Zainul Abidin Rasheed
Singapore
“I think much has been done as far as recovery is concerned, and the Japanese government itself is now paying due attention to reconstruction. Just at the Jakarta meeting, in fact, there was a lot of sharing of what has been done, and while they are grateful, they also look forward to us working together in terms of the reconstruction.”
“Kelp that he had met Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew when Mr Lee visited Moscow in 1970. Even though then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew at that time showed an interest to learn from the Soviet socialist system, he changed his mind after visiting the Soviet Union and made changes to the political system and the system of governance in Singapore…”
“In my opinion, the measures and programmes to achieve progress are quite visible and numerous. The Community Leaders’ Forum network continues to develop. What else should be given attention to, especially in relation to dysfunctional families and divorce cases?”
“I found the Malay workers in the Middle East very encouraging. This is one of the best opportunities for us in this new area. Finally, the three-prong Government measure is to ensure that every citizen will continue to contribute towards the development of Singapore to ensure that every Singaporean will be given the best opportunity to en…”
“Sir, I believe ASEAN's credibility does not just hinge on Myanmar. ASEAN's credibility has been built over the years and we have shown a lot of credibility in many areas in terms of international relations.”
“As the President has said, when we take advantage of the existing opportunities through globalisation, we must also pay attention to the fact that these new opportunities should not result in a wide income gap.”
The complete record
Every one of 455 lines we hold for Zainul Abidin Rasheed, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 7 of 10.
“Madam, it is getting late, and I will try to be brief. Earlier on, Mr Steve Chia spoke about the need to create brilliance in our kids in school, and then Mr Chiam spoke about Sweden and Nobel prize winners, but I am afraid I will be talking about bottom-lines. Government's plan to dig deep for our bottom-line sewerage needs says a lot about our Government's foresight. They not only think far, but also deep. As the saying goes, "we leave no stone, or is it earth, unturned." For land-scarce Singapore, we have understood the need to go skywards. We know why we need to reach for the sky, while our feet must firmly be on the ground, and now even going underground. We are also going seawards, with reclamation, but that is another story. This new area of sewerage development is all the more critical, as we are now turning to NEWater, as mentioned by a few Members earlier on, as an alternative source of water. So these deep tunnel sewerage projects are going to be very important for our NEWater project too. We are not only land-scarce but water-scarce, and thus Singaporeans must be made conscious of the importance of the deep tunnel projects. Can the Minister share with us Environment Ministry's plans to inform the public about the importance of the projects? Nevertheless, these projects, deep they may be, are not cheap. Can the Minister explain what are the cost implications for our water and utilities charges in the long term? Also, will the Minister look into other needs which could be synergised with the building of the deep tunnels? It is well known in Singapore that one digging always follows another when it comes to utilities work, leaving the roads messy and traffic inconvenienced.”
“The British Commissioner is here, he knows that we have a few thousand students studying in UK, a few more thousands in the US and a few more thousands in Australia. But I think only about 5,000 benefit from that tax rebate. It is not easy for parents to send their children to study overseas. Some go because they could not get a place in Singapore, others for courses not available here. In any case, they are enhancing their worth and, thus, their future contribution to Government having to spend more on subsidies for MOE. I was at the memorial service at Ann Arbor where an undergraduate, the late Miss Amanda Yeo, who was studying at the Michigan University died at a road accident. She was the only girl of the family. I met her family at the church service in Ann Arbor and I could feel the anguish and the tragedy felt by the family. Parents whose children study overseas face all kinds of anxiety and uncertainty. They deserve understanding. I must declare my interest. I am also a recipient and beneficiary of that. But on a larger picture, beyond the financial consideration, beyond the tax rebate, we need to find ways to bond overseas students to Singapore. I think MOE can help. Finally, can MOE update the House on its thinking about the honours course for Malay studies at the NUS?”
“Sir, the House was recently told about the high amount of subsidy the Government provides for tertiary education. This is rightly so knowing how important our human resources are. We need to do all we can to ensure that those deserving of tertiary education be given all the support necessary. On this note, Sir, the Malay community also deeply appreciates the tertiary fee subsidy given to the Malays who qualify for university and polytechnic education. Those who are better off give up that subsidy for the benefit of the needy and those who are more deserving. But those who receive the Malay TFF subsidy will be required to give back to the community by doing social service. This is the point which I would like to raise about tertiary students as a whole. Sir, because of the large subsidy given by the Government for tertiary education, our graduates should be taught to pay back to society in one way or another. Will MOE consider programmes to encourage and facilitate that? At the North East CDC, for example, we encourage tertiary student recipients of our programmes, for example, the BUST subsidy programme to help in the community work. They help in our IT programmes. Another point I would like to raise is how MOE could keep in touch with students who study overseas. MOE should work with the Singapore International Foundation and Contact Singapore for that purpose. Sir, the Government has recently decided to remove the tax rebate for Singapore students studying overseas. I think it is a pity as it could serve as an indirect bond for them. I would like the Government to please reconsider withdrawing that rebate.”
“I would like to urge MOE to view the matter seriously and not allow expediency, eg, convenience of language classes or transport consideration, to deter them from efforts to forge a better integrated society.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, schools, no doubt, play a key role to instill racial harmony. Understanding what multi-racialism is about in Singapore is critical, if we are serious about integration. Despite over 36 years of our efforts at nation-building, there are still serious gaps of understanding and misunderstanding about what it takes to make a success of multi-racialism. What is MOE's experience in tackling this problem and at promoting integration? The Malay MPs, sometime back, had taken the initiative to request that there be a cap of 25% admission to Primary One intake, the purpose being to encourage better inter-racial mixing and to facilitate more Malay students to use English rather than just Malay language among themselves. I realise that there are practical problems, including convenience and transportation, that made parents request for more admission despite the cap. What is MOE's position on that cap now? I think, as far as possible, that cap should be encouraged for better performance and integration. Recently, it was brought to our attention that certain schools, for example, Siglap Secondary School, had Malay students reaching 60% of the student population. This, I believe, was because of the post-PSLE posting and choice made by the students themselves. I gather too that in certain classes in such schools, the number of Malay students even reached 90%. I was also told that once such schools attain such an image, non-Malay students, especially Chinese students, even refrain from choosing such schools for posting. Is this true, Sir? What effect does such a situation have on our efforts at integration? Will MOE try to have a better spread of students to make the schools more multiracial and thus, facilitate integration?”
“Sir, I am very grateful for the long reply given by Mr Mah. I am sure by that reply alone, the image of the Singapore Parliament is enhanced. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $27,787,800 for Head F ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $3,972,700 for Head F ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head O -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head F of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. My topic is on the global image of the Singapore Parliament. We have a very new Parliament House and also a new Speaker. I was fortunate enough to be sent by the Singapore Parliamentary Society (SPS) to the IPU Conference. There, I remember, at one session, the head of a delegation from Croatia stood up and started off by apologising and said, "I apologise to the gentlemen who are present here today. Next time, we will bring some male members to represent Croatia." It so happened that all the three members of the delegation were female. Sir, I expect that more and more of such conferences will be attended by female parliamentarians. I would like to see that Parliament be given more resources to prepare itself for this role. We suffer from bad breath from time to time. I think it is important that we are adequately represented in many of the international conferences. We have the IPU, AIPO and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. I hope that necessary resources should be given due attention, so that we can get more of our Members to attend such meetings and conferences, and our image be enhanced. We also use this opportunity to show that we have democracy. Many of the conferences are also represented by Members of the Opposition. Mr Chiam was with me in Morocco, and Mr Low Thia Khiang too had been with the former Speaker to many other conferences. I hope Parliament will consider the necessary resources in order to play an effective role at overseas conferences.”
“To incentivise companies to utilise idle economically inactive space, URA or other land agencies should, in fact, consider giving them a discount on the development charges and allow these charges to be paid over a period of time. Lastly, there is a need to increase transparency and accountability. Land utilisation bodies must also be more transparent and accountable and must not change development charges unilaterally. They must tell the companies that the development charges are for proposed building plans and they should continue to revise development charges after approval has been given. Additional charges must never be an afterthought. A professional body, whether it be the URA, SLA or any other land utilisation agency, must refrain from piling charges. We need a body beyond the land utilisation agencies which can react quickly to resolve disputes whenever they arise. This dispute resolution body which hears appeals should be empowered to act quickly so that it will not increase the cost of business of a Singapore company. In a globalised environment, where the economic challenges to Singapore are significant, our land agencies must be able to act professionally, be transparent, have high service standards and not be obstacles to business growth. It is time for the agencies to adopt a new mindset.”
“As land is an expensive resource which will tie down the capital of many investors, there is a need for Government agencies to coordinate their requirements and not be a hindrance to investors. As such, a single Government agency should be formed for the purposes of land utilisation so that there can be better coordination between URA, JTC, HDB and SLA. This will allow smoother processing of administrative requirements and better management of the supply of land. Next, Government should also consider reviewing development charges. The glut in commercial and industrial space has resulted in much space that has been left idle. To improve productivity and efficient utilisation of space, companies may have to reconsider change of use of space to improve space usage and increase the chances of viability of the business. Whenever there is a change of use, they have to apply to the relevant bodies like URA or SLA, which may then charge them hefty development charges. This will discourage the commercial space from being put into better use. Bodies like URA and SLA should not be overly concerned about trying to squeeze the maximum out of every business as this will only accelerate the demise of these companies and thereafter, result in a loss of jobs. They should exercise appropriate professional judgement, taking into account that they are not there to make as much money as possible from commercial companies, but rather they are there to ensure that planning norms are adhered to and act according to the prevailing market situation without unduly burdening the companies.”
“Sir, I will be brief but flowery. We all are very proud of our Garden City. Having done a successful job in greening our country, we have added more colours and we have also gone fruitful. I think one of the best drives of any airport in the world is the ECP, and we are proud of that. Recently, I was invited to the launching of "Adopt-A-Park" by the Telok Kurau Primary School. I gladly accepted the invitation and went there, but only to find out that the park actually belonged to another GRC. Although I have the beautiful Bedok Reservoir Park at neighbouring ward, belonging to BG George Yeo, and I am still proud of it, I miss the Punggol Park from Punggol East where I came from, from the last term. I really miss Punggol Park as a landmark area. My question here is, coming from Eunos, which is a very old estate, there we have more of a concrete jungle rather than green. So I would like to see the National Parks Board and Ministry of National Development spend some effort to see how they can help old estates, where they have a lot of concrete but less green, add some element of green lungs. If they can look at even small corners here and there, and get the National Parks Board to inject some freshness, some green, some colour and some fruits, I think life will be a lot more meaningful. Dr Michael Lim Chun Leng: Sir, URA is one of the most important land utilisation agencies in Singapore. In addition, there are other agencies such as JTC, HDB and SLA which have land utilisation programmes as well. Very often, more than one agency is involved with regard to the utilisation for the very same piece of land. This has caused problems for those who have purchased land from Government's land sales programmes or tenders.”
“I thought that was a clarification I was seeking. My next cut is on economic downturn and home ownership. Much of what I wanted to ask has been answered in the Question for Oral Answer and also the new policy of HDB. But I just like to add one more point and, that is, I agree with the Minister that, sometimes, at MPS, we do get all kinds of sad stories and they may not be the complete stories. But I would like to urge the Minister to take MPS cases seriously and we have more than 80 MPS cases and feedback from MPS cases would serve as an indication about the kind of problems faced by residents, the kind of policy changes that are needed. In the case of downturn and home ownership, it is not just a matter of rescheduling payments but also people who are asking to change, in terms of application for flats, from 5-room to 4-room, 4-room to 3-room. I would like to get clarification from the Minister whether the new policy in fact would take care of that kind of problem without much penalty being faced by the residents.”
“Sir, before I come to my next cut, can I ask a clarification from the Minister? On the limited resources that we have, and he said that he is lumping together LUP with IUP, in terms of priority, should we not be giving more resources to LUP first, because IUP can wait? LUP is more urgent because of the senior citizens.”
“Sir, where I come from, Eunos in Aljunied GRC, we have a relatively high percentage of senior citizens. Eunos is a relatively old HDB estate. However, I am sure I speak for other similarly old estates and older flats built before 1990 where we did not have lifts on every floor. I understand why HDB did not build the older flats with lifts on every floor, as the priority then was to build flats fast and cheap. But now, when that generation of residents has grown older and some aged, this consideration for lifts on every floor is now more urgent, especially when we want to ensure that more of the elderly continue to play an active part in our lives. In Eunos, only one block of those flats built before 1990 has been given a Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP) programme. There are 64 more others waiting. Every visit I make to the older flats, invariably, I get this question asked: when do we get our LUP? I realise that there are 4,000 such flats in Singapore awaiting LUP, and during these days of downturn and expected slow GDP growth, MUP/IUP/LUP could be far from the Government's priority. But can the Minister indicate when we can expect LUP for more of the older estates and flats, including those at Eunos? I urge the Government to expedite the process, as soon as we are ready to LUP.”
“Sir, with the Minister's indulgence, I asked a question about whether we can look at those who are not trainable, and whether we can recreate some of the older jobs like small businesses and stalls, and for the Ministry of Manpower to work with the Ministry of the Environment.”
“There is still the problem of people being too choosy in finding jobs but there are still employers who are also choosy in selecting workers, especially those 45 years and above. Finally, Mr Chairman, in the past, you could still get hawker stalls. Presently, there is no such opportunity as everything is done by tender. The opportunity to open a stall in the school canteen is also lesser. So what is the fate of such individuals? It is true that the only way out is to go for training and retraining. But I must say that this process takes a long time and it is a difficult task due to the mindset of the workers and the employers. As we try to convince others to go for retraining, MOM should cooperate with ENV to find out ways to provide new job opportunities, which include hawking and setting up small businesses for more workers who have been retrenched and might be difficult to be retrained in the short-term.”
“Sir, providing assistance to residents to look for jobs is the most important talk of the CDC at present. Our experience shows that it is not an easy task. Many are still waiting and hoping for assistance but they are disappointed. The number of those who are assisted has been increasing but is still under 20%. This is a serious problem and MOM should continue to help with greater effort. I have found that there are many more job mismatches than job matches. With your indulgence, Mr Chairman, I would like to give two examples that I had experienced. A 45-year-old father of two school-going children used to receive a salary of $4,200 and did not want any other job except in the manufacturing sector. We had suggested that he work in the IT sector with a salary of $3,500 but he refused because he said he liked the experience and the skill that he had learnt from the manufacturing sector. The job that he had lost will never come back. Another person, an Eurasian who used to get $3,600 had been retrenched. He tried to apply for many jobs, by the hundreds but was not successful. Finally, he said that he was a victim of discrimination because he came from the "others" group. I have always heard many Malays saying that they were discriminated against because of language or race, but this is the first time that I heard of a person being discriminated for being under "others". Actually, he had a colleague at the same place, a Chinese, who did not get an alternative job. I convinced him that his case was not a question of discrimination because his Chinese friend also faced the same problem. Finally, he and his friend agreed to attend a diploma course on Freight Management with funding under the Northeast CDC's surrogate scheme.”
“On a final note, Sir, to continue to be employable, we need to be nimble. We need life-long learning, in other words, training and retraining. As some experts say, perhaps eight or even more times, during our whole work life. MOM needs to help create more awareness, and make easily accessible information with regard to alternative career opportunities.”
“Sir, I do not need to belabour the point, but I would like to echo the sentiments expressed by Mr Hawazi that the Ministry of Manpower, in fact, has done a very creditable job in terms of handling situations. I work with Dr Ng Eng Hen on the Task Force for Manpower, and they are very much on the ball. On my cut, Sir, mindsets have often been said to be the cause for the lack of readiness for training and retraining and life-long learning. How the children are brought up to think about choice careers is one such mindset. Will the Ministry look into this phenomenon and, if need be, work with MOE and other non-formal educational institutions, including civil organisations, VWOs and CDCs, to help alleviate the endemic problem? Sir, when I was in school, my parents wished that I had done medicine. When I failed to get a place in one, a mentor teased me by saying not to worry, I should make a good nurse. I clearly ended up with humanities - working as a journalist, later doing social work, and later as a politician - and it gave me the opportunity to nurse the community. I am happy, and I am sure many other parents too wanted their children to be doctors, engineers, lawyers, and at one time, in fact, Business Administration was the choice. They are good professions, but the whole world is so wide open for different roles to contribute to, and to earn a living. Sir, look at how the profile of work and professions has changed, not commensurate with what parents were used to. There are workers who wanted to be policemen or firemen their whole life, as with my experience serving with the Port Workers' Union in PSA. Some of them refused to be retrained, thus making themselves inflexible, and not employable for long.”
“Madam, as a former member of ACCORD, I benefitted tremendously in understanding SAF from a close range. Last Saturday, I visited the Combat Engineers at Seletar, and I left the base even more reassured about our SAF and our defence capabilities. Whether in technology, human resource development, training and operational considerations, I could see SAF's seriousness, efficiency and determination in the security and defence of our nation. To see some of our 18-20-year-old NSmen managing our gigantic Bionics Launched Bridge evoked a powerful emotion in me about the inner strength of our SAF. It convinced me that the increase in defence budget to ensure that Singapore is well prepared for the uncertainties of the future is well deserved. One challenge, however, is for the SAF to continue to win the hearts of its soldiers and Singaporeans in general for what it is doing. I am glad that the Government continues to include NSmen in its offer of rebates for income tax and Singapore Shares and, now, the ERS. Perhaps, it is also time to review the modest allowances for our NSmen, to help instill a greater sense of belonging and service. Similarly, I would like to urge the Ministry to review its total defence programmes to ensure a better understanding and rapport with the people. It would be worthwhile also to see how ACCORD could do more to bond the public and the SAF. I gather that Mindef is doing a lot of work in reaching out to the people through the Discovery Centre and the Air Force Museum, and I also look forward to the Ministry having an Army Museum. That will help us to bond the people with the SAF further.”
“That could have evoked him to refer to us as a cat. Never had we in fact seen ourselves as a top cat. So I do not think there is a need for them to skin us. I must remind them that neither are we stray cats. We are a very integral part of the region and we value good relations with our neighbours. We also have a cat of our own called Kuchinta, meaning we love you. This is just to remind Malaysians that Singaporeans love Singapore and we will defend Singapore whenever there are unfriendly and uncalled for remarks made. Dr Mahathir should realise that Singapore Malays do not agree with his description of their position in Singapore. Yes, we are a minority. Yes, we still have problems to overcome but we are not marginalised. Neither do we despair in our efforts to uplift. We are happy that our efforts at upliftment not only get the support of the Government but also support from the private sector. By all means, Malaysian leaders can motivate the Malaysian Malays but do not look down on Singapore Malays. They hurt the Singapore Malays' feelings by those unfair remarks. Let us move away from the `dogs and cats' relationship to one that is more productive and more friendly.”
“Sir, last week, there was a group from Malacca, accompanied by the members of the Malaysian Institute of Historical and Patriotism Studies, who came to visit Malay-Muslim organisations and members of the community. I had a dialogue with them too. They came out saying that, in fact, from what they observed, they were very clear in their mind that Singapore Malays are very much an integral part of the society, that they have not been left out and have been looked after, and there is no marginalisation. A week earlier, Datuk Megat Najmuddim Khas, the President of the Corporate Governance Institute also said on CNA `Between the Lines' to the effect that we should just forget about the rhetorics and the private sectors in Malaysia and Singapore should move on to improve relations between the two countries. Sir, I think we should encourage more people-to-people relations to grow. We should encourage more of the Melaka-type of groups of people to come and similarly, we should reciprocate by sending our grassroots organisations groups to visit Malaysia to promote better understanding. I remember that the last time our Senior Minister visited Malaysia, he chose to travel by road just to impress on the Malaysians that he is willing to come to understand the Malaysians closer and better. I think maybe it is about time that Malaysian Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also made a visit here and stayed close to the ground to have a better understanding of Singapore. I say this because of two remarks which Dr Mahathir made: one, is of course the infamous skinning of the cat, and the other is his remarks about Singapore Malays. I do not want to belabour the point, Sir, but I think I remember that sometime back, one Straits Times journalist once described Dr Mahathir as a "top dog".”
“Finally, I would like to conclude by asking the Minister if he believes in promoting entrepreneurship as a core value of our new society. If so, how would the Ministry intend to promote it?”
“Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong (Non-Constituency Member): Sir, promoting entrepreneurship has been a hot topic in the last few years. The Government supports entrepreneurship through many programmes and funding. I am very happy to hear the Minister's response to the many concerns that were addressed. I have three, of which the Minister has addressed. I will go to the last concern. Society needs an attitude and cultural change to promote entrepreneurship. We must go beyond the mere acceptance of business failures. We must welcome them, like we welcome Khoo Swee Chiow when he failed to cross the North Pole - with wide open and accepting arms. It is a fact that nine out of 10 businesses will fail. But a true entrepreneur will persevere and press on. They would have learnt a lot of valuable experience by their first failure. The Ministry would like to look into how society can actually support them to restart again. After gaining these valuable lessons, it will be most shameful if they cannot restart their business due to prejudice, lack of funding or support. 2.00 pm We must educate our society to adopt this change. Getting good and high paying jobs in private or public services should be seen as second or third career choice. The first career choice should be to venture out on our own as an entrepreneur. This we need to educate the shift in mindset, especially on the parents. The Ministry would also like to consider working with the Education Ministry to send some of the tertiary students, who are studying business, to go into the smaller businesses and SMEs for internship, understudy and learn from these entrepreneurs. This will cut short the learning process.”
“Sir, entrepreneurship, we all know, is today's buzzword. In fact, Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, speaking on entrepreneurship in Singapore earlier this year at the Ho Rih Hwa Lecture on Entrepreneurial Culture, gave his prognosis. I suppose the debate will continue whether we can nurture entrepreneurship or whether it is born with such people. MTI should look at entrepreneurship from a wider perspective as to how we can inculcate a spirit of enterprise in our people. This seed for the spirit of enterprise can be sowed only if people are willing to take risks, meaning less kiasuism, and willing to go out and be more adventurous. For example, we, at the North-East CDC, have been looking at this issue and try to see how we can help to bring about this spirit of enterprise. We are encouraging, for example, students to go into business. Hai Sing Catholic School, for example, will be marketing second-hand pots and pans as well as flowers from the school garden through their own Entrepreneurship Club. So we are also encouraging more schools to look into setting up entrepreneurship clubs. We also have the Innovation and Creative Fund to develop the spirit of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship among the residents of North-East CDC. We are working with ITE and Shell to also look at how we can bring about this objective. We also have a Dare-To-Dream Fund where we want to encourage people to go out of their way to look at new ideas and even venture into something where they take risk. The question I would like to ask is whether, in fact, MTI and its agencies, for example, the A*STAR, could also look into areas where we can work with grassroots organisations, even CDCs, and see how we can bring about this spirit of enterprise amongst our people.”
“Sir, in all my working life, I have in one way or another been associated with PSB, formerly NPB, and also SISIR. So I have a very close affinity for that. But, nevertheless, I find the name SPRING lovely and agreeable, not only because it is also the same name I use for my North East CDC magazine. But I also gather that there are some companies which use SPRING as an icon for innovation. SPRING also, as you know, reminds us of new life and a refreshing approach to things. The question I would like to ask is that I know that SPRING, or PSB, has done quite a lot of good work in terms of being productive, creative, innovative and improving standards. How do they see their role in the context of present day situation? Previously, for example, they had a job redesign programme. They ended up with reducing manpower because, formerly, there was a shortage of manpower. One good example was the one-man operation of buses (OMO scheme). So we did away with conductors and just have a driver as a captain managing the whole bus. But in the present day context, when we are short of jobs, how do they reconcile their role? How do they help, in fact, to save and create new jobs rather than just being productive and innovative and, in the end, creating more problems for our recession?”
“I withdraw. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn. The sum of $14,492,870 for Head C ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates. The sum of $272,500 for Head C ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates. Head R -”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head C of the Main Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, last year, when the Minister for Finance raised an amendment to Article 148 of the Constitution, he said that the underlying rationale of this provision is to safeguard the powers and independence of the Auditor-General so that he can carry out his duties firmly and fairly without fear or favour. Judging from the report of year 2001/2002, the Auditor-General's Office has done very well indeed, as was also recognised by media reports. I would like to ask a question, Sir. I note from the Budget estimates that the AGO has presented its workload and performance indicators, for example, the audit cost per million dollars of auditable dollar, and also the auditable dollar per audit staff. My question is whether, in fact, that is a credible measure, and what other measures do we have, and how does the AGO compare with other AGOs' work. And, also, will the AGO take upon itself to audit expenses to avoid excesses or opulence when it comes to building Ministries, as the fear or concern raised by Mr Tan Soo Khoon yesterday.”
“Not that there were no outstanding issues and problems then, but the people knew that the Government can and will deliver, especially in trying times. In other words, the people are saying, do what you think is necessary, but just save the jobs and create enough new ones to make us Singaporeans sleep better. Allow me, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, to close by focusing on three recommendations: 1 To call upon the Government to do more for the SMEs and help them to grow further and help save and create more jobs; 2 To monitor closely the effects of the new GST rate to ensure that the offset package to help alleviate the short-term problem is effective, especially for the lower income earners; and 3 To provide more resources for the CDCs to help Singaporeans prepare for the new realities, be it in educational and bonding programmes, improved job matching and placements and/or training and retraining. I have just mentioned them briefly but I think I will be dwelling on them at the COS later this week. On a final note, Sir, if the Government has been bold in its Budget measures, the people too should respond with grit and determination. The challenges brought about by this new and different world require nothing less. Sir, I support the motion.”
“The GST offsets notwithstanding, they feel that there is no point in the Government taking pride in the position that 75% of the population does not pay taxes when there is the GST to fend for. To the lower income, including and especially those who have been retrenched or unemployed, there is no big picture. It is their micro position that looms high on their agenda. That is the bottom line too: jobs. But we know, of course, that this is precisely the reason for the sweeping changes in Budget 2002: saving jobs and creating jobs. That is also the critical test for this Budget. If I may cite the experience at the North-East CDC, and here I declare my interest as Mayor of the North-East CDC, jobs, jobs and jobs are also the focus. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, when I was appointed Mayor of the Ang Mo Kio-Cheng San CDC, part-time before and now full-time at North-East, my main preoccupation was then racial harmony and social cohesion. But now, it seems "Jobs, Jobs, Jobs" matter most. But do not be mistaken, for jobs too play an important part in forging a more cohesive society. For not many will care about harmony and cohesion, when on an empty stomach, and with so many bills unpaid, with electricity and water on hold, awaiting to be cut. At the North-East CDC, we have set up what we call JELL (Jobs, Employability and Lifelong Learning) Committee as part of our priorities. Yes, jobs, not just for the short-term, filling the vacuum left by retrenchment and unemployment, but long-term employability achieved through lifelong learning. We believe that way we will be able to ensure a better jelling of the community. In a nutshell, Sir, the people trust the Government. The 75% votes cast last November said so.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to speak on Budget 2002. However, it is getting late now and many have spoken, and on overlapping areas too, and so I will try to be short. The Singapore Government is well-known for being decisive. Now is the time indeed to be decisive and bold. As DPM and Finance Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in his Budget speech, to thrive in a different world we are in, we must confront and accept the new realities, we must quickly adapt ourselves to the changed environment, and to many more changes to come. The proposed changes to restructure our economy are indeed very sweeping. I agree, as we must start early. I have asked around and the reactions I obtained are varied, understandably. From the private sector, they like the bold moves, especially the corporate and personal tax cuts. We must spur our economy to grow, they urged. There are those who however feel that not enough was being done for the SMEs, a point also stressed by Mr Inderjit Singh and many others today. For the more radical, they even feel that the corporate tax cuts should not be done in stages. For greater impact, it should be done at one go, they said. That is how serious and how urgent, they feel, is the situation if Singapore were to remain competitive and to save jobs. That is how fundamental it is. The bottom line is saving and creating jobs. For the average citizen, especially the lower income earners, their main preoccupation is why increase the GST, especially now. They feel that while the corporate sectors and higher income earners have a lot to gain, they are the ones having to pay more.”
“Sir, may I ask the Minister when we built the Second Link, although it was a joint project, we did quite substantial reclamation also for the purposes of the Second Link. Did the Malaysians raise any objections then?”
“The responsibility of any social problems must be shared between the Government, the community and individuals. The CDC's role should be that of enabler of community. The CDC provides the infrastructure and resources to facilitate all to play their part. Mr Speaker, Sir, ideas may be easy to come by but, more important, is the will to make multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore succeed as a more cohesive nation. For that, we need a greater sense of common destiny. That must be our shared destination, our shared responsibility. That is our road ahead. Sir, I support the motion.”
“Our first President was a Malay and we now, Sir, have yourself the Speaker of the House, a first for a Malay. The Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs is a PhD in Engineering from Stanford, and look at the new crop of MPs that we have brought in at the last general elections. With due respect to ex-teachers and journalists like myself, we have a lawyer, an international labour unionist, another PhD, a sociologist, and a polytechnic lecturer. Some may say that we have not come to the stage of producing people like the Senior Ministers of State Mr Tharman and Mr Khaw, and Ministers of State Mr Ng, Dr Balaji, Dr Balakrishnan and Mr Raymond Lim, but that should not be a point for us to gripe, neither despair, but indeed that should serve as a challenge for us to strive for. The community should indeed feel inspired to work even harder to uplift and together build greater resilience. When the Malay community progresses and strengthen further its educational base, the stronger will the community become and thus the more resilient our multi-racial Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, listening to the President's Address makes me more convinced the importance of the CDCs. Make CDCs all the more relevant as catalysts for social cohesion. The Government needs to relook at the resources given to the CDCs to enhance their role. If I may use the North East CDC as an example, and I declare my interest as Mayor of North East CDC, its philosophy and basic principles not only address short term immediate problems, but also tackle future challenges. Resilience means enhancing personal responsibility where assistance is aimed at helping individuals gain self-reliance. After all, all programmes are aimed at promoting community self-help.”
“It is easy to stir trouble under the guise of defending fellow Muslim rights, but how many 'brothers' will come to our help when we are in deep waters ourselves. Muslims in Bosnia knew that. Chairman Arafat must be wondering now where will help come from. Muslims in Singapore must not allow Muslim `brothers' from outside who know little about our own developments and situation, or worse, with their own agenda, to make our challenges more complex. We have to resolve them ourselves, our way, whether tudung, madrasah or upliftment. I realise the issue of tudung in school is still bugging the minds of many Muslims, but we will have to continue to work on it. No minority extreme views should be allowed to dominate or influence the moderate majority. The President's Address highlights the challenges we face together - not Malay problem, not Chinese problem, but Singaporean challenges. Voices accusing the Government of marginalising the Malay/Muslims have been heard when convenient by certain quarters and parties, inside and outside Singapore. Sure, for a community which has been lagging behind for decades in education and the economy, one does not and must not expect miracles to turn the situation around. Even affirmative action programmes in many countries have proven inadequate. There are still many areas that need urgent attention, education in particular. The Malay community recognises that, so does its leaders. It is that awareness that has allowed the community, through its upliftment programmes, to show credible progress. The performance of Malay students in mathematics was the 7th in the world in the 1999 World Mathematics and Science Survey, surpassing the US, Canada and UK. Do not also say that there were no opportunities.”
“Indeed, it will be the most challenging. Understanding Islam and the many faces of Muslims in the world today will be and must be an important agenda for us global and cosmopolitan Singapore. The concept of Ummah is important in the Islamic vocabulary, but do not misunderstand when they endeavour to be good Muslims or even religious. Muslims in Singapore, however, must be more discerning and rational in their judgment, especially when it involves extremism and conservatism. Fortunately for us, most Singaporeans are moderates, as was mentioned by Mr Ahmad Magad yesterday. Nevertheless, it is always the extreme minority that is strident and vocal. They can do serious damage to the interests of the silent moderate majority, just like the Talibans and the Al-Qaeda network. Singapore Muslims have to be brave to go moderate and main stream, not extreme. No doubt, Muslims need to believe in the supremacy of the Koran and the Syariah, but look to the golden era of the Prophet and the Caliphs to see the open-mindedness, the emphasis on knowledge and science and technology. Not the quarrels over khilafiah or interpretations, or who is more Muslim or more sincere. The Islamic civilisation was the centre of trade, arts and sciences then, not veiled withdrawals into exclusivity and conservation. The President of the Moroccan Parliament told me that Moroccans are proud of their Berber civilisation, Arab-Islamic background and close to the Western European world. They did not allow one to trouble the other. They achieve harmony of thought and mind, and progress in tandem with the modern world, not secular in approach, neither totally Muslim, as would be understood by some extreme groups, but humane, which is just as Islamic to them.”
“The IPU Conference, Sir, was also preoccupied with the issue of the global fight against terrorism. That reminded me about the UN Conference on Racism, Xenophobia and Intolerance, in Durban, a few days before the tragic and horrible attack by extremists and heartless terrorists on the World Trade Centre. Ego and emotion engulfed the minds at the conference, leaving it a failure, despite being held in the Land of the forgiving Nelson Mandela. After September 11, the world is never the same again. But has the world really learnt its lesson? In the Middle East, the Israel-Palestinian time-bomb is fast ticking towards madness. The ghost of the Al Qaeda network continues to haunt, not only in Afghanistan but also in our backyard. The reality of the Jemaah Islamiyah arrests and the severity of the security risks they pose to Singapore still escape some. As Dr Balaji reminded us yesterday, imagine if they had chosen Singapore instead of the World Trade Centre. The sooner we realise the dangers of such extreme behaviour and take steps to minimise, if not eradicate it, the better it is. How Muslims interpret Islam, in particular the need to champion moderation in the modern, progressive and secular world today, will have serious ramifications on how we live together in harmony in Singapore, the region, in fact, the world. It is not just about tolerance, neither coexistence. Coexistence can be described as a relationship between a farmer and a turkey, until Christmas. That is not good enough. We do not need `cold turkey' in our multi-racial and multi-religious relations. It needs better understanding and trust. That may sound a cliche, but that is a warning or reminder worth reiterating. This will be the most important test for Singapore's resilience.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of Mrs Lim Hwee Hua's motion to thank the President for his Speech during the Opening of the Tenth Parliament. Before that, after hearing the introduction of the Bill on birds and animals, I will try and see whether I can make my point about more than just birds and bees. It is about harmony. We are at the crossroads, said the President. Our collective rejoinder should be, let us make sure we know which route to take. The price can be high if we were to take the wrong turn. As stakeholders, we all have vested interests in that common destination. Equal rights, however, demand equally shared responsibilities. Social cohesion and religious harmony are obviously the cornerstones of Singapore's future, after all, as the President had cautioned, it is one of our on-going challenges, except that it has taken a certain urgency post September 11. The earlier we recognise that, the better placed we are to prepare for the tasks ahead. Mr Speaker, Sir, I was in Marrakech, Morocco, a fortnight ago, to attend the 107th Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference. Leading the Singapore delegation, I was proud to announce at the Conference that Singapore celebrates pluralism. Even our delegation was symbolic of that. I am glad that Mr Chiam has just walked in. Although the majority of Singaporeans are Chinese, two of the representatives were Malay/Muslims, Mr Ahmad Khalis and myself. The other delegate, Mr Chiam See Tong, is Chinese, a Christian (not from the majority Buddhists/Taoists group), and from the Opposition too. I must add that Mr Chiam is a true Singaporean, especially overseas. I dare say that I look forward to my next trip travelling with Mr Chiam as a companion.”
“Finally, I wish to reassure Members that as we gain more experience in such events, MFA will continue to review and improve not only the way in which we despatch humanitarian assistance, but also the way in which we package and present it to the world at large.”
“In 1999, five contributions to Mozambique, Kosovo, twice in Indonesia, and Turkey, amounted to $765,600 - again, not a mean sum. After the earthquake in Gujarat, as referred to by Members just now, the RSAF airlifted a planeload of emergency supplies worth about $87,000 as an immediate response. This was followed by another $34,000 in medical supplies despatched by the RSN, which also helped to ferry 17 tons of food, clothing and medicine donated by Singaporeans to the earthquake-stricken area. These efforts were further supplemented by the Singapore Red Cross and other charitable or community-based organisations, which have since raised over $4 million in donations for the victims of the earthquake. Sir, having said that, it is worth emphasising that the amount or type of humanitarian assistance given by the Singapore Government is not intended to match the scale of the disaster. Rather, it is a show of moral support and a gesture of sympathy to the affected country. Through such efforts, we hope to catalyse further contributions and support from all Singaporeans to agencies such as the Red Cross or other community-based groups. Sir, we do appreciate Mr Sin's and Mr Chong's points that such assistance from Singapore could be better presented to the public and to the international community, so that there is greater awareness of the total efforts put in by Singapore. They are correct in pointing out that, ultimately, it is the totality of humanitarian assistance by all Singaporeans, both Government and community contributions, that is appreciated by the affected country. Singaporeans have always contributed generously during disasters, and we should recognise and acknowledge such generosity.”
“Since 1992, the SCP has trained over 15,000 officials from 138 countries. The number is even larger if you add what other Singapore agencies, beyond MFA, do. In FY1999, for example, when we add the expenditure by other Government Ministries and agencies which shared their data with MFA, the cumulative number of foreigners trained in Singapore stood at 6,160 from over 110 developing countries. The total training cost was S$41 million. I believe that when we add these efforts up, Members would agree that Singapore is doing its fair share in rendering foreign assistance to other developing countries. Sir, I would like next to turn to the comments by Members on Singapore's contributions to humanitarian assistance. Singapore renders humanitarian assistance to affected countries in various forms, including financial contributions, the provision of rations and equipment and, where time and travel arrangements permit, rescue and medical teams. In 1999 and 2000, for instance, Singapore dispensed over $12 million in humanitarian assistance to Indonesia alone. This includes supplies of rice and medicine. Singapore was also the first country to offer disaster relief to victims of the earthquake in Bengkulu, Sumatra, in June 2000. In response to a request by the Indonesian Government, Singapore sent a 20-member SAF medical team to Bengkulu, together with emergency medical supplies and tents worth S$50,000. An SAF doctor was also despatched to help the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Mission to Bengkulu. In the year 2000, Singapore contributed to seven humanitarian assistance efforts in Cambodia, twice in Vietnam, Laos, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Botswana, amounting to over $200,000.”
“Sir, I have listened with interest Members' comments and concerns about Singapore's training programmes for foreign countries and our contributions to specific natural disasters abroad. Whether we are doing too little or paltry, or not enough, depends on one's perspective. Our perspective is that as a member of the international community, we will have to play our part in assisting other countries. That is for sure. But we have to remember that at the end of the day, we are a small country. Singapore is not in the big league of major donor countries. We do not pretend to be a major donor, nor do we aspire to be one. Our focus in helping fellow countries has always been on giving tangible assistance and not simple monetary disbursements. When we look at what Singapore is doing to assist countries, I would ask Members first to look at the technical assistance and training that we provide in the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). Singapore's major contributions to foreign assistance rest in our Technical Cooperation Programme. Because we ourselves benefited from such assistance in our early days, we believe that the way to help developing countries meaningfully is through the development of their human resources. The Singapore Cooperation Programme, for example, in FY1999, the SCP trained 3,145 officials from 110 countries. In FY2000, which is not yet complete, trainees so far number 3,293 from 94 countries. That works out to an average of 274 participants and 16 training courses per month. The total expenditure for FY1999 was $17.5 million and, for FY2000, expenditure to date is $14.6 million. I wish to ask Members to pause and reflect on these figures. For Singapore to train over 3,000 foreign officials each year is no mean feat.”
“My Minister will answer the last question. On the first two questions, since they are ongoing programmes which are conducted by our training agencies, I do not think it is an extra imposition on them. So they are run concurrently with the existing programmes where Singaporeans also benefit from. These participants who are from overseas are also part of the training programmes. On the question of money spent, if we go on the principle that it is best held here, and as beneficiaries of these programmes themselves request that they come to Singapore to see how Singapore implements its developmental programme, they will have to come here. When they do come here. , they will have to live in our hotels or our accommodation and the training programme costs will be expended here. So I think it is only natural that it should be done that way and that in fact is also the way done by many donor countries. 2.00 pm”
“Attachments of foreigners to Government departments are arranged only during study visits. But these are done at the request of recipient countries. Some 30 study visits are arranged as opposed to over 200 training courses or programmes per year. Our SCP offers are different from other donor countries. No strings are attached. Recipients are not expected to purchase Singapore products. Our objective is to share development experience and generate goodwill. No one has misconstrued our objectives so far. Instead, many have praised Singapore's technical assistance programme. Feedback we received confirm that participants are happy to see Singapore's economic and social developments with their own eyes. This is better than flying out consultants overseas as our experts cannot be away for too long. Sir, on the question of learning from our experience about policy reforms, as raised by Mr Simon Tay, our approach is to show developing countries how correct Government policies can assist countries in overcoming economic difficulties, for example, our recent CPF cuts, wage restraint, training and retraining. Courses on reforms in civil service, good governance, financial management, judicial reforms, productivity are all aimed at showing right policies to overcome structural problems.”
“The annual total cost of Singapore's technical assistance to foreign countries is estimated to be more than $50 million. This includes training provided under the SCP and those organised by other Ministries and their agencies. Sir, Mr Simon Tay would be happy to know that yes, when special circumstances arise, we do provide special responses. Do not forget, during the financial crisis, our assistance to the region included - (1) Humanitarian assistance comprising S$10 million of rice and S$2 million of medical supplies that was provided to Indonesia in three tranches. (2) 150 undergraduate scholarships to ASEAN countries, including Indonesia, over a period of five years. (3) Increased technical assistance in financial management and healthcare training to assist regional countries develop sufficient capacity to overcome their crisis. (4) We also incurred S$22.2 million for our contributions to InterFET and UNTAET in East Timor. Mr Tay also said that our SCP programmes are labour-intensive and attach foreigners to our Government departments. That is not true. All our SCP courses are conducted by our training institutes established by Government Ministries or departments to train Singaporeans and foreigners. And our SCP participants are attached to such groups. Some of the examples of training agencies which we are using include the NUS and NTU for estate management courses, urban and building and economic development programmes; Polytechnics for tourism and healthcare and IT; RELC for English Language; the Singapore Aviation Academy (SAA) for Civil Aviation, Search and Rescue programmes; PSB for productivity; PSA, or their training institute, PSI, for port management; and EDB Consultancy and TDB Consultancy for investment and trade promotion programmes respectively.”
“This is what was asked for by the beneficiaries and we will need to continue with that thrust. Before I answer some specific questions and comments raised by Mr Tay, allow me first to give a broad picture of the SCP and its achievements. The SCP is Singapore's contribution to the international community for the benefit of the developing countries. We believe in sharing our developmental experience with developing countries, just as Singapore had benefited from assistance from international organisations and developed countries. Since its inception in 1992, the SCP has grown not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. From a modest budget of S$8.1 million in 1993, it has doubled to S$17.8 million last year. The total number of participants grew nearly three times from 849 in 1993 to a projected 2,500 (and not 1,200 as stated by Mr Simon Tay) this fiscal year. To train 2,500 participants in one year is significant for a small country. They are from 123 countries with the majority of 74.5% coming from Asia. On 22nd November last year, the programme celebrated its 10,000th participant to the SCP. We have also the Third Country Training Programme (TCTP) with other partners in order to organise and run training courses jointly for developing countries. This has enabled us to stretch the SCP dollar to reach out to more developing countries and tap the expertise of international organisations and partner countries. To date, Singapore has signed TCTP MOUs with 21 partners, including the World Bank, IMF, the Commonwealth, Colombo Plan, UNDP and WTO. And we will sign an MOU with the International Atomic Energy Agency shortly and negotiations are also going on with the EU for another possible TCTP MOU.”
“One journalist each from Brazil and Peru has been selected for the first JVP. In fact, Thailand has also indicated interest in dovetailing a similar programme in Thailand with the JVP; and (3) a Travel Trade Fair (TTF) for Latin American countries to be held in conjunction with the PATA Travel Mart in April 2000. Thus far, three countries - Mexico, Venezuela and Ecuador have agreed to participate in this fair. For the next EALAF meeting, the Chileans have proposed the dates of 16-18 August 2000 for the next EALAF SOM to be held in Santiago, Chile. And this will be followed by another preparatory SOM meeting back-to-back with the first Ministerial Meeting scheduled also to be held in Santiago, Chile, in the first quarter of 2001. A summit is planned to be held later. And finally, EALAF is a Singapore initiative, and we will continue to actively pursue it. Although EALAF is in the initial stages, we are heartened from the responses of member countries thus far, and remain optimistic that the EALAF process will take off as planned. Next, on the cut on technical and developmental assistance. Mr Simon Tay has raised quite a number of observations. This is the second year he is raising questions on technical development assistance. Mr Simon Tay, in his cut, has asked that MFA need not say "yes" but to agree to at least review its policy on technical assistance. Let me first say that MFA always makes it a policy to evaluate the programme's effectiveness and we will continue to do so. Nevertheless, it is unlikely that we will change the fundamental thrust of the Singapore Cooperation Programme (SCP). It is time-tested and has been proven right by the feedback we get from its beneficiaries. The basis of the SCP has always been human resource development.”
“Sir, I would like to respond to two questions raised by Members, one on EALAF and the other on technical cooperation. As the Member, Mr Ravindran, mentioned yesterday, East Asia has got institutional links with both North America (through APEC) and with Europe (through ASEM). There is this obvious missing link between two dynamic regions of East Asia and Latin America. Thus to bridge this gap, EALAF was initiated by Singapore, in fact by our Prime Minister, to provide opportunities for closer interaction in political, economic, social and other spheres. This is how we feel that Singapore can play a facilitator role in the international scene. For some update, which was asked by Mr Ravindran, the inaugural meeting of officials was held in September last year where in fact 27 countries participated. There were three major outcomes out of this meeting last September. The first was the Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Chile which would be held in the first quarter of 2001 and would be preceded by two preparatory Senior Officials' Meetings (SOMs). Second, EALAF should be the working name for the Forum pending consensus on the new appellation to be agreed upon later. Third, EALAF will have a multi-dimensional nature covering political, economic, social, cultural and other tracks. The meeting also has confirmed 17 projects, three of which were offered by Singapore in different areas, to give substance to EALAF's multi-dimensional character. The three projects which Singapore has offered include (1) an economic study on obstacles and potential for greater economic linkages between East Asia and the Latin American countries, spearheaded by ISEAS; (2) a Journalists' Visit Programme (JVP) for Latin American countries.”
“com, to help promote better racial harmony in Singapore and alleviate the potential divide. Sir, I support the motion.”
“The political cost of racial discord could also be avoided. In the same vein of the formation of JurongIsland.com, mentioned by Dr Hu in his Budget Statement, let us build HarmonyIsland.com, either under the Prime Minister's Office or the Ministry of Community Development, to help us open a new corridor to a more harmonious living in our Singapore. Let this HarmonyIsland.com be far more meaningful than the commercial Orchard.com, for it will encompass the spirit of Chinatown.com, Geylang.com, LittleIndia.com and even Katong.com. And, in short, making the true spirit of multi-racial Singapore come to life through the magic of Internet and IT. We should apply the same zeal and creativity that we often exercise for our economic achievements to our effort at ensuring racial and religious harmony. The Malay/Muslim community recognises the dangers of a possible digital divide. They have embarked on a KBE movement launched by the Prime Minister last December to help the community equip itself with the right skills, in order to play its part in competitive and global Singapore. Obviously, this is just a beginning, a modest start. More will have to be done. The Malay/Muslim organisations will have to speed up its momentum in this area, work in tandem with national programmes and Government agencies to keep abreast with the demands of the digital race. Government Ministries and agencies too should help complement and supplement the efforts by the Malay/Muslim community towards this end. While the community continues to work hard to tackle its lingering problems in education and socio-economic realms, neither the community nor Singapore can afford another divide to emerge from the digital era. Mr Speaker, Sir, I trust Dr Hu will say "yes" to HarmonyIsland.”
“When we believe in our Singapore, we have to soldier on with better bonding. We must continue to work hard at nurturing better understanding and trust. That may sound rhetorical, but there is no other way. We all know, of course, that slogans and speeches are not enough. Each one of us has got the responsibility and a role to play. Let us spread the gospel of harmonious living as wide as possible. Mr Speaker, Sir, in developing Singapore, Dr Hu said in his Budget Speech that the challenge is for us "to differentiate ourselves by finding creative ways to add value to our infrastructure." Dr Hu cited the development of Jurong Island as one example of that creativity. He said, "Amalgamated from seven offshore islands, Jurong Island is to become a world-class integrated chemical hub, the first of its kind in the region." Such is also our challenge for social cohesion. Let us "amalgamate" our different races together, wherever possible, into one main Singapore race. There is definitely more room for better racial and social chemistry. Dr Hu went on to say that Jurong Island, "Through clustering and sharing of common facilities, it will generate synergistic linkages across a wide spectrum of petrochemical industries." He said, "For example, the provision of centralised logistics and common corridors for material flows will significantly reduce feedstock transportation and handling cost." We should try to transplant those same concepts in forging multi-racial harmony. We will need to see a greater sharing of common efforts that will not only generate synergy but also open new highways of opportunities for the different ethnic groups to integrate. This way, we will be able to reduce the constant heartaches that every so often show their ugly heads.”