Yu-Foo Yee Shoon
Singapore
“I thank the Member for her suggestions. PRICING GUIDELINES ON CANTEEN FOOD FOR STUDENTS 19. Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Education (a) what are the Ministry's pricing guidelines on the sale of food to students in school canteens; (b) how does the Ministry balance the needs of the students and those of the canteen operators to mee…”
“[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, I would like to say that Mr Calvin Cheng must have thought deeply about what I have said. I have mentioned that 80% of singles actually wanted to get married. The responsibility of providing a social network used to be borne by the Government.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC) and Kindergarten Financial Assistance Scheme (KiFAS) provide fee subsidies to help low-income families send their preschool children to childcare centres and kindergartens respectively.”
“The childcare philosophy is to encourage the women to work. We have already relaxed the criteria because for those housewives who send their children for half-day care, we would still help them, so that they can get half subsidy.”
“I think we can consider that. INCOME CEILING FOR CHILDCARE FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE SCHEMES 16. Mdm Halimah Yacob asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports whether the Ministry will consider increasing the family income ceiling for eligibility to the Centre-based Financial Assistance Scheme for Child Care (CFAC) and Kinde…”
“Very soon. IMPROVING ROAD SAFETY FOR ELDERLY PEDESTRIANS 17. Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Minister for Transport (a) what are the measures in place to (i) promote the safety of elderly pedestrians, especially at traffic crossings; (ii) encourage the able-bodied public to assist the vulnerable frail elderly crossing alone; and (b)…”
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Every one of 618 lines we hold for Yu-Foo Yee Shoon, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 8 of 13.
“So I feel that in this informal sector, for those people who are not in the mainstream industries, some form of help could be provided to help them improve the standard of living. I think we should look into their needs. Another thing I want to mention is about our brand-name. Whenever I go overseas, I feel very proud when the people there express signs of admiration for our country. On one occasion I went to Harbin, a remote city in the north-east part of China. At the night market, there was an elderly gentleman who asked me where I came from. I told him that I came from Singapore, and he exclaimed, "Oh Singapore! Lee Kuan Yew." Even in a small night market in far-away Harbin, people know about Singapore. The name "Singapore" by itself is a brand. It is a brand name. I feel that as a small nation, the question is not who has a bigger piece of the pie. The most important thing is we want to create a bigger pie for more people to share. I feel that the well-established Government-linked companies need not be restructured. If they have made their name internationally, let them retain the goodwill and the advantages that come with it. If the Government-linked companies are doing well, we should not downsize them or divest them completely. I think the Government should be more magnanimous and invite some successful companies to become partners of these Government-linked companies and these smaller Government companies. Of course, in the sensitive and strategic industries, such as telecommunications, aviation, and defence-related industries, where the small companies cannot take the lead, then let them be led by the GLCs.”
“We should be more tolerant and give more allowance to all these people who are not able to fit into the formal sector. In our South-West CDC, we have started a course for the caring of new-born babies. In Australia, all these new-born babies are being looked after by nannies at home. The Government would also subsidize for the employment of these nannies. With our ageing population, we should also train some workers in the 40s or 50s to look after all the senior citizens who need their care and concern. In some industries, for example, in the bakery or food catering industry, there is also space for development. I am sure that we have all heard of the Bengawan Solo Cake Shop. Bengawan Solo started off as a family business where the owner baked cakes at home and sold them to her friends and regular customers. When the cakes became popular and well-known, she commercialised her operation, and now Begawan Solo has become a household brand. Perhaps, HDB should consider relaxing its rules to allow housewives to bake cakes and pastries at home for sale, so long as they comply with the health and environmental regulations. I believe that during the festive seasons, quite a lot of housewives are already doing so, albeit illegally. In the schools, there used be some people from the not so well-to-do families setting up stalls in the school canteens to sell local delicacies, such as mee siam, kuehs, tid-bits to the school children. Nowadays, because of the hygiene requirement, only the major suppliers are allowed to supply to the school canteen operators, and all these "small hawkers" would not be allowed to sell their goodies in the school canteens.”
“So I feel that these workers should just take the job for the time being and when the economy has recovered they could perhaps look for better jobs later. Just now, I said that we had to review the various industries because we should not have bias or prejudice towards any particular industry. So long as this industry has some leading edge I think that we could still be very competitive in the world market. We should not just single out our talents in the financial sector, we should also give credit to our engineers who have created or invented new products and who have obtained international patents for the inventions. I think that we should give more credit to them and let them have a sense of satisfaction for their achievement. Another point that I want to raise is the informal sector. Many people may not be very interested in this sector because we call them "informal", and hence they are not in the mainstream. Hence, they cannot fit into the financial sector or the service industry. When we talk about structural unemployment, normally the people involved are the elderly workers. It is not that they do not want to look for a job but they just have this difficulty in matching. For example, the telephone operators. Nowadays, many companies are looking for telephone operators. I have introduced some women, 40 years and above, to a company. The company told me that age did not matter, so long as their voices are decent and presentable to the ears. But eventually they were not accepted because their standard of English is not good enough. Perhaps the company could provide them with some training. The Economic Review Committee should also look into the needs of this informal sector.”
“We registered the retrenched workers in our constituency and introduced many of them to jobs in the factories. I told the shipyards that the Government was providing training programmes for those who employ workers 40 years old and above, and we would pay half the salary. I told them that the workers I send them would be able to work, people who would have no language problem. As soon as the shipyard employs them, the Government will pay 50% of their wages straight away. The company said, "All right". We sent a few hundred workers there when the company had more than 1,000 vacancies. Yet, only 150 workers were recruited. A few days ago, I sent applicants to a hotel for jobs. I telephoned the Manager and asked what was the result. He told me only one woman applicant accepted the job offered to her. What is the problem? Are the employers prejudiced or are there some problems with our workers? So here I would like to urge the workers to make adjustment to their own attitudes and expectations. As a Mayor in the south-west part of Singapore, I will step up efforts to help our workers secure a job. But I hope that these applicants who are recommended for work would, as far as possible, accept the job offered to them because we have actually looked into their background, their qualifications and their skills level before matching them for the jobs. We do not just send anyone to them. In fact, all these people were interviewed, their backgrounds were looked into, and companies have also agreed that they would try their best to accept these applicants recommended by us because they know that we had actually screened them before we send them over.”
“I believe that when we are conducting this economic review, we have to look at the various industries and sectors, not just the financial sector or the sectors which are directly related to the economy. I think that we should also review the service industry, manufacturing industry and other industries relating to the quality of life of our people. I hope that this Economic Review Committee would also conduct some sectoral and regional review. Why do I say we must have sectoral review? I remember that many years ago when I was still in the NTUC, we said that the maritime industry was a sunset industry. Many people in the maritime industry were very pessimistic and very negative. But two weeks ago when I visited the shipyards, I regained a lot of confidence and I am more optimistic about our economy now. When we visited Keppel, I learnt that the oil rigs designed by our local engineers had already attained international patent, and they command 60% of the world's market. We are now servicing some 20% of the world's ocean-going vessels. As far as we know, our wafer fab industry is in the process of recovery. For example, SSMC (System on Silicon Manufacturing Company) has already started a new factory in Singapore and UMCI (United Microelectronics Corporation) will also start a new plant here next year. Our Creative Technology commands 60% of the world's sound card market. I am citing all these examples because yesterday my parliamentary colleagues mentioned about the difficulty of getting a job nowadays. In my constituency, the reliefs we are handing out are among the highest in Singapore. Maybe it is because many of our workers are staying in the south-west part of Singapore.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, yesterday, many of my parliamentary colleagues had spoken in support of the motion standing in the name of the Finance Minister. I also support the motion, but I would like to raise two points here today. First, since our independence more than 30 years ago we have continuously improved the standard of living of our people and improved our competitiveness in the world. Today, I would like to say that even with this economic downturn we should not lose our confidence. So, my emphasis here is that we must maintain our confidence and we must not lose it. Secondly, what brand has Singapore created? To me, the name "Singapore" itself is a well-renowned brand name. First of all, I would like to commend the DPM and Finance Minister for this very forward-looking and balanced Budget. Mainly, this Budget aims to restructure our economy and to bring to our people better lives and better days to come. When the Finance Minister introduced the tax reform, he has also introduced various measures to help Singaporeans tide over the difficult time When we review our CPF scheme, we have to be very careful. Many people feel that the Government's restructuring plan is not going to be confined to those changes which have been announced only. On May Day, DPM Lee called upon the people and the workers to change their work attitudes and to look at this economic downturn more positively. And most importantly, he said that the Government will review and introduce reforms to counter these challenges. So, these changes are not solely targeted at the people or the workers. I am very comforted by his statement.”
“The remaining 10% will have to be paid only when they are called to collect the keys to the flat which may be one to two years later. Thus, there is no need to lower the downpayment for now. Mr Ang has also suggested giving incentives to couples having their first child within the first two years of marriage. According to feedback, we learn that generally our young couples can manage financially for the first child. After their second or third child, they may have a bit of problem. The baby bonus however would help these couples with their second and third child. Mr Ang has recommended giving one week's paternity leave to fathers. He would be pleased to know that since last October, male civil servants are eligible for three days' paternity leave. Many private sector companies already provide paternity leave or even sick leave for the parents to help their children. We hope the rest would follow suit. Sir, the future for the family in Singapore is both challenging and exciting. Challenging because tension brought about by modern living could place a strain on family life. Exciting because my Ministry has built a strong partnership with both the private and people sectors, and together we are putting in place many services and programmes that will make Singapore one of the best places to raise a family.”
“With regard to organising a group wedding package, Mr Ang may be pleased to know that MCDS and People's Association are supporting an effort by Times Periodicals of Singapore Press Holdings to organise a Mass Wedding 2001 in September this year. I hope he can encourage more couples to join in this wedding. There is no necessity for the Government to organise mass wedding or honeymoon packages. The private sector and community will be in a better position to promote such programmes. As some wedding expenses are optional, we will continue to encourage couples, through public education, to spend on what is necessary to go for the marriage of their lifetime and not wedding of the year. Mr Ang also suggested that we should look into the development of a new ROM. Mr Ang would be pleased to know that we are actively looking into new premises for the Registry of Marriages and the Registry of Muslim Marriages. Apart from a conducive garden setting befitting such an important occasion, we also make sure that we will try to be romantic as possible. Our concept is also to co-locate a resource centre for the family. As for couples who want a flat early so that their wedding plans could proceed earlier, Mr Ang is requested to refer such couples to HDB. Mr Ang has proposed lowering the downpayment for new flats. MAS has set the mortgage financing limit at 80% of the purchase price or valuation of the property, whichever is lower. This limit is for financial prudence and to discourage couples from buying a flat bigger than their needs or means. To further assist young couples, HDB has allowed those buying a new 4-room flat to pay the downpayment through staggered downpayment scheme. The couple need only pay a 10% downpayment upon signing the agreement for lease.”
“Currently, 82% of the teachers meet the training requirement. By the year 2004, MCDS requires all supervisors and at least one teacher in a centre to be Diploma trained. I am happy to report that reception by the childcare industry has been positive. This will further raise the quality of pre-school education in Singapore. Mr Ang, as well as Dr Jennifer Lee, has asked about the setting up of infant care centres. We have reviewed the licensing requirements to facilitate the setting up of such centres. There are currently seven centres providing infant care service. Although it is generally believed that home care is best for infants for bonding between parents and child, MCDS will facilitate the provision of this service if suitable operators wish to set up infant care centres. Dr Jennifer Lee asked about the promotion of a formal care arrangement. Family-based care for infants is an option once used by parents who prefer closer attention and supervision of their children. CDCs are already providing such a service for their residents. We can help to promote this further through registration and matching of users and caregivers at the local level. We are looking into some basic training for caregivers. But we should allow this informal service to grow without too much regulation. As for subsidy, they should go to the end-user and not the care provider. Part of the baby bonus scheme will be given as direct cash grant and may be used to cover such expenses. Mr Ang Mong Seng has made a number of proposals to promote marriages and procreation.”
“Enrolment in childcare centres has increased from 33,000 to 35,200 over the last three years. With the trend towards dual income families and the injection of fund from the baby bonus into the early childhood industry, MCDS forecasts that the demand for places in childcare centres will increase. My Ministry pledged in August last year to increase the number of childcare places by 25%, from 46,000 to 58,000 over the next three years. We have already seen an increase of 28 new centres in the last six months providing nearly 2,400 more places. We expect to see 60 new centres by end of FY2001. For FY2002 and 2003, we expect to develop another 50 centres a year. This should increase the number of childcare centre places to our 58,000 target by FY2003. My Ministry has delegated social service functions to the Community Development Councils or CDCs. Mr Ang mentioned about setting up childcare centres in community clubs. CDCs are in the best position to decide on the location of childcare centres and how these centres best serve the needs of the local community. I would like to assure Members that the increase in the number of childcare places would not be at the expense of quality. MCDS has also put in place a new licensing instrument for childcare centres to improve their quality. The criteria of assessment of centres are transparent, holistic and comprehensive. Centres find it useful in their preparation for licence renewal and in maintaining quality childcare programme. Under the new Joint Teacher and Accreditation Framework introduced together with MOE recently, all pre-school teachers and supervisors will be required to be trained in the Certificate in Pre-School Teaching and the Diploma in Leadership respectively.”
“We must also be realistic and be prepared for the responsibilities and the commitment involved in keeping a marriage fulfilling and in raising a child well. In the last six months, the PEC has been actively reviewing how we can strengthen the Singapore family. We will finalise our recommendations by July this year. 5.30 pm I now come to my third point, that is, sharing knowledge and skills of family life. Public education is not just about influencing values and attitudes. It is also about sharing tips on how to live our roles as couples and parents. We will explore innovative ways to reach various target groups, for example, developing an interactive family life website, developing more real life stories on TV, radio and media, bringing mobile kits to workplaces, etc. In October last year, MCDS launched the Family Life Ambassador (FLA) programme to build resources in the community. The FLA programme is a partnership of individuals, civic groups, schools, businesses, Government and private organisations to promote and implement family life education programme. It aims to make family life education more accessible and convenient to everyone. Since October last year, we have appointed 227 family life ambassadors. These FLAs have been organising events, talks, seminars as well as distributing family life education materials. We will be appointing another batch of FLAs during the National Family Week in May this year. Now, let me come to my fourth point - giving support services. Sir, as I have mentioned earlier, building a total social environment conducive to raising a family is an important goal of my Ministry. A key programme is to have good quality childcare centres which are accessible. Mr Ang Mong Seng asked about the demand and supply of childcare places.”
“We have also leveraged on family-friendly champions to help persuade employers that it is in their business' interest to help their employees find ways to manage the "time bind". For instance, the Nominated Member, Dr Jennifer Lee, is also a champion in this area. If employees cannot manage their work and family commitments well, they cannot be productive at the workplace. My Ministry and the Public Education Committee on the Family, which I am chairing, are already working closely with the community and the media to generate publicity on work-life issues. We will continue to work with the media. For example, we have an excellent partnership with the Straits Times on a regular 24 x 7 Life column every Tuesday. With the multi-pronged approach that we are taking, employers will progressively buy the need to create a family-friendly work culture. So far, NTUC has been supportive in promoting family life. I urge Mr Yeo Guat Kwang to join us in this call to create family-friendly workplaces. Next, let me explain what my Ministry is doing to inculcate values. We seek to work in partnership with the people and community to promote family values, especially amongst our young. The Public Education Committee on the Family (PEC) has a special focus on getting our young people to marry and have more children. We are very pleased that the people sector has stepped forward to help address common concerns. We thank the Workgroup Chairman and members for working so hard, as well as the media and members of the public for their enthusiastic support. Let me emphasise that decisions on marriage, procreation and the family are private matters of the individual. Ultimately, we must want to marry and have children simply because we want to.”
“Sir, I would like to thank Members for their concern on family issues. We all know that strong and stable families are important for social cohesion and nation building. To help nurture such families, the Government, together with the people sector, had been providing resources, promoting family values, sharing knowledge and skills for family life, and giving support services. Sir, let me explain, first, providing resources. Many families struggle with the lack of two critical resources - time and money. Many parents say that they face the "time bind". This is very true in a new economy where we are expected to work longer and faster, and upgrade continuously. To help such families, my Ministry has set up the Work-Life Unit last September to promote family-friendly practices in the workplace. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang has asked about the measures that my Ministry is considering to promote family-friendly work practices. We have made quite substantial progress. MCDS and the Ministry of Manpower, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore National Employers' Federation have formed a Tripartite Committee on Work-Life Strategy. It sets directions and promotes pro-family practice at the workplace. The Ministry of Manpower is reviewing the Employment Act which, among other things, will also examine the existing legislation to ensure that it will not impede the implementation of family-friendly practices that would be adopted for family-friendly practices in the company. So far, MCDS has conducted 17 sharing and training sessions on work-life strategies to more than 2,000 employers and human resource practitioners. We will continue to do this.”
“Sir, I did ask my officers this question and according to the figures on divorces, most of the marriages so far are still intact. There were only a few cases who filed for divorce among this group of couples.”
“But marriage is a very personal decision and it is up to Singaporeans to think wisely and choose their partners with their eyes open. Sir, we all know, in reality, love is sometimes blind. The greatest prevention against a bad marriage is marriage preparation. That is why my Ministry encourages couples to attend marriage preparation classes. MCD works with Family Service Centres and social service agencies to run these classes. These classes help couples share more deeply about themselves, discuss their expectations of each other and deal with differences and potential conflict before the marriage. Grassroots organisations can work with MCD to organise such courses for their residents. For example, the Sembawang-Hong Kah CDC organised a marriage preparation programme for its residents last month. If Singaporean overseas clubs are also interested in organising marriage preparation courses for Singaporeans stationed overseas, they can approach MCD for advice. Couples encountering problems during marriage are also encouraged to consult social work professionals in the Family Service Centres and social service agencies. Sir, Mr Sin said that there are some cases where Singaporean men are cheated by their foreign wives who use marriage as a means to get rich. They may abuse the Women's Charter for this purpose. However, the Women's Charter also protects men when their matrimonial assets are divided in a divorce. If the wife is not taking their marriage seriously and contributes little to their marriage and family, she is not likely to get away with a large proportion of the husband's assets easily.”
“This rise would, therefore, be spread over a five-year period. The impact is therefore minimal and is a small price to pay for higher standards. MCD monitors the affordability of childcare centres closely. Dr Lily Neo would be glad to know that we do not control fees. Rather, we employ a range of strategies to maintain affordability. MCD's plans to increase the supply of childcare centres is an important factor in fanning competition which keeps childcare fees in check. The childcare subsidy for working mothers at $150 per month for full-day also helps make childcare affordable for many families. Each year, about $60 million is given out. Low-income families may also apply for additional financial assistance which are means-tested. The schemes help low-income families pay both the monthly fees, as well as initial start-up costs, such as uniforms and fee deposit. MCD also allows an extension of childcare subsidy of up to 9 months to mothers who are affected by retrenchment and single fathers who are in financial hardships. Some centres provide additional subsidies to low-income families. Given this wide range of fee assistance schemes, my Ministry does not feel that it is necessary to increase the childcare subsidy at this stage. My Ministry, however, does agree with Dr Jennifer Lee that these fees assistance schemes, like all such schemes under MCD, must be reviewed regularly. Let me turn to my colleague, Mr Sin Boon Ann, who talked about marriage to foreigners. I would like to thank Mr Sin for raising this issue. With globalisation, there would certainly be more marriages involving foreigners. The majority of such marriages are successful and happy. There will, of course, be instances of unscrupulous foreign grooms and brides.”
“This system will be implemented in the next few months. My Ministry will also be introducing a new web-based computer system that will link up all childcare centres to MCD electronically. This will improve efficiency and my Ministry's ability to track standards in centres. Parents will also be able to search for centres nearest their homes, to register with any childcare centre on-line, and access basic information of childcare centres, like opening hours and fees. MCD will announce more details of this system at a later date. Coming to affordability, Dr Jennifer Lee was concerned that childcare fees might rise if centres have to pay more to attract better qualified staff. Based on data gathered in 1998, the average salary of diploma trained childcare supervisors was about $2,300 and that for non-diploma supervisors was $1,700. In comparison, the average starting pay of a polytechnic graduate, that is, across all fields of study, is about $1,400. The average pay of all workers with post-secondary education, including polytechnic graduates and those from JCs, is about $2,400. As you can see, the pay that childcare supervisors are getting today is already similar to that of diploma holders elsewhere. The Ministry had examined the impact of its higher diploma requirements on fees and found that the increase is unlikely to be significant. Currently, about 40% of our centres already have at least one staff trained at the diploma level. A centre without a diploma-trained supervisor is expected to pay about $600 more to attract a diploma-trained supervisor. For a typical centre with 75 children, this translates to about $8, 2% more per child per month. The timeframe for implementation of the diploma requirement is five years.”
“Secondary school-leavers were able, for the first time last year, to take a Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education offered jointly by Ngee Ann Polytechnic and NTUC's training arm. There are also specially designed diploma courses which allow in-service childcare personnel to upgrade. Even diploma and degree holders from other disciplines will soon have a post-graduate diploma course to help them switch to the early childhood field. In addition, we have arranged for funding from the Skills Development Fund (SDF), as well as the NTUC's Skills Redevelopment Programme (SRP) to help to defray these training costs. Currently, childcare teachers must have an intermediate certificate level of training in early childhood. We have no plans to raise this requirement in the immediate future. However, teachers and supervisors alike are encouraged to upgrade continually in a spirit of life-long learning. MCD has been working with the Association of Early Childhood Educators, Singapore (AECES) to raise professionalism and expertise in the early childhood field. From time to time, we jointly organise seminars and workshops to share best practices across the industry. Dr Ho also mentioned about normalising standards. Sir, normalising standards means requiring all childcare centres to have similar standards and level of service. We prefer to set a minimum standard for all centres. Centres wishing to upgrade beyond minimum standards are encouraged to do so and many have. This approach gives parents flexibility and variety of choice. Improvements are also in store for MCD's licensing system. My Ministry has developed a more effective system to evaluate the quality of childcare centres to ensure that unacceptable care practices are detected and corrected early.”
“I thank Dr Ho Tat Kin and Dr Jennifer Lee for their support for the steps my Ministry has taken to require diploma training for childcare supervisors. As Dr Ho has rightly pointed out, there is increasing evidence indicating the importance of a child's early years. To quote a World Bank publication, "It is well established scientifically that the early years are critical in the formation of intelligence, personality and social behaviour." MCD has licensed childcare centres for more than 10 years. MCD has also an established training system whereby childcare workers can upgrade from a Basic level certificate, through the Intermediate level, to an Advanced level certificate. This system has served us well. Today, most staff in our childcare centres are trained. About 80% of our childcare centre supervisors have already attained the advanced level of training or higher. However, with 60% of each cohort of our students being tertiary-educated, tapping on the certificate level group of each cohort is not enough given the importance of early childhood education. Hence, MCD will require all childcare supervisors to be diploma trained in five years' time. In addition, we are also targeting for each centre to have one teacher trained at the diploma level. This diploma requirement has not been introduced in isolation. Many other complementary steps have also been taken. MCD issues a set of guidelines last year so that only diplomas awarded by training agencies that meet our standards will be recognised. We have worked with training agencies, such as Ngee Ann Polytechnic and the training arm of the NTUC Childcare, to provide a range of diploma programmes for different target groups.”
“Granting higher subsidies for children under 18 months will send the wrong signal that parents should put the child in centres at such a tender age. 2.45 pm Dr Lily Neo observed that some centres have long waiting lists. But double counting is common in waiting lists, causing the lists to be inflated by about 30%. For example, some parents place a child on the waiting list of many centres. Today, we have about 45,000 childcare places in Singapore. There are, in fact, more vacancies than demand at the national level. Even so, a waiting list exists because some parents are choosy and due to localised shortages. To facilitate better matching of supply and demand, my Ministry will be delegating the local planning of childcare centres to Community Development Councils (CDCs) later this year, starting with the Marine Parade and Tanjong Pagar CDCs. CDCs, being closer to community, are better able to gauge and respond to local demand. MCD will continue to project demand for and plan the supply of child-care services at the national level, and focus on licensing to ensure that acceptable standards are met. Dr Lily Neo had asked about childcare centres in the private sector. I am pleased to inform Dr Neo that besides promoting the setting up of childcare centres at private residential areas, we also encourage childcare centres in condominiums. URA levies development charges at the residential rate, instead of commercial rate, for childcare centres in condominiums. In addition, URA lately also lifted restrictions requiring such centres to serve residents only. That means, they are also open to outsiders. These measures will reduce the cost of setting up and running child care centres in condominiums.”
“For other HDB estates, MCD increases the number of centres in high demand areas that we identify through waiting lists, feedback from the ground, including MPs' feedback, and other data. We also monitor closely the number of children born each year so that we can plan ahead. Our development plans include both commercial and non-profit operators. Non-profit operators can approach us to propose sites and MCD would work with them to set up their centre. For FY 2000, MCD expects nearly 49 new childcare centres, increasing childcare places by about 3,300 or 8% in this financial year. Over the next three years, this rate of development will mean an increase in capacity of about 20%. Mr Yeo Guat Kwang was also concerned about the childcare development at Sengkang and Punggol. Included in these plans are Sengkang and Punggol. Today, Sengkang has six childcare centres. Over the next three years, around 30 new childcare centres will be set up. Punggol is a new estate that is still under development. We have already planned 10 childcare centres over the next two years in line with HDB's building programme. Dr Jennifer Lee has suggested that childcare centres also take in children under 18 months. Any childcare centre can do so as long as they comply with our minimum standards. The same childcare subsidy is extended. Most childcare centres however prefer not to take in children under 18 months as they require much more care and attention. Many child experts agree that the first few years of a child's life are important for parent-child bonding and are best cared for at home. There is also the concern that centre-based care may expose the young infant to cross-infections.”
“Sir, I thank Dr Lily Neo, Mr Yeo Guat Kwang, Dr Jennifer Lee and Dr Ho Tat Kin for their keen support for more better childcare services. Childcare is indeed a key family support service and has become all the more important with the increase in the numbers of dual-income families in Singapore. MCD promotes childcare services through a three-pronged strategy - ensuring availability of childcare places, promoting quality care and maintaining affordability. I would therefore take some time in responding to the hon. Members' questions on the supply of childcare centres, childcare standards and their continued affordability. Dr Lily Neo and Mr Yeo Guat Kwang had asked about the supply of childcare centres. My Ministry has come a long way in meeting the demand for this very important service. In 1980, there were only 25 childcare centres in Singapore. The number has increased 20-fold to 535 today. The Ministry has first encouraged voluntary welfare organisations and subsequently commercial operators to set up childcare centres. The Ministry has ceased operating childcare centres way back in 1979. Today, about 60% of childcare places are provided by commercial operators. They are able to set up freely as long as they meet minimum standards. We are therefore able to harness market forces to guide supply towards demand. MCD facilitates the process but childcare industry is primarily market-driven. As pure market mechanism is unable to operate effectively at HDB estates, due to a shortage of suitable commercial property space for childcare centres, Government allows the use of void decks for use as childcare centres. In new HDB estates, MCD plans ahead of demand through regular meetings with HDB. This allows childcare premises to be built together with the housing blocks.”
“Each code, when drawn up, should be a statement of commitment by HR, by the employers and by the unions, of the kind of strong labour-management relations we want to form in Singapore. Sir, the President's Address is a very comprehensive one. The workers' concerns were addressed, and the unions and I would like to support the motion.”
“It should not be a system that becomes bureaucratic over time and with tests that keep workers out so that they remain unqualified for jobs in the industry. Third, in the Manpower 21 plan, there is a section that encourages the promotion of best HR practices among companies. Sir, we think it is a very good thing to do, but promotion of best HR practices should not remain at the level of holding seminars and getting consultants to talk about what are good practices. NTUC would like to suggest that we go three steps further. First, HR practitioners, SNEF and the HR institute in Singapore should draw up a code of good HR practices. A simple code that tells everyone: in a good company, for a good employer, what constitutes good HR management? This is so that we can all understand and respond to that code. Second, the NTUC will contribute to that process by drawing up at the same time a code of good industrial relations (IR) practices because we are a responsible and responsive union movement and we would like to place on record the kind of trade union movement we want to be. Third, we should put together these two parts, the HR code and the IR code, as a statement of the kind of labour-management relations we wish to achieve in Singapore. This code can be a simplified one with terms that can easily be understood and implemented. Each company can either adopt this code or adapt from it to suit the company's missions and objectives. We should add a third part to the two sections, which is a statement of shared vision and shared future between the workers and the management of the companies. And together, this document will tell everyone - the workers, the management - what is expected of each side. The codes should not be just words.”
“Sir, the President's Address also contains statements on Manpower 21. Manpower 21 is a bold and comprehensive blueprint. It has got six strategies to build Singapore into a talent capital. Again, Sir, the unions are in full support of Manpower 21. NTUC would like to support it - in particular, in three areas. First, on the manpower information system. It is a system that will give information about job availability, the trends and the courses available, and so on. This would be very helpful to workers. The unions have asked to be closely involved in the development of this system, because it should not be a system that can be understood and used only by IT experts. The ordinary worker should be able to access the system and get all this knowledge in a simple form that he can use and apply to help himself. Second, on the National Skills Recognition System. It is a very exciting new concept. It is a way of testing workers for the skills that they have already learned and qualifying them in modular ways, in bite-size ways so that they acquire qualifications to do the jobs, not just in the company, but if the company closes down or restructures, they can use that qualification to apply for a job in other companies in the industry. In Manpower 21, it says: "It facilitates learning among less educated workers and NSRS courses should have flexible entry requirements. It must be a flexible and dynamic system that can be continually updated to incorporate new industries and to reflect changing skills needs." Sir, the NTUC will help to identify these needs with MOM and with the employers. But what we ask is this: that the tests should be to allow workers to qualify, to allow in more workers who otherwise are not considered qualified.”
“When he goes to another company, he can use the same tool and transport it to another team, to another workplace and continue to help that workplace, that company acquire and share knowledge, and generate knowledge. How wonderful that would be. There may be such tools existing; let us learn them. There may not be such tools existing; then let us invent that tool. If we are able to harness all that knowledge for our knowledge-based economy, then perhaps we need to change a certain mantra that we chant. Sir, you will recognise this mantra. Once in a while, it comes out in this House. And the mantra is: "Singapore is a small country with no natural resources. Our people are our only resource." It has become a cliche. People do not want to use it nowadays. But it is an important statement. It reminds us of our constraints and vulnerabilities. But it also gives us hope that, as a small country, we can succeed, we can survive, we can achieve. But if we are able to harness knowledge collectively, then we can change that statement to something like this: "Singapore is a small country with no natural resources. Knowledge is our only resource." And if we adopt that as a working principle, then something changes. Our horizon broadens tremendously. Because if we look at people as our resource, then the population is small. But knowledge is limitless. Population grows slowly, but knowledge multiplies and multiplies rapidly given the right environment. Our people have mental and physical limits. But knowledge is inexhaustible. And if we are able to find the right tools that are easily learned, easily taught and easily transportable, then we will thrive and stay one step ahead in the future global knowledge-based competition.”
“Suppose we are able to harness the knowledge of all these workers about tourists who come to Singapore. Every tourist who comes to Singapore looks for something to eat, see or do. Our taxi-drivers know that Japanese tourists like to go to certain places; German tourists like to go to yet other places. If we could harness all that knowledge, we will be able to target our advertising messages to individual countries in a sharper way to attract many more tourist arrivals. If only we can harness all that knowledge that exists among all the workers in the tourism industry, how much and how rich that knowledge will be. And it is not just a question of knowledge. Everyone has his own experience. We need to extract them. So I would like to propose to do something. Sir, in the 70s, 80s, early 90s, our emphasis was on productivity. We went all over the world, including Japan, to learn about productivity tools - quality circles, QCCs, WITs, five "S"s, and other tools, to help us become more productive. And we systematically and conscientiously developed the Quality Circle movement so that every worker in Singapore has a set of simple tools that he can apply to become more productive as a worker in a team, in the company. How wonderful it would be if we had a tool that could help us acquire knowledge, share knowledge, apply knowledge and generate new knowledge in a way that would bring together knowledge, multiply, branch off, converge, diverge and get new ideas constantly out of old knowledge. And more important, Sir, if we can have a tool that is transportable, that is easily taught, easily learned. A worker learns to use this tool.”
“Recently, in a supermarket in America, they installed a new computer. That computer could collect data on what customers bought. They discovered something very interesting, which is - people who bought disposable nappies also bought beer. They found this very strange and sent people to observe why people bought beer and nappies. And they discovered that when a family has a new baby, the father takes leave to look after the baby and goes to the supermarket to buy things, including nappies. And because he is at home, watching baseball or football on TV, he also buys beer. So that is why people who bought nappies also bought beer. In the supermarket, the nappies were placed in one section with the baby products, and the beer was placed in the alcoholic products section. What the supermarket manager did was to put some shelves of beer next to the nappies section, and sale of beer went up tremendously. Here is an example of knowledge acquired and knowledge applied, and the application of the knowledge costs nothing. It costs nothing to move the shelf of beer next to the nappies. Yet sales went up. So application of knowledge is not just about IT, about technology. Technology is important, but it is not just about that. It is also not just about individual workers being trained to learn and re-learn new knowledge and new skills, because individual workers working on their own are also not enough. The harnessing of knowledge is a collective effort. It is a team effort within a small group, within the company, within the whole industry, within the whole economy. It is a collective effort. Sir, in our tourist industry, we have thousands of workers employed in the tourist industry - hotel managers, waitresses, taxi-drivers, tour guides.”
“We did that because the machines were not sophisticated enough to do the thinking, and the machines were not sophisticated enough to do things that people could do because of our dexterity. But today we have moved yet again, because the machines, the robots, the computers, can do many things in a more dexterous way, in a more precise way than people can. So those machines can do things better than people. Then what do people do? Sir, I would like to share an example that is taken from Honda. Recently, Honda in Japan wanted to streamline its process of producing cars. They had different lines to produce different model cars because it was difficult for machines and computers to convert or use the same production line to produce different models. What they had done recently was to put some workers to manipulate the production line so that different models could be produced from the same line. And this could be done only by people because the people there manning the job could think and exercise judgement and make those changes as required that machines could not do. So post-industrial revolution, in the knowledge economy, people are employed to become thinking workers again. And this is a situation we are in. But, Sir, knowledge and the knowledge-based economy are not about knowledge workers alone. The knowledge economy has got knowledge products, products that embody knowledge, that have got all the knowledge built in, so that we do not have to do the thinking. The machines do all the thinking. Knowledge-based economy also has knowledge processes as in the Honda example. Why is there great value for knowledge in the knowledge-based economy? Let me give an example of how knowledge is so valuable and yet costs practically nothing.”
“So all of us can learn and do learn all the time. So why is it that we need to tell workers to be thinking workers and learning workers? Is it not strange, Sir, that people, the only creatures on earth who are capable of thinking, of exercising judgement, are asked to think and to learn? Before Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam says that it is because the PAP puts fear into people, let me suggest the answer. Sir, in the old days when people were farmers or hunters, everyone was a knowledge worker. If a farmer was not a knowledge worker, he would starve. Because he must read the weather and make sure that the pests do not come after his crops and know how to deal with those pests. And when the floods come, when the droughts come, what does he do? He learns all the time. And then he grows a good crop and he becomes a good farmer. Otherwise, he starves. A hunter must be a knowledge hunter, otherwise he gets eaten up by wild animals, and that is the end of the hunter. But when we went into the industrial economy, something changed. The industrial economy made workers become machines. When one man used to make one chair in a week, we spread out the job over several people. One person just does the legs, somebody sews the cushions and somebody hammers the whole chair together. That team produces many more chairs than if one person makes one chair, a complete chair. So what do we do in that industrial economy situation? We must spread out the work so that each one just does his part, following all the specifications, no deviations, and passes that part to the next person so that person receives the part as he expects it. No deviation was allowed; no thinking was allowed.”
“We would urge that we should take time to do the study and not rush into it, that we should carefully weigh the principles that go behind retrenchment benefits, and we should choose the desired outcomes very carefully. But, on the whole, we welcome the Minister's assurance that the Ministry will urge the employers to streamline the wage structure so as to make our workers more competitive in the economy. Sir, as we move into the knowledge-based economy, as we have all these schemes and courses to help our workers prepare for the new type of economy, some workers are worried. They are worried that they cannot learn new skills and new knowledge. They are worried that if they are placed in classes where there are younger workers, will they be able to learn as quickly as those young workers? Will they be holding back the classes? When I hear these worries, this is something which I try to help assure them with. Many of us are parents. Many of our workers are parents. How do we bring up a baby? There are no Government subsidies and SRP plans. We do not go for formal courses. We do not ask for employers to give us subsidised training to bring up our baby. What do we do? We learn. We ask our parents. We ask our grandparents, our colleagues who have children. And along the way, as the baby grows from one month to a year, to PSLE, to "O" levels, we continually learn and re-learn and respond as our child grows. No formal courses, no subsidies. We do that until the child grows up, gets to work, and even as he or she marries, we want to help him choose the right spouse. And we learn how these should be done - all on our own, and in a continual process of learning and re-learning and responding to each child in a different way from another child.”
“Second, we have observed that in the last two years when retrenchments took place, workers who were retrenched took longer to find a new job. Retrenchment benefits are to help them tide over the period of unemployment. In good times, workers perhaps will be able to find new jobs very quickly. But if we enter into a new prolonged recession, and the question is not "if" but "when" we do so - we lower the caps, would the new retrenchment benefits quantum be sufficient to help our workers pay for their household expenses and expenses incurred in looking for a new job? Third, in the last two years, older workers who were retrenched found new jobs at lower pay. And they will face difficulties meeting the household expenditures at the new level of pay. So, in sum, Mr Speaker, the union leaders feel that retrenchment benefits are not a windfall. Retrenchment benefits are a buffer against an unknown future for a worker who is retrenched. And so we do have to look very carefully at the principles of applying retrenchment benefit caps and the desired outcomes of the new structure we want to look at. On the other hand, there were many workers retrenched in the last two years who did not receive any benefits. And that is because under the law, employers need not give any benefits to retrenched workers. So surely as we review the caps, we ought to also review the situation where retrenched workers get no benefits in those companies that do not have a collective agreement with their workers. Sir, we welcome the Minister's assurance that we will have a tripartite study into this issue.”
“So our unions welcome and fully support the initiatives outlined in the President's Address. Yesterday, Dr Lee Boon Yang, the Minister for Manpower, elaborated on some of the schemes that are being offered to the workers. I am sure the unions are particularly reassured by his message that the Government will continue to invest in people and plan for the future. He shared with us three trends that workers in Singapore will face and be challenged by. The unions do recognise these trends and also share the same concerns. The unions will help our workers to overcome the challenges. Indeed, it is like us facing a wave of the beaches of Hawaii or Miami. And if we are not prepared for the big wave, we will be thrown off or even drown. But if we have a surfboard and if we have learnt how to surf and balance on that surfboard, then when the next big wave comes, we can ride that wave smoothly and quickly to shallower waters and, hopefully, reach the beach. So the unions hope that the Government and employers will help our workers ride the waves as they come. The Minister also mentioned that we ought to review the retrenchment benefits. When this subject was brought up not long ago, the unions came together for a quick discussion on what this meant for workers. I would like to take a bit of time to reflect what the grassroots leaders in the unions feel about this subject. First, Sir, retrenchment benefits are capped at 25 years of service. This was discussed only in 1997 and implemented only on 1st January 1999. This is a new cap. Before this there was no cap. So this new structure is in place only for less than a year. And the union leaders feel that it is a bit too early to talk about a review when the new system has not worked for very long.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I have said just now that MCD actually believes in the many-helping-hands approach. For infants, we need the MOH to come in. For the school-going children, we need the MOE to come in. For the others, we need the community and the society to come and try to integrate them into the mainstream society. PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS Debate on the Address (Third Allotted Day) Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [11th October, 1999], That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to:- "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the Opening of the Second Session of this Parliament.". - [Mr Davinder Singh]. Question again proposed. The Minister of State without Portfolio (Mr Matthias Yao Chih): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion standing in the name of Mr Davinder Singh. Sir, the President's Address and the Addenda that accompanied the Address placed a sharp focus on people. The unions and the union leaders are particularly happy with the sections on people development, on education of the young, and on life-long learning. For people development must mean for the workers development of workers. Education of the young must mean helping future generations of workers fit into the future economy. The call for life-long learning and the provision of infrastructure and support for life-long learning must also mean that workers will be helped to remain employable, competitive and effective in the future economy. So the Government's initiatives help and prepare our workers for the knowledge-based economy that we are entering into in the next millennium.”
“At present, in the schools system, we have about 200-300 such students and we try to encourage them to integrate into the mainstream. Those who really cannot do so, we will send them to the special schools. Based on the UK experience, it is estimated that for every 500 persons there will be one autistic person. So if we have three million people, there would be about 7,000 autistic people. Based on the United States' experience, for every 200 persons you have one autistic person, but this would depend on the degree of autism. At the moment, quite a number of VWOs are very actively working with MCD and MOE to try and develop programmes to support the children as well as they are trying to integrate the children into the mainstream. We try to let them learn some skills so that when they grow up, at least they can be employable. Those who really cannot be employable, they can go to the shelter workshop. At the moment, we have quite a number of shelter workshops. Those who cannot enter the shelter workshop can go to the 11 day-care activity centres which will help them to learn some living skills. We will try to do more. I would say that as society progresses, people will expect the Government to do more. Our approach is that through the many-helping-hands, the family, the community and NCSS, we hope to develop more for our children.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, at present there is a day activity centre in Clementi which takes in autistic children and the Government has also allotted a HDB void deck in Hougang Avenue 6 to build a new day activity centre. When completed, the new home can take in all the 30-over autistic children on the waiting list. There are seven homes for the disabled which take in those who need residential care. MCD will try its best to help the family and the community to better look after these autistic children and endeavour to allow them to lead a normal life. Sending them to the homes should be the last resort.”
“Sir, the S21 Committee has set the direction with the vision and strategies. I hope that all Singaporeans will rally behind this vision and make it a reality, and we, Singapore, become a gracious and compassionate society. Sir, I support the motion.”
“VWOs usually started out with a vision and mission of the founders in meeting a need in the community. We should encourage as many talented and bright young Singaporeans to take up career positions in the VWOs. Unless the VWOs themselves are well managed, it would be difficult for them to attract volunteers willing to devote time and energy to serve in these agencies. The beneficiaries will be well taken care of if there are committed professionals and dedicated volunteers serving in the VWOs. Sir, as we hope that there will be volunteers, VWOs should first be professionally and better managed. There are also alternative approaches in serving the needs of the community. The area that has successfully tapped the spirit of volunteerism and self-help is the cooperative movement. The NTUC has been highly successful in spearheading cooperative projects in Singapore. Perhaps other bodies should also consider the cooperative approach as a way to participate in the people and civic sector. It was a pleasant surprise really when the virus affected the pork business, the pork merchants actually organised themselves as a cooperative, to find solutions to their business problems. And it is interesting to see a group of merchants organising themselves and, of course, we have our ex-colleague, Mr Ho Kah Leong, as the adviser. The cooperative approach is really a formidable approach because there is a social responsibility in its mission and profit maximisation is not its ultimate objective. The mutual self-help community approach has a role, even in a highly competitive globalised trading environment. Perhaps an active cooperative movement can revive the spirit of volunteerism and self-help as we move into the 21st century.”
“We should encourage the social clubs, golf and country clubs, arts and culture groups, interest groups, all the organisations and associations in Singapore to adopt a more proactive approach in sponsoring and participating in sports, art, culture, the environment and social services sectors. In fact, there is already a very large sector and large groups that are involved in many social service activities. And I think what is needed is to get them more organised, to get them more networked, so that their resources are better used. Sir, citizenship does not only apply to the individuals. The corporations are also important, and we should encourage more companies to be good corporate citizens. Incentives should be given to encourage them to set up charitable foundations. In today's Straits Times Life section, they reported the many beneficiaries of foundations which give scholarships, for example, and the many courses that foundations are already giving in Singapore. We think there are many more foundations that could be set up by companies and individuals. What we need is to have support on a regular basis, both financial and in kind. Here, I will echo Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon's call for Government to give greater incentives and support to bodies that want to serve charitable and public causes. Perhaps the Ministry of Finance and the Inland Revenue Authority could be more generous in this regard. Corporations need not necessarily be thinking of the advertising and commercial value in giving such charity, or at least directly. There will be a lot of goodwill in their work. The voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) also need attention, and they need to be managed by professionals qualified to handle the issues and activities on a sustained basis.”
“In education, improving the teacher-student ratio to help the weaker students, and the provision of facilities to make it easier for disabled students to attend school, demonstrate our concern for the weak and disabled in our community. In housing, the provision of lifts to stop at every floor is beneficial to the elderly residents. These efforts serve to inspire and motivate the public. The citizens will actively respond to give useful and constructive feedback, because they have seen and heard the actions taken. The public funds are not wasted but devoted to meet priority areas of need in our community. The experience of the PAP Town Councils has produced favourable and beneficial outcomes. Our HDB housing estates are better maintained. The Town Councillors who are drawn from among grassroots leaders and volunteer professionals have helped to make judicious decisions in the use of limited Town Council funds, and the choices necessary in meeting the many competing needs to beautify and improve the living environment in the housing estates. Sir, the next important step would be to strengthen the work of the Community Development Councils (CDCs). In fact, Singapore has long had the people sector and the organisation that has been playing that role is really the People's Association. The CDCs, through the People's Association, should be seen as the body linking all the civic groups that represent the people sector. And I share the same view with Minister Lim Boon Heng earlier when he talked about the civil society and the groups should not work to the exclusion of the Government and the establishment. In fact, here, I would argue that it is so very important that the civic groups work with a Government body like the People's Association to get things done.”
“A society can easily be destabilised if the demagogues are allowed to play up the feelings of the less successful, and the lower income groups against the rich and successful through the politics of envy. It is important, as it has been our aspiration in Singapore, to grow the middle-class in Singapore. It is, therefore, important for us to upgrade the talents and capabilities of as many Singaporeans as possible, so that they can benefit from our growth and prosperity and a better quality of life. Those of us who work in the corporate world have been challenged to measure our corporate performance through the concept of Economic Value Added (EVA). In the area of Government, we can also measure the performance of public sector through, perhaps, a modified version of Social Value Added. We need to set stringent performance quality standards on the public sector to deliver the public and social good of the highest value in the most efficient and cost-effective manner. The civil service has an onerous responsibility to ensure that the public funds are used in the most judicious manner. In order to promote active citizenship participation, the public sector must, and can take the lead and set the example. It is really the attitude and conduct in rendering services to the public that show whether the Government, Ministries and agencies are taking the public seriously. For example, in the area of healthcare, it is important that the specialists and senior consultants continue to treat `C' class patients in restructured and Government hospitals, showing that we care for the poor.”
“We need to focus on persons, and not on property. Ultimately, the strength of Government is on the free development of public opinion, from the bottom-up approach, and not based on authoritarian rule from the top. It is demonstrating the trust and faith we have in the maturity of our people. It is also based on the belief that a state and society with the means of some change provides the means of its conservation, and I think it is heartening that the Singapore 21 report is also trying to shape the change in the way Government responds to the interests and needs of the people. Before our people can become active citizens, they really need to possess the requisite citizenship skills. And we take for granted that every Singaporean actually possesses the skills to become active citizens. Our citizens need to know how the national economy works, what constitutes GDP growth and recession, the annual Government budget of income and expenditure. On issues like healthcare, the environment and important truths about public policies, safety and security, law and justice systems, the citizens should be educated on these important national issues through public education programmes. Even if they have been taught in schools, but because of the changes made over the years, it is important that our citizens be updated and continually be educated on the current affairs of our country. Even then, as alluded earlier, a citizen will be making an important contribution when he is able to look after himself and his family. The shared pursuit of happiness, peace and prosperity gives meaning to living in a community. Our hope actually lies in Singapore with a growing middle class. A larger middle class should contribute to a safe, secure and orderly society.”
“Our first generation leaders built up Singapore when we had no army and no reserves, but we survived. Now that we have a strong army and strong reserves, we should do better. I support the motion. Mr Loh Meng See (Kampong Glam): Sir, I would like to start by congratulating RAdm Teo Chee Hean and his team for the excellent Singapore 21 report. The Singapore 21 Committee has stated quite clearly and unequivocally, and this is fundamentally critical, that every Singaporean matters. Singapore would be given up as lost if there is any Singaporean who feels that the affairs of Singapore do not matter to him. We are well aware that our society is the strongest if every Singaporean feels himself a part. The alienation of any member can only serve to weaken the social fabric of our society. Therefore, if there was previously any doubt, it should be put to rest that every Singaporean counts. In Singapore, there is a place for everyone, regardless of his station in life, race, language or religion. Sir, it is also enlightening to know in the report that "the methods of steering cannot remain as they have always been". By making that point, it is a presumption and an acknowledgement that our people will and have matured to take the right decisions in the collective interest of all Singaporeans. But I note the caution that the Prime Minister made yesterday, and just now, Minister Lim Boon Heng cautioned Singaporeans that the presumption and acknowledgement are based on our maturity as a people, and that we cannot expect changes to be made unless we are ready to make the right decisions in the collective interest of all Singaporeans. We all know that the best way to govern Singapore is to get the involvement of all the people, and not on the few.”
“I have not conducted a survey. Perhaps the National Parks Board may think that it is too difficult to have orchids planted everywhere in Singapore. It is very difficult to make the orchid flower bloom, so it is easier to have some greenery instead. There is nothing wrong with it. But I think we should spend more effort and money on the propagation of our national flower. At least, have it on the Internet. With Singaporeans travelling to all places in the world, a look at our national flower on the Internet, will bring back fond memories f things back home. We have also to cultivate our arts bodies, like the dance groups and the various arts groups. We should spend more time and effort to cultivate them. If you go to the European countries, you will see a lot of these arts festivals, choral festivals, dance festivals, and what have you. When we have the "Sing Singapore" campaign, perhaps we could tie up with the CDC. As a matter of fact, on the 5th of June, the Bukit Timah CDC will have a "Singspiration" involving some 10,000 people. This may not have an immediate effect or attract immediate response from the people. But if we were to promote this in a systematic manner, we could have very good results. Recently, we have the support of NAC, that is, if we raise $5 million, the Government would give us another $15 million to promote our arts activities and many of these arts groups were also very envious of this grant to us. I feel that when our economy has developed to such a level, we should also try to promote this sort of Singapore heartbeat. I hope that the Committee for the Implementation of the Singapore 21 Committee's recommendation would take into consideration what has been discussed in these few days.”
“At his funeral, the Old Boys' Association and the School Board arranged for his hearse to pass through the school ground for the teachers and students to pay their last respects, and many people in the educational field are very touched by such an arrangement. It is a very touching show of respect and recognition for someone who has contributed enormously in the field of education during his lifetime. Now, the Government has rich financial resources. We could well afford to spend some money to recognise those who had contributed to our society in other fields, such as sports, arts, music, education, etc. Together with the clan associations, Old Boys' Associations and the other community organisations, we can show some form of respect, care and concern for former sportsmen, sportswomen, artists, musicians, etc. Recently, we read in the newspapers that some sportsmen who had in their heyday won honours for our nation, but in their old age, they lived in isolation and poverty with nobody to look after them. Perhaps the Sports Council could set up some sort of "Emotion Contact Station". In our society where everyone is very busy, where the economy is prosperous, we should systematically try to have some sort of communication with people who have contributed to our society in the past. We have spent a lot of time and effort to develop our economy. We encourage foreign investors to invest here and to create jobs for our people. However, as we have stable and strong reserves, we should seriously consider tying up our economic development with the development of our heartbeat. Perhaps, we should also put some of our local artworks or local songs on the Internet, so as to show to the world what we have. For example, it is very difficult to plant our national flower, the orchid.”
“We have to be sensitive of our environment and we are a small population. If we want to maintain our position as one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of economic development and standard of living, I think we must attract foreign talents and we must feel that everyone of us has a share and a part and role to play in our society. Another point I wish to raise is that just now, when we talked about participation and we said that we are a closely-knit society, one thing we can improve is that we may perhaps set up or establish a systematic "Emotion Contact Station". While we are all busy, very naturally, we take our interpersonal relationship for granted. Many voluntary workers told me that they have been volunteering for their whole life. People who have been donating blood for the past 20-30 years have enjoyed some priority when they go for medical treatment in the polyclinics or hospitals. When they reach the age of 60, their blood will not be accepted. So at 61, they cease to be blood-donors, and simultaneously all the special treatment previously given to them will be suspended. I would like to say that when we want to cultivate the spirit of care and concern, it is not only in the families but also in the community. Now all the schools are built by the Government. Our ordinary citizens can only participate in the school's management consultative committee. I think we should give the parents, and well-wishers, more roles to play in the management of the schools. Recently, a former Principal of the Chinese High School, Mr Cheng An Lun passed away.”
“She noticed that a good number of believers who had gone to worship at the Guan Yin Temple at Waterloo Street, passed by the Krishnan Temple next door, and spontaneously took out some money and dropped it into the donation box outside. This is a very special situation in Singapore where our people respect one another, and respect the religions of the other races. Just now I mentioned that in the schools, our students are actively participating in all the activities. How do we maintain such a practice? In a family, my Parliamentary colleagues have already deliberated on it. So I do not want to waste time repeating it. But I want to mention one point. Whenever we talk about the family, foreign talents, and an aging population, these are the key issues. We are Singaporeans and if we do not want foreign talents, how many babies have we had in Singapore? In the 70s, it was about 22 to 23 per thousand per year. In 1997, it was about 15 per thousand per year. According to a Japanese report on International Statistics, this figure will be dropping every year. The birth rate may drop to 12 per thousand per year. Can we find a way to break through? We always talk about solving this problem of an aging population. But have we given a thought to increasing our birth rate? Now that most women are working, can we encourage them to have more babies? So this is one area we need to look into. The mindset of our people is such that many people are thinking that they are citizens of the world. But the majority of our people are still identified with Singapore. Then, when we have foreign talents, how do we make them settle down in Singapore and merge into our society? The younger generation of Singaporeans must understand this. We have our limitations.”
“The National Arts Council said its audience was about 700,000. Besides, we have the activities organised by NTUC, the welfare organisations and the religious organisations. I think we could easily gain an entry in the Guinness World of Records. I can safely say that Singapore is a nation where the people are actively participating in various community works. Just now Minister Lim has also mentioned that participation could be of different levels. How do we make them feel that their views and ideas are being reflected? As I said just now, we must recognise that there is a limitation in every country, particularly in our country, taking into consideration the environment around us. Under such circumstances, we need to elect some able people to lead us. It is not possible for the people to be directly involved in all activities. Our children, irrespective of their background, are assured of places in the school. Every child will have a place in a school. There is no one in Singapore who has to stop schooling because of financial difficulties. I believe that our political leaders can make such a promise. There is no one who has been denied medical treatment because of financial difficulties. There is no one who has no place, nowhere to go to, no place to stay in. I think if we conduct a thorough survey, we can be found to be quite a successful nation. With respect to religion, not many countries in the world can have a Sikh temple, Chinese temples, Catholic churches, mosques or Protestant churches, all within the radius of one kilometre, as in our Waterloo Street area. Someone told me a very interesting observation.”
“But the majority, the other 70% to 80% of our people, are busy hovering around the basic things in life. They want to have a stable job, a stable society, a pleasant living environment and a house or flat of their own, and have no problem in their daily needs. Perhaps, some people will ask: why are they not concerned with this S21 Vision? Why are they not participating in the discussion on this issue? It is not that they are not concerned. They are actually concerned with the matter. One elderly person told me that when we are on board a plane, our life is committed to the pilot. We would not ask the pilot whether he has been adequately trained, how many hours of flying time he has clocked, is he experienced, or is he confident that he would fly us all safely to our destination. We do not need to go into all that. So in our case, we have elected our leaders. They are the talented people. They have the ability to lead us. We are in good hands. It is not that we are not concerned. But we feel confident, because we have a good Government. I have contacted the People's Association and the Ministry of Education to find out what are the feelings of our people, the ordinary citizens of Singapore. Singaporeans are very busy. They are busy attending classes, training, busy with their family and a lot of things to do. And the People's Association reported to me that last year, for the RCs, the CCCs, the CCMCs, ie, the grassroots organisations, the participation rate was 7 million. Of course, many people participated in more than one event. On the average, our Residents Committees conduct some 200 to 300 activities in a year. The Sports Council told me that the participation rate was 1.2 million in their activities last year.”
“Singapore is one of the very few countries in the world where the people could have command of a first language and a second language which are of completely different backgrounds - our Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. Other people consider this as some great assets to us. Then why do we want to give them up? The most important thing is that we must learn to forge a common identity while maintaining diversity. As what Prime Minister Goh has said, we must be able to communicate among ourselves in English and, at the same time, allow the various communities to maintain their traditional cultures and customs. And this is an advantage and a unique characteristic for our future survival. So in places where there are differences, we should have mutual tolerance and understanding. In the past 30 years, we have succeeded in maintaining harmony. I feel that in the future, we could still maintain this racial harmony. Now we have this S21 Report. Many people are asking why we need to discuss this Report. Have we not lived harmoniously all this while? But our leaders have very good foresight. They feel that even in this peaceful time, we have to be prepared for any crisis that may come in the future. We must learn how to overcome all the problems and challenges in our process of nation building. Under such major premises, I would like to deliberate on some details of the Report. In the last few days, we have been discussing how to make everyone identify with the nation. Because of the upgrading of their educational and skills level, and the globalisation of our economy, many people feel that they are now citizens of the whole world. This is inevitable. According to some preliminary survey, about 10% to 20% of our people have such a feeling.”