MAIN AND DEVELOPMENT ESTIMATES OF SINGAPORE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 1974 TO 31ST MARCH, 1975

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Deputy Speaker in the Chair]

6.15 p.m.

Head NA --

Mr Teong Eng Siong: (In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker. Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head NA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1004.

Sir, the Ministry of Home Affairs is a very important Ministry because it is charged with the responsibility of safeguarding our internal security, peace and the maintenance of law and order. Recently, a security corps was formed by the national servicemen to play the role of maintaining law and order. It goes without saying that the setting up of this corps is a right move. On the one hand, it helps the Police to keep law and order. On the other hand, it helps to enrich the experience of the Vigilante Corps members and to train them to be more competent in their role.

However, the organisation of this Vigilante Corps is not big enough. There are only about 100 members doing patrol duty. It is not sufficient. More members should be deployed in the rural areas and the housing estates. That is why I would like the Minister to consider increasing the strength of this corps. I understand that national servicemen in the Vigilante Corps number 20,000. Sir, it is not difficult to recruit more national servicemen of the Vigilante Corps to do patrol duty.

With regard to the allowance paid to members of the Vigilante Corps, I think the amount is too small. Members of this corps receive only about 25 cents per hour for their training. It is very small; 25 cents is not enough to pay for their bus fares. Sir, I would like the Minister to increase the allowance.

With regard to the allowance to the group leader of the Vigilante Volunteer Corps, I would like to cite one example. In my constituency there are two group leaders. They are very dedicated to their duties as they utilise their leisure hours for this civic role. They have done so for more than 10 years. At present, they are in charge of the volunteer corps in several constituencies. However, for carrying out their duties, they are paid only 80 cents per hour for their transport. This is not enough. The price of petrol has gone up. The price of premium petrol is now about $3.20, an increase of about 50 per cent over the past year. Sir, I would like the Minister to consider increasing the transport allowance for the group leaders in order to offset their loss.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, with regard to the recruitment of volunteers for the Vigilante Corps, the number of volunteers is only about 300-400. Sir, there has been a reduction in the programme of activities. In order to revive the full programme of activities, I would like the Minister to consider recruiting more members. I believe there are many dedicated citizens who would like to participate in such activities, and this is a useful means to train up our citizens to serve the society.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I have received some complaints from Vigilante Corps members that in the allocation of duties they are deployed to other constituencies. This is not good because it will increase their transport expenses and their duties will be made more difficult because they are not familiar with the environment in other constituencies. In posting these members, they should be posted to constituencies near their homes so that they can more effectively carry out their duties.

Now, I would like to talk about long hair. I appreciate the efforts made by the Government to get rid of long hair. There is an Action Committee concerned with this anti-long hair movement. Although two years have passed, we can still see many people with long hair. Even in certain Government departments, there are civil servants with long hair. Why is this so? I believe that apart from a minority of people with long hair who come from abroad, cinema shows also have some influence on our young people because the characters in films also sport long hair. If the heroes in these films keep long hair, our young are apt to copy them. They believe that in order to become heroes, they must imitate or copy their hair styles. Sir, in order to get rid of long hair styles vigilance should be kept up and action taken to deal with those who keep long hair. On the other hand, we should also ban those films showing long-haired heroes.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, lastly, I would like to talk about internal security and what the Ministry should do. There should be more Police Weeks to promote better relations between the Police and the public in order to achieve greater peace and order in the Republic. We should bear in mind that co-operation with the Police is part of our duty as citizens. If better relations exist between the Police and the public, there will be less opportunity for people to commit crimes.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to seek clarification on procedure. It seems to me that it is a habit of the hon. Member for Sembawang to jump the queue. First of all, he talks about Vigilante Corps which should, in fact, be raised under Head NA subhead FA 1111. Then he proceeds to talk about the Police which should be raised under Head ND -Police. Sir, if we allow this to go on, there is not going to be any order around. Then how are we going to debate? I would like a ruling on this.

The Chairman: Mr Hwang, I am aware of that. In fact, I consulted the Clerk on this, but since there is no objection either from the Minister or from hon. Members, I have allowed the Member for Sembawang to go on. So the next time you think that the Member is violating Standing Orders, could you please object, so as to give me an opportunity to make a ruling?

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: In that case, can I be permitted to speak now on Police brutality? Will the Minister object to that? I am going to speak on brutality which is more a subject of policy than the question of Police Week, which is an administrative matter.

The Chairman: If it is a question of policy, Mr Hwang, you can go ahead. But I will stop you as soon as you touch on administrative details.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Thank you very much, Sir. From the number of complaints I have heard lately in my "Meet the People" sessions, it is evident that Police brutalities are on the increase. What is unfortunate is that most people who have had rough treatment dished out to them are reluctant to come forward and make official charges for fear of subsequent retaliation, and also they can ill-afford the time and money involved. From the stories one hears, the Police officers seem to have refined their techniques of brutality to such an extent that they do not leave any tell-tale marks that might incriminate them subsequently. With their knowledge of the rules of evidence, they will make sure that subsequent identification is made impossible. In cases where the responsible persons are identified, there are always ready-made witnesses among their own colleagues to testify to their innocence.

At most of our Police stations, the lock-up is being used rather too liberally. I have heard of cases of persons caught without driving licences or some such similar offences, and thrown into the lock-up until they are able to contact their homes for the licences to be produced. How many of our citizens, because of minor omissions or oversight, have been subjected to the indignities of being treated as common criminals? I dread to think! Over the last couple of years, the Police Department, as quite rightly pointed out by the hon. Member for Sembawang, has been trying to promote the image of being "friends of the people". But unless we make sure that atrocities of the nature I have just mentioned are put to a stop, I cannot see how the Police Force can succeed in being accepted as friends of the people.

Sir, in all fairness, I must say that most of the misconduct took place among the lower level of officers, often without the knowledge of the officers-in-charge, most of whom are perhaps too heavily loaded with work to be able to keep an eye on things. For example, the Officer-in-charge of the Police station in Jalan Kayu also has under his control Serangoon Gardens, Upper Serangoon, Punggol, Nee Soon and Sembawang, which come to an area almost half of Singapore. Maybe it is about time that the whole organisational structure was looked into.

Mr Baptist: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, since two hon. Members have touched on Police, I would like to bring up something on a matter of policy too.

The Chairman: I would appeal to Members that, as far as possible, the debate should be confined to the relevant Head because it is very unfair to those Members, who have made amendments to the various Heads, if they should not afterwards be able to find the time to speak. But as long as the discussion is on policy, Members can go ahead. But I would appeal to all hon. Members to confine themselves to the Head under discussion.

6.30 p.m.

Mr Baptist: Thank you, Sir. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the present traffic situation on the road endangers pedestrian life immensely. Statistics will show that about 50 per cent of the road users killed every year are pedestrians.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, that I think is not a matter of policy.

The Chairman: Since there is a subhead for that, I suggest the Member should wait until we come to that subhead.

Mr Baptist: Yes, Sir.

The Chairman: Are there any other Members who wish to speak on the Ministry of Home Affairs?

Mr Ho See Beng: (In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, what I wish to talk has nothing to do with the Police or the policy on Police. The social ethos of Singapore is getting worse. Yesterday at about 4.00 a.m, there was an incident involving some foreign streakers. They have come from abroad to my constituency to streak themselves.

The Chairman: May I interrupt the Member? Is the Member's speech going to be a policy matter, or is it just a narrative of an isolated incident in his constituency?

Mr Ho See Beng: (In Mandarin): Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, this matter is related to policy, but you must give me the opportunity to develop my theme on the policy.

The Chairman: Order. If it is an incident which the Member thinks the Police should do something about, I suggest he raises it under the Head -Police.

Mr Ho See Beng: Yes, Sir.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I say to the Member for Potong Pasir and the Member for Bras Basah that there are many items under which they can raise their points. They should not worry about them. They should not be too impatient.

First, may I just touch on the point raised by the Member for Jalan Kayu? He raised the point that allegations or complaints of Police brutality are on the increase. As far as I can see, I do not know whether Police brutality is actually on the increase or because people are now more conscious of their rights that there have been an increase in the number of complaints. In any case, I would like to emphasise that, as far as the policy of the Ministry of Home Affairs or that of the Police is concerned, we do not tolerate Police brutality. I made this very clear in my speech last year at the annual dinner of the Police Force - I think it was sometime in September or October - that as far as the Ministry of Home Affairs is concerned, we do not tolerate Police brutality. I agree entirely with Members that if we do not check any instances of Police brutality, whatever we do in Police Week to foster good relations between the public and the members of the Police Force will come to naught. One instance of an actual occurrence of brutality can undo all the good work that has been done. In other words, one single shower can wet the whole field. Of course, there are always two sides to a case. Let us be fair. There will be allegations. Some are true. Some are motivated by revenge. Therefore, some may not be true or some may be true. But I assure Members that every complaint, whatever the motivation, is thoroughly investigated into. For acts of brutality by members of the Police Force, which are substantiated, disciplinary action has been taken and will continue to be taken. Members can be rest assured of that.

The other point was about a person who committed a traffic offence was found without a driving licence and was put in a lock-up. Of course, technically, if a person cannot produce his driving licence or an identity card to establish his identity, he will be arrested. But we have given instructions to members of the Traffic Police that in cases where a person cannot produce his driving licence or identity card, but if he can satisfy the Traffic Police of his identity, then he should not be arrested. Technically, of course, he can be arrested.

With regard to the complaint about the Police Division under which jurisdiction Jalan Kayu is included, of course, that Division covers a vast area under the charge of an 0/C. It is a Rural Division. Therefore, coverage tends to be larger because there is less population. It is like the delineation of the constituencies. Some urban constituencies are much smaller in area than rural constituencies which are very large because the population in the rural areas is more sparsely spread out than in the urban areas. But I agree that the Police Divisions - we have eight Land Divisions - - which had been fixed years ago, have to be re-delineated. A review is now being made to re-delineate these Police Divisions in the light of developments which have taken place in recent years.

With regard to the Member for Sembawang's comments, I would like to thank him for paying tribute to us for setting up the Community Security Force of the Vigilante Corps. Of course, he has also at the same time made some complaints which I will deal with now. One of his complaints is that the Force is a bit too small. He wants it to be enlarged. At the moment the strength of the Community Security Force is about 2,400. However, because of the initial success achieved by the Community Security Force, plans have already been made to expand it to 5,000 by July, 1974. Although the present force is mainly deployed in the urban areas which are more crime prone, it may be possible later on to deploy them to the rural areas in which the Member for Sembawang may have a vested interest.

With regard to the case put forward by the Member for Sembawang for increasing the travelling allowance to members of the Vigilante Corps, I would like to say that the Ministry will not consider any increase in the allowance given to national servicemen in the Vigilante Corps, in view of the increase in bus fares and in petrol prices. The reason is that members of the Vigilante Corps have been granted concession rates for travel on buses. For a revised fare of 20 cents to 40 cents, the Vigilante Corps national servicemen need only pay 20 cents. Thus, the total increase in bus fares would only be marginal compared to the total allowance paid for each duty session. On the question of giving an increased allowance to offset increases in petrol prices, I do not think that an affirmative decision will be consistent with our policy, which the House has heard for the last one week, to persuade owners of private vehicles to economise in their use of petrol. Furthermore, members of the Vigilante Corps are deployed for limited policing in increasing numbers, and they will patrol the vicinity of their own residence. Therefore, the necessity for travel will be considerably reduced. But, of course, the Member has mentioned a number of cases where members of the Vigilante Corps were deployed in areas away from their residence. There might have been exceptions but as far as possible we try to deploy them in the areas where they live for obvious reasons.

With regard to the complaint about long hair, the Member has thought fit to raise it again, although I had answered the question quite comprehensively last week. In any case, may I say that it is always our policy to take action against those who sport long hair. Of course, if the Member for Sembawang has seen any Government officer with long hair, he can himself make a report straightaway and action will be taken. He also mentioned that in some of the films, and I suppose he has seen them, the heroes have got long hair. He said that this should be discouraged. I agree with him entirely but I thought he should have raised this matter with my colleague, the Minister for Culture, when his Ministry came up for debate.

He has also brought up the matter about fostering better relations between the police and members of the public. May I say that this has always been at the back of our minds, as a result of which we have been conducting Police Weeks. For the information of Members, this year we are going to have a much bigger campaign to foster this relationship. It will come on in June. In place of the Police Week we are going to have a "Keep Singapore Crime Free" campaign. Not only will the theme of good public relations with the Police be stressed, but there are also other themes, for example, how members of the public can help to prevent crime. They will be along the lines of the mass campaigns which we have had, for instance, the "Keep Singapore Clean" campaign, where Members of Parliament as well as the Citizens Consultative Committees are involved. I hope the Member for Sembawang will actively support this campaign.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: Sure.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Sir, I beg your indulgence to say a few words. I am most appreciative of the Minister's assurances, but the unfortunate thing is that when complaints of Police brutality are passed down the line, to what extent are investigations conducted seriously by those implementing Government policy? The Minister himself has just pointed out that he is not aware whether the incidence of Police brutality has gone up or whether it has come down. That in itself indicates the complexity of bringing up complaints against a Police officer. If a person were to make a complaint against a particular policeman, he would very soon find that another officer from the same police station is sent to investigate, and the officer would take two or three hours or even a day or two harassing the complainant with all sorts of queries and so on. Since the Minister has said that he is very concerned about maintaining good relations with the public, will he not consider looking into the existing rules and regulations to see whether there are ways whereby people with legitimate complaints can "short circuit" the existing technicalities, and whether or not in view of the ineffectiveness of the Central Complaints Bureau to set up his own separate complaints bureau? In this way, I am quite sure the relationship will go a long way. This is my suggestion.

6.45 p.m.

On the other aspect, I think it is not right to say that the population of the rural areas is smaller.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: The density is lower.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: The density might not be as high as the urban areas, but the number is certainly not less. So with the same numbers spread over a much bigger area, is it not more reason for a much bigger staff to police the area?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, may I clarify the point about Police brutality? It is not that the Minister or the Police Commissioner is not aware of it. The point is, as I have said, we do not tolerate Police brutality if there is a genuine complaint. If complaints are made, they will be investigated. In fact, if the Member wants to know more about it, he can put in a Question for oral answer and he will get a detailed answer as to whether any action has been taken in respect of such complaints. I think that will be more satisfactory.

The other point is about complaints and why members of the public are reluctant to complain. The Member says that the Central Complaints Bureau is ineffective. I do not think the Bureau is ineffective. We do get complaints from the Central Complaints Bureau. But at the same time there is no reason why members of the public should not approach their MPs. Our MPs are very hard-working; they look after the interests of their constituents. In fact, one complaint came to me through one of the MPs, and it is being investigated. I do not think we should have another bureau. It is just bureaucracy being duplicated. The MPs are the persons to whom the complaints should be made. MPs have been writing complaints to me on behalf of their constituents, and there should not be any fear on the part of members of the public to make complaints so long as they are genuine complaints and not motivated by some other ulterior motive. Of course, in any organisation, we have the black sheep. II is only when these complaints are investigated that we can know who the black sheep are, so that action can be taken. Instead of making general complaints, it will be more helpful if particulars of the complaints are given so that the matter can be looked into. We have to be fair to both sides, and when the whole truth is out appropriate action can be taken.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Sir, it is not that the MPs are not willing to help. We do our best to help. I have heard of many cases, and I have tried to get the complainants to give me a signed statement but they are simply not prepared to do so. We as MPs like to act responsibly. We like to be fair to the Department, as the Minister has pointed out, and I cannot therefore just write to the Minister and say that so-and-so has complained that he was beaten up. I have to ask the complainant whether he has a medical certificate to prove that he has been beaten up, and whether he is prepared to sign a statement. Surely without all this evidence, the Minister is not going to accept our complaints.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, I am not criticising the MPs. I am saying that they form a good channel through which such complaints can be made. I agree entirely with the Member for Jalan Kayu that before they put up complaints to the Ministry or to the Minister concerned, the matter must be properly presented. There must be statements and so on. I agree. But if the person who wants to complain refuses to give a statement, we can draw our own conclusions. Why do they refuse to give a statement? Members can say that the complainant is frightened. But what can we do if he is not willing to substantiate his complaint? The complaint must be substantiated with a statement. Is that so difficult for the complainant? If he does not want to give a statement, then what can we do? I appreciate the difficulties of the MPs. In the same way, if a person comes to the Ministry himself to make a complaint and he refuses to give a statement, what can we do? Then the matter must lie there. I am not criticising the MPs at all.

Mr Hwang Soo Jin: Sir, if people are fearful of coming forward with complaints, surely that indicates, as I pointed out, that there must be something wrong with the manner in which we go about with our investigations. Therefore, should we not start looking in further and say, "Are the investigating officers harassing them?" The Chinese saying is Kwan kwan shiang hu. Have we got this sort of situation? Surely we just cannot bury our heads in the sand, or like the proverbial three monkeys which symbolise, "Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil"; therefore, there is no evil.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, we certainly do not want to be the proverbial monkeys or bury our heads in the sand. Let us look at it from a common sense point of view. If a person comes along with a complaint but is not prepared to substantiate it, what can we do about it? I can assure Members that these complaints go direct to the Commissioner of Police. They are investigated into, and if there is anything wrong with the investigation, then there are other avenues for further investigation. There is the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, which can further investigate into the matter if we are not satisfied with the investigations conducted by senior Police officers. May I remind Members that these complaints are investigated by senior Police officers and, as the Member for Jalan Kayu has said, Police brutality is alleged to have been committed among the lower rung of officers. If the Commissioner of Police and the senior Police officers are involved with the investigations, what fear should there be?

Mr Yeo Choo Kok (Delta): Sir, in view of the sentiments and concern shown towards Police brutality by my colleagues, I wonder if the Minister would consider setting up a parliamentary commission to help him look into the nature of Police brutality and to ascertain whether the increase in the incidence of Police brutality is due to the refined technique of the Police in dealing with innocent people, or is it due to the increased consciousness on the part of members of the public. There must be a reason why the recent movie "Walking Tall" was so popular amongst Singaporeans. Could the Minister enlighten the House on whether he would seriously consider my suggestion?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, I do not think we need a parliamentary committee or a commission to look into this matter. As I said, public assurance has been given over and over again that any genuine complaint will be looked into and, if the culprit is identified, action will be taken against that person. I have also said: it is quite probable that the increase in the number of complaints means that members of the public are plucking courage to come up and make their complaints. It is a good thing. That is my feeling and assessment of the situation.

Mr Lee Yiok Seng (Bukit Panjang): (In Mandarin): Sir, I would like to talk about the Vigilante Corps. I heard the Minister saying that he is not prepared to increase the training allowance for VC members. I feel that the reasons given by him are too simple to be credible. In actual fact, we should consider increasing the allowance for basic training.

I understand that they are paid only 25 cents per hour for basic training, which is normally for a duration of four hours. Therefore, they get only a maximum of $1. Although they are given a concessionary rate for public transport, the minimum bus fare is 20 cents. Therefore, for a VC member to go to his centre for training, he spends 40 cents for his journey to and fro. Furthermore, he may spend 30 cents on drinks. This amounts to 70 cents. After the four-hour training at 10 o'clock, he may have a snack which costs about 50 to 80 cents. Therefore, according to my calculation, a VC member spends at least $1.20 to $1.50 on a night out for training. Therefore, to pay him $1 is inadequate. In the past, with $1 he could possibly have a balance of 30 cents to buy candy or sweets for his children. But time has changed. I hope the Minister will look into this matter more seriously, because I cannot accept the reasons that he has given for not increasing the allowance.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: (In Mandarin): Sir, I fully support the views expressed by the Member for Bukit Panjang. I also feel that the reasons given by the Minister were too simple. At the present moment, the minimum bus fare is 20 cents. There are also other factors to consider. So this allowance of 25 cents per hour is too little. I hope the Minister will reconsider this matter and give adequate allowance to the trainees so as to raise their morale in the present circumstances. The Minister may not have heard this very clearly just now.

Sir, the allowance for the group leader in the Vigilante Volunteer Corps is also inadequate. The group leaders go on patrol duty in various areas to supervise the VC members. In discharging such patrol duty at specific times and at specific places, a lot of travelling in their own cars is involved. If they have to travel by taxi or by bus, it can even be more costly. If they are asked to walk, then unless they are marathon walkers it is impossible for them to do so. The present rate of allowance at 80 cents per hour for transport for these people is too little. I hope the Minister will give sympathetic consideration to this matter. It does not mean that because we must economise in the use of fuel we should overlook this matter. If they are to economise in the use of petrol, how are they going to discharge their duty?

7.00 p.m.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, of course, if I can raise the allowance I will do so. But the point is that a good case must be made out before it can be raised. I find that a good case has not been made out to increase the allowance. Therefore, the suggestion will not be considered unless a good case can be made out to raise the allowances for the Vigilante Corps national servicemen.

With regard to the two group leaders from Sembawang -

Mr Teong Eng Siong: There are many group leaders.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Well, many group leaders. This is a matter of detail, but if the Member for Sembawang feels very strongly about it, he can write to me about it.

Mr Seah Mui Kok: Sir, the Minister has just mentioned that so far a good case has not been made for his consideration to increase the allowance of the Vigilante Corps members. Can the Minister give some sort of guidance as to what he means by a good case, and what are the criteria? I should say that to pay the rate of 25 cents per hour is most ridiculous. That is a trade union's point of view, and I believe Members of this House would support my views too.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, there is a very long list of amendments yet to be moved and I have so many items to speak on. I may not get the time, and therefore I wonder if I may speak now.

The Chairman: Mr P. Govindaswamy, what are you going to speak on?

Mr P. Govindaswamy: On the same Ministry, Sir.

The Chairman: We have got until 7.15 p.m, to speak on this Head. Are you going to speak on policy or are you raising a new item altogether? Can you just wait a minute?

Mr Lee Yiok Seng rose -

The Chairman: Yes, Mr Lee.

Mr Lee Yiok Seng: Sir, just now the Minister said that the Vigilante Corps does not have a good case to fight for an increase in allowance. My colleague, the Member for Bukit Ho Swee, has asked him for guidance as to what he means by a good case. Just now I have put in my case to the Minister for an increase in the basic training allowance. The reasons are that bus fares have been increased from 20 cents to 40 cents, and soft drinks from 20 cents to 30 cents. Furthermore, a bowl of mee which previously cost 30 cents now costs 50 cents or 80 cents. So the total expenditure per night's training is about $1.20 to $1.50. Previously he required only about 70 cents to 90 cents.

The Chairman: Mr Lee, may I interrupt you? You have made your point earlier, so would you like the Minister to reply?

Mr Lee Yiok Seng: But the Minister did not give any consideration at all. That is why I have to point it out again.

The Chairman: Yes, but you are only repeating yourself. Would you like the Minister to reply?

Mr Lee Yiok Seng: Yes.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: As I have said just now, the payment of the allowances was primarily for transport. I do not know about any allowance for a bowl of mee, soft drinks and so on. In fact, I have answered the Member's question when I said that as far as transport is concerned, the bus fare for the Vigilante Corps is half the rate. In other words, the increase was only from 10 cents to 20 cents. That is about all.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: (In Mandarin): Sir, I have a few more points to support a good case for an increase in the allowance, although I have already given him enough reasons for a good case. After training they have to send their uniforms to the laundry which will cost them $1.00. So this is another point to make out a good case. Is that not enough? There are some members of the Vigilante Corps who are still unemployed, and they have to get pocket allowance from their parents to attend the training. Is this still not another point for a good case?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: This is a ridiculous follow up, Sir! First, it was a bowl of mee, and now it is because of dhoby charges, and so on. As I have said, this allowance is primarily for transport. We can go on ad infinitum - maybe he needs a pair of spectacles, and this too has now gone up in price.

Mr Teong Eng Siong: (In Mandarin): Sir, I do not want to say anything more. I beg leave to withdraw.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

That the sum to be allocated for Head NA he reduced by $10 in respect of subhead BA ll09.

Sir, can we have some facts and figures on drug-taking from the Narcotics Bureau? Recently there has been a spate of drug-taking incidents. Recently, too, there was a report on sex and pot parties in the newspapers. How active is the Bureau? How effective are their sources of information?

I believe that long hair is associated with drug-taking. It is observed that we still have the problem of boys sporting long hair, and most of them can be found in coffee houses and along certain streets. What action has this Bureau taken against these people? Again, in many places, you can see groups of youngsters mingling and disturbing the people who are passing by. One would not be surprised to see a drug session going on. Does the Bureau raid all these places to catch and reform the drug addicts?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, the Member for Anson's observation that there has been a recent spate of drug-taking incidents is not strictly correct. Our records have indicated that signs of drug abuse, especially amongst our youths, have started to decline. Strict enforcement action, such as the closure of discotheques in November last year, has to some extent helped to check the spread of drug abuse among youths. As to be expected, a number of existing young drug addicts have gone underground. However, a close watch is being kept on places that they are likely to gather. Eventually all of them will be sought out and action taken to help them rehabilitate. The Central Narcotics Bureau is doing all it can to raid all places and areas suspected of being haunts of drug addicts and abusers. The Director of the Bureau has since January this year sent 218 young drug addicts to St. John's Rehabilitation Centre for compulsory treatment and rehabilitation under section 33 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

In respect of the press report on sex and pot parties referred to by the Member, investigations have indicated that it has been highly exaggerated for sensationalism. The young people who gathered at Tanah Merah beach in Changi over the past few months did so in small separate groups. Most of them are teenagers, waiting for their examination results. The majority of them did not indulge in drug-taking or even in unseemly behaviour. However, surveillance has been kept by officers of the Central Narcotics Bureau.

Since its inception in mid-November, 1971, the Central Narcotics Bureau has been very active. During 1973 a total of 3,339 arrests were made by the Bureau involving drug offences. Of these, only 507 or 6.4 per cent were committed by persons below 20 years of age. This is an encouraging sign. Since the Misuse of Drugs Act came into operation in July last year, the Bureau arrested 111 drug traffickers and pushers. These purveyors of misery and death have since been convicted in court. Their sentences ranged from a fine of $5,000 and two strokes of the cane to seven years' imprisonment and two strokes of the cane. The activities of drug trafficking syndicates are always cloaked with tightly secured secrecy. Enforcement agencies in other parts of the world have great difficulties in penetrating or obtaining information about such sophisticated syndicates. The Central Narcotics Bureau faces the same difficulty. However, the Bureau's sources of information can be considered good.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, in view of the explanation of the Minister, I beg leave to withdraw.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The Chairman: Mr N. Govindasamy, amendment (3). May I remind you that you have only three minutes. Can you make your speech short, so that the Minister would have a chance to reply?

Mr N. Govindasamy: Sir, I will take one minute. Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head NA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead CA 1111*. (*The same amendment also stood in the names of Messrs P. Govindaswamy and Hwang Soo Jin.)

Sir, I notice the policy on citizenship keeps changing all the time. As far as possible, I do not write letters to the Registrar of Citizens. If at all I do, I write only when I think an applicant has a reasonable case. And I do write it with my own laborious handwriting and get a reply which I am sure you are familiar with, Sir: a cyclostyled note with a signature on it on the very next day. Perhaps we should at least be treated with a little more courtesy than this cyclostyled note.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, some time back the granting of citizenship was a major problem in our Republic. Today the situation is entirely different. May I know what is the present ruling?

I believe that citizenship is not a right but only a privilege. I agree with the ruling that there should be restrictions in granting citizenship, taking into account the social and economic problems of the Republic. However, some time back it was announced that loyal army officials would have special consideration attached to their application for citizenship. With regard to this category of applicants, I would like to ask the Minister a question.

There was a Singapore citizen with two Sons who were born abroad. The boys joined him in 1958. The elder boy faithfully joined the army as a regular national serviceman in 1961. He is now a staff sergeant and is married to a Singaporean. They have a child born in Singapore. In 1969 he applied for citizenship and, after going through two interviews, he is still waiting for a reply. Why does it take so long to consider his application? If the Minister wants the particulars of this case, I would not mind giving him the application number for his easy reference.

On the other hand, the younger brother, after finishing his studies in Singapore, went abroad to continue his education. He has been returning to the Republic every year to renew his passport. He has every evidence to prove that he went abroad solely for educational purpose. He too had applied for his citizenship and was unsuccessful in his first attempt. Today this poor boy is in Singapore with an academic degree, and is still awaiting anxiously for the result of his second application for citizenship. And because of his non-citizen status he is unable to get a proper job. He had also loyally applied for a post as a regular serviceman at the CMPB. Two weeks later he received a reply in the negative. But he decided to make a trip to the CMPB to ask why his application was turned down. The official told him that they were not dealing with graduates and referred him to the O.P.C. This young lad was given the same reply. But this time he was not given a verbal reply at the O.P.C, as the reasons were regarded as confidential. It is believed that because of his non-citizen status, he is unable to get on. What is going to be the plight of this boy? His age is catching up and he is still unemployed.

Sir, I would also like to know why foreign women who are married to Singapore citizens take a long time to get their citizenship. Can the Minster enlighten me on this subject?

7.15 p.m.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, may I deal with the Member for Anson first, and then the Member for Telok Blangah.

I am glad the Member for Anson agrees with Government's basic policy on citizenship, that is, grant of citizenship is not a right but a privilege, and that there should be restrictions in granting citizenship by taking into account the economic and social problems of the Republic. I would like to inform him that there has been no basic change in this policy. The main criterion upon which citizenship is granted is that the applicant should not be a liability but should be able to make a positive contribution towards the economic wellbeing of the Republic.

The concession referred to by the Member regarding service in the SAF applies only to persons born on or after the 1st of January, 1949, that is, those within the call-up age group for national service. Permanent residents who have completed full-time national service satisfactorily will be eligible for citizenship provided they have completed five years' residence in Singapore. Citizenship status will only be conferred after completion o five years' residence.

The case brought up by the Member refers to an applicant serving as a regular in the Singapore Armed Forces. To enable the Registrar of Citizens to look into this case, I will appreciate it if the Member will supply more details. In respect of the application by the younger brother of the applicant mentioned, the application may have been rejected on the grounds that he has not fulfilled the residential requirement. More details will also be required. I am surprised that the Member has not written to me on these two cases.

With regard to the foreign woman married to a Singapore citizen, she must first apply to the Controller of Immigration for permanent residence in Singapore. Once permanent residence has been granted, she must reside in Singapore for two years before she can qualify to apply for Singapore citizenship. The Member will appreciate that owing to the large number of applications from such persons, it will necessitate some time for the application to be processed. Since 1969 to 28th February, 1974, there were a total of 32,257 applications from such persons. The applicant must also take her turn in the queue.

Now, with regard to the query by the Member for Telok Blangah, regarding the stencilled reply that he gets, may I say that whenever he gets a stencilled reply, he can be assured that all enquiries have been seen to and personally processed by the Registrar of Citizens. The majority of these enquiries are for expeditious consideration of applications and for information on the progress of the application. As it is not possible to indicate the outcome of an application until a decision has been made, a standard reply that the application is under consideration is given. And in view of the numerous enquiries received daily at the Registry, not only from Members of Parliament on behalf of their constituents but also from members of the public direct, the reply is stencilled. If stencilled replies for such enquiries were not given, there would be a waste of material and manpower resources. However, may I point out to the Member that the reply saying that the application is under consideration means that there is hope that the application may be granted at a future date, no matter whether the reply was handwritten, typed or stencilled.

The Chairman: It is past guillotine time now. Mr Govindasamy, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Mr N. Govindasamy: Certainly not, Sir, after having been treated like this.

Question on the amendment put, and negatived.

The time allotted for Head NA having expired, the following amendment, standing in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy, was not proceeded with-

(4) That the sum to be allocated for Head NA be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead FA 1111.

The sum of $9,793,140 for Head NA ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $1,200,000 for Head NA ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head NB --

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head NB be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1109.

Sir, some time back a Singapore citizen, who had been employed for many years in the Army, married a foreigner. But due to his loyalty to Singapore, he was unable to make a trip to visit his wife for some time. He had applied for a visa for his wife to join him. But his application was turned down due to the fact that both of them had not been living together for more than five years. Since he was unsuccessful in his effort to get his wife down he decided to migrate to join his wife.

Sir, can I be enlightened as to what is the present ruling on the question of Singaporeans wanting their foreign wives to join them?

One more point I would like to raise is: what precautionary measures are being taken along our coast and entry points to prevent the entry of illegal immigrants? Press reports state that these unwanted people are in Singapore. What is the Immigration Department doing about this?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the law governing the entry of wives of Singapore citizens for permanent residence is set out in the Immigration (Prohibition of Entry) Order, 1973. Under paragraph 3 of the Schedule to the said Order, the wife of a citizen who has not at any time after her marriage been living separately from her husband for a continuous period of five years may be granted permanent stay in Singapore. This law has been in operation since 1959. The underlying presumption is that if a couple is really attached to each other, they would not at any time live separately for more than five years. It is not only possible for the Singapore citizen husband to visit his wife in her country of residence, hut the wife herself can also come to Singapore from time to time on a temporary social visit pass, even if she is not ready to settle down permanently here. To be equitable, the law has to he applied equally to all concerned. However, if it can be proved that the separation of a couple is due to circumstances beyond their control, my Ministry is always prepared to consider and approve their application on special compassionate grounds.

With regard to the precautionary measures taken to prevent entry of illegal immigrants, may I say that concerted action has been and is being taken by the Police and Immigration authorities. The Marine Police, while patrolling the territorial waters of Singapore, are on the look-out for small vessels sneaking in with illegal immigrants. Members of the Police Force, on beat or other duties, carry out frequent checks to detect those who manage to enter. Surprise checks and raids are performed by the Immigration Department on information received. In addition, Police and Immigration Officers carry out surprise checks at various worksites all over Singapore. Such actions have resulted in continuing arrests of illegal immigrants throughout the year. When arrested, illegal immigrants are detained, prosecuted and removed after serving their sentences. Heavy court sentences are being pressed for against the traffickers whenever they are arrested.

Amendments have already been made to the Immigration Act to provide for the imposition of heavier penalties for illegal immigrants, harbourers, employers and traffickers. With the enactment of the Immigration (Amendment) Act, 1973, with effect from the 1st of March this year, traffickers are now liable to caning and forfeiture of their vehicles or vessels.

The Chairman: Mr Minister, may I interrupt you? I think this is a convenient point for you to stop because you have gone well past guillotine time.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Yes, I am grateful to you for that.

The Chairman: Mr Govindaswamy, do you want to withdraw?

Mr P. Govindaswamy: I beg leave to withdraw.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $3,946,820 for Head NB ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $1,000,000 for Head NB ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head NC-

The following amendment stood in the name of Mr P. Govindaswamy:

That the sum to be allocated for Head NC be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1108.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: I am not moving, Sir.

The sum of $10,099,510 for Head NC ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $2,984,660 for Head NC ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Head ND --

7.30 p.m.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to move,

That the sum to be allocated for Head ND be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AA 1105.

Sir, I would like to extol the Government for the marvellous way in which it tackled the "sea-jackers" problem in Singapore recently. Whilst the Government is to be praised for this, the 13 civil servants are worthy of even greater praise and commendation for the risks they had taken to save the Government from this misfortune. It is believed that initially the 13 officials had great difficulty in obtaining landing rights in Kuwait until the leader of the delegation tactfully persuaded the authorities there to make concessions. I wonder if the Government would consider some form of commendation for these brave and loyal civil servants. Though the situation was tackled very tactfully, can the Minister tell us what security measures have been taken to protect our islands and coasts? There may be other similar attempts in the future. After this recent incident at Pulau Bukom, what safety measures have been introduced at these vital installations? Incidents of sabotage can occur again. We must make sure that we do not relax in our vigilance.

Sir, the police patrol cars have quite often proved to be the losers when chasing criminals who escape in more powerful cars. Obviously something must be done about this. Is there any possibility of introducing a helicopter service to track down criminals who flee from the law?

Sir, I wish to draw the attention of this House to the streakers who run naked in some American University campuses and then into the streets. Within the short space of a few days, this new trend has spread to France, Japan and then to Hongkong. Just as the mini-skirt, the long hair, the drug addiction and the free-sex parties had come from the West to the East and then to our Republic, it will not be long before "streakers" will be seen running in our Singapore streets. I was told that some of the girls and boys used to loll naked at Changi Beach at night.

Indecent or obscene exposure has been regarded as a minor offence and penalties of perhaps $10 or $20 fines have been imposed. I would like to point out that a streaker's exposure is not the same kind of obscene exposure that we have been dealing in the past. This is part of a new movement designed to destroy the youth and to damage the socio-economic structure of the country. This is a serious matter, and I urge the Government to introduce severe penalties for streaking before they become a regular feature in Singapore. Our investments in our youth would be frustrated and, in order to save our youth from this evil influence, may I venture to suggest that offenders be punished by caning for the damage they do will be no less severe than drug traffickers.

Sir, I would like to know the functions of our Special Constabulary. How do they serve the country and the people?

Mr Baptist rose -

The Chairman: May I remind the Member for Potong Pasir that we have six minutes to go. Will he, therefore, leave three minutes for the Minister to answer?

Mr Baptist: Yes. Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the present traffic situation on the road endangers pedestrian life immensely. Statistics will show that about 50 per cent of the road users killed every year are pedestrians.

Apart from the need for higher standards of roads, traffic markings, improved vehicle design and driver training, there is a need for pedestrian training. The National Safety First Council has done a great deal towards promoting the awareness of pedestrian safety with the help of the Traffic Police, the National Trades Union Congress and other interested parties. But pedestrians keep dying on the roads. It appears as if pedestrians are still unaware of the dangers lurking on the asphalt jungle. Organising pedestrian safety campaigns in itself must be lauded. But are we achieving the results we want?

I believe this lack of knowledge among pedestrians can be corrected through education and campaigns. But the devil-may-care attitude of some pedestrians cannot be erased without the introduction of sterner measures. The Government is failing in its responsibilities if it does not take cognisance of the terrible tragedies that are caused on our roads and come up with an effective answer.

The Government needs to protect those who seem not to want to protect themselves. Suicides are against the law. Why is jay-walking permitted? When will legislation be introduced to help pedestrians protect themselves and other road users?

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Sir, I hope I can do justice to the two Members but the time is limited. First of all, I agree with the observation of the Member for Anson that the 13 civil servants who accompanied the four Laju hijackers to Kuwait had shown dedication to duty. In fact, the Ministry of Home Affairs is considering putting up recommendations for this year's National Day Awards for those who had given outstanding and dedicated service during the Laju affair. However, the award for commendation for outstanding service is considered collectively by the Government once a year. As it is not yet time for the Government to consider the annual awards, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further on this subject without pre-empting Government's decision. Immediately after the sabotage attempt at Pulau Bukom, the Government reviewed the security of all our vital installations, and hence security measures were immediately put into effect to prevent any similar attempt in the future. We have also tightened the security of our Airport and the various entry and landing points of our Island Republic.

Coming to the Member's point about Police cars chasing criminals along Singapore roads, I would like to inform the Member that, contrary to what he has said, the patrol cars have been quite successful in apprehending criminals fleeing in cars after a chase. Only recently, a patrol car from "E" Division spotted a stolen vehicle, gave chase and finally caught up with the wanted man to recover the stolen vehicle and apprehended the culprit. There have been many instances where Police patrol cars have caught up with the fleeing vehicles.

The point about the feasibility of introducing helicopter service to combat crime has been considered by my Ministry. However, in view of the prohibitive costs involved, both in terms of initial outlay to purchase the helicopters, to build helicopter pads, etc, and the recurrent costs of maintenance and operation of the helicopters as well as manpower training, since the Police has no qualified helicopter pilots, the project has been shelved for the time being. The main reason for wanting to introduce the helicopter service to combat crime, however, is not to chase criminals on land but rather to undertake harbour and sea patrol to combat smuggling activities and illegal immigration, to assist in traffic control and emergency evacuation operations and so on. It is not meant to chase criminals. In view of the need to economise in the face of the uncertain world economic situation, consequent upon the energy crisis, my Ministry will not be pursuing the project any further for the time being.

Now, with regard to streaking. The Member for Anson's concern over undesirable trends, like the streakers infiltrating into Singapore, is very much appreciated. To-date the Police has not received any complaint of such incidents. However, it is envisaged that, except perhaps for a small minority, streaking would not appeal to our youths who are basically Asian in outlook where modesty is still one of our strong tenets, I hope. The Police, however, will deal severely with any streakers brought to their notice. Under section 24 of the Minor Offences Act, a first offender will be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $250 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month. On second and subsequent convictions, the offender will be liable to a fine not exceeding $500 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months. However, in future if the situation merits it, the Member's suggestion that such streaker offenders be caned or be subjected to other forms of drastic punishment will be considered. Until then, I do not think the Member for Anson should be too unduly worried about it.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: I am not worried.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: With regard to the point brought up by the Member for Potong Pasir for effective control of traffic, I agree that traffic supervision is becoming increasingly difficult in view of the rapid increase in the number of motor vehicles and drivers on the road. Recognising the importance of this function, the Government is giving high priority to the Traffic Police. For the first time the Mobile Squad, which is the main traffic law enforcement arm of the Traffic Police, has been brought up to full strength early this year. The Mobile Squad is now operating with a full establishment of five senior officers and 184 junior officers, 137 motor cycles, 22 scooters, two pursuit cars and two sets of portable electronic traffic analysers, commonly known as speed traps.

We have also a selective enforcement squad of traffic police organised since 1972. This is beginning to show results. The total number of road accidents for the year 1973 is 35,977 as compared with 36,125 for the year 1972, showing a decrease of 148 cases. At the same time, the death toll also registered a decrease. In 1973 a total of 380 persons were killed as compared to 390 in 1972, showing a decrease of 10 in the number of persons killed in road traffic accidents. The decrease is all the more significant considering, the fact that the motor vehicle population increases at the rate of 10 per cent per annum. It is because of mounting traffic accidents that we will be launching a mammoth "Keep Singapore Accident Free" campaign in October this year, and I hope Members of Parliament will support this campaign.

Mr P. Govindaswamy: Sir, I beg leave to withdraw.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The following amendment stood in the name of Mr J. F. Conceicao ---

(2) That the sum to be allocated for Head ND be reduced by $10 in respect of subhead AD 1111.

The Chairman: Mr Conceicao is not here.

The sum of $79,312,440 for Head ND ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $5,199,000 for Head ND ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

Pursuant to a resolution of the House, Mr Deputy Speaker thereupon left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mr Chua Sian Chin: Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has made further progress on the Main and Development Estimates of Expenditure for the financial year 1st April, 1974 to 31st March, 1975, and ask leave to sit again tomorrow.

Mr Deputy Speaker: So be it.