Hansard, 2008-02-28

Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission to be or to remain absent from sittings of Parliament (or any Committee of Parliament to which they have been appointed) for the periods stated: Name From (2008) To (2008) Mr Gautam Banerjee 29 Feb 29 Feb Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat 11 Mar 14 Mar

ABDULLAH TARMUGI Speaker Parliament of Singapore

to amend the Infectious Diseases Act (Chapter 137 of the 2003 Revised Edition) and to make related amendments to the Biological Agents and Toxins Act and the Requisition of Resources Act (Chapter 273 of the 1985 Revised Edition)",

presented by the Minister for Health (Mr Khaw Boon Wan); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.

Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [2nd Allotted Day].

Head P - Ministry of Home Affairs. Dr Teo Ho Pin.

Terrorism and Security

Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head P of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, I am indeed very surprised to learn that JI leader Mas Selamat, a limping detainee, can escape from our detention centre yesterday. This has indeed raised concerns about our Police Force vigilance and security operating procedures.

Sir, may I ask the Minister what level of security was imposed on Mas Selamat while in detention? How did he manage to escape from the detention centre? What is the status in the manhunt for Mas

Selamat? Will the Police be conducting a Board of Inquiry into the incident and report to this House the findings of the inquiry?

As Mas Selamat is still at large, it has raised public concerns on their safety. What is the Police's advice to the general public at this point of time?

Sir, Mas Selamat escaped at 4.05 pm yesterday. I received news of his escape through Channel NewsAsia and SMS alert at 8.42 pm. May I know why the Ministry took so long, four hours, to

Sir, the recent arrest of three self-radicalised potential terrorists had shown that terrorism threats are real in Singapore. Despite much efforts by the authorities and various stakeholders, three young educated Singaporeans can be influenced to wage militant jihad. The easy access to radical teaching, religious teachings through the Internet over 6,000 radical websites and a large proportion of Singapore's Muslim youth, about 40%, who do not have formal religious instructions pose major concerns to the security of Singapore.

Sir, we should not take comfort that self-radicalised individuals are inevitable, and let our guards down in strengthening our vigilance in particular our efforts to engage the community. We should set up more vigilance, self-radicalised terrorism watch groups among family members, religious organisations and the community. I propose that the Ministry develop a simple checklist for community stakeholders to detect individuals who have radical religious beliefs and are potential terrorists. We need to equip the community stakeholders to take on a proactive and vigilant role to strengthen our security safety net.

Sir, I wish to ask the Minister the following questions: (1) What are the Ministries multi-pronged approaches to curb self-radicalised terrorists; (2) What measures are taken to increase community vigilance to prevent self-radicalised terrorism; (3) How can the Ministry encourage more young people to learn religious teachings from mainstream religious institutions; and (4) How can the Ministry monitor over 6,000 radical religious websites or reduce their influence on young Singaporeans?

inform the public? Mas Selamat is unarmed, unlike Dave Teo's case. So why can we not involve the public to help to arrest him?

Emergency Preparedness

Sir, what more can we do to prepare Singaporeans for major and small emergencies that may arise at home or at public amenities.

I would like to suggest teaching basic first-aid and CPR to as many residents as possible. Are there plans to train female home and caregivers and the elderly; extend the teaching and practice of first-aid to all student groups in schools and consider implementing a short stint of national training for females, where they will learn nursing care?

On the episode of Mas Selamat Kastari, MHA has been very swift to comb him down. But how else is MHA preparing Singaporeans and other residents on this alert and on emergencies that may arise, especially when there is a possibility that there may be a network operating in the background in Singapore for Mas Selamat to be able to slip away so easily? How can Singaporeans be prepared for possible pervasive forces?

Public Safety and Security

Sir, on the subject of public safety and security, MHA has recently announced its plan to extend a network of public security cameras, more than double of what it was previously and in more areas across the island. Indeed, this is one measure which the MHA has undertaken to promote greater public safety and security.

Sir, I am pleased to note that the Police has announced a marked drop in crime where CCTVs have been installed, for example, at Boat Quay, Orchard area, Little India, Shenton Way. According to press reports, footage used from the CCTV has been instrumental in identifying criminals, resulting in breakthrough when solving crimes. Still, some concerns

Sir, the use of technology such as CCTVs has broader applications. Much of the July synchronised bombing in London was recorded by the cameras and this assisted the forensics in unfolding the tactics and unveiling the culprits.

Counter-terrorism at home should be a concern for all Singaporeans and in light of the recent information of Mas Selamat's escape. This is a concern for all of us. Terrorists are a different category of fish when compared to the criminals at home. They are organised, trained and hence a greater threat to our security. This is the reality that we are faced with. Given this reality, I hope the Minister could oblige us with his view on the role of technology and how it can play to counter terrorism in our front yard.

remain. Adaptable criminals may be able to work around these measures. Similarly, CCTVs are known to be vandalised. I hope that the above have been taken into account when expanding the footprint of CCTVs further.

Drug Abuse

Sir, may I ask the Minister what measures are taken to curb the rise of Subutex and heroin abuse? Are the barriers to prevent drug trafficking effective at our customs and coastal areas? What additional measures can be taken to prevent drug trafficking? Why are sniffer dogs not extensively used to detect drug trafficking at our customs entry points? How many drug abuse cases were arrested due to ground intelligence or through informants?

Sir, the recent rise in the abuse of Subutex and heroin is a disturbing trend. We should not accept the reason that the increase is attributed to the implementation of Subutex as a controlled drug. In fact, it shows weaknesses in our drug enforcement regime. Our barriers to drug trafficking are not watertight, despite

Sir, if big land mass countries like Australia and New Zealand can set up stringent customs and immigration control to prohibit food products being brought into their countries, I do not understand why Singapore cannot set up a more robust customs and immigration control system to curb drug trafficking. The Australians and New Zealanders use sniffer dogs extensively to deter food and drug trafficking irrespective of religious or racial sensitivities. We must do likewise and adopt more measures such as deployment of sniffer dogs, scanners and extensive visual checks to strengthen our barriers to drug trafficking.

Singapore being a small island. Ground intelligence is also insufficient to arrest drug traffickers, pushers and abusers and the surveillance system to track repeat offenders has failed.

Sir, Singapore is known for her strict law pertaining to drug trafficking, distribution and use. Over the years, there have been effective measures to control the problem, using a multi-pronged as well as community-based approach. It has attracted much interest from other countries as well. In fact, in our DRCs now, there are days when we have more visitors than inmates.

In managing the drug abuse problem, besides the individual, physical and psychological consequences related to the addiction, there are also social implications such as family disputes and disruption, non-performance and drop-out from schools, loss of jobs and source of employment. Over time, the nature and type of drug abuse has also evolved to Subutex, Dormicum, designer as well as lifestyle drugs. In fact, despite the fact that Subutex has been made a controlled drug, I am still seeing cases coming to the hospital with complications of recent

abuse. What are the average numbers of drug related arrests currently? What are the numbers being entered into our DRCs and what are their ethnic breakdowns?

Sir, last January, Parliament was told that there was no evidence of a Subutex black market and that the majority of Subutex abusers seem to have kicked the habit. How far has the situation deteriorated last year? How many Subutex abusers have been arrested for Subutex abuse or abuse of heroin or other drugs?

The recent news of the spike in heroin linked arrests is a cause for concern. Last year, heroin linked arrests went up by 600% to 670 cases, the highest figure since 2002. Out of those arrested, 90% were repeat abusers. The Central Narcotics Bureau said that one of the reasons was the release of 4,000 hardcore addicts from prison over the years. What does this suggest about the effectiveness of our drug rehabilitation programme and long-term imprisonment as a strategy to fight drug abuse?

Public Expression

Sir, Singapore has come a long way from the time when we were known only for caning vandals and banning chewing gum. Yes, we are being featured more positively as a city that swings and winning the bid for the Youth Olympic Games will be good for us. If Singapore wants to be a global city, it must behave like a global city and strive to make it more conducive for a spontaneous and expressive society, not because we want to read more positive stories in the foreign media about Singapore's image, so that Singaporeans can meaningfully identify beyond monetary terms with the notion of belonging to a First World nation. We can do this by actively nurturing our arts and culture. We should do this by expanding

Sir, this House heard last year about how the Workers' Party's cycling event was banned and the debate that ensued on political events. As Nominated MP, I do not propose to join that fray. I want to take this issue beyond party politics because there is such a wide scope for public expression. Last year, for example, a group of Singaporeans turned up with anime figurines at a public park to protest against the clamp down on online downloading by Singapore animation distributor, Odex. The Police sent four anti-riot vans to the scene, took down the anime fans' particulars and filmed them. It is not an issue of whether we should disapprove of copyright infringement or not. If the Government wants to rebuke criticisms that Singapore is not a police state, actions like these do not help. We can all appreciate concerns about law and order. Race and religion are still sensitive subjects.

But I wonder if the Home Affairs Ministry can appreciate that there is a wide scope of issues for which more space to public expression can be given. It is not space for space sake. We strive to make Singapore a magnet for talent, a top economy, as we should. But let us not forget what the State does can leave an indelible intangible mark on an educated citizenry. We are losing about 800 to 1,000 Singaporeans a year. Would a better balance between law and order and a demonstrable regard for the importance of social expression have made a difference for them, not for all definitely, but for some? I am sure if every Singaporean counts, it should be enough to warrant relooking how we approach public expression. We need to learn how to cultivate the value of social expression, in particular by Singaporeans on Singaporean issues, to the benefit of the country.

I would like to quote from Media Academic Georgian George who wrote on his blog. He was referring to how Singaporeans have resorted to socially irresponsible expressions on the Internet, and he said, "By failing to enshrine free speech as a fundamental social good, young Singaporeans are growing up seizing that freedom on their own terms impervious to being lectured about their social obligations." I would like to ask the Minister if he would consider reviewing the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act in Singapore's best interest.

the space for public expression and activity.

Loansharks

Sir, in Singapore, you can gamble every day. Mondays and Thursdays are for Toto betting. Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays are for 4-D betting. Horse racing is on every Saturday and Sunday. Big Sweep, you can bet once a month. And soccer betting is available almost everyday, depending on the matches. If you miss all of the above, you can still take a cruise to nowhere and gamble at a casino any day. So the high accessibility has created a new industry in Singapore, that is, illegal moneylending or loanshark services.

In recent years, we have seen a first in loanshark harassment cases. On average, about 4,000 to 5,000 households were harassed by loansharks yearly. This rampant loanshark activity has affected the safety of our residents and their quality of life.

Sir, Singaporeans are aware of the moneylending and debt collection tactics of loansharks and yet many have resorted to borrowing money from loansharks. Why is it so? It is due to gambling. I foresee this problem will be further aggravated when the two Integrated Resorts are operational. The Police must take immediate concrete action to curb loanshark activities. May I ask the Minister why is there a sudden increase in

loanshark activities? How many reported loanshark cases were resolved by the Police? What are the strategies or measures to prevent loanshark activities in Singapore? What are the education efforts by Police on loansharks? Are these efforts effective in educating Singaporeans not to borrow from loansharks?

12.15 pm

Sir, the issue of loansharks or illegal moneylending is not only a menace to society but it is also posing a present and direct challenge to the authorities. Reports of harassments have been widely covered in the media. Of concern are the innocent victims of such harassments. Most of us, if not all of us, in this House would have encountered at some time or other during our meet-the-people sessions of residents telling us the problem they face from harassment from loansharks. Woe befalls anyone who had bought a resale flat whose previous owner had borrowed money from these loansharks. If the previous owner had outstanding debts, the loansharks' runners are indifferent to whether the new owners have anything to do with the previous occupant. Spray painting on the walls is a form of vandalism, and some even had the gall to cut off the electricity supply of "lenders". Some have even resorted to harassing neighbours or occupants of those flats to embarrass them into paying.

I spoke with a Singapore PR who came from Hong Kong. I asked him, "Do you have this problem in Hong Kong?" He said, "Oh, maybe the Hong Kong loansharks are more kiasu than the Singapore ones." I asked him, "Why do you say that?" He said that when the loansharks lend them the money, they actually do due diligence. I asked him what he meant. He said they went to

While I am glad that the Government has gone out in the media to show the plight, pain and suffering of gambling addicts' families in the effort to bring awareness to our people, the other end of the gambling problem, ie, that of the loansharks, is still very much in our midst. As long as there are borrowers, loansharks and their illegal moneylending activities will exist. However, their debt recovery methods have caused much stress, fear and tension not only to the occupants of the targeted flats but to the neighbours as well. I ask for a stronger enforcement and whether the current law is adequate enough to deal with this menace.

verify where they live so that they would not have these innocent parties suffering. I do not know. It is quite laughable. But to these residents who come to see us at our MPS, it is not funny at all.

Borrowing Money from Unlicensed Moneylenders

"Owe money, pay money" - these threatening words mar the walls of several common corridors of our HDB homes.

In January last year, Senior Minister of State, Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee, informed that there were 10,221 reported cases of unlicensed moneylending in 2006. That was a 19% increase over 2005 when there were 8,568 reported cases. Similarly, the 2005 figure represented an increase of 47%, to be exact, over 2004, which had 5,809 reported cases. Multiple initiatives were introduced by MHA to try to solve the problem. These included:

Enhancing the penalties under the Moneylenders' Act; and

The formation of the Anti-UML Task Force to increase, among others, the number of ambush operations.

However, recent figures show that these measures have not deterred UML syndicates. A look at the statistics for 2007 support this point. In 2007, there were 277 arrests over the first three quarters, ie, from January to September, which were just 17 short of the total number of arrests for the whole of 2006. All else being equal, working from an average of 30 cases per month, the total figure for 2007 would be in the region of about 360. In the same nine months in 2007, there were 7,438 reported cases of illegal moneylending and related activities. All else being equal, working from an average of 826 cases per month, the total figure for 2007 would be in the region of 9,917 cases. This is a mere drop of about 300 reported cases from 2006-07. Having previously worked with enforcement agencies to tackle similar types of crime, I put on record my appreciation for their dedicated effort in their attempt to deter UML activities in Singapore.

However, in the light of the unattractive figures quoted above, I urge MHA to take a different strategy in tackling the very real problem of unlicensed moneylending. This involves simultaneously tackling the supply of and the demand for illegal loans. Currently, the law, called the Moneylenders Act, curbs UML only by deterring the supply of illegal loans into the market. It does nothing to penalise or deter the borrowing, ie, the demand side. This is clear from sections 8(1)(b) and (c) of the Moneylenders Act. These offences in these sections do not deter the demand for illegal loans. I therefore propose that MHA consider introducing a new section which makes it an offence if a person secures a loan for himself or on behalf of any other person from an unlicensed moneylender. The punitive measures which come along with the offence can be calculated based on the harm that the State deems such borrowing creates and based on the level that will best deter such activities. Naturally, the Public

Having said this, the merit of making borrowing illegal and having it in the books, as it were, is that it deters people from taking loans which cause both them and their neighbours a great deal of distress. Taking a page out of the speeches of Dr Teo Ho Pin and Mr Arthur Fong, to my mind, a good example, though not the only example, of a borrower who deserves to be prosecuted is one who gives a false address to the loansharks such that innocent residents get harassed. If the borrower abets such harassment, why not make his very act of borrowing an offence?

There are two prominent pieces of legislation which combat both the supply and demand elements of an offence.

The first is the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA). Sections 5, 6 and 7 of the MDA penalise the trafficking, import and export and manufacture of controlled drugs, ie, the supply of them. But, significantly, section 8 of the MDA also penalises the possession and consumption of controlled drugs, ie, the demand for them. By penalising both the demand and supply, Singapore's drug problem has been contained.

The second prominent piece of legislation is the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA). Section 5(a) of the PCA penalises the supply of corruption, ie, it

Thus, both the demand and supply of elements of corruption are tackled in tandem, resulting in Singapore's extremely low incidence of corruption. Why not use the same strategy to combat the rapid growth of unlicensed moneylending in Singapore, given that:

The anecdotal evidence that a significant number of those borrowing from loansharks are using the loan to pay off gambling debts?

As a result, innocent residents have to bear the brunt of harassment if a false residential address is given?

The whole corridor suffers the stigma of graffitied walls even if a false address is not given?

The continuing Government philosophy that if we continue to work, we will be given an incentive, such as WIS, why not make borrowing from illegal moneylenders, which causes much harm to the neighbourliness of communities, an offence?

The Public Prosecutor is always in a position to exercise his discretion whether or not to prosecute the borrower based on the unique mitigating factors, if any. The number of reported cases and arrests in relation to unlicensed moneylending and related activities over the last three years is very worrying. I urge MHA to consider a shift in policy away from supply-centric enforcement to one which also combats the demand. This would be similar to the two-pronged enforcement action taken against drugs and corruption. Such a

I propose that MHA use a portion of its budget to analyse how a new provision can be introduced into the Moneylenders Act to make the borrowing of money from unlicensed moneylenders an offence.

Turning, Sir, to my second cut.

To Clamp Down on Prostitution and Associated Vices

The number of foreign prostitutes arrested in 2006 was 4,310. This was a 34% increase over 2005. In 2007, the number of foreign prostitutes arrested was 5,400. This signified a 25% increase over 2006. Bids to contain the trade in Geylang has not been successful. An evening drive down Duxton Road and Duxton Hill - which I did with my wife by the way - will prove that prostitutes operate well beyond the artificial borders of Geylang. Prostitution is working itself into our heartlands. Many of these sex workers come on two-week social visit passes. Just before the two weeks come to an end, the sex workers leave the country, usually by making their way to JB, only to return to Singapore the same day. This trip, which earns them an extended stay in Singapore, is known as the "U-turn". Many of them continue to ply the trade until caught for overstaying. I am told that they even get a free ticket home when repatriated after serving their jail sentences.

We have all seen several reports in the press of prostitutes openly soliciting in coffeeshops. I have also received feedback that sexual services are offered at shops claiming to offer massages, especially, for some reason, massage parlours with curtains. The numbers speak for themselves: 34% rise in number of foreign prostitutes arrested from 2005 to

Suss out new locations where sex syndicates operate?

Clamp down on such operations?

Prosecutor will have the ultimate discretion whether to prosecute a borrower, and unique circumstances prompting a compassionate approach would likely merit non-prosecution.penalises, subject to other elements being satisfied, the corrupt soliciting or receiving or agreeing to receive for himself or for any other person any gratification as an inducement to or reward for. In order to effectively deter acts of corruption in Singapore, section 5(b) of the PCA penalises the demand for corruption, ie, it penalises, subject to other elements being satisfied, the corrupt giving, promising or offering to any person, whether for the benefit of that person or of any other person any gratification as an inducement or reward for. two-pronged strategy focusing on the supply and demand forces giving rise to the crime would pressure the offence from all sides and help lead it closer to extinction. 2006, 25% rise from 2006 to 2007. What concrete steps will MHA take to curb the worrying figures? In particular, would MHA allocate a healthy budget to bolster the anti-vice squad with additional manpower and intelligence officers to:

Road Safety

Sir, may I ask the Minister:

What measures are in place to ensure that road safety is properly taught in driving schools?

Are the existing road safety and courtesy programmes effective in improving drivers' driving behaviour and reducing accidents?

How many police officers are deployed to conduct enforcement of road safety?

How frequent do police patrol the roads, especially after midnight hours?

Sir, in Singapore, we have good roads and fast cars, but we do not have many good drivers. Each year, about 200 drivers and pedestrians are killed on our roads. Another 12,000 people were injured due to road accidents. This situation raises questions on our road safety rules and culture in Singapore.

Sir, some road accidents are unavoidable, but the majority of them can be prevented if we have a comprehensive road safety system in Singapore. There are many limitations in our road safety system.

First, new drivers do not undergo very stringent road safety training or learning

Second, new drivers on probation can have access to high capacity engine cars or motorbikes. These new drivers do not have enough experience and thus do not know how to handle such powerful high-powered driving machines. Thus, we have recently witnessed a few fatal accidents along Dunearn Road and Upper Thomson Road, resulting in the deaths of five young Singaporeans.

Third, more drivers are driving recklessly, such as speeding, tailgating and drink-driving.

Fourth, there is a lack of police enforcement on reckless and dangerous driving after midnight hours.

Sir, this is indeed a sad situation. Driving on our roads is no longer a pleasant experience.

how to drive. Every driving school has its own standard and syllabus for its driving lessons. There is hardly any quality control to ensure that all new drivers adopt good road safety practices upon passing.

Mr Chairman, Sir, in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, I would like to ask the Minister how many cases of road traffic accidents were there in 2006 and 2007, and how many precious lives were lost in such accidents.

Recently, I notice that many motorists are driving without following the traffic rules. Some overtake from the left lane and some hog the fast lane on the right. Some young drivers drive recklessly and change lanes indiscriminately, resulting in many unnecessary traffic accidents and causing heavy traffic jams.

Come September, we will be hosting the Formula One (F1) event. I am worried

I would like to ask the Minister whether the Traffic Police has any plan to prevent such unnecessary accidents from happening.

I would like to suggest to the Minister that a month-long safe-driving campaign be held. During this campaign, the Traffic Police can educate our motorists on the proper use of the roads and how to drive safely to ensure that we have congestion-free traffic while ensuring the safety of the other road users.

that more motorists will be imitating the F1 drivers and race along our highways as though they are race tracks, resulting in many more serious traffic accidents. *Cols. 1343-1344.

12.30 pm

Sir, we have had and will continue to have long debates on road congestion. But it is not just the number of vehicles on the roads which contribute to it. Driving habits cannot be ignored.

We have all seen it. It just takes a minor accident to cause a massive jam, not along just the same road, on the opposite as well as drivers slow down to take a look. With our car population now surpassing 800,000, we have seen a steady rise in the number of accidents with fatalities and injuries over the past three years. Some accidents are unavoidable but most can be prevented with diligence and better driving habits.

The Traffic Police cannot be everywhere every time. Most of us would rather they would not. So much depends on individual drivers. And many drivers leave much to be desired, they switch lanes indiscriminately, they do not signal their intentions, they wait in yellow boxes, do not allow others to get in front

Recently, we have read about tragic deaths involving backseat passengers. These tragedies could have been avoided had they worn seat belts. We have seat belt laws but rear passengers regularly flout them. The driver and front passengers invariably belt up, but rear passengers do not. I have also seen children jumping up and down in cars unrestrained while their minders have their seat belts on. These double standards are inexplicable. And it is not just about moving vehicles. Drive down Battery Road or Serangoon Road during peak hours and you will discover that congestion is partly due to the indiscriminate parking and pedestrian crossing. All these cause frustrations to the drivers, encouraging impatience and aggressive driving.

Sir, clearly more needs to be done to educate drivers and passengers and drive home the safety message. I am loath to suggest another campaign, but if they work, why not? In the meantime, there is no substitute for enforcement. The message should be driven home that inconsiderate and dangerous behaviour will not be tolerated. For example, many park indiscriminately because they are willing to risk the fine. It is time to come down harder, particularly on multiple offenders. It is also time to give the Traffic Police greater flexibility in the punishments it can dish out. For example, if fines do not work, why not allow for short suspensions?

We should also review the competency framework, like Dr Teo Ho Pin suggested, for example, how realistic are our driving test? Now you learn on a 1.3-litre Toyota and on passing, you are allowed to drive a Ferrari. We make

Finally, the rise of drink driving is a concern. The Police has implemented new measures to monitor hot spots but prevention should not left to the Police alone. Owners of drinking establishments should be given some responsibility to check that their patrons are capable of driving and to make arrangements to send them home if they are not. I would be grateful if the Minister could comment on this.

of them, and so on. This is, of course, not unique to Singapore but those who have driven in other developed countries will know that while we are far behind in road manners, better discipline on the roads is not a pipe dream. distinctions for engine capacities of motorcycles. Why not the same for cars? I am not advocating more tests or more costs but we can have a simple mechanism of only allowing those who have, say, three years of driving experience before they can handle high-capacity cars.

Crime Statistics

Sir, each year, the Police release statistics on the crime situation in Singapore. However, the picture is not complete.

Firstly, reported crime. Last month, the Police reviewed a new approach when releasing statistics on crimes in 2007. This was a crime class approach where offences are grouped into six broad rubrics, for example, theft and related crimes, offences against the person and even miscellaneous crimes as a class. Could the Ministry clarify why this approach was adopted?

One weakness I find is that the public does not know exactly which crimes make up each crime class. For example, under offences against the person, it is stated that this class includes murder, rioting, rape and outrage of modesty, amongst others, which were not explained. The public will be interested to know if specific offences are on the rise but the information is only given ad hoc. Could the Police publish all the sub-

Secondly, unreported crime. It is not accurate to rely on Police crime statistics to reflect the actual crime situation. What if a crime is not reported or it was reported but somehow went unrecorded by the Police? In order to uncover this dark figure of crime, victimisation surveys have been used in other jurisdictions. For instance, the Home Office in Great Britain has been running the British crime surveys since 1982 and in the United States, the national survey began even earlier. In such surveys, a representative cross-section of the population was asked whether they have been crime victims, whether they have reported the crime and the reasons for reporting or not reporting. Such surveys were very useful to uncover the actual crime situation, public perception of whether reporting crimes will be worthwhile, what stops people from reporting, and so on.

I believe that with the above improvements, we will get a clearer and more accurate picture of the crime situation which will help in crime prevention and Police service delivery.

categories and numbers in each crime class on its website?

Funding of Prisons

Sir, I want to talk about funding for prisons.

I recognise that the physical security features of Whitley Road detention centre from which Mas Selamat Kastari escaped from is not in the same league as our other prison complexes. And this may be one reason for the unfortunate incident yesterday.

Sir, last year, the operating budget of the Prison Service was about $235 million. Our former prison chief pointed out that this still makes it, and I quote, "the cheapest prison system to work in the developed world."

First, can we have more figures about how we compare with the rest of the world? Second, are we funding our prisons adequately, in the light of our ageing population and the forecast of higher crime numbers in the light of the IRs and increased immigration? And third, can we explore creative options in our Prison Service such as best sourcing it to a private contractor?

Sir, the first question is relatively simple. I want to know if, man-for-man, we are spending less than other countries, as it seems to be implied by what our former Director of Prisons said. And if so, I would like to ask how we are managing to do so. Are we doing it at the expense of denying comforts to older prisoners, schools for younger prisoners, psychiatric care for the mentally ill and rehabilitation programmes for drug addicts? Do we have a good vocational and rehabilitation programme? Are there international benchmarks that we meet?

Sir, I know that prisoners also provide services to private companies to defray the cost of running the prisons. For example, some female inmates work as call centre operators. Sir, this is well and good, and I am sure that there are equally worthwhile projects going on inside. I wonder though, if there is merit in taking a more private sector approach to the management of the billion-dollar Changi Prison complex.

This brings me to my third question. Can we privatise Changi Prison? It is not a new idea. America has done it since 1985. Today, there are more than 150 for-profit prisons in 30 American states. In fact, one of them, the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) - for those

If after 40 years of public housing, we can privatise part of HDB to help other countries with their homes, who is to say that we cannot help other Asian countries run their prisons? Viewed in this light, it is a clear candidate for private sector input. And it is a business that is expanding all the time. In the five years to 2000, the number of prisoners soared more than 50%, from 8,500 to 13,000. The number of arrests made by Police increased by 9.5% from 19,284 in 2004 to a record 21,108 in 2005. And, according to the World Prison Population List of King's College London International Centre for Prison Studies, the prison population rate, per 100,000 of national population, for Singapore, at 350, was the fifth highest in the world.

All this points to a growing population in our prisons; and surely an increase in the spending needed. We ought to look at the manner, as well as the quantum, of spending.

There are certainly reasons to smile at this efficient use of resources, but I would like to ask three hard questions. who are interested in - is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It is a listed company with a unique business proposition, but it is a business all the same.

Foreign Beggars

Sir, in October 2007, 59% of the 68 beggars caught in Singapore during the year till that time were foreigners and they were subsequently referred to ICA or the Police for repatriation.

I would like to ask the Minister: do we ban these repatriated beggars from entering Singapore? It seems that this problem has not been diffused and has, in fact, gotten worse. Our local media reported on a foreign syndicate of beggars who operate in Waterloo Street Temple. This is indeed worrisome if these beggars and illegal immigrants are able to operate so openly in our country. Does it not

show the gaps in our security network and the lapses in the work of enforcement agencies? In acting openly, these illegal operators clearly show their blatant disregard for the law enforcement agencies.

Sir, I thank the Members who have spoken on the Ministry Head for their questions, observations, suggestions and also their criticisms.

Members have spoken on the escape of the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) detainee Mas Selamat yesterday. Let me give an update.

There has been a security lapse at the Whitley Road Detention Centre, which allowed Mas Selamat to escape. Mas Selamat, at that time, was taken out of his cell where he was confined to go to the family visitation room to wait for the arrival of his family. He asked to go to the toilet from where he escaped. This should never have happened. I am sorry that it has. An independent investigation is underway. We should not speculate now as to what and how it happened. Security at the centre has been stepped up.

Mas Selamat is a security threat which is why he was placed under preventive detention. However, there is no information that he has any plans that threaten public security at this time. Nevertheless, we are not taking any chances.

Dr Teo asked why the public was only informed about four hours after the escape. Our security agencies assessed that there was no imminent danger to the public. The focus then was to lock down the Whitley Road Detention Centre and start a systematic operation to find and arrest him.

The priority is to find and arrest Mas Selamat. No efforts will be spared to track him down. Security at all our land, sea and air checkpoints have been tightened, including areas where there may be a possibility that he may leave our shores and from areas which are not the normal immigration checkpoints.

In the meantime, I urge the public to stay calm and to report any suspicious sighting to the Police immediately. Anyone who renders assistance to him is committing a grave offence.

I will now address the Members' comments on terrorism, drugs and public expression. SMS Ho Peng Kee will speak about crime and drugs and other issues in greater detail.

Until the threat of the Al Qaeda and its proxy, the Jemaah Islamiyah, surfaced against us in 2001, Singapore was essentially not a direct target of international terrorist groups. Today, we are so targeted. We are living today in a different security climate.

Our security agencies have successfully disrupted local plots and terrorist networks so far. However, we have remained a "trophy" target in the eyes of the terrorists. Hence, apart from hardening security in key installations, including iconic buildings, we also need to step up security for international events held in Singapore.

That is also why we must treat certain crimes differently. For instance, any intrusion which breaches our borders must be treated as a security incident. Our officers must, in the first instance, deal with it as such even if the intruder eventually may turn out to be just a cigarette smuggler.

While the threat of terrorism is by no means over, there have been fewer attacks in the major cities last year. The

counter-terrorism efforts of countries have led to many arrests and timely disruptions of terrorist plots.

Terrorism researcher, Dr Rohan Gunaratna, has observed that the threat posed by Al Qaeda has expanded into a "Global Jihad Movement" with its ideology penetrating conflict zones in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. While the operational threat of Al Qaeda itself has weakened, the affiliated jihadist groups and the home-grown cells, including self-radicalised elements, have spawned.

12.45 pm

Dr Teo asked about the phenomenon of self-radicalisation. This is indeed a troubling development although not unique to Singapore. Many countries have reported cases of nationals who, on their own, had planned terrorist attacks. In Singapore, in February and December last year, ISD arrested and detained several self-radicalised individuals. There would be some who have yet to be discovered.

A common denominator in such self-radicalisation cases is an individual's exposure to radical and extremist ideology via various sources, such as the Internet and publications. The importance of their ideological campaign is clear. In 2007, the Al Qaeda reportedly released a video every three days, and with broadcasts now also accompanied by subtitles, including English and other European languages to reach out to a wider audience.

Terrorist organisations and their supporters exploit the unregulated, anonymous and pervasive nature of the Internet to propagate their extremist ideology. Dr Teo asked how my Ministry would monitor the thousands of radical websites or reduce their influence on young people. There is no way that we can monitor all the radical websites. Even if we were to

To address such a threat, we need, firstly, to strengthen the efforts of our Muslim leaders in countering extremist ideology. Secondly, we need to raise Singaporeans' vigilance and resilience to detect those in our midst who have been infected by such extremist ideas and show signs of radicalisation.

I am truly appreciative of our Muslim leaders' efforts, as they have not shied away from the problem. They are confronting the terrorism threat directly, even taking the fight online to counter the extremist ideology. MUIS, the RRG and other groups like Taman Bacaan and 4PM have established programmes to raise the awareness of the community, especially the young, against terrorist ideology.

In addition to these efforts, we need to recognise that the threat of the self-radicalised terrorist must also be defeated by the vigilance of the others around him. Early warning signs in the individual's conduct can be discerned. Those who see it must recognise the significance and not be reluctant to report on him. Early intervention will help us nip the problem in the bud, and also help the individual in his recovery before he plunges deeper into terrorist and extremist violence.

There seems to be a creeping danger of polarisation between Muslim and non-Muslim communities in many countries. We see a greater intolerance and hardening of attitudes at the extreme ends of both communities. This is both compounded when provocative acts, like films which offend Muslims, are pursued in the name of freedom of speech or expression. Such ethnic polarisation only serves the cause of the jihadist extremists and terrorists. We must not allow this to happen in Singapore.

While we address the ideological dimension of the threat, we must

Mr Fong is right that technology alone does not defeat determined criminals and terrorists. Technology is only a tool; the operator is the brain that makes it work. Hence, we invest heavily in the training and development of our officers.

Mdm Ho Geok Choo has raised concerns with emergency readiness. Our agencies have a high level of preparedness, having built up significant capabilities. Singaporeans, however, must get more involved in preparing themselves and their families for emergencies. The SCDF conducts community emergency preparedness programme for the constituencies, and they impart life saving and emergency preparedness skills to the community. Since its implementation in 2003, participation has grown over the years. We have trained about 310,000 participants to date, and we encourage more participation, regardless of local or foreign. Everyone should know the basics of CPR, first aid and fire fighting. The four SCDF centres are open every day for training.

Mdm Ho will be pleased to note that the participants include many housewives, the elderly and students. We welcome ideas from Members on ways to broaden and deepen our outreach, as there can be no age or gender bias in dealing with terrorism. All must play a role.

But no government can provide total protection to all. Resources are not

Order, security and safety are critical pre-conditions to any successful event or business. If we are unable to ensure the security and safety of everyone, be they Singaporeans, foreign VIPs, delegates and visitors, Singapore will decline as a premium event centre or investment destination. Security must be regarded as part and parcel of the cost and reality of doing business. Going forward, we must continue to engage business, industry and citizens to become stakeholders in their own security, as they ought to be.

Let me now turn to the issue of drug abuse raised by Dr Teo, Dr Fatimah and Ms Sylvia Lim. The last two years saw an increase in the number of drug addicts returning to heroin abuse. This was partly due to the displacement from Subutex abuse. A more important reason is the increase in the regional production and supply of both opium based and synthetic drugs. We anticipate increased attempts by syndicates to smuggle drugs into Singapore. In my mind, however, the most significant challenge is about maintaining the support of our community against drugs. I am concerned by the increasing acceptance of the use of so-called social drugs or party drugs amongst some of our young. Some foreigners also expect to continue their drug taking habit in Singapore.

Some argue that Singapore should follow the approach of liberal societies which have given up trying to stop drug abuse, and seek instead to minimise its dangers to the addicts by providing, for instance, clean needles for the addicts to "shoot up" safely. Those advocating this

Singaporeans are plugged into a global environment and are open to a universe of ideas and their influence. Many ideas and values can benefit us. But others, like going soft on drugs, are harmful to us should we adopt them.

Ms Eunice Olsen called for the Government to have a lighter touch when it comes to Singaporeans expressing their views on important public issues. I thank her for raising this important subject. Over the years, I believe we have seen real changes. We see more divergent views expressed through various avenues. This includes the press, Internet, various forums as well as letters and emails from individuals and groups directly to the Government and political leaders, like Ministers. I have received many such letters and emails of grievances or strong views about what we do or what we should do. Some are polite, some are very rude. But all are read and looked into.

Accessibility to avenues to express one's views, therefore, is not wanting. In terms of Government reaction to such views, I believe that while the occasional robust response is given when felt necessary, there has been generally a more accommodative dialogue with the man-in-the-street.

We have also evolved our policies in relation to different forms of expression.

We have stopped short of allowing outdoor and street demonstrations. However, we allow demonstrations if they take place indoors or within the confines of stadiums, as the Police assess that any disorder will be better contained in such venues. We are presently reviewing how we can further liberalise the use of Speaker's Corner as an outdoor venue for more political activities including demonstrations.

Our experiences in the past have taught us to be very circumspect about outdoor and street protests. The 1950 Maria Hertogh riots and the 1964 race riots, both started as peaceful assemblies, but eventually ended up with 54 dead, 736 injured, and significant damages to property. I think many Members in this House are either too young to remember these incidents or not even born yet. Some members of the public may say that this is all old history and should not apply to us today. Is it really so sanguine? I do not think so.

Indeed, we constantly review our assumptions by monitoring the developments in other countries. And what we learn tells us that our concerns remain valid. In many supposedly mature societies, we see cases where peaceful protests do degenerate into riots and violence. Protest organisers do not typically declare that they want to hold a

The question for Singaporeans is whether we should accept the risk and permit a culture of street protests. That is the key question. In my view, one riot is one riot too many. The scars of violence in a community take a long time to heal. Once lost, public confidence in our stability and security will take a long time to re-build.

Let me now share with Members the views from a young Singaporean, Ms Khartini Khalid, who wrote to the Prime Minister after she attended the Prime Minister's Chinese New Year reception about 10 days ago. Ms Khartini is a grassroots leader and polytechnic lecturer. She said and I quote:

'I was in the United States last summer on a State Department-sponsored programme on citizen participation in America. I attended an anti-war rally near Capitol Hill and saw how vibrant the spirit of the people was, due to America's freedom of speech provision in the constitution. I came back with a tinge of envy for societies with more "freedom" of expression. However, I got a reality check soon after when the Burmese uprising happened, and a few months later, the Hindraf protests.

It hit me then that the most important thing to a citizen is good governance, because without capable leaders, all the demonstrations and protests in the world would be meaningless. While persuasive arguments by Singapore's critics sometimes manage to seduce me, and while I continue to harbour hopes that the authorities will be less strict over certain matters, I realise that ultimately, I

Sir, that is her view to the Prime Minister. I further quote:

'It is by no choice of mine that I was born in Singapore. But it is a choice of mine now to stay and contribute to my country and to make a difference in whatever small way I can. I may not always agree with the Government but I am proud to be a Singaporean. I am happy that as a Malay Singaporean, I claim credit for whatever I do because of my efforts and not because of my race. I am happy that I am not part of a system which discriminates, even if it were to bring benefits to my race.'

1.00 pm

That is young Khartini

block some of these websites, new ones will be created very quickly.continue to make Singapore a hard target. I therefore agree with Mr Arthur Fong that in this regard, we must fully exploit technology. Our border security technology infrastructure, for instance, is a formidable resource. It has enhanced our operational capabilities. In 2007, ICA officers detected 37,800 cases of smuggling at our borders, a rise of 83% over 2006. This is a good proxy indicator because if we can catch people smuggling cigarettes or other items, we can catch people smuggling terrorist materials. unlimited. Increasingly, the Home Team's resources are being stretched to meet the security and safety needs that come with higher tourist arrivals, a growing foreign worker population and an increasing number of mega international events like Formula One, APEC 2009 and the Youth Olympics in 2010. approach want us to dismantle our tough laws and permit drug abuse among our people. If we go down this road, we will unravel the relatively crime-free and drug-free society that we have today. We will continue to help addicts who are willing to take responsibility for their lives to overcome their addiction. However, our approach is and will remain one of harm prevention and zero tolerance. We must keep drugs out of our society and not go soft on drugs. To recapitulate, in the year 2000, we created the Speakers' Corner as an outdoor venue for political speeches. In 2004, we liberalised its use to include performances and exhibitions. In addition, we exempted all indoor public talks from the licensing requirement under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act, so long as the organisers and speakers are Singapore citizens. The only content restriction to all these is that the speeches must not touch on race or religion, and Members know why.violent protest. And although most people involved in a demonstration may have no intention of using violence, a handful of agitators can spark off mob violence quite easily. So, for young people in their exuberance, they may think that it is fun to demonstrate for whatever the cause. They have no control of the situation should agitators choose to exploit it.do not want Singapore to be like Burma, or Malaysia, or even the US.'

who has seen the world. I think most Singaporeans will share Ms Khartini’s views too. Like her, they may not always agree with the Government. But like her, they value good governance that Singapore enjoys. I believe that Singaporeans understand and support the fundamentals that have made Singapore what it is today. What are these fundamentals? The first fundamental is the rule of law. In a multi-religious society, the primacy of the secular law is especially vital. If we are to have maximum space to pursue our interests with equal basic protection, we must also observe equal basic liability and obligations. Not everyone likes this or that law. But everyone must abide by the law and respect its authority. Civil disobedience cannot be acceptable. In fact, more than even the political interest groups, the religious individual may lay greater claim to a moral basis to choose to disobey laws which are not in accord with his beliefs. If we allow this, our society will be torn apart.

Second, we must continue to uphold a regime which requires that we respect the

sensitivities of each ethnic community and not denigrate another’s religion or ethnicity. The third fundamental is that we will not allow foreigners to interfere in our domestic politics. They are free to share their ideas, views and criticisms, including on the Internet where Singaporeans can freely access them. But foreigners do not have the right of citizens to take part directly in the politics of Singapore. We will not allow, for example, foreign funding of political parties or sponsorship of candidates for election. Singaporeans alone have the sovereign right to determine what kind of society they want Singapore to be. Finally, with more de-regulation and autonomy, there must also be greater individual ownership, responsibility and accountability over the exercise of one’s actions in these realms. Sir, we will continue to review our policies and steer by these fundamentals. Singaporeans are neither a society of people with no views nor lacking the means to express them. We will hear and consider their views carefully. However, as we contemplate change, we are also mindful of the silent majority and their interests. Ultimately, the Singapore we create must be a Singapore for all.

Sir, let me first address the cuts on drug abuse, loansharking, and vice, and then the others later.

Unlike isolated crimes of violence or theft, these offences (ie, drug abuse, loansharking and vice) are linked to larger issues. Hence, we must go beyond the offender, look at the underlying forces and issues which relate to these activities, and devise holistic strategies to tackle them, as we have done with drugs.

On drug abuse, Dr Teo asks what the trends are. Last year, we arrested 2,166

Sir, as we know, Subutex was permitted for use in drug replacement therapies in 2002. When we discovered its wide abuse and consequent addiction, we declared buprenorphine, Subutex’s key ingredient, a controlled drug in August 2006. Mop-up operations then began. While the Subutex situation has improved, there has been some displacement effect - 285 of the heroin abusers arrested last year were former Subutex users. However, I think we should not over-state the connection. Indeed, as our drug enforcement measures against Subutex begin to take effect, I expect the number of Subutex abusers to fall over time. The monthly arrest figures bear this out. Compared to when the mop-up operations first began, the monthly arrest figures for Subutex users have come down.

Despite the increase in drug abusers arrested, according to the UN World Drug Report for 2007, Singapore has one of the lowest drug abuse prevalence rates in the world. This affirms that our comprehensive and holistic approach is effective.

Whilst the Subutex phenomenon should pass, the emerging regional supply of drugs poses a serious, possibly drawn-out threat. We are monitoring this closely. Regional opium poppy cultivation has increased. As opium is the raw material for heroin production, more heroin will flood the market. Methamphetamine is now the main drug of abuse in much of East and Southeast Asia with signs of industrial-scale production. The proximity of drug production activities near our borders will lead to more attempts by drug syndicates to traffick drugs here.

CNB has therefore stepped up enforcement. Last year, CNB conducted 53 major operations and busted 27 syndicated trafficking activities. CNB smashed a syndicate that tried to bring in 3.5 kg of heroin on New Year’s day. Another operation in February led to the largest haul of heroin in five years. CNB also works closely with its foreign counterparts to conduct training, intelligence exchanges, joint investigations and operations against illicit drug activities.

In response to Dr Teo, our checkpoints indeed form an important first line of defence. CNB works with other Home Team agencies to conduct intensive checks on persons, goods and vehicles, including deploying Narcotics Detector Dogs from the Police K-9 Unit daily at the land, sea and air checkpoints. Over the last three years, more than 250 traffickers were stopped at the checkpoints. In 2007, 105 traffickers were arrested, up from 90, the year before. CNB also has a wide intelligence network but for operational reasons, I cannot disclose details of its inputs to our arrests.

Dr Fatimah Lateef and Ms Sylvia Lim ask about the state and effectiveness of our Drug Rehabilitation Centres or DRCs, and Long Term or LT regime.

The number of first time and second time drug abusers admitted to our DRCs has fallen from a high of 4,800 in 1994 to 510 last year. Last year, synthetic, heroin and Subutex abusers made up 40%, 30% and 27% of the admissions respectively. About half were Chinese, while Malays and Indians formed 38% and 13% of the DRC population, respectively. Nearly two-thirds of the admissions were first-timers.

In response to Ms Sylvia Lim’s question, let me say that the LT regime is a big plus, not a minus in our overall strategy. New drug abusers do not take up the habit by themselves. They are

Let me assure Members, therefore, as I wind up on this segment on drugs, that the situation is firmly under control, notwithstanding the higher arrests last year. But we must press on, bringing all stakeholders like family members, businesses and the community on board.

Next, let me touch on unlicensed moneylending or loansharking. In 2005 and 2006, we strengthened measures to deal with the deteriorating situation by enhancing the penalties, invoking our preventive detention laws, introducing powers to confiscate assets and cancelling the passports of leaders to prevent them from controlling operations from overseas. More recently, we amended the Penal Code to enable us to prosecute persons who abet loansharking activities from overseas. We also worked with MAS, IRAS, HDB, town councils, banks, and SingPost to tighten their procedures and limit opportunities for exploitation by the loansharks. On its part, Police targeted syndicates and centralised their key operations at CID-level.

Police has stepped up enforcement. Dr Teo asked how many loanshark cases have been resolved. Last year, six syndicates were smashed through intelligence-based operations, resulting in the arrest of 37 syndicate members. These syndicates were believed to have had a pool of 2,000 debtors, and had

Loanshark syndicates have adjusted to changed circumstances. They now manipulate borrowers and use them to front illegal transactions. They leverage on borrowers to gain access to their bank accounts for electronic transactions. Desperate borrowers end up helping loansharks to apply for phone lines and to register pre-paid SIM cards under their own names. Some borrowers who are not able to repay the debts become runners to harass other borrowers. Some leaders of loanshark syndicates are also operating from overseas and this impedes Police investigations.

Sir, the problems created by loansharking are increasingly not confined to those who borrow. Some borrowers furnish outdated or false home addresses to avoid harassment, leading to innocent households being harassed. Last year, about half of the harassment cases reported were perpetrated against innocent victims. We will do more to stop this, by requiring persons who apply to update their home address in their NRICs to furnish some proof such as bills to show that they are indeed staying there. Also, ICA and HDB will work together to get persons who buy or sell HDB flats to update their NRIC addresses.

Sir, with the Integrated Resorts being built, I agree with Members that we must

Mr de Souza suggests punishing those who borrow from loansharks. We will study his suggestion seriously. I agree that those who borrow to feed their vices or subsequently abet loansharks in their operations should not be also treated as victims. They are part of the problem. But I am sure he agrees that not every borrower is in this category and we should also recognise that the social circumstances behind these borrowers are wide-ranging. So, what do we do? We have to differentiate. I think he suggests an approach where the Public Prosecutor is given the discretion and, indeed, he has the discretion, but he will exercise it consciously and carefully. We will study this issue and include in our study the profiles of borrowers and their habits, so as to strike a balance.

On Dr Teo's point on public education, Police will soon be launching a public awareness campaign to highlight the pitfalls of borrowing from loansharks. As loansharking affects the entire community, we need to encourage community action to help stem this problem. It is good to see local communities rising to the challenge to mount CSSP projects to combat loanshark harassment. Such efforts make the neighbourhood a more difficult area for loansharks to harass

On HDB's Neighbourhood Renewal Programme, residents can also choose to install safety and security features such as CCTVs as part of precinct enhancement. Recently, members of the public stepped forward and helped Police identify suspected loansharks captured by CCTVs in our housing estates. Police arrested the subjects the following day. I commend these efforts and urge our communities to do more.

Sir, now I will turn to the issue of vice. First, I am sure Mr de Souza will agree with me that it is impossible to eliminate vice completely. After all, no country has been able to do this. I suppose that is why they call it the oldest profession in the world.

drug abusers, up from 1,218 the year before. 77% were repeat abusers. Abusers of Subutex went up by 416 and heroin went up by 554. These two accounted for most of the increase. Abuse of other drugs has abated somewhat with fewer arrests for Ketamine, Cannabis and Erimin-5. invariably introduced to it by a habitual drug abuser. The LT regime therefore serves a critical role of putting hardcore addicts out of circulation for some time, thereby reducing their contamination effect on others. Since its introduction in 1998, more than 5,000 persons have undergone it, with 4,000 now released. Only 15% or 609 of them who have completed the LT regime have relapsed to drugs. The LT regime has helped reduce the overall relapse rate from a high of 50% in 1997 to 10% now. given out loans amounting to a total of more than $1 million. In total, 392 persons were arrested last year as compared to 294 the year before. In a landmark case, a loanshark’s assets were confiscated. For the first time since 2001, the number of harassment and unlicensed moneylending cases fell from 10,221 in 2006 to 9,762 last year. So it is down about 4.5%. But I agree with Members who have spoken that the number remains unacceptably high.do more to root out loanshark syndicates. So far, we have experienced some success in taking out syndicates through enforcement. But as Mr Fong suggests, more needs to be done to hit particularly at the core of syndicates. Loansharking is really a form of organised crime. This explains its persistent and insidious nature, making it difficult for Police to root out. When we prosecute and imprison their runners, the organisation simply recruits new members to replenish their ranks. The new recruits are either too naive or simply not deterred by the existing laws and penalties. We are therefore exploring ways to address the organised nature of loansharking squarely. without being detected. I think we can do more on this.

Last year, over 10 million visitors came to Singapore. While ICA has implemented measures at the Checkpoints to sieve out persons who have suspicious entry-exit patterns, undesirable elements still get through, including a very small percentage who engage in vice. Indeed, the vast majority of those arrested by Police for vice were social visit pass holders. They were repatriated and banned from entering Singapore again. As far as I know, they paid for their own plane tickets and were not part of any vice syndicates.

1.15 pm

Our enforcement strategy, therefore, is a pragmatic one, focusing on confining activities within the traditional red light areas and keeping vice off our streets. Last year, Police conducted some 950 vice-related operations island-wide, up from 890 the year before. Tough enforcement action is also taken in the heartlands, a point Mr de Souza makes, and also in other places, like the Duxton cluster, and so forth. In the heartlands, the number of foreigners arrested for vice activities remains low, accounting for less than 1% of all vice-related arrests but I

Mr de Souza suggests beefing up the Anti-Vice Branch (AVB). I assure him that we would not let manpower constraints, if any, hamper our efforts. That said, while AVB, as a CID specialist unit, focuses on vice issues and enforcement, it does not work in isolation. It works closely with all six Police Divisions across the country. In fact, community partnership to deal with the vice is also undertaken by the division Police officers.

So Police will continue to enforce and explore ways in consultation with various stakeholders, including Members like Dr Lateef who is very active heading a multi-agency taskforce trying to improve the situation in Geylang for the sake of her residents. And we will do that to prevent the local vice situation from getting out of control.

Mr de Souza said he has received feedback concerning vice. If he knows of massage establishments in other places, he should let me have the feedback. If serious enough, Police will look at it and, if need be, enforce, as they have done, checks on these establishments.

Let me now turn to other issues raised by Members, ie, road safety, crime statistics and funding of prisons and foreign beggars.

First, on road safety. Let me say that Singapore’s roads are among the safest worldwide. The Road Accident Fatality rate per 100,000 persons dropped from 5.63 in 1998 to 4.2 in 2006, increasing slightly to 4.68 last year. The fatal accident rate per 100,000 vehicle population increased from 2.34 in 2006 to 2.60 last year.

Motorcyclists and pillion riders remain the most vulnerable group of road users, contributing to 47% of total road fatalities

Traffic Police, therefore, stepped up enforcement efforts last year, a point mentioned by Dr Teo and Mr Hri Kumar. Its officers are deployed round the clock to patrol Singapore's roads. Compared to 2006, 19% more summonses were issued for moving, parking and pedestrian offences; 7% more drivers and riders were arrested for drink driving; 86% more summonses were issued for red-running violations.

Drink driving is another area of focus. Mr Kumar points out this issue. The pubs and entertainment outlets are key stakeholders to counter drink-driving. Whilst operators play their part by providing services such as arranging for taxis to send patrons who have consumed alcohol home, more can and will be done. Members must have read about a new 'ring-fencing' strategy in the media, so I will not repeat it here.

If necessary, we will implement other measures such as mandating drinking outlets to provide breathalysers for self-testing. I commend the polytechnic students who stepped up to set up a "Students Against Drink Driving" website, leveraging on new media to alert their peers to the dangers of drink driving. My point is that we want to get more stakeholders on board. It is not a problem that it is only for the Police to handle. But, here, everyone can play a part. And I applaud these students for doing their part to reach out to their peers.

I share Mr Kumar's concerns about habitual offenders of our traffic rules. Under the Driver Improvement Points System, recalcitrant offenders are suspended for one year or longer and have to re-take a driving test before they can drive again. If a motorist commits

Sir, enforcement is only one aspect of the solution. A more enduring approach is to get our road users to develop better driving habits, through effective public education.

Here, regular talks, exhibitions and large-scale campaigns such as the Road Courtesy Campaign, Annual Shell Traffic Games and the Anti-Drink-Driving Campaign reinforce these messages, including the importance of using seatbelts and child restraints, a point that has been made here. I do not think there is a need separately to have a month long campaign just to coincide with F1. But certainly the message that the F1 should not lead to more accidents or more errant behaviour on our road should be constantly emphasised, a point Mr Ang Mong Seng makes. As for education, Traffic Police is currently producing a new pamphlet, which will highlight the consequences of not wearing seatbelts.

These large scale public campaigns are complemented by targeted initiatives to achieve maximum impact. A good example is a Motor Cycle Task Force which has launched a focused "Ride Safe Campaign”, another focus campaign, with young people coming on board, and they are tapping the expertise of another group of stakeholders like motorcycle clubs to promote safe riding in young riders in ITEs and polytechnics.

Mr Kumar suggests that for new drivers, we should only confine them to

The bottom-line, therefore, on road safety is that everyone should take personal responsibility to keep our roads safe. How? I would suggest first starting with our own road behaviour by internalising safe driving behaviour. And that is where families and friends can come in, reminding each other that when they leave the home everyday, the message that pops up is, "I will drive safely on the road today." Parents can also act responsibly by using proper child restraints. Whilst enforcement and public education have their roles, ultimately my point is that it boils down to the individuals like you and me and certainly, for road safety, we can all make a difference.

On crime statistics, Ms Sylvia Lim proposes that Police further breaks down the statistics released and to include non-seizable offences.

First, let me clarify upfront that Police can release further breakdown of crime statistics, where it keeps track of the figures. However, in relation to the Overall Crime statistics which Police publishes twice a year, the intent is to let the public have a good sense of the general safety and security situation in Singapore. Specific crimes are included not because they are seizable or not, but because they are relevant to public concerns.

Let me explain how. With the annual release of the Overall Crime statistics, Police also publishes the statistics of six crime classes. These classes have been

As for Ms Lim's suggestion to gather data on unreported crime, I know that this is done in some countries like the UK. But, these surveys tend to be inaccurate as they depend on respondents' subjective recollection. They are however useful in societies where the public may be apprehensive in coming forward to report crime due to the lack of reporting channels or lack of trust in the Police. This is certainly not the case in Singapore. In fact, Singaporeans are quick to report a crime even when it is not a seizable offence because they want to put on record the incident and also get the Police to look into it.

Moreover, the SPF is highly accessible to the public. Island-wide, there are some 358 contact points for members of the public to report crimes and provide feedback. Police can be contacted through telephone, letters, emails and online reporting through the Electronic Police Centre. '999' lines and NPC counters are open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

There is also strong Police-Community partnership. For the past five years, public-assisted arrests have accounted for about four in 10 arrests for selected major offences. In fact, Singapore ranked first for Reliability of Police Services in the 2005-2006 Global Competitiveness Report. So I think there is no need to conduct such a survey in Singapore.

Mr Seah Kian Peng asks about the funding of Prisons. On average, our Prison spends about one to two-thirds of

I assure Mr Seah that all inmates are given basic amenities and have access to medical care. They undergo a comprehensive rehabilitative programme that addresses their criminogenic needs, whilst enhancing their educational level, employability and promoting family bonding, and eventual reintegration into society.

Work-therapy is part of the rehabilitation process to help inmates acquire life skills and the discipline to work. They may be employed to provide services to private companies under a Private Sector Participation Scheme. The main aim of work-therapy, however, is to rehabilitate inmates, not to defray the cost of running the Prison.

Sir, as the proportion of elderly inmates above 60 years is low at 1.2%, Prison does not have a specialist facility for aged offenders. But it will monitor the Prison's population trend and review if there is a need for one.

Next, Mr Seah suggests privatising Changi Prison Complex (CPC) to save costs. Sir, Prison is always studying new ways to operate more efficiently. The consolidation of several stand-alone institutions into the CPC is intended to enhance our Prison capacity and reap economies of scale. The CPC leverages on technology to make operational processes efficient and provide a safe and secure

Outsourcing is another strategy Prison considers, including the possibility of outsourcing its operations. Since 1999, Prison has outsourced two of its non-core functions, namely, the provision of medical services for prisoners and escort duties of prisoners with low security risks, to the private sector. This has allowed Prison to concentrate its resources on the core functions of the safe custody and rehabilitation of prisoners while reaping cost and manpower savings.

However, any proposal to privatise or fully outsource the management of a Prison institution requires careful analysis. I am sure Mr Seah agrees. There are safety and security concerns. While privatised prisons are enjoying a growth in western countries, the impetus for privatisation varies with countries and is not always due to fiscal reasons. For instance, in the United Kingdom and Australia, concerns over the stifling influence that prison officer unions had on prison operations prompted privatisation. Thus far, reports on the performance of private prisons have been inconclusive. Whether private prisons adequately serve the interests of inmates and society remain to be seen.

Finally, Sir, on foreign beggars, which is Ms Lee Bee Wah’s concern. Sir, foreign beggars, when detected by MCYS and police officers, are repatriated and barred from entering Singapore permanently. Last year, 83 persons were picked up, out of whom 68 were foreigners. These foreign beggars were repatriated and banned from entering Singapore permanently.

agree that it is a continuous thing that we must do to keep vice off our streets.in 2007. Young and new drivers and riders are also very vulnerable.very serious traffic offences such as causing death by dangerous driving, or by rash, or negligent act, his licence will be suspended on the day he is charged in court. Repeat drink driving offenders will also face mandatory imprisonment. We constantly review our laws. I will ask Traffic Police to consider Mr Kumar's suggestions for harsher penalties and to expand Traffic Police's powers to suspend licences. smaller capacity cars. I think he takes a leaf from motorcycles. There is a distinction. For motorcycles, you handle the machine. You are riding on it. So the control situation is different. For new cars, they can also go fast and indeed can pick up fast as well. I do not think any country makes a distinction. This is something that we can look at, but for now, I think we will leave it be. chosen to take into account the seriousness of the offences, measured in terms of harm or potential harm suffered by the victim - to the person, to property and to the public at large. They offer a better description of the crime concerns and trends compared to individual offences which tend to fluctuate over short terms. what other developed countries, such as UK and Hong Kong, spend on an inmate per day. Yet, we have achieved one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world. Indeed, these rates have improved over the years. For the cohort of prisoners released in 2004, 23.7% was incarcerated again for a new offence within two years of release. This is a significant improvement from 1998, when the recidivism rate peaked at 44.4%. This shows that our Prison is cost effective.environment which is conducive for conducting comprehensive programmes for prisoners. We have built-in flexibility to expand the CPC depending on future demand for prison space.

Police enquiries to date have not found such persons to be involved in any organised crime syndicates. But, still, we are monitoring

1.30 pm

Sir, let me conclude. The wide range of issues DPM Wong and I have touched on shows the complexity of the Home Team's work. The challenges will grow with globalisation and as our society develops. The Home Team cannot deal with these challenges on its own. Singaporeans understand this and have responded by taking ownership of these issues. Sir, the point is working together, especially stakeholders who have expertise to offer, please come on board. Whether it is counter-terrorism, promoting road safety, fighting drug abuse, keeping the vice situation under control or, in particular, tackling loansharks, which is really a ground phenomenon, Police cannot be eyes and ears all the time. But I am happy to see, for example, the formation of CSSPs on the ground by some constituencies where they keep alert for harassers who come. So as we end this part on MHA's cuts, I will call more Singaporeans to come on board. I thank and commend the efforts of those who have done so and I am confident that with the continued support of Singaporeans, we can navigate successfully through all these challenges and ensure that Singapore remains a peaceful, safe and secure home for all.

the situation. I know action has been taken. There have been media reports on this, but when they are detected, working with MCYS, Police and ICA will do the necessary. I, therefore, assure Mdm Lee that the entry of these foreign beggars does not constitute a breach of our security and when they try to come back, they will be detected at our checkpoints.

We still have some time left for clarifications. Yes, Dr Teo.

Sir, I have two clarifications. One is on the Mas Selamat escape. I just want to check with the Minister when the independent investi

The second clarification is on drug abuse. I think we should not take comfort that the increase in drug abuse cases in Singapore is due to the increase in production in the region. What it shows is that our barriers are not watertight. As a result, drugs are being available and trafficked into Singapore for abusers. So we should instead focus our effort on measures to strengthen our barriers and to monitor drug abusers in Singapore. I hope the Minister can elaborate on measures taken to strengthen the barriers and whether we are deploying more sniffer dogs to prevent trafficking.

gation panel will finish the investigations and whether the panel will report its findings or recommendations to this House.

Sir, I will ask the investigators to do a thorough job. Let us not rush them. When it is completed, yes, the House will be kept informed as to what took place.

As for the comment on our border and the reason why we still have drugs coming in and cigarettes being smuggled, no country can guarantee a watertight security around its shores, particularly when we have a shoreline which is also quite long and we have only a few checkpoints around Singapore. It is not difficult for anyone who is determined to plan to leave Singapore or to come into Singapore if he wants to do so. All he needs is just a very high speed boat, and within minutes he can come in. Despite what we do, and we have radars all round our coast, there could still be people who would slip into Singapore. But at the checkpoints where we have security and immigration, you can be assured that 100% checks are being conducted, and that is why you see that we have over 30,000 cases of smuggling being detected at our checkpoints, a very significant increase in the number of detection.

We can strengthen barriers as much as possible and, indeed, this is done. I think if Members were to visit the ICA checkpoints, they will know there is a whole host of security measures as well as people manning the right places to ensure that those who want to come in illegally will be detected. Dogs are used from time to time. We do not have dogs all over the place like in some countries, as the dogs may not do the job well if they are too tired. So dogs are deployed at the appropriate time and when we have significant numbers of people coming in and that we need to deploy dogs for specific purposes, we will do so. At the Woodlands train checkpoint, for example, we do have dogs. Dogs are not just for drugs but also for explosives and so on. So, we will do as much as we can, but no country can guarantee that we will have a watertight security such as no fly can get into Singapore.

One clarification coming out of MHA's description on the UML activities in Singapore.

Given that there has just been a 4% drop in reported cases from 2006 to 2007, despite the many enforcement actions taken up by MHA and in light of what SMS Ho had said that the syndicates in fact used borrowers like manipulating them as runners and so on, does this not signify an urgency to make borrowing an offence so that the borrowers themselves do not get involved in this industry? I know MHA will consider studying it but when will the review be done?

As Mr de Souza has said and I have also said in my speech, the range of borrowers is wide-ranging. Some of the backgrounds of borrowers can be genuine; but some are not. Many borrow because of gambling activities, and some may have genuine

In the meantime, of course, we also draw a distinction between what may start off as innocent borrowers and then they slip down the slippery slope and become abettors. Therefore, you start from being a borrower who has a legitimate cause to borrow and later on then abet the UMLs in the operations and become a harasser, or you lend them your bank account number. Then you are part of the problem by becoming an abettor.

Let us take some time to study this issue because it will be impactful. We want to do it in a way which will be acceptable to Singaporeans because not only those who are the borrowers will be affected but the family members as well.

need for funding. So this will affect a lot of people if we go ahead with it. But the fact that we are prepared to consider it is already a step forward because we have been thinking about it. We have thought about the suggestion before but we said no. So we have tried all the other measures. It is, in fact, a significant step that now at least we are prepared to study it and we are open to doing it. But we want to study it further, partly in terms of the impact on the ground.

I thank the Minister for his reply and I seek one clarification.

I would like to ask if the Minister would consider amending the Schedule under the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act to change the definition of "public entertainment" so as to narrow the application of the Act.

Sir, there are all kinds of public entertainment. We can try to narrow down as much as possible the scope of the meaning of "public entertainment". There will always be groups and activities and matters which we have not contemplated and, therefore, I would rather leave the Schedule as it is

and the Police would look at every case and apply the most practical way of granting a permit where one is needed.

Sir, on the Mas Selamat incident, I appreciate it is always easy to finger-point or critique from hindsight after something happens. But before the investigation is completed, I wonder if there are some specific steps that we can take as a nation to at least attach some resources to high-risk criminals at this point so that the incident will not happen again.

Secondly, how do we engage the rest of the population, including grassroots organisations like the CEP, CDEC, IRCC, and so forth, to ensure that the goals of trust, vigilance and harmony are still maintained?

The Ministry of Home Affairs has always been in contact with the grassroot organisations and talk to them about ways of enhancing our security and preparedness in dealing with emergencies and even dealing with sensitive issues like race, religion, and so on. So, that is an ongoing effort and, of course, we keep them informed of what we do with regard to security.

I can assure the Member that the moment the incident happened yesterday, the Internal Security Department has taken steps to ensure that this will not happen again in the Whitley Road Centre.

Sir, some clarifications for the Senior Minister of State.

Sir, first regarding the statistics released by the Police for crimes in 2007. I was not sure whether I heard the SMS correctly to say that the Police would actually release the statistics which they collate regularly. In other words, even though they are adopting a crime class approach now, they will actually give the

Secondly, Sir, with regard to the crime surveys, the Senior Minister of State mentioned that our system is accessible to all Singaporeans, there is high confidence and so on, but I think it is a little bit unscientific at the moment to claim that because we do not have data showing that. And the crime surveys in other countries have actually managed to flag out certain groups which find the criminal justice system inaccessible. So, in Singapore's context, I am just thinking aloud, we may find, for example, that foreign workers, even though they are victims of crime, may not come forward to report. There may be other groups with less education, and so on. So, are we not interested to find out how accessible our criminal justice system is actually to all groups of Singaporeans? Secondly, Sir, the crime surveys -

breakdown of all the different offences and the occurrences of those offences that make up that total for that crime class. Is the SMOS saying that they would actually publish the sub-categories and the numbers on the website since they are gathering it anyway? The concern is that the crime class is very broad and it may mask certain trends within individual offences in the class.

Ms Lim, you are taking too much time for your clarification.

The second clarification is that crime surveys in other countries have enabled Police to better their procedures because they found dissatisfaction in the public about the police procedures they were asked to go through. So, is it not in our interest also to try to flag out some of these improvements that we could make?

Lastly, Sir, international data shows that there will always be certain crimes which are under reported, even in countries with high confidence in the Police, eg, sexual crimes, crimes against

persons. So, if we are really interested to know the actual crime situation, should we not do the crime survey to flag out some of these statistics?

Sir, the context of different countries for doing different things is important. I think we had this debate yesterday. So certain countries which are vast, like the UK, do unreported crime surveys to really find out what is happening on the ground. But, in Singapore, I think we are compact - we have 4.6 million people - and Police is there on the ground all the time, including the NPCs and also other officers who are in touch with the grassroots leaders and the residents. So, I do not think there is a need to formalise this with surveys because feedback comes back all the time. I am sure Ms Lim and Members of the House will agree. We get an earful from residents should there be dissatisfaction with Police services on the ground, whether it is molest cases or foreign workers who drink in the neighbourhood. So I do not think there is a need like in some countries to do formal crime surveys.

My point is, therefore, not that Police is not interested to know the perceptions of Singaporeans as to the state of the service or whether or not some Singaporeans indeed do not report crimes. On the second point, like I have said, the context is important. In some countries, people do not report crime because they are not sure of what follow-up action there will be and it is difficult to report crime. But, in Singapore, there is access to the Police in terms of the ease with which Singaporeans can report crime. That is one point. Secondly, it is the confidence Singaporeans have that when they do report a crime, it is taken seriously, there is follow-up action, and it is not just there for the record. So, I think we can say with some certitude that the

On the first point, she has heard me wrongly. I am not saying that the Police will change the current practice; in fact, it was just implemented last year where they now take an Overall Crime approach. I have explained in my speech why we do that. Because, really, the message is that Singaporeans will be interested to find out what is the general trend for crimes that impact them - the person, the property and the public at large. So the six categories already reflect that. The assurance is that, in terms of selecting the offences to be put in each of these categories, ie, the basket of offences, Police has looked at what these offences are and has chosen offences which will impact public safety.

percentage of unreported crimes in Singapore is low.

For example, in this review, offences such as simple cheating or transmitting hoax messages have been put into the basket of offences that would then be reflected in the six categories, while offences such as breach of hire purchase agreement or pyramid selling have been taken out. So when Singaporeans read that, they will get a good sense as to whether Singapore is becoming safer or not. But this is not the be-all and end-all of everything because, as Ms Sylvia Lim has said, when there is a need to put out advisories, when there is a need to have media stories about particular crime trends, this will also take place. Indeed, even in the last annual release of statistics, Police took the opportunity to highlight certain areas of concern. Youth crime was one. Crime against elderly was the other. I think Ms Ellen Lee spoke on it the other day. And also scams by telephone or other means was another. So I think Singaporeans do have a sense as to what to look out for.

1.45 pm

I would like to remind Members to keep their clarifications short

and no speeches, please, so that we can get more questions in.

One clarification. I just want to check whether using high-powered boats is a common method of trafficking drugs into Singapore. If yes, what measures are in place to prevent it?

Yes, indeed, the smugglers have tried using high speed boats to come into Singapore. For us, we have also upgraded our PCG craft to be equally high speed, in fact, even faster in some cases. Therefore, it is quite a risky venture for smugglers to try to come into Singapore on a high speed boat. They will run the risk of a collision and they will be the worst for it, and lives may be lost.

Sir, there are quite a number of cases where HDB dwellers, who are Singaporeans, actually collect multiple deposits from foreign students or foreign talents working here. Is the Police trying to stop this kind of crime? I would like to have the Minister's comments on this, Sir.

I think Ms Phua has a case where some PRC students have complained to her. I have asked Police to look at it. I think this is something we need not discuss in this House. But certainly, should there be cheating, it will be dealt with accordingly.

Sir, I would like to ask the DPM, in view of the escape, what is the advisory to be given to the residents? On the way back, I met some residents and they are very concerned about their safety and the safety of their children as well. Would DPM give some advisory on this?

I can understand the concerns of the public. When I heard from some of the Members here who sent their children to the schools this morning around the area where the search was conducted, they were also alarmed by the

Let me advise the public to stay calm about this. The Police will do its job. The photograph of Mas Selamat is flashed all over the country. Look out for him. If there is any information of anyone that looks like him, report the case to the Police and they can be sure that the Police will look into it thoroughly. For example, I read in the papers that there was a case of an old lady at the Goldhill area where she reported that someone was up at the roof of her house or nearby. So Police actually went in and secured the area, checked it up but they could not find the person. So, we spare no efforts in ensuring that this man will be captured but, at the same time, we ask the public to stay calm and help the Police in its job. If they have information as to the whereabouts of this person, report to the Police.

But let me also warn those who are helping Mas Selamat. If they are helping Mas Selamat to hide, they are committing a grave offence and they will have to face the law.

large presence of the Police force and security people, including the SAF in that area.

May I seek a clarification from the Senior Minister of State with respect to our enforcement against drugs? I would like to ask whether the CNB gives equal priority to enforcement on the ground as it does to enforcement against busting the activities of syndicates. I ask for specific reasons because, in my constituency, there is an area, Blocks 91 to 96 of Henderson Road, where there is drug activity since I took over from the last Election 2006. To CNB's credit, the activity has been reduced because we have asked them to assist. But recently, the reports are that the activity is on-going. It is less than satisfactory. Two youths were apprehended for glue sniffing but released. The impression I am getting,

and I hope to be corrected on this, is that the big level activity is paid attention but enforcement on the ground may not be given as much priority.

For drug takers, it is also important to enforce on the ground to prevent hotspots from appearing. In the past, in Singapore, there were hotspots. It also affects Singaporeans' sense of safety and security should they find people either sniffing glue or taking drugs. Let me assure Ms Rajah that CNB, whilst it does delegate resources to hitting at the syndicates, is also concerned about ensuring that, on the ground, Singaporeans do not take drugs. So if she gives me the details, I will ask CNB to look into it.

Any more clarifications. If none, Dr Teo, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Sir, I wish to thank the DPM and the SMOS for their comprehensive answers to all our cuts. I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $2,526,027,400 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $387,819,200 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head N - Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ms Indranee Rajah.

ASEAN

Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head N of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Singapore has been a member of ASEAN for several decades. And from time to time, there are queries on the effectiveness of ASEAN as an organisation, its direction and its ability to get its members to act in a concerted manner on specific issues. Allegations are sometimes made that ASEAN has no teeth, that it cannot enforce its decisions.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister the following questions with respect to ASEAN. I would like to ask him for his views on the continuing viability of ASEAN as an organisation and its value and usefulness to the region as a whole. I would also like to ask, what is Singapore's interest in maintaining its membership and participation in ASEAN, and also for an update on what was achieved during the 13th ASEAN Summit; also, for an update on the status of the ASEAN Charter.

With Singapore's current chairmanship of ASEAN, what do we hope that ASEAN can achieve, going forward during our tenure of the chairmanship and the strategy for ASEAN, looking ahead? At the same time, whilst ASEAN is in the Southeast Asian region, ASEAN cannot remain untouched by the greater Asia Pacific region of which it is a part. I would therefore like to ask the Minister for an update on the status of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and APEC's place in the regional architecture and why participation in APEC is in Singapore's interest.

Sir, to become a rules-based organisation, ASEAN must share a common understanding of what is good behaviour and what is bad towards the grouping as a whole as well as towards its own citizens.

The ASEAN Charter has established some common ground rules, resolving to be an institution governed by the rule of law, respecting human rights and

Sir, good governance in ASEAN countries can improve the prospects of growth in this region and help its neighbours to also prosper. This is because good governance can be a competitive advantage. In this globalised world, where the contagion effect is real, businessmen want transparency, rule of law, political stability and an effective government able to respond to changes rapidly. As we work towards achieving the ASEAN Economic Committee by 2015, we should hence give more weight to the building of stronger governing practices in ASEAN.

Sir, at this stage, with Myanmar and its appalling human rights record and poor governance, it is hard to see how ASEAN can remain a credible grouping if its common ground rules and ideals are blatantly flouted by a member with little signs of real progress. After the Charter is ratified, will members be prepared to take measures against those who continuously flout its principles and rules? Or will it yet be another consultative mechanism without any teeth? What does it mean then to become a rules-based organisation?

Can I also ask the Minister how he expects the proposed ASEAN human rights body to work and to bring tangible benefits to the lives of the people in this region? Does Singapore also intend to set up a human rights commission as part of the process? To build a sense of solidarity and identity, ASEAN should also reach out to the public to explain why ASEAN integration is a good thing and how it will improve their lives.

Can I ask the Minister to explain how it will benefit the ordinary Singaporean?

democracy, and promoting good governance. ASEAN should demonstrate solidarity in not only ratifying the Charter, but in its readiness to help each other to achieve the ideals spelt out in the Charter and to hold each other up to it. Does it mean ease of travel, ability to turn to an ASEAN Embassy when abroad and so on? I would like to ask the Minister for an assessment and to tell us about the way forward.

ASEAN Charter

Sir, the ASEAN Charter is a milestone in the development of ASEAN. This House was recently told that in order to ensure that ASEAN realises its whole potential, we need to bring the Charter into force as soon as possible and that is a key priority.

Three months on, I believe that only four countries have ratified the Charter, including Singapore. Some countries like the Philippines have said that they will not ratify the Charter until Myanmar embraces democracy and releases opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Could the Minister please tell us which countries have yet to ratify the Charter? What is the timeline for the ratification, whether there are any countries which he envisages may not ratify the Charter, and if so, why? Does the Charter come into effect if any of the member states fails to ratify it?

One of the aims of the Charter is to transform ASEAN into a more effective and rules-based organisation, thereby leading to greater ASEAN integration. A key instrument in the integration process is the Charter. We are told that ASEAN has made good efforts in its integration process because the leaders share a common view that each member country is better off with a strong ASEAN. But then, we have Myanmar.

When civil unrest broke out in Myanmar last year, ASEAN made attempts to help Myanmar. All attempts and approaches by ASEAN were rebuffed. Myanmar chose only to deal with the United Nations. Unfortunately, the position and attitude of Myanmar throughout has not shown any desire on

I would also like to ask the Minister his views on Indonesia signing of the Charter. Will they ratify it? And even if they do, will they abide by its terms? After all, it was about seven months before Indonesia signed the Charter that they signed the Extradition Treaty and Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA). The Indonesians subsequently raised various issues concerning the DCA which I can only surmise as being a tactic aimed at scuttling implementation of the DCA. What makes us so sure that they will not do the same with the Charter? More importantly, does the ASEAN Charter contain any mechanisms which will encourage its signatories to abide by its terms and any decisions made pursuant to it?

This brings me to the last issue which I would like to raise - Article 14 of the Charter - the Human Rights Body. The Charter has resolved to create an ASEAN Human Rights Body but the Charter does not contain very much detail about the Human Rights Body, unlike the provisions relating to the ASEAN Community Councils. More significantly, it does not contain any provisions for enforcing human rights standards or any indication of what those standards may be. Could I ask the Minister when the Human Rights Body is likely to be established? How is this body going to be positioned in ASEAN and whether it will be given any powers?

its part to be integrated with ASEAN. Could the Minister share his views on how does the experience with Myanmar square with the efforts to make ASEAN more integrated?

ASEAN and Myanmar

Sir, the ASEAN Charter is a step forward, but will it be a toothless paper tiger?

First of all, member states have to ratify the Charter by November this year and some states are already dragging their feet. Indonesian parliamentarians are opposing the ratification.

The Philippine President has declared that if the Myanmar government still rides roughshod over the people, the Philippines will not ratify the Charter.

2.00 pm

A well-known analyst, Mr Jusuf Wanandi, of Indonesia commented that, contrary to expectations, the ASEAN Charter did not speed up decision-making at all. How could ASEAN move forward when it is still held back by the unworkable formula of decision by consensus, whereby objection by member states is enough to derail ASEAN. If everything is by consensus, how can we move? We will all be tied up in knots. Although the Charter paints an enlarged role for the ASEAN Secretariat, very little has been done by way of financial commitment to fund the new ASEAN Secretariat. Who will pay for the extra salaries and expenses? With a few pennies in his pocket, do we expect the ASEAN Secretary-General to do wonders?

Sir, Myanmar stands out like a sore thumb in ASEAN. The weakness of the decision-making by consensus was most obvious in the last ASEAN Summit in Singapore in November 2007. A briefing by the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative, Prof. Gambari, on his visit to Myanmar was cancelled at the last minute because of the objection raised by Myanmar. The world was watching how ASEAN would handle Myanmar at this Summit, and ASEAN fell flat to the ground. All credibility was lost. ASEAN was held hostage by Myanmar and could do nothing in the face of Myanmar's intransigence.

Sir, I know that in geopolitical terms, it is better to keep Myanmar within

There are some press reports that important world leaders have kept away from ASEAN, because of the Myanmar issue. And there are apparently great difficulties in confirming a meeting between ASEAN leaders and President George Bush at his Texas ranch - again over the issue of Myanmar. It is said that the First Lady, Laura Bush, would not welcome the Myanmar delegate there.

Ultimately, the real issue remains whether ASEAN, as a group, can get its act together and attract investments and trade, and compete with emerging giants like India and China.

ASEAN than to leave it out. It may help to prevent Myanmar from being too drawn into or be dependent on China, but there is a limit to the price for keeping Myanmar within the ASEAN fold. And Myanmar has not shown any remorse at all, and it is not listening to ASEAN.

ASEAN's Future Progress

Sir, the signing of the ASEAN Charter by leaders in Singapore last year was a hallmark agreement. It paved the way towards a more integrated ASEAN whose conduct, as a regional grouping, is based on international rules, mutual development and benefits for its peoples. But the Charter is only as good as the commitment and willingness of individual member countries to operationalise it. I would like to ask the Minister's assessment on how well the Charter will bring ASEAN forward towards economic integration.

A few ASEAN countries have not ratified the Charter and indeed some may have problems signing the Charter within a year before the next Leaders' Summit. Does that mean that the intent of the ASEAN Charter will not be immediately

Sir, on a broader point, the global economic, security, political, social and even climatic environments are fast changing. The rise of China and India as economic and potentially military giants, for example, would pose a big challenge for ASEAN. Can the Minister tell us what he thinks are likely to be the challenges facing ASEAN in the next 10 years? One question that will always be asked is how will ASEAN deal with the issue of Myanmar without causing a rift in the regional grouping as well as between ASEAN and its partner countries.

implemented? In short, how will ASEAN deal with the possibility of some member countries not ratifying the Charter within one year?

Developing Human Rights Policy

Mr Chairman, since 1967, security, trade, and economic development have been ASEAN priorities, while human rights have been marginalised as internal state matters. The explicit incorporation of human rights in the ASEAN Charter is momentous. It accepts that human rights are the common heritage of mankind, rather than to be viewed suspiciously as a politicised imposition of foreign standards by the so-called 'West'.

Previously, ASEAN has approached social welfare and poverty alleviation as a matter of 'human development' rather than "human rights", which are enforceable claims against the state, leashing state power. Human development focuses on government duties to run programmes to meet social needs like housing, education, health. However, who enforces such duties where the government fails in this task?

Singapore adopts a "human development" approach towards securing human

The counter retort may be: would Singaporeans prefer a right to housing, or a house? Times have changed. Minister Raymond Lim has said we are not allergic to human rights. But much remains to be done before rhetoric becomes reality and to ensure legitimate cultural differences do not undermine universal standards. I hope the Minister will consider the following points in developing human rights policy at the international, domestic and regional level.

At the international level, is the Government considering signing other treaties in addition to the ones on Genocide, Children and Women, which we signed in 1995? This would clarify the ambit of what it considers the 'hard core' of universally accepted human rights.

The Government once stated that substance was more important than form when asked whether it would sign the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), pointing to our good race relations track record.

However, we cannot discount the effect of signing treaties, as a statement of principle to ourselves and the world. Let our pragmatism not be idealism-free. Signing CERD would underscore our commitment to racial equality and allow us to showcase our model of multi-racial harmony to the world, to lead by example.

Nor does the Government have to wait until our domestic law perfectly aligns with international standards. Certain human rights provide goals which

Our foreign policy is driven by trade and security concerns. Perhaps some attention could be directed to the possibility of signing human rights treaties concerning race discrimination, disabled peoples' rights and socio-economic rights.

On the domestic front, one way we can go global is by going 'local', through embodying global standards in local laws or "glocalisation". For example, Article 12 of the Constitution could be amended to explicitly prohibit discrimination against women, rather than to leave it implicit. Malaysia has done so, giving effect to its CEDAW obligations.

While I realise signing a treaty or enacting anti-discrimination legislation may be more pious platitude than practical, let us not discount the role of the symbolic and how legal norms can accelerate positive social change.

We need a clear benchmark to ground human rights policy. I suggest recognising the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a minimal standard.

The UDHR was drafted in response to European Barbarism after World War Two; its drafters included experts drawn from the Confucian, Islamic, Hindu, Christian and Marxist tradition. It is holistic, and includes the three generations of civil-political, socio-economic and 'solidarity' rights. It is not a charter for radical

This year is the Declaration's 60th anniversary. Perhaps we should embrace and celebrate its standards, through school programmes and public education measures. This would be a positive way of domesticating human rights

Sir, one way to localise and develop global standards is through a national human rights institution, staffed by Singaporeans familiar with local conditions. Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines have adopted such institutions.

Do we need a dedicated rights-oriented institution, where the current preference is to deal with rights issues informally or ad hoc, through petitioning MPs or Ministries? Without discounting the importance of having good governors, certain points may be considered.

First, institutions are permanent and provide a systematic focal point for citizens to resort to, which enhances accountability.

Second, a national body can help us take ownership by carving out our vision of human rights. While accepting the concept of human rights, Singapore has disputed the interpretation and content of rights. For example, Minister Wong Kan Seng said at a 1993 UN human rights conference that Singaporeans did not accept pornography as free speech. A national body can help clarify the contours of rights by in-depth and contextualised consideration. Calling something a 'human right' does not make it so; an expert body can help develop guidelines to distinguish universal legal rights from narrow political claims, made in the name of human rights.

Singapore considers the amorphous right to development "fundamental". It could take the lead through a national

Lastly, at the regional level, will Singapore take a leading or back-seat role in fleshing out the terse Charter provision which provides for the establishment of an ASEAN human rights body, without stipulating its form or nature? To ensure something value-added, beyond lip service?

As the Charter aims to be people-centric, will non-Government bodies be involved in this process? Since the Charter does not identify any human rights standards, will Singapore seek a meaningful minimum, perhaps pegged to the UDHR or those UN treaties most ASEAN members are party to?

In terms of structure, realists are not expecting the sun and the moon in the form of a human rights court with compulsory jurisdiction, after the European model. However, would the Minister agree that the eventual body must not duplicate the UN state reporting process and must be something beyond a promotional talk-shop or think-tank?

Is it important that the body should have a protective function, perhaps allowing states and/or individuals a channel through which to raise concerns about alleged abuses before a

In 1993, Minister Wong Kan Seng said that "pragmatism and realism does not mean abdication." I hope not. The ASEAN Charter promises a human rights mechanism, but there is a gap between making and keeping promises. I am reminded of a line from a Robert Frost Poem: "the woods are lovely dark and deep. But I have promises to keep and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep."

We look forward to the next step of ASEAN states to advance human rights and promote civilised governance, and we hope Singapore will take a leading role in this enterprise.

welfare. Government leaders have argued that excessive emphasis on individual rights over community interests can be destabilising and retard development. Critics have called this an apology for power. countries realise progressively, not immediately. For example, CEDAW requires states to take measures to eliminate discrimination of women in political life; its oversight Committee recommends that women's participation in politics should reach a critical mass of 30-35% to have a real impact on political decision-making; 20% of our elected MPs are women after the last General Elections (up from 12%); the 35% target provides us with a human rights benchmark worth working towards.individualism and recognises rights are limited by duties and the common good.expert body to concretise this right and make it "measurable", by developing indicia to determine whether socio-economic rights or welfare has been violated or realised. In so doing, it could underscore that this right goes beyond increasing GDP; individual welfare must be secured. The human right to development incorporates the need to ensure political participation in decision-making and equitable wealth distribution - these human rights standards help us evaluate the quality of the consultative process and Government policy in relation to social safety nets, as reflected in our public assistance schemes, Workfare, ComCare. supranational body, whether in public or private?

Sir, Singapore's relations with Malaysia have improved significantly since Dato Sri Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister. Singapore and Malaysia have made representations to the International Court of Justice in November last year, and the verdict will be known soon. Singapore has proved beyond all doubt that we have clear and uninterrupted sovereignty and control of Pedra Branca since the 19th century. We have indeed a very strong case. Whatever the outcome, we know that the Singapore and Malaysian governments are committed to accept the verdict. Dato Syed Hamid Albar, the Malaysian Foreign Minister, said that bilateral relations will be unaffected. Ms Lydia Lim of the Straits Times noted that if both sides manage to keep bilateral ties on an even keel whichever way the court rules, that would indeed signal a coming of age in relationships. Both countries should therefore prepare their own people for any eventual outcome and move on.

Singapore and Malaysia are close neighbours. We are in such close

There is much Singapore and Malaysia can cooperate, eg, the Iskandar Development Region (IDR). Singapore and Malaysia can jointly encourage businessmen to invest in the IDR. Sir, the IDR reminds me of the growth triangle. Should we not expand the scope and revitalise the growth triangle? It may be to the benefit of all countries, including Indonesia.

Talking about Indonesia, it appears that the Extradition Treaty and the Defence Cooperation Agreement with Indonesia have stalled. Have we rushed into such a proposal without taking into full consideration the internal dynamics of Indonesia? What are the prospects of such an agreement to be accepted? How would the anti-competition charges against Temasek Holdings affect bilateral relations and the future flow of investments into Indonesia?

Further north, Sir, relations with Thailand appear to have been on the mend, especially since the election of a new civilian government. The news reported that Mr Thaksin had returned to Thailand today. The civil service cooperation programme between Singapore and Thailand has been restarted.

proximity that sometimes we have blind spots. It may help if we promote more people-to-people programmes, like student and teacher exchanges, joint R&D programmes amongst universities, cooperation amongst civic bodies and joint teaching programmes in hospitals.

I hope, therefore, that 2008 will see a good year in Singapore-Thai relationship.

Southeast Asia

Sir, relations with neighbouring countries are critical to Singapore's well-being. We aspire for good relations. But there are ups and downs in relationship between neighbours partly because we compete with them

What is the stage of our relationship with Indonesia despite the ongoing problems relating to the export ban on sand by Indonesia and the problem of Temasek's investment in telecom companies there, as well as the extradition treaty and defence agreement? Can the Minister also give an update on our relations with Malaysia in terms of new areas of cooperation and on the Pedra Branca case?

On Thailand, following the election of the new government, there seems to be a prospect of better relations. So, what is the state of affairs in our relationship with Thailand?

Vietnam is a fast-growing neighbour. How are we working with Vietnam in terms of economic cooperation as well as diplomatic relations?

even as we cooperate in those areas. I would like to ask the Minister to give an update on our relations with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand as well as Vietnam.

Bilateral Relations with India and China

Sir, it is widely recognised that China and India are the new economic powerhouses in the globalised Asia and that part of Singapore's economic strategy is to leverage on the growth of these two countries. This, in turn, obviously necessitates greater interaction with them and shapes the direction of our foreign policy relations with them.

I would like to ask the Minister for an update of our bilateral relations with India and China, what progress has been made in the past year and what direction he sees it is going in the future? Whilst China and India have dominated the landscape, we also have strong trading relations with Japan and Korea and these have tended to be overshadowed by the buzz in relation to China and India. I would like to

ask the Minister for a status report on our relationship with Japan and Korea.

China

Sir, China is a rising power in Asia. I remember that when I first visited China in 1992, China had decided to open its doors to investment and trade. Many Chinese political and business leaders told me that China had much to learn from Singapore.

Now, when I visit China, I can see that China has leapfrogged and achieved tremendous economic development. Shanghai is very modern and very impressive, a beehive of economic activity; indeed, a rival to Hongkong and Singapore.

Now, China has less and less to learn from Singapore. A feather in the cap of the New China is the Olympics which will be held in August in Beijing.

The Taiwanese presidential election will soon be held and it is likely that the new Taiwanese President will start a new relationship with the Chinese leaders. Cross-straits relations will shift. Indeed, more than one million Taiwanese are working in China.

Even for Singapore, we may see more and more Singaporeans attracted to work and stay in China, a point highlighted by Minister Mentor. My question is: does China flex its muscles now that it is a rising power with potential superpower status? Considering East Asia as a whole, how would a new China impact Japan and Korea? How would the new South Korean President address these issues? We can expect change as he is styled as a new Asia Sarkosy. Our relations with South Korea is so far very low key. Can we do more? How then will the United States see its role in Asia? Will the US get less and less engaged in Asia, given its pre-occupation in Afghanistan and

Iraq? That will make it more and more difficult to have a balance of power in Asia.

Middle East

Sir, over the last 10 years, we can see how we have expanded our economic wings to different parts of the world. In Asia, we have expanded to China and India, the two emerging giants of Asia, along with our continued engagement of our ASEAN partners.

In the last couple of years, we have also started expanding into the Middle East, as another emerging market. We see our senior political leaders making trips to the region and we see our business people investing and securing various projects in the Middle-eastern cities. Middle East also has promise in the areas of tourism and financial services as we attract more Middle-easterners here and as we expand the potential of Islamic banking in Singapore.

Sir, engaging the Middle East should not only be limited to the economic sphere. While our engagement in the Middle East has thus far been confined to the political and business community, I would like to ask the Minister if MFA has plans to expand the levels of engagement, including more people-to-people interactions through social, cultural and educational exchange programmes between Singapore and the Middle-eastern countries?

Sir, the Muslim world, particularly the Middle East, is a relatively unknown terrain to many Singaporeans. With the constant global spotlight on Islamic radicalism, I think it is timely that we catalysed greater interaction between

There is a Malay saying that says "Tak kenal maka tak cinta " or "You cannot fall in love without knowing the person". Increasing opportunities of interaction at the people-to-people level will enable Singaporeans to appreciate the cultures, belief systems and practices of people of the Middle East; perhaps, also clearing some misperceptions that they may have, will, of course, expose the Middle-eastern counterparts to appreciate a multi-racial society like Singapore.

Thus, I would like to ask the Minister what is MFA's plans for a more holistic approach in engaging the Middle East?

Singaporeans and the people of the Middle East.

Sir, I would like to talk about the Middle East too. In the last few years, we have stepped up diplomatic and economic relations with countries in the Middle East. Our leaders have visited many countries there. Some Singapore companies have invested there too. On our part, we also try to attract investments from the Middle East.

What has been the success of this drive to step up relations with the region? Do our private sector companies actually have the resources to meet the needs for investment in the various Middle-eastern countries? Working with a new region requires us to understand their custom, culture as well as religion. This is an opportunity for Singaporeans to learn about the Arab culture and customs as well as about Islam, so that Singaporeans can relate better to their counterparts or partners or co-workers if they invest or work in the Middle East.

We also need to understand the dynamics in the Middle East through research and dialogues. We can tap on Singapore's own Arab and Islamic heritage to forge closer relations with countries in the Middle East. How is this

being done? Are there programmes to enhance the people-to-people relations between Singapore and countries in the Middle East?

Middle East Institute

Sir, the Middle East region is one of Singapore's more important trading partners, outside our immediate economic neighbourhood in Asia and traditional markets like US and EU. The trade volume between Singapore and the Middle East has been increasing steadily and it is still far from reaching its fullest potential.

For the past three years, senior Singaporean Government Ministers, including Prime Minister, Senior Minister and President S R Nathan, have made official visits to the Middle East and created new thrusts for the deepening of bilateral ties between Singapore and countries in the Middle East.

In addition to diplomatic exchanges, these visits have managed to enhance bilateral political representations, helped the establishment of a new-joint Chambers of Commerce, fostered trade and investment agreements and other business initiatives, including the recent promotion of Singapore as a regional centre for Islamic banking.

Sir, I am glad to note that the 2008 Budget has introduced a 5% concessionary tax rate for income derived from qualifying Syariah-compliant products. Our strong financial regulatory framework, coupled with the right incentives, will help position Singapore as a hub for Islamic banking and draw in key global players.

Sir, on this basis, I would like to enquire on the progress of the Middle East Institute at the university. Have we crystalised the vision, mission and objective of this Institute? What is it supposed to be? Has any plans and

timelines been drawn for the establishment of this Institute? Have we considered the resources and talents to man it? What are the opportunities for our local talents to be actively involved in contributing to this Institute?

Ms Indranee Rajah, you have two cuts. Take them together, please.

New Foreign Policy Initiatives

Sir, my parliamentary colleagues and I have so far focused on the more immediate neighbourhood, ie, ASEAN and the Asia Pacific. Perhaps, taking a longer or a broader view, I would like to ask the Minister to give us an overview of our other international relationships, such as with Europe and also the US, particularly having regard to the fact that they are having presidential elections. I think most of us have been watching to see what is going to happen. But whatever the outcome, I think we would like to know whether that is likely to have an impact on our relationship with the US. Also, as foreign policy relations are not static, may I ask the Minister whether we have any new foreign policy initiatives or whether there are any new countries or areas that we intend to engage?

Foreign Policy and Environment

Moving on to foreign policy and environment, I would like to touch on the topic of climate change which is very much an issue that is attracting attention today. We have clearly seen that there is a greater need for cooperation at the international level to deal with environmental issues. The haze is one example, but there are, of course, other issues related to natural disasters and environmental matters which people feel are traceable to global warming. There is clearly a greater impetus and a call for developed nations to cooperate to protect

the environment, reduce gas emissions, control pollution and legislate to cope with the problem of global warming. Can I ask the Minister to comment on Singapore's approach to climate change negotiations as well as Singapore's position on the Kyoto Protocol and what would be the landscape after 2012?

Order. I propose to take the break now.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair again at 2.50 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 2.30 pm until 2.50 pm.

Sitting resumed at 2.50 pm

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

Head N (cont.) -

Mr Chairman, Sir, let me first thank Members for the comments and questions on Singapore's foreign policy. With globalisation, the management of Singapore's external relations has become more important for our security and economic development. Last year, we hosted the ASEAN Summit. Next year, we will host the APEC Leaders' Meeting. It is good that on matters of foreign relations, all MPs, including Opposition MPs and NMPs, are generally in support of the Government. This is a great strength for us.

Let me first talk about ASEAN, an important subject raised by Ms Indranee

Last November's Summit was a success. It was auspicious for the ASEAN Charter to be signed at ASEAN’s 40th Anniversary. It is a document which opens a new chapter in regional integration. At the Retreat of ASEAN Foreign Ministers in Sentosa last week, we agreed on a plan of action to implement the Charter. We had a smooth meeting which ended two hours ahead of schedule. There was a strong spirit of solidarity and common enterprise.

Among the items to be followed up on is the drafting of provisions for a formal dispute settlement mechanism provided for in the Charter, and this will help us to create a systematic way for the resolution of disputes. While consensus is a general principle for decision making in ASEAN, it does not need to apply in all cases. Under the economic blueprint, for example, we do have provisions for “10 minus X” or “two plus X” involvement of member countries. The key here is that those who are not yet able to join in, should be able to join in when they are ready at a later point in time.

For the big issues, they should generally be resolved by consensus, but sometimes it is not possible when it involves a particular country which has been difficult. Take, for instance, the issue of Myanmar. The fact that we operate on a consensus principle did not prevent us in the past from calling for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. Members will remember that during the ASEAN Summit in Singapore after the informal dinner hosted by Prime Minister, nine leaders of ASEAN stood together to issue a statement on Myanmar, following the refusal of Myanmar’s Prime Minister to agree to an ASEAN meeting with UN Special Envoy Gambari. So that statement was not a “consensus statement”. It was a “minus one” statement and it was a

The Foreign Ministers agreed that the ASEAN Secretariat must be strengthened quickly. The new Secretary General, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, was authorised to recruit two Deputy Secretary Generals from 1st November this year. Dr Surin took over from Ong Keng Yong at the beginning of the year, and I must inform the House that Ong Keng Yong, one of our senior diplomats, did Singapore proud during his tenure as the Sec-Gen of ASEAN. To answer Dr Ong Chit Chung, we recognise that the Secretariat’s budget has to be increased and have tasked senior officials to look into this on an urgent basis. To reduce the need for travel, ASEAN member countries will appoint ambassadors to the Secretariat in Jakarta from January next year.

For the ASEAN Charter to come into force, all countries must ratify it and this is a point that I would like to make in reply to Mr Palmer. So far, four countries have done so: Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Laos. The others should do so in the coming months. There could be a problem with the Philippines because the Congress has linked ratification to progress being made in the political situation in Myanmar. However, the Foreign Ministers were on the whole cautiously optimistic that the Philippines will not hold back the ratification of the ASEAN Charter. In fact, it is only after the Charter has come into force that we can hold the Myanmar Government to account, to the standards that it has signed on to, a point which Ms Irene Ng made. As for the Indonesian

The question of Myanmar was raised by Ms Indranee Rajah, Mr Michael Palmer, Ms Irene Ng, Dr Ong Chit Chung and Mr Hawazi Daipi. During the Retreat, the Myanmar Foreign Minister briefed us on the 7-step roadmap to democracy, which until the beginning of last month had no timeline. For the first time, the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council) Government announced that a referendum on a new constitution will be held in May and based on it, elections will be held in 2010, after which the reins of power will be handed over to the new government. Foreign Minister Nyan Win expected the draft constitution to be made public at the end of March. He also said that any citizen who has a foreign husband or children holding foreign passports will be disqualified from the elections. He informed us that this provision was in the 1974 Constitution and is not new.

Although ASEAN Foreign Ministers saw the timetable as a positive development, we expressed a certain scepticism about the entire process because we have been disappointed so many times before in the past. The new Constitution was drafted without the

Prof. Thio Li-ann, Ms Irene Ng and Mr Michael Palmer raised the issue of human rights. The ASEAN Charter provides for a human rights body to be established, but the nature of that body has yet to be determined. Let me assure Dr Ong Chit Chung that it will not be a toothless paper tiger. At the Retreat last week, the Foreign Ministers agreed that officials will first meet to discuss the terms of reference for a panel of experts to draft the provisions for such a body. The terms of reference will be proposed for our consideration at the coming ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in July.

To be sure, the human rights body will be a contentious subject. Some ASEAN countries prefer a body which has no teeth because there is justifiable concern that Western countries and NGOs will make use of it to interfere in their domestic politics. Others make the opposite argument, that a credible human

Prof. Thio asked about Singapore's position on the ratification of certain UN human rights conventions with respect to migrant workers, torture, racial discrimination and other subjects, and whether it is not time to establish a National Human Rights Commission here. So far, Singapore has signed on the UN Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We have not yet signed on the others because of reservations on some specific provisions such as corporal punishment and the death penalty. We will periodically review our position in the light of evolving international norms and practices.

It is not uncommon for countries to sign on these conventions while blithely ignoring their commitments in actual practice. We, on our part, take our commitments seriously and are therefore reluctant to commit to provisions

Rajah, Mr Michael Palmer, Dr Ong Chit Chung, Mr Hawazi Daipi and Ms Irene Ng. statement about the “minus one”. What I am saying is, yes, it is right that the general principle should be one of consensus decision making, but it need not apply in all cases and it has not applied in all cases. For the most important issues, the matter will be decided by the leaders operating as a committee of peers setting their own rules for decision making and over time, a certain wisdom develops.DPR, which Mr Palmer and Ms Ng doubted would ratify the Charter, I received this news from the German Foreign Minister just this morning. He came from Jakarta and we had a bilateral meeting just before I came to Parliament and he told me, and he said this to the media so this is something that I can divulge publicly, that Hassan Wirajuda told him that he expected the Indonesia DPR to ratify the Charter by June this year, so we do have reasons to be optimistic. The remaining problem I believe would be the Philippines but even from the Filipino viewpoint, it would be better to ratify the Charter and thereafter to hold the Myanmar government to account than not to do so, letting the Myanmar government off the hook. participation of the NLD (National League for Democracy) and other groups. It is also unlikely that the SPDC Government will allow international verification of the voting process. ASEAN Foreign Ministers stressed the importance of independent verification for the referendum and elections to be credible. As for the disqualification of Aung San Suu Kyi from standing as a candidate for elections, ASEAN Foreign Ministers registered their dismay although some recognised that this was a decision for the people of Myanmar to make at the referendum. But whatever the constitution approved, provided it is a genuine referendum, it would represent a step forward because the people of Myanmar would then be able to express their views at the ballot box in 2010. Aung San Suu Kyi was not allowed to stand as a candidate in the 1990 elections, but that did not stop her party, the NLD, from achieving an overwhelming majority. rights body will help us address this issue on our own terms. It is precisely because of a lack of agreement among ASEAN countries that the human rights body was called a 'body' and not a 'commission'. My own guess is that we will have in the end a body which, while lacking in teeth, will at least have a tongue and a tongue will have its uses.

that we do not agree with fully. As for the National Human Rights Commission, it is not clear to us that the establishment of such bodies in a number of countries has made a significant difference to the human rights condition. Many countries without human rights commissions are able to maintain high standards of human rights like Singapore. In our case, we have provisions either in the Constitution or in statute to safeguard the rights of racial and religious minorities, women, children and workers, including migrant workers. They allow Singaporeans to enjoy a high degree of civil liberty and personal security in their daily lives. I know this is not a complete answer to Prof. Thio Li-

3.00 pm

Dr Ong Chit Chung, Ms Indranee Rajah, Mr Hawazi Daipi and Ms Irene Ng asked about the future of ASEAN and the challenges it faces. Let me break down my answers into the internal and external challenges which are related.

Internally, we must keep pushing the integration of ASEAN so that we have an ASEAN Community of 550 million inhabitants with a sense of ASEAN citizenship by the year 2015. In addition to the Economic Blueprint which was signed last year, we need also the Political/Security Blueprint and the Social/Cultural Blueprint. There are many things we have to do in the public, private and people sectors. One specific problem we must continue to address is closing the developmental gap between the older and newer members. Happily, the Indo-Chinese countries are now making good economic progress. As for Myanmar, well, the key there is political reform, without which the economy will continue to flounder.

Externally, the challenge for ASEAN is to engage all our major partners in a mutually-beneficial way so that all of them have a strong interest in our unity and well-being, and our own position in the world is naturally balanced. To achieve this, we must be fair and neutral to all our partners, ensure the freedom and security of the airways and the sealanes, and strengthen economic cooperation in all directions. In addition, we must press on with the regional construction especially ASEAN+3, EAS (East Asia Summit), APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) and ASEM (Asia Europe Meeting). We are also promoting ministerial links with regions farther away. With the Middle East, we have AMED

To answer Ms Indranee Rajah and Dr Ong Chit Chung, beyond ASEAN, APEC remains the most important regional organisation for us. Collectively, the 21 APEC economies make up more than half the world's GDP and trade. Among them are major powers like the US, Japan, China and Russia. Their good relations with one another determine whether this century is a peaceful one for us. The US-China relationship, in particular, is of decisive importance. Dr Ong Chit Chung asked about Cross-Strait relations between Mainland China and Taiwan. Although the outcome of the coming Presidential elections in Taiwan will have some impact on Cross-Strait relations, the critical factor is not Taiwanese domestic politics but US-China relations.

Both the Mainland and Taiwan, and Hong Kong as well, are members of APEC which makes the organisation uniquely inclusive. But we must be clear that Taiwan and Hong Kong participate as economies, not as countries. And upon this clear understanding, there is growing support for the establishment of a Free Trade Area of the Asia Pacific in the long term. This is an important long range objective because the health of the multilateral trading system will increasing

Next year, Singapore will host the APEC Leaders Meeting which will be attended by new leaders from the US, Russia, Japan, Korea and Australia. It will be the most significant gathering of world leaders ever to be held in Singapore. We see the US remaining the leading player in the Asia Pacific for decades to come. To answer Ms Indranee Rajah, whether the next President is a Republican or a Democrat, whether it is McCain or Clinton or Obama, we do not see a major change in US policy towards Asia or in our bilateral relationship.

Mr Hawazi Daipi and Dr Ong Chit Chung spoke about our relations with Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. On the whole, we have excellent relations with all our ASEAN neighbours and all of them have significant numbers of their citizens working or studying in our country. We are grateful for their contributions to our society.

Our relations with Malaysia have been improving in the last two to three years. PM Lee had a very good retreat with PM Abdullah Badawi in Langkawi last May. We are now cooperating on the Iskandar Development Region through the Joint Ministerial Committee, with Malaysia setting the pace. Both sides see benefit in greater connectivity between Johor and Singapore, but I agree with Dr Ong that we can do more to promote greater friendship between our two peoples who indeed share so much in common.

Ms Indranee Rajah, Mr Hawazi Daipi and Dr Ong Chit Chung were concerned that the judgment on Pedra Branca by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) might affect good relations between the two sides. I believe this will not happen because both sides have agreed for the

With Indonesia, bilateral relations remain strong although we were not able to see through the Extradition Treaty (ET) and the Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA) signed last year. Both sides have agreed to set aside the ET and DCA for the time being and I am happy to inform Ms Rajah and Dr Ong that both sides are also determined not to let this issue affect overall bilateral relations.

Like with Malaysia, Singapore has strong economic links with Indonesia. For example, we are each other's most important source of tourists. We continue to cooperate closely in many areas including the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Batam, Bintan and Karimun, in fighting fires in Jambi, controlling bird flu in Tangerang and in rebuilding Aceh. The DPR has passed a law for the establishment of SEZs in Batam, Bintan and Karimun and a special council is being formed to oversee their development. We have a bilateral ministerial committee co-chaired by Indonesian Coordinating Minister Boediono and Minister Lim Hng Kiang to facilitate cooperation.

Dr Ong Chit Chung also asked about sand and the recent decision by Indonesian regulatory authorities on investments by Singapore in Indosat and in Telkomsel. So far as sand is concerned, to the extent that environmental damage is a problem, we are quite prepared to work with Indonesia and this offer remains on the table. But otherwise it is a decision for Indonesia to make and we respect whatever decision they make. Of course it is a waste that instead of sourcing sand from nearby, we have to import sand from further away, making it more expensive for us and leaving money

Dr Ong asked about the progress of the Indonesia-Malaysia-Singapore Growth Triangle. This was in fact an idea first mooted by Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1989. Although we have not had meetings for many years, the time may be ripe to revive it, or to use Dr Ong’s words, to revitalise it.

With the return of democratic government to Thailand, bilateral relations have been fully normalised. The new Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama made his first bilateral overseas visit to Singapore last week. It was a friendly gesture which we appreciated. We agreed that both the Civil Service Exchange Programme (CSEP) and the Singapore Thailand Enhanced Economic Relationship (STEER) should be restored at an early date. I have accepted Minister Noppadon's invitation to visit Bangkok for the next meeting of CSEP, the civil service exchange programme in the first half of this year. Members of this House will remember that the Thai side cancelled the last CSEP meeting and dis-invited me following the hosting of a private dinner by DPM Jayakumar for former Thai PM Thaksin. Minister Noppadon also encouraged Singapore companies to invest in Thailand assuring us of a more liberal investment environment. We are looking forward to the introductory visit of the new Thai PM Samak Sundaravej next month.

Singapore's bilateral relations with Vietnam are growing from strength to strength. In fact, at this very moment, President Nathan is in Vietnam on a state

I agree with Ms Indranee Rajah and Dr Ong Chit Chung that the three Northeast Asian countries of China, Japan and Korea are very important to us. Just last year, we celebrated the 10th Anniversary of ASEAN+3. The improvement in China-Japan relations has made the creation of an East Asian community easier.

Both Ms Rajah and Dr Ong underlined the importance of our relations with China. Indeed bilateral relations have become much broader and deeper than they were in the past. The Joint Council on Bilateral Cooperation now covers a wide range of subjects. The official visit of Premier Wen Jiabao in November last year was very successful. During the visit, Premier Wen and PM Lee signed the agreement to develop an eco-city in Tianjin. This is a project comparable in significance to the Suzhou Industrial Park which was started in 1994.

More than economic projects, our bilateral relations with China have become multi-layered and multi-faceted. Thousands of Singaporeans now work in China and tens of thousands of Chinese work in Singapore. There are now over 2,500 Chinese companies operating here and, each time I check, the number is higher.

When Singapore won the bid to host the first Youth Olympics, the Chinese Ambassador Zhang Xiaokang immediately wrote a letter to Prime Minister Lee offering China's assistance to us. We are touched by the gesture and will certainly take up the offer, for there is much that

More than any other country, Japan has played a critical role in integrating the economies of Southeast Asia. Our relations with Japan are excellent. During PM's official visit to Japan last March, the two sides agreed to establish a Japan Creative Centre in Singapore. Mediacorp has also worked with its Japanese counterparts to broadcast Japan Hour into the region. As we all know, Japan Hour has for years been one of the most popular docu-entertainment programmes on local television.

Our relations with Korea are also very good. Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has just made a successful visit to the country and had a warm meeting with the new President, Lee Myung-bak. Members of the House will be intrigued to hear that during the last presidential campaign, Singapore was often held up as a model for Korea. Senior Minister Goh also visited the Gaesong Industrial Park across the DMZ in North Korea. When our FTA with Korea was negotiated, we agreed to include Gaesong in order to promote economic development in North Korea. This provision was later incorporated into ASEAN's FTA with Korea. In May this year, I will be making an official visit to North Korea. At our recent Retreat, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers authorised me to propose that Pyongyang accede to ASEAN's Treaty of Amity and Cooperation.

ann who made quite an impassioned plea but some of the things she said really go beyond my remit as Foreign Minister.(Asia Middle East Dialogue) and a proposed ministerial meeting with the GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) countries this year. With Latin America, we have FEALAC (Forum for East Asia and Latin America Cooperation) and a proposed ministerial meeting with MERCOSUR (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), also this year. Now I mention all these abbreviations and acronyms not to befuddle you, but just to give you a sense of all the activities that we are engaged in to create a larger environment which is to our benefit. The key ingredient in this alphabet soup is our collective interest as ASEAN countries, and this we will strive to achieve.ly depend on the leadership of the economies in the Asia Pacific.dispute to be adjudicated by the ICJ. Indeed both governments have stated publicly more than once that they will abide by the judgment of the ICJ when it is made some time later this year. on the table which both sides can share otherwise. As for the decision on Indosat and Telkomsel, this is a decision before Indonesian courts, and it is best that they be pursued through Indonesian legal channels. Indonesia ministers are well aware that the outcome of these two cases will affect the way foreign investors look at opportunities in Indonesia. visit and Prime Minister Lee has invited the General Secretary of Vietnam's Communist Party, Mr Nong Duc Manh, to visit Singapore this year. Singapore is a major source of FDI for Vietnam and bilateral trade between the two countries has been growing steadily. The Framework Agreement on Singapore-Vietnam Connectivity signed in November 2005 has facilitated several joint projects.we can learn from China’s own experience.

3.15 pm

Singapore's relations with India are bearing fruit. Our early support of India's economic reform policy has proved to be right. I share Ms Indranee Rajah's view that India is an important friend and partner. Indeed we see India as a major player, not only in Asia, but in the world.

Ms Indranee Rajah asked for an update on our relations with Europe. They are, on the whole, excellent. Last November, we celebrated the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN-EU Dialogue Partnership. Although negotiations for an ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement have run into some difficulties, Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson is considering moving ahead earlier with countries which are ready. Singapore supports such flexibility provided the door is not shut on the other members of ASEAN.

The European Union is an inspiration to us in Singapore and an inspiration to us in ASEAN on how tribal nations locked for centuries in conflict are able to overcome historical differences to live in peace and address common challenges together. Singapore has been an ardent advocate of a stronger European presence in Southeast Asia, not only economic but also political and cultural. The current exhibition of 'Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre' at the National Museum, for example, has attracted many visitors. During PM Lee's recent visit to Paris, both sides agreed on a project to exhibit

Dr Maliki, Mr Hawazi and Mr Zainudin raised questions about our relations with the Middle East. It is becoming a new frontier for us full of opportunities although not without risk. In the last few years, our relations with countries in the Middle East have seen a sea change. High level bilateral visits have become commonplace, almost occurring every month.

We have stepped up our exchanges with all six countries of the GCC. Last month, negotiations for an FTA with the GCC were successfully concluded and this opens a new chapter in our relations with countries in the Gulf. Our companies are increasing their presence in that region and generally enjoy a good reputation. We are also working with the Middle East on third-country projects. For example, the Qatar Government partners Keppel in the development of the eco-city in Tianjin.

Egypt is an old friend with whom we continue to maintain strong political links.

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations with Libya, which I talked about last year, our relations with Tripoli have begun to flower. Mr Philip Yeo, Chairman of SPRING Singapore, was invited to be an international advisor to the Libyan EDB, which, curiously, is called EDB. Senior Minister Goh will be making an official visit to Libya this year.

Mr Zainudin asked about the progress of the Middle East Institute. It has been established, chaired by Mr Lee Tzu Yang from Shell, and an international search for a director is being conducted. We have to recognise our own lack of knowledge about the history, culture and traditions of the Arab people, and the Middle East Institute will help us fill in our knowledge gaps.

As for people-to-people links, the Arab community in Singapore can help us re-establish our connections to that region. Last May, together with members of the Arab Association, I visited the Hadramaut in South Yemen where most of the Arabs in Southeast Asia came from originally. Dr Ahmad Magad who is Chairman of Parliament's Middle East Group and himself a Hadrami was in my delegation. The Hadramis are a remarkable people who make significant contributions to local communities wherever they settle. When Raffles governed Java from 1811 to 1815 during the Napoleonic War, he saw that in all the main towns of the East Indies, there were vibrant Hadrami trading communities. Understanding the role they played in the economy, one of the first actions he took after he founded Singapore in 1819 was to encourage Hadrami traders to settle here. He persuaded Syed Omar Aljunied from

As pointed out by Ms Indranee Rajah, the issue of climate change will be on the global agenda for years to come. Following the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting in Bali last December, the nations of the world are now involved in negotiations for a post-2012 agreement to curb the emission of greenhouse gases into the earth's atmosphere. It is an agreement which must bring in all the major emitters including the US, China and India. Singapore has strong interests in these negotiations.

If the forests burn around Singapore, we will suffocate. If the sea level rises too much, we will be submerged. As a vulnerable small island state, we support international action to slow down global warming. We will work with other countries in ASEAN to promote sustainable management of forest resources and marine areas. We strongly support the Heart of Borneo project.

We must also ensure that the international agreement takes into

In a modest way, Singapore has been breaking new ground in creating a liveable city and a sustainable habitat. Many foreign delegations come here to study what we have done in keeping the city clean and green, in waste management, water recycling, traffic control, conservation of forests, wetlands and marine life, and so on. For human civilisation to endure, human communities from the bottom up have to become much more sensitised to environmental concerns and these concerns have got to be internalised in individuals. The problem cannot be solved by governments acting alone. Climate change is a huge challenge for the whole world in this century. In anticipation of all this, MFA and other government agencies are building up our

Sir, Singapore is entering an exciting new phase in our national development. The internal and external challenges we face are intimately connected. Without the world in Singapore, there is no Singapore. We are only able to uplift the lives of our people and to build a sparkling 21st century city if the external circumstances remain favourable. This means continuing peace in the region, riding on the historic transformation of Asia and having a strong network of friends in the world.

When Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee visited Singapore last June, we agreed that relations should be raised to a higher plane, beyond just economic cooperation. We have established a Joint Ministerial Committee which will meet every year. An India-Singapore Strategic Dialogue will have its inaugural session in May. We want India to take up its rightful position in our region and see it playing an important role in the East Asia Summit. Without the personal intervention of Foreign Minister Mukherjee and PM Manmohan Singh, the wonderful exhibition on Nalanda now going on at the ACM (Asian Civilisations Museum) could not have been put together. Singapore's defence links with India are also growing. An important agreement between the two air forces was signed last year, and other defence links are being explored. treasures from French museums in Singapore on a regular basis. European cultural institutes in Singapore like the Italian Cultural Institute and the German Goethe-Institute often organise film festivals and bring in theatre groups. As part of the 20th Anniversary celebration of the fall of the Berlin Wall on 9th November 2009, we will unveil a 16-foot stretch of the Wall with graffiti painting of two kings on one side at Bedok Reservoir. This powerful symbol of freedom is a long-term loan to us by an American couple, Robert and MeiLi Hefner. The German Ambassador and members of the German community in Singapore are helping us with this exciting project, among many others. The project is led by a group of young individuals from Youth Empire and has been keenly supported by local entertainers like Sheikh Haikel and Kumar. And I had a wonderful discussion with Minister Steinmeier just an hour ago at MFA about this project. I will be making an official visit to Cairo in April before attending the second AMED meeting in Sharm el Sheikh. AMED was an idea first mooted by Singapore and had its first meeting here in Singapore two years ago.Palembang to relocate to Singapore (he was searching for "foreign talent") and it was Syed Omar who gave the name to the oldest mosque in Singapore and of course to my own GRC. My host in the Hadramaut, the Deputy Governor, is a great great great grandnephew of Syed Omar. During the lunch we had in Tarim, when many of our Arab friends were in sarongs, we had sambal belacan, I met close relatives of our Mufti and Habib Hassan. It was an Alkaff in Singapore who built the first road connecting the Hadramaut to the port of Mukalla, a road which is still used today. We have always been an important node in the international Arab network and will become one again in the 21st century, and Islamic banking will be only one aspect of it. account our specific characteristics. As a sovereign city-state, we have to generate much of our own electricity which means, in our case, the burning of oil or natural gas. Other energy sources like wind, hydro, solar, geo-thermal and nuclear are either not available to us or not viable at this point in time and as a transportation hub, the many aircraft and ships which call here mean that we emit more carbon dioxide per capita than many other cities or countries. Instead of being penalised, we should receive credit because our role as an efficient hub in fact reduces total global emission. Like WTO, the control of emissions must take into account the different roles played by different economies and facilitate, not curb or distort, the efficient operation of markets. To ensure that our interests are safeguarded, we will work with countries which share characteristics similar to ours. We do not know how long it will take to negotiate a global agreement, which has to be a grand bargain. The UNFCCC hopes to conclude the agreement by the time of the Copenhagen meeting in December 2009, there being some urgency because the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol will run out at the end of 2012.knowledge and capabilities. Ambassador Chew Tai Soo has been recalled from retirement and appointed our Chief Negotiator. Prof. Jayakumar chairs an inter-ministerial committee to oversee all our efforts.

We have some time left. Any clarifications?

May I seek the following clarifications from the Minister? He mentioned that with respect to ASEAN, the way forward should be the approach for greater integration. He also mentioned, as an example, we follow the European Union where they had tribal nations that were locked in conflict. The difference though between the European Union and ASEAN is that, for Europe, a lot of unification took place under the Romans, the Pax Romana, followed then by a common religion, the Roman Catholic religion, which laid the foundation, if you like, for unification for closer integration. In ASEAN, where the countries have very different cultures, racial as well as religious backgrounds, the question is: is it possible, or does it look likely, that we will be able to achieve greater integration?

Sir, I thank Ms Indranee Rajah for her thoughtful comparison between ASEAN and the EU. She is absolutely right that Europe is built on a common value system which has its roots in Rome, Greece, and Judeo-

Christianity. So they are able to achieve a European Court to which all national courts are in the end subordinate. We do not have that same common history, and in fact ASEAN is marked by its diversity. The fact that we have such an admixture of religions and political systems, and historical connections, indicate that the founding basis of ASEAN cannot be the same as that of Europe. But we do share points of similarities. We face common challenges together and it is these challenges which are impelling us to work more closely together. For the coming years, there is still much to learn from the European experience, especially of the early Europe. Many of us in ASEAN do not see us ever becoming like the Europe of today, but we can certainly become the Europe of the Common Market, the Europe of the Economic Community.

3.30 pm

Sir, I wish to seek some clarifications from the Minister on Myanmar. Many of us feel that ASEAN has no teeth, but the Minister clearly thinks that ASEAN has a tongue. I would rather describe it as a tongue-in-cheek way of explaining how ASEAN deals with Myanmar. Because the Minister stated just now that nine other members of ASEAN issued a declaration on Myanmar at the last Summit. But what would the declaration do? Mr Ong Keng Yong, the distinguished former ASEAN Secretary-General, said that thousands of declarations had been issued by ASEAN. My question is: what concrete steps can ASEAN take to guide Myanmar on the right path?

PM Lee issued a statement last November in the presence of eight other ASEAN leaders. Two important points were made. One, that ASEAN would not be held back by Myanmar. Two, even though Myanmar did not want us to be involved in the process of national reconciliation, we

stood ready to help them when they want our help. They are members of the family and we cannot deny that. They are a strange member of the family and since they want more space, we have to give them more space. But when they decide to rejoin the rest of us, we should welcome them. That is the position that we are taking. We do not have the leverage which China has, because China has big interests in Myanmar. China is doing more than what is obvious to observers. Without China's intervention, it is unlikely that Gambari will be going back to Myanmar in early March. Without China's good offices, whether the timeline would have been announced, I do not know. But China has leverage, and also India which has a long border with Myanmar and deep historical connections with Myanmar, not forgetting that Burma was once part of the British Raj with India, and the biggest province. Both have leverage. We have little leverage. Thailand, which is ASEAN's neighbour with Myanmar, in fact depends on Myanmar's gas. So we must be completely realistic about what we can do and what we cannot do. We do not have real leverage but we do enjoy a certain moral authority. The fact that despite all our criticisms, they (Myanmar) turned up to sign on the Charter showed that we do matter to them.

Sir, I would like to ask about the Growth Triangle. The Minister mentioned that it is time to revive it. Can I ask the Minister how does he see the conditions have changed to make sure that this time it is a good try. From my understanding, previously, it had not taken off because the Indonesia-Malaysia leg is a weaker leg in the triangle. And for a long time, the parties had regarded each other as rivals rather than as partners. Can I ask the Minister whether he thinks that if the Growth Triangle is revived, it means that the three

Another question is on the ASEAN Charter. The Minister said that after the ASEAN Charter is ratified, ASEAN is in a better position to hold Myanmar to account. Can I ask the Minister what he means by that? Does it mean still issuing strong statements and then standing helplessly by, as the statements are ignored? Or does it mean that there is something that ASEAN can do, a certain consensus that can be formed within the ASEAN members to perhaps take more punitive measures towards Myanmar? Is that door open?

countries are in a better position to leverage on each other's strengths, and to have the attitude of going forward as partners? As the Minister mentioned, we now have links with other parts of the world; the Middle East is working with us, growing with us and open to Singapore. Can I ask the Minister whether he thinks that such an attitude prevails in this region? And, if not, how can we help the attitude be such that Singapore is seen as a partner and not a rival?

Mr Chairman, Sir, as I have said earlier to Dr Ong Chit Chung, we are in no position to punish Myanmar, because we have little leverage. We have some trade, some investments - and we regret having those investments - so it is not as if we supply them oil or arms or provide aid. But what we do enjoy is moral authority. I do not think the Myanmar ministers when they attend ASEAN meetings relish being interrogated by the rest of us. So there is moral pressure, and that moral pressure, I believe, does have some effect.

But going back to the Growth Triangle, for the opening dinner of our recent retreat, I took the ASEAN Foreign Ministers for a boat ride. In fact, we had the opening session on board. I wanted the Ministers to be away, leaving officials on land, so that we could be more focused. And indeed, it created a very

good atmosphere, and many issues were resolved. Before the sun set, we could see the many ships in the Singapore Straits, and I was standing and having a drink with Pak Hassan Wirajuda from Indonesia, pointing out where the Riau Islands were: Bintan, Bulan, some of the oil tanks, Karimun and so on, and Malaysia. And it dawned upon us, how close we are. Over the centuries, these have always been part of one region. So if you look at the genealogical records of, say, the Johor Sultanate, they are linked to Riau, Lingga, Siak, Rokan and Indragiri, the waterways were the highways of the past. There is a very natural, organic basis for the Growth Triangle. Yes, for the time being, there are two legs which are stronger, but eventually the third leg will also become stronger, and I believe it is the wish of both Malaysia and Indonesia to strengthen the third leg, and it is in our interest to help them do so. When I met advisor to President SBY, Dr Syahrir, a few weeks ago, he mooted revitalising the Growth Triangle to me and I said we will support it and that if President SBY were to propose it to PM Lee, I am quite sure that PM Lee would also agree to the revival of the Growth Triangle. I believe PM Abdullah Badawi would take the same position.

Sir, speaking about our relations with India, the Minister mentioned a joint ministerial committee. May I ask what would be the ambit of the joint ministerial committee, what it intends to do and what it hopes to achieve?

No problems because there are very few problems to solve, but to survey the overall landscape together and to see whether there are new opportunities that we can exploit, new areas that we can work together on. So we do not see a bilateral exchange with a fixed agenda but we see two ministers meeting regularly to exchange notes, to compare perceptions

of regional and international issues and to explore new ways of working together.

Sir, I would like to ask about ASEAN integration because the Minister has not addressed my point about how it benefits the ordinary man-in-the-street. In Singapore, the EU Commissioner has even had a roadshow in schools to explain how EU benefits the Europeans and the world at large. I wonder whether we have done enough in ASEAN to educate Singaporeans and the people in the region how ASEAN integration is to their benefit. Because when I go around the region and talk to some MPs, the fear is that ASEAN integration may mean more jobs lost, less space to grow, when, in fact, it is the converse. I wonder whether the Minister has any plans to reach out to the public in a greater way to explain the benefits of ASEAN.

I apologise to Ms Irene Ng for not answering her question specifically earlier on. In fact, many things are being done by different ministries to build ASEAN into our common agenda. NGOs, think tanks, schools, and universities are all pursuing parallel efforts. The sense of ASEAN citizenship will take time to develop, what we want is little by little every year, a growing feeling that we are Southeast Asians. Last year, I had occasion to sit next to the Permanent Secretary of the British FCO. He was quite frank when he told me that even though he was actively involved in building Europe, he felt less European than his son; and that is what we should try to achieve - that our children will feel more, a greater sense of being ASEAN citizens than we feel. Up to now, it is more an elite construction, top-down; but we must increasingly grow it from the bottom-up. And as we confront problems together, sometimes opportunities arise in strange ways.

When the Israelis invaded southern Lebanon, a few Singaporeans were

stranded in Beirut. At that time, southern Beirut was being heavily bombed, so we scrambled to evacuate them, got hold of the Americans, the Europeans and others. Later on, when ASEAN Ministers met, we compared notes, because all of us had citizens who were stranded in Beirut. Indonesia and Philippines had large numbers. So we said, "Why don't we have a system to help each other? In the event that a country has no consular facility in that country, you can always go to another ASEAN Mission." Following that discussion, in fact, we crafted an agreement, and today that facility is open to all citizens of ASEAN. So if you are a Singaporean and you are in a tight spot in a country where there is no Singapore consulate, go to the nearest ASEAN consulate and they will help you. I cannot guarantee the quality of service, but it is an agreement and if the service is not very good, then let me know and I will raise it again and bit by bit, we can become better as a group. But it is with opportunities like this that the sense of collective interest would grow.

Sir, I thank the Minister for his answers and clarifications. I just have one issue in relation to Dr Ong's point about the Charter having teeth. I was just wondering whether the Minister had a sense from other Foreign Ministers that if a member country of ASEAN came to a point where they did not recognise or did not comply with the obligations under the Charter, would ASEAN go to the extent of either suspending or expelling a country?

Mr Chairman, Sir, we do not talk about such a possibility openly, but I am quite sure that Ministers and officials do consider this possibility in their own internal considerations. But let us push that hypothetical possibility, say, we expel

Myanmar from ASEAN, rid ourselves of a problem. What happens? Myanmar is the buffer state between China and India. China has vast interests in Myanmar; India has vast interests in Myanmar. If it is not a member of ASEAN, both sides will have to create options for themselves in that country. And if there is internal discord, in self-defence, each will have to interfere to protect its own self-interests. So if China and India are dragged in, I think the Americans, the Japanese and the others will also be alarmed. In the end, Myanmar can become an arena for big power conflicts. At that point in time, our own interests will be dragged in too. So it would be better that we pinch our noses, and bear with the problem, and keep Myanmar within the ASEAN stable, than to come to the conclusion that jumping out from the frying pan will land us in a cooler situation.

Any more questions? We still have time. If there is none, Ms Indranee, would you like to withdraw the amendment?

Sir, may I thank the Minister for his comprehensive and patient replies. In the light of his replies, I beg leave to withdraw the amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $345,743,600 for Head N ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $62,320,000 for Head N ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head T - Ministry of National Development. Amendment No. (1). Mr Chong and Dr Faishal are not here. Mr Khew, could you move the amendment, please?

Sustainable Development

Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum to be allocated for Head T of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, I applaud Minister Mah, MND, and many of his agencies in promoting, adopting and legislating sustainable initiatives - for example, making the Green Mark compulsory for all new buildings effective April 2008, planning and building an eco-precinct in Punggol, building an eco-friendly Gardens by the Bay, etc. I, however, feel that much needs to be done to make Singapore into an eco-city with sustainable development as its master plan. I would like to ask the Minister in his deliberations as co-Chair to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development whether he will consider including the following into his Sustainable Development Master Plan:

Solar PV panel installation in centres for developers to install rooftop or BIPV panels on buildings to promote the pervasive use of these panels to reinforce Singapore's position as a clean energy hub;

Make it mandatory that all common area lighting in HDB precincts be changed to LEDs. This will reduce substantially Singapore's use of energy;

Make it mandatory for all commercial buildings to achieve at least a pass green mark within five years and provide incentives for those who achieve gold or better; and

Establish landscaping and greening standards for developing sustainable landscapes and rooftops in Singapore. This will help lower temperatures throughout Singapore.

Development Plans for Marina Bay

Sir, the Marina Bay area will be the most vibrant and exciting live-work-play destination in Singapore or even in the region. Over the past few years, more than $9 billion worth of private investments have been put in at the Marina Bay area. Besides the new office places, like the BFC, which will come onstream from 2011 onwards, we will soon be seeing an integrated resort, high-end apartments, Gardens by the Bay, Marina Barrage, the rejuvenation of Collyer Quay and many other projects. This is in addition to the completed iconic Singapore Flyer, Esplanade and Fullerton Merlion Pier. This is an exciting prospect. It has been estimated that 50,000 people will be living and working in that vicinity.

The Finance Minister has mentioned in his Budget Statement that there will be further developments at the Marina Bay in the next few years, and it will eventually double the size of our existing financial district. Would the Minister give an update on the development plans for Marina Bay, including the infrastructure to support upcoming and future developments? Beyond 2011, what is the Ministry's projection on the demand for office space at the Marina area? Will we have an over-supply situation of office and commercial spaces come 2011 and beyond? Also, what are MND's plans, if any, for the current Central Business Districts, like Raffles Place and Shenton Way, when the centre of gravity for the financial district is shifted to the Marina Bay?

Sir, allow me also to declare my interest that I do work in Shenton Way.

Land Use Planning

(In Mandarin): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*.] Sir, Singapore is a tiny country with limited land. In the process of urban planning, the MND should

In Hong Kong and Japan, many offices and commercial centres are built near the MRT stations, making full use of the land and optimising its economic values, while providing convenience to the people who commute by MRT to and from the office. In this way, precious time is saved and productivity is enhanced. The Toa Payoh HDB Hub is a very good example.

I suggest that the MND consider using some of the land or sites near Newton Circus, Jurong East, Clementi and Hougang for building offices near the MRT stations to attain optimal land use. This would also help to divert some vehicular and human traffic to the suburban areas, alleviate the congestion in the city area and, at the same time, provide one-stop service for Singaporeans who go to work by MRT. This will encourage people to use public transport.

engage other relevant authorities and work closely with them so as to obtain optimum land use. The Finance Minister has also made special emphasis on the shortage of office space in Singapore. However, I have discovered that many sites near MRT stations which are suitable for offices are not fully utilised or developed. *Cols. 1345-1346.

Retirement Villages

Sir, with the rapidly ageing population, better technology and healthcare, there will be many more seniors amongst us in the coming years. More of these people will continue to be active and contributing to society. Many would like to remain independent and have accommodation of their own. We are already seeing this group coming forward to get rental flats and studio apartments. Rental flat application, however, requires strict criteria to be adhered to.

I would like to enquire on the feasibility of setting up a kind of a retirement village or seniors' complex concept in Singapore. This will be a housing development specifically catered for the elderly to meet their needs. It is for supported independent living, which I feel is a good concept for HDB to explore. It would comprise of living units, facilities and, of course, have the relevant ethnic quota of integration. There can be economy of sharing costs, benefit of companionship and interaction and activities to keep the ageing minds stimulated. And, of course, we certainly will not just have old folks there but we will have people ranging from the age of 60 up to the end of their lives.

User-friendly Environment

Sir, the other day I took a drive along Orchard Road and saw that new developments such as ION Orchard, Somerset Central and Orchard Central are progressing well. This led me to think about the future road traffic along Orchard Road and the role that public transportation has to play to manage the increased visitors and shoppers. It is already the most visited attraction in Singapore, attracting more than seven million visitors each year while thousands of local residents visit the areas for leisure or work each day. One of the critical success factors of Orchard Road is to make it even more pedestrian friendly and easy to access.

In the initial master plan, I recall the proposal to have a comprehensive, integrated and seamless pedestrian walk network, including covered and open walk-ways, underground links as well as second-storey links between buildings. This will certainly facilitate inter-mall traffic without the use of passenger vehicles and, therefore, reducing the number of cars plying Orchard Road.

In March 2004, a cash grant incentive was also introduced to help with the construction costs to create more underground links between selected buildings in Orchard Road. I would just like to know how successful is this incentive towards further development of user-friendly and convenience for users and visitors. Sir, I would also like to know whether the Ministry of National Development is keeping track of the number of connectivities that are planned or in place and whether it is sufficient to cater for the future needs and uses. Is the cash grant incentive still available and is it sufficient? Could we consider other incentives, for example, tax relief on cost of construction of these connectivities?

Sir, I have seen some experiences in Hong Kong and Canada, and I would like to see such underground development where we connect buildings, such as a massive project, and there are F&B connectivity and it is very convenient for the people. Can we envision that to happen in Singapore?

Greening of Singapore

Sir, a plot of land in the new downtown Marina is worth billions. Even a plot of land for a hospital in Novena fetched over $1.2 billion recently. So, what is the worth of a garden or green space? Probably priceless.

We pride ourselves as a city garden, a garden in a city. The green living environment and green spaces in our urban landscape provide a good balance and form a vital part of our general well-being. With land prices escalating, some of these green spaces are fast disappearing, especially along our Orchard Road belt, giving way to new commercial and residential developments.

The Government should actively enhance our living environment and working space with more green spaces so

We should allocate and preserve land just for more green spaces and we should actually actively do it especially in our quest towards a 6.5 million population in the future. I would like to ask the MND what percentages of the land in our HDB residential estates, CBD area and industrial estates are earmarked for green spaces and garden, and how these are preserved.

While MND builds gardens and green spaces, the Ministry should ensure and facilitate the accessibility of these green spaces to the people. The park connectors project is a wonderful idea, for just doing that. I had the chance of jogging at a few of these park connectors but my encounter was that many of these park connectors led to nowhere. I hope that the MND could quickly facilitate the park connectors project and increase the pace so that at least it leads to a park at the end of the day.

In addition, I would like MND to facilitate residents' involvement in our greening effort. What measures is the National Parks Board doing now to promote more community garden projects and what has happened to our rooftop greening projects amongst HDB estates, especially the HDB carpark areas?

as to provide a conducive environment not only for Singaporeans but also for all who come to visit, work or play.

Green and Conservation

Sir, thank you for allowing me to speak on this matter. It is a matter which I spoke on in my last budget speech one year ago, but the situation does not seem to have changed much. Hence, I would like to speak on it again this year. It is about being a Green Singapore with a strong heritage for Singaporeans to cherish. Sir, I made five suggestions last

My first point is about recycling bins. There are 1,600 sets of recycling bins within HDB estates. According to NEA, residents need not walk more than 150 metres from their homes to use the bins. It is commendable that the authorities have taken the effort to promote recycling. While it is good to cover our HDB estates with recycling bins, the success of the scheme depends on its implementation and all of us know that the devil is actually in the details. I have observed that some of these bins are often stuffed with rubbish and not cleared regularly and a few are more eye sores than recycling bins.

As recycling may still be a new concept to some Singaporeans, there is, therefore, a need to step up our public education on the greater and proper use of the recycling bins. In addition, we should have a systematic and nation-wide certification and tracking of these bins, as well as an evaluation of the economic worth of the recycled products.

I hope the authorities could consider these benchmarks which would give us a clear idea of the true extent of our recycling efforts.

My second point is about protecting old and mature trees. I know that NParks has a team of tree doctors actively caring and protecting old trees, but I still think that sometimes we take our trees too lightly. Take the example of this tree called Albizia in South Buona Vista Road. Sixty-three Albizia trees in that area have been earmarked to be cut down after one such tree at the Bukit Batok Nature Park toppled and killed one passerby. Here, I

My third point is on keeping old and functional buildings. Sir, I am glad that the en bloc fever has cooled down somewhat. But I join the chorus of architects and concerned citizens about the way and pace in which Singapore is changing. In our urge to modernise, I fear that we might be inadvertently tearing down some things that we collectively hold dear.

year which may be too many for the authorities to follow up. So, I shall cut it down to three this year and hope that they will catch on.would like to express my full sympathy to the family of the victim for this very unfortunate incident. After the incident, the authorities had initially decided that 63 Albizia trees in South Buona Vista Road were to be chopped down but, thanks to the efforts of residents there, only 13 of them which were found to pose real safety risk will now go. It is great that the Singapore Land Authority and the NParks are flexible and taking public feedback into account. So learning from this episode, I would urge that our authorities not to take the quick and easy way of felling trees without exploring and exhausting all the other options.

I hope the authorities could put some sort of administrative brake to the pace and way in which old buildings and familiar landmarks have been torn down.

4.00 pm

Sir, I know that it is difficult to regulate private condominiums and private houses. But the Government could try and save as many of its own old buildings as feasible - even its HDB flats - for example, the old walk-up and terrace houses along the MRT track near Commonwealth MRT Station, the black and white bungalows, the old Ministry buildings, etc.

Sir, I am not a sentimental man, and I know that there are good and practical reasons for turning to new buildings. However, we need to be mindful in our urban development and not to create a city with nice tall buildings but shallow heritage.

Sir, just to prove that I am not a sentimental man, I am going to ask for the costs and benefits analysis. Since the National Library has been torn down, have we done any analysis on the benefits accrued from pulling down this historical building which many Singaporeans have grown up with? If so, can the authorities share this analysis with us?

Sir, the image that sums all this up for me is the National Stadium. This is another national icon that will be gone. This national icon holds lasting memories for many Singaporeans. Like the National Library and National Theatre, National Stadium can only live in our memories when it is gone. A country does not progress on the back of skyscrapers and modern glass buildings. It does so on the collective memories and patriotism of its people and the heritage, that all of us will remember our past and have a shared goal of building on and preserving the many familiar faces and places of this common space which we call Home.

Mr Charles Chong is not here. Mr Ong Ah Heng.

Housing of Foreign Workers

(In Mandarin ): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] Sir, last year, our economy performed very well. Although this year, there may be some uncertainties, such as the declining US economy, our construction industry and service industry will continue to do well. A lot of manpower will be needed, and we may still have to depend on foreign workers. According to the report in the newspaper, even the coffee shops need to employ foreign workers to be the chefs and coffee shop assistants. I am wondering if the Government would build more dormitories for these foreign workers to stay in.

Sir, if more and more HDB flats are having more than 30 people living in each unit, would the safety and ambience of the neighbourhood be affected? Would it not threaten the safety of the people, particularly the women folk, when they come back home from work in the night?

I would like to ask the Minister how long it would take before more dormitories can be built to accommodate the ever-increasing number of foreign workers. At the same time, could there be more coordination between the HDB and MOM to find out how many foreign workers would be allowed to come in each year, so that the HDB would have enough time to build enough dormitories for these foreign workers?

In Ang Mo Kio where I live, a 4-room HDB flat can be rented out for as much as $1,900 per month and we can see some posters hanging on the lamp posts advertising for flats to let at between $1,700 and $2,000 per month. I asked the people how these flats can fetch such a high rental. They said, "Oh, easy, you just rent it to the labour contractors." The contractors will tell the owner that they are accommodating three workers there. Next day, five workers will be staying there. If the landlord does not go there to check, the contractor will put in seven workers, and eventually about 30 workers will be put into one flat. *Cols. 1347-1348.

Sir, 2007 was indeed a very good year. We had strong economic growth, with employment at a record high. Singapore captured global attention as we continued to transform ourselves into a cosmopolitan, vibrant and distinctive city. In fact, last month, we were listed among the top 20 global vibrant cities for the first time in the 2008 Hub Culture Zeitgeist Cities Ranking. I did not know the meaning of the word "Zeitgeist". So I looked it up in Wikipedia.

As many Members have pointed out, there are also many challenges because with success, come new challenges. With economic growth, cost pressures have gone up. Many Members have raised issues in the Budget debate and now about rising office rentals, housing prices, etc, and I will deal with these in detail. But I just want to say that even as we address immediate cost concerns, let us not lose sight of our longer-term development objective and focus. Our success today did not come by chance, but through persistent efforts over many years to remake Singapore into a distinctive global city. We have to continue to keep this long-term view and position our city well in the global competition for jobs, investments and talents.

Let me start with the longer-term development goals. The current cost challenges that we face are reflective of the pressures on our limited resources as our economy and population grow. Last year, the exuberance in the property market and the construction boom caused construction costs to spike up. And as a small economy, the worldwide increase in energy and food prices - we read yesterday that wheat prices have gone up 25%, just in one day alone - would have a direct immediate impact on us. And as

Therefore, sustainable development must continue to be the key priority of the Government. The Government recently formed an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Sustainable Development, or IMCSD, to review policies and chart new strategies for Singapore's future development. The Committee is co-chaired by Minister Yaacob and myself and also includes members from the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Transport. And this Committee will work closely with the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change which is chaired by Prof. Jayakumar. This is a strong signal of the commitment of Government to ensure that the growth we strive for is not at the expense of our quality of life.

Many MPs have spoken on this issue of sustainable development during the Budget debate. Let me take this opportunity to articulate our philosophy and approach to sustainable development.

The term "sustainable development" came into vogue after a very important Commission introduced its report. This was the Brundtland Commission. And they published the report in 1987 called "Our Common Future", and this term was in that Report. Although the term had been used earlier, it was after this Report was published that the term "sustainable development" came into the vocabulary. But when Singapore became independent in 1965, this phrase was not in the vocabulary. We had not heard of this phrase. But we adopted sustainable development principles right from the beginning, and we consistently practised these principles in the last 40 years of our development. Not by choice, but by necessity, because we are a city state with scarce resources and with no hinterland. We evolved our own "Singapore Way" of sustainable develop

This Singapore Way is, first and foremost, about a good system of governance. Our sustainable development approach is founded on long-term comprehensive planning, and supported by a set of key policies and best practices and breakthrough innovations in technology. Few cities in the world have an integrated planning framework like ours, where technical agencies, across Ministries, come together to plan the land use and infrastructure needs of our development over a long-term horizon, over a few decades. This allows us to judiciously maximise every bit of our land resources. We have pioneered traffic demand management measures like the Vehicle Quota System and the Electronic Road Pricing system. We have planned self-sufficient townships to reduce the need to commute. We have achieved breakthroughs in waste and water management and developed NEWater to enhance our water security.

It is a total system approach that includes both software and hardware. In our own unique and holistic way, we have been able to achieve a liveable environment in the context of an economically vibrant, highly urbanised and densely populated city.

The Singapore Way is also a highly pragmatic approach to development, or "pragmatic environmentalism". We seek the most viable and cost-effective methods of achieving environmental sustainability outcomes. We focus on measures that are practical, effective and will make impactful contributions to environmental sustainability. Going forward, we will continue to experiment and make investment decisions in green technology, taking into account economic viability and effectiveness.