address (Fourth Allotted Day) Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [1st March, 1985]. 'That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to:- "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the Opening of the First Session of this Parliament.".' - [Dr Tan Cheng Bock]. Question again proposed. 11.36 am Mr Goh Choon Kang (Braddell Heights)( In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion moved by the Member for Ayer Rajah thanking the President for his Address. Sir, the general election in December last year has been described as the watershed of Singapore's political history. The first sentence in the Presidential Address says: 'The political leadership of Singapore has passed on to a new team of younger leaders.' Therefore, the importance of this general election is very clear to all. I feel that the responsibility of the new Government is also very great. There are double aspects to it. On the one hand, it is to carry on with what achievement that has taken place in the past, and on the other hand, to explore the future and to create a new path. So it involves both the aspects of continuity and exploration. It is not a childish game, nor as simple as a football game. The First Deputy Prime Minister has described himself as, in soccer parlance, the centre forward - the front line shooter.”
“Sir, the Member for Anson obviously was not listening at all.”
“And this is why our objective is not to be protectionistic but to continue to encourage and provide the means for our workers in all categories, not just the seamen alone, but workers in all categories to upgrade their skills to make them capable of earning more and in the process have a much better life.”
“Sir, the Member for Anson has said very correctly that they can employ seamen from other countries at a cheaper rate. Let me give him an idea of how much cheaper and that may explain partially why some of our seamen are unable to obtain employment with the shippers. Sir, for an ordinary seaman in Singapore, he is paid $1,500 approximately, in round numbers. ($1,498 was the figure obtained from rates provided by the SOS.) In neighbouring countries, the equivalent figure could be anything as far down as $270. We are talking about a factor of close to six. For the bosun, the Singapore bosun is paid $2,125. In neighbouring countries, the bosun can be paid $317, a factor of about six also. Sir, this represents the world market for seamen of different calibre and of different abilities. Our objective must be to ensure that when our seamen draw that sort of high salaries, high incomes, they give that sort of performance to make it worth while for the shippers to employ Singapore seamen and Singapore officers. Sir, I know that the Member for Anson has got a simple solution to all the complex problems of this world. His objective is really to solve small problems and in the process create big problems. And if the big problems create trouble for Singapore, so much the better because then he can say, "Ah, we have brought the Government down." Sir, this is not our approach. Our approach is to take the long-term view of the situation and attempt to solve the problems systematically, rationally.”
“Sir, this is indeed a good suggestion and has been put into practice where money from the Skiffs Development Fund is made available for the upgrading of seamen and officers.”
“Sir, the objective in Singapore's approach is to encourage productivity and an open market economy. And in the process, we encourage shippers to get their own seamen, either through the National Maritime Board or if they already have adequate means of selection and employment of seamen elsewhere, they would be able to get them elsewhere, without having always to go through the channel of the National Maritime Board.”
“Sir, the practice continues and any shipper or shipping line that requires local seamen has indeed been in touch with the National Maritime Board for names for consideration for selection for employment on board ships.”
“Sir, I cannot see how the putting aside of a small room for seamen to sit and wait could create jobs. The correct approach must be to encourage our seamen to upgrade their skills in an extremely competitive industry - an industry that is not localized in Singapore but an international industry. Sir, as long as our seamen are having very high incomes compared to those in the region, then our seamen will have to prove that they are worth the salaries or the wages that they are paid. Our objective must be to encourage our seamen and officers to upgrade their skills to continue to be competitive and in that way earn their keeps and make themselves productive and worthwhile to their employers.”
“Sir, having large numbers of seamen sitting around waiting for jobs is not a very productive activity.”
“Sir, the National Maritime Board does not require the seamen to report when they have already found employment on land, and therefore the Maritime Board does not keep record of seamen who are unemployed.”
“Sir, that statement may be true. Many of them are skilled in matters of engineering and mechanics, and various other technical fields, and should have very little difficulty in our overfull employment situation in getting the jobs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, yes, the answer is correct. There are large numbers of seamen who have already found jobs in Singapore. We have in Singapore a unique situation in the world, that is, an economy that generates more jobs than there are workers, so much so that we have to bring in in excess of 150,000 workers from abroad. Many of these jobs are available to a seaman to take up. Indeed, I have given the number of 977; these have all found jobs locally. Out of those who are still considered on the active list, many of them may have already got jobs locally but have not informed the National Maritime Board as they are not required to do so.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, we will continue to encourage the productivity of our seamen by ensuring that they upgrade themselves so as to be competitive with seamen from other countries.”
“Sir, the problem of unemployment of seamen is an international problem, as a result of the slow- down of the shipping industry worldwide. Our objective must be to continue to encourage ships that come to Singapore to employ our local seamen.”
“Sir, the practice of certification as mentioned by the Member for Kebun Baru will be looked into. Some of these aberrations have historical origins. They will in due course be resolved. As to whether there are as many marine institutes in the world like the number of universities or paper mills issuing certificates, there are fewer of these than there are universities and paper mills. The quality of the certificates issued by the various countries is by and large fairly well-known among the international shipping community. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Yeo Ning Hong). Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. ADJOURNMENT SINE DIE (Motion) Resolved, "That at its rising today Parliament do stand adjourned sine die." - [Mr E.W. Barker]. TRIBUTE TO RETIRING MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT”
“His concern is that there should be more people on board a ship, notwithstanding the point raised by the Member for Chong Boon. Sir, as I have stated also in the reply to the Member for Chong Boon, the manning requirements will take into account what is the international practice so that the safety of both crew and ship will continue to be well looked after. Foreign certificates will also be reviewed. We will ensure that there is international acceptance. It is well known that certain countries have higher standards of testing and certification compared with others, and this will be looked into thoroughly. The Member for Whampoa asked if we have the capacity for the certification of seaworthiness of our ships as well as the capabilities of a seaman. I would like to assure him that we have. We have in Singapore numerous naval architects, and marine engineers with extensive experience in the field of shipping as well as shipbuilding and ship-repairing. The Member for Kebun Baru himself is a naval architect. We also have a nautical studies department in the Polytechnic which provides instruction and therefore we have the capability.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I want to thank the three hon. Members of the House for their interest in the Bill. I would take the questions in the order in which they are raised. Sir, I want to assure the House that consultations with the employers and unions will be undertaken. It has always been the practice of the Marine Department to have consultations both with the employers and the unions prior to the promulgation of regulations. The Member for Chong Boon raised the question of the minimum standards required and how we intend to go about doing this. Sir, the regulations will be made, bearing in mind international requirements, international acceptance, and to ensure that the reputation of Singapore will in no way be affected. Sir, as I have stated earlier, Singapore is presently one of the world's busiest ports, with its merchant navy growing rapidly. Singapore is also well known worldwide for the very high quality of its manufactured products. And we have therefore a vested interest in ensuring that the services provided, and in this particular case, the services provided by the merchant navy, are also of a high standard. So these are some of the factors which will be taken into account in the drawing up of the minimum standards required. As for the specific issue of radio officers, it is the intention of the Ministry to ensure that this will be reviewed constantly. I am aware that radio officers are no longer operating just what was previously simply a radio and nothing else. Present methods of navigation include the use of the International Maritime Satellite System. So some of these qualifications also have to be looked into and upgraded. The Member for Kebun Baru also raised the question of the criteria. This has been answered a moment ago.”
“It is necessary also to ensure that our seafarers and ships meet the Convention standards and requirements so that Singapore ships will not risk delay or even detention in foreign ports. The amendments will enable Singapore to accede to the STCW Convention at the appropriate time. The Bill also proposes to consolidate all provisions on fees under one section to prescribe by regulations the fees levied for services rendered under the Act. At present, some of these fees are prescribed in the Act while some are prescribed in regulations made under the Act. Finally, Sir, in addition to the aforementioned amendments, the Bill contains a new section 339A tO forbid any unauthorized person from boarding a ship or remaining on board after being requested to leave. Such a provision will further enhance security on board ships in Singapore waters. Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." This Bill seeks to amend the Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 172) mainly in the provisions relating to the manning of ships and certification of seafarers. The existing legislation governing manning levels and certification of seafarers is outdated. Regulations on certification have not been revised since 1955. Provisions on the manning levels were last drawn up in 1970. Furthermore, we were tied to the acceptance of UK regulations on certification even though the content and nature of our training have over the past years been modified to accommodate our local circumstances. The purpose of the Bill is therefore to bring our legislation on manning and certification in line with current shipping practices and safety requirements. The proposed amendments include only the key provisions while the detailed certification and manning requirements will be prescribed in regulations in order to facilitate their updating to keep up with continuing changes in shipping. As ships become more sophisticated with the introduction of higher technology, the training and manning standards will have to be constantly upgraded to enhance the safety of such ships and their crew. Singapore is one of the busiest ports in the world and has a sizable merchant fleet. Therefore, we must ensure that our standards are kept high. The regulations on certification and manning will be in line with the provisions contained in the 1978 International Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) which came into force on 28th April 1984.”
“Sir, the Government has invested in excess of $1 billion in the development of Changi Airport. This is a huge investment. It is an investment for the benefit of the whole of Singapore. In the foreseeable future, it is extremely unlikely that the sums of money could be recovered from the Airport operations alone, simply because no airport in the world is able to run the Airport in isolation as a profit centre. The Airport is but one of the many infrastructures that a nation that is as progressive as Singapore must have. Without the airport, Sir, I cannot see how we can talk about the tourist industry. I cannot see how we can talk of having a hotel industry, nor the shops that we have in Singapore. So the question of profit does not, I think, really arise at all. The surpluses of revenue over expenditure will be conserved and ploughed back for future expansion and the upgrading of facilities and services. Sir, we still have a long way to go in ensuring that at Changi we develop an airport that is able to take us well into the 21st Century. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House. The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Dr Yeo Ning Hong]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. 6.15 pm ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO THE CHAIR”
“Sir, I want to thank the Member for Kebun Baru for his very positive suggestion. His suggestion of training people for job blurring - I believe it is the same as job enlargement - is a good idea. The National Maritime Board has already decided to do training of this sort to ensure that future seamen will have ability to operate both on deck as well as in the engine room. This will give them greater ability to get jobs that are available to other less able seamen. Sir, his other point refers to the training of radio officers by the Polytechnic. Sir, I understand from the Polytechnic that the courses run for radio officers are sufficiently broad. There is heavy emphasis on the latest in electronics and communications. Trainees with such backgrounds will find it possible to get jobs on land even if the world-wide market for such skills diminish. Therefore, there is not the danger of having large numbers of people with experience in this area not being able to get jobs. I believe the Polytechnic has looked into this problem very thoroughly and is of the opinion that their trainees will be in demand both at sea as well as on shore. 7.30 pm”
“Sir, season tickets are currently being considered by the SBS. However, zoning of Singapore and the restructuring of bus routes can be disruptive and it is the intention of my Ministry to ensure that disruption of this sort should be kept to a minimum. Therefore, it is likely that season tickets of different sorts, not just the fixed fare type but season tickets of different sons, and the rezoning of Singapore and the realteration of services and routes will be carried out close to the arrival of the MRT so that Singaporeans would not be disrupted too severely too frequently.”
“These classroom sessions are also followed by on-the-job guided tour, taking them round, showing them the various bottle-necks that exist in our road network. It is also intended that courses would be conducted for existing taxi drivers to upgrade them in their knowledge of new mutes, new roads, particularly those who had taxi licences for more than 10 years. And very soon, the ROV will make it compulsory for taxi drivers to carry the latest copy of the Street Directory.”
“Sir, I welcome the Member for Kaki Bukit's reflection of the views of his constituents. However, I suggested that he should be discriminating in ensuring that he does not believe wholeheartedly the views brought to him and that, wherever possible, he should look at the total picture and then help explain why it is possible that occasionally four or five buses come together and are bunched together, that there is no concerted effort on the part of SBS to run four or five buses close to each other. That is what I have in mind. I would like to thank the Member for reflecting his residents' views. But if the Member could help us then problems of this sort would be, as i stated earlier, more easily resolved. Sir, the Member also raised the question of training for taxi drivers. This is indeed the case. As a result of the rapid building of flats in Singapore - and the Minister for National Development a few days ago told us the large number of flats that would be built, probably closer to 50,000 for the year 1984 - it is inevitable that in now housing estates some taxi drivers may not know their way around as readily as they do in the older housing estates. The ROV is aware of this and intensive training will be carried out for taxi drivers when new housing estates are occupied by residents. In addition to these classes to acquaint taxi drivers with the locality of new housing estates, the ROV is also conducting classroom sessions to help learner taxi drivers find their way around in the whole of Singapore. And such courses can go on for as long as two months, trying to give them a total appreciation of the road network, the shortest routes to various places from various other places and so forth.”
“00 pm Sir, a lot of work goes on in Ministries prior to the formulation of a policy. A lot of work has got to be done in thinking through and implementing the policies, adjusting the policies in the light of changes in Singapore as well as changes outside Singapore in the rest of the world that impact upon us, that influence us, that result in certain other responses that we need to make in order to ensure that we got the best possible transportation system for us in Singapore. For example, if there is a sudden price rise in the cost of fuel, then the more fuel intensive transportation systems will be less favoured and hence there would beg reater emphasis on the more fuel efficient methods of transportation such as the MRT. And this has got to be done on a continuous basis, not a once off son of situation, the report comes out and everything is settled.”
“Sir, firstly, I think the Member for Anson was not listening. Secondly, he has answered his own question. Of course, we are increasing the number of taxis. But that does not mean that there are not enough taxis. If that is too subtle for the Member for Anson, let me explain. Sir, the number of taxis required for a given population can be determined, and having established the number required, we try to keep the ratio of rides with fare-paying passengers to the number of rides where the taxis will have to drive around empty. So if we provide too many taxis, then the income for taxi drivers will drop, because they will spend a great proportion of their time driving an empty taxi because there are not enough passengers. Sir, as I said earlier, the number of taxis will be increased gradually to meet the demand that is anticipated with the rising disposable income of Singaporeans. Sir, the Member for Anson asked why we do not have all the bus services amalgamated into one company. Again, I think the explanation was given a moment ago. We are trying to encourage a degree of competition in order that the vast majority of Singaporeans will enjoy a more effective and efficient bus service. Where it is appropriate, the Government has no hesitation to run its own operations. This is the case with regard to the MRTC. So there is no question of the Government running a particular branch of public transportation. But it must be appropriate. Sir, I think the Member for Anson also raised another question as to whether we should publish all the reports that we have when we study problems of land transportation. The answer is no. If we were to publish everything that we have, then the Ministry will have nothing else but reports and reports coming day after day. 7.”