SINGAPORE YOUTH SPORTS CENTRE INCORPORATION BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

The Minister for Labour and Welfare (Mr Lim Yew Hock): Mr Speaker, Sir,I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Sir, I think that everyone in this House will remember that, just before his departure for India, the Rt. Hon. Malcolm MacDonald, with a generous donation of $5,000, opened a fund for a very practical and yet imaginative purpose. That purpose, Sir, was to establish a Singapore Youth Sports Centre where young people of every race and creed could meet together for sport and friendship. In suggesting the establishment of the Sports Centre, Mr MacDonald pointed out that Malayans were already distinguishing themselves in many fields of sport and athletics and that some of their names were known throughout the world. Mr MacDonald went on to say:

"If our school children can have expert training in many such activities, their standards of attainment will be high. I think of the youth centre as a place where capable instructors in various branches of sport would train boys and girls to be healthy in body and therefore also in mind."

Three days after Mr MacDonald had made his donation, an Appeal Committee was set up to manage the fund and the public were invited to subscribe to it. The Singapore public has responded magnificently to the appeal for funds and the total collected now amounts to approximately $300,000. The City Council has undertaken to donate 50 cents for every dollar subscribed by the public up to a maximum of $150,000. The Government, Sir, for its part, has donated the Kallang Terminal Building together with 13 acres of land to the centre. The total value of the building and land is estimated to be $2,500,000.

Sir, after consultation with the Appeal Committee, it was decided that the setting-up of a statutory board would be the most efficient and suitable way of managing the fund and organising the centre. The Bill before this House today is designed to effect this. It provides the machinery for the establishment, construction, conduct and maintenance of the Singapore Youth Sports Centre.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I do not propose to describe the Bill clause by clause as this has already been done very fully in the Explanatory Note attached to the Bill. But before I conclude, Sir, I should like to pay tribute to the hard work done by the Appeal Committee. It is their enthusiasm and zeal which have done so much to make possible the establishment of the centre. Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Mr Lim Choon Mong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the objects of this Bill are commendable. It is one way whereby the youth of Singapore may be brought together on the same sports field so that they can mix with one another freely and be able to understand one another more thoroughly; but looking through this Bill, I find there are many defects.

As one of the youth leaders in Singapore, the first time that I knew of the existence of this Bill was when it was brought up for First Reading. The second time that I knew about the Bill was when it was sent to me by the Assembly. I bring this point to the notice of the Assembly, Sir, because, since this Bill is to be called the Singapore Youth Sports Centre Incorporation Bill, the accent on it should be youth; and if the youth organisations of Singapore are not fully consulted, then I say that those who have framed this Bill have overlooked the necessity of bringing all youth organisations into their confidence and getting the best ideas from them so that there might be better cooperation later on. You might have a good centre providing all facilities for the youth of Singapore, but unless there is going to be cooperation from all sides, it might turn out to be a white elephant.

The amount of money that is going to be expended on this Youth Sports Centre is in the region of half a million dollars up to date, and it will be a pity if this centre is going to cater for the needs of only those who live around it.

I look at clause 3 (4) of the Bill and I find that the Board of Management shall consist of two members nominated by the City Council; two by the Minister for Education; two by the Minister for Labour and Welfare; one member nominated by the Financial Secretary; one member by the Singapore Chamber of Commerce, one member by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce; one member by the Indian Chamber of Commerce; and one member by the Malay Chamber of Commerce. Only under paragraph (e) can I find two members nominated by the Singapore Youth Council. If this is going to be an institution for the benefit of youth, then we must have people who understand youth. We must have people who have worked for youth and know the needs of youth; but instead of that, I find that we have on the Board more people who are interested either in their own business or just interested in making more money. That is going to be a very serious setback. The youth leaders of today are not young people under the age of 16 or 21. In fact, most of them are well over their 30's.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew (Tanjong Pagar): Like the World Assembly of Youth?

Mr Lim Choon Mong: Yes, and they are people who are capable of managing their own affairs. If it is to be an institution for the youth of Singapore, then youth leaders must be brought into this Board to manage their own affairs, to voice their opinions, and to plan programmes that will be acceptable to the young people of Singapore. If clause 3 (4) is allowed to stand, we will have a large number of old people trying to manage the affairs of the young. Old people sometimes may be good in the sense that they may have some influence and they can rake in the money that is required for setting up this sports centre: but apart from that, I do not think they understand the needs of the young people thoroughly. Probably nomination on to this Board will just add a feather to their cap, but apart from that, their contributions towards the promotion of the activities of this youth centre will not be as they should be, nor will the progress made be so. I suggest there must be amendments to this clause to allow for greater participation by recognised youth leaders of Singapore.

On the point about training and ordinary activities, I think if the Youth Sports Centre is going to cater for ordinary sports, it will not achieve that object. In fact, there are so many people living so far away from the sports centre that it may not be possible or convenient for them to come down to the centre to take part in its activities. If that is one of the objects of the youth centre, then I consider that it will probably degenerate into one of the many other youth organisations, instead of one that is above all this.

There is also the fear of many youth organisations that, with the facilities afforded by this Youth Sports Centre, it will be very damaging to them because they may not have that much of facilities to offer to their members.

On the matter of training, we cannot train all people in Singapore. There is only a limited number of coaches and if promising young men queue up for training, in all probability they will be served on two or three occasions in a year's time.

I believe that if this Bill is going to be for the good of the young people of Singapore, youth movements must be consulted, and I would recommend that the Bill be committed to a Select Committee so that more views may be collected from people interested in youth work and not interested in just making money. Further, if those youth leaders who have shown themselves to be responsible and capable are given this work, I believe they will do the job much better than a few of the people who have been nominated to the Board. I hope that the Government will give this Bill serious consideration and put it into the hands of a Select Committee of this House.

Mr Lim Yew Hock rose -

Mr Speaker: In reply?

Mr Lim Yew Hock: Yes, Sir. Mr Speaker, I see that the Member for Serangoon agrees with me that it is most essential that the surplus energies of the youth of Singapore should be channeled into a sports centre whereby they can be trained to be healthy in mind and healthy in body. One of the points that he has raised objection to is the constitution of the Board. He pointed out that not enough representation had been given to youth leaders. He also said that the youth organisations of Singapore had not been consulted when this Bill was drafted. it is quite true, Sir, that they have not been consulted, and in view of this, the Government is prepared to refer this Bill to a Select Committee so that all views can be represented and we can then have a sports centre that is going to work for the welfare of the youth of Singapore.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time.