DEPARTMENTAL TITLES (ALTERATION) ORDINANCE (Amendment to Schedule)

2.43 p.m.

The Acting Chief Secretary (Mr R. C. Hoffman): Mr Speaker, Sir, before I formally move the motion standing in my name, may I seek your indulgence and guidance as to whether it would be proper, in view of the length of the Schedule attached to the motion, that I refer the House to the Schedule as contained in the terms of the Order Paper at pages 139 and 140?

Mr Speaker: If the Schedule is correctly reproduced, Mr Chief Secretary, you may do so.

Mr Hoffman: It is, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Mr Hoffman: Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move the motion standing in my name,

That this Assembly, pursuant to section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Ordinance (Chapter 55), resolves that the Schedule to the said Ordinance be amended by the deletion under the headings of "Old Title or Name of Office" and "New Title or Name of Office" respectively of the items shown in Part I of the following Schedule, and by the addition under the headings of "Old Title or Name of Office" and "New Title or Name of Office" respectively of the items shown in Part 11 of the following Schedule, the Schedule being in the terms as shown on pages 139 and 140* of the Order Paper.

*Following is the Schedule- The Schedule Part I and II(Cols 2772-2774)

Sir, this is rather a formidable sounding motion, but it is really a formality. Since the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Ordinance was enacted in 1950, it has from time to time been necessary to bring the Schedule included in it up to date, so that the powers and duties of the authorities named in legislation, contracts and such like documents, but which authorities have been abolished or renamed in the course of reorganisation, can be statutorily vested in authorities now existing.

The sole purpose of the motion, therefore, is that officers may be able to fulfil their statutory requirements under their correct titles. Sir, I beg to move.

Mr Chew Swee Kee: I second it.

Question proposed.

2.47 p.m.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: A rose by any other name -! Sir, I see in Part 11 of the Schedule that three roses, by three highfaluting names, have been bracketed into one orchid with two petals to its name, and I do not quite understand it. It says there in Part II - Secretary for Internal Affairs, Secretary for Chinese Affairs (presumably that means Chinese affairs pertaining to Malaya or Singapore) and Principal Assistant Secretary, Internal Security. The three officers are to be bracketed and be known as Secretary for Home and External Affairs. I have always believed that we are not in charge of our destiny in external affairs. I would like to know how three minuses makes one minus and one plus.

Mr Hoffman rose -

Mr Speaker: In reply, Mr Chief Secretary?

Mr Hoffman: Mr Speaker, Sir, the point, I take it, is that the hon. Member wishes to know why external affairs is still in the portfolio of the Chief Secretary?

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: As I understand the Chief Secretary, all we are doing is juggling with words and titles. Now there are three officers-

(1) Secretary for Internal Affairs;

(2) Secretary for Chinese Affairs (also concerned with internal affairs); and

(3) Principal Assistant Secretary, Internal Security (also internal affairs). How are these three officers, who have been bracketed into one officer, going to look after home and external affairs? Is there a change in the nature or the jurisdiction of the office, or is this only a change in name? If it were a change only in name, could we have an explanation of how "external" comes into it?

Mr Hoffman: Mr Speaker, Sir, this is essentially a change in name. The duties are still within the portfolio of the Chief Secretary and external affairs remain, as heretofore, within his jurisdiction.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: Further elucidation, Sir. Did any of these three officers have jurisdiction in external affairs as distinct from the Chief Secretary? There are three officers, designated by three high-sounding titles - Secretary for Internal Affairs, Secretary for Chinese Affairs, and Principal Assistant Secretary, Internal Security. Did they have anything to do with external affairs? If not, how does external affairs become combined in one?

Mr Hoffman: Mr Speaker, Sir, the duties coming under external affairs were always performed in the Ministry of the Chief Secretary and will continue to be so. The change merely means that these duties will now be performed by the Secretary for Home and External Affairs rather than by any other officer of the Ministry.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: My last point of elucidation, Sir. May I put it as simply and as plainly as possible? Did any of these three officers who are being abolished have anything to do with external affairs before?

Mr Hoffman: It is correct to say that the Secretary for Internal Affairs formerly performed duties which can be described as external affairs in the sense that the officers serving under him carried out duties in regard to external affairs, and the present title reflects far better than those before the duties now performed by the Secretary for Home and External Affairs.

Mr Lee Kuan Yew: The rose was not properly called!

Question put, and agreed to. Resolved,

That this Assembly, pursuant to section 3 of the Departmental Titles (Alteration) Ordinance (Chapter 55), resolves that the Schedule to the said Ordinance be amended by the deletion under the headings of "Old Title or Name of Office" and "New Title or Name of Office" respectively of the items shown in Part I of the following Schedule, and by the addition under the headings of "Old Title or Name of Office" and "New Title or Name of Office" respectively of the items shown in Part II of the following Schedule:- The Schedule Part I and II(Cols 2778-2778) The Schedule Part II-continued(Cols 2779-2779)