Hansard, 1968-05-10

PERMISSION TO MEMBER TO BE ABSENT Under the provisions of clause 2 (d) of Article 30 of the Constitution of Singapore, I have granted permission to the Prime Minister (Mr Lee Kuan Yew) to be absent from the sitting of Parliament today, the 10th May, 1968. (P. COOMARASWAMY) Speaker, Parliament of Singapore.

BILLS INTRODUCED 31 p.m.

FINANCIAL PROCEDURE - (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Financial Procedure Act, 1966 (No. 13 of 1966)",. recommendation of President signified (Inche Othman Bin Wok); presented for the Minister for Finance by his Parliamentary Secretary (Mr Tang See Chim); read the First time, to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.

SINGAPORE COUNCIL OF SOCIAL SERVICE BILL "to incorporate the Singapore Council of Social Service", presented by the Minister for Social Affairs (Inche Othman Bin Wok); read the First time, to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.

ADJOURNMENT MOTION - (Business Motion) Mr Speaker, Sir, may I seek your consent and the general assent of Members to move a motion to suspend Standing Orders and to adjourn Parliament earlier than eight o'clock tonight, namely, at half-past six?

ADJOURNMENT MOTION - (Business Motion) I give my consent. Do I have the general assent of Members for the Minister to move the motion as proposed? Hon. Members indicated assent. Resolved, "That notwithstanding the Standing Orders, this Parliament doth adjourn tonight at half-past six." -[Mr Barker].

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Order read for resuming adjourned debate on Question [9th May, 1968], 'That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to :- "We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the First Session of this Parliament.".'.- [The Prime Minister]. Question again proposed. 2.39 p.m.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Mr Speaker, Sir, I am sure that all thinking and loyal citizens will not disapprove of my suggestion that the present system of any schools for ethnic groups be abolished sooner or later if we are to achieve 100 per cent unity among our multi-racial society. The integration of races in the schools is the best way to start educating our young citizens to the realisation that they are all Singaporeans and therefore equal citizens. It always saddens me to go past a school specifically run for a particular ethnic group. What better way can one have of isolating one race from another than by the presence of such schools? Is it not more logical in terms of nation-building to have every school open its door to our children of all ethnic groups? Then these young citizens will grow up to know, respect and assimilate each other's way of life and thoughts. Mr Speaker, Sir, please do not think that my suggestion means that the abolition of any one of our four languages will be in sight. In fact, my own feeling is that all our children can still be sbrought up to become at least bilingual school-leavers as they can still study mathematics, science and technology in the medium of English and the humanities through one of the other languages. I realise that this integration may take a bug time to implement, but knowing the efficiency and dedication of the staff of the Ministry of Education -

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Hear, hear!

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) - any such difficulty encountered will be overcome. I would, therefore, like to suggest to the Minister for Education to give my idea some consideration and to adopt it for all ethnic schools in the course of time. Mr Speaker, Sir, having dealt with children in ethnic schools, I would like to say that I agree with the proposal that greater emphasis on sports should be given by the Ministry of Social Affairs. However, I note with some disturbance the neglect of one of the most popular forms of sports in this country, namely, badminton. Not so many years ago, we in Singapore could boast of a number of leading world badminton players, but today we cannot even find a youngster in our midst who can be ranked among the first ten leading badminton players in the world. We have ample talents in Singapore, but we do not provide suitable facilities for them to develop and grow. The few indoor badminton courts available are so humid and torrid that no amount of practice among the players can improve their standard, as they are exhausted long before they can bring out their very best in the game. Therefore, I do hope that the organisers of and planners for the National Sports Stadium Complex will bear in mind that badminton is one of the very few sports that can produce for us world champions. It is obvious to me that an air-conditioned badminton stadium must be included in this sports complex. I will not accept the excuse that such a stadium will cost too much money. If we are going to spend $50 million, an extra expenditure of another million dollars or so should not prevent the building of such an air-conditioned badminton stadium. I would also like to point out that such a stadium can earn money, because when it is used as a venue for the training of players and for international badminton tournaments, money can be collected for the use of such a stadium. Mr Speaker, Sir, I would now like to make a few comments on the widening of the main arterial roads and the development of dual carriageways. I am sure the House will agree with me that the Public Works Department has done an excellent job on these roads and everyone who uses them can have nothing but a lot of praise for the P.W.D. However, I am not too happy to see these beautiful highways cluttered up with rows of parked vehicles. Such a display of lack of civic consciousness can easily be seen in Queenstown or Paya Lebar, for example. An hon. Member: Or Joo Chiat.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Not Joo Chiat. Mr Speaker, Sir, surely it is time that the appropriate Minister should see to it that the purpose of widening our main arterial roads is not to provide parking bays for cars and lorries for some of our citizens, but for the smoother and safer flow of the ever-increasing traffic on our roads. Mr Speaker, Sir, finally I would like to make some remarks on off-shore fishing. I feel that the encouragement of off-shore fishing is very commendable, but I wish that the Ministry of National Development will see to it that the owners of abandoned kelongs be legislated to remove stakes and dismantle structures from discarded kelongs. We want to beautify our islands, but the presence of such unsightly and dangerous stakes surely spoils the off-shore silhouette. 2.43 p.m.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Mr Speaker, Sir, the President's Speech has ushered in the most difficult period in the history of Singapore. In the years ahead, much has to be done to offset the side effects of the complete withdrawal of British forces from this region. Never before has Singapore been in this kind of situation where everything is left to herself. One would imagine that the three years and eight months of Japanese occupation would have been the most bitter times for Singapore, but, if Singapore had never been recovered from the Japanese, we would not have lost anything, for Singapore was then not ours and defence then was not our business at all. Sir, 20 years ago, when the question was asked, "Which country in South-east Asia will turn Communist first?", the answer was, "Singapore." Twenty years later, the same question is asked again, "Which country will go Communist?", and the answer is still, "Singapore." For this must be the case with all the years of hard work put in by our people. We cannot afford to lose Singapore, for this is our country and our stake is in it. Few countries in Southeast Asia can claim a higher living standard than Singapore. Our social and medical services and public housing are second to none. Our progress can also be achieved by other neighbouring countries. What we lack is land, but, on the other hand, the kind of leadership which is the propelling force of our advance and progress cannot be readily found in other countries. As I have said earlier, what we have achieved here can be achieved by other countries if only they can produce from among their millions of people, a hard core of dedicated, clear-thinking, incorruptible and dynamic individuals whom we in Singapore are compelled to choose from only two million people, young and old. We have many advantages here: a good harbour, a good geographical position, a practical population and an experienced business community. All these notwithstanding, Singapore must survive and prosper along with other countries in this region. To believe that Singapore can survive on its own, totally disregarding others in the region, is naive. For the survival and prosperity of the Southeast Asian countries, regionalism appears to be the only solution. We believe that nobody is dependent on himself alone but everybody is inter-dependent on one another. Sir, it is my conviction that whatever arrangement Singapore enters into in the near future, whether an economic alliance or a regional defence system, we must present ourselves as a credible and contributing partner. We have come a long way from the Colombo Plan, from a recipient nation to a donor nation. Mr Speaker, Sir, the President, at the outset of his speech, has pointed out that Singapore's problems in the next 10 years would be external rather than internal. I hope that by the end of 1971, a credible defence arrangement could materialise. Singapore has made history not only in the field of human endeavour, but also in the history of democratic constitutional government. This Parliament will experience very difficult times. We are in a unique position where, in spite of so many formidable problems facing us, effective solutions to them will not be found wanting. The people do not seem to show any lack of confidence. The result of this is an all-P.A.P. Parliament. Yet we should have no cause for complacency. I wish to point out that the absence of an effective Opposition in this Chamber does not necessarily mean that we have one hundred per cent support. Mr Speaker, Sir, as the Prime Minister put it in his speech upon your election as Speaker, if the Barisan Sosialis had decided to participate in the last General Election, they would have secured about six to eight seats in this House. Sir, it was the folly of the Opposition that led to the present situation of the absence of an Opposition. But the mere wanting of an Opposition in order to fulfil the ideals of a democratic institution is not necessarily relevant in all cases. There is nothing wrong in having an all P.A.P. Government if the people decide that such an arrangement is to their best advantage. This will, of course, make our job as Backbenchers more difficult. Not only have we to take on the duties of the Opposition, but we have also, on the other hand, to explain to the people that for the next half decade, if Singapore is to continue to survive and prosper as a separate entity in this region, much sacrifice will have to be made. There should be tolerance and restraint in all quarters, higher productivity, and a more careful and practical handling of the situation. I believe that there is no substitute for sheer hard work. Mr Speaker, Sir, may I join my colleagues in supporting the motion standing in the name of the Hon. Prime Minister, expressing the thanks of the House to the President for delivering his speech.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Mr Speaker, Sir, I would just like to seek clarification from the Member for Changi. In his speech he posed two questions. I believe that the two questions should be thus. The first one was correct. That was 20 years ago, when the question was asked as to which country in this region would go Communist first -

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Mr Fong, you are seeking clarification but you seem to be embarking on a speech. May I suggest that you raise this matter when you speak substantively to the motion, if you intend to do so.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) I just intend to seek clarification.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) In which case, please get to your point very quickly and shortly.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) The Member for Changi said that 20 years ago, when the question was asked, "Which country would go Communist first?", the answer was Singapore. I would imagine the second question would be, "Which country would go Communist last?", the answer would be Singapore. Is that correct?

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) Yes.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) I thank the hon. Member for Changi.

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - DEBATE ON PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS - (Second Day) (In Mandarin): It is refreshing to note that our President has given a timely speech in this House expressing confidence that we will be able to ensure our future in a new environment when we are in the decisive l970s. This important historical document will serve as a guide to us in sailing along the troubled waters at this time. The President outlined three objectives in his speech: namely the optimum use of the time available to build up an effective defence capability; greater economic growth; and enhancement of national consciousness of our problems. These three objectives have relation to the world situation, particularly to the situation in Southeast Asia consequent on the earlier withdrawal of the British troops. Of these three objectives, the establishment of our defence capability is of the first and foremost importance. Of course, this will increase the burden on our people. Being a very small country, Singapore would have to meet and overcome difficulties in order to set up an effective defence capability. Fortunately, ever since we left Malaysia, we have already started to encourage our people to undergo military training, and also in his policy speech, the President has clearly pointed out that we must set up our defence capability at the minimum cost so that our financial resources will mostly be diverted to our economic development and industrial growth. From the economic point of view, the expenditure involved in setting up a defence capability should never be allowed to interfere with our economic growth in the process of nation-building. Both economic growth and economic development have a decisive bearing on our national defence. Mr Speaker, let us take the advanced countries such as Germany, Japan and Russia. They are advanced countries because of their high degree of development and the economic growth that they have had as a result of their educational reforms, scientific progress and industrial development. It would be better, of course, to build up a national defence force, after having achieved social and economic stability. But judging from the time that we have in hand and the situation that we are facing, we are not so lucky as to be able to enjoy economic growth first before building up our defence capability. So we must tackle both problems at the same time. We must divert the greater part of our financial resources into economic development in order to maintain our economic growth at eight per cent or even to raise our economic growth to more than eight per cent. I am happy to note that the three objectives outlined by our President are all geared towards the strengthening of our economic growth. We all know that the economic growth of a country can be divided into two stages. The first one is the stage of germination and the second is the process of growth. Mr Speaker, in our country we are happy that we have reached the second stage. We have already completed the first stage of germination. The general technical preliminaries have been completed and we already have a substantial economic and financial capability and the technical know-how. So in this respect we are ahead of the backward countries and some other developing countries. In addition to the quantitative progress that we have already made, we must also have qualitative advancement in order to speed up our economic growth and build up our national strength, because we all know that economic growth consists of quantitative progress as well as qualitative advancement. Both these two changes will cause a chain reaction in the whole structure. Sir, economic growth is not so simple to achieve as one would imagine, because it does not only involve capital or technical know-how. The fact is that other factors also have a bearing on speeding up our economic growth. These factors include religion, culture, education, customs and traditions, etc.. In this respect, I am glad to note that a. Cabinet Committee has already been set up with the Minister for Education as Chairman, the Minister for Science and Technology, the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Labour as members in order to carry out the reorganisation in our educational system so that we will be able to train the technical personnel that we require. Sir, human resources are very important in promoting economic growth and industrialisation. Therefore, the re-organisation in the secondary education system will, in the history of education, become a turning point in Singapore. Mr Speaker, I believe you will agree with me that our country lacks natural resources to assist us in our economic development. But we have inexhaustible human resources. These resources, with hard work and diligence, can earn extra income for our country. So the question is, how are we to make full use of these valuable human resources and to ensure that there is no wastage? The answer lies in the reorganisation of our secondary education system. We want to ensure that every secondary school-leaver will be able to make use of what he has learnt to contribute to nation-building and that all young graduates of secondary schools will have had some form of vocational training when they leave school. In the past, people said that graduation meant unemployment. Now with the completion of the re-organisation of our secondary education system, we can say that graduation can mean employment. This will be the ultimate objective of the reorganisation of our secondary education system. Mr Speaker, Sir, the other aspect of the reorganisation of our secondary education system is that we can increase the employment opportunities of our young school-beavers because they will have had some vocational and technical training when they leave school. When they take up their jobs, they will be able to make use of what they have learnt and carry out their duties effectively. At least, after the reorganisation, school-leavers will be able to leave school as junior technicians and directly take part in productive activities. This would be more practical as compared to the present system whereby they receive technical training only after they have taken up a job. Therefore, reorganisation in our secondary education system, economically speaking, will produce these results: firstly, to increase the employment opportunities of school-beavers; secondly, to ensure that all our nationals will have some form of skill to enable them to take part in productive activities; thirdly, to cut out the gap between productivity and the commencement of employment; fourthly, to ensure that there is no wastage in our human resources; fifthly, to turn our school-leavers from consumers into producers. As we all know, Singapore is situated in a turbulent area of Southeast Asia. Southeast Asia has all along been the centre of attention of the world. This is not because this area is rich and strong, but because it has been recognised and considered as one of the weakest areas in the world. It has been looked upon as a region which is not able to mobilise its political and economic resources to bargain with the super powers on an equal footing. As a country with a reputation of having a high standard of living and with a harmonious multi-racial society and a non-aligned foreign policy, we, in Singapore, have the duty to help other countries in Southeast Asia to transform their present pitiful state into modern societies. At the same time, we can also exercise a very decisive influence in stabilising the present turbulent situation in Southeast Asia. What is the future of Southeast Asia in the next few years? Will it be able to gain a greater say in international affairs and take a strong position in their relationship vis-a-vis the super powers? So, if we are to restore the stability and security of this region, it is vitally necessary for countries in Southeast Asia to put their houses in order and to be self-reliant. As the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said, there are two approaches to the solution of this problem. Firstly, we must secure greater regional co-operation. Secondly, every nation in Southeast Asia must make greater efforts in modernising its society and its infrastructure. As to the first approach, we have set an example by achieving co-operation in the economic field. The Minister for Finance in his recent broadcast mentioned the promotion of the tourist trade and our co-operation with Indonesia to develop Bali Island as a tourist spot so as to derive mutual benefit for Singapore and Indonesia. We have even sent a mission to Indonesia to go into the details of this scheme, namely, to investigate potential in Bali Island in order to promote the tourist trade in this region. In addition to this, we can also carry out regional co-operation in industry, agriculture and other fields through A.S.E.A.N. With regard to modernisation, the Government has achieved significant progress. In the President's Speech, it is revealed that the Ministries will make an overall greater effort to modernise our Republic. This shows that we are adopting a very positive approach to modernise our society. This is highly commendable and deserves our applause. Mr Speaker, Sir, as a result of our unrelenting efforts in the past five years to promote economic growth, Singapore has been able, among other things, to achieve a good reputation as an ideal place for foreign investment. Let me quote from an official study entitled "Comparative Grading on the Selection of Eight Asian Cities for Setting Up Regional Centres." This document shows that Singapore has been selected by international enterprises and entrepreneurs as a good place to set up their trading and industrial centres. The eight Asian cities are Bangkok, Hong Kong, Manila, Sydney, Naha, Taipei, Tokyo and Singapore. Compared with these cities, Singapore is second only to Hong Kong in the advantages provided for foreign investors. In the selection of cities for their investment, economic conditions, geographic position, communications, transportation, currency stability, banking services, education, health, standard of living and political stability, etc, come into consideration. And Singapore has fully met their demands. The scoring for every condition ranges from zero to five points and Singapore has been able to score 94 points, which is second only to Hong Kong which scores 97 points. Thus, we are positive that international traders have every confidence in selecting Singapore for their commercial and industrial enterprises. If we can modernise and provide better facilities and services, it will be a question of time before we become the first place. Mr Speaker, Sir, in order to increase productivity, promote industrial growth and speed up our economic growth, it is necessary to review and amend the existing Labour Ordinance, 1955, the Shop Assistants Employment Ordinance, 1957 and the Clerks Employment Ordinance, 1957. The purpose is to keep abreast with new changing situations. This review will create more employment opportunities and will solve, to some extent, our present unemployment problem. From the economic point of view, developing countries are generally faced with the problem of unemployment and the raising of the standard of living of their people. If we want to raise the standard of living of our people, we must, first of all, resolve the problem of unemployment. Therefore, I think a comprehensive labour law introduced at this juncture is in keeping with the need of the present development of our country. All economists know that if many people are unemployed, the purchasing power of the average national of that society will be lowered correspondingly. Therefore, the main solution to the unemployment problem is to raise the living standard of the people and set up a more balanced national economy. The diversification of our economy carried out at present is the most effective way of increasing employment opportunities and the national income. As the Member for Nee Soon, I welcome the introduction of comprehensive labour legislation proposed in the President's Speech. Mr Speaker, Sir, our country is small, but our citizens realise their duties especially when they are faced with decisive years ahead. Two-thirds of our population are youths. If we can provide them with effective and well-planned training, they will be able to make a useful contribution to our country. Therefore, I stress the importance of reforming our secondary education system. At the same time, I express my full support for the suggested reform of the secondary education system, as contained in the President's Speech, which will enable our school-beavers to become producers instead of mere consumers. This point is very important, as it will have a decisive effect on the future of our country. Mr Speaker, Sir, let me sum up what I have said in this House. For the sake of the long-term interests of the Republic of Singapore and the future of our younger generations to come, I welcome and support the policy speech delivered by the President. At the same time, I will do my best during my term of office to help in the smooth implementation of the Government's policies. 3.24 p.m.