COMMUNITY CENTRE AT JALAN SEMBAWANG KECHIL

Mr Teong Eng Siong asked the Minister of Defence whether the Government has any plan to construct a community centre at Jalan Sembawang Kechil (formerly known as Ulu Sembawang, Indian Village, 12 m.s.) and when such plan will be implemented.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: Mr Speaker, the Government has no plan to construct a community centre in the place mentioned by the hon. Member, as a community centre already exists some 500 yards away. There are already eight community centres in the hon. Member's constituency. He is, therefore, comparatively well off in this respect.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to ask a supplementary question. According to what I know, there is a regulation stipulated by the Government that if there are 200 families they are entitled to one community centre. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is going to implement this policy according to the regulation.

Dr Goh Keng Swee: I am not aware of such a regulation. I think what the hon. Member is referring to was a statement of intention made sometime I think after the referendum - 1962 is it? - when the Government made a statement saying that if there are more than 200 families living in a village, we will try to build a rural type community centre. Preference, of course, will be given to the Barisan areas where their influence is strong, so that the population may be instructed in the correct way in order that falsehood may be confronted with truth. For this reason, during 1962 and 1963, there was quite an active programme of building rural community centres, and we laid down as the minimum criterion that unless there are at least 200 families, then we would not consider building a community centre. This does not mean, of course, that there must be a community centre for every 200 families. If, in fact, we take this literally, then we will have in Singapore something like 200,000 community centres.