MILK PLANT OFFER BY AUSTRALIA (White Paper)

Mr D. S. Marshall asked the Minister for Commerce and Industry whether he will present to the House a White Paper on the Milk Plant offer by Australia to Singapore under the Colombo Plan.

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: No, Sir. I do not consider the publication of a White Paper will serve any useful purpose since I have already issued a Press statement setting out the reasons why the Government has had to refuse the kind offer of the Australian Government.

Mr Marshall: Is the Minister aware, Sir, that the people are deeply angered by his taking the food out of the mouths of babies and putting it into the mouths of pigs, and why cannot this House be entrusted with an examination in detail of the accounts which he says render the acceptance of the gift uneconomical?

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am not aware that the people are deeply angered by my taking the food out of their mouths. I have not received any petition signed by the people of Singapore. If the Member for Cairnhill can claim to represent some people of Singapore, we on this side of the House can claim to represent probably 14 or 15 times more.

As I have already stated, Sir, I have in a Press statement given all the reasons why we have had to refuse this offer by the Australian Government. A White Paper would only serve to bring to light the haste in which the offer was accepted in the first instance without proper reference to experts and to finding out the implications and financial involvement that would be brought about.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Is the Minister aware that the people of Singapore are greatly relieved that Australian dried milk producers are not going to make money out of Singapore by selling dried milk to that milk plant?

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Mr Speaker, Sir, I am aware that the people of Singapore are greatly relieved because they are not going to be burdened with a $2 million recurrent expenditure a year. I am however not aware of the reasons given by the hon. Member.

Mr Marshall: is the Minister aware, Sir, or will he inform the House whether it is true that a commercial concern retailing milk in Singapore has been fighting the acceptance of this gift? And will he tell us why, since this gift was accepted under the Colombo Plan and a statement made in respect thereof in this Assembly, he is ashamed to produce a White Paper for the scrutiny of this House?

Mr J. M. Jumabhoy: Sir, I am not ashamed to produce a White Paper. I do not consider it necessary to produce a White Paper. When the offer was accepted, the hon. Member, who was then the Minister for Commerce and Industry and the Chief Minister, did not put up a White Paper to this House at that time. This is a gift. The acceptance of the gift does not warrant the publication of a White Paper, and the refusal also does not, in my opinion, warrant the publication of a White Paper.

As to the first part of his question - that a commercial firm has been fighting for us not to accept this gift - I am not aware of that fact, and I deny that there has been any pressure brought to bear on Government by any commercial firm or private enterprise to reject this offer. The offer has been refused purely on financial grounds. I do not consider that it is fair, when we have such heavy and urgent demands on our finances, to commit public revenue to the extent of a couple of million dollars per year on a project which I think will not have much demand. The milk which this scheme will turn out will not find much demand in Singapore.

10.23 a.m.