Human-trafficking law passed after debate
By Walter Sim, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
A LANDMARK law to fight human trafficking was passed yesterday, but not before a 2 1/2-hour debate on whether it went far enough to protect victims of modern-day slavery and deter offenders.
Still, the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act was lauded as timely and necessary by all seven MPs who spoke on it. They praised backbencher Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) for initiating the Private Member's Bill - only the fourth of its kind since independence.
"The intention is that this (law) will dismantle syndicates and prevent the exploitation of innocent women, men, girls and boys," said Mr de Souza.
First-time offenders face up to 10 years in jail, a maximum fine of $100,000, plus the possibility of up to six strokes of the cane, with repeat offenders facing heavier punishments.
But several MPs questioned whether it will serve as enough of a deterrent. Dr Janil Puthucheary (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) said that a recently passed law to clamp down on online betting included fines of as much as $300,000 to $500,000, and that he backed calls for harsher penalties.
Workers' Party Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam highlighted that in California, human trafficking carries a fine of up to US$1.5 million (S$1.93 million) and a jail term of 15 years to life. Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio GRC) also called for stiffer penalties when victims are children.
But Mr de Souza said the penalties were benchmarked against those of similar crimes here and in overseas jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, where sex trafficking-related offences carry a maximum of 10 years' jail.
Several MPs also said the Act did not go far enough in legislating for the victims' welfare, including immunity from prosecutions and the right to work while cases were being investigated.
Mr Alex Yam (Chua Chu Kang GRC), calling for the Bill to be "humanised", said: "There are 11 sections... in relation to enforcement and yet only two sections... for victim protection and assistance." The two sections provide for counselling and shelter for victims.
In the lead-up to yesterday's debate, several non-government organisations criticised the Bill for falling short on victim care. But by making the Bill more "victim- centric", such as mandating the right to work, labour MP Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) said that could open "a Pandora's box with many coming forward to make false claims in the hope of finding alternative employment".
Instead, he stressed the "need to assess each case on its facts and merits, followed with the exercise of discretion and empathy, as opposed to preferring a 'one-size- fits-all' approach" when it comes to the treatment of victims.
Mr de Souza said he understood the members' concerns but "one should not look at simple arithmetic to see how much or how many parts of the Bill are allocated to victim enforcement, prevention and so on".
What is important is that the law "protects the most vulnerable of the vulnerable - the innocent who often do not have a voice, and who are caught in a merciless web of exploitation".
New Bill against human trafficking aims to restore dignity, show compassion to victims
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia, 3 Nov 2014
A new law dedicated at combating human trafficking was passed in Parliament on Monday (Nov 3), prescribing stiff penalties in the form of mandatory jail terms and fines.
The aim of the Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill is to show care and compassion for vulnerable victims, stressed MP for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher De Souza as he opened the debate in Parliament on the proposed new law to combat human trafficking.
Mr De Souza had first mooted the idea for such a law in 2013.
"This is a group of individuals that are extremely vulnerable - perhaps the most vulnerable of the vulnerable - and, therefore, we must, out of principle, take steps to protect and care for them. Our role is not just to help them; we need to partner them and give them a sense of hope. We should partner them to restore their dignity - their dignity as a person, as a human being," he said in Parliament on Monday.
Singapore currently does not have dedicated laws to deal with human trafficking.
ACT, MEANS, PURPOSE
The objectives of the new Bill are four-fold, he said.
First, it clarifies the legal regime by providing a formal definition of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and prescribes penalties to deal with human trafficking in a more targeted and deterrent manner.
Second, it empowers enforcement agencies with the necessary investigation and enforcement levers to tackle TIP.
Third, it provides measures to protect and support trafficked victims, and encourage the reporting of trafficking or suspected trafficking activities.
Fourth, the Bill will bring Singapore closer in line with international standards, and uplift efforts to combat TIP in the country and region.
According to the Bill, there are three elements of proof needed for an offence, to be classified as human trafficking.
There must be an "act" - this could be the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of an individual. Next, this act must be accompanied by "means" - which could be the use of threat, force, or any other form of coercion or deception. Finally, these must be done for the "purpose of exploitation", such as sexual exploitation, forced labour, or organ removal.
As TIP is a serious charge, all three elements must be proven. Cases which fall short of the required thresholds may still be taken up by other existing laws, where appropriate.
The burden of proof is lower for child victims. This is in recognition of their vulnerability to exploitation. To afford a child greater protection under the law, there is no requirement for the prosecution to prove the methods or means used.
It is sufficient for the prosecution to show that there was an act to recruit, transport, transfer, harbour or receive a child victim for the purposes of exploitation.
Recognising the transnational nature of the crime, a trafficking offender is liable in Singapore even if his acts straddles between Singapore and another jurisdiction. Besides traffickers, persons who abet the offence are similarly liable. Penalties include severe fines and caning.
VICTIM SUPPORT
As for victim support, currently victims of abuse - including trafficked victims - are provided a range of services which includes temporary accommodation, food, counselling services, medical care and temporary employment.
Mr De Souza said each victim is assessed thoroughly as the needs differ from individual to individual, and the support measures are tailored and provided accordingly. The new Bill endorses this established approach.
The Director of Social Welfare may provide trafficked victims with help as he considers practicable and necessary.
Mr De Souza said this includes, but is not limited to, temporary shelter and counselling services.
"Human trafficking is real; it is cruel; and it must be stemmed. We, as a society, must speak up for the voiceless and helpless by sending as strong a signal as we can against these serious crimes. This is the ethos behind the Bill," he said.
"To prevent TIP from taking root in our community, our laws have to be comprehensive yet targeted, possess sufficient bite to punish perpetrators and deter would-be offenders, and offer protection and support to those in need. The Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill strengthens these fronts by supplementing our existing suite of laws and measures. It raises our standards of fighting TIP both locally and internationally, and will serve as a beacon to our enforcement officers who are involved in this effort."
DR VIVIAN BALAKRISHNAN CONGRATULATES MR DE SOUZA
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan congratulated Mr de Souza in a Facebook post after the Bill was passed.
In the post, Mr Balakrishnan said: "Prevention of Human Trafficking Bill passed by Parliament. Congratulations to Christopher de Souza for so masterfully taking this rare private member's bill through Parliament after extensive public consultations. His past experience as a DPP, strong sense of compassion and resolute values were so obvious."
Tragic stories of human trafficking in modern Singapore
MPs from both sides of the House who spoke on Bill say it is timely
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
FROM migrant fishermen made to work under inhumane conditions, to women lured to Singapore by promises of good pay but forced into prostitution, the new Prevention of Human Trafficking Act will go a long way to protecting such victims.
Several of the Members of Parliament who debated the Bill related tragic stories to stress the point that modern Singapore is no stranger to the scourge.
Mr Alex Yam (Chua Chu Kang GRC) told of a Bangladeshi sex worker who ended up servicing 10 men on weekdays and up to 45 on weekends, from 2pm to 6am. And of a young woman with a good singing voice who came here for a stint as an entertainer to provide a better future for her disabled son, but was stripped and confined in a cold room until she agreed to prostitute herself.
"Even as I relate all these cases to you, I feel this emptiness in my gut," he told the House.
The man behind the Bill, Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland- Bukit Timah GRC) also talked about a chef who was offered work here but, once in Singapore, was told she owed a debt to the man who arranged her entry and needed to prostitute herself to pay it back.
She refused and was beaten before she escaped.
All seven MPs who spoke on the Bill, from both sides of the House, said it was timely, given Singapore's vulnerability to human trafficking as a destination country due to its economic stature and strategic location.
Dr Janil Puthucheary (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) said the Bill "speaks to our intent to rise above pragmatism and address what is morally right".
Non-Constituency MP Lina Chiam called it a "long-overdue legislation".
Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris- Punggol GRC) said that the new law will "bring much needed relief" to migrant fishermen, who are vulnerable to labour trafficking through this country.
He said: "Conditions on board the vessels were squalid and unsanitary, but as the vessels were mostly out at sea, escape was virtually impossible..."
As for calls to make the Bill more "victim-centric", such as mandating the right to work while cases are being investigated, Mr Zainal said that it could encourage false claims.
Instead, he said the tailored approach in the Bill was the right one.
Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Masagos Zulkifli and Senior Minister of State for Manpower Amy Khor also assured the House that victims' welfare will be looked after thoroughly.
Their ministries co-chaired the Singapore Inter-agency Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons, established in 2010.
Mr Masagos stressed that the safety of victims is key, and that police and the Attorney- General's Chambers will fast- track cases. Victims will be given access to shelter, consular support, English lessons and vocational training, for instance.
Dr Khor said victims from non-traditional source countries who are not eligible for a work permit in the service and manufacturing sectors would be offered employment in shelters.
Mr de Souza added that instead of "hard-coding" measures, allowing the government agencies to make a thorough assessment of each victim's needs will "ensure we have a victim-care regime that is robust, flexible and fair".
Key aspects of the new leglisation
- For the first time, there is a law against human trafficking involving sexual exploitation, forced labour or organ removal
- It is trans-national in nature, which means only part of the offence needs to be committed in Singapore. Those who facilitate the offence or profit from it will also fall foul of the law
- The Act is gender-neutral, and defines a child as a person under 18. Exploiting a child will be considered an aggravating factor in sentencing
- First-time offenders face up to 10 years in jail, a maximum fine of $100,000, plus the possibility of up to six strokes of the cane. Repeat offenders face up to 15 years in prison, a fine of up to $150,000, with mandatory caning of up to nine strokes
- A person suspected of trafficking can be arrested without a warrant
- Informers will be protected from civil or criminal proceedings relating to evidence given
- Victims will be provided with temporary shelter and counselling
Visa requirements to keep Ebola at bay
By Salma Khalik Senior Health Correspondent, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
FROM tomorrow, citizens of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - three countries where the deadly Ebola virus is spreading - must have a visa before they can enter Singapore, even if they are arriving here from a different country.
This move to bolster Singapore's defence against Ebola was announced yesterday in Parliament by Minister of State for Health Lam Pin Min.
Dr Lam said this will "allow for better oversight and control of entry" of the nationals from these West African countries, and will make it easier to trace people they come into contact with. Singapore gets about 30 visitors in total from these three nations monthly.
Since August, the Health Ministry has also put in place "border control measures" to guard against the risk of Ebola entering the country, Dr Lam said.
Travellers coming from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mali will be sent directly to Tan Tock Seng Hospital if they have a fever on arrival.
All visitors flying in from these countries must also complete a health declaration card and a questionnaire to assess their risk of exposure to Ebola.
Those deemed to be at high risk will be "put on very close surveillance" which includes quarantine either in their home or in government facilities, Dr Lam said.
Others will be put on phone surveillance for 21 days to check if they become sick, before they are allowed to continue with their activities unrestricted, he added. Ebola patients are not infectious until they develop symptoms.
Dr Lam was replying to Tanjong Pagar GRC MPs Chia Shi-Lu and Lily Neo on steps taken to prevent Ebola from spreading here. The virus has infected 13,567 people and killed 4,951.
Dr Chia also asked if the Health Ministry would consider imposing a total ban on travel to and from the affected African nations until the "backbone of the epidemic has been broken".
Dr Lam said such a move "cannot be taken lightly". It depends on the extent of the epidemic in those nations, their public health infrastructure and advice from the World Health Organisation and experts here. Congo, for instance, is set to be declared Ebola-free on Nov 21 if no new cases emerge. Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and the United States have imported cases of Ebola.
He added: "The situation is very dynamic and we will continue to review our measures as the Ebola situation evolves."
Non-Constituency MP Gerald Giam asked what Singapore has learnt from the mistakes that led to transmission of cases in Spain and the US. Dr Lam said three of the five transmitted cases there involved health-care workers and may have been caused by "breaches in infection control measures such as improper removal of personal protective equipment".
Proposal to let unions represent PMEs
By Toh Yong Chuan, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
A PROPOSED law was introduced in Parliament yesterday to let rank-and-file unions represent the swelling ranks of professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).
The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill, tabled by the Manpower Ministry, seeks to do so through collective bargaining, a move lobbied for by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).
Currently, these unions cannot represent PMEs as a group because of possible conflicts of interest, as they are from the ranks of management. The NTUC has been pushing for the restriction to be eased to attract more PMEs to join unions.
PMEs form a growing segment in the labour force. About three in 10 local workers are PMEs, and the proportion is expected to grow to two in three by 2030. There are about one million PMEs in the resident labour force.
Besides allowing unions to represent PMEs as a group, the Bill also wants the unions to be allowed to represent them individually on re-employment matters.
The scope of individual representation is now limited to such areas as negotiations for retrenchment benefits and appeals against wrongful dismissal.
No shorter leases for first-time flat buyers
By Rachel Au-Yong, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
THE Housing Board (HDB) is not going to introduce an option of shorter leases of 70 years for first-time buyers of its flats.
First-timers who want such flats can turn to the resale market, where they are still eligible for housing grants, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament yesterday.
He also did not think demand for such flats would be strong.
Mr Khaw was replying to Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC), who asked the ministry to consider offering new flats of 70-year lease, alongside the existing 99-year lease.
Mr Seah argued that home prices would be more affordable with shorter leases.
Disagreeing, Mr Khaw gave two reasons why demand would be weak.
First, the upfront cost the HDB would incur for a 70-year lease would be the same as that for a 99-year lease.
Second, owing to the time value of money and the fact that flats with shorter leases tend to depreciate faster, the reduced price of a flat would not be directly proportional to the shortened lease.
"In fact, it is significantly higher," Mr Khaw said.
"The fact is that we price new flats on a 99-year lease to be highly affordable for first-time buyers."
With significant housing grants, first-timers with a monthly household income of $1,000 can afford a new two-room flat in a non-mature estate, while those who earn $4,000 a month should be able to afford a four-room home.
"They can do so with little or no out-of-pocket cash," he said.
The HDB buys land from the Singapore Land Authority on a 105-year lease, enabling the authority to build and sell new flats with a 99-year lease.
It, however, offers flats with shorter leases to serve the needs of specific buyers, Mr Khaw said, citing studio apartments, which are sold on a 30-year lease to senior citizens as their retirement homes.
He also assured Mr Seah that he would "keep (his) options open", by perhaps offering an entire block of flats with 70-year lease, should the need arise.
"But at the moment, I doubt it," he said.
HDB resale flats a third more expensive than new BTO flats in suburbs: Khaw
Channel NewsAsia, 3 Nov 2014
Housing Development Board (HDB) resale flats are about 31 per cent more expensive than new Build-to-Order (BTO) ones in the suburbs, or the Outside Central Region (OCR), National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed in a written reply to Parliament on Monday (Nov 3).
He added that the price difference between the two flat types was 18 per cent in 2004.
Mr Khaw also noted that prices of private homes in the suburbs are 158 per cent higher than that of HDB resale flats in the same area. The figure was 118 per cent in 2004.
But Mr Khaw said the numbers should be interpreted with care, as the industry's grouping of private property is different from HDB's classification.
"OCR and RCR (Rest of Central Region) are terms used by the industry to group private properties in Singapore. They do not coincide with the HDB classification of mature and non-mature estates," he said.
"Moreover, given the wide range of housing types in the private housing market, from shoe-box units to luxurious penthouses, price comparison between the public and the private housing markets should therefore be interpreted with care," Mr Khaw said.
ABOUT 3,500 APPLICANTS BARRED FROM APPLYING FOR BTO FLATS FOR A YEAR
In response to another question by Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh, Mr Khaw also said about 3,500 applicants have been barred from buying new BTO flats for a year after they cancelled their booking of units with HDB. This is since the implementation of the rule in March 2012, Mr Khaw said.
He noted that the measure to impose this one-year debarment is to discourage frivolous bookings. "Such behaviour is unfair to genuine flat buyers who may otherwise be crowded out," Mr Khaw said.
"HDB prefers to accumulate its balance flats and sell them under a Sale of Balance Flats exercise when there is a sufficiently large supply. This allows applicants more choices of flat types in various locations."
Bill passed to curb abuse of PIC scheme
By Chia Yan Min, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
NEW measures have been put in place to curb abuse of the popular Productivity and Innovation Credit (PIC) scheme, which dangles financial incentives for companies that restructure their operations to become more productive.
A Bill passed by Parliament yesterday requires businesses to show that their IT and automation equipment are "in use" before they can claim cash payouts under the scheme.
Previously, companies just had to show they had incurred the expenditure.
Now, the equipment need to be on the company's premises and deployed for the purpose of business, said Senior Minister of State for Finance Josephine Teo during the debate on the Income Tax (Amendment) Bill.
Businesses also should be able to "articulate the equipment's intended use" to the tax authorities, she added, when replying to Non-Constituency MP Yee Jenn Jong, who had asked about the definition of "in use".
The new law also allows the Comptroller of Income Tax to deny PIC benefits to companies engaged in objectionable arrangements which seek to abuse the scheme, said Mrs Teo.
Those who promote or facilitate claims for PIC benefits under these arrangements will be punished. The maximum penalty is three years in jail plus a fine of $10,000.
"These changes are not expected to affect businesses making bona fide PIC claims, but seek to deter the small minority of businesses which attempt to make artificial or inflated PIC claims," she said.
Mrs Teo also pointed companies to guidelines on the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore's (Iras) website for more information on claiming for research and development (R&D) activities under the PIC scheme. Mr Yee had pointed out that few turn to the PIC scheme for R&D support.
He said small and medium-sized enterprises have expressed concerns about Iras' strict definition of R&D activities, making it difficult for them to tap on the scheme.
The new law also included changes to Supplementary Retirement Scheme (SRS) accounts, a voluntary retirement savings programme that complements the Central Provident Fund system.
SRS members who have reached the retirement age of 62 can transfer their investments in, say, shares, to another account, like their personal Central Depository accounts, without having to liquidate them first. Similar to cash withdrawn from the SRS accounts, the value of such investments withdrawn will be taxed.
The move will help reduce transaction costs for SRS members, said Mrs Teo.
Previously, these members could make only cash withdrawals from their SRS accounts, which meant they had to liquidate their investments.
Productivity measures being fine-tuned
By Chia Yan Min, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014.
DIFFERENT measures of productivity are increasingly being used to give a more complete picture of how each sector in Singapore is performing, said Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan yesterday.
The Government wants to expand the definition of productivity - typically measured in terms of value-add per worker - by looking at indicators peculiar to each industry, he told Parliament.
For instance, the construction sector, where productivity growth is lagging by the standard measure, has been making progress on square metres constructed per man day, he said.
"If this increase is not reflected in the prices of their contracts, the net effect may be a reduction in productivity."
For the retail industry, possible industry-specific productivity measures include sales per square foot of retail space.
Mr Lee was responding to a question from Ms Foo Mee Har (West Coast GRC), who had asked if finer measurements of productivity are needed to confirm that Singapore's productivity push is on the right track, given that overall numbers do not seem to reflect the progress made since economic restructuring efforts began in 2010.
The Government has set a target of 2 to 3 per cent growth in productivity per year for the 10-year period to 2019.
This, while ambitious, came after 1 per cent growth on average in the decade up to 2009.
Singapore's labour productivity is expected to rise by slightly more than 2 per cent per year on average in the first five years of the target period, though almost all the gains were achieved in 2010 when the economy recovered strongly, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in a speech last week.
In Parliament yesterday, Mr Lee also said that the Government is working with various trade associations on productivity-boosting efforts tailored to the specific needs of each sector.
More than 1,300 employers tapped grants to help older workers: Tan Chuan-Jin
By Kimberly Spykerman, Channel NewsAsia, 3 Nov 2014
As of end-September this year, more than 1,300 employers have tapped grants set up to help older workers, said Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin.
He was responding to a question from Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC David Ong, who asked what was being done to motivate the public and private sectors to redesign and re-engineer their workplaces to complement their senior workforce. Mr Ong also asked what was being done to convince companies to age-proof their workplace, so that older workers can be employed longer and remain productive.
The Government has set up two grants to help older workers, which come under the WorkPro programme, introduced in April 2013. One is the the Age Management Grant, which provides incentives to employers to adopt progressive workplace practices to help seniors continue working. The other is the Job Redesign Grant, a way for employers to re-engineer their workplaces to suit an ageing workforce - for example, by acquiring equipment and systems to support older workers.
"Given our ageing population, the proportion of older workers in our workforce will increase significantly in the next few decades. These workers are a potential asset to employers, with their skills, experience and wisdom honed over the years," noted Mr Tan.
He also pointed out that a key aspect of job redesign is to ensure an employee-centric approach that takes into account the changing needs of employees. On this front, he said public sector agencies engage older officers through open discussions to better understand their work preferences.
These public sector agencies also offer flexible work arrangements catering to the needs and preferences of its officers, including older and re-employed officers - such as part-time employment, the option to start and end their daily work earlier, as well as telecommuting.
"Our tripartite partners - the National Trades Union Congress and Singapore National Employers Federation - are active in reaching out to employers to highlight the importance of implementing job redesign. They do so through regular outreach and briefings to employers on WorkPro, and capitalise on suitable recruitment events to promote WorkPro to employers and individuals," said Mr Tan.
He said the Government and tripartite partners will continue to promote and provide support to employers to implement age-friendly practices and to redesign their workplace for an ageing workforce.
Hong Lim saga: 'Inappropriate' to comment
Khaw cites police investigations and ongoing court cases as reasons
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
ASKED for an account of the Hong Lim Park incident on Sept 27, when protesters allegedly disrupted a charity carnival, National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan yesterday told Parliament he could not comment as police investigations and court cases are ongoing.
But he said that on many occasions before Sept 27, different groups had held multiple events at the same time in the park and there had been "no untoward incident".
Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris- Punggol GRC) had asked for a full account of the incident in which a protest rally held at the park's Speakers' Corner had spilled over to another part of the lawn where a YMCA charity carnival was being held.
He also asked whether there was any non-compliance by the organisers of the events, in ensuring public peace. And if any follow-up action had been taken to ensure such incidents would not happen again.
Mr Khaw replied: "The police investigation into the incident has yet to be completed. The legal proceedings against certain persons related to the incident are also ongoing. It is not appropriate to reply to this question."
His response came a day after lawyer M. Ravi submitted a petition to Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob, urging Members of Parliament not to say anything in the House that would influence proceedings before the courts.
Mr Ravi is acting for six protesters facing public nuisance charges. They include protest organisers Roy Ngerng and Han Hui Hui, both of whom have also been charged with organising a demonstration without approval.
Yesterday, Madam Halimah reminded MPs about the related cases before the court, and said she would not allow any statement or supplementary question that would impinge on the principle of mutual respect and forbearance between the House and the courts.
Mr Khaw also said it was inappropriate to "give a view on what could or could not have prevented such an incident", in response to a related question from Ms Denise Phua (Moulmein-Kallang GRC).
But he added that, like any other public park in Singapore, Hong Lim Park is a shared space for all Singaporeans to use, and to conduct community events or other activities for residents.
"It houses two lawns which have been designated as Speakers' Corner," said Mr Khaw, adding that members of the public can be present at these places as the lawns are not for the sole use of Speakers' Corner participants.
Ms Phua had asked about the use of Hong Lim Park, as well as the activities for which the facilities at the adjacent Telok Ayer Hong Lim Green Community Centre can be used.
The minister replied that Hong Lim Park users can apply to the community centre for the use of its facilities and the stage.
Their use is subject to People's Association terms, Mr Khaw added. For example, the stage should not be used for political or religious activities.
"For the Speakers' Corner, Singaporeans can speak, hold demonstrations and performances after seeking NParks' approval," added Mr Khaw, who is the minister in charge of the National Parks Board (NParks).
Ms Phua also asked for an assurance that the Sept 27 episode would not be repeated.
Mr Khaw replied with a smile, to laughter from MPs: "Can I give an assurance that nobody would speed on the road when we all know that one should not speed?"
Bill on Pioneer Generation Fund passed
By Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh, The Straits Times, 4 Nov 2014
A BILL to set up a fund for the Pioneer Generation Package was met with support in Parliament yesterday - but also with some questions, with one Nominated Member of Parliament even moving an amendment to it.
The Pioneer Generation Fund will cover the cost of the packa