(In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, this First Session of the Third Parliament, as the President has pointed out in his speech, is convened under a situation quite different from that of the previous Parliament, especially when compared to the political situation in 1963. It goes to show all the more the distinctive quality of our people, the perseverance and the unrelenting spirit of the Government leadership. The recent PAP victory in all the 65 constituencies proved that the political consciousness of our people has generally increased and they have given, most appropriately, their verdict on the false pretences of the opposition parties. The myth of the opposition parties -that the people must have opposition parties so that their interests can be safeguarded, and that it is only with the presence of opposition parties in Parliament can there be democracy -has been exposed. The fact is that it is not the people who wanted opposition parties, but ambitious foreign elements who wanted to plant their agents in our Parliament by infiltrating into our political infra-structure. The Constitutional amendments-to prevent Singapore from being swallowed up by others, and the investigation into the financial sources of the various political parties to ensure that Singapore will not be bought over by others, are the basic rights of our people. The opposition parties are fearful of these two Constitutional amendments. This is quite natural. As a Chinese saying goes, "If one does not commit anything against his conscience during the day, one need not be alarmed by the knocks at one's door in the night." If the opposition parties have nothing to hide, then these two Constitutional amendments will provide them with an excellent opportunity to exonerate themselves. They should therefore fully support these amendments; why are they in such a scurry instead in opposing them? This is not the first time, however, that, foreign elements have tried to set foot on the political activities in Singapore, and it certainly will not be the last. These foreign manipulators of our opposition parties will not rest at this. They have in the past attempted to sway the thinking of our people through the mass media. When we had to take certain pre-emptive measures against some newspapers in the interest of our people and our sovereignty, a handful of individuals in the International Press Institute expressed their extreme dislike and dissatisfaction. This is particularly the case with one gentleman who came from a country which claimed to be "a full-fledged Western democratic prototype". He expressed his profound shock and disgust, and promptly burst forth with nonsensical utterances. But, in point of fact, his own country had already a precedent in taking even stricter and more severe measures against the press. Recently, this government even proclaimed martial law. The first volley was, ironically, aimed at the press. Newspapers were closed down, and many journalists were arrested. According to information, this particular gentleman himself has been imprisoned. The so-called freedom of the press which he so proudly cherished has proved to be unworkable. He himself has dismantled the facade of democracy, when freedom of speech has fallen through. But the curious thing is that the International Press Institute has not uttered the slightest complaint or disgust, yet only not so long ago they launched an all-out attack against Singapore. There is a Chinese saying which goes: "If one is on the payroll, it is his duty to obviate disasters befalling his master." If this is not manipulation by others, what is'? Mr Speaker, Sir, our country is situated at the centre of Southeast Asia-a militarily, economically, politically and geographically strategic location. Whatever we do will have widespread effect on the rest of the region. That foreigners are interested in our country is therefore quite simple and natural. "Befriend distant countries, subjugate nearer ones" is a most important strategy in the relationship between countries. This historical saying should provide a lesson for us. We must be vigilant. Whilst we have no intention to harm others, we must nevertheless possess the capability to protect ourselves. Sir, we are more than adequate in dealing with these opposition fragments. But the greatest challenge that faces us comes from the Communist party and its agents. From my long years of experience, I respect their organisational ability. The relationship between China and the United States, similarly between China and Japan, have developed very rapidly. Especially in the case with Japan, China would rather establish diplomatic relations with Japan first, setting aside other minor problems temporarily. This is an indicator that it is a matter of time before China will establish direct relations with countries in Southeast Asia. The table tennis teams from Singapore and Malaysia, representing two independent countries, visited Peking recently. Undoubtedly this is an unofficial recognition on the part of China. The Barisan Sosialis, however, are still shouting that they are striving to establish a Malaya (including Singapore). A reality which even China has decided to accept but the Barisan Sosialis are still reluctant to acknowledge. Their policy will not then be accepted by the people of Singapore. It is merely a matter of time, therefore, before the Barisan Sosialis will have to revise their policy - between now and the time China formally recognises Singapore and Malaysia. Or perhaps they may even form a new political party, transfer their ground support, adopt a new strategy of first recognising our independence and then to exploit chauvinistic sentiments, hoping to capture political power. We must guard ourselves against this move. Our people are of course not that naive, because we know that if we have a government which sets out to work mainly for the Chinese, then our neighbouring countries will not tolerate us that easily. Remember, what we want is to set our own destiny, and, most important, that we will be able to continue to survive as an independent nation. National service has been accepted by everyone. This is the most important aspect which will ensure that our country will continue to maintain its stability and economic growth. It should not be overlooked that the military is the most important criterion in a country's survival. The opposition parties advocate disarming ourselves. This is a fatal thing to do. Instead of being dependent on others, we should rather be self-reliant. The second World War has taught us a very good lesson. At that time, if Britain wanted to defend the Malay Peninsula, it was within their means to do so. But if that was to be so, it would mean that they had to reduce the defence capability of their Motherland. What was the use of winning the battles in the Malay Peninsula and had London been occupied by the Germans? And hence, both Malaya and Singapore were abandoned. I have read some history of the war in Singapore. There was one author who, after examining in detail the war documents of both Britain and Japan, discovered that before the war, military colleges in both countries had carried out intensive studies of the various attack and defence strategies in regard to the Malay Peninsula. What is surprising is that both sides had come to almost identical conclusions. The only difference was that Britain merely shelved their battle plans for record purposes, while Japan implemented theirs. The result was another British military disaster. I discovered that some of our own military officers have not even read the war history of Singapore, let alone the war history of other countries. In the Addendum to the President's speech on the Ministry of Defence, mention is made of raising the efficiency of our armed forces in all elements. Recently, when another batch of our Armed Forces scholars were sent abroad on military scholarships, it was announced that a new subject had been introduced in their course of study, i.e. the study of the history of wars. This is a move in the right direction. Education is the foundation of nation-building. If the educational standard of our people is low, all these are mere empty talks. In the last few years, the Ministry of Education has continuously reviewed and revised its education policies, putting more emphasis on science and technological education, in order to lay a sound foundation for nation-building. But, perhaps owing to the changes taking place too quickly, there has been, quite understandably, some unavoidable dislocation in the administration. The Member for Bukit Batok has said before that he is an administrator and not a politician. I believe that after December this year when he has assumed the office of the Minister of State for Education, all these will be changed, and there will be no administrative sluggishness in the Ministry of Education. According to my working experience in the Ministry of Labour, I have discovered an anomaly. There are many graduates of vocational and technical schools who have been trained in subjects like metal work, woodwork, welding, etc., but have not been taken in by the factories and not even absorbed as apprentices. Instead, they have become car park attendants or office boys. These jobs are completely irrelevant to their training. This is a waste of their training and a loss of our trained personnel. The Ministry of Labour will study methods in which we can strengthen the training in this respect, so that young workers, who intend to join the industrial production forces, will get the sort of training of a better standard and so achieve a greater level of efficiency. Industrial development in our country has been very rapid. The number of industrial accidents also increases in direct proportion to the number of workers. Although the Government has tried its best to promote industrial safety and hygiene, the success of this depends largely on the full co-operation between management and labour. In some of the factories I visited, I found that safety precautions are not up to the standard. The facilities for personal hygiene are far from being acceptable; in fact, some are even makeshift. Some factories do not even have modern sanitation. Surprisingly, they have been allowed to carry on production. From now on, the Ministry of Labour will enforce stricter compliance with Labour laws and measures, especially against those who do not take seriously the Labour legislations. We shall not allow our workers to work under an adverse working environment. If need be, the Ministry will adopt more stringent measures in dealing with those who violate our Labour laws. Some foreign industrialists have come to invest in Singapore in the posture of saviours of Singapore, and they treat our local workers in the same manner as they would treat workers in their own countries. This attitude must be rectified as early as possible, for otherwise, we would find ourselves difficult to maintain the industrial harmony so vital to our economy. Since 1959, we have achieved outstanding progress in many fields, such as education, social health, and housing construction. Our neighbouring countries, of course, have their own views about our achievements. Our success has somewhat conspicuously reflected the relative ineffectiveness of others. This is not our fault. We cannot sit back and do nothing just to please other people. Our efforts are aimed at the interest of our people. Campaigns such as health and family planning have been held. Some hon. Members may not be in total agreement with these campaigns: but all these measures are necessary to ensure that Singapore will have a better future. Unfortunately, however, while on the one hand, we have provided solutions to our problems, we have not realised that some of the solutions themselves have brought about new difficulties and new problems. For example, in the field of public housing many countries around us, even those of the more advanced countries in the world, have expressed their admiration for our success in this respect. Of course, we do not simply demolish the old buildings, resettle residents in new housing estates and just stop there with self-satisfaction. We are aware of some inconvenience caused but we have good reasons in doing so. We have done all this in order to re-vitalise the older part of the city. Whilst we have solved the problem of housing, this solution has nevertheless brought along with it other social problems, some of which have not apparently been considered. For example, social amenities appear to he lacking in some housing estates. Although there are community centres, shops, clinics and other establishments, we have overlooked some other needs. The younger people's needs are catered for by community centres, and those who are in the age group for national service join the Armed Forces. But we have unconsciously overlooked the interests of some of the middle-aged people, who are already parents and who are the mainstay of our country. Some of them having no other places to spend their leisure hours, find their way to the bars. I had lived in a Housing Board flat and I have discovered that for many years, I searched in vain for a neighbour for a game of chess. We have neglected, so to speak, the social needs of people in the age group of 30-50 years. Whilst we concentrate on moulding our younger population, we should not at the same time ignore the interests of the head of the household. Remember, he has a vote. He can influence the thinking of his whole family. He is already socially established. Whether he be a teacher, taxi driver, ordinary factory worker, or hawker, he has an established status. His thinking is more stable. Unfortunately, and unconsciously, we have not been able to provide recreational facilities for this middle-aged group. In some of the open spaces of Housing Board estates, plants and shrubs have been planted to enhance the environment. These shrubs and trees no doubt add colour to and break the monotony of the open spaces, but the children who live in these estates do not make sufficient use of these facilities. In fact, it is argued, would it then be better for them to live in China town, because they could then play in the shaded alleys? A family of seven or eight would, in any case, be too congested in their confined home environment. But when these families shift to their new homes in the estates, their new neighbours arc complete strangers. One would find his neighbours are Hokien, Cantonese, Teochew, or Hainanese who come from the various corners of Singapore. There is, therefore, a certain feeling of isolation and a barrier among them. So each one of' them adopts a secluded attitude by keeping to his own family and cares not for others. There is no social intermixing among the neighbours. The parents would prefer their children to remain at home during the day as it is too hot outside, or it is too dark in the night. [Interruption] My colleague, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications, may have an extraordinary experience of exposure to the moon or gallivanting at night. He may be quite an expert on this. His experience may not be beneficial to the House. I think he should await a more appropriate occasion for its disclosure! The result of all this is that children in Housing Board flats have not much of an opportunity to stretch their muscles, quite contrary to the intention of the Board in providing such recreational amenities. This is by no means a criticism against the Government. In pointing out all this, I am merely attempting to show an example that sometimes satisfactory plans or solutions to a problem very often neglect to cater for the ramifications which may be brought about by the very solution or plan. Over the years our experience tells us that once a problem is solved, it does not necessarily mean that that is the end. New problems keep cropping up. While we move forward and progress, we must at all times maintain our vigil and understanding of our own position in relation to, the degree and level of development of our neighbouring countries. As the Chinese saying goes, "Know yourself, know your enemy, and in a hundred battles you will have a hundred victories." Some people only understand themselves but do not understand others. So half the battle is lost. My point is this: Our success can be provocative to others. This is what I mean by the residual problems arising out of the solution to the major problem. Sir, I beg to support the motion. 3.30 p.m.