PRESIDENT'S SPEECH Debate on the Address (Fifth Day)

2.33 p.m.

Order read for resuming adjourned debate on Question [9th May, 1968],

'That the following Address in reply to the speech of the President be agreed to: -

"We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the opening of the First Session of this Parliament.".'. - [The Prime Minister].

Question again proposed.

Mr Lim Guan Hoo (Bukit Merah): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, at yesterday's sitting I spoke for almost half an hour and, therefore, I have not much left to say today. I would, however, like to touch on what the Member for Sembawang has said in this House. He has criticised the administrative procedures of the Immigration Department, saying that they cause delay. If my memory serves me right, I recall that the Member for Choa Chu Kang - he is now the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance - raised a question relating to immigration when the House was debating the 1968 Budget. Now the Member for Sembawang is raising the same issue. So I will fry some cold rice for him to enjoy.

On this matter, the Immigration Department has already taken measures to improve the services for tourists so as to facilitate their entry into Singapore. Tourists, therefore, need not have to go through cumbersome procedures before they can visit Singapore for a few days, because they can obtain visas quite easily.

Tourists from Indonesia stopping over in Singapore will have things made easier for them. On arrival at our airport, passengers with valid passports are issued with visas for two months so that they may enjoy their trip here. The Immigration Department is doing all this to make things easy for the tourists. This will promote tourism.

As for tourists coming by ship, we have also facilities to enable them to come here more easily. Some people who stay in Sembawang and who find it too far to go to the Immigration Office might have asked the Member for Sembawang to raise this matter in Parliament.

2.37 p.m.

The Minister for Law and National Development (Mr E. W. Barker): Mr Speaker, Sir, at the start of my speech. I would like to invite the attention of all hon. Members to a Government Gazette Subsidiary Legislation Supplement published on the 10th of May and numbered 35 of 1968. At pages 285 to 296 thereof are set out the responsibilities of the Prime Minister and other Ministers.

The only change in the Ministry of National Development is in respect of the Registry of Co-operative Societies which has been transferred to the Ministry of Social Affairs. Money Lenders and Pawnbrokers have also been transferred to the Ministry of Social Affairs. They were previously with the Ministry of Law.

Companies and the Registry of Business Names have also left Law for the Ministry of Finance. But the major change, as far as the Ministry of Law is concerned, is the transfer of the Port Authority to the Ministry of Communications, as it is felt that the Port and the Department of Marine should appropriately come under the same Ministry. The problems of the reorganisation of the Dockyard and the containerisation complex at the Eastern Lagoon are now put on the lap of the Minister for Communications.

The Public Utilities Board, which was formerly under the Ministry of the Deputy Prime Minister, is now back in the Ministry of Law, and questions in this House with regard to gas, water and electricity should now be directed to me. However, I am happy to be able to report that frequent blackouts are a thing of the past in Singapore and that it is unlikely that we will have water rationing in the near future.

Mr Speaker, Sir, it is significant that the consumption of water in Singapore has now exceeded the 100-million gallon mark. We are consuming over 100 million gallons of water a day. But we have new schemes and we have had new schemes to increase the water supply. Members may be interested to know that when water rationing had to be imposed in the year 1963, Singapore only con sumed about 65 million gallons a day. Today the consumption has increased by more than 35 million gallons per day.

Sir, I propose to speak both on the Ministry of Law and National Development. As far as the Ministry of Law is concerned, I shall start first with the laws of Singapore and give the House a short resume of events as they might help in setting out the present position.

Prior to 1963, Singapore had its own Constitution, and laws made up of Ordinances passed by the Legislature, such parts of the English Common Law and certain English Statutes that were made applicable to Singapore before we joined the Federation of Malaysia in 1963. Whilst we were part of the Federation, on account of the distribution of legislative subjects between the Central and the State Legislatures, certain existing laws that came within the purview of the Central Government were repealed and at the same time laws were extended in the name of "uniformity" to Singapore even in regard to matters where the ipsissima verba of the legislation was in no way different, as evidenced in the Trustees Ordinance, or where the substance was identical, as in the Internal Security Act.

There was a spate of subsidiary legislation made by the Central Government and extended to Singapore, some of which were again substituted for those which were already in existence. The Attorney-General's Chambers (or the State Advocate-General's Chambers as it then was) had been hard put to keeping abreast with the changes of these laws, especially in certain instances where copies of the Federal Ordinances that had been extended to Singapore in place of existing Singapore legislation had not been made available even to departments of state that were concerned with the administration of these Ordinances. Such was the state of the laws that when banishment proceedings were taken under the Federation Banishment Ordinance which, except for one or two procedural requirements, were exactly the same as the Singapore Ordinance, the first of these cases actually resulted in the banishee succeeding on a writ of habeas corpus. The police, not having copies of the Federation Ordinance, had proceeded under the repealed provisions of the Singapore Ordinance and, in doing so, had failed to comply with certain peremptory procedural requirements that were in the Federation Ordinance but were not in the State legislation.

Then, as if to add to the confusion, on the 9th August, 1965, came the separation of Singapore from the rest of Malaysia. Although the Separation Agreement had provided for the continuation of laws then existing until such time when they were changed by Parliament in Singapore, this only added to the difficulties which both the legal profession and those concerned with the administration of justice in Singapore were already faced with. The work of unscrambling laws that had been extended to Singapore by the Central Government then began.

We had then in 1965, as we do have now, such portions of the Federal laws that had been extended to Singapore existing side by side with Singapore statutes that had been left undisturbed. In some cases, the extension of these laws by the Central Government in relation to Singapore had reversed the Singapore Government's policies, as, for example, the Public Authorities Protection Ordinance of the Federation of Malaya. Singapore had, before it joined Malaysia, removed from its statute books a similar Ordinance giving the public authorities the privileged position of being protected from civil litigation for acts of negligence if these suits were not brought within the period of one year of the cause of action arising. Accordingly, when we separated as an independent Republic from the rest of Malaysia, this Ordinance had likewise to be removed in order that we could return to the status quo. In December 1965, the Republic of Singapore Independence Act was passed with retroactive operation to the 9th August of that year. Singapore then became a Republic with effect from the 9th day of August, 1965. But we had perforce to continue with the Singapore Constitution set out in the Order in Council dated the 16th September, 1963, a Constitution drafted and meant for the State of Singapore as a component part of the larger Federation.

The Constitution as it then was had obvious lacunae. Accordingly, all these provisions dealing with such subjects as had been exclusively assigned to the Federal Legislature that had to be adopted with such amendments that were incompatible with Singapore as an independent Republic had to be so amended as to accord with the constitutional changes that had come to pass. The Independence Act of 1965, as hon. Members know, accordingly adopted as part of our Constitution the whole of the Federal Constitution, save in regard to those matters which had been provided for in the original State Constitution. Consequent upon our becoming independent, no less than 25 Acts of Parliament were passed during the remaining months of 1965. In 1966, a total of 57 Acts were passed and in 1967 another 43 Acts were passed. Many of these Acts were far-reaching in their effects upon the life and economy of the nation. Little wonder that members of the legal profession themselves found it hard to keep abreast with these changes, some of which were necessitated by the very change in our constitutional progress towards independence. In order to make this task easier for the profession and for those charged with the responsibility of administering the law, the Attorney-General's Chambers reprinted some of the more important Ordinances which had been subject to such amendment. No less than some 30 of our laws have been thus brought up to date, including the State Constitution itself. At about the same time, a Law Revision Commission was appointed, charged with the task of rewriting the laws and bringing them up to date.

As you know, Sir, the last time die laws of Singapore were subject to such a revision was some 15 years ago; the task then took no less than five years to complete. Special mention may perhaps be made to the Legal Profession Act which now sets out the basis of legal education and of admission to the Bar in Singapore. The disciplinary control of members of the profession had been left almost entirely to the Society of Advocates and Solicitors. Even this Act has been subject to amendments and will be in the course of this year subject to further amendments at the request of members of the Bar.

Caught up with the more momentous changes which had to be brought about and which had claimed priority over other changes, our courts have been left to carry on within the legal framework that had been laid down when we were part of the Federation of Malaysia - hence the existence of procedures and terms that now would appear somewhat anachronistic. The existence of the Federal Court in Singapore is a clear example. Though in practice the Federal Court, which is the Court of Appeal in Singapore, is presided over by the Chief Justice with two other Judges of the High Court in Singapore, and the practice since we seceded from the Federation of Malaysia has been that only Singapore Judges sit in the Federal Court in Singapore, the strict legal basis from which the Court draws its jurisdiction and powers is still the Federal Courts of Judicature Act. Steps, however, are now being taken to correct this anomalous situation in the law. Right at this moment, a change in the system of the courts is being thought out and legislation is being prepared. Members will be interested to know that a Bill will soon be introduced to provide for a Court of Appeal in place of the Federal Court so that strict law may accord with practice.

Hon. Members may or should remember that towards the end of 1966 the Report of the Constitutional Commission headed by the Chief Justice was presented to this House. I then told the House in a Ministerial statement that the Government had accepted the Report in principle and would be introducing a draft Constitution embodying most of the recommendations of the Commission, save in regard to one or two matters such as the creation of the Ombudsman, the idea behind the creation of which would be fully subscribed to but which we, however, regard as somewhat premature. This important epoch-making charter will be introduced in the course of the next few months and certainly at the very latest by the end of this year. In order that the views of as wide a section of the people of Singapore as possible may be canvassed, the Draft Constitution will be sent to Select Committee. In the making of our Constitution, it is indeed the desire of the Government to ensure that the people of Singapore should be given every opportunity to air their views so that it may be said that the people have given unto themselves these guiding principles of social justice and equality amongst men.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I now propose to deal with other departments of the Ministry of Law - the Land Office and the Registry of Deeds. The Land Acquisition Act was passed by the previous Parliament on the 26th of October, 1966, and came into operation on the 17th of June last year. The major innovation in the Act is that an appeal by a person aggrieved by an award of the Collector of Land Revenue, which previously used to lie to the High Court, now lies to the Appeals Board consisting of a Commissioner of Appeals, or a Deputy Commissioner of Appeals, either sitting alone or with two assessors, depending on the quantum of the award appealed against. Before this Act came into operation, a total of 261 appeals or objections had been lodged and were awaiting disposal. This number covered objections going back to acquisitions carried out in 1953 and to accumulations from 1964 arising from the suspension imposed on the Collector precluding him from referring appeals to the High Court under the provisions of the Land Acquisition (Amendment) Ordinance. 1964, which came into force on the 11th June, 1964. After the coming into operation of the Land Acquisition Act, a total of 97 old appeals were brought forward for disposal.

The Appeals Board was formally constituted and two Judges of the High Court were appointed Commissioners of Appeals on 17th June, 1967, and on the same date, 12 persons were appointed members of the panel as provided for under Part III of the Act. Since its constitution, five appeal cases were dealt with by it. Of this number, the Board in four cases awarded against the Collector, requiring the payment of a sum of about half a million dollars by way of supplementary awards. The Board awarded against the appellant in one case. Three cases were withdrawn and six were settled out of Court since the coming into force of the new Act. Some 22 cases are likely to be settled out of Court.

Sir, a tremendous amount of research and work is involved in the proper preparation of an appeal case for presentation to the Appeals Board. Delays may occur when, in the midst of such preparatory work, appellants make overtures for settlement out of Court, or the Collector, on completion of an appeal case, considers that the difference is so marginal that the appellant may wish to consider settlement out of Court.

It is proposed to introduce certain amendments to the Act with a view to incorporating into it certain provisions of the former legislation relating to the recovery of costs.

One of the Commissioners of the Appeals Board has since retired and consideration is being given to the possibility of appointing a permanent Commissioner with the requisite status of a High Court Judge. This will, of course, be dependent on a number of factors, not least of all the availability of a suitable person with the requisite qualification and know-how. It is desirable also to consider steps which will alleviate the position caused by the recent and the pending retirement of High Court Judges.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the Land Titles Strata Act of 1967 was first introduced in its Bill form in 1966. The Act mainly deals with the issue of certificates of titles to flats, the management and maintenance of such flats and common services relating thereto by a Management Corporation of which all the flat owners are members. This Act was passed in 1967 and brought into operation today. It requires every housing developer of any new development of flats to lodge in a strata title plan showing the location of the sub-divided building comprising the flats sold or to be sold to the members of the public, and also the approximate dimensions of each flat and the common property, including the staircases and passages and any ground or floor space. The share units which each owner of the flat is entitled to must be also shown on such plan. Each owner of the flat will under the Act be entitled to a share in the land on which the sub-divided building comprising the flats is erected proportionate to his share unit.

There has been no provision under the common law for the vesting of titles in the land should the sub-divided building become seriously damaged or demolished. There are provisions in the Act governing damaged or destroyed subdivided buildings. Owners of all flats dealt under this Act should, therefore, benefit from its provisions.

Easements which would necessarily be created for flats and the transfer or lease of flats such as easements of support or shelter and protection and easement for passage of water, drainage and other services are spelt out in the Act. This will leave no doubt in the minds of the owners of flats of their rights.

Under the provisions of the Act, the purchaser may be granted a freehold title to a flat and not only a leasehold title as under the common law. Proposed mortgages would also be in a far better position with special provisions being set out in cases where sub-divided buildings are damaged or destroyed. It is hoped that longer-term loans will be available to intending purchasers of flats. Thus indirectly flat ownership is being encouraged.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I will now turn to the Ministry of National Development which is, as Members know, mainly concerned with housing. Sir, the Housing and Development Board has had considerable success in implementing the public housing policy of the Government. Yet far from resting on its laurels, the Board has been looking into various ways and means of improving the amenities in existing housing estates and the layout, design and construction of new housing estates. For one thing, with the success of the home ownership scheme, the demand is for better types of housing though still at low cost to be designed for sale to those of our citizens wishing to own their homes. In line with Government's policy to make Singapore the cleanest and the greenest city in Southeast Asia, there is every need for increased efforts to beautify the many housing estates by tasteful landscaping and the better planting of trees, shrubs and flowers in the open areas. The experience gained in designing and planning the earlier housing estates will contribute towards the improvement of layouts of new housing estates, and our architects and planners will take into consideration the fact that notwithstanding low-cost housing our tenants will eventually be owning more and more cars. Thus traffic circulation is of importance and generous provisions may have to be made in the new towns for community activities, children's playgrounds and other recreational amenities.

The Housing and Development Board does not think in terms of its immediate programme which is well in hand. In addition to providing the planning, supervision, construction and management and the maintenance of existing and new housing estates, it must do the spade work and investigations for the next two 5-year periods. For instance, the Board is now planning the lay-out, land acquisition and clearance for the new housing estates to be built in Telok Blangah in 1970 to 1975 and also looking into the development of new towns likely to be constructed after 1975. All this planning and investigation will be in addition to its present work in constructing public housing in Jurong. Toa Payoh, Queenstown, Tiong Bahru, Alexandra, Kallang Basin, St. Michael's Estate, MacPherson and other areas. In planning and executing projects of this magnitude, it is necessary for me to remind hon. Members that in the process of land acquisition, squatter clearance, resettlement, earth-works, road works and other civil construction work, certain inconvenience and disturbance must be caused to a certain number of people. But bearing in mind that hundreds and thousands of people are likely to benefit from these operations, it is perhaps a very low price to pay, but even so the Housing and Development Board has been instructed to exercise every care and consideration and, wherever possible, to cause the minimum of inconvenience to our people.

The East Coast reclamation project is one case in point. Members may recall that the Government could have decided with some savings to adopt the conventional method of earth moving which would result in hundreds of lorries shuttling up and down carrying full loads of earth some of which would spill over on to our roads, at the same time, stirring up considerable dust nuisance, causing traffic congestion and frustration, not to mention creating a noise nuisance to disturb the population for many years. Instead, the Government decided on the most sophisticated method of earth moving, involving huge bucket-wheel excavators and more than six miles of conveyor belts to excavate and transport the earth noiselessly, with little dust nuisance, traffic congestion or other inconvenience being caused. Yet, in spite of all these efforts, because the programmes have to be completed according to a rigid time schedule and the work has to go on a three-shift basis, there have been some complaints by residents around the Bedok area that the bucket-wheel excavators were disturbing them from their sleep, even though such excavators made less noise than ordinary bulldozers.

In the design of public housing, the Housing and Development Board has been investigating and experimenting with new forms of tower blocks which would provide a new appearance and better privacy for the tenants. If costs permit, these tower blocks will have the ground floor free for the recreation of tenants and their children. The first of these new blocks of housing accommodation will be constructed in the next few months and will be ready for occupation or sale in 1969.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I now come to urban renewal. On this subject, the Government has already completed the first blocks of urban renewal flats in Crawford N. 1 and Outram Road S. 1 areas. The construction of urban renewal projects will go on with greater vigour. New projects will be carried out within the centre of the city which will indicate to the private sector the line of thinking that has been adopted by the Government in its urban renewal policy.

These new projects will involve a departure from the traditional way of building row houses or shophouses with 16 to 20 feet frontage. The thinking is to concentrate on heavy investment on properly planned and comprehensive development for the construction of shopping complexes with literally hundreds of arcaded shops under one roof, with pedestrian malls for easier shopping, and with easy parking facilities at basement or ground level. This will improve the amenities in the city centre, provide much more pleasant surroundings for pedestrians, greater manoeuvrability for traffic, and increase parking facilities for motorists. The Government would very much like to see this type of thinking permeating into the private sector so that, instead of thinking in terms of redeveloping just two or three shophouses, private investors would join forces and go into much bigger shopping complexes within the city. These are the portents for the future and it is hoped that with the co-operation of the private sector, we will eventually be able, not only to change the skyline of Singapore, but also to improve pedestrian shopping amenities and, in the process, change the older areas of the city by replacing the existing two- and three-row houses and shophouses with high rise prestige buildings incorporating all the facilities expected for the central area of a modern city.

Mr Speaker, Sir, if I may go back to the East Coast reclamation, Members may be interested to know that the work of reclaiming land from the sea from Bedok to the Singapore Swimming Club will be completed in the middle of next year. The progress has been very satisfactory and the work is well in advance of schedule. The amount of earth washed away by the sea has also been less than expected. The second stage will be the reclamation from the Singapore Swimming Club right up to the end of Tanjong Rhu. This will mean the transportation by conveyor-belt of some three million cubic yards of earth. This additional work is expected to take five or six months, so that by the end of 1969, the whole stretch of the shore from Bedok to the end of Tanjong Rhu will be reclaimed.

Much investigation work has also been done with regard to the next phase of the reclamation work which involves the filling up of the sea along Nicoll Highway and the Esplanade. Some 200 acres of land can be reclaimed from this portion of the sea using earth from the Telok Blangah and Siglap areas. The difficulty here is that the conveyor-belt system cannot be used because the route cuts into the road network of the city. Conventional methods may have to be adopted, which means the process will be slow and much inconvenience will result. The engineers and technical staff of the Housing Board are looking into various alternatives to carry out this project which will cost about $20 million. One solution that has been suggested is to work only at nights when the roads will not be so heavy with traffic. Another alternative is to use boats and barges, but this will result in double handling and higher costs. Whatever the difficulties, it is necessary to implement this project, if more land is to be reclaimed and the proposed coastal highway is to be completed as soon as possible.

With regard to the participation of the private sector in our urban renewal efforts, I am happy to say that the sites along the "Golden Mile", which met with little response when the first 14 sites were made available by public tender in the middle of 1967, have now aroused the interest of various developers and hoteliers. In line with this policy, my Ministry has drawn up special procedures to expedite the granting of planning approval and to waive development charges in respect of good class tourist hotels. Briefly, the new procedure involves the elimination of the cumbersome and unwieldy process of rezoning. For the next three years whilst this new procedure is in operation, special consideration will be given to applications for the development of good class tourist hotels. No development charge for rezoning or change of use will be levied in any approved hotel project. But in order to ensure that genuine development commences at an early date and to discourage the speculative type of development, the Government will require the payment of a refundable deposit in respect of every hotel application. The progress of every hotel project will be reviewed every six months so that if the construction work is in compliance with the conditions in the planning approval, then the deposit will be completely refunded at the end of 12 months.

My Ministry hopes that the private sector will take full advantage of this new procedure during the next three years in order to enable the present hotel shortage to be overcome. Hon. Members will be interested to know that as at 30th, April, 1968, there were 23 tourist class hotels with 1,694 rooms in Singapore. Planning approval has been granted for the development of 28 other hotel projects involving either new construction, alterations or amendments to existing buildings. All these approvals, if implemented, will result in a further 6,000 rooms or more, but some of them are clearly speculative in nature and the developers perhaps have no intention whatsoever of implementing the projects. But with the new procedures that have been introduced, speculation will be drastically reduced and in the next few years or so, it is hoped that Singapore will be able to meet the demands of all tourists for better class hotels. Of the 28 projects approved, only four new hotels (the Mandarin, the Hilton and Ming Court in Orchard Road and the Lion City Hotel in Tanjong Katong) are under construction and on their completion will add a further 1,431 rooms to meet tourist demands. Another seven extension or conversion projects are also being actively pursued which on completion will produce another 1,500 rooms.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I now go on to the Public Works Department. Over the last few years, there has been considerable activity in the construction of public roads, drainage and sewerage extensions. All these are necessary to keep pace with other construction and development. Not only will existing roads be widen and road junctions or intersections grade separated, multi-level traffic interchanges and flyovers be provided, but there will also be new highways to be constructed to ensure a smoother flow of traffic. Sewage works will be carried out to provide modern sanitation to many suburban areas. Flood alleviation schemes will be implemented to relieve some of the worst areas of the island from being flooded every time a heavy shower coincides with a high tide. Here again hon. Members will appreciate that in all these public works which entail land acquisition, resettlement, squatter clearance, the digging up of roads and considerable amount of earth-works, much inconvenience to the public and disruption of traffic must be caused. It is expected that many people will express their grievances. There will be many complaints and so will may of those affected by resettlement grumble about the inadequacy of our compensation schemes.

These are but the normal difficulties any public authority will have to face in a period of very rapid construction and development. It will be too much to expect that no person will be dissatisfied when hundreds of families are required to move away from places where they have been living for many many years. But one only has to look into the records of the Resettlement Department to see how many families have been resettled satisfactorily. In the majority to resettlement cases, there has been best improvement in their standards of accommodation, whilst many have found new jobs and benefited from the changed surroundings. These are sufficient evidence and indications for us to conclude that the minor inconvenience that is caused, far from being something that should cause us concern, would rather in the long term be recognised as the change that brought about the improvement in the livelihood of the families who have previously been used to living in the slums.

Mr Speaker, Sir, in conclusion, I will deal with comprehensive city planning. Notwithstanding all the housing, reclamation, urban renewal and public work projects that I have mentioned, the Government must think further ahead in terms of the more efficient use of our very limited land resources, of the greater efficiency of our public roads network, and of the more economical utilisation of our scarce financial resources. To achieve all these, a better and more flexible comprehensive planning concept must be devised which can result in the creation of a city with all the amenities one would expect of a highly civilised centre with more efficient control of private development to provide the necessary improvements and extensions to cater for a population of three to four million before the end of the century. I say three to four million advisedly, because even now the population projection provided in the early 1960s when the rate of increase was above four per cent is being lowered to near 2.3 per cent. Hence, instead of having a population of four million in 1990, we may probably only reach 3¼ million. This is indeed heartening because more time will be available for us to plan for a better city to cater for the future.

The State and City Planning Committee, which has been set up with the assistance of the United Nations Special Fund will be looking into this long-term problem of city planning and will probably come up with some solutions for better land use and development control and for more realistic planning concepts for the development of the future of our city. It is also entrusted with the responsibility of doing studies, surveys and projections which will provide for comprehensive development of our traffic and communications network to ensure that we will be able to keep abreast of our traffic problems. As the city has been built up over the last 150 years and some areas would not be so easily amenable to drastic change, the need for some form of mass transportation to enable a large number of workers to get to town as quickly and economically as possible cannot be over-looked. This will mean expenditure of hundreds of millions of dollars on a system of either surface railways, mono-rails or underground railways or some form of rapid transportation to shuttle large numbers of people from the places of their residence to their places of work. Sir, all these are problems that we will have to face and study in greater detail in the years to come.

3.36 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law and National Development (National Development Division) (Mr Ho Cheng Choon): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, my Minister has asked me to speak on the services rendered by my Ministry.

A number of question on Primary Production services have been raised, particularly by Members of Parliament from rural constituencies. I am happy that they are concerned with the work of the Primary Production Department as the department is responsible for agriculture and fisheries development and provides services to farmers and fishermen in the rural areas.

The Member for Punggol, in referring to that part of the President's Speech concerning the continued provision of services and advice to farmers in order to increase production and to reduce cost, stated that he would like to know how this was to be done. But he immediately followed this question by enumerating a number of measures which, in effect, answered his own question!

Some criticism have also been made by Members against the Primary Production Department. While there is still much work to be done, there is always room for improvement. The record of work since the inception of the department in 1960 and the services it provides to the farming communities as well as the role it plays in helping the farmers to solve their problems are familiar to many people.

[Mr Yeoh Ghim Seng temporarily in the Chair]

3.38 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law and National Development (National Development Division) (Mr Ho Cheng Choon): It is not my intention to indulge in enumerating the achievements of the department, but it is well known to the farming communities, and I have no doubt also to Members of Parliament from rural constituencies, that the Primary Production Department has established in recent years 11 agricultural stations and centres in the rural areas to provide services such as poultry inoculation, treatment of livestock, ploughing service, sale of veterinary drugs, insecticides and fertilisers, stud-boar service and artificial insemination of pigs, distribution of improved breeds of piglings and chicks to farmers, plant protection service, training of farm youths, conducting talks with groups of farmers in their villages, publication of a monthly Primary Production Bulletin and booklets and pamphlets to disseminate information, etc.

With the change of circumstances since Singapore became independent, our aim is to further intensify and diversify agricultural development within the limited land areas which are at our disposal as well as to develop rapidly off-shore and deep-sea fishing. The development of the agriculture and fisheries sectors is necessary to generate employment for the large numbers of young people coming into the employment market each year to supplement the Government's effort in providing jobs through industrialisation. Such development is also necessary for the economic well-being of Singapore. Our effort in agriculture and fisheries development will be in four directions.

Firstly, we shall provide training for our youths in intensive agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fisheries to equip them with the skill in these fields of economic activities.

Secondly, we shall introduce new methods and scientific techniques in intensive agriculture and fisheries, including the development of agricultural and fisheries processing industries. We will also carry out research in these fields. With advanced and modern techniques of production, our farmers and fishermen should produce more efficiently and turn out agricultural produce of a high quality. This will enable us to compete effectively in markets outside Singapore.

Thirdly, we shall induce capital investment into the agriculture and fisheries sectors so that agriculture and fisheries in Singapore can be gradually transformed from their present-day subsistence form of farming and fishing, into economically viable and profitable enterprises.

Fourthly, we shall develop and cultivate oversea markets for our agricultural and fisheries products to increase our export earnings.

To achieve these aims, a number of projects have already been implemented and others are being planned. Among the projects recently implemented, a $9 million Pig and Poultry Research and. Training Institute in Sembawang with United Nations assistance is being established and a Fishing Training School costing $8 million, also with United Nations assistance, is being built. We have constructed a Veterinary Laboratory costing $250,000 to improve animal health and to produce vaccines for preventive inoculation in order to minimise losses from livestock diseases. We are implementing an intensive farm improvement scheme to encourage orchid production for export and to investigate into the production of other horticultural products. A Regional Fisheries Research Department under the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Centre to explore fishing grounds in this region and a Fishing Port at Jurong to stimulate fisheries development are in the process of being established. We will improve the Van Kleef Aquarium and will carry out training and research in aquarium fish so that we can encourage increased production of tropical and aquarium fish for export to oversea countries.

We are looking into financial loan schemes for agriculture and fisheries projects and examining various incentives to attract participation of private capital in these fields. We have been trying to bring the producers and exporters of agricultural produce together so that supply to oversea markets can be maintained, quality can be guaranteed and prices can be competitive. We have constructed a modern Abattoir and Animal Quarantine Station at Jurong so that livestock is not only sold on-the-hoof to neighbouring countries, but can also be exported to markets further afield after canning or processing. We are making a feasibility study of the different forms of factory farming and the adoption of flatted farms for livestock production in order to achieve the maximum economy of land use in Singapore.

New measures and new methods always involve changes, and changes are not universally liked by people, particularly those with vested interest. We have encountered considerable resistance from fish merchants against the Jurong Fish Market. After more than a year of effort in persuasion, explanation and discussion, the fish merchants have now finally agreed to move to Jurong. Similarly, there is considerable resistance against the new abattoir. There are three old abattoirs in Singapore; the sheep abattoir and cattle abattoir in Jalan Besar and a pig abattoir in French Road. In these abattoirs there has been a great deal of malpractice and corruption. The hygienic standards as well as the slaughtering method are not acceptable to many countries. Consequently, our canned meat and processed meat cannot be exported. The new abattoir was constructed with the objectives of improving the slaughtering facilities, raising the hygienic standards and eliminating corruption and malpractices so that Singapore meat can be exported to other countries. However, many butchers do not like it. Voices have been raised, complaints have been made and rumours have been spread about the new abattoir. Unfortunately, some misinformed persons, including the Member for Jurong, take up their cause without first examining the issues involved. The Member for Jurong complained that the new abattoir was not suitable for Singapore and that the rate of slaughter is much slower than that of the old abattoir. I wonder if he has visited the new abattoir and the old one to see for himself the different working conditions! He is well advised to pay a visit to these places if he has not already done so.

In the first place, the design and construction of the new abattoir, which cost $5.8 million, are based on modern technology and up-to-date concept. The same type of abattoir has been in use in Europe, the U.S.A., Russia, Japan and China. Secondly, while the sheep and cattle sections of the new abattoir are now operating smoothly, the pig section has not been started.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

3.52 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Law and National Development (National Development Division) (Mr Ho Cheng Choon): The machinery has been undergoing testing and newly-recruited workers are undergoing training. I do not know from where the Member for Jurong got his idea that the new abattoir is inefficient even before it is put into full operation. Basically, it is simply a question of whether we are prepared to accept new ideas and adopt new technology, or can we afford to stick to out-of-date practices and stagnate?

It is natural that when a new system is being operated and new machinery is being used, teething troubles are inevitable. Like the running-in of a new car, a little time is required to get used to the steering wheel or the new gadget on the dashboard. The seat must be adjusted or a screw tightened. We welcome constructive suggestions and are prepared to discuss with anybody any real problem and genuine grievances so that together we can work out solutions to the satisfaction of all concerned.

Some Members have raised the question of safeguarding our fishermen against piracy. This is not a unique problem for Singapore. Piracy frequently occurs in the waters of other countries. I have no doubt that the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are doing what they can to deal with this problem to protect Singapore's interest. Apart from the fact that there is less fish to be caught in near shore waters around Singapore, small fishing craft operating in these waters are easy prey for pirates. My Ministry is working towards the development of bigger and faster fishing vessels which could go further out to sea to fish in international waters.

The question of prices for agricultural produce really depends on supply and demand. There are different and complex forces operating in a free market. It would be unwise for the Government to interfere in a free marketing system unless there is evidence of dumping. I do not know what the Member for Jurong had in mind when he raised this question. Singapore, being a small island, has easy communication between the rural areas and the markets in the city, and the producers in the rural areas know the prevailing market prices of agricultural produce in the city. Moreover, the number of buyers or collectors of agricultural produce is large and compete very keenly among themselves. Under these circumstances, it is not as easy for the middlemen to exploit the producers as in a situation where there are only very few collectors of agricultural produce in remote, isolated rural districts. If a producer is not satisfied with the prices, it is not beyond his ability to send his agricultural produce to the market and sell it himself. This, in fact, is happening in Singapore. The producers may also form themselves into co-operatives or associations to deal with their marketing problems. But, first of all, there must be co-operation among the producers themselves. They must take the initiative and my Ministry will be very happy to help any group of people who is willing to help themselves.

4.00 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Affairs (Mr Chan Chee Seng): Mr Speaker, Sir, sports today is not merely recreation. It is too important for us to treat it as such. In a way, the sports arena has become another testing ground for rival countries to try to score "one-up" against one another. For supremacy in sports is indication of potential power in other spheres too. This is borne out by the fact that the two superpowers of the world are also the leading nations in sports. It is not a coincidence, to be sure.

Just why is sports so important that we should have a separate division in the Ministry of Social Affairs to look after it?

Firstly, it is one of the best ways of inculcating intrinsic values such as initiative, perseverance, agility, endurance, courage and team-spirit in our younger generation. We want all our youths to possess these qualities which are essential for our national survival. To ensure this, all activities in sports should be properly co-ordinated and guided, and hence the setting up of the Sports Division is the first pre-requisite.

Secondly, we also realise that sports can play a useful role in uniformed organisations, such as the Armed Forces, the Police, the Vigilante Corps, as well as the multifarious voluntary uniformed youth movements, if it is properly introduced, not just as a recreation, but as a basic part of the training programme. For the training of all these young people, the various games serve to diversify the pattern of training within the units. Although uniformity is an essential feature in uniformed organisations, the introduction of different sports does help to give the joy of variety and show these young people that there is also scope for individual differences apart from group similarities. This does not, however, mean that individual interests should supersede the group interests, but rather that the former should be used for the promotion of the latter.

Thirdly, sports can help to inculcate a sense of dedication and loyalty to the nation. The sportsman is taught to be dedicated and loyal to his team. This is his first lesson. When he represents the national team, his dedication and loyalty is therefore to the nation. As representing the nation is the highest honour any sportsman can hope for, he will be constantly and consciously striving for this rare honour and glory. Hence, the process of training and striving for a higher plane of achievement is also a manifestation of dedication and loyalty to the nation.

Fourthly, sports provide training in leadership. As a nation whose survival depends on the quality of her people, we need to have leaders who can organise, think and inspire others to give of their best. It is my belief that such leaders can be trained and produced in the field of sports, especially if they are directly involved in the administration and organisation of any sports body.

The last point I wish to make is that, through sports, we can help to build a united Singapore which transcends the religious, language and communal barriers. It is our declared intention to harness this important aspect of sports. We have in the past expressed our disavowal of sports clubs organised solely on a clannish or racial basis. We appreciate the need for a certain amount of exclusiveness in a club, but let this exclusiveness be not on clannish or racial grounds. The constitutions of the registered sports bodies do not provide for exclusiveness and hence the policy of many clubs with regard to membership and membership drive should be changed.

Mr Speaker, Sir, there is too much confinement of certain sports to certain racial groups in Singapore. This is even apparent in the different games played in the schools of different language streams. For example, the Chinese school students excel in basketball, the Malay schools in sepak raga and the Tamil students in cricket and hockey. This tendency of "preferential confinement" must be stopped if we are to produce a homogeneous generation as regards outlook, interest and identity. Apart from this, integration of sports activities among the different races of our society also ensures that talent in every game can be easily spotted, for one can never be certain that a Malay cannot be a good basketball player, or a Chinese a good sepak raga player.

Sir, I also wish to touch on our image in the field of international sports. Frankly speaking, we have not yet found a place on the map of international sports, and we are very far behind in the scene of Asian sports. However, we do compare favourably with our neighbours in Southeast Asia, as our success in the recent SEAP games testifies. This is a good start anyway for a small and newly independent nation. Here, I must mention that our success in the SEAP games was due to the timely formation of the National Sports Control Board, which has already won praise from all quarters, both at home and abroad. By adhering strictly to the policy of sending only those athletes who have reached the minimum standard requirements for international meets, the Board has been able to ensure a degree of success which is in proportion to the size of the contingent as well as the amount of money expended.

I have mentioned earlier that the sports arena has become the focal point of all nations. Hence we should also try to build up a good image in the arena of international sports, for our friends abroad measure us as a nation by the behaviour and conduct of our sports representatives. It is clear that few people would like to trade with a country which produces ill-mannered sportsmen. However, our policy on international sports should be based on quality and integrity rather than quantity. This is also cheaper and within the financial resources of a small nation.

In conclusion, 1 should like to stress that organised sports is indeed very expensive. The Government is doing all it can to help raise the standard of sports in the Republic. The Sports Division of the Ministry of Social Affairs has helped to raise very substantial amounts of money to send national teams abroad to compete in international meets. Professional coaches have also been employed to help raise the standards of soccer, basketball and badminton. More coaches will be brought in for other games as well. However, with its enormous commitments to defence, education, health and social welfare, there is a limit to which the Government can help. It is therefore imperative that the help and assistance that sports-lovers, philanthropists and commercial firms have been giving for the promotion of sports in the Republic should be further increased. For it is only through all-out support from all fronts that we can ever hope to put Singapore on the map of international sports.

4.10 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Social Affairs (Inche Buang Bin Omar Junid): (In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, the Member for Thomson has asked about public assistance given by the Social Welfare Department and has suggested that the rates of assistance be raised. Hon. Members will surely realise that since the People's Action Party Government came to power in June 1959, the rates of public assistance have been increased twice. The first increase was in September 1959 when the rate paid to the head of a household was increased from $15 to $16 a month and the wife from $8 to $10 a month. The second increase was made in January 1962 when the rate of public assistance was increased further from $16 to $21 a month. The present public assistance rates for families eligible under this plan are as follows: Per month Head of household $21 Wife $10 Every dependant above the age of 16 years $8 Every dependant under the age of 16 years $5

As these rates are the highest in this part of the world, there is no intention to increase these rates any further.

By increasing the public assistance rates, which is not in the interest of taxpayers, recipients will be encouraged to rely forever on this assistance. This will defeat the purpose of the assistance which is aimed at giving relief to those who are unemployed, and with dependants, to overcome their difficulties for a limited period only until they secure employment. Last year the Social Welfare Department paid out $7.6 million for public assistance and T.B, relief. This is slightly more than half of the amount allocated, which is $14 million under the estimates for departmental expenditure. Therefore, any increase in the rates of public assistance will bring about an increase in the public assistance votes and this will leave less money to be spent on other responsibilities in welfare services.

To ensure that public assistance recipients will not rely permanently on this assistance, a special team was formed in April 1964 with the object of carrying out investigations from time to time and reviewing the financial position of families receiving assistance. As a result of work carried out by this special team and the improvement in our social conditions and economic position brought about by Government's long-term planning, the number of recipients of public assistance has considerably been reduced from 28,800 in April 1964 to 17,000 only in April 1968. The amount paid for public assistance has also decreased from $962,000 in April 1964 to $492,000 in April 1968.

The Member for Thomson also referred to training allowances received by dependants of recipients of public assistance who are serving in the national service. A dependant of a recipient of public assistance is allowed to keep his training allowance, up to an amount of $25. Any amount in excess of this will be considered when public assistance to his head of household is reviewed. Indeed it is appropriate that if a dependant is in receipt of a military training allowance, he will not be eligible for a dependant allowance.

4.16 p.m.

Mr Ch'ng Jit Koon (Tiong Bahru): (In Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, as the representative for Tiong Bahru, I would like to express my full support for the Prime Minister's motion thanking the President for his speech delivered in this House on the 6th of May. The President's policy statement clearly points out that the Government will have to adopt effective measures to meet the problems that will arise in a new situation in the next five years. We have reason to believe that with its experience, achievements and capacity to resolve problems in the past nine years, the present Government, together with all the Members of Parliament, will be able to find ways and means to achieve the three objectives as outlined in the President's Speech, and we are confident that it will overcome all difficulties and challenges. The first and the second objectives relate to defence and economic growth. Members of Parliament have already expressed their views on them. So I will now touch on the third objective, namely, the enhancement of national consciousness of the problems that will come upon us in the next few years.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the political situation in our country has been changing. Before 1954, we experienced a period of colonial administration. In 1959, Singapore achieved a self-independent status and later on it joined Malaysia. In 1965, Singapore was separated from Malaysia and became an independent Republic. These were political changes in our history and, in the same period, there were changes too on the international scene. We, as citizens of Singapore, should pay the closest attention to these changes as there will be more changes in this region in three to five years' time. No one can be sure of whether there will be any drastic changes around us going to take place. So in the coming crucial years, we must avail ourselves of every opportunity to ensure our independence and survival. This every citizen should perceive. In particular, those civil servants who are in charge of executing Government policies, should pay more attention at all times to the actual spirit of the Ordinances and Acts. It is in that spirit that they should faithfully carry out the policies laid down. They should also discard their rigid and dogmatic attitude in their work. Otherwise their inflexibility will usually give rise to misunderstanding of their disregard of the purposes and actual spirit of the Ordinances and Acts. Unnecessary explanation will have time and again to be repeated. In this way, efficiency in the administration of the Ordinances and Acts will be affected and the purposes may not be fully achieved.

Mr Speaker, Sir, for instance, early this year, the Citizens' Consultative Committee of my constituency made a request to the General Post Office to install a post-box in Jalan Membina Housing Estate, which was recently developed by the Housing and Development Board. In view of the fact that there are now about 20,000 residents in this area, the installation of a post-box was very necessary. But the request was turned down on the ground that no new post-box should be set up within a radius of one mile from any branch post office. In the old neighbouring housing estate, there is a branch post office and a post-box. But I would like to point out that there is no direct communication with this housing estate. So the branch post office is not of much use to the residents of Jalan Membina. At the request of the Citizens' Consultative Committee, I went to the General Post Office and, after studying the problem with the officer concerned, it was realised that the problem could easily be solved by removing one pillar post-box from Henderson Road to the entrance to Jalan Membina without any cost, because the pillar post-box in Henderson Road was not being used very much - about 20 letters a day were thrown into it. When this was done, it benefited the people living in Jalan Membina and also in Bukit Ho Swee. This is a trivial matter but it goes to show that if the officer concerned had given further thought to it, much time and trouble would have been saved.

Sir, I would like to mention another incident. This was the eviction of a tenant of a Housing Board flat. The Members for Jurong and Ulu Pandan quoted the case of a coffee-shop owner in Tiong Bahru who committed suicide by jumping down from a multi-storeyed flat. They spoke in a forthright manner and with a sense of justice. However, we know from the Press that the housing authorities are giving sympathetic consideration to this case and I hope that there will be a reasonable solution. Therefore, I will not dwell further on this case. But 1 would like to quote a similar case of an old lady occupying a Housing Board flat who was asked to vacate because a number of teenagers were found playing mahjong in her flat. She went to the Housing Board authorities and pleaded for another chance. She threatened to commit suicide by jumping down from a multi-storeyed flat if her plea was not heeded. But she was met by a very rigid and harsh officer - though a good officer - who was not moved by her tears. He told her, "It is no business of mine whether or not you jump down from your flat, but you have to quit?' Sir, I agree in principle with the strict measures taken against flats being used for illegal purposes, but eviction is the most severe measure that can be taken by the Housing Board. If the premises are used as gambling dens or for other ignominious or illegal purposes, eviction is justified. But, Sir, those youngsters who were found playing mahjong are the old neighbours of the old lady. They were playing mahjong just for the fun of it. This old lady who was accused of allowing her premises to be used by a number of youngsters for mahjong, it was found that she did not have even a proper mahjong table in her premises. This would show that she had no intention of turning her premises into a gambling den. The playing of mahjong in a Housing Board flat should be regarded as a very minor offence. So we should have compassion on this old lady, who committed the first offence. The authorities concerned did not even give her another chance or a first warning. Was it not very harsh treatment of the old lady who was asked to remove?

From the illustrations given, we can see what sort of attitude civil servants have. They lack patience to look into and study complaints by the public. They should be more aware of the problems lying ahead of our nation. They should also re-examine the attitude that they have adopted in their work and towards members of the public. If they stick foolishly to their daily routine, they will fail in their responsibilities and in trying to solve the national problems.

Mr Speaker, Sir, on the question of defence, my view is that, in addition to giving our nationals military training and teaching them how to handle military equipment, we should teach them to be patriotic, particularly as Singapore has attained its independence only not long ago. We can see very clearly, from history - even recently, in fact - that in the struggle for survival, it is not so much the military equipment that matters as the ideological training - given to the people. In this respect, I feel that we should teach our people to be patriotic. This will spur them on to make personal sacrifices in the national interest. Therefore, in addition to instruction given in military training and teaching our soldiers how to use their weapons, we should teach them to be patriotic so that they will be able to put up a better performance.

Mr Speaker, Sir, in order to make the people more aware of the problems that will face our nation in the next few years, our teachers too must be made conscious of these problems. We describe teachers as engineers of the soul, and this is a very apt description of the importance of the role they play. So it is necessary that they should be conscious of the problems that we are now facing, because they are charged with the responsibility of educating our younger generation who will provide our future leadership. Therefore, our students should be given proper guidance in nurturing a sense of patriotism and national consciousness. The teachers should strive for improvement all the time in order to raise the qualitative aspects of our education.

Mr Speaker, Sir, there is a saying, "What is dyed black will be black and what is dyed red will be red." So the kind of young people we will have in future will depend on the sort of education that we now give them. At the present moment we are stepping up extra-mural activities in the schools, but the time spent on them by the teachers is inadequate. I hope our teachers will devote more time and energy to their students' extramural activities so as to produce a robust and rugged society in our next generation.

Mr Speaker, Sir, in order to inculcate a spirit of national consciousness in the students, we have military and police training in the cadet corps. We should not have quantity alone. We should also have quality in our training. We should be concerned not so much with the form but with the content of the training we are giving to our children. In my view, our youth must realise the importance of national consciousness. It is only with the spur of patriotism that our children will be able to build a robust and rugged society.

I feel that the Ministry of Culture has a great part to play in the field of public education. For example, the contents of the television and radio broadcasts must be imbued with national consciousness. The publications in our National Library and the exhibits in the National Museum should also have items which will inspire national consciousness and patriotism. It is only when our people have the feeling of patriotism that they will be able to solve all problems.

Mr Speaker, I have also noted that only ten per cent of the school population per year reach the matriculation level, and of this figure only about five per cent are admitted to the universities or other institutions of higher learning. These undergraduates are in a somewhat privileged position. They receive special training and education. Naturally after they have graduated they should be able to serve their country better by solving our national problems and overcoming difficulties, and making a concerted effort to build a more prosperous multi-racial society. As the Prime Minister has said in moving the motion, Singapore is what it is today because we have above average intelligence, diligence, skill, know-how and expertise. Undoubtedly, our graduates have the honour of being in possession of such talent and expertise. But from what we can see at the present juncture, there are certain disappointing features amongst our graduates. Some of them are still living in an ivory tower. They are least concerned with our national affairs. Today if we try to get graduates who are really interested in our national affairs and are dedicated to our country, I am afraid the number will not be very great. In fact, we can see very few graduates serving on the management committees of the various community centres and the Citizens' Consultative Committees. In my view, while we are reorganising our secondary education, we should also consider reorganising our universities. We should then be able to produce a generation of graduates who are not only specialists in their field, but are also imbued with a sense of national consciousness and patriotism so that they would be prepared to dedicate themselves to society.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish now to touch on the question of adult education. At the present moment, the Adult Education Board is running two types of classes, the language classes and the secondary evening classes. All these classes are biased towards academic subjects. Now that we are industrialising and are trying to introduce technical subjects into our education system, we see that the work of the Adult Education Board is not adequate in this respect. The Board is financed by public funds and the students of the Board are either young workers or people who are unable to get places in schools. In my view, the adult education classes should teach more technical and vocational subjects than academic subjects. In this way the graduates of the Adult Education Board will be able to play their part in industrialisation. In the day-time they have got their own jobs. Two or three years ago, I understood that these part-time teachers would be replaced by full-time teachers. But I do not know why this has not been done. Mr Speaker, Sir, it cannot be denied that the Adult Education Board has made outstanding achievements in the field of adult education. But in order to consolidate what has been achieved and to fall in with the change in secondary education, the Adult Education Board must have its own staff of teachers. This will not only help to promote the growth of adult education but it will also help to solve our unemployment problem.

Mr Speaker, Sir, last week when the Member for Joo Chiat spoke in this House, he advocated the abolition of communal schools and the Member for Kampong Chai Chee yesterday also voiced the same opinion in support. I fully agree with what that they have said. In order to create a society and a nation which transcends all racial differences, we must make a start in this respect in the schools. But I do not agree when they say that there are communal schools in our Republic. At present the schools, in whatever stream they are, do not discriminate against any student on racial grounds. It is possible for a Tamil to go to a Chinese school to study and for a Chinese student to go to a Malay school to study. However, I do not deny that in the Republic parents tend to send their children to the schools where their own mother tongue is being used as the medium of instruction. This is mainly due to the fact that the policy of second language teaching has got to be more practical and its implementation has not been adequate. That is why the Government is trying to improve the standard of teaching of the second language in all schools.

In the Addendum to the President's Speech various effective measures have been clearly outlined which the Government will adopt to put the second language to maximum use as a medium of instruction in our schools. This is to enable our students to become bilingual so that they will have more opportunities for further education and employment. It is only through the promotion of bilingualism in our schools that it is possible for the students to break down the language barrier and thus be able to mix together, study together and live together.

In short, let us strengthen our administrative arm and achieve the great objective of nation-building. According to the speech delivered by the President, it is obvious that the Government has adopted various measures to deal effectively with the problems that are confronting us. I now fully support the motion in the name of the Prime Minister.

4.40 p.m.

The Minister for Health (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, before I deal with one or two aspects of the policy of my Ministry as outlined in the Addendum to the President's Speech and elaborate on them and perhaps reply to some points raised by some hon. Members in this debate, I wish to speak on the present cholera situation in Singapore. I am sure hon. Members of this House will be keen to hear me on this.

After four cholera-free years, a single case of cholera was discovered on the 17th of April, 1968, in a 66-year old male Chinese who lives at Lorong 3, Geylang. Hon. Members will remember that the 17th of April, 1968, is only a day after I assumed office as Minister for Health. To the superstitious minded, this may be an omen or an augury perhaps ill or good, depending on the stars, of the things to come during my term of office as Minister for Health. Perhaps the hon. Member for Anson, who is an expert in these matters, can tell us what the stars foretell. Mr Speaker, Sir, for myself and my Ministry, we look at this in the light of cold logic as a challenge that lies ahead of us to wrestle out a successful solution not only of making Singapore clean but also to maintain it as such. Dirt, flies and mosquitoes are all too evident and we do not need hon. Members or members of the public to remind us of this.

Mr Speaker, Sir, although to date there are four cases of cholera, I wish to assure hon. Members that there is no cause for alarm. The position is under control. My officials tell me that after studying the pattern of the outbreak, an epidemic spread of the disease is most unlikely. However, to ensure that this does not occur at all, stringent measures have already been taken in and around the places where the four cases have occurred. Of course, for these measures to be effective we need the maximum co-operation of the members of the public who live in each such area. In this respect hon. Members in whose constituencies these areas happen to be can do a lot to set the lead. The residents in these areas need to be advised that there is no cause for alarm so long as they scrupulously observe the simple rules of hygiene of washing their hands before they handle any eatables, boiling water before they drink it, washing any cut fruit which had been left exposed before eating it and so on.

Mr Speaker, Sir, let me now give hon. Members some facts concerning the outbreak. The four cases of cholera have occurred in four different places. They are as follows:

The first case occurred on 17-4-68 to a 66-year old odd job wood-worker living at Lorong 3, Geylang.

The second case on 4-5-68 to a 39-year old store-keeper with the Port of Singapore Authority living at Jalan Minggu (Thomson Road Estate).

The third case on 6-5-68 to a 9-year old school boy living at Peng Ghee Road, Kampong Chai Chee.

The fourth case on 7-5-68 to a 68-year old car washer living at Verdun Road.

All patients have recovered. The pattern of the outbreak has similarities with the previous outbreak of 1963 - 1964. There was initially a latent period between the first case before the others occurred. All were isolated cases: no link was discovered between any one of the cases.

The bacterial strain of the present outbreak is El Tor Inaba.

A common feature is the attack on the old and insanitary living conditions of the patients. But the small number of cases and the lack of a link between cases rule out water-borne infection. Indeed, it is unlikely that the disease will develop into any proportions because of our extensive safe water supply. The sporadic occurrence without a detectable pattern indicates the transmission by carriers.

While it is fortunate that the outbreaks will not be of epidemic proportions the presence of carriers (none detected in the present outbreak) means that small outbreaks of the disease will occur sporadically indicating the endemic state. Eradication in the circumstances is extremely difficult.

May I also stress the important fact that Singapore is an open international port. Every day thousands of people come in and out of Singapore not only from the surrounding areas but also from every nook and corner of the world. I am told that another great port, the port of Rotterdam, has its occasional outbreaks of cholera.

Furthermore, Singapore, as hon. Members know, is an extremely attractive and desirable place for people of the surrounding economically depressed areas to come to and, if possible, to settle down in. Our immigration authorities have been hard put to it to deal with the ever-increasing number of illegal immigrants into Singapore. I am told that in recent months some 300 illegal immigrants had to be deported back to the place where they came from.

The Prime Minister (Mr Lee Kuan Yew): Fair enough!

Mr Chua Sian Chin: But what about the unknown number who have managed to slip in undetected? We can therefore expect quite a number of carriers of the cholera bacteria to have come into Singapore.

The relevant authorities in my Ministry have been keeping a strict check on the international health certificates of every traveller that comes into Singapore. But whom we have no control over are the illegal immigrants that have been slipping into Singapore. However, I assure hon. Members that strict vigilance will be maintained. In the long term, eradication of the disease can only be achieved if the people are scrupulously clean in their habits and the standard of sanitation is improved.

I am sure a question which is uppermost in the minds of hon. Members is the question of mass inoculation of the whole population of Singapore as a measure of control, and whether my Ministry will be launching such a mass campaign. My officials and I have considered this very carefully and we have decided that the situation at the moment does not warrant such a measure. The reasons for our decision are as follows:-

Firstly, although inoculation is one of the measures of control, it is of minor importance in endemic outbreaks. The present outbreak is a small one and represents an endemic situation rather than a build-up towards an epidemic.

Secondly, the vaccination confers at best immunity of short duration.

Thirdly, the cost for the inoculation of our two million population will be high.

Fourthly, such a mass inoculation campaign will require the turning of all our outpatient dispensaries and maternal and child health centres into vaccination centres, and this will involve not only the posting of additional staff to these centres but also the curtailment of routine medical services in these centres during the course of the campaign, which will take at least one to two months.

Lastly, there are complications following vaccination. The serious one is serum jaundice. Even at a very small rate of incidence in the mass, the total number who will succumb to this infection would be significant.

However, the situation will be carefully watched. In any case, may I assure hon. Members that my Ministry is ready to launch such a mass inoculation campaign in the unlikely event of the situation meriting it. We have at the moment in stock nearly one million doses of anti-cholera vaccine and this can be easily increased by our manufacturing some more if we so require.

Therefore, vaccination to date has been offered only because it is required for travellers outside of Singapore. For this purpose, the vaccination centre at North Canal Road has been enlarged to deaf with the additional persons attending at the centre. The Airport Centre deals with passengers leaving Singapore who might have missed getting vaccination certificates before take-off.

Following the third case the Director of Medical Services, Malaysia, indicated that more stringent measures might be taken for travellers across the Causeway. The Malaysian health authorities vaccinate every person coming from Singapore unless they have valid vaccination certificates. This has imposed a strain on their services and they are running short of supplies and they had indicated that they might either turn back travellers arriving without vaccination certificates or quarantine them on arrival. For this reason a third centre was opened at Kranji Maternal and Child Health Centre (l3½ m.s. Woodlands just south of the Causeway). The number of attendances at this centre is small, which probably indicates that the majority of travellers have already been vaccinated and possess certificates.

It is not proposed, however, to set up a centre at the railway station. From experience in the last outbreak, railway travellers came just about time for boarding the train and expected to be vaccinated. Since everybody had the same idea, the rush created unruly scenes. Passengers travelling by train should, therefore, take their vaccination from the North Canal Road centre in good time before travel.

Mr Speaker, Sir, may I now turn to elaborate on one or two aspects of the policy of my Ministry as outlined in the Addendum to the President's Speech.

Needless to say, with this outbreak of cholera, the environmental aspect of health has become the more pressing problem. It is a very complex problem particularly because the people are involved. To tackle this problem successfully, an aggressive and concerted planned effort is necessary. The plan must involve the mass participation of the public. It is true that our cleansing services and Anti-Mosquito Unit need further re-organisation for better efficiency and discipline. All these efforts, however, can come to naught if certain sections of the public continue with the old bad habits of indiscriminate throwing of litter and rubbish and allowing their little children to use our public drains as a place for the evacuation of their bowels while others continue to breed mosquitoes in discarded empty receptacles in the compounds of their houses. Therefore, along with the reorganisation of our public health services to lick it into shape, it is necessary at the same time to launch a mass nation-wide campaign to appeal to the civic-mindedness of the people of Singapore to keep Singapore clean. This will involve the participation of thousands of voluntary workers who will be trained before they go out and exhort members of the public not to throw litter and so on. In this mass campaign, which will have to be worked out very carefully, I shall require not only the sympathetic but also the active co-operation of hon. Members.

It is only after this mass health education campaign that the new laws will be enforced with vigour to deal firmly but fairly with the small percentage of incorrigible litter-bugs and persistent breeders of disease-bearing insects, like mosquitoes and flies. These new laws are now being very carefully drafted, loopholes are being plugged in order to make for effective enforcement against the wrongdoer.

On the cleansing side which is the responsibility of my Ministry, a new roster system will be introduced to allow the cleansing, the collection and disposal of rubbish to be done all the year round irrespective of Sundays and public holidays. A sustained effort with this two-pronged attack on this extremely difficult problem should see us through to a cleaner and healthier Singapore.

The other priority problem is the problem of dental health in Singapore. The poor dental health of our population was brought into focus when the new recruits of our national servicemen underwent dental examination. These young adults between the ages of 18 and 21 years did not enjoy the benefits of fluoridation of our water supplies which started in 1958. They had received little or no dental attention from the school dental service while they were in the primary schools, and no dental treatment other than extraction of decayed or aching teeth during their adolescent years in secondary schools. Most of them do not visit their dentists regularly mainly because of their ignorance of dental hygiene. Mr Speaker, Sir, it is important that our young population maintain good dental health because lack of good sound teeth can greatly handicap the building of a robust constitution.

Here again, to tackle the problem, my Ministry places more emphasis on preventive measures, not only because they are financially less costly, but because they are based on the sound principle that "Prevention is better than cure". The first thing that we shall do will be to launch a Dental Health Education Programme. This will be directed particularly at the school children. A more specific and active action plan must be devised. For example, there should be compulsory brushing of teeth by school children as part of the school curriculum after their physical training classes. This brings me to mind a remark made by the hon. Member for Katong who quite cynically said that it is all very well to urge school children to brush their teeth -

Mr J. F. Conceicao (Katong): Not cynically, Sir, I hope!

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Well, I hope the hon. Member for Katong will agree with me that he did say that it is all very well to urge school children to brush their teeth, but what about those poor children who do not possess a toothbrush? My answer to this is quite simple. Surely the parent of every school-going child can afford to buy a toothbrush in the same way as he can afford to buy a pair of shoes, which is more expensive. I understand that toothbrushes, if bought in bulk, might be obtained for only 10 cents each, which hon. Members know is the price of only a glass of ice-water.

Of course, whatever preventive measures are undertaken, there will remain a large proportion of the population who missed being exposed to dental health propaganda. For these people, a dental care service will be provided. The dental care services will be expanded as rapidly as resources are available. Priority will, of course, be given to the further establishment of more dental clinics for school children.

May I now turn to deal with some of the points raised by hon. Members in the course of this debate.

May I refer to what the Member for Ulu Pandan said in his usual picturesque manner and with some vehemence? He did say some unkind things of the actions so far taken by the Hawkers Department of my Ministry. He also suggested that the Health Ministry should construct more markets and hawkers stalls before they begin to resite hawkers. The Hawkers Department of my Ministry has always done its best to provide alternative sites for hawkers when clearing them, if such sites are available. But as hon. Members very well know, in Singapore today, such vacant plots of land suitable for hawker resiting in the crowded areas of Singapore are quite difficult to come by. My Ministry is doing its best to tackle the hawker problem in Singapore, which hon. Members know very well has been defying solution.

May I now turn to the Member for Geylang Serai?

Mr Speaker: Mr Chua, can you estimate how much longer you are likely to take?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: About two or three minutes more.

Mr Speaker: Please proceed.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: The Member for Geylang Serai in his speech referred to some malpractices by some members of the Anti-Mosquito Unit of my Ministry who, instead of doing their rounds of oiling of drains, etc, in his constituency, sell the oil for profit. This is indeed a very serious malpractice. But I must say with regret that the hon. Member had not thought fit to come and see me about it with the necessary information so that the culprits concerned can be dealt with as they deserve. The hon. Member, being a trade unionist, should know that before any Government employee is sacked, there is such a thing called a disciplinary enquiry conducted under the Disciplinary Enquiry Code in which evidence must be brought forward. Unless hon. Members and members of the public who witness such malpractices come forward to provide the evidence, we can never bring the culprits to book.

Mr Sim Boon Woo (Changi): Can you not catch them redhanded?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: If members of the public did not see these malpractices, I am quite sure that the complaints would not have come in.

Mr Sim Boon Woo: If you want evidence, you have to catch them redhanded?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Lastly, may I turn to the Member for Punggol who touched cursorily on the proposed Abortion Bill. The interesting point about it is that the Member had categorically stated that he opposed the Bill even before he had the opportunity to look at its provisions!

Mr Ng Kah Ting (Punggol): On a point of information, Sir.

Mr Speaker: Mr Chua, are you prepared to give way?

Mr Chua Sian Chin resumed his seat.

Mr Ng Kah Ting: I think the Minister for Health will agree with me that I stated that I reserved my comments on the Bill until it comes before this House.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: The Member for Punggol is putting the cart before the horse! He opposes first, and then says that when he looks at the provisions -

Mr Speaker: Mr Chua, perhaps the Member for Punggol was limiting himself to the last paragraph in the Addendum to the President's Speech.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: May I proceed, Sir?

Mr Speaker: Yes.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Bill will be placed before Parliament soon and I urge hon. Members to study the provisions first before they decide to support or oppose the Bill and to be guided more by their reason than by their emotions and prejudices when making up their minds.

Mr Speaker, Sir, may I suggest to the Member for Punggol that he should first study the provisions of the Bill before he begins -

Mr Ng Kah Ting: The Bill is not out. How can I study it?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: He should first study the provisions of the Bill before he attempts to abort the Bill! [Interruption.]

Mr Speaker: Order. I will suspend the sitting now and take the Chair again at 5.35 p.m.

Sitting accordingly suspended at 5.07 p.m. until 5.35 p.m. Sitting resumed at 5.35 p.m.