PRIME MINISTER'S STATEMENT TO AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION (Explanation)

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam asked the Prime Minister if he will explain his statement to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that our children are "so well-dressed, so well shod, well-combed hair, watches. Worse of all, over-fed. Such good food and masses of it".

The Acting Minister for Community Development (Mr Wong Kan Seng) (for the Prime Minister): Mr Speaker, Sir, I am replying on behalf of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Television was in clear and simple English and it required no explanation for those who saw or heard it.

Mr J.B. Jeyaretnam (Anson): Sir, will the Minister of State, speaking on behalf of the Prime Minister, be able to tell this House which children was the Prime Minister speaking of when he said, "our children are so well-dressed, so well shod, well-combed hair, watches. Worse of all, over-fed. Such good food and masses of it"? Was the Prime Minister speaking of his own children? Was he speaking of the children of the wealthy, or was he speaking of the children of our citizens who live mainly in 1-room, 2-room and 3-room HDB flats?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Sir, I think it is quite clear from the Prime Minister's interview that he was referring to the children of Singapore.

Mr Jeyaretnam: I regret that the Prime Minister is not here to answer the Question. Does the Minister not concede that this is a complete distortion of the truth about Singapore's children?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: The distortion is only in the Member's mind, Mr Speaker, Sir. Even a tailor - I think he is a very perceptive tailor - has made the observation not too long ago, and this was reported in the Straits Times of 9th June 1986. May I ask the Clerk to distribute copies of the report in the Straits Times dated 9th June?

[Copies of report distributed to hon. Members.] He said:

'Unlike the old days when one had to buy the cloth and hurry to the tailor to be measured, at the shop, from just $9, one can be suitably attired in readiness for the new school term.

'But for special orders, that is, if the student is fatter than the average sizes we have in stock, we can sew it in two to three days," said tailor Chiang Sow Tien.

'But most will find the sizes fitting because since three years ago, we have sewn larger uniforms as today's students seem to be fatter or bigger," he said.

'Besides sizes, it is not only the junior college students who are fashion-conscious; even the lower secondary school students want trendy baggy-look shirts with narrow ankle-width pants.

'In the past, it was different. Even the uniforms were not that varied in colour and design - just the simple white top with the standard blue, brown or khaki pants and pinafore.' These are his words, Sir. I think the tailor has been very perceptive. He has seen that our children in Singapore have actually put on a lot of weight.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Is the Minister or the Prime Minister not aware that there have been reports of surveys done in Singapore which show that quite a number of our children go to school hungry and that a good proportion of them suffer from malnutrition?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Sir, if the Member for Anson would like to tell me where these reports were made, I would like to have them looked into. Again, let me show some statistics to the Member for Anson since he is so imperceptive compared to our tailor friend. Here is a study made by the Health Ministry on the average height and weight of school children between the years 1970-73 and 1983. May I request the Clerk to distribute these tables (Cols. 211 - 212) to hon. Members. tables - AVERAGE HEIGHT/WEIGHT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN 1970-73 and 1983 (Cols. 211 - 212)

[Copies of tables distributed to hon. Members.]

This survey of school children showed that for children of the ages of 7, 12 and 16 - these are the ages of primary 1, primary 6 and secondary 4 students - the average increase in height ranged from 2.2% to 5.7%. And the average increase in weight ranged from 3.6% to 21.3%. I think these tables are very clear. They are objectively done. They are measured among this cohort of students who were in schools in the years 1973 and 1983.

A further point, Mr Speaker, Sir. There is another table (Cols. 213 - 214) which I would like the Clerk to distribute. It shows the percentage prevalence of obesity among Singapore school children from 1976 to 1985 and of primary 1, primary 6 and secondary 4 students. table - PERCENTAGE PREVALENCE OF OBESITY AMONG SINGAPORE SCHOOL CHILDREN OF YEAR, SEX AND LEVEL OF EDUCATION 1976 TO 1985 (Cols. 213 - 214)

[Copies of table distributed to hon. Members.]

This table, Sir, shows that for primary 1 boys in the year 1976, the percentage of obesity occurred in 1.57% of the cohort. In 1985, it rose to 7.77%. This is an increase of five times between the years 1976 and 1985. Similarly, you can see an increasing trend among the primary 1, primary 6 and secondary 4 students.

Mr Jeyaretnam: Would the Minister like to do a survey in my constituency of children living in the 1-room and 2-room blocks and find out from them what they have to say about this?

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Mr Speaker, Sir, if the Member for Anson is so concerned about his constituents, I think he can do the survey for us.