(Delivered in Parliament on 28 Feb 2018)
Mr Speaker sir, in my speech, I will be speaking on care for our elderly and challenges for our maritime industry.
I will first touch on the area of care for our elderly
Care for our elderly
In his Budget speech, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat cited ageing as one of the three major shifts that we must prepare for.
We are told that the number of seniors living alone more than doubled between 2006 and 2016 to 47400 . I believe the trend will continue to grow. Together with a projected increase in our elderly population relative to other age groups in the coming years, it is important that we get our policies on elderly care right.
The Government seem to be still finding its way in deciding how extensive the role of the state should be when it comes to care-giving. If it prefers to continue to rely substantially on caregiving through an individual’s family care network, it should consider giving more support at every level to the supporting family as well as to caregivers including supporting the caregiver who has to stop work and deciding what is a decent level of support for the caregiver. Further, with the growing number of elderly or elderly singles living alone, the Government needs to put in place adequate resources and the infrastructural support for assisted living.
Government policies often involve drawing a line between competing imperatives. When it comes to policies affecting elderly care and their well-being, may I implore the Government to give priority to the consideration of enhancing elderly care efforts?
The enhancement of the Proximity Scheme Grant for both families and singles will ultimately benefit our seniors or their care as children are encouraged or assisted by the enhancement of the grant. As HDB flats in mature estate are usually more expensive, the enhancement of the Proximity Scheme grant will hopefully assist and persuade more families to live with or near their parents even in the mature estates.
I am glad that singles who buy a resale public housing flat to live near their parents will also now receive $10,000 under the enhanced Proximity Housing Grant (PHG) scheme. Before the announcement, the one-time grant is currently given only to singles who buy a resale flat to live with their parents. The PHG for singles buying a resale flat to live with their parents has also been increased to $15,000.
While it is good that the Government now recognises that singles are often a key source of caregiving support within their families, in my view, many singles end up taking a larger role in caregiving support than their married siblings who may be bogged down with caring for their children. Hence, I think such singles do not deserve a lesser grant than their married counterparts whether they are living near or with their elderly parents. In fact, arguably many married siblings benefit more from living near their elderly parents than their single siblings as they benefit from their parents helping out in caring for their children. Whatever rationale the Government chooses to use to give the married children a higher grant, I hope the Government will consider equalising the grant for the reasons I have given.
Ultimately when you make things easier for the caregiver, single or otherwise, the ultimate beneficiary is or are the elderly parents of the care-giver. Without the care-giver, the state or the society (through VWOs) may also end up having to provide additional resources.
We should always take care that our policies, however well-intentioned they are, do not become too rigid that it becomes a burden or a source of stress for our elderly and seniors or their caregivers.
The FDW Levy will be increased in two ways. The FDW levy for the second FDW employed without levy concession will go up from $265 to $450. The increase is hefty, about 70%. I am concerned that this may affect households employing two helpers, one to handle all housework and one to look after elderly parents who may be bedridden or even just require attentive care at all times while their adult children are working. If the second FDW is not allowed levy concession, this increase in levy will add to the financial burden of their children. Can the levy increase be exercised more equitably in favour of families needing two FDWs to look after elderly parents as well as doing housework? Can the Government not distinguish the example I mentioned from the situation of say a wealthy family living in a big house requiring more than one FDW? Again, I hope the Government will regard enhancing elderly care efforts in priority to other considerations on this issue.
A Fengshan resident shared with me his frustration of having to pay the full Singles Premium for his 2 room flexi flat. He is approaching retirement in a few years. To prepare for retirement, he is trying to save up as much as he can from his modest monthly income of $700. His existing savings are precious to him for the same reason. His excitement at getting a new 2-room flexi flat was somewhat dampened by the burden of the additional $15,000 Singles Premium he had to pay. It eats into his retirement funds.
While I fully understand the rationale of having the Singles Premium, must it always be rigidly enforced against people of all ages from 35 upwards? I hope the Government will relook how it applies its Singles Premium policy on elderly singles. Elderly singles may require more support from the Government. They will likely have fewer options than their married counterparts insofar as family financial support or family caregivers is concerned. When they are not self-sufficient or cannot care for themselves due to any reason, the state may ultimately have to step in anyway.
Can we apply a little more flexibility for the benefit of our singles seniors? Can we place greater premium on elderly care and welfare in such case? For example, the Government can consider helping all singles aged 55 and above purchasing two-room flexi-flats for the first time on a shorter lease by reducing the Singles Premium. A premium reduction of say upwards to $5,000, based on their income levels and length of lease, upholds the rationale of the Singles Premium, but reduces its impact for our elderly poor singles who can then use their savings for their retirement.
Mr Speaker, in mandarin
照顾年长国人
在预算案演讲中, 财政部长王瑞杰说人口老化是我们所必须面对的挑战。
从2006年到2016年，独居老人的人数增加超过两倍，达到将近5万人。政府 预计 老龄人口 在未来几年 会持续 增长，我们在照顾年长国人方面，必须有更完善的政策。
政府在这方面 应该扮演 多广泛的角色，似乎还没有结论。如果政府的政策目标是年长国人应该继续由各自的家庭照顾，那么就应该在各方面为各个家庭提供更多的援助，包括帮助那些需要辞去工作来照顾年长家人的看护人。此外，随着 年长人士 和 独居的年长 单身人士 越来越多，政府也需要提供 足够的资源 和建设相关的基础设施。
政府在拟定政策时，往往需要平衡许多需求。在影响年长人士的政策方面，我吁请 政府 优先考虑 改善照顾他们的政策。
成熟组屋区里的组屋一般都比较贵，近居 购屋 津贴计划(Proximity Housing Grant) 鼓励更多家庭或单身人士选择居住在父母住家附近，或者与父母同住，方便他们照顾父母。
我很高兴知道 单身人士 现在 购买 靠近父母住家的 转售组屋时，能获得1万元的 近居 购屋 津贴， 而那些购买转售组屋和父母同住的单身人士，津贴的数额也调高到1万5千元。
政府意识到年长人士往往是由单身子女照顾，这是令人鼓舞的。但我认为许多 单身人士 常常 得负起 更大的责任，因为他们已婚的兄弟姐妹可能忙着照顾自己的孩子，无法分担责任。因此，我认为这些单身人士应该得到 和 已婚人士 相等 的 购屋津贴。不论政府 给予已婚 子女更多购屋津贴的依据是什么，也应该提供相等的津贴给要居住在父母附近或和父母同住的单身人士 。
当看护者得到帮助时，不管他们是单身还是已婚，最终受益的还是他们年长的父母。如果他们无法有能力照顾父母，政府或福利机构 最终 还是 可能得 提供额外 的资助。
在实施 政策时，我们需要有一定的灵活性，如果无法变通，可能会给 年长国人 和他们的看护者 造成 负担和压力。
聘用第二名女佣的女佣税将从 $265 调高到 $450，增幅多达七成。我担心这会影响那些聘用两名女佣的家庭。在这些家庭中，可能是一名女佣负责家务，另一名 则 负责 照顾 卧病在床 或 需要 全天候 看护的 年长人士。如果聘用第二名女佣时无法获得津贴，这些家庭的经济负担将会增加。政府在征收女佣税的时候, 是否能给予有需要女佣看护老年人的家庭 更合理的考量？这些家庭有别于那些比较富有、住家比较大而因此 需要两名女佣的家庭。
一名凤山区的居民告诉我，他在购买 政府二房式 灵活組屋时，必须支付1万5千元的单身人士 购屋 附加费。他每个月的收入只有700元，只好尽可能存钱，因为再过几年他就要退休了。对他来说，这笔附加费是一笔非常大的负担。
我明白征收这笔 附加费 的用意，但我希望政府能够 检讨这项政策。 年长 单身人士 不像已婚，有家庭的人士在经济上可以获得家庭成员的资助，他们需要政府更多的援助。
因此，对于年长单身人士，政府应该有更灵活的政策。那些第一次购买屋契年限比较短的二房式组屋，年龄至少达55岁的年长单身人士，政府应该考虑降低附加费。根据购买者的收入和屋契年限的长短，减幅的顶限 可以设在5千元。这样一来，在维持这项政策的同时，也能帮助经济能力 较差 的年长 单身人士 购买一间 可安身的家 安享晚年。
Challenges for our maritime industry
Challenges to the industry and to our SMEs
Mr Speaker, I will now move on to the topic of our maritime industry in English. I declare my interest as a shipping lawyer.
In his budget speech, Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat mentioned the launch of the maritime transformation programme (MTP) to enhance the overall competitiveness of Singapore as a maritime hub, accelerate industry transformation and deepen maritime R&D capabilities. The MTP looks to using automation, digitalisation and artificial intelligence to develop new technologies, designs and operations concepts that can be deployed in Tuas Port and Jurong Port with emphases on strengthening maritime traffic management capabilities, enhancing operational efficiencies, and improving safety and security. It should benefit our port operators and related ancillary industries in automation, artificial intelligence and robotics.
We have one of the world’s leading ports. Thus far, despite our charges being relatively higher than our competitors, we have managed to stay ahead through technology and efficiency helped by our favourable location. How long will we continue to enjoy this location advantage is anyone’s guess.
Will the proposed deep sea port in Malacca pose any problem for us in the future especially if Chinese or other players can help to overturn the various deficiencies which have long bugged the Malaysian ports?
When will the Northern Sea Route start pulling away vessel traffic now passing through the Straits of Singapore?
With polar caps melting further in future, will technology-enhanced port operational efficiency and traffic management alone always be sufficient to fight off challenges such as saving of substantial travel time with the Northern Sea Route?
Minister Heng also mentioned that foreign worker levy increases for shipyard will be deferred for another year. Our leading shipyards like the yards owned by the Keppel and Sembcorp Marine groups are reputable leaders in offshore related buildings like oil rigs and semi-submersibles and FPSO conversions. With the uncertain offshore market, our leading shipyards should focus on developing new niche areas of ship and offshore building, the way it developed its niche in offshore building over the years.
The industry transformation road map for marine and offshore engineering which was recently launched on 22 February 2018 has identified the LNG and offshore renewables as two new growth areas. Minister Iswaran said that Keppel and Sembcorp Marine have already ventured into the LNG segment. It remains to be seen whether this will become their new niche areas or be able to contribute the level of growth that offshore building afforded them in the past one and a half decade.
The search to develop new niche areas should not be confined to our leading shipyards. Business has been patchy for our other smaller players in recent years and the rampant demand for tug building a few years ago has subsided.
While the use of shipyard facilities in nearby Batam has helped some of our shipyards in managing their cost, competition posed by yards in other countries especially China meant that our yards are not in the market for the building of cargo or passenger vessels with the exception of tugs. For most of these firms in recent difficult years, they have been occupied with repairs, conversions and the odd small building job.
How many of our SMEs are in a position to compete in the LNG and offshore renewables identified in the industry transformation road map for marine and offshore engineering? Besides these areas, what are the future options they should be prepared for?
Our maritime business community consists of many more SMEs up and down the value chain beyond ship and offshore building and port management.
I agree with the current push for innovation, building on autonomous system, robotics, data analytics as well as for digitalisation under the current Sea Transport Industry Transformation Map. But we must not forget those who may not be able to benefit from this development.
Many SMEs are players specialising in a certain specific area of business or capability. Unlike government-linked companies, the size of our SMEs may limit their ability to scale up in order to compete for businesses with bigger or established players internationally.
The Straits Times’ report of the launch of the industry transformation road map for marine and offshore engineering cited a pressing need for smaller firms to build up their capabilities so that they can benefit from these trends.
Perhaps for some SMEs who are specialists, it is not merely about building up alone but needing to work together with other players providing different expertise to take on bigger projects.
I would like to suggest that the Government can help to put different SMEs in our maritime business community together in an appropriate platform to (1) jointly developing products and (2) with the view to pitching for bigger projects internationally at a consortium level. Our local banks can help with appropriate financial support and the Government can consider providing initial funding and support for setting up. This is different from efforts aiming to help SMEs directly as individual businesses.
SMEs of different specializations can be integrated to work together, develop products and pitch for bigger businesses and contracts internationally as a consortium, tapping on each other’s expertise and sharing the economies of scale.
Such a programme can include both existing SMEs from the maritime industry as well as who are currently outside the sector. A firm from outside the industry may well bring with them different ideas or different way of handling comparable projects or similar issues.
The Technology Centre for Offshore and Marine Singapore can definitely play a role in providing appropriate support for SMEs.
Belt and road
There has been much talk about Belt and Road and its potential benefits. How can our shipping, logistics and offshore businesses make use of our relative strengths and resources to work hand in hand with our ASEAN neighbours in the Belt and Road initiatives around South East Asia and beyond?
The Government can use its position as Asean Chair to help create opportunities for better co-operation with Asean companies. The Government can lead a study into the likely opportunities for our involvement in Belt and Road projects in the region and consider how our businesses can jointly market ourselves to complement or value add to Asean companies to take on Belt and Road projects.
The future
In closing, we need to encourage SMEs to think beyond traditional categories of maritime businesses to come up with products and services that straddle across or even going beyond traditional categorizations.
My colleague, Leon Perera, spoke of the “disruptive economy”. We also cannot underestimate how the “disruptive economy” can affect what we do here in the maritime and offshore sectors and bring changes.
It may not be sufficient fighting today’s battle to stay ahead in the current competition by merely being more efficient, by merely being cheaper, faster and better. Will we be able to ride the wave and think out of the box to create new relationships, new opportunities, new products, new niche areas and even new ways of doing business?