Hansard, 1977-02-24

The following Questions Nos. 1, 2 and 3 stood in the name of Haji Sha'ari Bin Tadin -

1. To ask the Minister for National Development and Communications if he will ask the Housing and Development Board to consider reducing by half the present high rental for the use of void decks charged to residents of purchased blocks and exempting Residents' Block Committees from payment of the rental when decks are used for residents' functions.

Haji Sha'ari.

Question No. 1, Sir.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the present rental of $50 per day for the use of void decks is applicable to all residents in the housing estates and not just to those in purchased blocks. This rental is levied by the Board to cover the costs of three cleaners, a supervising mandore to clean up the space after its use, inspectors to check the condition of the space before and after its use, and the need for periodic repairs and colour washings of the areas as a result of continuous intensive use of the space. It is also to cover the electricity supply and, in the case of newer blocks. water supply from the standpipes. The rental of $50 is reasonable as compared to the rentals charged by other organisations like St. John's Ambulance. People's Association and Fraser and Neave for the use of social function halls which normally range between $100 and $160 per day, between stipulated hours for each occasion For these reasons, it is not recommended that the present rental of $50 for the use of void decks be reduced. The rate must also be applied uniformly to residents as well as non-governmental associations including the Residents' Block Committees, as any departure from this practice would give rise to complaints of unequal treatment and favouritism

2. To ask the Minister for National Development and Communications whether and when bus shelters will be constructed in front of Block 29, New Upper Changi Road and Block 11, Bedok Walk

Question No 2, Sir

Mr Speaker, Sir, bus shelters will be constructed at both these locations. Work on the shelters will commence in June 1977.

3. To ask the Minister for National Development and Communications if it is planned to set up a post office in Neighbourhood I of Bedok New Town and when it is expected to be ready

Question No 3. Sir.

Mr Speaker, Sir, there is no plan to set up a post office in Neighbourhood I of Bedok New Town. However, a post office will be established in the Bedok Town Centre which is adjacent to Neighbourhood I. This post office will serve the whole of Bedok New Town and will be ready in early 1978. In the meantime, there is a mobile post office providing temporary services from 9.00 am. to 12.30 p.m., Mondays to Saturdays, at the car park at Bedok Plain in Neighbourhood I.

Mr Speaker, Sir, a supplementary question. Judging by the number of questions raised by a number of hon Members these two days, it would seem to me that there is no comprehensive planning of the provision of basic facilities and amenities in the new housing estates. Would the hon. Minister of State please inform the House as to what sort of coordination exists between the Housing and Development Board and all the other Ministries?

Mr Speaker, Sir, in my reply to some of the observations made by hon. Members, in particular the arrangements between the Singapore Bus Service and the Housing and Development Board, I indicated that in the planning of new estates the HDB does consult the bus authority. But for more detailed planning, especially of providing bus services to the new estates, a lot depends on when the residents have moved into a particular area. As to exactly where the bus routes are going to be, it will depend on the actual situation of resident-occupancy when it is nearer the period of completion. I have also informed Members of this House that the HDB and the SBS have a planning committee which is looking into this. As to the general planning of HDB estates. I can assure Members here that in the overall planning of a new estate. for example, the Bedok New Town. either Neighbourhood I or II. all the necessary main infrastructure is planned well in advance, For instance, the necessary requirements for sewerage, social amenities, public utilities and major roads, are all planned ahead of time. But the more detailed requirements within the Neighbourhood, such as in Bedok New Town Neighbourhood II. will have to be done nearer the period of completion.

In this case. Mr Speaker, Sir, would not the Ministry of National Development look into the question of providing other social services, such as community centres, post office, and related services which cater to the needs of the residents more than just bus services only?

Mr Speaker, Sir, I have said that the provision of bus services will be included in the more detailed arrangements between the HDB and the SBS when the period of residential occupation is nearer to full completion. But I do assure Members that as far as overall planning of a particular estate is concerned; roads, post office. including a library, are standing instruction for HDB architects to incorporate them in all new estates. With regard to the Member's suggestion for the provision of community centres, there is a thinking whether community centres should be incorporated as a standard requirement in all HOB estates. I think that is left to be discussed.

Order read for Resumption of Debate on Question [14th February, 1977]. `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".'. - [Dr Chiang Hai Ding]. Question again proposed. 2.37 p.m.

Mr Speaker, Sir, before I deal with the various points raised by hon. Members in this House, let me recall the lament of the British Prime Minister which was referred to in the President's Address and which our own Prime Minister reiterated yesterday. The British Prime Minister was said to have lamented that the most hateful slogan he has ever heard was made at the protest march of Marxist infiltrators of his Labour Party: "What do we want? Everything. When do we want it? Now!" I cannot agree with him more, Sir, that this is lamentable not only because the demand was unreasonable and impossible to meet but also because this is happening to a once-great nation. This reminds me of the analogical example of the sniffers of roses once quoted by our hon. Minister for Foreign Affairs. The sniffer of roses, upon discovering that a rose smells better than a cabbage or onion, concludes that it will make better soup. He therefore demands the soup while sniffing at the roses. On the other hand, the soup maker or the so-called "establishment" unfortunately has to get down to the more exacting job of producing the soup which normally falls short of expectation of the rose sniffers. Sometimes they may not even meet the taste of every Member in this House. Sir, I am not for a moment suggesting that the hon. Members on the other side of this House or on this side of the House are sniffers of roses. I have not the slightest intention of implying so. Sir. I happen to know that they are no roses, notwithstanding the fact that 100 flowers are allowed to blossom in this House. An hon. Member: And to be chopped off!

I was only trying to illustrate how difficult it is sometimes for reasons to prevail when faced with such an impatient and recalcitrant lot who demands nothing less but the out-of-this-world fantasy of "everything now!" Well, Rome was not built in one day. Sir. No great nation was ever built in one day. Whatever brilliant plan for development we may have, it must be accompanied by a practical programme of implementation. The critical path must be clearly defined and the order of priority put right. Confucius, in his opening chapter of The Great Learning said: `Every entity has its origin and termination, Every event has its beginning and ending. To know the sequence thereof and the order of priority, is to be near Tao (the way).' For the benefit of my learned colleagues on the other side of the House, especially the Member for Katong. it goes like this in Chinese: Wu you ben mo, shi you shi zhong, zhi suo xian hou, ze jin dao yi. An hon. Member: I do not understand this!

Well, those hon. Members who do not understand this are recommended to read the book. It is in the opening chapter. With this note, Sir, I shall now reply to the various points raised by the hon. Members. First of all, the hon. Members for Telok Blangah and Punggol are unhappy about the inadequate bus service in new towns and new housing estates. They suspected that this was due to a lack of liaison and coordination between the Singapore Bus Service and the Housing and Development Board. But as my colleague -

Sir, on a point of clarification if the hon. Minister of State will give way.

Mr Ong, are you prepared to give way?

Yes [and resumed his seat].

Sir, I did not say that the residents are unhappy. What I said was that there should be overall planning so as to provide bus services to the residents of the new towns, because public transportation is a natural expectation of the residents. Surely, when the residents move in, bus services must naturally follow.

Sir, the answer to the query is: there actually is. The SBS is, in fact, liaising very closely with the HDB on this matter. When a new town is opened up and people begin moving in, bus services are provided at the same time, The level of services, that is. the frequency and types of services, increases as more and more people move in. Good examples are Ang Mo Kio and Bedok New Town. Telok Blangah New Town and other new estates, including industrial estates, will have more and more services as they fill up. I have no doubt that in view of what I said earlier, quoting Confucius. the hon. Members would appreciate that it is not always possible or practicable to provide everything all at the same time. Each month, SBS adds 10 to 20 new buses to its fleet. Therefore, the fleet is increasing, but these new buses have to be allocated to the various new towns and new estates. In other words, each new town or estate will have its fair share of bus services, With regard to the request for improvement of the transport services in the rural areas, made by the Members for Bukit Panjang and for Punggol. I would like to assure them that the SBS, in its efforts to upgrade its island-wide services will not overlook the requirements of the rural areas, The Member for Paya Lebar has suggested that canteens and toilets for bus employees should be set up at bus terminals. The SBS management is conscious of the need to provide proper facilities because they lead to an increase of moral and higher efficiency of the staff. Wherever practicable, toilets have been built and canteens provided even to the extent of building "bus canteens". that is, converting old bus bodies into canteens as a temporary measure. Improvements, unfortunately have not been as rapid as the management would want to see, for a number of reasons, among which are the unavailability of land to build these facilities, uncertainty over long-term status of the land, the temporary nature of some locations and so on. Where the long-term status of the terminal is determined and where land is available, proper terminal facilities have been developed. At the Paya Lebar International Airport, for example, a new terminal has been built and another one would soon be completed at Jurong, The SBS is now making a concerted effort to upgrade all sub-standard terminals. Since September last year. Sir, it has embarked on a terminal improvement programme. Various Government authorities, such as the Registry of Vehicles, the Public Works Department and the Housing and Development Board, are cooperating to improve and, where possible. to build proper terminals. Sir, as with all limited resources, improvements cost money and, therefore, would have to be carried Out in stages over the next three to five years. The Member for Bukit Ho Swee has suggested that more women should be employed by the SBS and trained to be bus drivers and conductors because they are not as impatient and rude as men. I agree with his observation. With the recruitment of female bus conductors, the number of complaints of rudeness from commuters has dropped and the bus conductors are now more courteous in their work. The policy of the SBS with regard to recruitment since August 1974 has been to engage women to work as bus conductors. Equal encouragement has also been given to the recruitment of women as bus drivers. As a result of this policy almost one-third of the bus conductors in the SBS now are women. The recruitment of women as bus drivers has been, unfortunately, less successful. The staffing position of bus crew in the Company as at 31st January this year is as follows. There is a total of 3,592 bus conductors and 3,737 bus drivers, Of these, 1,121 bus conductors and 34 bus drivers are women. Although the SBS has tried every means to attract women to join the Company as bus conductors, the supply is tapering off, with the result that men have to be employed again as bus conductors so as to obtain a sufficient number of conductors to pair off with the bus drivers to meet the immediate shortage. In spite of this move, the SBS is still making every effort to encourage women to be employed as bus drivers and conductors, I would now refer to the point raised by the Member for Moulmein on whether or not the objective of the Area Licensing Scheme (ALS) would still be served by terminating the hours of restriction at 9.45 a.m. instead of 10.15 a.m. Hon. Members will recall that when the ALS was introduced in June 1975 the hours of restriction were from 7.30 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. While the number of motor vehicles entering the Central Business District (CBD) was substantially reduced during those hours of restriction, traffic increased considerably after 9.30 a.m. giving rise to severe traffic congestion along the major roads on the fringe of the CBD between 9.30 a.m. and 10.00 a.m. From August 1975 the hours of restriction were extended to 10.15 a.m. This had effectively eliminated traffic congestion between 9.30 a.m. and 10.15 a.m. There was still, however, an upsurge in the volume of traffic entering the CBD between 10.15 a.m. and 10.45 a.m., but the congestion was of a reduced scale and of short duration. Observations of traffic conditions up to the end of last year indicate that there has been a gradual upward creep in the post-10.15 a.m. traffic volume in recent months. Therefore, shortening of the restricted hours now would certainly result in a further deterioration of traffic conditions and the need again for further restraint. It would be prudent, therefore, to retain the present hours of restraint, that is, from 7.30 a.m. to 10.15 a.m. The Member for Telok Blangah spoke on the lighterage trade and suggested that the breakwater at Pasir Panjang be extended to make the water there safer for lighters to operate. The PSA wants the lighterage trade to continue as it supplements the normal cargo traffic. Because of this the PSA is developing Pasir Panjang with a lighterage cargo handling and mooring area. Before completion of the breakwater, the waters at Pasir Panjang were quite choppy and not too conducive for the handling of cargo to and from lighters. Since September last year when the two arms of the breakwater costing almost $6 million were completed, lighters could safely moor and operate at Pasir Panjang. The PSA is in contact with the Singapore Lighter Owner's Association on this and other matters concerning lighterage. and they are presently satisfied with the water conditions at Pasir Panjang. In fact, since November last year. with the introduction of the reduced tariff and the completion of the breakwater at Pasir Panjang. there has been a sharp increase in the lighterage cargo from an average of 21,269 tonnes per month from January to October last year to an average of 67,483 tonnes per month from November last year to January this year. To further promote the lighterage trade and to allow for a lighterage operation at both the Eastern and Western Anchorages, the PSA is also considering providing a lighter mooring area for about 60 lighters alongside the HDB reclaimed land at Telok Aver Basin. The Member for Telok Blangah also spoke on behalf of those who were unsuccessful in their application for PSA passes for entry into the PSA. The Member for Telok Blangah may wish to take note of this. The PSA issues more than 102,000 passes to port users valid as at end of last year. In a representative survey carried out last year, out of a total number of 13,507 applications for PSA passes, 12,995 were approved outright. Upon appeal, an additional 187 were granted PSA passes. Sir, it can be seen that there is actually only a very small fraction of about 2.4% of the total applications not given passes to enter the PSA port area. The PSA has the responsibility to ensure that its premises are kept reasonably safe, and that entry is confined to those who have legitimate business with the port. The port users must generally be of acceptable character and who would not cause a nuisance to the port in one way or another The reputation of the PSA as a generally pilferage-free port with good security has to be safeguarded and, as such, the Authority cannot approve all applications without proper screening.

Mr Speaker, Sir, on a point of clarification. If I recall correctly, the point raised was why did the PSA disapprove applications for passes or withdraw the passes issued merely on the basis of minor criminal records committed a few years ago.

Mr Speaker, Sir, as I have mentioned earlier. about 187 cases were granted after appeal. I have also mentioned earlier, the importance of protecting the image of the PSA as a pilferage-free port. If we want to develop Singapore as a transhipment centre, as the Member for Marine Parade would like it to be. then we have to maintain that image. Normally when goods or items are stolen from the warehouse, they would not be discovered until months later when the cargoes reach their destination overseas. So there is a need to screen all applications. But each application upon appeal would be given the opportunity of a further consideration, and the applicants would be either granted a pass or otherwise depending on the merits of the application.

Mr Speaker, Sir, on a further point of clarification. Sir, I do not in any way suggest that the PSA should not screen applicants for PSA passes. In fact, I had the happy occasion of getting a very clear reply from the PSA stating the reasons why applications were rejected. The point is why must the PSA disapprove, first, on the strength of petty crimes committed many years ago and only awaits for the person to appeal. I had such cases in my constituency and, pending appeal, these people are jobless. May I repeat, Mr Speaker, Sir, and also to the Minister, that I do not in any way suggest that the PSA should be lax in its screening. In fact, it should screen the applications in order to maintain its reputation.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not know whether the Member wants me to reply to his point. But if he has any problems here, I would suggest that he refers them to me I cannot give him a definite reply unless these specific cases are investigated. The hon. Member for Marine Parade suggested that we should strive to be a world transhipment centre and not just rest on our laurels as a regional warehousing and transhipment centre. This is exactly what we are striving to be. It is only due to modesty that we use the term "regional transhipment centre" instead of "world transhipment centre" in the Addendum. The Port of Singapore Authority is presently offering a number of incentives to encourage cargo transhipment at Singapore. Incentives are in the form of lower charges for stevedorage and wharf handling for conventional cargo. For containerised cargo the charge for stevedorage is also reduced by half from $200 to $100 per 20-foot container. In addition, for both conventional and containerised cargo, free storage up to 28 days is given as against the normal 72 hours free storage given for local cargo. Cargo from conventional vessels to be transhipped on to container lines are given a tariff incentive of $4 per tonne rebate. These incentives have assisted Singapore's development as a regional transhipment centre. To encourage further development of Singapore as an intercontinental transhipment centre, particularly for cargo from Europe, Mediterranean and Middle East to Australia and New Zealand, the PSA is developing the inland container depot which will provide cheaper storage for containers both loaded and empty. The ample space at the inland depot would also allow for cargo consolidation and repacking which are sometimes necessary before transhipment. If necessary, further incentives in the form of tariff or other incentives will be considered. The hon. Member for Alexandra has suggested that air cargo charter services be allowed to operate out of Singapore offering rates lower than regular scheduled airlines so as to allow our export industries to transport their goods to the markets at lower cost. The hon. Member is probably aware that freight rates for air cargo charters are a matter of agreement between airline operators and charterers or shippers. This agreed rate is determined by market forces and is usually different from the published rate for scheduled airlines. One of the main aims of Government is to develop Singapore as an air cargo distribution and storage centre. And in pursuing this objective. Sir, the operation of both scheduled and non-scheduled airlines, including air cargo charter services, will be encouraged. We will strive to create an atmosphere conducive to efficient airline operation by streamlining administrative procedure, reducing bureaucratic redtape and providing the necessary infrastructure at competitive prices. 3.04 p.m.

Mr Speaker, Sir, several points have been raised by hon. Members concerning the Ministry of Home Affairs. I will now deal with them subject by subject. First, on internal security. Sir, I am gratified to note that among the subjects under Home Affairs, internal security was the subject which received the most attention. All those who spoke on it agreed that the communists are and will remain the main threat to Singapore's internal security. Some Members rightly stressed the need for vigilance not only on the part of the authorities but also amongst our people. This is crucial because the communists will use every means at their disposal to subvert individuals and organisations and use them to advance their cause. To achieve their objectives they will not hesitate to employ every form of deceit and treachery, use violence and commit any crime including murder. They believe in the philosophy that the end justifies the means. They operate clandestinely through their underground network. When they have ensnared sufficient numbers of open front leaders in mass organisations to act as their proxies above ground, then they would launch what is known as a Communist United Front offensive and create strikes. riots and instability as in the 1950s and early 1960s in Singapore. The Ministry of Home Affairs has taken great pains to publicise and expose their machinations after every major security operation. It is hoped that this would educate our public and keep them constantly on their guard against attempts at subversion by the communists. The hon. Member for Khe Bong managed to draw laughter in this House when he spoke on internal security. However. there are one or two points that he raised which are serious and need to be replied to. He had suggested that internal security measures taken are still inadequate and not thorough enough. He referred to G. Raman and asked why was it that he had not been arrested earlier since he was a communist some time ago. The answer is that G. Raman did come to our security notice quite some time ago. But it is not necessarily the best strategy of combating communist subversion by making an immediate arrest once a single communist has been identified. We should first try to identify his associates so that they also can be taken in. On this, we have to exercise great care and thoroughness in our investigations to ensure that the wrong persons are not detained. Otherwise our action will be counterproductive. I do not think I should go further than this in my explanation lest we unwittingly give away information of our strategy to our enemy. What I would like to emphasise here is that the real test of the effectiveness of our Internal Security Department is not whether communists and other subversive groups continue to exist but rather whether they are identified and dealt with before they can do any real harm. On this, Sir, the records of ISO's achievements not only in the present G Raman's case but also in smashing other underground communist groups and network speak for themselves. The hon. Member for Khe Bong has also suggested that information be gathered from Government departments. I do not know exactly what he has in mind. But I would like to assure him that no effort has been and will be spared to gather information of security interest not only from Government departments, schools, but also elsewhere. The ISD will continue to take periodic security action to pre-empt the communists underground and keep them on the run. The hon. Member for Leng Kee, while stating that hardcore communists should be severely dealt with, has suggested that students and youths who had been misled into supporting the communists should be given a chance to correct themselves. In answer, may I just refer to what I said in a TV interview in the programme entitled "Year-End Roundup 1976". And I quote: 'in the security operations, the powers of detention under the internal Security Act were used discriminately. Only the hardcore and those who refuse to recant their communist involvement were issued with Orders of Detention. The students who were released went back to their studies. Those who had superficial involvements were called up together with their parents and warned of the dangers of associations with communist subversives.' However, this programme was broadcast during the midst of the 1976 General Elections, I am sure the Member for Leng Kee was busy campaigning at that time and must have missed the programme. Turning to road safety I must confess that I am somewhat disappointed that only a few Members had any comments or suggestions. However, the Member for Kallang had raised some points which need to be answered. He criticised the proposal to change the law to put the onus on the driver of a larger vehicle to prove that he was not in the wrong in any collision between a larger and a smaller vehicle. He said that it was an example of "legislative overkill". He contended that the drivers of smaller vehicles like motorcyclists and scooterists could be equally at fault. He called for the problem to be tackled by other measures such as education. stricter enforcement. more severe punishment for those found guilty. In answer, let me first put this proposal for change in the law in its proper perspective. It is not an isolated proposal but it is part of a series of new and more vigorous measures which included greater efforts in educating road users in the highway code. culminating in a nationwide "Road Safety For You" Campaign in June 1977. This will be followed with vigorous and stricter enforcement to cut down the carnage that is going on on our roads.

Hear, hear!

Sir, the Member for Kallang says that there is an "overkill". I agree that there is "overkill" but not in the proposal to change the law. The "overkill" is that which lies on our roads. Nowadays it is not an unfamiliar sight to see dead bodies lying on our roads after a motor accident. We must put a stop to this by using every means at our disposal. If the law is inadequate to meet the situation we must not shirk our responsibility to change it The acid test of whether a law is good or adequate is whether it is effective in achieving a good social end. It should not be judged on the basis of some preconceived hypothetical concepts of what is equitable or not. The crux of the matter here is not discharging the burden of proof in a court of law or having a driving licence suspended, but the killing and maiming of human beings that must be prevented In each of the last three years the number of road fatalities hovered around 288 This means that on average there were three deaths on the roads in every four days Are the large and small vehicles equally responsible? The heavy vehicles such as buses and trucks represented 6.7% of all motorised vehicles registered in Singapore as at the end of 1976. However. they were involved in 35.5% of all road accidents Almost 30% of these accidents resulted in death. These heavy vehicles therefore had much more than their share of accidents and fatal accidents. There are numerous cases of road fatalities in which the offending driver cannot be charged in court or is acquitted by the court because there is no eye-witness. I would like to mention two cases pertaining to a driver which will best illustrate why the present proposal for change in the law has been made The consequences of the inadequacy of the law were indeed very tragic. In May 1969 a motor van after overtaking a scooter from the left callously swerved into the scooterist's path and stopped suddenly. The scooter could not stop or turn in time and as a result of the collision the scooterist was killed. The driver of the van was charged in court but was acquitted because there was no eye-witness. Thus the driver of the larger vehicle escaped unhurt and unpunished. Some 3 1/2 years later in May 1972 the same driver, may I repeat, the same driver, killed again. This time there was "overkill". The truck he was driving collided head-on with a small car. wiping out four members of a family of five, including both father and mother who were in that car The sole survivor of that unfortunate family was a 13-year old boy who became an orphan Some hon Members will recall this very tragic accident at Bartley Road which was published in the newspapers. Fortunately there was an eye-witness who was willing to come forward to testify. The killer-driver was subsequently convicted in court and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment with 10 years of disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles. These two cases illustrate clearly that the driver and passengers in the vehicle of a lighter class are much more vulnerable in a collision with a vehicle of a heavier class. On the other hand, the drivers of these heavy vehicles like trucks. buses. oil tankers, timber lorries, mobile cranes and cement mixers, know that in any collision with a smaller vehicle they will be quite safe in their driver's cabin a few feet from the ground. If the driver and passengers of the small vehicle are killed, there is every likelihood that he would get away scot-free if there is no other eyewitness to the collision No wonder, therefore, that he suffers from the mentality that "might is right" and having little courtesy and caring less for other road users The Member for Punggol, unfortunately he is not around, in supporting the sentiments expressed by the Member for Kallang cited two hypothetical examples in which the driver of the heavier vehicle would be unfairly penalised under the proposals to change the law. I am afraid he has not completely understood the changes proposed. Let me, therefore, hasten to assure him that under the new proposals the drivers in his two hypothetical examples would not be penalised simply because they are not in the wrong. If the driver of the heavy vehicle is not in the wrong, he can easily rebut the presumption by telling the truth of what happened. The intention of the change is not to put difficulties in the way of the driver of the heavy vehicle but to prevent him from getting away scot-free when he is, in fact, in the wrong because there are no other eye witnesses to the collision except himself. With regard to the proposal to suspend the licence of the driver in a fatal accident who is charged in court, let me point out that a person is charged in court for dangerous driving only when there is a prima facie case against him. We must make every effort to stop this senseless killing and maiming on our roads by introducing more discipline, care and courtesy among all our road users. This will be done in the next three years by systematically educating our road users both young and old. and following it up with tougher enforcement of the law. The law will be changed if they are found to be inadequate. Let me assure hon. Members that the problem will be approached from all angles and it will be dealt with as comprehensively as possible. It will cover all road users. Not only bullies driving heavy trucks and buses will be brought to book but also mindless and reckless young scooterists, and motorcyclists who weave in and out of traffic lanes and motorists who treat the roads as race tracks will find themselves taken off the roads, by having their licences suspended for their own safety as well as of others. To achieve this, the Points Demerit System will be revised so that offences such as inconsiderate, careless and dangerous driving will, carry more penalty points. In fact, this systematic campaign has already started. A series of mini campaigns through the press and RTS have already commenced by the traffic police since October last year. Each of these mini campaigns has a theme such as "No Reckless Overtaking", "No Road Hogging", "Give Way to Pedestrians", "Keep in Lane" and "How to Turn Right". This will culminate in a nationwide campaign in June to be called "Road Safety For You". There will be a Road Safety Exhibition initially at the Victoria Memorial Hall and subsequently at selected community centres. Publicity will be given through films and slides over TV, posters and other material. It will also cover jaywalking. School children will be extensively involved in these campaigns. Now let me turn to another deadly business. drug trafficking. The Member for Changi expressed the view that drug traffickers are not taking seriously the death penalty which they must face if they are caught. He has asked what further steps the Government intends to take against drug traffickers. Since the introduction of the death penalty for drug traffickers, nine have been sentenced to death. Another 30 persons will face the death sentence if they are convicted in the High Court. The full impact of the death penalty will only reach the drug traffickers when the first of their kind who has been sentenced to death is actually hanged. This will take some time because of the process of appeal in our judicial system. In the meantime so long as there is a strong demand for drugs the traffickers will still find the business attractive. The Government has worked out a new strategy to hit hard at both the demand and supply sides of the drug problem. The less specialised, more labour-intensive work of rounding up drug abusers and drug addicts will devolve largely on the Police, the Special Constabulary and the Vigilante Corps. The Central Narcotics Bureau will then have more time and resources to concentrate on drug traffickers and pushers. The CNB has established a Surveillance Unit with handpicked officers and advance radio communication equipment. I should mention at this stage that I will soon be introducing amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act to give the necessary powers to the enforcement agencies and to remove obstructions in dealing with drug abusers and drug addicts, Steps are being taken to convert some old quarters into another Drug Rehabilitation Centre. As soon as this is ready, "Operation Ferret" will be launched to round up drug abusers and addicts on a large scale. This is absolutely necessary if we are to prevent them from infecting others and spreading further the drug epidemic. Finally, the subject of Citizenship. The Member for Moulmein has called the Government to be a little more liberal in granting citizenship to more deserving cases who are holders of Singapore blue identity cards. The Member for Kolam Ayer has called for a total review of citizenship policy especially in respect of those holding blue identity cards for more than 10 years. Permanent residents, especially if they are blue identity card holders and are the only members in their family who are not citizens, are already being given special consideration. In 1976 this category accounted for about 40% of all the citizenships approved. As for a review of citizenship policy, I wish to reassure the Member for Kolam Ayer that the criteria for assessing applications are reviewed when circumstances change. However, such reviews must be within the framework of the tenets which have been stated in Parliament before. Briefly, these are: (1) The granting of citizenship is not a right but a privilege; (2) In considering applications for citizenship, the economic and social problems of the Republic must be taken into account; and (3) The main criterion is that every non-citizen who becomes a citizen must be an asset and not a liability to our Republic. 3.30 p.m.

Mr Speaker, Sir, may I first of all express my gratification at the increasing economic content of the speeches in this House. They come not only from leading lights of the academic, banking and insurance professions in this House - we have always had, of course, the benefit of economic advice from established Members, such as my colleague, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, or the Member for Whampoa - but we now have also among our numerate brethren the recent and obviously highly stimulating additions to our membership, and I look forward to the contribution they will make to our debates. However, even our non-economist Members also appear to have become more economics-minded, I was fascinated at the sitting two days ago by my colleague, the Minister for Social Affairs, and his facility in quoting figures analysing the cost of the public subsidy for playing fields. and how much Government was paying for each member of the small team of 11 soccer players using the playing fields. I come now to the business proper of answering the questions or comments by Members. I have in my list some 20 matters for reply. They can be divided into two categories. The first category on economic, industrial sector and manpower planning which is of a general policy nature, and the second, on the civil service establishment, budget and tax matters which are more on points of detail, and should perhaps be more appropriately considered in the Budget debate. In the first category, the Member for Marine Parade touched on the economic growth rate, the importance of export-led growth as against pump-priming and the development of better labour statistics through using CPF records. The Member for Whampoa emphasised the importance of developing service industries, of trade diversification, of assistance to expansion of existing industries, of technical supporting facilities to industry, particularly in calibration. The Member for Sembawang was interested in encouraging the consumption of local products. On manpower planning. the Member for Paya Lebar emphasised the need to ensure adequate training by employers. The Member for Nee Soon wanted a guarantee of employment for graduates of institutions of higher learning. The Member for Alexandra wished to encourage more female participation in the labour force by consulting women's organisations. And the Member for Sembawang wanted to reduce the differential between professional and ordinary workers in order to correct shortages of workers and avoid employing foreign workers. This is really the subject of income redistribution which is now in much high fashion amongst economists all over the world. So the Member for Sembawang has really joined the list of economics-minded Members. The list is formidable. Before I answer them, I would like to begin by first saying a word on economic planning. We started the first Plan in 1959 but rapidly-unfolding events soon overtook this and other plans that we prepared. The basis of our economic planning was upset when in 1963 we became part of Malaysia, then in 1965 we had Separation. In 1967 we had the first intimation of the British rundown of the military bases. In 1969 we had the rundown accelerated. In 1973 we had the oil crisis. In 1974 we had inflation because of a 300% increase in rice prices. All these events played havoc with our four to five year plans. We may now have come back to more stable conditions. but it is too much to hope, with the history of economic turbulence we have had. that this will last indefinitely. Our economic plan therefore is what they call a rolling plan with 52 equations which we can revise at will with changing conditions. There is another plan. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has a slightly different model of the economy with 22 equations which comes out with slightly different projections. These enable us, through the computer which speeds up the calculations, to forecast growth rates or requirements, for example in:-

Sometimes.

I said "often". I disagree there. Our civil servants perhaps work probably harder and beyond the normal eight-hour day. As the .Minister in charge of the Civil Service. I am strongly of the opinion that at least in the Division I Civil Service the hours worked are much more strenuous than those by almost any other category of people. Certainly the amount of paper work has increased. Of course, whether Members regard this as productive is another matter. As regards their efficiency, the performance of these functions in the companies, as the Minister in charge of Government's investments in companies, I am responsible for any assessment that may be required. I do not, therefore, understand the Members' comment that there is no way of assessing them. It is, of course, not the business of either the Public Accounts Committee or the Budget Committee to do this assessment whether the civil servants are accountable to the two Committees or not. As the Minister in charge of investments, whether overseas or elsewhere, accordingly also responsible for the purchase of Granite House, I do not consider that the Member is justified in the derogatory remarks that he has made on the circumstances surrounding this purchase. The circumstances were fully explained to the Public Accounts Committee on 25th February last year. 4.01 p.m.

May I remind the Member for Nee Soon also that the appointment and promotion of civil servants are matters for the Public Service Commission and that their promotion and reward have, again, nothing to do with MPs. He said. "If they are promoted and rewarded by the Government, it would refer badly on MPs." The word "refer" should be "reflect". But I have got it as "refer" here.

Point of clarification. Sir. As far as I can remember, that was not the correct version that I said,

What is the correct version?

What I actually said was that the affairs of a company owned by the Government should be scrutinised by an appropriate body. An hon. Member: That is right.

So far as we know, it was not scrutinised by the Public Accounts Committee or any other Committee.

There are two parts of the statement. It is a long statement. If I can read what the Member said: `Some civil servants hold directorships in a number of different companies There is no way of assessing their efficiency as they are not accountable to either the Public Accounts Committee or the Budget Committee.' That is the part which tallies with what the Member says. He goes on to say: `For example. the civil servant responsible for incurring a loss in the purchase of Granite House in London has been made a director of another company. Instead of being penalised for his inefficiency in this purchase, he has been rewarded in a new post elsewhere. So the performance of some civil servants was not outstanding. If they are promoted and rewarded by the Government. it would refer badly on MP5.' I am speaking of this last sentence. "If they are promoted and rewarded by the Government, it would refer badly on MPs," I see nothing to connect them with the MPs.

Sir, that was the translated version. It has not been duly rectified yet.

Perhaps we will look at the record in Hansard when it appears. An hon. Member: And duly amended!

Sir, I now turn to other questions on the civil service. The Member for Anson suggested that Government officers be allowed a further opportunity to exercise their options for conversion to the CPF scheme. I should like to state that when this exercise was conducted for Divisions Ill and IV in 1973. they were given one month to make up their minds and also specifically told that the options were irrevocable. The majority of officers opted for the CPF scheme. If we allow officers a second chance to opt for the CPF scheme, likewise to be equitable. officers who have opted for the CPF scheme would have to be given a second option to revert to the Pension scheme. This is clearly undesirable and goes against the basic principle of irrevocability of options. The Member also spoke. I think, on the use of CPF contributions for purchase of flats. Like other members of the public, Government officers may use their CPF contributions to buy flats built by the Housing and Development Board and the HUDC. Additionally, there is an arrangement whereby Government officers who are confirmed in their appointments can apply for loans from the Housing Board to purchase Housing and Development Board flats without the usual down payment. Finally, I think the Member made an observation on senior officers being bypassed in promotions. I think by "senior officer" he means officers who are senior by age being bypassed. Of course, under the Government's promotion policy, seniority is taken into account, so also the merit qualifications and experience of the candidates. Only those found deserving on the basis of these factors are promoted. Seniority is only one of the factors for consideration. Of course, officers who have been longest in their jobs ought to know better and be more efficient. There was one suggestion which relates to the revision of the Parliamentary Pensions Act. I think this was brought up by the Member for Nee Soon. As this has been answered by the Prime Minister. I need not go into this other than to say that the Act provides for the award of a gratuity equal to one year's salary to the dependants of Members of Parliament who die whilst in office. This is similar to the payment of a death gratuity to dependants of a Government officer who dies while in service. The Member for Katong spoke on the new budgetary system and on the need for good inter-personal relations between officials of my Ministry and those of other Ministries so as to ensure the successful implementation of the new budgetary system. The new budgetary system is targetted for implementation in the financial year 1978. Hon. Members will be fully consulted and informed through the Estimates Committee of the changes contemplated in this new system. The new budgetary system is essentially performance oriented. It will classify Government operations, work and expenditure by objectives. It will also provide greater flexibility to Ministries in the usage of funds so long as the objectives are realised and cost effectiveness is maintained or improved upon. The Member for Kampong Kembangan has put down a Question for oral answer and Members who want more information on this system can. refer to the answer I will be giving. Coming back to the Member for Katong, I agree entirely that the success of the new budgetary system. as with any system, will depend to a very large extent on the cooperation of the parties working it. There have always been discussions between officials of the Ministry of Finance and those of other Ministries on the latter's budget requirements. These discussions have given both parties a better appreciation of each other's problems. However, under the new budgetary system, there would be more definite criteria, and accordingly there will be less subjective evaluation and less room for dispute among officials. I would like now to move on to the various comments on tax matters. I think the Member for Nee Soon desired to have greater debate on tax changes. I would like to point out that the last major tax changes were introduced in 1 968 and were prompted by the need to raise revenue for building up our Armed Forces. Since then, there have been few changes in the tax structure. though we have found that we have imposed tax disincentives or given tax concessions. Increases have been made mainly to existing taxes on private sector vehicles. cigarettes and tobacco products, liquors and petroleum. These revisions were made not so much to raise additional revenue, though this is always welcome, as to alleviate traffic congestion and pollution, to bolster Government's anti-smoking campaign and to discourage consumption of non-essential items. It is quite obvious that it would be impossible to have prior debate in Parliament on such tax increases since advance notice of taxes would lead to hoarding, speculation and profiteering. Nevertheless. I wish to assure the House that where none of these problems would arise from proposed changes to the tax structure, if for example, we should wish to change the tax system from income taxation to value added tax as has been suggested by the Prime Minister yesterday. then hon. Members would be given every opportunity for debate on the new tax structure. I come now to a suggestion of the Member for Thomson on income tax relief. I think the Member for Punggol also suggested that the personal relief should be increased in proportion to the increase in the cost of living since 1948.

On a point of clarification, Sir, I did not refer to it this time.

In that case, it would save me the burden of answering this particular part of the question. Without referring to specific Members of Parliament, several Members have pressed for an upward revision in the personal allowances for income tax. This issue, of course, is perennial before each budget session, not only by Members but also by the press, At the risk of boring the old incumbents and also the new Members, may I take the opportunity to repeat once again the reasons for not Increasing these allowances. First, any significant increase in personal relief would result in a substantial loss in revenue. A small increase of $1,000 in personal relief would cause the Government to sacrifice $26 million in revenue a year. Our revenue performance in the last financial year and in the coming year is not so strong as to permit an increase in such income tax relief. If such relief were to be increased, a new tax or an Increase in other taxes may have to be imposed to make up for the loss in revenue. Secondly, while the cost of living has gone up, so has the per capita income which Increases the ability of the taxpayer to pay income tax. Thirdly, the ever-increasing public expenditure has to be borne by as many people as can bear them. It is salutary for them to be reminded that the services provided by Government must be paid for, Now I come to the Member for Kallang. He said that "the present income tax rates are not conducive to attracting international operations that neither buy nor sell in Singapore." He welcomed the establishment of the Fiscal Policy Implementation Committee to consider how best the tax system cap be adjusted. He also suggested that as tax collectors are "notoriously conservative when it comes to tax incentives, those who are directly in charge of tax collections should have little to do with the formulation of tax incentives." I think the Government is aware that the present tax rates are not sufficiently attractive to induce the growth of off-shore trading activities in Singapore and certain proposed tax concessions for business engaged in offshore trading are now being examined by the Fiscal Policy Implementation Committee. The primary function of the Committee is to study how to implement major tax changes which have already been decided as a matter of policy by the Government. The tax administrators are included in the Committee to render technical advice on how the new tax incentives can be implemented smoothly. In any case if there is any difficulty, I think any conflict should be resolved by the Minister for Finance who is both responsible for development of international trading centres as well as restrictions which the Budget impose upon other tax policies. Finally, I come to the problem of oil companies and the adjustments to the retail price of petrol. There is also another example quoted by the Member for Moulmein about the tax surcharge which properly is a matter for the Ministry of Finance, On the unhappiness over the so-called increases of taxes in the form of additional duty on petrol, I would like to inform Members that adjustments to the price of petroleum products inclusive of adjustments in duties are related to price increases of crude supplied by OPEC countries. The overall increase allowed is spread among major price-controlled items so as. to favour industry and public transportation. This is in line with Government policy to discourage ownership of private motor vehicles. Consumers as a whole group do not face any additional cost over and above what is necessary to compensate for increases in crude prices. The duty of 1 .8 cents per litre for automotive diesel oil was, for instance. removed in the January 1976 round of price increases. As to the tax on PUB bills, this was first introduced in January 1969 with legislation of the Statutory Boards (Taxable Services) Act. The tax was intended mainly to defray increased defence expenditure. The majority of the people are not really penalised by the surcharge on PUB bills. On each occasion that the PUB was obliged to raise either its electricity or water tariffs, the tax structure was also revised accordingly to give relief to the smaller domestic consumers. When the tax was first imposed in January 1969, households whose bills were in excess of $10 per month were liable to pay tax. The cut-off point has since been revised on four occasions and is now pegged at $35 per month. However, we are reviewing it once again since we shall have to consider it in conjunction with what increase we must allow in electricity tariffs because of increased oil prices. May I repeat what my colleague, the Minister for National Development and Communications, has stated? On the average some 70.5% of the total domestic households in Singapore do not pay Government tax on their PUB bills as their bills are less than $35 a month. In addition a further 14.5% pay tax and only at 5%; and the remaining 1 5% pay at the 10% tax rate. As for the latter category of households, the imposition of Government tax should induce them to be more economical with regard to consumption of public utility. With regard to the industries, the larger consumers of electricity have been granted exemption from the tax.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I did not want to interrupt while the Minister was speaking. So may I be permitted to clarify a number of points? I do not know who drafted the Minister's replies but many of them were inadequate. For example, when he referred to the various schemes of Government like Export Financing, Capital Assistance Scheme, Small Industries Financing Scheme, and so on. he gave us no details of the actual implementation, that is, what has actually been achieved, what is the cost involved, and what is the number of firms involved. He merely gave us a regurgitation of the principles of those schemes. Similarly, when he referred to the Labour Training Scheme. he talked in general terms, describing what those schemes are but without telling us the number involved and no reference to cost effectiveness. Another example is when he referred to the percentage of women in the civil service and pointed out to an 8% increase in the number of women, but he did not tell us in what categories those women are in. If they all joined the Service as sweepers and cleaners, we can, of course, enlarge the number ad infinitum. A further point he referred to was in regard to wage differentials and said that there was little the Government could do. That is not true because Government policy substantially affects demand and supply. For example, whether or not to grant more immigration permits -

Order. Dr Tan, we are debating a Motion on the Address of Thanks, and the debate thereon shall be confined to policy. If you want to make a clarification, would you please come to your point? You have one opinion and the Minister has got another. I am sure you will have an opportunity to debate the details during Budget time.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I suggest that if he wants all this information, which I can supply in very great detail, perhaps in all the annual reports of the EDB and -

Unfortunately, Sir, the Hon. Minister -

Order. I have to ask the Minister whether he is prepared to give way.

I am prepared to answer his point of clarification, but if he wants to make another statement, it would mean that I would have to make a further lengthened statement.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, you can always rule me out of order if it is not a point of clarification. The hon. Minister unfortunately was not here in this House when I made my speech on the subject. When I referred -

Dr Tan, will you clarify your point now?

Yes. The Minister referred me to various reports of statutory boards and government bodies. In my speech I have stated that in those very reports one finds glowing accounts of what goes on, not critical analyses.

Sir, I am not quite sure what he expects me to do here. Should I stand up in this House and say. "I have these glowing reports from the EDB but I am not very satisfied with them"? In fact, I am not always satisfied with the glowing reports, but does he expect me to come here and criticise the performance of the Ministry under my charge? If he has any critical comment to make of them, perhaps I could really answer; and if I agree with some of his comments then I will say so. But he can hardly expect me to initiate criticism of my own Ministry and departments.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, my point was simply -

Dr Tan, could you please come to the point, because there seems to be no end to this.

Sir, I will just take one minute.

No, whether it is a minute or not. I am sorry. But if you want to clarify any particular point, you may do so.

The point that the hon. Minister referred to is that I could hardly expect him to criticise the Ministry or statutory boards under his charge. My point is, very simply, that we hear too often of, "This is what we intend to do and this is what we have done." But too little of "These are the mistakes that we have made" and "These are the corrections that we intend to make."

Sir, perhaps I do not understand the duties of Ministers. I criticise my departments and I criticise my Government servants in the privacy of my office, and I hope I give them hell from time to time, but I do not expect to do so in the House here. If there are points which I should be critical of, and he suggests that I take note of them. I will certainly do so. But I do not think I can be expected to come here and say, "I have given them hell because of certain points and I want to tell you all about this." 4.29 p.m.

Sir, there are advantages of being the last speaker on the Government side but there are also its disadvantages, especially after yesterday's marathon performance. Most of the points, in fact, have been covered by others and by the Prime Minister himself. I would like briefly to deal with one or two points. It has been suggested by one Member that the Hawkers Department does not work very hard against hawkers in constituencies where Ministers have been elected but they work especially hard where Members are. After the Prime Minister's speech yesterday, I think the Member will be well aware that if I did that I would not only be out of the Ministry of the Environment but also out of the House. But let us assume that that is true, so if he wants a hawker's licence he comes to Tanglin. Let us take it one step further. If he wants a Housing Board flat, he tries Cairnhill. If he wants a ticket to the football stadium, he goes to River Valley. If he wants to smoke ganja, try MacPherson. If he does not want to pay income tax or wants a postponement, go to Havelock, If he wants his son to be exempted from national service, try Kreta Ayer. Gentlemen, if he wants all these things rolled into one, he knows where to go - Tanjong Pagar. Just one more point on the Ministry of Law. It is about the procedure in respect of urgent bills, which was touched upon by one Member and defended by the Prime Minister yesterday. The Prime Minister cited some figures. I can give much more. It is under Standing Order 82 that a Certificate of Urgency is required to be signed by the President before a Bill can be taken through all stages in this House at one go. All Ministries are fully aware of the need to let bills go through their normal process, thus ensuring the full benefit of Parliamentary scrutiny before the final form emerges. In fact, in recent years, very few bills have been taken through on a Certificate of Urgency. In the last six years from 1971 to 1976, Parliament dealt with 219 bills. Of these, only seven were taken through urgently. In the last three years. 1974 to 1976, out of 107 Acts of Parliament, only three (one in each year) were dealt with as urgent bills. They were: the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) (Amendment) Bill, 1974. This was taken through to extend the life of the Act which was due to expire. In 1975, the Companies (Amendment) Bill. This was an amendment to enable an inspector appointed under the Companies Act to inform the Minister of any matters coming to his knowledge as a result of the investigation tending to show that an offence has been committed. This piece of urgent legislation arose Out of the investigations into the Haw Par affair. Last year the Financial Procedure (Amendment) Bill was taken through urgently in view of the impending prorogation of Parliament after the sitting on 24th November last year prior to the elections. There have been, as far as I am aware, no. bills which have been amended purely because of drafting errors. Bills are amended primarily because in the light of working experience inadequacies are revealed. Administrators and enforcement officers may come up against situations not envisaged when the bill was first drafted or the test of actual enforcement may reveal loopholes which necessitate plugging. Of course, when such a situation arises the opportunity is taken by the draftsman to make any desirable drafting changes which might make the language, more explicit or remove doubts which might have arisen in the meantime consequent on prosecution, litigation or judicial review. In regard to the point made by the Member for Nee Soon about the difficulty in understanding legislation, this is understandable as even those trained in the law sometimes have difficulty in interpreting provisions, couched as they are, in legal terminology. It is for this reason that all bills have attached to them explanatory statements which try and set out in lay language the main provisions of the bill. However, the general point, made by Members of Parliament touching on this subject that legislation, hastily conceived or pressed for by administrators, enforcement agencies, revenue and tax collectors and those primarily interested in getting results rather than the means or mode of getting such results, is a valid one. This is particularly so where objectives can be achieved by better administration or education or a combination of both. This debate has underlined the need to constantly stress to all concerned that in the realm of legislation it is wise to make haste slowly. Sir, before this debate began I invited Members to speak freely and openly. They have done so. I congratulate them. But in this debate, Members and Parliamentary Secretaries spoke first. Ministers had' the advantage of replying. And I have the advantage of speaking last. I am not against the cut and thrust of debate. This is the essence of any Parliament. But may I say, without any disrespect, that some of our big guns. when replying, went further than was really necessary. Some hon. Members: Hear, hear!

But Members will have their chance, In the debate on my colleague's budget, they will have more opportunity to speak in the Committee of Supply. Let us see what that debate will bring forth. 4.34 p.m.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the vital organs of our body - An hon. Member: Such as?

I presume all Members know what they are - we cannot do without, or we do badly without any of them. On the other hand, our appendix, we can do without. I am willing to be corrected by the hon. Member for Kim Seng. I am told that some surgeons remove the appendix of their patients for free, during operation. Coming after a total of almost a dozen Ministerial statements, including the Prime Minister's yesterday, what I have to say now is very much in the nature of an appendix. We all can do without it but in extenuation an appendix does not appear to do any great harm and it is only a very little thing. If you, Sir, and other hon. Members will relax and make yourself and themselves comfortable, I shall try to set another record in this House and make this, my second speech, the shortest speech of all the speeches delivered during this debate. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, a total of 35 Backbenchers, six Parliamentary Secretaries and one Minister of State participated in the debate. I thank the Leader of the House for giving me the honor to move the Motion and thank all Members for having participated in the debate and for their support. It is clear from what has been discussed that Members had taken to heart what the Leader of the House said to them: to let their conscience be their guide and to speak freely with open minds. All of us in this House, the press and the public, had looked forward with the greatest interest to what the eleven "new boys" had to say. They have not disappointed us. They add their experience and expertise to that already presented in the House. This House has heard wide-ranging and critical comment on the Government's general policies as well as their implementation at grass-roots level. These comments have contributed immeasurably to public interest in the debate and reassured our constituents that they truly have a voice in this Parliament. Their satisfaction with Government's policies as well as their dissatisfaction have both been voiced in this House. The Leader of the House has referred to the cut and thrust of debate, particularly in the last three days. It is my impression, which he confirmed, that more thrusts were proferred by the Ministers while more cuts were sustained by the Backbenchers! I propose to make only three observations: First, the large number of comments. including complaints, about the Housing and Development Board is surely an index of its success. If only 5% instead of 50% of our people were living in HDB flats, we would have had far fewer reference to the problems that the HDB generates. Backbenchers, many of whom would not have been from the PAP, in reflecting the needs of their constituents. would have been demanding in this House that the Government build more flats rather than better quality flats. This is not to say there are no problems at all. I have my fair share of dealings with the HDB. I have not always succeeded in meeting the wishes of my HDB constituents. But I have always received courtesy and cooperation. And I think that most Members would have had the same experience. My second observation relates to comments and complaints about the civil service. I would feel sorry for the civil servants except for the fact that they are particularly able to take care of themselves. Furthermore, they have a stout defender in the Minister for Finances I am truly astonished to learn that he can and does give them hell from time to time. However, if a bureaucrat takes the initiative, he runs the risk of being accused of usurping the supremacy or sovereignty of Parliament. But strict adherence to his Instruction Manual does not provide him with safety either: he can be accused of being inflexible. unimaginative, even inhuman. A number of Members in this House are ex-civil servants. They range from Ministers to rat-catchers to Backbenchers. Have we here a Mr Hyde and Dr Jekyll transformation? Do inflexible, unimaginative and inhuman bureaucrats become enterprising, sensitive and warm politicians? Should we try to run our civil servants through this House to sensitize them? If our ex-civil servant Members were already sensitive in the first place, should we have allowed them to remain in the civil service? That also does not seem like a practical solution. I believe that civil servants who forget to be civil, who forget that their duty is to serve the public, should be reported and if found to be at fault, appropriately punished. The machinery to do this exists, and should be used. The third observation I want to make is about national security, which occupied a good part of the President's Address and which engaged the attention of many Members, During our debate the confessions of G, Raman appeared and several arrests were made. They reveal to us the ever-present threat to our national security, The communist danger is not a bogey. It is not the figment of a fertile imagination. In other countries communists have attempted to or actually succeeded in seizing power. Two of our ASEAN neighbours have recently mounted more intensive operations to meet the escalating danger from the communists. We in Singapore cannot reasonably expect to be left unmolested, seeing that the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) regards Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore as one. namely, Malaya. Subversion, communist as well as non-communist, is one of the facts of life. But we can successfully overcome all attempts to subvert us. provided we remain "vigilant and discriminating" and provided the PAP continues to govern "with circumspection and moderation". Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the Motion standing in my name. Question put. and agreed to. Resolved, 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."

Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn to Monday, 28th February, 1977." - [Mr. E. W. Barker]. Adjourned accordingly at Twelve minutes to Five o'clock p.m. to Monday, 28th February 1977