Yong Nyuk Lin
Singapore
“Sir, it gives mc a chance to say again that the modified plan cannot be accepted at this stage. But it does give me the opportunity to answer another point which was raised by the Member for Ton Payoh and which I have missed in my answer, i.e, that the fringe area car parks would not be utilized at night.”
“I am sorry, Sir, for failing to answer all the questions raised by the Member for Sembawang. As regards the full implementation of the recommendations of the White Paper which was meant to be completed by the middle of 1973, I can only say that it was not a 100% implementation of all the recommendations.”
“He said that they threw the mail on the floor. Here again, unless a complaint is lodged, we can do little about it because all postmen and postwomen are being told how to behave and to extend courtesy, and what the correct procedure is and methods of delivery of mail.”
“" And if, God forbid, priority national needs should one day call for a limitation of circulation of automobiles or any other measure, no one would then regard it as an intolerable sacrifice. "For in a society where humanism regains fully its rights, the automobile should not constitute an end in itself," Mr Graber said.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, it is regrettably true that after many of the estimates for Paya Lebar Airport had been voted, revotes had to be asked for. The reason is that it has taken a long time to get all these development proposals started. They are development proposals really, Sir, and plans have got to be drawn and checked.”
“In these circumstances, I hope it will be appreciated that they are stretching themselves far and wide, and there is always a limit to what a human being can do I can assure him that we will continue to enforce the regulations as far as it is humanly possible before getting a complaint from the Member for Sembawang who says that our enfor…”
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“Unlike Japan, which introduced legalised abortion in 1948 as a population control measure long before family planning came into the picture, we in Singapore, on the other hand, are fortunate to have a successful mass family planning programme in action before contemplating the introduction of a law to liberalise abortion. This is therefore no desperate measure to control population growth in Singapore. The success of the first three years, 1966 to 1968, of our Five-Year Family Planning programme has already brought down the natural rate of increase of our population by over six points, i.e., from 24.4 per 1,000 population in 1965, the year before the introduction of the Five-Year Plan, to 18.2 per 1,000 population in 1968. This is a most satisfactory position indeed, and a record, probably unequalled elsewhere, for such good results within the short space of three years of an action programme. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] 5.46 p.m. To those who ask, since our family planning programme is so successful, why then introduce the controversial issue of liberalising the law on abortion? Is this necessary? The answer is a categorical yes. Once the principle of family planning is accepted, i.e., that not every sex union must automatically result in a conception and thereafter the birth of a child, it automatically follows that legalised abortion for contraceptive failures must be conceded to, and that is what this Abortion Bill aims to achieve.”
“Man does not go through the profound experience of childbirth and the attendant mother-love of tending and caring for the young till it is able to look after itself, after years of laborious care, pain and sorrow. As men, we tend to talk somewhat lightly about the pangs of childbirth. How many of us fathers who are not medical doctors like yourself, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, have watched their wives at childbirth? I have. It is only after watching a mother going through such an experience that one can understand the problem of the unwanted child to the woman - not the man. Mother-love is so strong and powerful and yet she chooses to abort. It goes against her very nature to do it. But when she does make that decision, it must have been under great provocation. Having an abortion is no picnic. It is not fun. It is painful. It is a traumatic experience, as mentioned by the hon. Member, and the woman who decides on an abortion does not come to such a decision lightly. I, therefore say, that when a woman decides on an abortion, the least we can do for her is not to make it harder for her by labelling it as "illegal" and thus make her desperate enough to do something furtive and, worse still, to go under the counter, with all the attendant dangers that go with illegal activities, to get what she wants, despite the fear, the risks that are being taken and the rapacious swindle that goes on by those who profit out of it, just because of the existence of an antiquated law which, far from protecting women, has made them victims of it.”
“That is the responsibility of the Minister for Defence. And this has been going on for nearly 20 months, ever since it became known in August 1967 that it was Government's intention to introduce this legislation in Parliament. It must be remembered, however, that the large majority, espe cially the women folk who will benefit under this Bill and who are, I am sure, in full agreement with the principles of the Bill, prefer to remain silent on it. As the saying goes, silence means consent. Let me first recall, briefly, the background of how this Bill came into being. I can assure this House that the liberalisation of the law on abortion for Singapore is no flash-in-the-pan idea, just to hit the headlines, but a sober, measured, deliberate and ultimate step for the full emancipation of our women. We passed the Women's Charter of 1961 which gives to our women (other than those who subscribe to the Muslim faith) equality of status and security through the one-man, one-wife law. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] 5.42 p.m. They are no longer chattels to be trifled with but equal partners in a marriage. In my view, the right of a woman to decide whether or not she is to bear a child can only be guaranteed if it is made "legal" for her, of her own free will, to undergo an abortion if she so decides. Indeed, we would fail in our aim, that of giving our women folk who, after all, form one-half of the human race living on this earth, full equality in the eyes of the law if we do not pass this Bill to give her the right to decide whether or not to have another baby. Having a baby is something no man can ever understand because, physically, man is incapable of bearing children.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to speak in full support of the Abortion Bill now before this House. It is necessary for purpose of record to state that the Government's decision to introduce this piece of progressive legislation to legalise and to liberalise abortion was taken nearly two years ago, when I was then in charge of the Ministry of Health. A great deal of time, thought and consideration has, therefore, been given to the drafting of this Bill, as we are fully aware of the highly controversial nature of the legislation to be enacted, and the hue and cry that will be raised by those holding strong religious views on the subject, as well as those who are sincere, conscientious objectors. We are confident, however,, that genuine opposition and resistance to this Bill forms only a minority, although vocal and somewhat vociferous in nature. As we are practising parliamentary democracy in Singapore, it is important to ensure that those in opposition to the Bill should be heard ---”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Ulu Pandan can rest assured that every effort is being made to expand the facilities for training more of our citizens to become seamen, within the limits of finance made available to us. There is, fortunately, a good demand for the services of our seamen, and it is our first aim to raise the present number of registered seamen of around 8,300 to 20,000, within the next few years. As our training ship "Singapore" is only able to produce about 500 trained seamen each year, it will be recalled that on 23rd December, 1968, at the Second Reading of the Bill to amend the Seamen's Registry Board, we introduced a crash programme for "on-the-job training on board ships", with Government prepared to pay a subsidy to foreign ship-owners, of the equivalent of $35 per month for every Singapore citizen trainee serving on board their ships. To date, 160 are already under the scheme and another 190, making a total of 350, are waiting to be signed on. There are also other proposals under active consideration by my Ministry for the expansion of training facilities for seamen, and these will be announced when ready.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, as at 31st January, 1969, there were 4,373 applications for telephones on the waiting list, because of shortage of spare lines and exchange equipment. However, it is expected that about 3,000 or 65 per cent of the applicants will be able to get service by the middle of this year. Installations for the remainder, however, will take much longer. In certain isolated areas, it would be uneconomical to meet their demand, e.g., it would cost half-a-million dollars to provide telephones to 60 applicants who are living in the Choa Chu Kang, Woodlands Road/Mandai Road and Sungei Kadut areas. It should be stated that in recent years, the demand for telephones has far exceeded expectations. For 1967, although the planned expansion rate was fixed at 8 per cent, the actual rate achieved was 13 per cent. For 1968, although the planned expansion rate was raised to 12 per cent, the actual rate achieved exceeded 14 per cent. The Board has, therefore decided on a four-year crash programme of expansion for 1969-72 to meet the ever-increasing demand for telephones. It has already submitted an application for a second loan with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. SEAMEN (Expansion of training facilities) 18. Mr Lee Teck Him asked the Minister for Communications whether he will take steps to expand the facilities for the training of seamen so as to enable more citizens to become seamen.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, advertisements for vacancies in the Ministry of Communications (which include the Civil Aviation Department) are referred by the Public Service Commission to the Ministry of Culture, with indications as to which newspapers the advertisements are to appear. In the recent general advertisement inviting university graduates and those with Higher School Certificate qualifications for 59 different appointments in the civil service (which includes those for the Civil Aviation Department) such advertisement was published in the Straits Times, the Nanyang Siang Pau and the Berita Harian. The said advertisement invited those interested to call at the Public Service Commission for further details, which are to be found in an 18-page cyclostyled hand-out. SINGAPORE TELEPHONE BOARD (Applications for telephones) The following Question stood in the name of Inche Rahmat Bin Kenap - 17. To ask the Minister for Communications if he will ascertain from the Singapore Telephone Board how many applicants for telephones were on the waiting list, as at a latest convenient date, because there are no existing spare lines; and how long those applicants are expected to wait for telephones.”
“Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister for Communications whether vacancies in the Civil Aviation Department are advertised in the English language newspapers only; and if he will take steps to have such advertisements hereafter inserted also in the newspapers published in the other official languages.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, at the invitation of the Minister of Transport. Malaysia, I visited Kuala Lumpur from the 5th to the 7th of January for informal discussions with him on "matters of common interest, particularly the problems surrounding Malaysia-Singapore Airlines". It can now be disclosed that amongst the matters discussed were two outstanding issues pertaining to the terms and conditions of appointment of Mr David Craig, Senior General Manager of British Overseas Airways Corporation, as Managing Director of MSA. which appointment was confirmed by the MSA Board with effect from 1st April, 1969. Although clause 7 of the Agreement on MSA entered into with the Malaysian Government on 14th May, 1966, states that "Both parties recognise that MSA shall continue to operate on the basis of sound commercial principles". I regret to say that the Singapore Gov ernment had to express "no confidence" in the former management of MSA. This was made known at the MSA Board meeting held on 27th August, 1968, as a result of which the General Manager (Mr K. R. Hamilton) had to tender in his resignation, which became effective on 10th October, 1968. Since then, three other senior officials have also resigned: (1) the Secretary (Mr G. Fernandez), with effect from 31st December, 1968: (2) the Accounts Manager (Mr S. N. Houghton), with effect from 15th March, 1969; and (3) the Legal Officer (Mr Sathi V. Kandiah), to take effect from 31st May, 1969. I have reasonable confidence in stating that under the new management, MSA can be made commercially viable in the near future. CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT (Advertisements of vacancies) 16.”
“I am now studying these recommendations and will make a suitable announcement as soon as I am able to decide how much and how far the recommendations of the Transport Advisory Board can be accepted and when they can be implemented. (c) Our Registrar of Vehicles has recently instructed bus companies to replace old and obsolete buses, as well as to purchase additional new buses to augment their present fleets. As a result, bus companies have placed orders for about 300 buses with local assemblers. With the recent lifting of the curb on import licensing and quota restrictions on buses by our Ministry of Finance, we can look forward to an improved bus service in the years ahead. MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE AIRLINES (Commercial viability) 15. Mr P. Selvadurai asked the Minister for Communications if he will make a statement on the talks that he has had with the Malaysian Government on the commercial viability of the Malaysia-Singapore Airlines.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I can assure the Member for Thomson that Government is giving deep thought and consideration as to how best to improve and resolve the public transport service of Singapore, including the problem of reduction of traffic congestion. This is being tackled at two levels, long term and short term. As for the long-term solution, a United Nations team of experts is already working closely with the State and City Planning Department in our Ministry of Law and National Development, on the possibility of constructing a mass rapid transit system for Singa pore by the early 1970s, the cost of which, if approved, would involve an expenditure of not less than nine figures. As for short-term measures:- (a) Our Public Works Department has over the last few years, particularly during 1968, carried out a large number of road projects, e.g., (i) construction of new roads, (ii) widening and improvement of existing roads and road junctions, (iii) building of 21 overhead pedestrian bridges and another 10 for this year, (iv) introduction of one-way traffic systems, (v) and four fly-overs, now under construction, should be completed within this year, namely :- (1) Whitley/Thomson/ Jalan Toa Payoh, (2) Southern access to Toa Payoh new Town, (3) Northern access to Toa Payoh new Town, (4) Fort Canning/Oxley Rise. (b) The Transport Advisory Board, which was set up in August 1968, submitted an interim Report to me at the end of January this year, with recommendations on the following subjects, namely: (i) queueing at bus stops, (ii) printing of schedules showing bus routes, service intervals, etc., (iii) compulsory wearing of crash helmets, (iv) special taxis.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not consider it desirable to introduce legislation to compel pedestrians to use overhead bridges where these are available. It is unfortunately true that, although Government has spent quite a large sum of money - almost $½ million as explained by my colleague, the Minister for Law and National Development, yesterday in erecting a number of such overhead bridges for the safety of pedestrians to cross busy roads, many through sheer laziness still choose to tempt the gods and risk life and limb by running across busy roads instead of using overhead bridges. To discourage such ill-advised actions, our Public Works Department have, wherever possible, erected railings along road dividers, so that pedestrians are thus forced to use overhead bridges. I think this is as far as we can go in the matter, as to legislate in a matter like this would be somewhat repressive. PUBLIC TRANSPORT SERVICE (Measures to improve) 14. Mr Ang Nam Piau asked the Minister for Communications if he will inform the House of the measures taken and to be taken to improve the adequacy and efficiency of the public transport service and to reduce vehicular traffic congestion.”
“I can assure the Member for Bukit Panjang that this matter is under serious consideration by the Transport Advisory Board, I do not think there is any easy way out. We hope to find a reasonable solution. May I, therefore, ask him to be patient enough to wait for the recommendations to be considered by me at a later stage?”
“Selvadurai (Bukit Panjang): Mr Speaker, Sir, as it is virtually impossible to get licensed taxis during peak traffic hours in Singapore, does the Minister not think that an easy way of solving this problem would be to allow more licensed taxis to ply on the roads?”
“The question raised by the Member for Bukit Panjang is not a new one. On the 14th May, 1968, during the debate on the President's Speech, I mentioned that I was fully aware of the pirate taxi problem and the economic effects on the bus and taxi operators if the pirate taxis were to be legalised. I had then also stated that to legalise pirate taxis is equivalent to suggesting the legalisation of smuggling activities. I have not changed my view since. I agree that pirate taxis, though running illegally, are performing a form of social function in providing an element of public transport service. But they are performing this function at the expense of the law-abiding licensed taxis and the bus companies. They are able to operate at a much lower cost because they pay less tax, incur very little maintenance expenditure and pay no insurance cover for passenger liability. Thus, they offer an unhealthy type of competition to the licensed operators which is harmful to our long-term planning for an improved public transport service in Singapore. In August last year, I established a Transport Advisory Board with the objective of improving the present inadequacy of public transport services and am glad to say that modest progress has been achieved. To date, there has been an increase of 80 new buses operating on the road and more new buses are expected in the near future. As the adequacy and efficiency of the public transport services improve, there should be a consequent decrease in the number of pirate taxis running on the road. Mr P.”
“In conclusion, Sir, I would like to say that since the mention of new legislation in Parliament in December last year, we have had many inquiries from ship-owners all over the world on the new Registry. Members may wish to know that as at 30th November, 1968, there were 349 ships exceeding 242,000 gross tons on our Register. Although it is gratifying to note that the registered tonnage has almost doubled since October last year, the figure is still not commensurate with our status as a major shipping centre. I am confident that with the passing of this Bill and with all the incentives enumerated, more shipowners will fly our Singapore flag. Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move. Question proposed. 3.51 p.m.”
“With regard to officers, the existing Ordinance requires Singapore ships to be manned by officers holding Singapore certificates of competency or Commonwealth certificated officers. Since we are very short of local deck officers, we will be prepared to grant liberal exemptions so that Singapore ships may be manned by officers holding valid foreign certificates. As a matter of fact, this policy of granting exemptions was implemented about a year ago, and during the period January 1967 to November 1968, 53 exemptions were granted to allow foreign certificated deck officers to sail on Singapore ships. Finally, Mr Speaker, Sir, the Bill provides the Minister with powers to make such regulations as are necessary or expedient. There is no need for me to go into the details of the various' regulations that we will promulgate in the near future, but I should like to deal with an important set of regulations. relating to the construction, survey and equipment of ships. This set of regulations, which will be known as the Safety Convention Regulations, will give effect to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, which I mentioned earlier. I would like to say that we expect all Singapore ships to come up to international standards. We will not allow sub-standards in matters of construction, surveys and equipment. But, on the other hand, we will not insist on excessive standards. All that we ask of the shipowner is to maintain his ship in accordance with international standards as prescribed under the 1960 Safety Convention. Consequently, our Safety Regulations will be derived substantially from the regulations annexed to the 1960 Convention. The Safety Regulations are already in draft form and can be expected to come into force in the not too distant future.”
“In addition to these, there is, of course, our own Government Survey Division whose services are available to shipowners. So altogether there will be seven survey authorities fully empowered to survey Singapore 'ships and issue certificates on behalf of Government and, with the six classification societies giving international coverage, shipowners will be assured of maximum survey facilities wherever their ships may be. Power to appoint classification societies is given in section 160. On top of all this, our registration procedures will be kept simple so that the whole process can be expeditiously completed. We will do everything possible to facilitate the transfer and registration of ships to the Singapore Registry. Members may want to know what we hope to gain out of this exercise. With income tax exemption and very low fees, we could not hope to gain much by way of revenue although the acquisition of a large tonnage would bring in some useful revenue. We hope, by encouraging foreign shipowners to register their ships under our flag, to create more employment opportunities for our citizens. Under section 527, Singapore ships engaged in home and local trade voyages shall be obliged to carry such percentage of Singapore seamen as may be prescribed from time to time. This may seem onerous at first sight, but it is really not so, because these home and local trade ships are already carrying Singapore seamen. To encourage more foreign-going ships to take on Singapore seamen, we would refund 50 per cent of the annual tonnage tax if the foreign-going ship carries at least 25 per cent Singapore seamen. This is provided for in section 527 (2). In this way, owners of foreign-going ships can reduce costs simply by engaging Singapore seamen.”
“I should like to assure shipowners that although income tax exemption provisions are not specifically stated in this Bill, appropriate amendments to our Income Tax laws are expected to be introduced in Parliament in the near future. In addition to these financial incentives, we will also be providing other advantages of an administrative and technical nature. Shipowners who wish to transfer their ships to the Singapore flag will not be required to have them re-surveyed if the ships possess valid certificates. As a matter of fact, this policy of not requiring ships to be re-surveyed has been in force since early last year and will be continued. Further, provision is made in section 509 (4) to accept foreign tonnage certificates. This means that a ship holding a foreign tonnage certificate need not be re-measured for tonnage when transferring to the Singapore flag. Again, this practice has already been in force and will continue to be so. The acceptance of valid certificates and foreign tonnage certificates will obviate the necessity to have the ship drydocked and re-measured, and consequently will save the shipowner considerable expense. As an added facility, international classification societies will be appointed to survey Singapore ships and issue certificates on behalf of the Singapore Government. At present, four classification societies have been appointed, namely, the American Bureau of Shipping, the French Bureau Veritas, the British Lloyds Register of Shipping, and the Norwegian Norske Veritas. Two other international classification societies are also being considered for appointment and, when appointed, shipowners will have six classification societies for the purpose of survey and issue of certificates.”
“The second part of this Bill seeks to amend the existing Ordinance to provide for an open Registry of Ships in Singapore. This is achieved by deleting the existing Part XIV and substituting a new Part XIV. The ownership of Singapore ships is not restricted to Singapore citizens or companies incorporated in Singapore. Under section 504, any person or company, irrespective of nationality and place of incorporation, is eligible to register ships under the Singapore flag. Where previously ownership was confined to Singapore citizens and companies, this clause now provides an opportunity for foreign shipowners to place their ships under the Singapore Register. However, it would not be sufficient merely to open the Register to foreign shipowners and companies. Incentives have to be provided for to make it worth while for shipowners to fly the Singapore flag, and I, therefore, draw Members' attention to section 512 which provides for very low fees for the registration of ships. An initial registration fee of $2.50 per net ton, and an annual tonnage tax of 20 cents per net ton only shall be payable for every Singapore ship. It is provided that this fee and annual tonnage tax shall not be increased for a period of 20 years from the date of initial registration of the ship. Shipowners will note that these rates are very much lower than those charged by other flags. In addition to this incentive of low fees, we will provide another extremely attractive financial incentive, which is that no Singapore income tax is payable on profits derived from ships registered in Singapore. Financially, therefore, a shipowner need only pay very low fees, the rate of which is guaranteed for 20 years, and profits derived from Singapore ships are exempt from Singapore income tax.”
“Members may recollect that the then Deputy Prime Minister, now the Minister for Science and Technology, stated in Parliament during the course of the Budget debate in December last year that legislation would be introduced this year to encourage more ships to fly the Singapore flag. The Bill before this House seeks to amend the Merchant Shipping Ordinance to enable Singapore to be a party to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1960, and to establish an open Registry of Ships. At present, Singapore is a party to the 1948 Safety Convention. This Convention prescribes certain requirements relating to the construction and survey of ships, provision of life-saving appliances and radio equipment, safety of navigation, carriage of grain and of dangerous goods. Signatory governments are obliged to apply these prescribed standards to their ships. The 1960 Convention is in scope and content essentially a revision and extension of the 1948 Convention which it replaces. Being a major port and having a vital interest in the development of merchant shipping, it is necessary for Singapore to accept the 1960 Convention. The first part of this Bill, therefore, contains provisions whkh will enable Singapore to give effect to the provisions of the 1960 Convention. This is achieved by deleting Part III of the existing Ordinance which deals with passenger ships only and whith contains outdated provisions, and substituting therefor a new Part III. Under this new Part III, ships are required to hold Safety Convention certificates, and provision is made for the issue of the appropriate certificates for both passenger ships as well as cargo ships. Power is given to the Minister to make the necessary regulations to implement the provisions of the 1960 Convention.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." Before I proceed to discuss the contents of this Bill, allow me to elaborate a little on the background of the subject. Prior to the formation of Malaysia, Singapore was a Port of British Registry. With Malaysia, Singapore became a Port of Malaysian Registry. Soon after the separation in 1965, we decided to establish our own Registry of Ships, and the Merchant Shipping (Amendment) Act of 1966 was accordingly promulgated. Under this piece of legislation, ownership of Singapore ships was confined to Singapore citizens and companies incorporated in Singapore and having their principal place of business in Singapore. Indeed, Singapore citizens and companies were compelled under the law to register their ships as Singapore ships. While, on the one hand, an obligation was imposed upon Singapore citizens and companies to register their ships with us, on the other hand, no corresponding incentives were offered. It was not surprising, therefore, to find that after one year of the establishment of our Registry, as at 31st October, 1967, there were only 298 ships on the Register totalling some 123,000 gross tons. Of the 298 ships, 244 or 82 per cent were tugs, barges, dumb lighters and other small harbour craft. Consequently, a review was made and we decided that we should remove the restriction on ownership of Singapore ships and offer attractive incentives so that, by making it worth while, ship-owners would be induced to fly the Singapore flag.”
“The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. --[Mr Yong Nyuk Lin]. Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed. MERCHANT SHIPPING (AMENDMENT) BILL Order for Second Reading read. 3.33 p.m.”
“Those who satisfactorily complete both their on-the-job training period and their period of provisional service, that is, after one year's service made up of two periods of six months each, will be registered as regular seamen and they will then be free to select employment on home-trade, local-trade or foreign-trade ships. Shipowners who participate in the new scheme are free to select and sign-on Singapore citizens whom they consider suitable for on-the-job training on their ships, without having to go through the Seamen's Registry Board. As an encouragement and incentive, owners of foreign-going ships are entitled to seek reimbursement from the Seamen's Registry Board at the rate of $35 per month per person in respect of trainees who have successfully completed their six months' on-the-job training, on board their ships. I am pleased to state here that the Singapore shipping community have responded favourably to this scheme and have indicated their willingness to participate as and when the new scheme is introduced. It will, therefore, be necessary to amend the Seamen's Registry Board Ordinance, 1957, so that the men selected for the on-the-job training by shipowners will not be required to go through the process of selection by the Board, as stipulated in the present Ordinance. The Seamen's Registry Board (Amendment) Bill seeks to achieve this by excluding probationer deck-hands, probationer engine-room hands and probationer catering hands signed on ship's articles under the scheme from the definition of "seamen" in section 2 of the Ordinance. This amendment will allow shipowners to take on untrained men for training on their ships. Sir, I beg to move. Question put, and agreed to. Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time." There has been, in recent years, an increasing demand for Singapore seamen as a result of which the reserve pooi of seamen registered in the Seamen's Registry Board has fallen below the accepted minimum of 20 per cent. As at 31st October, 1968, the total number of seamen on the register was 8,264, and a reserve pool at 20 per cent would be 1,653, but the actual availability was only 1,258 or 15 per cent of the total number of registered seamen in Singapore. The demand has arisen, firstly because of the cessation of confrontation by Indonesia with consequent new job opportunities, and the preference for Singapore seamen in relation to other Asian seamen, and, secondly, because of our Government's promotional activities for more jobs at sea. Our training ship "Singapore", which was started in 1964, has so far creditably produced over 1,600 trained seamen. This training ship scheme, however, is not capable of significantly increasing the output of trainees to meet the urgent demands at hand. Consequently, a crash programme to increase the supply of seamen has been drawn up by our Seamen's Registry Board. Briefly, the new scheme will supplement what our training ship is able to produce, by allowing shipowners to take on a flexible number of Singapore citizens to acquire the skills of seamanship through on-the-job training on board ship. Such men will be expected to do the jobs in the category in which they are employed under the guidance of experienced hands, and they will he required to serve for a period of six months before being discharged. Those who satisfactorily complete the six months' period will be given provisional registration as ordinary ratings for a further period of six months.”
“The Commissioner of Lands replied on the 2nd of this month that he was going to take up this proposal with the departments concerned. We are now waiting for a reply from the Chief Planner's Office. So I suppose we will start building when everybody is quite happy. The Member for Anson then moved on to the provision of "Mail Loading Pier". He wants to know where it is going to be and when it is expected to be completed. It is planned to build the pier on the present site because the existing one is in a very bad state of repair. It is expected to be completed within 12 months of the commencement of work.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir. I can well understand the feelings cf the Member for Anson because he knows about the postal services like the back of his hand, since he has put in long and honourable service in this particular department. If I were the only one who could make a decision to build the new Newton Post Office, I would give him the assurance that it would be done. But surely he knows that it is not just enough for my Ministry to say that we want it and it is done. There are the usual difficulties, it is true that this particular item which appeared in the Estimates last year may appear again in next year's Estimates and we may not have a post office even in 1970. This is not the fault of the Ministry of Communications. It is just because there are competing demands for sites. The decision to build a new post office for Newton is well known. It was actually taken in October 1966 by the Economic Planning Unit. In fact, a site was selected by the Public Works Department to have the new post office somewhere around Clemenceau Avenue, quite close to Newton Circus. Then a request came from a different section of the P.W.D, for a road improvement scheme and, therefore, this site had to be given up to meet the request. In March 1967, the Chief Planner thought it a good idea that the contemplated building of a headquarters for the Public Utilities Board in the Newton area could perhaps provide some space for a post office. Then in July 1968 - more than a year after that suggestion was first received - we were told that the Public Utilities Board had decided not to build a headquarters in that area. A site has now been selected, again close to the Government quarters between Monks Hill Terrace and Bukit Timah Road, and quite close to the present Newton Post Office.”
“It is not an acrobatic matter. Unfortunately, if there are some overhanging trees, the poor attendants will be swept off the lorries and they will end up in the emergency ward of the hospital! I think traffic indicators and their positions are technical matters which are probably being looked after by my Registry of Vehicles. If it is so, they will certainly look into the matter further. I can assure the Member - as promised yesterday - that it is the intention of the Ministry of Communications to institute a campaign on road safety and the observance of traffic regulations, etc, next year. We hope to be able to improve the situation and to draw the attention of members of the public to the dangers which now prevail on our roads. 7.45 p.m. Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am satisfied with the Minister's reply. I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $1,712,990 for Head 0807 ordered to stand part of the Estimates.”
“I myself do not know where it ends up. Sometimes it is the Ministry of Defence; sometimes it is my Ministry and sometimes it is the P.W.D. I think it is quite a common occurrence to see attendants sitting on top of lorries ---”
“I am grateful to the Member for Toa Payoh for his suggestions to improve road safety. He has spoken on certain road hazards such as lorries carrying steel rods which are twice the length of the lorry itself, lorries carrying numerous drums which are not secured with rope, and lorries laden with goods which are very much heavier than what they are licensed to carry. I think these are matters which impinge on certain technicalities and I am not in a position to answer them straight off. But I will bring them up to the correct authority who will look into the matter. It can be the Registrar of Vehicles. It can be the -”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am grateful to the Member for Jalan Kayu for his clarification. I thought he had suggested something stiffer on which I was going to support him. Now he prefers to be lax and so I shall not be hard. I will consider his suggestion for possible implementation as soon as possible, that all cars which are ten years old should be subjected to a road-worthiness test and that those cars which fail the test will not be permitted to be on the road.”
“Sir, it looks as if it goes round and round - once it is not in our hands, it goes to somebody else and it ends up by becoming a problem. I do agree that steps should be taken to see that old vehicles should not be auctioned but should be condemned and sold as scrap iron to National Iron and Steel Mills Ltd. It is useless to auction ramshackle cars for just a few hundred dollars and then overnight they appear on the road as pirate taxis awaiting capture again for the second and third time. I myself support the proposal of the Member for Tiong Bahru that this matter be given serious consideration. This ties up with the suggestion of the Member for Jalan Kayu that steps should be taken to consider the possibility of not permitting motor vehicles which are more than ten years old to be on the road. I think this suggestion has merit except that those who are in possession of cars which are more than ten years old may include some Members of this House.”
“Unfortunately, even after the "Keep Singapore Clean" campaign - I think the Ministry of Communications has given its full support to the Ministry of Health in this regard - there are some buses which are very unclean and therefore the atten tion of the bus companies should be drawn to the fact that they are expected to keep their buses clean. I will instruct the Registrar of Vehicles to issue the notices accordingly. The Member for Tiong Bahru spoke on a subject which more or less moves away from the Ministry of Communi cations to another Ministry - the confiscation of vehicles which are presumed to be pirate taxis. Until very recently, the seizure of pirate taxis could be done by the police - and that comes under the Ministry of Defence! But we have asked for powers to seize such vehicles next year. For the time being, in view of the Member's question, I will say that as this matter is in the hands of the police, it will be left to the Ministry of the Interior and Defence to deal with. It would appear that all confiscated vehicles are auctioned. An hon. Member: By the Ministry of Defence.”
“It is now up to the Minister for Law to consider whether a higher fine will be more effective to deter musical-minded motorists from installing multi-tone horns in their cars. 7.32 p.m. [Mr Speaker in the Chair] The same applies to vehicles which emit exhaust smoke. May I say that they are largely cars with diesel engines. This is a fairly serious matter because, from the health point of view, unburnt petrol gas is known to be carcinogenic, which means that it can help to produce cancer in the lungs. The campaign against vehicles which emit exhaust smoke commenced in April 1967, it may be of interest to Members of this House that 5,337 vehicles were summoned to the Registry of Vehicles for mechanical inspection during the last II months of this year. Of this number, 3,848 cases were compounded by the Traffic Police, again at a cost of $20 each. So perhaps if the fine is raised to $200 each, we may see a reduction in the number of cars going around emitting exhaust smoke. In the present regulations, there is a section which says that the penalty for the first offence is a fine not exceeding $400, and for a second or subsequent offences a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months. So I think we already have rather heavy penalties in the law. I think I will try to persuade my colleague, the Minister for Defence, to be a little hard on his Traffic Police and order them not to agree to compound an offence for just $20. There is this harsh regulation which can be applied. I agree that the buses are not looking as clean as they should.”
“In reply to the Member for Delta, I would like to say that it is an offence to install what are known as multi-tone horns. It will be of great assistance if those who do come across such cases are able to report the registration numbers of the vehicles concerned to the Registry of Vehicles so that a summons can be issued to the owners of such vehicles and action can be taken against them. May I say that the owners of 388 vehicles were summoned by the Registry of Vehicles for an inspection of their cars from January to November of this year and that 203 cases were compounded by the Traffic Police for $20 each. So the implementation falls on another Ministry - the Ministry of Defence. It is felt that perhaps this fine of $20 is much too lenient and that consideration can be given to an increase in the fine in the future. However, this is a matter which will have to be left in the hands of my colleague, the Minister for Defence.”
“The next point is about the cleanliness in public buses. It seems that less attention is being paid to this matter and most of the buses are very dirty, both inside and outside. They are not properly washed. The Registry of Vehicles should take steps to improve this situation.”
“I hope that the matter can be resolved provided the Ministry of Finance will relent in its attitude, because in all these negotiations, representatives from the Ministry of Finance will be there to ensure that a fair deal is given to the new employees. I do not think I can go further than that. Mr Eric Cheong Yuen Chee: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am quite satisfied with the Minister's explanation and I beg leave to withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $17,740,440 for Head 0806 ordered to stand part of the Estimates. Head 0807 - Madam Chan Choy Siong(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, That the sum to be allocated for Head 0807 be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead 1001*. * The same amendment also stood in the name of Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon. [Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair] 7.25 p.m. Sir, first, I would like to talk about the horns of motor vehicles. I think the horn is used to warn pedestrians but, at present, we can hear the sounds of multi-tone horns and we do not know whether the children are meddling with the horns or whether the sound actually comes from the car. Some horns produce a sound like that of a dog barking, some sound like music and some even produce the sounds of the siren of an ambulance, a fire engine or a police patrol car. I do not know whether such horns have been approved by the Registry of Vehicles. I am afraid that if the horns in use on motor vehicles are not standardised, then it will not be safe for the pedestrians. Another point is about the obnoxious smoke emitted by motor vehicles. I understand that such smoke is dangerous and harmful to health. It is usually emitted from public vehicles and sometimes also by private cars. What measures have been taken by the Registry of Vehicles to deal with it?”
“I think the exercise is really how to integrate Cable and Wireless Union staff into Government service. They were part of a commercial organisation, and when the Government paid $10 million to take over the assets and liabilities of Cable and Wireless Ltd., they had to look into the question of integrating 500 staff in Cable and Wire less into Government service. I do not think anyone should suffer as a result of the take-over. The delay in the discussions and negotiations must be due to the difficulty in marrying the terms of service in a commercial organisation with the terms of service in a Government institution. This has been going on for the last two years. The Member's question of integration and its effect on those in Government service who are members of the Technicians Union are, I am afraid, part of the cause of the so-called unhappiness of those in Government service at seeing people who are probably getting better pay in a commercial organisation coming into the Government service and having to learn how to adjust themselves in this situation. I understand that the negotiations for the integration of the 500 staff from the former Cable and Wireless into Government service are almost completed except for very minor matters like hours of work and so forth. I would hate to pass comment at this stage when the negotiations are about to be completed on how to resolve the little difficulties which are to be found in all negotiations. Nobody is ever happy about his salary scale. Even those who get an increment complain that they deserve more. This is part and parcel of life.”
“Sir, I hope the Member for Toa Payoh does not expect me to be a magician who can anticipate what he has asked and to give him full answers. I will try my best, although the query is on the personal emoluments of the Director of Telecommunications. Cable and Wireless Limited was taken over by the Government in January 1966 and I came on the scene in April 1968. During the last eight months I have been slowly trying to pick up the threads. I have to answer to the best of my ability the five questions put by the Member. First, whether there has been any undue delay in the integration of Cable and Wireless staff with the Telecommunications Department. Speaking as an individual, I think there has been a lot of delay because it has been going on for almost two years. There might have been difficulties in the negotiations, but I do not think I am in a position to comment favourably or unfavourably on this point. The Member's next question is about the union and although he did not mention its name, I believe the union that he has in mind is the Telecommunications Technicians Union. There are two unions: one represents ex-Cable and Wireless staff known as the Singapore Telecommunications Workers' Union, and the other is a smaller union which represents workers in the Telecommunications Department in Government service. When the Member makes the statement that the Telecommunications Technicians Union has been refused attendance at the negotiations, I presume what he says must be correct, otherwise he will not have put this question. The third point is that the staff of the original Telecommunications Department are put in an unfavourable position as a result of the integration of former Cable and Wireless employees in the Telecommunications Department.”
“That is our difficulty, in view of the fact that the Member for Anson has raised this point, I shall ask my Post master-General to make a strong plea for the dirtier post offices to get more frequent whitewashing instead of waiting for the five-year periodbefore they do get a spring cleaning.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I am afraid the Member for Anson has asked questions which are too much in detail for me to be able to provide him with answers; for instance, questions like how many vacancies are to be filled and so on. I can only say that there are a few vacancies for postal clerks (timescale) and postmen (timescale) to be filled and that all these vacancies are being filled by mass recruitment through the Public Service Commission. It is a case of how quickly we can chase the P.S.C, to get on with the job. I presume that it will be done as soon as possible and the vacancies will then be filled. As to the Member's other question about the dustiness of the Parcel Bags Division in the General Post Office, this is a matter which I noticed when I visited the General Post Office during the course of my duties and I found, to my horror, that some of the ventilation ducts - suction pumps - had gone out of order and nothing had been done. I am glad to say that this has been put right. It has also been agreed with the Public Works Department to get a few more suction pumps to improve the situation for next year. On the question of whitewashing of post offices, I think it is a general rule that Government buildings will get a new coat of paint every five years. I agree with the Member for Anson that it should be made every three years; in fact, as and when the buildings get dirty. I have seen some post offices which are very dirty and should be cleaned up. What with the present "Keep Singapore Clean" campaign, the roads are probably looking cleaner than the post offices! But it is not what we want. It is what Treasury is able to provide funds for.”
“I agree with the Member for Serangoon Gardens that we expect good conduct from our officers and, therefore, an allowance of this nature is probably not necessary. I understand that the present regulations permit the payment of a good conduct allowance if the officials justify such payment. Regulation 12 of the Auxiliary Police Singapore Airport Regulations, 1964, provides that members of the Singapore Airport Auxiliary Police Force shall be eligible for the same allowances subject to the same conditions as are payable to members of the Polis Repoblik Singapura who are of equivalent rank. Perhaps my colleague, the Minister for Defence will probably want to look into the matter. The Polis Repoblik Singapura pays its personnel up to the rank of sergeant a good conduct allowance of $3 per month for every three years' service up to a maximum of $21 per month. It is a question of a precedent being set. Somebody does it and the others ask for the same privileges. Hence provision has been made in the Department of Civil Aviation's vote for the payment of this allowance to members of the Singapore Airport Auxiliary Police Force of equivalent rank who qualify for this allowance. There is one more little comment which unfortunately is not too good. To date, no payment of this allowance has been made. No Airport police officer has qualified for it. Too bad!”
“May I say that even if we wish to make a change in the site, we are freezing it pending a report from the firm of consultants which is looking into the possibility of having a second runway. There is now one runway in Paya Lebar Airport. It may be necessary to build a second runway, if the second runway is built, this particular fire station will be right in the middle of the two runways. The Member thinks that the fire station is a little out of place, and I say that, from the brief obtained from my top civil aviation official, it is in a central position. We can go on arguing about this. But can we just wait until the firm of consultants has decided on how the airport is to be expanded and then perhaps a new fire station may be built, or it could be just that the fire station will have an extra tower built on top of the present building? I do not know. Perhaps it is best to leave it at that.”
“Sir, since the Member for Serangoon Gardens has asserted that he understands from a reliable source that the site of the fire station is not in an ideal position. I want to say that my brief coming from the Director of Civil Aviation - unless he does not know his job - is that the existing site of the fire station is a central one where attendance to any part of the runway can be made in the shortest possible time. I have also been to that particular fire station. The point is probably one of perspective. An hon. Member: He did not know it!”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to assure the Member for Serangoon Gardens that the siting of this particular fire station is not Out of the way but is in a central position. I visited the runway of the airfield and I know exactly where it is located. They gave me an exhibition of how they would tackle a fire in case it breaks out. With the extended runway, the extra 2,000 feet - the runway has been extended from 9,000 to 11,000 feet - is quite close to the fire station at the Airport. Unless the Member's information is not quite right, I can assure him that even with the arrival of the jumbo jets, the fire station is quite in order where it is. Of course, what we need is more equipment so that in case of a catastrophe we will have more fire engines and so on to meet the situation. In this connection, my reply to the Member for Serangoon Gardens yesterday was that we had ordered a high capacity foam tender which should be available very soon to augment the equipment we have at the present time.”
“Sir, I think I should reply to the Member for Have-lock. There is plenty of time to do so. The guillotine is a long way off. I think I had better give the Member for Havelock his money's worth! I agree with him that we should compare ourselves with the best available and not take the poor services of other airports as a basis of comparison. That is why we do not have to say that because we are wooing tourists, we must therefore improve our airport service. I think our service should be good even without the tourists. That is the test, and our staff at the airport should be made to realise what we expect them to do. I agree with the Member for Havelock, too, that I go to the V.I.P. lounge or room, but he must not assume that I am not aware of the situation. When I visit the airport in the course of my duties, I do go to rooms other than the V.I.P, lounge. Of course, the staff may have been alerted to put things right when I am around. But I can assure the Member for Havelock that I generally ask to see things that are not arranged. It is only on specific complaints, rather than, on just a wide sweeping statement, that I can look into the matter. I do not have to send one of my officials to accompany the Member for Have-lock there, since he has already stated the sources of his grievance. I can say that in my overall supervision of Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, this is an aspect of the work at the airport which I will now follow with assiduous persistence.”
“For the time being, although we have plans to extend the facilities at the airport for handling passengers, cargoes and so on, we have found it necessary to freeze the plans till we get an assessment from this firm of consultants. We hope that when this report is ready sometime next year, Government will be able to make firm plans for extensions or make provision for facilities which will assist in easing the so-called congestion at the airport.”
“Or when the passengers leave the other side of the world and come here - if, for example, it is an overnight flight -they prefer to arrive here at a convenient hour in the evening before taking off. So these are problems created by the airlines themselves, because they all want to crowd into what are known as popular periods. Hence the congestion. There is no doubt that we are planning for the future. In fact, we do know that the jumbo jets will be using Singapore Airport in 1971. The Australian Airline, Qantas, has placed orders for a few jumbo jets. Survey teams have come to Singapore for discussions. They intend to start a service from Sydney to London. The plane will stop at Singapore and Bahrain before going on to London, it is true that if a jumbo jet lands at Singapore and if all the passengers disembark, they can easily fill up one hotel. Although a jumbo jet can hold 490 passengers, travelling economy class, most airlines will carry only 360 passengers, because they will have about 50 passengers, first-class and the remaining 310 will be passengers travelling economy class. Yet we will have quite a problem to process 360 passengers once the plane lands. This is a problem which is exercising not only our minds but also the minds of other airports which are likely to handle jumbo jets. It is because of this that we have frozen certain plans for extensions to the Paya Lebar Airport. The day before yesterday, the Member for Serangoon Gardens asked what steps were being taken to develop our airport for the future. I indicated in my reply that we had employed a firm of consultants to look into the expansion plans of our airport up to 1990.”
“I am glad that the Member for Moulmein has come out in full support of the Member for Havelock, that it was his experience also that there is delay in the clearance not only of luggage but also of passengers at our airport. But in saying so he did mention that this happens only during certain hours. That is the peculiar situation of an airport. At our airport, more planes would land or take off during certain hours of the day or night than at other times. Especially between 8.00 and 11.00 a.m, and from 4.00 to 9.00 p.m., more planes would come in or take off. It is during these periods that one gets the impression of congestion and delay. Whereas if a plane lands or takes off during the other hours, it is very simple for passengers to pass through the various gates and go straight on to the aircraft. These are problems which have to be faced not only in this airport but also airports all over the world. For some curious reason, passengers who travel by air like to choose a convenient hour. Most airlines try to oblige passengers and, therefore, they get more passengers if they take off, say, around eight in the morning so that the passengers need not have to wake up at five in the morning, have a quick shave and rush to the airport, it is possible, therefore, for a particular passenger to proceed to the airport as if he is attending his office. He has his breakfast, reads his newspapers and then turns up at the airport at a very convenient hour, which is about eight o'clock in the morning. So every airline will try to take off their planes at about the same period; that is, at 8.00, 8.15, 8.30, 9.00 or 9.15 in the morning.”
“I would have preferred him to say so in the first place. Unfortunately, Malaysia-Singapore Airlines, which is a joint enterprise with Malaysia, has been receiving a lot of complaints. I can say categorically that Malaysia- Singapore Airlines is at the present moment undergoing a stage of reorganisation right from the top. We are now negotiating for the appointment of a new General Manager and a Secretary. Now that a specific complaint has been made, I can assure the Member for Havelock that I will look further into his complaint regarding the handling of luggage by M.S.A. at Paya Lebar Airport and I think I can put it right in quick time.”