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

Order read for resuming adjourned debate on Question [16th October, 1972],

`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.".'. -[Mr Chai Chong Yii].

Question again proposed.

3.23 p.m.

Mr Ho See Beng (Bras Basah): (In Mandarin): Sir, first, allow me to express my thanks to the President for his Speech. Secondly, let me at the same time express my satisfaction of the policies contained in the Speech. The President has pointed out that:

`when the last Parliament was convened, the prospects were grim. We faced the stark question of survival: how to hold up the economy, to generate jobs, of any kind, to mop up massive unemployment... Today's continuing and controlled boom is giving Singapore that glow of success. There is a bloom which will spread from the city to the new towns, and through to the villages and kampongs in the rural areas.'

That we have achieved the good results today is due entirely to our decisive will to succeed, sheer determination, hard work, and realistic planning. We have overcome the many difficulties then facing us, and have achieved the targets we set out to accomplish.

Sir, there are several points arising out of the President's Speech which I would like to raise. Firstly, it is about the re-adjustment of the salary scales and terms and conditions of service of civil servants. The Addendum to the President's Speech pointed out that:

`It is necessary to re-examine once again the structure of pay and service conditions and to make the rewards in certain departments, ministries, grades and professions more comparable to what they can get in the private sector.'

This suggestion is very good. However, the question is whether this adjustment will involve only a small group of senior officers or all civil servants, including those in Divisions II, III, and IV. Several years ago, the Government set up a Civil Service Salary Adjustment Committee. They submitted their recommendations which benefited only a few senior officers. Civil servants in the lower ranks did not benefit by the adjustment. Therefore, I would like to suggest here that the re-adjustment of the Civil Service salary structures should not be discriminatory, benefiting only the senior officers, and not the lower ranks of civil servants. In actual fact, the re-adjustment in salary structure is more pressing for the lower ranks than for senior officers to whom a small adjustment is insignificant. It is just like a drop of water in the ocean to senior officers. But to officers in the lower ranks, it is like a dewdrop in a season of drought: or it is like providing them with charcoal during winter. The re-adjustment will benefit them very much. Therefore, a comprehensive salary re-adjustment is very necessary and this is also a pressing requirement of the general rungs of the civil servants.

Secondly, I would like to look into the question of why some people are not satisfied with the Government. We all know that although the present Government won a decisive victory in the last general elections, there are still about 30 per cent of our electorate who cast votes for the opposition. There must be some reason for this. Sir, I remember that when we separated from Malaysia, our Government had to make the people struggle very hard for their survival. And now we have achieved definite results. At present, it is not a question of survival of our people as our prosperity has topped the whole of Southeast Asia and it can even compare very favourably with that of the Western and American countries. Living in this fortunate environment, except for a very few extremists, chauvinists, and racialists, why should they want to oppose the Government? I think it might be because the Government in implementing its policies had been too harsh or hasty and neglecting the basic livelihood of the people. For example, in implementing our urban renewal programme the Government has given priority of Housing Board flats to people affected by the resettlement programme. The Government has also given them compensation and removal expenses. In view of this, the Government can be said to have done its best to help the people to resettle comfortably. However, the Government has not gone a step further to resolve the problem of livelihood of these people. Because of this they are dissatisfied with the Government. For instance, those who were affected by resettlement were originally sub-tenants, and many of them are families of six or seven each. They had been paying rentals of $15 or $20 per month, but upon resettlement in Housing Board flats they had to pay double or even treble the rate. This had inevitably increased their burden. They had no choice but to move out. However, it was difficult to remove, and thus their cause for dissatisfaction. Here I would like to suggest that in future whenever the Government implements any policy that affects the people, it should give the people ample time to adjust to the changed situation. Secondly, there should be co-ordination between Members of Parliament and local leaders, who could make on-the-spot investigations so that they could better understand the actual living conditions of the general populace and to enable the Government to draw up plans and policies in accordance with the surveys obtained. This would meet the requirements of the people and would facilitate persuasion, so that the people would not have any reason to complain against the Government.

Finally, Sir, I would like to touch upon the reorganisation of the road traffic system. It cannot be denied that since the reorganisation of our public transport, the bus services are much better than before. This, of course, is a mailer for joy. Today, many people need to spend a few cents to travel by bus from one corner of Singapore to another. However, this reorganisation has brought about many problems. First of all, it adversely affects the livelihood of the taxi drivers because with so many buses running along so many roads and with such convenience and cheap means of transport many people want to travel by bus. As a result, the income of the taxi drivers has dropped very badly. If this trend were to continue further, the difficulties now faced by the taxi drivers would become worse. Therefore, I would like to remind the Government to pay attention to the problem of the livelihood of the taxi drivers. Secondly, the bus services along so many roads, big or small, have caused greater congestion along these roads. For instance, in MacPherson district there is a small road called Circuit Road which is not very wide. Originally, the vehicular traffic there is already quite heavy. But now, with buses running along this road, the traffic is even more congested. This is only one example. There are many other streets and roads in the same situation. I hope the Minister for Communications will pay attention to this undesirable situation and try to rectify it so that our road system can be improved.

3.35 p.m.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin (Jalan Kayu): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the motion to thank the President for his speech. In his speech to the House, the President has charted out the path of progress for the nation in the next few years. We owe our present well-being to hard work in the past; hard work it shall have to be if we are to continue to prosper. As we become more affluent, we shall have more to spend and to save. Whilst spending is a relatively simple matter, although some people seem to have difficulties spending within their means, saving can pose quite considerable problems. It is perhaps unnecessary for me to enumerate the many painful experiences which some of our citizens have had in recent years. By putting their savings in the wrong places or in wrong hands, they have had their hard-earned savings taken away from them overnight. What has happened is history. My present concern is the future security of the savings of our citizens, particularly the large majority of the working class people. Ideally, I would like to see most of the savings going to the Post Office Savings Bank or perhaps the other well established financial institutions, but as there are many other competing alternatives offering what appear to be attractive propositions in terms of high rates of returns for those who are eager to see their money grow, security becomes a matter of some concern. As such, I feel that it is essential at this juncture for the Government to take a good look at some of the existing outlets for our national savings, with a view to ensuring as far as it is possible by legislative means that these outlets are safe for our citizens to leave their money with. One area that immediately comes to mind is the Stock Exchange where we find today people from all walks of life playing "Bulls and Bears", and many have had their lingers burned. Here, are we satisfied that everything possible has been done to curb excessive speculation and manipulation which, more often than not, benefits a resourceful few at the expense of a vast number of small investors? There has been a suggestion that an independent watchdog committee be set up to keep an eye on the activities of the Exchange, but to-date this has remained a point of academic interest leaving the Exchange to continue to operate as a self-regulating body.

As we become more and more of a "Global City", in the words of one of the Ministers, we shall benefit from the importation of technological skills and expertise but at the same time our citizens shall become more exposed and vulnerable to exploitation by international crooks who, under the guise of commerce, will come along with their highly refined and subtle confidence-tricks. We cannot always afford to learn from bitter experience. In the course of the next few years I should like to see a rather more effective and knowledgeable commercial crime unit within our own police force working hand-in-hand with the Trade Division of the Ministry of Finance and constantly keeping a watchful eye on imported crimes directed at taking away the precious savings of our people. In this connection, it is therefore reassuring to note from the addendum to the President's speech, the proposed setting up of a Criminal Intelligence Unit.

Sir, I would be failing in my duty if I did not bring the attention of the House to some of the perennial problems faced by the rural folk. At the top of the list is, of course, the pig problem which has been the subject of heated debate at the last Parliament. Suffice it to say, I do sincerely hope that the Ministry concerned will study the problem in depth with a view to finding permanent and suitable solutions at an earlier date, leading to stability of price and at a level tolerable to farmers who have suffered severe financial losses.

I would also like to take the opportunity of requesting the Minister for Law to direct the Land Office to carry out a revision of the conditions attached to all temporary occupation licences granted to people occupying State land in the rural areas, so that it would be easier and possible for existing structures to be either extended or new structures erected in order to meet rising expectations. At present most, if not all, of such applications are turned down. Consequently many families have to put up with very crammed conditions, since alternative accommodation is becoming increasingly difficult to come by, bearing in mind the long waiting list at the Housing Board. The very involved procedures at present which are necessary in order to obtain approval for repairs or renovations, no matter how minor the nature of repairs may be, also leave much to be desired, and I would urge that something be done to simplify matters and to avoid unnecessary delays. All in all, I feel that the time has come for a rather more comprehensive set of policies aiming at the betterment of life in general in the rural areas so that, to quote the President, the bloom as reflected from the glow of success "will spread from the city to the new towns, and through to the villages and kampongs in the rural areas."

3.40 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Communications (Mr Lim Guan Hoo): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion, moved by the Member for Bukit Batok, expressing 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.

We meet today in a more favourable atmosphere with a homogeneous parliamentary line-up, fully equipped with the determination to safeguard what we have achieved in the past 13 years. Far from being annoyed by any form of political instability, we are now in a better position to enjoy a stable situation brought about by the PAP's achievement in the recent general elections. Mr Speaker, Sir, if I recollect rightly, not all the countries in the world which claim to have adopted a parliamentary democratic system have benefited from parliamentarism. One of the reasons is that in many of these countries a defective multi-party system or even a two-party system is encouraged to serve the purpose of those who prefer constitutional instability to the continuity of an effective government. Time and energy are wasted in the intensified inter-party struggles which lead eventually to unrest and disorder. In the case of the Third Republic of France, there had been a century of constitutional instability. The real vice lies in the belief that democracy should provide more intensified inter-party struggles rather than political stability.

We in Singapore do not believe that a small nation like ours should allow foreign interests to manipulate our internal politics under the guise of supplementing or reorganising our democratic system by offering an opposition voice in this Parliament. Democracy must be a national asset and there must be no room for insurrection to be triggered off by foreign nations. Members will recall that prior to the general elections in 1959, there was a well-known case of a decadent Lim Yew Hock regime receiving financial support from a certain foreign power. The history of bracketed tractable operation and black operation designed by foreign powers can be traced to as far back as the 1950s. It would be naive for us to believe that being an independent country today, Singapore would be free from political intervention from outside. This is part of the hard facts of life which should always be borne in mind by all those who do not lack a sense of commitment to the nation. We have to rely mainly on our determination to safeguard our national interest against any political manipulation by outside powers. Too often we find people possessing love for the nation only when the sun smiles upon them. But the patriot who stands firm, even when the cruel winds of fate blast upon our shores and dark clouds loom over the horizon, deserves the gratitude of every man and woman in the nation. Only God and the devil can live alone in this world. As men, we must live together and care for one another. This is a prerequisite to nation-building, and our first task is to build up a sense of political alertness and to develop the best qualities of incorruptible integrity. This is the essence of statesmanship and political maturity. All these are crucial and should be treated with the utmost sincerity. Since my colleague, the Member for Stamford and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Labour, has quoted from a book entitled "Art of War" by Soon Tze yesterday, I would now like to quote Lao Tze for the reference of Members:

`When the highest type of men hear of Truth, they forthwith practise it sedulously. When the average type of men hear of Truth, they are unimpressed. When the lowest type of men hear of Truth, they greatly deride it and simply laugh at it. Indeed, if these men do not deride it, it is surely not Truth.'

Mr Speaker, Sir, I am confident Members will agree with me if I say that nation-building is no laughing matter. It is a matter that concerns life and death, and it determines whether empires wax or wane, and whether states cleave asunder or coalesce. Our duty as Singaporeans is to provide and build a tradition of unshakable will to serve the best interests of our country so as to preserve the continuity of political stability in this part of the world. We do not believe that the proposed presence of an opposition in this House would reflect a higher standard of democracy in Singapore. This is especially so when the benefits of having opposition parties are entwined with those of the foreign powers. At a time when foreign powers are showing greater and greater interest in this island Republic, one can hardly believe that the opposition parties would be capable of resisting the temptation generated from such attractive sources. If opposition parties fall prey to foreign political manipulation, the time would be ripe for us to declare them the common enemy of the people of Singapore. There is no feeling of indifference among our people on matters concerning national survival. I therefore believe that it is now time for a system to be established to ensure that the will of the people in respect of major issues concerning their destiny is well expressed and that such a system will always remain the decisive force in the safeguarding of our sovereignty.

Sir, I support the motion of the Member for Bukit Batok.

3.52 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education (Mr Ahmad Mattar): Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the motion, moved by the Member for Bukit Batok, expressing our thanks to the President for his speech delivered last Thursday on behalf of the Government at the opening of the First Session of this Parliament.

As Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, it would not be out of place for me to dwell for a few moments on education in general and on our educational policies in Singapore in particular. These arc matters of great bearing to the continued progress of our Republic.

It is important that the system and content of education in any country be shaped according to the needs of the country. In a changing social order, education should guide the citizens in their efforts to build a new society. Young people must be taught to adapt themselves to the new social environment, and this should be the responsibility of the government.

That education and the pursuit of knowledge should not be the monopoly of any privileged class needs no emphasis. Those who were not able, for one reason or another, to enjoy much education when young should be given the opportunity to pick it up again at a more opportune time through adult education and vocational training programmes. At the same time, however, the people should not be encouraged to climb the education ladder blindly, without regard to social needs. For example, if the country's need is for more people trained in practical skills, then courses offering such training should be given priority over those which are purely academic and non-practical.

Education, as I see it within the context of Singapore, should be planned instruction, beginning with the young, to cultivate their potentialities and talents so as to enable them not only to engage in productive work in order to improve their economic well-being but also to contribute wholeheartedly to the promotion of social progress in the midst of a democratic system.

Singapore has in recent years undergone transformation in every field -political, social and economic. And throughout this period of purposeful ferment, education has been the main strut upholding national planning.

In support of our Republic's rapid industrialisation, the aims and content of our educational system were orientated towards science and technology. Many new measures have been implemented by the Ministry of Education. A major reorganisation of our secondary school system was started in 1968, laying unprecedented emphasis on technical education. This was necessary in order that the state of industry in Singapore could advance. Greater stress has been laid on the teaching of mathematics, science and technical subjects in our technical schools and vocational institutes. We have been encouraging the use of English in teaching science and mathematics at secondary and even at primary levels in non-English-medium streams. This is necessary in our long-term interests for we believe that the English Language can provide functional support to our plans for scientific and technological development in the `80s.

However, in attaching importance to such development, we shall not forget that our young citizens must be encouraged to retain their cultural ballast, in order that they may derive enough confidence from a knowledge of their own cultural identity to counter any ills and problems which the pace of life in an industrialised and highly urbanised society may bring. This will be a further task of education in Singapore. It is our aim that education should equip our young Singaporeans for the task of turning Singapore not only into a regional centre for industries and services in shipping and communications, banking and commerce, but also into a city of grace and vitality.

3.57 p.m.

Mr Ong Teng Cheong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the achievements of the Government in the last five years can be attributed mainly to the sound and dedicated leadership on the one hand and the cooperation of our diligent people on the other. We have mopped up unemployment, generated jobs, built flats, new towns, factories, etc. These can be regarded as tangible achievements. The tasks ahead of us with emphasis on "quality" are more complex and intangible than some of us would have realised.

To achieve quality in jobs, homes, social and recreational amenities, we require much more than just more money to be spent on capital equipment, prolonged training of technicians, and on educating the professionals whose expertise is part and parcel of an industrial society. It requires greater effort on research and planning before action in order to attain qualitative goals.

It is needless for me to stress that the main efforts of our Government have been directed towards improving the lot of every citizen of Singapore. We have very little space in this island state and we have hardly any natural resources worth speaking about. It is precisely for this reason that I feel that there is an urgent need for the formulation of a comprehensive socio-economic and physical development plan whose framework should be flexible but clear enough to guide our long term and short term investment decisions, and to help put every square foot of space in this island to its best possible use.

It is only through comprehensive planning and thorough research will we achieve better communication and transportation, better places of work, better community facilities and amenities, a better Singapore for our children and for our children's children.

In this connection I feel that particular attention should be given to the development of a more effective working relationship between Government departments and statutory bodies. At the same time, in order to achieve higher standards in everything, as the President has stated, it is essential also to cultivate simultaneously the quality of our people and hopefully to be able to nurture and develop a broad base of intellectual freemasons whose conviction and passionate interest in social responsibility stand in harmony with that of the sound and dedicated leadership.

Full well do we realise that in order to attain the ultimate goal it is imperative that the leaders should do the thinking, commanding, and carry most of the responsibilities. But in the pursuit of these qualitative goals, it is preferable that the leadership have the support and collaboration of like-minded beings than the need to drive or spoon-feed all the way those who are led.

I do not believe that there are simple solutions to the complex and intangible tasks ahead of us. What is needed is greater team work inside and outside this House. It is only through team work and closer collaboration that effective plans evolve and higher standards in everything achieved.

Sir, I support the motion moved by the Member for Bukit Batok.

4.00 p.m.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture (Encik Sha'ari Bin Tadin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I wish to associate myself with the Member for Bukit Batok in moving a motion to 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 the Third Parliament on 12th October, 1972.

The President has outlined some guidelines for Singapore. When translated into practical terms, it will mean a better life for the mostest number of people at the expense of marginal sacrifices by those able to bear them. Living conditions in Singapore have already been kept stable and non-inflationary since 1959.

The developed nations have not fared well in this respect. There, galloping inflation is the order of the day. Irresponsible trade unionism is another menace, so much so that one wag says that the unions may succeed in abolishing the working week altogether. In those countries, the status quo has been defined as the mess they are in, which includes pollution and all the rest of it. It is easy to understand that the soil there is conducive to the development of hippi-ism and other hedonistic philosophies.

Those who have travelled abroad find the contrast between Singapore and other societies evident.

In the developing societies, they will find that there is no economic take-off simply because the governments and the people do not pull together and make the necessary sacrifices. Many a developing society is left far behind in the race for economic development.

In Singapore, nobody starves if he is able-bodied and prepared to accept any job offered, even if he is unskilled. It means that the correct formula for nation-building has been found by us.

The cornerstone of nation-building is a realistic policy of "from each his best, to each according to his ability". This means that whether in business or in the Government services, each man finds his way to the room at the top only on his own merit.

Singaporeans will have to continue to be economic animals. In fact, any halt to Singapore's economic development will be a national catastrophe. But from time to time there have been pleas that we be not an ugly society of people who know the price of everything but the value of nothing. It simply means that dollar-worship should be matched by aesthetic appreciation. It is good for Singaporeans to make money, but in doing so, they must advance the national interest and, better still, cultivate a love for arts. This way, we become better Singaporeans.

The stress on the appreciation of arts and beauty is timely. This is the best time for such a clarion call to be made. It would have been premature if the call was made in our earlier period of economic development. Now that we are sharing the fruits of national development, we should apply ourselves seriously to the arts, since most of us can afford it. And if at such a time we should fail to place the right emphasis on cultural development, then we are to blame if ours becomes a gross and crude society.

The President has said that Singapore's limited land resources means that "we cannot seek fame for sheer size". But we can be synonymous with human excellence. This means, among other things, that we can be world-known as a society of cultural refinement. We can achieve this because we possess the cultural resources of all the major races on the globe.

The other related point I wish to make is the necessity to work hard in the national interest. So long as the economy is kept buoyant, our prosperity is assured, not forgetting the need for national defence.

Since we have an unfavourable man-land ratio, we have to plan the use of every inch of this resource very carefully. We have to compensate for this unfavourable man-land ratio by acquisition in the national interest - in other words, land not economically used is acquired for public projects to benefit a thousand times the number of people who have to move out. Dislocation is caused to the affected few. But there should be no hard feelings if those affected understand that if Singapore were 10 or 20 times its present size, such dislocation would not be necessary. Yet unscrupulous politicians told those affected that should their parties be elected and come to power, these urban renewal or redevelopment projects would be reversed or halted. Certain political parties in Singapore will not hesitate to set back the clock of national progress in their efforts to win votes. This is very sad for them because the concept of an alternative government with a two-party system means that the alternative programme must be as progressive and constructive, if not more so, as the ruling party's, if they are to have any prospects at a general election. However, their empty promises did have some effect during the last general elections. The electorate in Singapore must be taught to be more critical and analytic.

The result of the last general elections has demonstrated beyond any shadow of doubt that there are still those in Singapore, be they political parties or individuals, who would seek to come to power not for the benefit of the people as such, but for their own benefits, irrespective of what harm their policies would do to our Republic. We, on the other hand, are a party which have come up against many problems in the past, introduced many crucial adaptations and changes which have to be made, unpopular as they might have been to some people. In spite of the prophets of doom, who have unsuccessfully tried their best to discourage us in our endeavours, we intend to continue to face and overcome whatever obstacles that come our way in the future. Unlike those who make' promises at election time and then, not being elected, disappear completely from the scene without any more interest in the people whom they pretend to stand for and to look after, we plan many years ahead and anticipate or try to anticipate the changing scenes and the many problems which come within the orbit not only of Singapore but of all other countries as well. As a nation of doers and not criers, we always gear ourselves to meet the challenges ahead.

I am concerned with the problems of nation building which, as the Member for Bukit Merah has rightly said, should be treated with utmost sincerity as they are affected by the various aspects of culture. Mass media is a most powerful weapon, and my Ministry intends to see that it is used to unify and consolidate the building of our nation with the right aims and attitudes towards peace and progress. The various aspects of cultural and social activities which come within the purview of my Ministry are directed and channelled towards the building of character of our citizens, especially our youths, so that not only will they be hard-working and achievement-oriented but they will also be mentally active and loyal citizens of the Republic, able to appreciate things of aesthetic value and are always intellectually alive and responsive to changes which take place beyond our shores.

4.10 p.m.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Speaker, Sir, the opening Address to Parliament by our President on 12th October in this House is a very significant one. The speech outlined plans for Singapore and the problems we have faced and may face in the next five years. The contents of the speech are worth noting for the down-to-earth treatment of our problems we are facing, instead of presenting a speech with a glossy surface as is the case with some other countries.

After the elections in 1968 we were faced with a very grave problem. The British in their desperate efforts to salvage a sinking economy, which was on the verge of bankruptcy, had dealt Singapore a terrible blow. Their announcement of an early withdrawal of their troops would have spelt the death knell for many countries, but not for Singapore because of the kind of citizens that Singapore possesses. Fortunately we have an efficient government whose foresight has saved Singapore many a time. The Government has again proved its worth and calibre. Under the Prime Minister's magnificent leadership, together with the resourcefulness and hardworking nature of the Singaporeans, we have instead proved the doomsday prophets wrong once again. Nowhere in Asia, besides Japan, is there a country experiencing such boom conditions.

However, to experience these boom conditions further, we have to employ a great number of non-citizens from abroad. I might mention at this stage that, although work permits are issued liberally for most categories of workers, we still find factories employing workers without work permits. These workers had their applications for work permits rejected by the officials responsible, on some flimsy grounds. It is high time that work permits were issued to workers, particularly to those employed in factories, as they are being exploited by their employers. Further, these workers do not have any CPF contributions made to them; thus the country and the workers are losing money.

Touching on the subject of visas, may I point out that the office responsible for the issue of visas seems to have a particular prejudice against members of the religious orders. Quite often they have difficulty in the renewal of their visas. To make matters worse, new applications are quite often rejected. Since Singaporeans are more interested in the materialistic world which they are surrounded with, only a few join the religious orders. There is great difficulty among the religious orders in maintaining the services, institutions and homes, which they have admirably maintained for so many years.

The President's speech, however, has failed to mention the problems faced by the Port of Singapore Authority.

Statistics in this case are very deceiving. Since the PSA raised their tariffs late last year, many vessels have avoided coming to the docks in order to avoid paying the very high charges. Statistically, during the first half of this year as compared with that of last year, there is a greater turn-round of ships and greater handling of cargo. But one most important thing has been covered up by these statistics issued by the PSA; and that is, there is a great volume of cargo being handled at the roads, for which the PSA is losing money. These ships at the roads avoid paying the many charges involved, if they had docked. Thereby Singapore is losing a great deal of money.

It is necessary for some sort of remedial action to be taken to alleviate this abnormal situation. In the long run more and more shipping companies would be wise to the game and would discharge their cargo in the roads instead. This is not a good omen for Singapore. Either the tariffs are lowered or some other means have to be adopted to bring back the "lost" ships. Just because we are enjoying boom conditions in other sectors, it does not mean that we should neglect or gloss over the statistics issued by the PSA. Otherwise one of our important sources of income may dry up through neglect and a false picture created by statistics.

At this time may I also bring to the attention of the Government the plight of the lower income group in the civil service. With the cost of living going up, these workers are the ones who are being neglected, and they are finding it extremely hard to stretch the dollar. It is time that review of their salary structures be considered immediately. If there is going to be a wage revision, may 1 suggest that the lower income group workers be given a higher percentage of the increase as against the increase for the higher Division officers.

In the civil service and in the statutory boards it is the officer with the proper qualifications who gets the promotion and not the person with capabilities. A person with a University degree can be assured of a promotion when competing with a non-graduate for a certain post, although the non-graduate may be more experienced and quite often more capable than the graduate. This system of giving University graduates preferential treatment in everything has thus produced a dis-satisfied civil service, particularly in the case of the non-graduate who is a very capable person. I would suggest that it is important for it to be well known generally that, in theory and in practice, it is possible for meritorious officers to be promoted to higher grades, even though they may not have the educational qualifications normally required for direct entry into the grade, provided always that they are in all respects capable of performing the duties of the higher grade. Therefore, the stress should be laid on performance and potential rather than on formal qualifications. There should always be promotional opportunities open to serving officers capable of high performance. Therefore, at all levels of the service a number of vacancies in the recruitment grades should be made available for in-service promotion for such officers. It is also important that an officer should benefit immediately on promotion and that the promotional increase should he a meaningful one, i.e., it should be an amount representing not less than one normal increment on the salary scale of the post to which the officer is promoted.

A scheme should also he framed to give more than one annual increment to officers as an incentive to officers for their exceptionally good performance during the year.

Again, in respect of the rising cost of living, pensioners who had retired prior to the implementation of consolidated salaries - not myself, there are others- should have their pensions computed to the equivalent of the consolidation in order to keep up with the times.

Mr Speaker, Sir, this term of Parliament saw the introduction of a new Ministry. The Ministry of the Environment was formed at a very apt moment. It is worth noting that the Ministry has many important responsibilities under its care. A few years ago there was a smog in Japan, which considerably hindered its economic performance. This was mainly due to too many industries operating at the same time, thus causing serious air pollution. I also understand that in Los Angeles, USA, and in Fleet Street in London there are times when the public are advised not to do any physical exercise! This is due to the existence of bad air. However, Singapore has recently taken precautionary measures such as the establishment of the Anti-Pollution Unit and other measures to keep the environment free from this menace.

During the last few weeks we noticed a haze now and again appearing in our country. Never in the history of Singapore, other than this moment, did we come across haze. Though the Ministry of the Environment has given words of consolation that there is no reason for any alarm, nevertheless in the long-term interest it is important to the public that the air is kept safe. Steps must be taken to ensure that the people will not be infected by any form of sickness caused by this mysterious haze.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the motion moved by the Member for Bukit Batok.

Mr Chin Harn Tong rose -

Mr Speaker: Mr Chin, you shall be the last speaker for the day.

4.21 p.m.

Mr Chin Harn Tong (Aljunied) (in Mandarin): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would like to thank the President for his Address to Parliament on the opening of the First Session of this Parliament. I would like to stress on two points here. The first is about the Constitutional amendment and the second is about environmental health. These two problems are very closely related to the lives and safety of our people.

Mr Speaker, Sir, the President pointed out that our Constitution will be amended to provide for a minimum of two-thirds majority in a referendum before Singapore could form a federation or could be merged with another country. This is a very wise proposal. The people of Singapore know very well that since independence the developments in our country have received the admiration of many countries. Our country has made great progress - from economic difficulties to the threshold of economic development. These achievements have not descended upon us from heaven. These achievements have been made possible by the great effort and dedication of our people. We must preserve the precious fruits of our success. We must not allow other people through any process to take away the fruits of our success. The Constitutional amendment will strengthen the sovereignty of our country. This is absolutely necessary at the present juncture. I am wholly in support of this proposal.

Mr Speaker, Sir, from the Speech of the President, it can be seen that in many respects the Government is looking after the livelihood of the people very well. The Government is set to raise the standard of living of our people. This can be seen through the establishment of the Ministry of the Environment. This shows the determination of the Government in this respect. Mr Speaker, Sir, following active economic development, more and more industries have been established. The problem of environmental health then becomes more and more serious. In many advanced cities like Tokyo and New York, air pollution has become an insurmountable problem. It has affected the lives and safety of the people. In the last few years, air pollution tended to increase because of the rapid industrialisation in Singapore. As a result of economic progress, there are more vehicles on the roads, more radio and television sets in Singapore, contributing to more noise pollution which will gradually affect the tranquility and health of our living environment. Before these can seriously affect our living and safety, the establishment of the Ministry of the Environment now is a far-sighted and a very timely proposal.

Sir, I think adopting legal measures alone is not sufficient to combat pollution. This matter must be the concern of everyone in Singapore. I hope the Ministry will introduce concrete and comprehensive proposals to improve environmental health in Singapore. Besides the Ministry of Culture, which should do its best to disseminate the importance of environmental health, and the Ministry of Education which must impart its importance to all our school children, everybody must voluntarily respond to the call for environmental health. Civic organisations should systematically and periodically organise campaigns to preserve our environmental health. Vehicles should be regularly serviced and they should use anti-pollution devices. Industries must play their part in preventing pollution by adopting suitable measures and methods and to avoid pollution-causing processes. We must at all cost preserve the cleanliness and wholesomeness of the air in Singapore. Hawkers must also do their bit to prevent the pollution of the environment and the water source. Sir, I must stress that the problem of environmental health can be solved only when we all can see that it is directly related to our standard of living and national safety and when we all can actively and voluntarily adopt early preventive measures. How to make our people realise the close relationship this problem bears to us and how to thoroughly solve it, I think, depend on the effort of all our people.

Mr Speaker: Order. I think this is a good time to adjourn.