Zainal Sapari
Singapore
“I believe great leadership is not only about making the hard decisions but, having empathy and the ability to relate to and connect with the people that are hardest hit to gain their trust and providing the support needed to cushion the impact on their lives. Without a doubt, our Ministers have demonstrated great leadership.”
“I would like to urge every service buyers and service providers to be responsible because any unethical action on their part will affect the workers who are trying to earn an honest living. I believe that it will be our spirit of solidarity, peppered with a lot of empathy and compassion that will pull us through this crisis.”
“Chairman, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Asatizah play an important role today in guiding the Singaporean Muslim community to help us thrive in a multi-religious and multi-cultural society, as well as globally, in addition to upholding our religious values.”
“Mr Chairman, in Malay, please. 10.45 am (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The 4G leadership recently expressed the Government’s strong commitment to partner Singaporeans of all races, cultures and religions, and working together with them in nation-building.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, before I ask my question, I would like to tender my apologies to Mr Louis Ng for referring to him as a fellow Labour Member of Parliament, but he is most welcomed to join us.”
“Chairman, in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] So far, there has been no cases of COVID-19 that came from the mosques in Singapore, even though many Muslims of different nationalities visit the mosque daily to perform congregational prayers.”
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“In fact, the PWM will offer workers starting salaries that will commensurate with their skills, productivity and job responsibility. For example, the PWM for cleaners will see them starting with a salary of $1,000 and progressively moving upwards as their skills and job responsibilities increase. The PWM gives recognition to the training these workers have gone through. Through collaboration with NEA, the PWM was tied up to the new cleaning accreditation scheme and Government has pledged to engage only cleaning companies with accreditation. MOE, as a service buyer, has come on board and has seen its 3,600 outsourced cleaners' salaries increase by $300. With the WCS, I hope such transition to a PWM could be done at a faster pace with more widespread adoption across many Government Ministries and Statutory Boards. Mdm Speaker, while I welcome the WCS, I am, however, very concerned that it may not bring immediate or short-term benefit to low-wage workers who are working under outsourced contracts like cleaners, security officers, car park attendants and many others. Many of these companies are operating on an amount that is already specified and fixed in the contract which may last for two to three years with possible options to extend by another one to three years. Hence, there is little motivation for them to leverage on the WCS to increase the salary of their workers. Madam, I have personally engaged many service providers and service buyers of cleaning, security and landscape industries. All service providers want to offer better wages to their workers and all service buyers want to offer better tender amount but, it cannot be done at the expense of them losing their business and being uncompetitive. They want a level playing field.”
“I am also hopeful that the WCS will be used by companies to restructure given the tightening of the foreign labour supply. I hope that WCS is not used by companies to increase their bottom lines by using it to subsidise their usual wage increase. All workers deserve fair wages and it is the moral duty of employers to value every worker and ensure gain sharing with special attention to be accorded to the lower wage workers. A better Singapore requires more than just a strong tripartite partnership between the Government, workers and employers but also for all companies to have the moral responsibility to ensure workers feel the impact of the WCS as Singapore journeys towards creating a better Singapore for all. NTUC Labour Movement will continue to call upon our workers to undergo a mind-set change to think and do things differently through training and re-skilling to increase their productivity at the workplace for a sustainable real wage increase in this highly competitive business environment. Companies must reciprocate any increase in productivity through better salary increments for the workers. While there has been a strong call for minimum wage because of the widening income gap and rising inflation cost, NTUC, through our union clusters, has been pushing for a Progressive Wage Model (PWM) that could help workers obtain salary increases based on a wage ladder concept which incorporates skills, productivity and career progression. My other colleagues will provide more examples of the PWM in the various industries. The PWM offers more than just minimum wage but a pathway for workers to earn better Page: 39 wages. Last year, NTUC worked with the Government and the industry players to propose a PWM in the cleaning industry as an alternative to minimum wage.”
“Last year, at Power Seraya Gas Station, the union together with the management and the cleaning service provider worked together to re-deploy the cleaners for greater work efficiency and productivity. As a result, the cleaners' salaries were increased between $100 and $250. Power Seraya and the unions were able to do it because they were determined to help the low-wage workers. Many companies can do so by putting in that extra effort to work with the service providers to explore solutions to increase productivity. With the Wage Credit Scheme (WCS), such restructuring efforts can be supported to reward the workers through better wages. Madam, this year's Budget is to help companies restructure for quality growth and reduce the income inequality. The examples I shared showed that it can be done. However, I acknowledge there will be challenges. Page: 38 During my house visit last Saturday, I was given an earful by my resident who was upset that the curb on foreign worker supply and the increase in workers' levy would affect her husband's construction business badly. I understand that as Singapore undergoes this restructuring exercise, many companies, especially SMEs, will face much difficulty and continue the call for the Government to relax the tightening of the foreign worker supply. It would also be difficult to ask them to embark on Best Sourcing as they resort to cheap sourcing of services to cut cost. Mdm Speaker, the efforts to restructure the economy by reducing our reliance on foreign workers and to ensure a sustained real wage increase through productivity improvements can be a painful exercise for many companies, especially SMEs. I hope that the measures announced in this year's Budget will lessen the pain.”
“Mdm Speaker, amidst our economic uncertainties and population challenges looming ahead of us which contributed an intense debate amongst Singaporeans, one thing remains a Page: 37 constant – that Singaporeans ultimately want a better Singapore for themselves, their families and the future generation. The Government has always been cognisant of this and has been working resolutely together with the NTUC Labour Movement, in improving the lot of workers with special attention given to low-wage workers. Government has also been instrumental with its $100 million funding in supporting the Labour Movement's push to increase productivity and promote best sourcing initiative that will impact 48,000 workers with close to two-thirds expected to see their wages increase by at least 10% over and above current annual increment when these projects are completed. Companies that have leveraged on the Inclusive Growth Programme have managed to increase productivity and wages of their workers. Let me share some success stories. A cleaning company mechanised their cleaning operations for a commercial building using specialised cleaning equipment tapping on IGP funding. The salaries of the cleaners working in the building were raised from $840 to between $1,000 and $1,050. Another example, a security company implemented the CCTV Surveillance System and Visitor Management System between the period September and January or November last year. The project was co-funded using IGP funding. The systems improved on the incidence response time for the Security Officer and time taken to register visitors with zero error rate. Their 170 local Security Officers benefitted through 11% annual wage increase.”
“Mdm Speaker, the noise and air pollution has been a perennial problem facing residents of Jalan Loyang Besar. Would NEA consider in the long term to make a very strong recommendation for the Loyang Offshore Supply Base to be relocated or closed down completely, given its proximity to residential areas?”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. NTUC has been advocating the Progressive Wage Model encompassing skills, wages productivity and career elements to help low-wage workers enjoy better wages. Is it possible for the Tripartite Committee to consider working with NTUC to look at sector specific where the Progressive Wage Model can be implemented?”
“Mdm Speaker, please allow me to conclude in English and allow me to share a posting on my wall by a well-respected friend, "Perhaps, the way forward is to let people see the full picture, give the worst case, the best case and the ideal scenario of the population problem. Give the consequences of each option in not only GDP growth, but also consequences in social, transportation, childcare, education and etc." We still have time. While I support the Motion, I hope that the Government will address the concerns and allay the worries of Singaporeans on the various issues and convince Singaporeans that we have them always at heart.”
“Page: 142 Madam, there are those who said that citizens from the Philippines who will be accepted as Singapore citizens will be categorised as "Malays" because, historically, they are considered to have the same roots as Malays. Is this true? If it is true, this will mean that even though the percentage is maintained, the identity and the meaning of the label "Malay" will change, because many Filipinos are Catholics and, culturally, there are not many similarities with our Malays. Some also have the perception that due to the lack of Malay foreigners who wish to reside in Singapore, the Government has taken new citizens who are Muslims, even though they are not Malays. Statistically, will these new citizens who are Muslims be considered as Malays? I should think not.”
“Mdm Speaker, it is said that a society or a nation is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members; the last, the least, the littlest. What we can do in the future is judged by what we can do now. Madam, please allow me to speak in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The White Paper on the issue of Singapore's population increase by 2030 has led to a heated discussion among Singaporeans, with many of them worried about the implications if Singapore's population reaches 6.9 million. However, this issue is important because Singapore's future may be affected if nothing is done. This is due to Singapore's very low fertility rate and the increase in the number of senior citizens. Madam, among the issues of concern to the Malay community is the ethnic proportion, as mentioned by Mr Faisal Manap and Ms Intan Azura. Many among our community are worried that the percentage of Malays in Singapore will decrease due to immigration policies relating to the entry of new Singapore citizens from countries like China, India and the Philippines. If we compare this with the 1970s, the percentage of Malays in Singapore has decreased from 15% in 1977 to about 13.4% presently. Although our Prime Minister and the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, have said that the ethnic balance will not be affected and will be maintained, this issue is still a matter of concern to our community. How can this balance be maintained if more non-Malay new citizens are going to be accepted in the coming years? May I know if efforts to attract Malay PMETs from other countries are being done? And are these efforts effective? If they are not effective, how will the percentage of Malays be maintained?”
“We must be bold to reduce the rising income gap by taking more affirmative action plans to help our local low-wage workers. Second, as there is quite a large number of low-wage workers, I would like to call upon the Government to recognise industry-wide agreements incorporating the Progressive Wage Model, especially for those industries dominated by low-wage workers, such as in cleaning, security, retail, landscape and F&B, to ensure fair and good employment terms and conditions for these workers. This agreement can be reached through national industry-wide collective bargaining, between employers' associations like SNEF, ASME or SBF with NTUC or industrial unions. This agreement would be binding on all service providers and service buyers in the industry. Third, I would like to urge the Government to review the Employment Act to make it more favourable to low-wage workers, given the changing employment environment. While the unions can negotiate for better employment terms and conditions through our collective agreements, there are many Singaporean low-wage workers that are not union members or working for unionised companies. Page: 141 Even within the Government sector, there are 2,931 Division IV officers, and 73% of them are earning gross salaries of between $1,001 and $1,400 per month, and another 16% were drawing monthly salaries above this level. Can the Government Ministries and Statutory Boards be bold enough to have higher performance bonus rates for this group of officers? Can the Government also consider making service buyers responsible for the employment terms and conditions of the outsourced workers working under the service buyers' contract? This would encourage more responsible outsourcing by service buyers.”
“Recently, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) made a call to the Government to reverse the policy of tightening the inflow of lower skilled foreign workers. The Singapore Retailers Association (SRA) said that the retail sector was finding it extremely difficult to hire Singaporeans and urged the Government to rethink its labour policy. The Singapore Business Federation echoed similar views. Government has given subsidies for them to restructure Page: 140 and improve their productivity but we know it is not easy. It takes time. I can understand why they want the policy to be reversed. Madam, I am concerned, if we were to reverse the policy, about the impact it will have on our low-wage and older workers whose wages may be stagnant due to cheaper foreign competition. The demand for low-wage workers will continue even up to 2030. What can we do now to convince the Singaporean low-wage workers that the future will be better, come 2030? Mdm Speaker, to improve the narrative for our local low-wage workers as we prepare for "a sustainable population for a dynamic Singapore", or "a dynamic population for a sustainable Singapore" as the Workers' Party prefers to call it, we must act now to value every work and every worker. In NTUC, we coined this term "Cheap is no good; good is not cheap". Regardless of what we call the White Paper, it is said that "all the flowers of all the tomorrows are in the seeds of today". Let us plant the right seeds for the Singaporean low-wage workers now in order for them to enjoy the blooming flowers in the year 2030. For a start, I would like to call on the Government to make it mandatory now for all companies to adopt NWC's recommendations, specifically to those pertaining to low-wage workers.”
“Mdm Speaker, there are many Singaporeans earning low wages in many other industries, such as retail, F&B, landscape and others. Many Singaporean low-wage workers are vulnerable because of the business practice of outsourcing. Competition amongst service providers inadvertently leads to cost-cutting and this manifests itself in the form of low salaries for their workers. To make matters worse, contractual obligations spanning a few years at fixed contract price means that the salary of these low-wage workers will stagnate. Many Singaporean low-wage workers are working for companies who are successful because they are operating based on a very low-wage, low-benefit model of employment. Last month, a resident came to see me during my Meet-the-People session. She has been working with the Postal Service for the last 17 years as a postwoman and earning about $1,700 per month. She shared that, this year, her employer changed her terms of remuneration to $1,062 per month for the same amount of work. NTUC is following up with this case but, if it is true, then this is an example of companies operating based on a low-wage, low-benefit model of employment. We must change this narrative now if we want the Singaporean low wage workers to believe in the vision we have for 2030. Mdm Speaker, some have opined that one of the best ways to help low-wage workers get better wages is to get them to be union members. This, however, is not necessarily true. While unions can ensure they are accorded their statutory benefits according to the Employment Act, it is a challenge to negotiate for better wages if the workers are working under an outsourced contract with their salaries largely determined by what the company is getting from the Service Buyers.”
“Without doubt, the Government has instituted a range of measures, like the Inclusive Growth Programme, Workfare Training Scheme and Workfare Income Supplement, targeted at raising the salaries of low-wage Singaporean workers sustainably over the longer term. The Government must continue to improve on these narratives. The Government has taken the right step to award its cleaning contract only to companies that have been awarded the Clean Mark under the new cleaning accreditation scheme and who have agreed to adopt the Progressive Wage Model for their workers. This requirement has the potential to impact 7,000 local cleaners working under Government contract but we still have another 50,000 local cleaners out there working and not earning wages as recommended by the Tripartite Cluster for Cleaners. Cleaners are not the only group of low-wage workers. According to MHA, there are 65,679 unarmed and 6,408 armed private security guards licensed by the police as of July 2012, but only about 36,000 are actively working as guards, as reported by The Straits Times in September last year. It is estimated that Government agencies engaged a total of approximately 1,200 security officers and 1,800 armed Police officers. While there has been Page: 139 much progress to raise their productivity and wages, the security industry is in a vicious cycle characterised by long working hours, low basic salary and, for some, even stagnating wages. I would like to urge the Government Ministries to work with the unions and industry players to help these security officers. Let us work on the Progressive Wage Model using our police officers in MHA to benchmark their salaries. This is a good narrative that will be welcomed by many security officers out there.”
“NTUC has embarked on many initiatives to help low-wage workers earn better wages through productivity improvements, skills upgrading and promoting better business practices. Even the recent 212 NWC recommendations made a bold move in recommending a quantum pay increase for low-wage workers. Page: 138 The reality, however, is that many companies show much resistance to adopt such national initiatives to help the low-wage workers, citing cost and competition. Let me share a real case study involving one of our premier tertiary institutions. Last year, when NTUC learnt that they had a cleaning contract up for renewal, NTUC engaged them early to share on the progressive wage model, hoping that they would be amongst the first mover in helping the cleaners earn better wages. I personally attended the meeting. Despite sharing with the institution in advance, they, however, concluded their recent cleaning contract without insisting that the service providers adopt the progressive wage model, citing that official announcement of the progressive wage model was not made. If they had, the cleaners would have obtained better wages based on their skills and job nature. How many local cleaners were affected? I am not sure, but behind each of these cleaners is a family that most likely will find it difficult to cope with the rising cost of living. I have many more cases to share, but when a premier academic institution of higher learning shows resistance to efforts to help low-wage workers, I am worried what the situation would be like for the low-wage workers in the year 2030. Madam, to change the narrative for our low-wage workers, what we need now is for the Government to be more aggressive in its measures to improve the wages of Singaporean low-wage workers.”
“Mdm Speaker, it is said that it is far better to foresee even without clarity than not to foresee at all. History shared that it was not raining when Prophet Noah decided to build the ark. We are discussing about a future which no one knows with certainty will hold true. It is, however, important that we do not let our present day challenges to drive out the need to plan. Planning is about bringing the future into the present so that we can act on it now. We have heard in this House over the past few days alternative projections on labour force, GDP and population growth. Unfortunately, to the many Singaporean low-wage workers who are facing stagnating wages, coupled with rising inflation, it means nothing to them. I was driving into Parliament this morning when I asked the armed security officer about his wages. He shared with me that his income has not increased for the past seven years despite having worked in his present job for 12 years. I have also come across many workers working under outsourced contracts lamenting their wages have not increased for many years. I believe there are thousands out there facing a similar situation. Mdm Speaker, I am truly saddened at the plight of our Singaporean low-wage workers. Without doubt, there are many social assistance schemes and other forms of financial support provided to them, but we cannot raise a person's dignity through hand-outs. I believe many of them want to raise their own families through their own blood, sweat and tears. Mdm Speaker, the Singapore narrative for the low-wage workers must change for the better as we plan for 2030. The time to take class-based affirmative action is now.”
“Analysts predict that Singapore might become the world's second biggest gaming destination in the world, after Macau. Let us not be too dependent on gambling as an engine for economic and tourism growth. If we continue, we will soon have to build more casinos. 5.40 pm”
“I would also like to know how the law intends to deal with new forms of gambling, such as interactive gambling services as well as other modes of gambling outside of the casino, including online gambling, which can adversely impact the young. Page: 1415 Unfortunately, the Casino Control Act does not cover this area. It was reported by the Law Reform Committee in 2010 that the current legislative framework in Singapore addresses land-based gambling activities but it is inadequate to deal with the whole range of online gaming and gambling activities. I would like the Ministry to look at this potential problem to protect our youths. Gambling is not a social skill we want our children to acquire. Let us try our best to stop it from influencing our innocent and gullible youths. Sir, it was reported in 2010 and 2011 that the opening of casinos had no major adverse impact on law and order in Singapore, and crimes reported in the casinos comprised less than 1% of overall crime. How about crimes related to gambling? The hon Member, Ms Low Yen Ling, had earlier shared a story of how one of her residents was imprisoned and the root cause of it was his gambling habit. Has the number of gambling-related suicides increased? What about crimes such as loan sharking? It has been reported that the loan sharks are going online and using mobile gadgets to advertise their services. Gamblers who are desperate for cash could easily fall prey to these tactics. How equipped are our authorities in meeting the rise of "new crimes" associated with gambling? Sir, it has been over two years since the opening of the two casinos in Singapore. Both casinos have been money spinners and have raked in a total of close to US$6 billion last year.”
“Imposing a visit limit after that would do little for the person and his family as the damage has been done. Would the Minister consider putting a cap on the amount one can gamble if one is already on the visit limit list? This would be more effective in ensuring that a gambler does not put all his eggs into the same basket at the same time and have them all or mostly crushed. Sir, I would like to call for even tighter measures on Singaporean gamblers at our casinos. Currently, the casinos can extend credit to non-Singaporeans and Singaporeans who are "premium players". I would like to urge the Ministry to prohibit the extension of credit to all Singaporean players. Perhaps, we should heed the advice of Machiavelli that I quoted earlier and be more draconian by totally banning Singaporeans from entering the casino, as what is being done by Vietnam where locals are prohibited from entering casinos. The argument that "Singaporean gamblers will go elsewhere and do it anyway" is not convincing enough for allowing them to gamble in our casinos. While it is true that gamblers will go the extra mile to do so, it takes more effort for them to travel to another country do so as opposed to having the option of doing it so easily in our country. Sir, a legendary US gambler said, "Don't be a gambler; once a gambler, always a gambler". In this regard, we must take pre-emptive strike to protect our young children and teenagers from acquiring this gambling habit. Our youths have unlimited access to the Internet – 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are at risk to Internet gambling sites. In a study done by University of Connecticut, it showed that as many as three in four pre-teens and teens in the United States who are exposed to Internet gambling eventually became addicted.”
“Sir, despite the curbs and steps taken to minimise the undesirable social impact on society, there are still real concerns about the adverse social effects of the casinos on individuals and families. I am saddened to hear of stories shared by many speakers earlier of families affected by gambling. One family affected by a compulsive gambler's behaviour is one family too many. Sir, I would like to urge for a study to be done on the economic and social costs of gambling in Singapore so that we can further understand the implications casinos have in Singapore. Perhaps, if the social cost can be quantified, we can then objectively weigh the pros and cons of having a casino here. Page: 1414 I am heartened that this Bill seeks to introduce even tighter controls on some aspects of patronising casinos, especially for financially vulnerable Singaporeans. One of the proposed amendments is to provide an option for a visit limit per month that can be imposed by an individual's family, by the individual himself, or by a Committee of Assessors on a person with bad financial record or if the person is seen by the committee to be in a financially vulnerable position due to gambling. I would like to know if the definition of "financially vulnerable" would be different for Singaporeans who are banned from entering casinos, compared to those who will be given the option of having a visit limit every month. Sir, like many speakers before me, I find it difficult to appreciate the need for a visit limit option. A visit limit could lead to an increase in gambling intensity. If someone is a compulsive gambler, even one visit can do a lot of harm. What if one gambles away all of his money in one visit?”
“Sir, thank you for allowing me to join this debate. Please allow me to speak in Malay before I continue my speech in English. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech on Pg 1436.] I support the amendments to this Act because it will protect even more Singaporeans, especially those who are vulnerable and can easily succumb to gambling. I would like to urge that this group be forbidden from going to the casino. This will help to preserve the sanctity of their lives and their families. Fortunately, the problem of gambling is not so widespread among the Malay community. Islam, just like many other religions, forbids or discourages gambling. Gambling is a social ill that can make someone place their hopes on luck or striking it rich that comes from false hopes. It can discourage someone from working hard and doing noble deeds. I hope that our community will continue to avoid this gambling habit and will not be easily deceived by stories of luxurious life supposedly enjoyed by gamblers. (In English): An Italian philosopher, Niccolo Machiavelli, born in 1469 and died in1527, once said, "A ruler should encourage gambling among his enemies, and put it down by military force at home". I support the call by my fellow parliamentarian, Ms Denise Phua, for us to work towards a future where there are no casinos on our shores. Gambling is a sin passed down through many generations and has wreaked havoc on many lives and families. It undermines the social fabric of society. Yet, the urge to gamble is so universal and, as a nation, we are placing our bets that its benefits will far outweigh its sinfulness.”
“I would like to ask the Acting Minister this. Many low-wage workers, especially those working under outsourced services contracts, are experiencing stagnant wages. Given the fact that we are moving towards giving a quantitative recommendation under NWC, can MOM consider making it mandatory for both service providers and service buyers to bear the cost equally of adopting NWC recommendations, especially those pertaining to low-wage workers?”
“As suggested by the hon Member of Parliament, Mr Faisal Manap, I would also urge the authorities to take more specific efforts to understand and overcome this problem faced by the Malay community. A different approach, based on religion and culture, may be necessary to eradicate the drug scourge among the multi-racial communities in Singapore. Sir, when someone is involved in the supply, distribution and delivery of drugs, that person is participating in an activity that can destroy not just the lives and serenity of many individuals and their families, but it also undermines our community. The community needs to be educated that drugs is a scourge, it is filthy and must be avoided completely. If we manage to successfully inculcate this value in every person, a large part of our battle against drugs would be won. The objective of preventing drug abuse is important to ensure that our young generation will become a dignified and respected community. 6.12 pm”
“Statistics have shown an increase in the number of new drug abusers. In 2005, 453 new drug abusers were arrested. In 2010, the number increased to 1,327. There is also an increasing trend among relapsed drug offenders. In 2005, 240 of them were arrested. In 2010, the number had risen to 1,560. The data clearly shows that we need to intensively revamp the prevention programmes because the existing rehabilitation and treatment programmes find it difficult to prevent these abusers from returning to their old habits. Sir, I also support the proposal to make the organisation of drug parties into an offence. We must take steps to protect our young people from the influence of drugs because once trapped, it is hard for them to get out of the vicious cycle of drug addiction. The number of youths under the age of 21 who were arrested for drug abuse has also increased. In 2006, 106 youths below 21 years old were arrested. In 2010, the figures increased to 257. Page: 1116 These figures show that the demand for drugs is still strong. I urge the Government to take more aggressive steps in drug prevention programmes to prevent the rise in new abusers in this country, particularly among our youths. The Government should also revamp our drug rehabilitation programmes to ensure its effectiveness and to ensure that the demand for drugs will reduce. The Malay community has taken the appropriate measures to eradicate the drug menace among Malays, but the Malay community continues to be haunted by this scourge. The number of new abusers arrested shows that more are coming from the Malay community.”
“People who misuse drugs or cause harm to others must be dealt with decisively. Death sentence for drug traffickers must stay. Real help must also be given to drug offenders who repent. Unless we do both to kill the supply and rid the demand for drugs, we are only chopping one hand of the drug trafficker and allowing him to continue using the other hand. Page: 1115 Mr Speaker, please allow me to continue my speech in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech on Pg 1180-1181.] Sir, the proposed amendments will make the death penalty non-mandatory for drug trafficking offences. Instead, life imprisonment can be imposed for these offenders under certain conditions. I would like to urge the authorities to provide further explanations that is clearer on the meaning of "giving substantive assistance". Considering that this is a new change, can the Minister assure us that clearer details will be provided so that this law will be applied strictly, and the exemption from the death penalty will be given only for certain cases, where the information given is truly valuable in an operation to shut down a drug syndicate? I am concerned that this flexibility on the death penalty for drug trafficking will present an opportunity for drug traffickers to take advantage of certain people who face personal problems, such as health, financial or emotional problems, in order to carry on their criminal activities. Drug traffickers may approach and encourage such people to smuggle drugs, and they may be under the impression that they will not face the death penalty because of their personal problems. Sir, the drug problem can be controlled by reducing drug supply or by reducing the demand for drugs. I am of the view that more can be done to reduce the demand for drugs.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a saying: "If you start taking drugs, you would most likely kill your brother". Statistics have shown that new drug abusers are influenced by experienced abusers. Efforts to curb the misuse of drugs can be achieved by reducing the supply of drugs or reducing the demand for drugs. The introduction of temporary listing of new psychoactive substances and strengthening the punishment framework for repeat drug traffickers are examples of efforts to reduce potential supply of drugs. However, I would like the authority to do more to reduce the demand for drugs. It is important that more aggressive efforts be taken to reduce the number of new drug abusers and to have a more effective regime in helping existing drug offenders. There is an increasing trend of new drug abusers, and the proportion of repeat abusers remains significant. I would like to ask the Minister whether there are any plans to revamp and develop new programmes for the treatment and rehabilitation of problem drug abusers and to promote prevention of drug abuse through education, given the increase in new drug abusers, especially among the youth, and the continued rate of relapse of existing drug abusers. Can the Ministry consider the provision of an extensive and highly developed network of treatment services that is customised to the abuser's sex, religion and culture to ensure rehabilitation effectiveness? Unless more is being done, the impact of the amendment to the Bill is likely to be limited, due to the large number of users remaining untreated, the high rate of relapse, the variable effectiveness of current treatment and the continual influx of new users. Demand for drugs will continue to be high. Mr Speaker, we are at war with drugs.”
“Can the Ministry consider making it mandatory through changes in the Employment Act for the existing or new employers of low-wage workers working for outsourced services contracts to recognise their years in service, and ensure they will not be worse off in terms of salary and other statutory employment benefits, such as annual leave, under the new outsourced services contract?”
“The onus is on the employer to provide accommodation for their workers and ideally, of course, we would want all of them to follow the laws, but in order for this to happen, there must be more land space provided by the Government for more dormitories to be built. Many employers face problems securing apartments for their workers as it is difficult for them to rent private apartments, and even those who manage to do so may face complaints from neighbours. Sir, I support the Motion. 5.37 pm”
“Many cannot open a bank account because their employers are holding on to their passports. We, the union, have received feedback from our foreign worker members that without a bank account, they do not have a safe place to keep their hard-earned income and risk it being stolen at their dormitories. Making salary payments through GIRO mandatory will help alleviate some of these problems faced by foreign workers. Sir, I would also like to highlight the issue of accommodation for foreign workers where there have been many contraventions. In 2001, a total of 1,069 employers had either been given warning letters, or offered composition fines, or convicted for their failure to provide proper accommodation for their foreign workers. Between January and June this year, there have been 531 similar cases of unacceptable accommodation which takes the form of makeshift shelters, bin centres and illegally converted factory premises. Page: 768 Sir, there are 702,000 Work Permit holders of the 1.15 million foreign workers, but only 300 dormitories for foreign workers. The remaining Work Permit holders are probably housed in workers' quarters, private housing estates or through the HDB flats, some of which may be illegally sublet. Recently, a foreign worker cleaning supervisor shared with me that in the place where he is putting up, there are nine workers sharing a 3-room HDB flat and the number can go up to 15 people. Sir, some of these practices may not be legal but the employer may decide to risk it due to the difficulty in securing accommodation for the workers.”
“The shift allowance was added to top up the difference to meet the S Pass qualifying income criteria despite this worker not working under shift. This is an abuse of the system as it puts other law-abiding companies at a disadvantage and it leads to an imbalance of opportunities for Singaporean job seekers as it deprives them of job opportunities in the company. We do not want to create a situation where the loophole makes it more compelling for an employer to engage an S Pass holder over a Singaporean with the same skill sets and qualifications just because it is cheaper for them to do so. Sir, I would thus like to call for a system where employers have to clearly state the breakdown of the salary of their S Pass workers so that there is clarity on their basic wage and how much is being paid for other allowances. Currently, the law requires S Pass holders to earn at least $2,000 without specifying whether the salary is indeed $2,000 or the gross payment made to the S Pass holders is $2,000. There must be greater clarity on what the salary requirement entails at the point of application for S Pass holders. On another aspect of salaries, Sir, I would like the Ministry to consider making it mandatory for all employers to pay the salaries of work permit holders via GIRO. This would help to protect these workers if there are salary disputes as there will be official paper trail that keeps track of what has been paid and when. Making this mandatory will help facilitate investigations for such disputes and will establish the facts of the case more clearly and conclusively. Moreover, a mandatory salary payment through GIRO would mean that employers have to help our foreign workers open a bank account.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise in support of this motion as the Bill serves to further enhance the Ministry's investigatory powers and introduces a more calibrated approach towards addressing the various offences committed by employers of foreign workers. While changes to the Bill are intended to have a systemic impact on foreign worker issues, I support the call by my fellow Parliamentarians to urge MOM to give a sharper focus on some details of the intended changes in order to prevent any possible loopholes that may be exploited by employers to the point that the impact or outcome desired by introducing these amendments are negated. As the saying goes, "The devil is in the detail". Sir, we have to be mindful that when measures or laws are introduced in order to tighten certain processes in the hiring of foreign workers, some employers and syndicates get creative and try to find ways to get around the laws. The law has to try and pre-empt these creative tactics and stay several steps ahead of these perpetrators. Where it is not possible to do so, then tough measures will have to be taken in order to ensure that there is some sense of equity and that law abiding companies and the Singapore workers at large are not placed at a disadvantage. Page: 767 Sir, I support the move that requires employers to pay S Pass holders fixed monthly salaries that are not below the threshold set. There have been cases where employers put up applications for S Pass holders with salaries that appeared to meet the basic requirements but, in reality, these are not the true wages paid by the employer. A union leader shared with me a story where his employer declared that they were paying an S Pass holder more than $2,000 but in effect the worker was getting a much lesser income.”