by Gillian Lim
THE third day of Parliament saw more than just Members of Parliament (MPs) debating on President Tony Tan Keng Yam’s address. Questions for oral answers were raised to five ministers, and the topics ranged from internal security, to the rise of dengue cases, to the Social Studies syllabus. After two days of Parliament, the Prime Minister also took to the podium to announce his intended amendments to the Constitution. Here’s a summary of what each of the 15 MPs said in Parliament today:
1. Mr Desmond Lee, Jurong GRC, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development
“Government actions alone are not enough. Everyone must be alert. And in the event of an attack, we must all stay united.”
What was being done about Singapore’s security in light of recent international terrorist attacks? There has been an increase in coastal patrols, and more CCTV cameras are being installed in HDB blocks and car parks, said Mr Lee. Biometric screening will be implemented at all checkpoints by June this year, he added, but everyone – not just the G – must stay vigilant. As to questions on self-radicalised citizens, Mr Lee said that the manpower required to handle them will always be tight. But the G will “leverage on technology to create new capabilities”.
2. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Minister for Foreign Affairs
“Singapore is not in the position of accepting Syrian or other refugees, no matter where they come from.”
In his question, Mr Christopher de Souza asked what exactly was Singapore’s position regarding Syrians who had been forced to flee from their homeland. Dr Balakrishnan’s response? That Singapore was too small to take in any refugees, and that there was a limit as to what Singapore can do right now. “We’ll continue working with UN Refugee Agency and legitimate humanitarian groups to help Syrians,” he said, but added that until a political solution and peace is achieved, there was nothing more we could do.
3. Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Tampines GRC, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources
“The current penalties have been effective in keeping re-offending rates low. Nonetheless, my Ministry will continue to monitor the situation and introduce stiffer penalties if necessary.”
Ang Mo Kio GRC MP Gan Thiam Poh questioned if current legislations were enough to deter homeowners from breeding dengue mosquitoes. Currently, it is effective, said Mr Masagos, adding that the Ministry has set aside $2.5 million each year for research, and $3 million over the next three years to suppress the Aedes mosquito population and develop its vaccine. On the Zika virus, he said it was a “notifiable” disease, adding that as both are spread by the same type of mosquito, current research on the Aedes mosquito will apply to the Zika virus as well.
4. Mr Chee Hong Tat, Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of Health
“Investigations on recent disease outbreaks show that workload of healthcare professionals did not contribute to outbreaks.”
Is the workload and work stress faced by our doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals comparable to professionals in other developed countries? In response to Mr Leon Perera’s question, Mr Chee said that it was. The doctor-patient ratio is 21 per 10,000, and the nurse-patient ratio is 69 to 10,000. Both ratios are comparable to Hong Kong and Taiwan. But he added that even though such ratios didn’t contribute to outbreaks, the Ministry will still see how to better improve the workload and caseload of healthcare professionals.
5. Mr Ng Chee Meng, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Acting Minister for Education (Schools) and
Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Transport
“It’s not specifically covered because of the constraints of time.”
Asked Mr Leon Perera: “Will the revamped social studies syllabus provide detailed explanations for why ballot secrecy is inviolate in elections?” Mr Ng Chee Meng’s response – that even though the importance of elections is covered in social studies, the topic on secrecy being inviolate isn’t covered because of “the constraints of time”.
6. Mr Liang Eng Hwa, Holland-Bukit Timah GRC
“In future, the big may no longer beat the small. The fast will beat the slow, the imaginative will eat the lunches of the uninspired.”
The “next logical step” that Singapore should take? A value-creating, innovative economy, said Mr Liang Eng Hwa. Singapore ranks high in world rankings on innovation input, but innovation output has “not been as encouraging”, he added. Schools should avoid crowding out arts, sports and aesthetics, and students need to go beyond subject-based knowledge. He proposed for the Ministry of Education to do more to diffuse the high-stress, high-stakes environment of the education system in order to foster more innovation.
7. Mr Png Eng Huat, Hougang SMC, Member of Workers’ Party’s Executive Committee
“Has a teach-less-learn-more principle led to better-desired outcomes or has it shifted the burden to private tutors?”
Urging the Ministry of Education to study the tuition culture in Singapore and whether the changes in the education system have achieved their desired outcomes, Mr Png said that education is one of the key building blocks of Singapore. He also questioned if the G was prepared to invest in developing a Nobel Laureate, noting that some small countries have them. On a separate note, he said that values espoused in Singapore pledge, such as equality, are non-negotiable if we want to get politics right. He added that the political system needs to be refreshed, but not at the expense of democracy.
8. Ms Denise Phua, Jalan Besar GRC
“Remove the PSLE without compromising academic rigour, and pilot a 10-year through-train school model.”
Apart from reading out a poem dealing with life’s challenges, Ms Phua identified three unhealthy Ps in the education system: pre-occupation with academic scores, ‘parentocracy‘ and physical segregation. She also suggested scrapping the PSLE in favour of a 10-year through-train model, and asked to re-think the concept of schools such as arts schools, sports schools, normal technical schools and SAP schools, and offer such programmes in all schools instead. She also asked to legislate the protection of the rights of vulnerable groups, such as low-skilled elderly and the disabled.
9. Dr Amy Khor, Hong Kah North SMC, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and Ministry of Health
“We need a new philosophy of ageing.”
The Ministry of Health will be rolling out plans for senior citizens, said Dr Khor. Some of these include co-locating senior care centres at community clubs – with the first one opening at Ci Yuan community club in a few months, and situating Active Ageing hubs in new HDB developments. She also suggested to expand the number of Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) seats to 12, citing the growing desire for alternative voices that came along with a greater diversity of population and rising education.
10. Dr Chia Shi-Lu, Tanjong Pagar GRC
“Ageing in place is a system that should be robustly defended.”
In a speech that was centred on the elderly, Dr Chia said that a “comprehensive action plan” ought to be put in place to help seniors remain healthy and connected. More alternatives to nursing homes should be provided, as seniors want to be with their families even when they’re frail. To plan ahead, the young and middle-aged should be educated: This means putting aside savings for old age, nor opting out of ElderShield. There should be more individualised care for elderly in nursing homes, and more health and mobility aides, monitoring devices and robotics to help our elderly.
11. Mr Lee Hsien Loong, Ang Mo Kio GRC, Prime Minister
“Constitutions have to be custom-made, tailored to suit the peculiarities of the person wearing the suit.”
Like a good suit, constitutions have to be custom-made, said PM Lee, quoting Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who had earlier used Thomas Jefferson’s suit analogy to speak to the House in 1984. He said: “Perhaps, like shoes, the older they are, the better they fit. Stretch them, soften them, re-sole them, repair them. They are always better than a brand new pair of shoes.” And while learning from past experiences was necessary, it was also equally important to evolve our political system as it went along.
The proposed amendments to the Constitution: From the next General Elections, there will be 12 NCMP seats instead of nine, and they will have the same voting rights as elected MPs. There will also be smaller GRCs, and more SMCs. PM Lee also proposed to review three things: to relook the qualifying criteria for the elected President, to strengthen the Council of Presidential Advisors (CPA), and to ensure minorities have a chance to be elected as President.
12. Dr Janil Puthucheary, Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC, Minister of State, Ministry of Communications and Information and Ministry of Education
“With the right circumstances, we can roar Majulah Singapura.”
We need to overcome the divisions between us, said Dr Puthucheary. And while he acknowledged that divisions were inevitable, each division was simply an opportunity for Singaporeans to come together as one. He said: “Every line in the sand, every potential division, is a chance to reach across and offer the hand of friendship.”
13. Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar, Ang Mo Kio GRC
“The MOE should remove categories like Express and Normal, to stop students from being pigeonholed.”
We can’t continue to just be cautious at the expense of not making progress, said Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar. Other than urging for the MOE to remove Express and Normal categories, she also suggested that teachings on character and citizenship in Primary School be moved from Mother Tongue classes to common classes. The Special Assistance Plan (SAP) should also be opened up to students who don’t speak Chinese; they can take Chinese as a third language, and this will “enrich the social environment of the schools”.
14. Dr Teo Ho Pin, Bukit Panjang SMC
“We should consider adding capacity by adding tiers to existing expressways.”
In his speech, Dr Teo proposed several ways to improve Singapore’s infrastructure. Some of these include having “buildings taller than 40 stories, and having car parks underground”. He also raised the need to make neighbourhood centres more accessible, and encouraged the use of solar power in building smart cities. Not only that, we should also review existing express bus or train services from residential clusters to town, he added.
15. Mr David Ong, Bukit Batok SMC
“Single mothers should be treated as mothers, rather than singles.”
The last speaker for the day, Mr Ong asked that the G relook some of its policies. This included National Service’s deferment scheme, and that more resources should be dedicated to the marginalised and vulnerable in society, like single mothers and people with mental health issues. “We’re only as strong as our weakest link,” he said.
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