INDIAN IMMIGRATION FUND (WINDING UP) BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

11.15 a.m.

The Minister for Labour and Welfare (Dr Lim Yew Hock): Mr Speaker, Sir, I have His Excellency's consent to proceed with this Bill.

As explained in the statement at the end of this Bill, this is primarily a measure to wind up the Indian Immigration Fund and, by virtue of the Indian Government's action terminating the emigration of unskilled workers from India to Malaya, it is unnecessary to continue with the maintenance of this Fund. The Government of the Federation of Malaya has recently enacted a similar Ordinance and it has been agreed that the assets of the Fund should be disposed of in the ratio of 13 to 1. The Singapore share is therefore one-fourteenth of the assets, and this is based on the number of labourers in each territory on whom assessment had been paid to the Fund at the last operative date.

Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

Question proposed.

11.17 a.m.

The Assistant Minister to the Chief Secretary (Mr M. P. D. Nair): Sir, since the publication of this Bill, quite a considerable number of South Indian workers who live in my constituency have held a meeting to discuss clause 4 of the Bill. The meeting recommended that the Government should set up a Board the members of which should include representatives of South Indian labour organisations. Several suggestions to utilise the Fund in the interests of South Indian labour were put forward at this meeting. They were:

(1) A contribution to existing South Indian schools and the establishment of a Tamil secondary school.

(2) The Government should offer the necessary land to establish a home for the aged and destitute Indian labourers.

(3) Some of the money to be used for the repatriation of the aged and destitute who prefer to go back to India.

(4) The Board should be empowered to establish a South Indian co-operative society, to build homes for sale, the establishment and maintenance of dairy farms, etc., and the profits derived from this enterprise to be utilised for welfare work.

They also suggested that the Board should also be empowered to raise more funds through other legitimate means, like concerts and shows, etc.

Sir, I do hope that the Minister will give consideration to the suggestions made by my constituents and that the South Indian labour organisations will be consulted on the future administration of the Fund.

11.19 a.m.

Mr R. Jumabhoy (Telok Ayer): Mr Speaker, Sir, this matter has come before the previous Councils. This money which has been collected and kept as a fund was for the welfare of the labourers. These labourers have contributed a great deal in establishing the Malaya - especially its rubber plantations - of today. Since this Fund belongs to the Labourers, the money in it should be devoted to their welfare and spent on their repatriation. No assurance has, however, been given by the Government in this respect. Clause 4 reads in part:

"...in such manner as the Governor shall direct."

Sir, I wish to stress again that this Fund belongs to these people and should be spent on their welfare only.

Another question which I would like to ask is: As this Fund is to be divided in the ratio of 13 to 1, what is the amount Singapore is going to get?

11.20 a.m.

Mr Speaker: Dr Lim, in reply?

Dr Lim Yew Hock: Yes, Sir. Mr Speaker, Sir, in the administration of this Fund, my Ministry will take full note of the views expressed by the hon. Member for Seletar.

The assets that will come to this Fund will be disposed of for the benefit of Indian labourers and for nobody else. The amount involved is in the region of half a million dollars.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole Assembly.

Assembly immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. [Dr Lim Yew Hock.]

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr SPEAKER in the Chair]

11.22 a.m.

Clauses 1 to 3 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 4-

Question proposed, "That clause 4 stand part of the Bill."

Mr R. Jumabhoy: Sir, I will read part of clause 4:

"...balance of the assets of the Fund remaining after payment..."

As I said during the Second Reading of the Bill, Sir, this matter has been brought up before the previous Councils. An attempt was made to mix up this Fund with the Silver Jubilee Fund or some other Fund. My suggestion is that, whatever our share of the money will be, as the money is for a specific purpose, it should be deposited as a separate fund for a special purpose and should not be mixed up with any other welfare fund.

Dr Lim Yew Hock: Sir, I am again indeed surprised that the hon. Member for Telok Ayer is still so dense in spite of the explanation that I have given during the Second Reading-

The Chairman: Order. I think I must rule out the word "dense".

Dr Lim Yew Hock: I am sorry, Sir. I withdraw the word. Sir, the hon. Member is so thick-headed as to ignore the explanation that has been given-

The Chairman: Order. I suppose this sitting is full of surprises, but I did not think the Chief Minister would be guilty of these surprises. "Thick-headed" is equally as unparliamentary as "dense".

Dr Lim Yew Hock: I withdraw the word "thick-headed", Sir, I am afraid the hon. Member for Telok Ayer has great difficulty in understanding simple English when I said that the Fund will be administered for the benefit of the labourers concerned.

Mr R. Jumabhoy: Sir, English is not my mother tongue. It may be the Chief Minister's, I do not know, but I cannot understand why the Chief Minister this morning is so irritable.

The Chairman: Order. Now we are debating tempers. We are still on clause 4 of the Bill. If the hon. Member wishes to say anything further on this clause, he may do so, but anything else I think is irrelevant.

Mr R. Jumabhoy: That is what I am coming to, Sir. I was making a passing reference to his remark. As I said, Sir, this money belongs to specific people. I also said that this matter has been brought up before the previous Councils, and that an attempt was made to mix up this Fund with the Silver Jubilee Fund. What I wish to say now is this - that this Fund should not be mixed up with any other Fund. I cannot understand why the Chief Minister cannot understand.

Dr Lim Yew Hock: Mr Speaker, Sir, this Bill has never come before any previous Councils. I have been a Member of the Legislative Council since 1948, and so has the hon. Member for Telok Ayer. I think what he meant to imply was that this Bill was considered by the Executive Council of which he was a Member.

Sir, I have already given an assurance that this Fund will be used for the benefit of the labourers concerned, and that in the administration of this Fund, in reply to the hon. Member for Seletar, a Board of Trustees may be appointed.

Sir, the last sentence in the Explanatory Statement has been there ever since the Bill was presented to this Assembly. Perhaps the hon. Member for Telok Ayer had not enough energy to read up to and including the last sentence. Perhaps he stopped at the penultimate sentence of the Explanatory Statement.

Question put, and agreed to.

Clause 4 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clause 5 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported without amendment; read the Third time and passed.