Yeo Toon Chia
Singapore
“Sir, is it not possible for the Ministry to work with the grassroots leaders to provide some health care service for the senior citizens, especially for those over 65 years old? I know that the polyclinics provide the normal check-ups but the time wasted in queuing up at the polyclinics is very long, especially in the mornings.”
“Sir, will the Minister consider to develop the following plots of land which have been vacant for many years: (1) vacant land in front of the mosque along Avenue 3; (2) vacant land opposite Block 150 along Avenue 5; (3) vacant land opposite the market at Block 226 along Street 22; (4) vacant land next to Townsville Primary School along St…”
“Sir, I know that most of the Government hospitals and clinics would advise the public about the charges. How about the private clinics? I strongly feel that the private clinics should display their charges, especially the common illnesses, so that the general public would know that they are not being over-charged by the doctors.”
“Sir, could the Minister ask the restructured hospitals to present statements of accounts to Parliament? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, the hospitals are private companies owned by the Government and their accounts are published every year. If Members of Parliament wish to have them, I can arrange for Members to receive their annual reports.”
“To ensure that surgeons and consultants are not preoccupied with only the private patients, perhaps the Ministry should consider extending the Consultancy Fee Scheme (CFS) to cover subsidised patients as well. In this regard, I would like to hear from the Minister what plan does his Ministry have to modify this CFS scheme.”
“With our aim to be the centre of medical excellence, the challenge for the Ministry is not only to acquire all the latest medical technology, medical equipment and the best doctors, but also to be able to produce friendly, dedicated and compassionate nurses.”
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“Sir, will the Minister consider to develop the following plots of land which have been vacant for many years: (1) vacant land in front of the mosque along Avenue 3; (2) vacant land opposite Block 150 along Avenue 5; (3) vacant land opposite the market at Block 226 along Street 22; (4) vacant land next to Townsville Primary School along Street 32 and Avenue 8.”
“Will it be possible to do away with the side table and footpath and provide bus bays and bus stop over the drains?”
“Will it be possible to provide some bus bays in front of bus stops since widening the road will involve acquisition of private land? There are some side tables and footpaths ---”
“If the grassroots organisations would like to organise such services for the senior citizens, will the Ministry consider helping them by providing nurses and medical officers?”
“Sir, is it not possible for the Ministry to work with the grassroots leaders to provide some health care service for the senior citizens, especially for those over 65 years old? I know that the polyclinics provide the normal check-ups but the time wasted in queuing up at the polyclinics is very long, especially in the mornings. Will the Ministry look into it? Dr Aline Wong: I think we have to take into consideration the resources within which the Ministry is working. Since health screening is normally done once a year and, at most, twice a year, grassroots organisations can organise these health screening services right in the constituency together with doctors and nurses who live around the area and who are able to volunteer their services. If grassroots organisations cannot organise this regularly, family members can and should take time off to bring their elderly parents for their regular health check-ups.”
“Sir, I know that most of the Government hospitals and clinics would advise the public about the charges. How about the private clinics? I strongly feel that the private clinics should display their charges, especially the common illnesses, so that the general public would know that they are not being over-charged by the doctors.”
“Sir, could the Minister ask the restructured hospitals to present statements of accounts to Parliament? Mr Yeo Cheow Tong: Sir, the hospitals are private companies owned by the Government and their accounts are published every year. If Members of Parliament wish to have them, I can arrange for Members to receive their annual reports.”
“With our aim to be the centre of medical excellence, the challenge for the Ministry is not only to acquire all the latest medical technology, medical equipment and the best doctors, but also to be able to produce friendly, dedicated and compassionate nurses. For the nurses are the ones who are in constant contact with the patients and they are the ones who spend the most time with the patients and leave lasting impressions on them. The Ministry must therefore be able to come up with plans to attract not only good people to join the nursing profession but at the same time be able to retain the services of the trained and experienced ones.”
“Sir, I would like to suggest the Ministry look into the following areas to ease the shortage of nurses: (1) Uplift the image of the nursing profession. The recent introduction of a diploma course for the nurses is a very much welcome move by the Ministry. This is definitely one way of uplifting the image of the profession. Perhaps the Ministry should also consider sponsoring or arranging for serving nurses to pursue polytechnic diploma course for their career advancement. Will the Minister inform the House whether there are plans on this? (2) Revision of salary with better job prospects. Every year, more than 10% of our nurses resign to join the private hospitals and clinics. To stem the flow of resignations, the Ministry should look into the problems of the nurses. Though money is not the only factor, I believe that a better salary scale with better job prospects would be able to attract more people to join the nursing service and at the same time help to reduce the number of resignations. In this respect, I strongly feel that the Ministry should set up a Manpower Division to look into the shortage problem. Sir, as with any career, job satisfaction and monetary rewards are very important. There must be incentives for nurses who are hardworking to be rewarded. We must give them overtime allowances, night shift allowances or any other forms of recognition for the hardworking and dedicated nurses. More importantly, there must be job satisfaction and avenues for their work to be appreciated and respected by the general public. Perhaps the Ministry should consider coming up with plans to bring public awareness to the rewards and satisfaction of a nursing career, with more opportunities for further training and promotions.”
“To ensure that surgeons and consultants are not preoccupied with only the private patients, perhaps the Ministry should consider extending the Consultancy Fee Scheme (CFS) to cover subsidised patients as well. In this regard, I would like to hear from the Minister what plan does his Ministry have to modify this CFS scheme. Sir, Government must not be seen to be catering to a sector of the population with only the private patients having access to the care of the best surgeons and consultants. We must clear the public's doubt that only the rich can buy the best medical treatment and we must ensure that those in the middle and lower income groups feel comfortable that they are also able to afford and to get the best medical care and treatment should the need arise. Sir, may I move on to my second topic?”
“Sir, the perception among the public is that patients in the non-subsidised wards are often attended to by the best specialist doctors and enjoy better medical attention, while those in the subsidised wards, especially C Class, are usually seen by housemen and minimal attention is given to them. It is also common knowledge that some patients are discouraged by their surgeons and consultants to go to the subsidised wards if they want to be sure to be operated on by the surgeon of their choice. And there are also some people who feel that since their Medisave savings cannot be taken out, they might as well make full use of them with whatever Medisave fund they have. Sir, all these factors have led patients to choose to go to the private wards even when some of them could hardly afford to do so. While we respect the choice of the patients, I feel that efforts must be made to persuade those with low Medisave funds to choose to go to the class they can afford. In this respect, I would like the Minister to enlighten the House on: (1) Whether his Ministry is taking any measure to bring public awareness that Medisave funds belong to each individual and should be used wisely with a long-term approach. (2) Whether there are any plans to improve the image of Class C wards so that patients have the confidence that when they opt for the subsidised wards, they are not in an inferior class in terms of medical care and treatment. (3) What plans does his Ministry have to prevent surgeons and consultants encouraging their patients to be admitted to the private wards in order to schedule their patients' operations to fit in with their operation time so as to charge the surgical and consultation fee.”
“Sir, will the Minister consider working out a loan scheme for the sitting tenants?”
“Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“Sir, yesterday, before Parliament adjourned, I was talking about the long waiting time to see the doctor as well as to get the medicine. Allow me to continue. Sir, in order to cut down on the long waiting time and to improve the efficiency of the hospitals, may I suggest that the Ministry look into: (1) training courses for the counter staff to familiarise themselves with common medical terms and standard medical procedures should be given so that patients can be correctly advised and not having to go round looking for nursing staff for answers; (2) appointment times to be fixed at a more realistic interval and that the patient's file with related medical documents ready for the doctors on the day of appointment; (3) more computers to be installed to cope with the heavy workload. If it is feasible, computers should be linked to the clinics and the pharmacy so that whenever medication is prescribed by the doctors, the information can be immediately keyed into the computer and relayed to the pharmacist, thus reducing delays and waiting time; and (4) the long waiting time and overcrowding at the pharmacy should be improved. Perhaps we should consider employing more staff and expand the pharmacy or to set up more than one pharmacy in the hospitals to solve this problem.”
“Sir, being a regular patient of the Singapore General Hospital and having the benefit of seeing the two systems at work before and after the restructuring of the hospital, I regret that I have to say that the waiting period has not improved, and the overcrowding at the clinics appears to be worse than before the hospital was restructured. On my last visit to the hospital a month ago, a patient was heard asking why he had to wait for more than 1 1/2 hours to see the doctor, when his appointment was made more than two months ago. Another patient asked why it took so long to fix his next appointment. Sir, in order to cut down on the long waiting time and to improve the efficiency of hospitals ---”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head P be reduced by $10 in respect of Code PD 1500 of the Main Estimates. Sir, the restructuring of our hospitals has brought about a greater flexibility in the day-to-day running of hospitals. I am happy to note that some areas of our medical services have shown a great number of improvements, especially in our medical facilities and technology. However, there is one aspect of hospital service which I strongly feel needs to be looked into and improved upon. Sir, I am referring to the long waiting time and overcrowding at Government hospitals, specialist clinics and pharmacies. It is common for a patient who has an appointment with his or her doctor to have to spend 1 1/2 hours or more waiting before he could see the doctor which would take maybe 10 minutes or even less. After this, he has to wait for another 20 minutes or more to get his next appointment. Then he has to wait at least for another one or two hours at the overcrowded pharmacy for his medicine, resulting in half a day being wasted, when all it takes is 10 minutes or less to see the doctor. The time taken in waiting is not only unproductive but it also causes frustration. And this situation is made worse by the fact that staff manning the counters are not familiar with terms and standard medical practices. There have also been occasions where files were misplaced, queries asked had to be redirected to the nurses resulting in a merry-go-round.”
“Mr Chairman, the aged are an integral part of our society. The problem must be the concern and responsibility of every one - the family, the community, the Government and the aged themselves. In order that the Geriatric Unit in every Government hospital serves its purpose and not as a dumping ground for the aged, I would like to suggest that the Ministry look into the setting up of a coordinating committee to screen all the applications who seek admission to the geriatric ward in all Government hospitals and only on recommendations by the committee or doctor-in-charge of the unit should the applicant be admitted. Mr Chairman, the Government has a responsibility of looking after and caring for all its citizens. Government must not be seen as only grooming our young but also show care, concern and compassion for the old and elderly sick who have contributed much to our present progress and prosperity. They have little or insufficient savings because of their low or even no CPF contribution during their years of employment. Is it not time for the Government to be more responsible to look after these elderly sick? Finally, Mr Chairman, we must be seen to be sharing in the task of looking after our frail and aged sick and not to push this problem to voluntary and commercial homes. I hope the Minister will look into these needs and the problems of our increasing aging population with some urgency? 2.00 pm”
“Sir, as the number of our aged increases, not only will our health and medical facilities and services be stretched but the problem of adequate residential and nursing care will have to be seriously looked into. It is not uncommon for the residents to seek our help time and again to assist them to find residential care for a frail and aged sick family member. This is an almost impossible task as many voluntary homes take in only those who are ambulant while commercial homes are beyond the means of the average family. The setting up the Geriatric Department in Tan Tock Seng Hospital, 2 1/2 years ago, is a step in the right direction. However, I feel that this service is not adequate and should be extended to all Government hospitals as soon as possible. And in introducing geriatric medicine to all Government hospitals, beds should also be provided for both geriatric assessment and convalescent care. Mr Chairman, the objective of my proposing the setting up of a Geriatric Unit in every Government hospital is to cope with our increasing demand for geriatric medicine in our aging population and also to provide a place where the frail and the aged sick can be hospitalised for a period of time and, at the same time, to have an opportunity to be rehabilitated. During their stay in the hospital, the patient will also be able to learn how to rehabilitate himself and, at the same time, his family members must be educated and trained to look after the patient, with the aim to nurse him back to recovery. I believe that a good number of illnesses associated with the elderly sick stand a good chance of recovery if the patient is hospitalised early enough and has an opportunity to undergo a period of rehabilitation in the hospital.”
“Sir, I think the Minister did not answer the point about our health screening programme and whether this programme will be extended to other public housing estates.”
“However, in order to benefit the general public and the success of a screening programme, MOH should ensure that the fee will be affordable to all, especially the senior citizens and the low-income group. Will the Acting Minister enlighten the House on the details of the screening programme and will this programme be extended to all polyclinics in the public housing estates? (3) The setting up of the Department of Geriatric Medicine, as announced by the Acting Minister a few weeks ago, is timely, as the elderly sick usually have complicated illnesses and take a longer time to recover. However, as there is already an acute shortage of professionals, like geriatricians and physiotherapists, I wonder what MOH is doing to ensure that the elderly are adequately cared for. (4) As many of the medical conditions among the elderly can be cared for at home, I would like to ask the Acting Minister what sort of home support is being provided by his Ministry for the families who are looking after the elderly sick at home.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to join my GPC Chairman, Dr Aline Wong, to speak about health care for the elderly. Our population is greying. At present, the number of aged persons is 239,000 or 8.7% of the population. By the year 2000, the number of elderly will be 332,000 or 11%. And in the year 2030, the elderly population is expected to reach 835,000 or 26% of our total population. Today, the elderly accounts for 20% of outpatient attendance, 18% of hospital admissions and 27% of hospital beds in our acute hospitals are occupied by the elderly. Sir, the demand for health care and health services will continue to rise. If efforts to promote, educate and expand our health service are not quickly and effectively carried out, in the year 2000 and beyond, not only will we see a significant increase in the elderly patients, but most of our hospital beds will be occupied by the elderly. To arrest this problem, I would like to urge MOH to address the following points as soon as possible. (1) As the elderly are high consumers of our health services, these services must be easily accessible, convenient and readily available. In this respect, I would like to ask the Acting Minister whether there are any plans to introduce mobile health services such as X-rays and other routine check-ups at all polyclinics and even at community centres for the convenience of our elderly. (2) Since early detection of chronic degenerative conditions will reduce the need for hospitalisation and reduce the medical cost, the health screening programme to be introduced by MOH is a move in the right direction.”
“Sir, there seems to be a good number of nurses who are worried that after joining the restructured hospitals they will not enjoy the medical entitlement benefits. Will the Minister enlighten the House?”
“Sir, will the Minister of State consider requesting the STPB to set up a committee together with the Singapore Consumers' Association to see that all the complaints can be more effectively dealt with?”
“Sir, would the Senior Minister of State enlighten the House whether it is cheaper to ask the students to consult a general practitioner at a private clinic instead of providing a full-time medical officer at these institutions?”
“In fact, experience in developed countries has shown that it is not only difficult to see a doctor during this period of time, but that a doctor will not attend to anyone, except those who are his patients. This is a worrying trend which we would not like to see happening in Singapore. Sir, I feel that one solution to discourage the public from misusing the A&E services is to extend the opening hours of the polyclinics and other outpatient clinics so that those who do not require emergency treatment would be able to seek medical assistance at these places. Towards this end, would the Minister inform us if he would consider extending the opening hours of the Government clinics and what plans does his Ministry have to encourage doctors, both in the Government and private sectors, to make full use of the facilities at these clinics during off-work hours. Sir, it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure that there are always readily available clinics open outside working hours to enable people who are sick to get medical help. The Ministry must also realize that without alternative clinics to go to, it is only human nature that people will always turn to A&E services when the need arises. Only when there are real alternatives for people to go to, can the Ministry think of taking strong measures such as revisions in fee structures to prevent the public from misusing the A&E services.”
“Sir, I would like to touch on Accident and Emergency Services. Although consultations at the Government hospitals' A&E units are on the rise, I doubt that all those making use of the services are of an emergency nature. I believe a good percentage can be classified as non-emergency cases which could have been treated at the Government or private clinics. The increasing number of people seeking treatment at A&E is a cause for great concern as they will not only overload the staff and facilities at A&E but also defeat the purpose and intention to which these units were set up. To discourage the misuse of A&E services, a publicity campaign was launched in 1985 to educate the public. Would the Minister enlighten the House as to the position of A&E attendances since then? Sir, I have no doubt that the Ministry is doing its best to find solutions to overcome the overcrowding problem at A&E departments. However, I feel that the Ministry should examine in greater depth the reasons behind the rise in demand. Is the increase due to the population growth resulting in more people using A&E services? Or is it because the charges attract the lower income group who feel that they can get a more comprehensive check-up at a comparatively lower cost than that offered by the private specialist clinics? Sir, the main reason I feel is the lack of clinics operating after office hours. As our society becomes more affluent, doctors can afford to work only during office hours. This seems to be a growing trend as it is increasingly difficult to get to see a doctor after office hours or weekends and public holidays. Staff at Government polyclinics and outpatient clinics work only during office hours with many private clinics now doing the same.”
“Will the Minister inform the House where is the proposed site for this children's hospital?”
“From my point of view, foreign maids impose less social cost than foreign workers. Because foreign maids have got homes to stay in. They go out maybe once a week over the weekends for relaxation. They do not pose social problems to the same extent that other foreign workers could cause. My own personal view, which is different from the Minister for Labour's, is that we can afford to be more liberal in giving permits for foreign maids. I believe that foreign maids do not pose the same social problems as foreign workers. And I am in the forefront of supporting the policy of having more children in Singapore. If, by being more liberal in granting permits to foreign maids, we can get our younger parents, those who can afford it, to have two, three or four children, I think we should liberalize. I thought I should say this so that the possibility of our issuing permits more liberally for foreign maids would not be foreclosed by the Minister for Labour.”
“Sir, I feel that it is better to reject applicants at the initial stage rather than to allow a couple to marry and start a family, and later telling them PR is not granted and therefore the affected spouse has to leave Singapore. The First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence (Mr Goh Chok Tong): Mr Speaker,Sir, I want to speak on the subject of foreign maid. I have listened to arguments from both Dr Aline Wong and Mr Shanmugam. We know the Minister's point of view. The Minister's point of view is closer to Dr Aline Wong's, which is, that we should be stringent in allowing foreign maids into Singapore because of the social costs. On the other hand, we are faced with the problem of wanting Singapore women to work. If you want them to work and at the same time encourage them to have two, three or more babies if they can afford it, we have got to find a solution to their problem. In other words, how do we offer the best solution for them to weigh the cost of raising a family and their desire to work? Solutions have been discussed and that include providing more creches, kindergartens and nurseries, to help them to look after their children. The argument for foreign maid is that this will, in fact, help them to have more babies and also to work at the same time. I think we can debate this subject at greater length to see whether or not we should liberalize the policy on foreign maids. The key question is whether foreign maids, in fact, do impose such a social strain on our society. If the answer is yes, that having a large number of foreign maids in Singapore imposes a strain on our society and an overload on our amenities which Singaporeans want to use, then we should curb the number of foreign maids. But we have foreign workers.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, applicants to the Ministry of Labour seeking permission to marry perceive approval granted as a green light for them to get married and bring up their family in Singapore. Although they are told that an approval does not automatically grant them PR status, yet many of them still hold out the hope that they will eventually be granted one. The thinking among the public is that the various Government Ministries work as one body and when the Ministry of Labour gives the approval, it is usually a matter of time before PR is given by the Immigration Department. It therefore comes as a shock to the family when the spouse is told to leave Singapore. Life for the whole family is then disrupted when the spouse leaves his family and children behind. Sir, it is not uncommon during the Meet-the-People sessions for MPs to have to face the whole family, some bringing along a few young children, appealing for help to allow the affected spouse to stay in Singapore. While not encouraging them, I feel that these people need our sympathetic consideration. Perhaps the Ministries of Labour and Home Affairs could work out a scheme whereby those who were granted approval to marry and have already settled down with children and have worked in Singapore for more than five years on work permits to have their applications for PR considered more favourably. If PR status is not granted, Sir, perhaps a longer stay in Singapore be considered. Sir, to minimize such a problem, I would like to suggest that the Ministry coordinate and work closely together with the Immigration Department in the processing of applications for contract of marriage and that any applicants which are not likely to be granted PR status by Immigration Department should be rejected.”
“Sir, I hope the Ministry can give a clearer picture to the existing lessees so that they know how to calculate the premium. By doing that, they will be able to expand their business and know what is the position they are going to face.”
“Last question, Sir. May I know from the Senior Parliamentary Secretary how they calculate the premium when the lease is going to be renewed?”
“Will JTC consider whether it is feasible to sell these factories and workshops to the tenants instead of collecting rentals from them? Sir, HDB is selling shophouses to shop owners, and this is in line with the Government's policy of privatization. It is right that JTC should consider doing likewise. By selling these flatted factories and other rented factories and workshops, JTC would be able to reduce the loans and interests and cut down on the total operation expenses. It would also benefit the tenants of having the opportunity of owning their own factory premises. I hope the Minister will request JTC to look into the matter. Sir, we have succeeded in encouraging ownership of homes for our citizens. Towards Excellence 1999, we should also encourage our local companies to own their own shops and factories as well.”
“Sir, I would like to touch on the renewal of lease and sale of JTC factories. As the biggest industrial landlord managing 24 industrial estates with 6,300 hectares of land and more than 3,600 companies located on these industrial estates, any policy or measure taken by JTC has a direct impact on the cost of operating business in Singapore. Sir, I would like to bring to the Minister's attention that there are many companies operating on JTC industrial estates with short-term leases of less than 30 years and which are due to expire before 1999. Will JTC keep these companies informed well in advance of their position when their leases expire? How will JTC revalue these factories and workshops which were built by the lessees? Is JTC going to base the valuation on the buildings on prevailing market price or at a rate to be fixed by JTC, with due consideration to the original cost of the buildings which were constructed by the lessees? Will concessions or rebates on the buildings be granted to them when the leasesare renewed or when JTC sells these properties to the existing lessees? What about the period of lease that JTC will grant? Will the lease be extended to the same period as in the original agreement upon renewal? These are some of the important questions that lessees on JTC industrial land would like to know. Sir, I feel that JTC ought to give a clear-cut policy on this issue to all existing lessees so that they would be able to plan ahead in the expansion and development of their business. Sir, besides the industrial lesses who are operating on their own factories on JTC land, there are also hundreds and thousands of companies operating on JTC rented flatted factories. These companies are paying rental year in year out.”
“Sir, In view of the Minister's reply, I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.”
“And surely the budget would not come up to tens of millions of dollars as is presently being requested by the various Ministries. Sir, I understand that originally the idea was also to centralize the computerization of the civil service. But after some time, individual Ministries went into computerization programmes on their own. Could the Minister enlighten the House as to the outcome of this course of action, and whether any studies have been made to determine the necessity of every Ministry having to spend large sums of money on computerization. Also, why it is not possible for the NCB to set up a central computerization department to provide the necessary services and functions for the civil service?”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head N be reduced by $10 in respect of Code NH 1000 of the Main Estimates. Sir, as we continue to move into more high value added technology and high productivity, the National Computer Board must be commended for doing a good job in promoting computer utilization as well as in the training of computer personnel both in the private and public sectors. The success of developing Singapore into a business and services centre depends much on our ability to upgrade and keep up with the latest technology and on this, I have no doubt, the NCB will continue to play an important role. Sir, in line with the Government's policy of higher productivity and greater efficiency, the civil service has also embarked on a computerization programme a few years ago. And one of the main functions of the NCB is to help to develop the computerization and the training of computer professionals for the civil service. I believe that most of the Ministries have already been equipped with both computer software as well as hardware in their efforts to upgrade and provide better administrative and information services. This is a good move. However, in doing so, we should also look into the cost effectiveness and whether it is necessary for every Ministry to spend millions of dollars in computerization every year. Would it not be more logical in terms of costs and manpower if NCB could centralize the computer facilities, whereby Ministries are linked online with the central computers in NCB and similar functions and services could still be performed by the Ministries? With the centralization of computer services, it would greatly reduce the budget allocation for the computer services programme in various Ministries.”
“By removing the sugar duty to enable more bona fide importers to import sugar, the keen competition will compel our importers to look for alternatives and cheaper sources so that our consumers could have the cheapest type of sugar made available to them. Sir, I would also like to bring to the Minister's attention regarding the adjustment of petrol and diesel pump prices. I feel there is a misconception amongst the public that pump prices are fixed by the Ministry of Trade and Industry as it seems to be the Ministry's job to announce the adjusted prices of petrol and diesel whenever there is an increase or fall in the price of crude oil. The Ministry of Trade and Industry does not buy or sell petrol and diesel. The oil companies are the importers and suppliers of these products and the price at the pump is a reflection of the cost of imported crude oil. As such, would the Minister consider correcting the misconception and leaving future announcements of pump prices to the individual oil companies and allowing market forces to determine the prices of the product? Sir, I feel that as Singapore moves towards privatization, Government should allow free play and let market forces determine prices and let consumers have a say in their preferences and the price they want to pay for a product. What Government should do is to monitor the situation to ensure that there are sufficient supplies of all essential daily necessities and that the interests of our consumers are well protected.”
“Sir, I would like to touch on rice, sugar, petrol and diesel prices. Sir, the fall in the cost of living last year came at the right time as this helps to offset the recessionary effects on households. Basic necessities like rice and sugar fell by 13% and 11% respectively. This substantial fall was due to better harvest from our suppliers. As we all know, prices of commodities fluctuate on the basis of supply and demand. As a consumer country that depends heavily on producing countries for our basic necessities, I feel that more must be done to ensure the stabilization of prices and an ample supply of basic necessities to meet our needs. Perhaps in the case of rice, we should not limit the number of importers but liberalize and allow all bona fide importers to import rice for local consumption. This, I feel, will not only bring the price of the commodity down but also encourage local importers to cast their nets wide and scout around for more suppliers for the cheapest and more varieties of different grades of rice. The keen competition among the importers will ensure that prices are kept down and that we do not have to depend heavily on a few suppliers. Sir, with regard to sugar, I feel that since it is an essential commodity, could the Minister consider removing the import duty on sugar? Though the duty may be necessary because of long-term supply contracts made with suppliers by the Sugar Industry of Singapore to ensure that our consumers enjoy a stable price of sugar supply, I feel that the Ministry ought to review this policy especially when we are moving towards privatization and most of our consumers fail to understand why Government has to impose import duty on sugar.”
“To ask the Minister for National Development what caused the loosening of road surfaces after a few days of continuous rain, resulting in many unsightly potholes on some of the roads; and what preventive measures his Ministry will take to overcome the problem.”
“To ask the Minister for Finance (a) what are the objectives of the Export Credit Reinsurance Scheme; (b) what are the benefits provided under the scheme; (c) how many companies have benefitted from this scheme; and (d) what was the total amount committed to this scheme as at the latest convenient date.”
“To ask the Minister for Finance whether his Ministry will (i) conduct public relations courses for civil servants who work at counters or have to deal with members of the public daily, and (ii) select officers who are good at languages to deal with members of the public in order to create a better image of the civil service.”
“What the public wants is an assurance that all precautionary actions is being taken to prevent such incidents from happening again and that the Department is seriously taking action to ensure that all roadside trees are safe and do not pose a danger to the public. Also, what is the Department doing about the 1,300 trees that were identified last year as being potentially dangerous? I feel that the Department can do more to minimize damage caused by falling trees and branches. Besides making routine inspection of trees, perhaps the Department should consider the setting up of more rescue and emergency squads, like the Civil Defence Force, whereby men trained with special equipment are ready to quickly rescue people trapped under fallen trees. These squads could also deal with the quick removal of fallen trees and branches which normally cause massive traffic congestion. The squads could also attend to the public's complaint of the danger of falling trees and help to remove quickly to prevent accidents. Sir, we have established a clean and green Garden City. Let us continue to maintain our good image and let us not let falling trees mar our image as a gracious and safe place for both our people and the tourists.”
“Sir, I would like to touch on the Parks and Recreation Department. Sir, our success in making Singapore a Garden City results in a record of 600,000 trees under the Parks and Recreation Department alone, with thousands of more trees from the HDB, and more to be planted each year. With so many trees around, the hazard of falling trees and branches is greatly increased. We know that trees give us shade and beauty but we are also aware that, if they are not properly taken care of, they can be a threat to human lives. The recent death of two persons and serious injury to a third caused by falling trees make both pedestrians and motorists wary of roadside trees, especially during rainy weather. Falling trees and branches snapping have been known to cause accidents and damage to electrical wires and mains, thus causing inconvenience to the public. To ensure minimum damage caused by falling trees, I feel that the Parks and Recreation Department together with HDB must step up action to check all trees more frequently and thoroughly, especially the older trees and bigger trees as they are likely to cause more damage during wet weather. Sir, an officer of the Parks and Recreation Department was quoted in a newspaper as saying that 51 trees that fell during the first 10 weeks of this year was a very good track record. I feel that perhaps it was the constraints of resources that prompted him to say so. The fact that falling trees have killed two persons and seriously injured another makes the public more conscious and concerned about the potential danger of trees.”
“Sir, may I know from the Minister when this data collection exercise will be completed?”
“May I know from the Minister whether we have invested some of our reserves in the Japanese Yen?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion of the Member for Changkat. 12.21 pm”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in times of poor capital liquidity in an economic recession, the Government should consider allowing members of CPF to use their CPF to buy and pay for industrial and commercial properties so that the pressure on our local industrialists can be eased. Banks and financial institutions should not emphasize too much on the financial losses during the economic recession and tighten their credit facilities. This is like withdrawing their umbrella in rainy days. On the contrary, they should base their dealings on the track record and credit worthiness of the local enterprises in the earlier years so as to help them reschedule their credit facilities to tide over the current recession so that they will not collapse or taken over by the MNCs. Mr Speaker, Sir, for the long-term future of the country and our next generation, we must ensure the continuing economic development of Singapore by creating favourable conditions to induce and attract more foreign investors and create more jobs. The various measures recommended by the Economic Committee should be comprehensively and properly implemented. With all these measures, I am sure the people of Singapore will be able to survive the economic crisis and forge forward to a better futures. The people of Singapore must understand that our political stability enables the Government to create and plan favourable economic conditions. But more importantly, all Singaporeans must have the confidence, the courage, and the will to overcome these difficulties. We must work together in unison in the present recession and march towards a common goal. We should make our own adjustments in times of economic difficulties, look for new directions and new development. In this way, we will be able to survive and grow.”
“The EDB must pay attention to this and ensure that local industrialists are given the necessary encouragement and assistance, when the Government is promoting high technology development, they should be encouraged to make use of the services of the EDB and other Government departments, including venture capital scheme, so that they can venture into new products and enter into new markets. Mr Speaker, Sir, from the figures given on the local capital invested in local industries, we know that there is quite a lot of local capital which can be ploughed into industrial development. The problem here is that in the face of high competition and serious economic recession, local capitalists do not know which industry to invest in. So the EDB and the Ministry of Trade and Industry must identify suitable types of industry among such prospective new fields as the information technology, bio-technology, micro-computers, software production, special chemicals, etc. They should also identify similar types of industries abroad and help local industries and entrepreneurs to go into joint ventures with them. The Government can also take part in such joint ventures to enhance the confidence of local entrepreneurs. In this way, local entrepreneurs and industrialists will be able to absorb new industrial technology and production management. When these local companies and local professionals can take charge of the production and management, then the Government can back out and then go into similar joint ventures, in new fields. In this way more local capital will be ploughed into new industrial production and there will be more local professionals to join in the production and management of our local industries.”
“Thus, they should be able to survive and increase their competitiveness so that they will be able to have better growth when the economy recovers. Sir, the cut in taxes, in rentals, and even CPF will not solve the current economic recession. For example, with automation, mechanization and even computerization of companies, if there is no proper management and no progressive and hardworking workers in a factory, productivity will not increase and the company's profit will not rise. It is only through a reorganization of the old industry, increase in productivity and the search for new markets, coupled with cooperation between good management and hardworking workers with factories working round the clock, then our products will be cheap and of good quality. Only then can we find ourselves a place in the international market and earn more foreign exchange and improve our economy. Sir, according to statistics in the Economic Report, from 1981 to 1984, local capital committed in manufacturing industries were about $648 million, $599 million, $509 million and $493 million respectively. And these accounted for about 34.4%, 34.8%, 28.6% and 27.3% of the total industrial investments. In the first three months of 1985, local capital invested in industries is about $63 million, about 32.9% of the total industrial investment. These figures are very encouraging. These substantial amounts of local capital ploughed back into local industries will definitely have a beneficial effect on our economy, because local capital hopes to take root and grow in local soil to provide shade for posterity. Unlike foreign capital, which moves from country to country according to the profit they can make.”