NICOLL HIGHWAY PROMENADE DEVELOPMENT OLD KALLANG AIRPORT PARK DEVELOPMENT (National Construction Corps)

Mrs Seow Peck Leng asked the Minister for National Development, with reference to the Nicoll Highway Promenade Development and the Old Kallang Airport Park Development, to state-

(a) how much of the labour cost of each of the projects was paid to members of the National Construction Corps;

(b) how many of such members of the National Construction Corps were members of the People's Action Party;

(c) how many of such members of National Construction Corps were unemployed; and

(d) what information was publicly given in the press or otherwise that such members of the National Construction Corps would be paid an allowance of $3.00 a day for their expenses.

Mr Ong Eng Guan: Mr Speaker, I should first explain that the National Construction Corps consists of two types of workers: (1) members of the general public who volunteer for work on various projects and receive no payment of any kind; and (2) members of the Special Squad which forms the hardcore of the Corps, all of whom are paid $3 a day to cover expenses. Whenever delay occurs on any project, the Special Squad is called upon to expedite the work.

I presume the hon. Member for Mountbatten is concerned only with the Special Squad as seen in the various questions asked, and the replies to the various questions are as follows:

To Question (a), the following payments were made to members of the Special Squad:- Nicoll Highway project $4,660.05 Kallang Park project $73,506.00

To Question (b), the Special Squad at present has about 700 members and of this number about half are members of the People's Action Party. I should mention here that many of the members of the Special Squad have applied for membership in the P.A.P. after joining the Special Squad. We have made this open.

To Question (c), about 95 per cent of the P.A.P. members were unemployed at the time they joined the Special Squad.

To Question (d), as the hon. Member for Mountbatten is aware, I myself announced in this House on 25th November, 1959, that members of the Special Squad would be paid $3 a day for their expenses. As far as I am aware, no other public announcement has been made in this connection.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Mr Speaker, Sir, I assume that none of those 700 members knew, the day before they started work, that they were going to be paid?

Mr Ong Eng Guan: Mr Speaker, all of them knew they would be paid $3 a day as allowances.

Mrs Seow Peck Leng: Mr Speaker, would it be too much to ask how they knew, because there was no public announcement at all until the 25th November when it was announced in this House? Before then, there was no announcement. How did they know they were going to be paid?

Mr Ong Eng Guan: Mr Speaker, my belief is that the - hon. Member for Mountbatten has not been following closely the activities of the Special Squad. If I could only ask her and many other Members on the Opposition Benches to come one day and have a look at the Special Squad. But since none of them has given even an hour to the construction projects which we have at Kallang Park, the Promenade, and Changi beach, I hope they can join the Special Squad tomorrow, or the day after, or at some convenient time of their choosing, and work in places like opening parks at Hong Lim Green, Havelock Park, Elgin Bridge, swamp reclamation, construction of roads and bridges and standpipes. And if they do such kind of work, I am sure, Mr Speaker, they will have a better insight into the activities and follow more closely the activities of the Special Squad.

When the Special Squad was formed, it was decided that they should be paid $3 a day, and from the day when it was formed under my Ministry, they were paid $3 a day. It was not necessary to announce that we were paying them $3 a day, because these people were not public servants and there was no necessity for making public announcements on the detailed administrative work that the Government was doing, as it was a physical impossibility.

Tun Lim Yew Hock: Mr Speaker, may I refer him to the people recruited to this National Construction Corps? Would the Minister please state whether the Labour Exchange has been consulted? As we all know, Sir, the Labour Exchange has about 45,000 registered unemployed.

Mr Ong Eng Guan: Mr Speaker, the People's Action Party Government believes in doing things openly and honourably. The Special Squad is necessary because in any construction work, we need a-

Mr Speaker: Order. I must remind the Minister that we are not in a debate, and the questions ask for brief answers and to the point.

Mr Ong Eng Guan: I am sorry, Mr Speaker. The recruitment of members of the Special Squad was not done through the Labour Exchange, because we believe in doing the things honestly and openly in order to achieve certain desired objectives - in this case, the construction of important projects.

It was a different position when the Member for Cairnhill was the Chief Minister of the previous government during which period he formed his unemployment squad. We openly state that we are going to recruit members from our Party who would be trained in order to lead the National Construction Corps for our special projects.

Tun Lim Yew Hock: Mr Speaker, Sir, do I understand aright when the Minister said that, because he did not consult the Labour Exchange, it was therefore done honestly and openly?

Mr Speaker: I think we are embarking on a debate! Perhaps the hon. Member could pursue the matter further on the adjournment or by way of a motion.

Mrs Seow, question 3, please.