CONTROL OF IMPORTS AND EXPORTS ORDINANCE

3.22 p.m.

The Minister for Finance (Dr Goh Keng Swee): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to move the motion standing in my name,

That this Assembly, in accordance with subsection (2) of section 1 of the Control of Imports and Exports Ordinance (Chapter 214), resolves that the aforesaid Ordinance shall continue in force for a further period of one year commencing on the 8th day of December, 1959.

This Ordinance was first promulgated in 1950 and had a life of only one year. Since then it has been extended from year to year. I now move that it be extended for a further period of one year. The Ordinance empowers the Minister to make orders to regulate or prohibit the import and export of goods. We impose as few restrictions as we can, and in the case of imports, almost all goods from almost all countries can be imported under open general licence. That is to say, no special individual licence need be obtained to import any particular article. Export controls are also very few. But in principle, we must have the powers to impose these controls, so as to be able to ensure destinational control over supplies of strategic importance. If we abandon these powers, the supply countries may refuse to deliver to us quite a number of goods of these types, since we cannot guarantee that we can still control their re-export from this State.

Sir, I beg to move.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr Goh Chew Chua): I second it.

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved.

That this Assembly, in accordance with subsection (2) of section 1 of the Control of Imports and Exports Ordinance (Chapter 214), resolves that the aforesaid Ordinance shall continue in force for a further period of one year commencing on the 8th of December, 1959.