Parliamentary speeches and more

Mr Speaker, Scams are a scourge on our society. There has been progress made in public education efforts, but an unfortunate situation has arisen where most of us know someone who refuses to answer phone calls from unknown numbers or decides against using internet banking services out of an abundance of mistrust, for fear of being scammed.

Mr Speaker, ‍Scams continue to inflict immense financial and emotional distress on Singaporeans, and I welcome the government taking action to strengthen our legislative toolkit. I am heartened to see that the Scams (Countermeasures) and Other Matters Bill reflects key principles I advocated for during the Second Reading of the Protection from Scams Bill in January 2025.

Mr Speaker: Last year, Singaporeans lost 913.1 million dollars to scams down from more than 1.1 billion the year before.

Mr Speaker, I support the principle of lower collective-sale thresholds for older developments. Owners facing rising maintenance costs and major repairs should have a workable route to renewal.

Mr Speaker, In January, I spoke in this House about fire safety in our homes. It remains a concern for many. Just recently, between 28 July and 1 September, five residents died following separate fires in HDB flats. We should not assume that these incidents share a common cause. Even so, five deaths in just over a month should give us pause as we consider this Bill.

I understand the rationale for this Bill. Nevertheless, I have concerns about the parts of the Bill that appear to relax fire safety requirements and will seek clarifications on them. In addition, I will raise some concerns about fire safety in our housing estates and how this is being tackled.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I believe that this bill arrives at the right time, and I welcome the government’s move to improve fire safety in Singapore at this time. There has been an upwards trend in fire incidents in recent years, which is worrying. Fire injuries rose from 80 in 2024 to 94 in 2025, and fire fatalities from 5 to 6 over the same period. More alarming still, in the short span from 31 July to 1 September this year alone, five lives have already been lost to fire incidents. Behind each of these figures is a family and a home. That is the reality we should keep in mind as we consider the measures before us today.

Mr Speaker, This Bill proposes to lower consent thresholds for developments of different ages, streamline certain procedures pertaining to strata sales, and clarify provisions for collective sales in complex cases. I believe this lowering of consent thresholds is the most consequential from a national, public policy perspective, and I will confine my remarks to this area.

Mr Speaker,‍ Like many MPs who serve in their respective town councils, I see the daily practicalities of managing common spaces in housing estates in my role as Chairperson of Aljunied-Hougang Town Council. It is from this shared ground perspective that I welcome the Civil Defence Shelter and Fire Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill 2026.

Mr deputy Speaker, this Bill represents a critical and timely recalibration of Singapore’s urban renewal framework.