Carrie Tan
Singapore
“I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for her reply. I would just like to check if there is any internal standard operating procedure and timeline for turnaround for the HDB engineers who are tasked to provide technical advice to TCs?”
“To do this, I recommend that the job-redesign funding for micro-enterprises running mom and pop shops be increased to 95% with a higher cap, provide rent subsidies and a dedicated facilitator team to help shop owners in this particular effort.”
“It is time to redefine our success metrics – from grades and rankings to personal fulfilment and well-being. It is time to reshape the narrative around family – from cost and sacrifice to joy and aspiration, to build a Singapore where both dreams and families can flourish. I support the Budget.”
“Just Question No 14, okay. I would like to find out whether there can be a systematic programme, given that there are already 712 minimarts that are currently operating under the HDB leases island-wide.”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State Zaqy for his answers. I would like to enquire whether in the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) design of the workplace, skilling and training programmes, were micro businesses, such as the minimarts and their associations, consulted and involved in understanding what are the kinds of skills that their wor…”
“Similar to the Land Acquisition Act which enabled the Government to acquire land for the construction of public infrastructure, the Government may want to consider a similar legal mechanism for strata units to be acquired, or supported, where necessary, so that parts of a fully air-conditioned building can be opened up to achieve natural…”
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“I would like to thank the Senior Minister of State for her reply. I would just like to check if there is any internal standard operating procedure and timeline for turnaround for the HDB engineers who are tasked to provide technical advice to TCs? Also, while the delineation of duties between the TC in managing external wall seepages versus the inter-floor leakage where HDB steps in to facilitate in terms of resident arrangements, there are often difficulties to diagnose seepages that are not very clear – whether it is external wall or inside. What we have experienced in Nee Soon and to the frustration of many residents is that they often have to wait many months for a resolution. So, does the Ministry of National Development (MND) have any plans to invest further in the technical expertise or in the research and development technologies to find out and to have more accurate diagnosis of the sources of water seepages in a more timely manner to reduce the timeframe that it takes to have full resolution of the issues?”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have four clarifications, very quick ones. For Minister of State Sun, regarding the doubling of the Home Caregiving Grant over the years, I am very appreciative, but I also want to point out that many of the caregivers feel that this money is given into their mom or dad's account, and they do not feel like they should be taking their parents' money. So, will the Ministry look into adapting the disbursement process to put in a channel for care recipients to nominate the people or caregivers they would like these funds to be dispersed to? Clarification two would be regarding Senior Parliamentary Chua's speech on the Enabling Hubs at Jurong and Punggol. May I know whether there are plans for these hubs to get involved in supporting and engaging, encouraging small and micro-enterprises in the heartlands to become more inclusive hirers? And contrary to Ms Denise Phua, I do not like to keep talking about needs and challenges. I want to ask what is the Ministry currently doing to raise awareness about the strengths and potential contributions that our PwDs and PWSNs can contribute to society, instead of always perpetuating the narrative about their needs and their challenges. 1.15 pm The fourth clarification is to Minister Masagos regarding the NCSS implementing employee engagement surveys in SSAs. That is a very welcome effort. My question is: are these employee engagement surveys meant for internal review purposes or will they also be required to submit that to NCSS? And will there be an independent panel or channel for SSA personnel to whistle blow or to raise the alarm on any kind of unhelpful management practices that are causing them distress at work?”
“These assessments will provide crucial insights into workplace morale, leadership effectiveness and employee well-being. By systematically evaluating organisational health, we can proactively address emerging issues before they escalate, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and accountability. Second, I call for mandatory mental wellness training for broad leadership under the Centre for Non-Profit Leadership's training programmes or by the many local training enterprises that have sprouted in recent years to enable our collective well-being, such as Growthbeans and Calm Collective. Leadership sets the tone for workplace culture. Board members must be equipped to recognise and prevent unhelpful management practices and advocate for policies to create psychologically safe environments that prioritise staff well-being. A leader who understands the toll of social work is better positioned to enact meaningful change that supports the management, employees and beneficiaries. Finally, we must provide dedicated funding for a shared pool of well-being facilitators who will conduct regular check-ins with SSA personnel. These professionals will serve as an independent support system, offering a listening ear, suggest healthy coping strategies and provide guidance toward necessary resources. Many frontline workers struggle in silence, so having an accessible, trained facilitator can make the difference between retention and resignation. This is not just a moral imperative, it is a strategic investment. A healthy organisational culture ensures SSAs can deliver consistent, high-quality care to those who need it the most. So, let us stand in solidarity with our social service workers and affirm our commitment to their well-being. Let us have less burning bicycles.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to first declare that I am self-employed as a transformation coach providing well-being related coaching services. I rise today to highlight a matter of utmost importance, what my colleague, Mr Louis Ng, said as the burning bicycles. Basically, ensuring a thriving and sustainable organisational culture within our social service agencies (SSAs). These agencies are the backbone of our society's care system, providing critical support to our most vulnerable. Yet, those who dedicate their lives to service often work under immense stress, leading to burnout, attrition and a decline in service quality. In a recent survey my team and I conducted, which 88 SSA employees responded to, half were dissatisfied with work-life balance, 24% reported high stress and anxiety and almost 20% experienced emotional exhaustion and even depression and mental health challenges since joining the sector. A staggering 68.2% indicated they experienced symptoms of anxiety and depression specifically. About 57% of respondents did not feel comfortable discussing their mental health challenges with their HR. This indicates that many SSA employees worry about being judged for not being resilient enough at work. This fear prevents them from seeking the support they need, worsening workplace stress and attrition that creates a vicious cycle of overwork for the remaining staff and burn-out. If we are to build a compassionate and resilient social sector, we must invest in the well-being of the very individuals who provide care. I propose three key measures to strengthen the organisational culture within SSAs. One, I urge the National Council of Social Service to implement organisational culture pulse checks every three years for all SSAs.”
“To do this, I recommend that the job-redesign funding for micro-enterprises running mom and pop shops be increased to 95% with a higher cap, provide rent subsidies and a dedicated facilitator team to help shop owners in this particular effort. Facilitators play a crucial role in being a bridge to ensure that accessibility goes beyond infrastructure – it is also about attitudes, engagement and participation of both the employer and the employed. I urge SG Enable to look into setting up satellite teams of facilitators within each Community Development Council that will help work with local merchants and propagate the success stories island-wide. Mr Chairman, a truly inclusive society does not merely accommodate persons with disabilities – it values, respects and celebrates them. We must not stop at rhetoric but commit to real, structural change through investment, awareness, representation and support systems. I urge this House to take decisive action to champion these expansion efforts for a fairer future for all who are differently abled. More Support for Caregiving and Retirement”
“More importantly, it normalises disability in everyday life, helping to dismantle unconscious biases that hinder inclusion. Second, expanding outreach and facilitation for workplace integration. While I am heartened by the Open Door Programme which encourages employers to hire, train and integrate PWSNs through grants for job design, training subsidies and wage offsets, we need to expand its reach. I would like to ask: what is the current manpower strength helming this effort at SG Enable? Can there be staff to walk the ground in neighbourhood town centres to share about these programmes at the local level with merchants and small retail shops? It is easy to overlook the single trees when an imperative to be efficient prompts us to focus on bigger-scale wins of entire forests. I ask that we do not skip over the small retailers who may turn out to be great allies in this effort, in favour of larger companies who may have bigger hiring capacity, but also require a bigger change-making effort to get the entire staff community aligned. There is a Malay saying: sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit. Small results over time can create a big impact. If everyday Singaporeans see PWSNs gainfully employed, actively contributing in the shops they frequent, in every neighbourhood, societal perception is sure to improve. Even the families and caregivers' perception of their own children can improve. We can work towards the vision of Every Neighbourhood an Inclusive Neighbourhood and set a minimum target to enable X number of shops to be enabling employers in each locality for a start.”
“Chairman, I rise today to speak on an issue we all intuitively agree on – a more inclusive society where persons with disabilities and special needs (PWSNs), whom I prefer to call differently-abled, are recognised not for their limitations, but for their strengths and contributions. We must deliberate steps to ensure that inclusivity is not just a concept but a lived reality. First, representation matters. Misconceptions and stereotypes about disabilities persist largely due to a lack of understanding. We must launch public awareness campaigns that highlight the strengths, talents and capabilities of PWSNs, showcasing their success stories in business, sports, the arts and technology. These campaigns should feature real-life stories of perseverance and excellence, demonstrating that ability transcends disability. By shifting public perception, we empower PWSNs with dignity and opportunities while fostering a society where every individual feels valued. The media plays a profound role in shaping societal attitudes. In October last year, The Inclusive Code was launched in New Zealand. It is a tool for advertising industry professionals to reflect on normalised but exclusionary practices, designed by disabled experts to help people design marketing campaigns that better include disabled people. I urge MSF to partner MDDI to establish a national framework, taking reference from New Zealand's Inclusive Code, to propel advertisers and content creators to incorporate intentional disability representation. Media is a mirror of society, and when PwDs and PWSNs see themselves represented positively – whether in advertisements, films or news, they are affirmed.”
“I quote Minister Chan Chun Sing's recent speech at an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) lecture, "Beyond just being able to distil information, learning to discern truth, quality and relevance has become more critical." How can we evolve our assessment models to capture this new emphasis? I recommend that MOE revamp the assessment models for the PSLE and "O" levels and shift to a higher proportion of classroom participation, portfolio building, project work, discussions and less on-paper examinations. We already have this in tertiary education. Why not bring it forward to primary and secondary schools, too? We must prioritise participation, engagement, articulation and other relational skills over technical correctness in the ways we assess children to best prepare them for their future. After all, AI can spell better and ensure accurate grammar better, too. Oral examinations can take a higher weightage and allow students to choose topics of their own interest. AI can play a role in helping us revamp the way we assess students to capture qualities like engagement level, originality of thought, progress in personal vocabulary and articulation, creativity, confidence and other observations. These can make up a larger portion of weightage, taking priority over paper examinations. 3.45 pm These qualities are hard for parents to outsource to tuition centres to train for excellence. Instead, parents will need to engage their children at home and in the community in social interactions and conversations that build their perspectives and help them develop independence of thought. Physical and Mental Wellness Education”
“Mdm Chair, I rise today to call for a shift in the way students are assessed in our education system. While our students excel in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests globally, we must consider whether our current assessment methods create opportunity cost at the expense of future critical skills, such as emotional intelligence, adaptability, creativity and critical thinking. How are current assessment models aligned with the 21CC that MOE seeks to develop and nurture in our students? Why does Singapore still have an examinations-based system for the "O" levels when the United Kingdom has already moved on from it in 1988 into the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) model, which is more coursework-based in assessing students' learning and offers more flexibility in choosing pathways after? Case in point, how are teachers marking composition and essay papers? Do we still allocate or deduct marks for correct punctuation and spelling? How can we shift the assessment criteria to focus more on the quality or originality of thought, creative expression and the ability to consider diverse perspectives over the accuracy of spelling and sentence structure? While MOE has been encouraging schools to approach learning differently with several curriculum revamps in recent years, are our assessment models reflecting these changes? Many students still face stress, anxiety and disengagement due to rigid assessment frameworks. Private tuition is now a $1.8 billion industry in Singapore. We still hear many stories of teachers who teach for tests or of parents who pressure teachers when they do not. We cannot fault parents for being "kiasu" when the assessment model remains the way it is.”
“I am grateful to the Singapore Land Authority for working with us closely in Nee Soon South to allow green spaces in our estates to be used for permaculture planting. This effort will benefit from a bigger and louder push from the Government through a national initiative to raise awareness and invite participation by residents. Organisations like the Circle for Human Sustainability, Edible Garden City and Project Black Gold, that talks about soil health, are examples of citizen-led groups that would love to partner the Government in this effort. I suggest that the very popular Community in Bloom programme run by NParks to be expanded with a new award category "Community in Abundance" to recognise gardeners whose efforts yield consistent and fruitful harvest. Imagine weighing in the papayas, pomelos, pumpkins and bitter gourds for the competition, and then distributing the fruits of this labour to friends and neighbours in the vicinity of each community. It would be a joyous experience for everyone involved. One caveat to ensure fairness and adherence to nature principles, we must stipulate that chemical fertilisers are not allowed and assessors must be equipped to detect the violation of these rules. Studies show that gardening provides significant health benefits, including improved physical activity, reduced stress, enhanced cognitive function, preventing depression, heart disease and dementia. The vision of little farms everywhere not only supports our food resilience, it also contributes to a healthier and more sustainable Singapore through both the physical activity and the nutritious low carbon produce. I urge MND to consider and implement these recommendations toward healthier lives in all our estates and neighbourhoods.”
“It is encouraging to see more seniors staying active through sports. However, in Nee Soon South, as well as in other constituencies, the demand for courts is rising with badminton, basketball, netball, sepak takraw and now pickleball competing for space. Our PA colleagues now struggle with juggling court allocations while promoting active lifestyles. With the growing momentum of active ageing, more seniors will remain mobile and eager to engage in sports. MND must plan ahead to meet this rising demand by repurposing underutilised spaces for recreation. Currently, some community gardens are located on multi-storey carpark top decks. But certain fruit trees are prohibited due to concerns about the root damage to the roofs. We can relocate these gardens to the green spaces between HDB blocks and convert the multi-storey car park rooftops into sports facilities. Installing safety netting along the sides and overhead will ensure that ball and record games can be played safely without concerns about errant shots going over parapets. Three, let us allow and encourage small plot planting in HDB front and backyards. Many elderly residents cultivate small gardens outside their ground floor units, growing flowers, papayas or banana trees. However, currently MND inspections classify these as defects. If the Town Council averages more than four defects per block in a year, its maintenance rating is downgraded to amber in the Town Council Management report. I urge MND to remove this rule and introduce a structured framework, allowing residents to cultivate these small plots as community food gardens. Guidelines can be established to ensure proper maintenance and prevent issues such as mosquito breeding. Additionally, incentives can be introduced to encourage best practices.”
“Mr Chairman, I have three recommendations for MND to enhance Singaporeans' quality of life by optimising spaces and resources in our neighbourhoods. But first of all, I would like to urge an increase in support for the maintenance and repairs in older flats. Climate change has brought about unpredictable weather patterns, such as the prolonged monsoon in January, and with La Nina expected to bring more wet months this year, are our older public flats, many built in the eighties and nineties, equipped to withstand such conditions? Many of these flats are experiencing water seepage from roofs and external walls, leading to wet floors and increased fall risk, especially for the elderly. The current seven-year repair and redecoration cycle is insufficient. I urge MND to allocate additional resources for more frequent waterproofing maintenance in older flats to ensure safer living conditions. Other than funding, our experience managing complex water seepage cases has been very frustrating. In many cases, rectification works can drag for months to years, with residents having to bear with the water dripping into their homes, damage to furniture and fall risk aside, they often have to take leave from work for inspections with relevant personnel, ranging from Town Council property officers to HDB engineers. I urge MND to look into manpower and capability enhancements for the building and infrastructure group at HDB to help the team do their work better. How can HDB better equip resource and incentivise the engineers to achieve better rectification timelines? Two, to expand spaces for sports and recreation for active seniors? Tick tuck, tick tuck. This is not TikTok but the sound of a rising sport called pickleball.”
“To mitigate this, we can require mandatory savings be put aside in one's Central Provident Fund (CPF) account as a "ParentCare Fund", for those who wish to renew their foreign parents or in-laws' visit passes past the grandchild's third birthday. Contribution amounts can be tiered according to the elderly parent's age and health condition – those with no chronic illnesses contribute less, while those with chronic illnesses contribute more. And put in place annual mandatory health checks for each extension of the visit pass. This way, foreign grandparents can continue being in their grandchildren's lives and be motivated to keep healthy. Those who are financially able can also contribute to this ParentCare Fund themselves. When they do return to their home countries in their last years, they can withdraw this fund for their own care. This will provide a pool of funds should healthcare costs need to be incurred during their stay here or add to their retirement fund if unutilised, and allow couples and children to benefit from the presence and support of grandparents for as long as their health allows them to contribute. I urge the Government to study this and make a win-win solution possible for transnational families.”
“Mr Chairman, a Singaporean whose wife is a Permanent Resident (PR) and having their first pregnancy is having a very stressful time trying to get a Long-Term Visit Pass (LTVP) for his mother-in-law for long enough to provide both emotional and physical care to his wife who is having health and pregnancy complications. The soon-to-be mother is terrified, this being her first pregnancy and by a health situation that requires her to have a prolonged period of recovery postpartum and more intensive care of the baby post-birth. The couple worries about the well-being of both mother and child and financial inadequacy if they cannot find suitable childcare and the wife needs to quit her job. They are not alone in such anxieties. With later marriages and pregnancies increasing the risks of complications and the absence of family members around to care for them, parenthood can be daunting and scary. Transnational couples, especially, contend with less familial support with one spouse's parents overseas. I urge the Government to facilitate the visit passes of parents of foreign spouses, so that transnational couples can have better access to familial support during pregnancy and for the first three years of a child's life. There should be a category of visit passes for parenthood support for at least three years, so that overseas grandparents can be present to support the new parents while they find their footing as a new family. The Government has valid concerns about aged grandparents having extended stay in Singapore, as it adds on to the country's potential eldercare burdens and costs if they are not financially supported.”
“It is time to redefine our success metrics – from grades and rankings to personal fulfilment and well-being. It is time to reshape the narrative around family – from cost and sacrifice to joy and aspiration, to build a Singapore where both dreams and families can flourish. I support the Budget.”
“Encouraging businesses to promote work-life reconciliation, such as family-friendly workplace cultures, "right to disconnect" policies or more "Bring Your Kid to Work Days", can make parenthood a compatible aspiration rather than a burden. Lastly, we may need to slay the sacred cow of "self-sufficiency". This is a social compact narrative we have held onto the past decades as a cornerstone of our social support policies, when in reality, all the social transfers that the Government has been rolling out is actually speaking to the opposite. If we adjust that mindset towards "collective sufficiency", Singaporeans can feel less like they need to go it alone. We need to invest in support networks for parents, where families feel connected, supported and less isolated in their parenting journeys. Having community spaces and informal childminding networks that parents feel safe to park their kids with – in the neighbourhoods – while they run errands or go on a short date with each other, can go a long way to create a sense of psychological security around raising children. Our nation must acknowledge that fostering a more family-friendly society is not merely about easing financial burdens but also about building within society, the support systems that enable parenting to be less stressful, more joyful. Mr Speaker, Singapore's future lies in a generation that is not only well-educated but also well-rounded in a people that are not just financially capable, but also emotionally fulfilled. The role of parenthood in providing emotional fulfilment is not talked about nor shared enough as yet. We need to take the lead in dialling down on pragmatism and amping up on the feel-good "cuddle" factor in our conversations around parenthood.”
“The psychological barriers, such as fear of lost career progression, concerns over work-life balance and the daunting prospect of raising children in a hypercompetitive society, continue to dissuade young couples from embracing parenthood, and I say it is understandably so. While financial assistance is crucial, we must redefine the experience of parenthood to align with the aspirations of young Singaporeans. Alongside financial support, we must reframe the narrative around parenthood. Rather than merely compensating for the costs, let us shift attention and resources towards promoting the joys of parenthood and helping people see the intrinsic rewards of raising a family. As an imperative, depressurising the education system would allow young couples to feel better able to channel their finances to lifestyle and aspirational pursuits as a family rather than having to spend hefty sums on tuition and enrichment classes, which really makes for a very poor parent-child relationship. We need to amplify positive parenthood stories that resonate with the aspirations of the current generation, for example, how lifestyle and travel experiences are more meaningful and fun when shared with a spouse and children than alone. We can help the public realise that the same skills honed through parenthood, such as socioemotional awareness and regulation, communication and negotiation skills, strategic decision-making for use of resources and fostering healthy teamwork with one's spouse, are all life and leadership skills that apply professionally, too, to help one thrive in their career. Let us engage employers as allies to reshape workplace culture for better employee satisfaction and retention.”
“Mr Speaker, the Government deserves recognition for its extensive family support policies, including parental leave enhancements, increased childcare subsidies, the increasingly generous Baby Bonus and expanded housing grants for young families. However, the hard truth is this: financial incentives alone are insufficient. I have been in some conversations with older Singaporeans about the dismal birth rate and I often hear young people being judged as selfish for, I quote, "wanting to enjoy their own life instead of sacrificing for children." I want to speak up for all millennial and younger Singaporeans, that wanting to have more joy and enjoyment in life is not selfish.It is human. In the 1970s and 1980s, when we were still trying to develop our economy, there were not many options for entertainment, recreation or opportunities for activities to derive enjoyment from. Between work and home, ekeing out a living, home and kids afforded more joys. Having kids, nurturing kids and having the joyful companionship of growing kids were enjoyable. Life was simpler back then. There was less entertainment, less distraction, fewer options and less comparison. Today, family life no longer conjures up the notion of joy. Having a family brings with it notions of obligations, duty, pressure and sacrifice. All of these do not seem pleasurable at all to the current generation who have different and higher aspirations for their lives. At the same time, a whole other host of pleasurable activities are now accessible. It is unnatural to ask people to choose pain over pleasure.”
“These are important steps in the right direction and I ask that we take another bold step forward. To build on the progress made, I propose a further revamp of our education assessment models. A paradigm shift is needed, one that balances academic proficiency with opportunities for passion-based exploration. One, we can remove high-stakes examinations in favour of continuous, diverse assessments that factor in classroom participation, socioemotional skills, creativity and interpersonal skills, and we can start these in primary school; two, allow students to choose topics of interest for assessments, such as selecting preferred oral exam topics rather than answering pre-set questions; three, expand structured free time within school hours for students to engage in non-structured exploration, such as outdoor, community and cultural excursions without fear of falling behind their peers; and four, revamp the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) to lower a paper-based weightage in favour of alternative assessment methods, such as performance tasks, presentations and portfolio-building, based on real-world applications and personal interest. Singapore's success has always been built on adaptability. So, let us adapt again to foster a generation that thrives not only academically but also holistically, where passion and pleasure fuel purpose and performance, not pressure. With these shifts away from exam-based assessments, we can minimise the role and effect of "money" in children's educational outcomes, taking the pressure off young parents to avail their bandwidth and energy towards other personally meaningful pursuits that also make them positive role models for their children towards a purpose-driven life. I will now address our low fertility rate.”
“Steve Job's passion and purpose was to build an enduring company where people were motivated to make great products. These examples highlight how intrinsically driven individuals pursuing their passion leads to long-term success. Today, a child's schedule is filled with school, tuition and enrichment classes, leaving little room for unstructured exploration, creative thinking or simply being a child. The consequence is a workforce that is well-trained but often disengaged, with morale easily impacted by negative experiences that are bound to be encountered in the day to day. Without a strong anchor powered by personal purpose and intrinsic passion for what one does, this day-to-day unhappiness easily chips away at one's well-being and motivation. Studies suggest that when children are constantly evaluated based on external validation, they struggle with low self-esteem, burnout and difficulty making independent life choices. Research in the International Education and Research Journal indicates that while extrinsic motivation, such as recognition from teachers and parents, can offer short-term incentives, intrinsic motivation is what fosters lifelong passion and excellence. It is important that children and youths are given time and opportunity to explore life, in order that they may discover their passion or purpose. Right now, too much of their mental and emotional bandwidth is spent on ensuring or worrying about whether they can perform up to par in standardised settings. I acknowledge the Government's commendable efforts in recent years to introduce student-led learning in secondary schools, the shift away from mid-year examinations and the expansion of applied learning programmes.”
“These are signs of a generation that feel a lack of meaning in their lives, are high-strung and easily triggered. Our total fertility rate is at an all-time low. Parenthood is daunting for most young couples, especially financially daunting. Imagine having to join that $1.8 billion rat race just to feel like you are being a decent parent, and you are not causing your child to lose out or letting them down. And this pressure flows downwards onto the children as well, because when parents are sacrificing so much of their own resources, time, money and effort, in the hope that they can at least catch up academically with their peers. All children want to live up to their parents' expectations and the more parents invest, the more pressure the child feels, regardless of whether they know to articulate it or not. Our unwavering emphasis on academic excellence has created an opportunity cost, one that diminishes our youths' ability to discover, nurture and pursue personal passions beyond the prescribed curriculum. Last year, in my Budget speech, I spoke about shifting from a performance-based culture to an appreciation-based culture, so that Singaporeans can feel the intrinsic rewards from what they do and derive motivation and satisfaction from contributing to something beyond delivering key performance indicators (KPIs). This year, I stress the importance of having a purpose-based culture. History has repeatedly shown that excellence is derived through purpose rather than pressure. Walt Disney's creative empire was built on a purpose to create places where families could have fun together. Oprah Winfrey built a media empire from the purpose of empowering women and promoting positive self-image through her talk shows.”
“Mr Speaker, there is a colloquial saying in Mandarin: 钱能解决的问题，不是大问题。有钱都不能解决的问题，才是大问题。In English, it means that the problems that can be solved by money are not major problems; the problems that cannot be solved even with money are the real major problems. I want to thank Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his team for a generous, inclusive and empathetic Budget this year. It reaffirms that we have a leadership and Government that is committed to enable Singaporeans and to ease our burdens whenever required to do so, at the extent that is prudent and fair for all. I rise today to address two pressing concerns that lie at the heart of our nation's future, which cannot really be solved by money: (a) the opportunity cost of our academic-centric education system on personal fulfilment; and (b) the concerning trend of declining fertility rates in our hyper-competitive society. These two issues, although seemingly distinct, are deeply interconnected, requiring not just fiscally generous grants but a fundamental shift in our policy mindset. Let us take stock on what we have now: a tuition industry that is fueled by $1.8 billion a year from anxious parents, combined with a budget of $14.75 billion last year from the Ministry of Education. Yes, Singapore has long prided itself on being a global leader in education. Our students consistently rank at the top of international assessments, which is a testament to our system's rigour and discipline. Yet, we must ask ourselves: is this really still the best way forward? Nearly a third of our young people aged 15 to 35 reported symptoms that included feeling empty, tense or upset most of the time, according to the National Youth Mental Health Study.”
“Just Question No 14, okay. I would like to find out whether there can be a systematic programme, given that there are already 712 minimarts that are currently operating under the HDB leases island-wide. As the Senior Parliamentary Secretary recognised, this is a great opportunity where there can be location- and proximity-based opportunities for persons with special needs and disabilities to be employed within and near to their own places of residence. So, while there is this Open Door Programme, is the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) willing to consider a more concerted and systematic effort and programme, specifically catered for minimarts to pivot into a social enterprise or social enterprises to offer employment to persons with disabilities (PwDs) and persons with special needs (PWSNs) within their specific locality and neighbourhoods?”
“Thank you, Speaker. I would like to thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for his reply. May I clarify if he was taking both Question Nos 14 and 15 together, or only Question No 14?”
“I thank the Senior Minister of State Zaqy for his answers. I would like to enquire whether in the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) design of the workplace, skilling and training programmes, were micro businesses, such as the minimarts and their associations, consulted and involved in understanding what are the kinds of skills that their workers will need that will create real value-add to their businesses? And while I am appreciative of PWCS, will MOM consider extending micro businesses with a longer timeline of credit subsidies so that they can have a better chance of transforming their businesses into something that is more relevant for the current economy?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I wanted to address Minister of State Gan and thank her for her clarification. I have also encountered, just in January, a couple of instances where parents have shared that they have observed that their Primary 1 child, in the third week of school, has been identified to be weaker in a particular subject and hence, been designated to a smaller group with the additional support for the particular subject. And while I understand that MOE is trying to give more support to students at an earlier age, I would like to ask the Minister of State, what kind of signal is MOE sending to parents and children, where we are rushing to identify their weaknesses or strengths at such an early stage in their primary school journey? The premise is that we are trying to get the students to perform better or to catch up and underlying that premise is a sense of competition. Does MOE have plans to review its pace of curriculum to see whether it is necessary that we need to cram so much information and knowledge into a young child's life at such an early stage, and to review the whole entire premise of why it is that we are pushing our students to perform and to meet certain expectations of what kind of level of mathematics or literary skills they must have, and how we are benchmarking this? What is the ultimate purpose for this intensified learning pace in Singapore?”
“By 1944, Victory Gardens produced 40% of all vegetables grown in these countries, freeing up resources used in packaging and transportation while promoting better health through physical activity. We can take a leaf out of this book, because now, with the fossil fuel shortage, we can also look into how hyper local farming and hyper local food sources can help to reduce the carbon footprint of our food chain. While we are not at war now, and I hope we never will be, it does not mean we cannot learn from this historical context. In true Singaporean spirit of "kiasu", fear of losing, and "kiasi", fear of death, I see no harm in cultivating our citizens' green fingers en masse. It might come in handy one day, in creating viable hyper local community food gardens that can help to mitigate any supply chain crisis. There is a growing community of nature and permaculture enthusiasts who genuinely wish to contribute to Singapore's food resilience. Understanding SFA's stance on this matter, would be beneficial as we forge alliances toward our common goals related to food resilience and safety. To this end, I would like to ask: will there be plans by the Ministry to evolve SFA's role beyond being merely a regulatory body? Can we envision an agency that collaborates with citizens – learning together and co-creating solutions for food resilience? I sincerely hope SFA will work towards lowering barriers for community farming in the spirit of enabling greater citizen participation. I hope we can grow our collective knowledge and evolve Singapore's food system into a more inclusive and resilient one, enabling community-based food growing efforts to grow at scale. Notwithstanding these considerations, I support the Bill.”
“Community gardens can be co-designed and re-imagined to play a vital role in promoting sustainable practices, such as composting and water conservation. These gardens serve as educational spaces, teaching residents about the importance of environmental stewardship. Actually, anyone who is interested and everyone who would like to come and visit our Khatib Wellspring Farmden at Blk 783, Yishun Ring Road, can come any Sunday between 9.00 am and 3.00 pm to see these principles in action. A vibrant ecosystem with diverse plant and animal species working symbiotically offers wonderful opportunities for children and adults to learn about the interdependence of various living beings within the web of life. It makes our neighbourhoods come alive and helps alleviate climate anxiety because people feel more secure knowing that Mother Nature blesses us with abundance when we learn to care for and work with her. I am not saying this as a theory. This is actual feedback shared by young people from Singapore University of Social Sciences who collaborated with us and participated in our Famden in permaculture, in order to help us with a public education campaign. They shared that being hands on with growing food and seeing the community actively doing so, helped to alleviate their anxiety about climate change and climate crisis. I would also like to share an interesting piece of history I came across in my research. Did you know that during World War II, many countries including the UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and the US promoted backyard gardening and chicken rearing to ensure food sufficiency for their war efforts? These initiatives were known as "Victory Gardens", encouraging citizens to grow food in backyards, rooftops, window boxes and vacant public lots.”
“I ask this because I am aware that NParks expends regularly significant resources to manage wild chicken populations in various neighbourhoods due to residents' feedback about loud roosters crowing at early hours. Rather than focusing on culling, could there be a more innovative and sustainable solution to redirect these chickens for local farming efforts? Might it not be a good idea to deploy them to community gardens instead – perhaps, minus the roosters? However, some people I know have innovatively fashioned soundproof coops with repurposed construction sound barrier material – the ones that you see outside of construction projects – to prevent noise disamenity from the roosters. This is a good way of repurposing materials. According to permaculture practitioners worldwide, sharing their experiences online, one backyard chicken can effectively till 50 square feet of soil in just a few weeks while providing nitrogen that enhances soil health for better yields. This farming method, rooted in sustainable, low-input techniques, is both environmentally friendly and resource-efficient; and the children love them! I am personally involved in advocating and implementing permaculture farming within my constituency in Nee Soon South. We collaborate with like-minded citizens who are helping Singaporeans learn about food growing cycles with a focus on reducing food waste, promoting sustainable practices and fostering community engagement in urban farming. Some of these efforts have successfully actualised circular economy principles, such as recollect used coffee grounds from nearby coffee shops and viable kitchen scraps from residents for composting.”
“Useful resources, such as "A resource guide for community gardeners" by the American Community Gardening Association, suggest that increasing access to fresh produce can strengthen the role of enhancing food security at the local level. Research also supported the findings that individuals who engage in gardening activities experience an increased physical activity, and contributes to better overall health and well-being. In light of case studies from urban farming projects like ComCrop and Edible Gardens Singapore, can SFA share what is its position on community-based local farming on a small-scale for local sharing? As my colleagues are aware, many of our neighbourhoods have community gardens, which often yield a variety of produce that is generously shared among residents. Therefore, I would like to understand SFA's position on community-based local farming on a small-scale for local sharing. Can SFA elaborate on what are some guidelines or regulations it plans to implement, if any, for community grown and shared food? Currently, there is no need for a small community farm producing less than 200 kilogrammes of food a month to apply for a licence if it does not use pesticides or human, raw animal, or bird excreta in the cultivation process. I am keen to understand the science and rationale behind this policy. For instance, chickens have been traditionally used in many farms in kampongs; they are excellent natural workers that help till the soil and provide organic fertiliser. Can SFA clarify its concerns and design challenges regarding the prohibition of chickens on vegetable gardens?”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to first appreciate and acknowledge the Government’s efforts to strengthen our food security and safety to ensure the long-term benefit and survivability of Singaporeans in an increasingly volatile world, where food supply chains can be disrupted abruptly. I would like to focus my speech specifically on the part of the Bill that expands SFA's powers over food supply channels beyond sale channels. According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Approximately one-third of all food produced globally is wasted. In Singapore, food waste accounted for about 11% of the total waste generated in Singapore in 2023. The recycling rate for food waste was 18%, and we can do better. As a small nation highly dependent on food imports, ensuring less wastage while diversifying food sources locally, will help to bolster our food security. With the diversity of food sources, it is, therefore, necessary to ensure that food is safe for consumption, no matter how it reaches us; whether we purchase it as consumers, receive it through the goodwill of donations, or participate in community initiatives like neighbourhood food distributions. Community gardens and localised food production initiatives, not only supplement fresh produce supply but also foster a sense of community ownership and responsibility over food resources.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have a very different angle to this issue that I would like to raise for Senior Minister of State Khor's consideration and response. Which is that for many of these cases, especially in my constituency, we found that it is not a matter of whether we are catching and we can identify them, but it is a matter of the persons or perpetrators not being in their right mind. Whether they could have dementia or they could be suffering from other mental health conditions, and it is also very distressful for the caregivers and kin living in the same household as the perpetrator to continue to continuously face the negative perceptions and experiences of neighbours who are suffering from this high-rise littering behaviour. So, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State, in view of the recent community dispute resolution moves that the Government has made through the Municipal Services Office, is NEA working in tandem with that to access the levers to compel mental health assessment or to work with the Agency for Integrated Care to expedite institutional support and intervention for the perpetrators who do have a medical condition that is causing them to engage in such behaviours, where regardless of how many summonses you give, they are unlikely to be able to respond to that in a positive manner.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I appreciate the Minister of State's response and also the whole myriad of flexible work arrangements and improvements that we are forging in society. But I think there is a significant subset of caregivers who are in situations where both their parents are down with very difficult health conditions, where there is absolutely no option for them to just take on the part-time caregiver role. This number, we do not know how big it is, but for the families and the caregivers who are in that situation, they really suffer significant financial impact for the number of years lost that they are not able to work. I have residents who are in their 40s who are in this predicament, so I have actually been championing for Carefare for the past four years in Parliament. So, I would like to ask for an update – whether MOM would consider studying what this number of highly impacted families are, maybe by way of additional questions in the national census, to find out and identify these group of families who are very vulnerable because of intense care needs and where no extent of flexible work arrangements is feasible for them.”
“Similar to the Land Acquisition Act which enabled the Government to acquire land for the construction of public infrastructure, the Government may want to consider a similar legal mechanism for strata units to be acquired, or supported, where necessary, so that parts of a fully air-conditioned building can be opened up to achieve natural light and ventilation. This can be done step by step with helpful doses of grants and support from the Government over the next 20 years or so. One of the things that COVID-19 has shown us is that open ventilation spaces also help to reduce risks of transmission in the event of virus outbreaks. If the global energy emergency does not seem imminent enough to shift us onto this path, let the more recent lessons of COVID-19 be an additional impetus for this important policy move to strengthen Singapore's resilience for the future. I support this Bill.”
“To get from "doable" to "norm", we can incentivise architectural solutions to create more naturally ventilated spaces and set quantitative targets for the built sector in Singapore to achieve them. This can be an intentional effort to routinise natural ventilation as the way forward to build from the present into the future. This could include hybrid approaches that incorporate both air-conditioning and mechanical ventilation that consume only 60% of the total energy of a typical commercial building. There are several public spaces in Nee Soon South where I find residents like to hang out to read newspapers, sometimes they watch their dramas on their phones, even take a nap, while taking advantage of a natural wind column that comes through. I have also encountered residents who bring their meals to void decks and common stairwells just outside their flats to enjoy amidst a cool breeze the scenic view of Lower Seletar Reservoir or other community scenery. These are smart residents who know how to live in harmony and integration with nature and save on electricity bills. Let us bring back the pleasurable experience of enjoying a cool breeze on a hot day – an experience that older generations may recall in nostalgia, and what younger generations who are "digital natives" and what I suppose are also "aircon natives" may not have had that many opportunities to experience. Whilst increasing natural ventilation is now an intentional component of HDB’s design process for public housing and spaces, I hope this can be mandated in progressive phases for commercial buildings as well. Many fully air-conditioned buildings are strata-titled properties, such as shopping centres.”
“Furthermore, air-conditioned buildings contribute to the heat island effect, which counter-productively increases our reliance on air-conditioners to lower ambient temperatures within buildings. This is an obvious vicious cycle. Over the past three decades since Singapore became more affluent, we have been converting our naturally ventilated buildings to those dependent on air-conditioning. To ensure we are resilient in a worst-case scenario where energy supply may decline to the point where it will have to be reserved for essential services, or become too expensive for Singapore to procure, we need to do two things: one, reverse this process and convert over the next few decades buildings that are currently fully air-conditioned to hybrid buildings with more natural ventilation; and two, make natural ventilation the default norm for new buildings, starting from now into the future. As anyone who has attempted to mend a garment before, sometimes mending something is much harder than making a whole new garment. So, we should start looking into a different strategy for our new buildings starting from the present. It may sound wildly ambitious, but it is entirely doable, as we see in the successful examples from the National University of Singapore School of Design and Environment (SDE). They successfully revamped their SDE buildings 1 and 3, by "reinventing the legacy of a 1970s institutional building...by accommodating net-zero energy and creating a high-comfort academic environment of the future”. They also created SDE 4, the first Zero-Energy Certified building in Southeast Asia, and won in 2020 the International Living Future Institute Award as well as the Global Human Settlements Model of Building Category Award in 2018.”
“It was first identified in 1865 by the English economist William Stanley Jevons. While there are debates over the specific extent improved energy efficiency impacts overall energy reduction, we can observe some elements of this paradox in Singapore. Our use of air-conditioning is a good example. Its use has become significantly more widespread because improved cooling technology over the years is now cheaper to run. I recall when there were both air-conditioned and non-airconditioned public buses – I think it was service No 5, where we had those windows that you could adjust up and down – student fares were 25% cheaper – 35 cents versus 45 cents – for non-airconditioned buses than those of airconditioned ones. Now, all our public buses are air-conditioned, presumably because the running cost of operating air-conditioned buses has fallen significantly. Yet, air-conditioning makes up 20% of a public bus’ energy consumption, which perhaps could be saved. Admittedly, we cannot ignore how rising passenger expectations of comfort have also motivated this shift. We see this expectation, too, in buildings. We have come to expect relief from Singapore’s tropical heat in our daily lives and air-conditioning is now our go-to solution to achieve this. According to CNA, Singapore tops the region in the number of air-conditioners per capita. Household and building use of air-conditioning alone constitutes 19% of Singapore’s carbon emissions, making it the second highest source of emissions in Singapore after the industrial sector, which accounts for 60%. More energy-efficient air-conditioners merely mask the fact that we are not actually reducing our overall energy consumption.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the proposed changes to the Building Control Act. These changes provide measurable and practical ways forward to reduce the energy consumption of buildings and these are welcomed amendments that chart an actionable path to achieve our intentions of more sustainable buildings. Buildings are energy hungry. Tangible initiatives like the MEI regime are steps in the right direction to shift us from merely talking about it to doing something about it. I am heartened that the top quarter of all building typologies in energy consumption will be placed on MEI. They will be required to reduce their energy use intensity by 10% and maintain it, which is a very specific goal. It is not merely a suggestion to say, "Hey, please, try to use less power" but a requirement that reduces in measurable kilowatts per hour per metre square. I echo all my Parliamentary colleagues' call to make this process as painless as possible for building owners so that we can increase our chances of actually being successful in it. This Bill is a timely opportunity to remind ourselves that reducing energy consumption, such as what MEI seeks to achieve, is mission-critical if we want to ensure Singapore’s continued thriving in an uncertain energy future. However, energy efficiency is often conflated with consumption reduction, which are different. Energy efficiency can, indeed, result in energy reduction as less can be used to do more. It could, however, also inadvertently result in more energy being used collectively because energy efficiency results in lower energy cost to individuals. Individuals could, therefore, consume more energy since it becomes cheaper for them to use it. This observation, called the Jevons Paradox, is not new.”
“Maybe husbands and wives can start looking into each other's eyes again over dinner. In the space created by non-access to digital and electronically enabled entertainment, maybe Singaporeans may make even more babies – I hope! The path towards energy sufficiency does not and should not be on the shoulders of only the Ministries involved. I believe Singaporeans can be empowered to do our parts to preemptive education and sensitisation. With these suggestions, I support the Bill.”
“We need not wait for a crisis to happen to begin our efforts towards energy sufficiency and to develop a more accurate perspective of our collective reliance on electricity. Attaining energy security in a highly urban and modernised state like Singapore is an urgent and monumental task, made even more challenging by the reliance on the numerous creature comforts like air-conditioning and constant wifi that many Singaporeans are used to and now take for granted. I will speak more about air-conditioning in the next debate on the Building Control (Amendment) Bill. I do not envy the Ministries and all the personnel involved who are tasked to find solutions to our energy resilience. Nevertheless, I have faith that as a people, Singaporeans are adaptable and pragmatic. Even though I expect there will be many complaints and pushback from segments of society about just the idea of rationing electricity, I believe we have the creativity, gumption and cohesion at the end of the day, to do what is pragmatic and necessary. And instead of offering just a doom-and-gloom picture, I would like to offer a nice vision to accompany what some people might viscerally reject as a first reaction towards electricity rationing. Imagine the benefits of a nationwide "Unplug Day", where we take a collective digital detox from our gadgets. Stop wifi. Horrors! Create a window of time for families to get out to nature to play and to bond. Learn to get to destinations again without global positioning system which by the way helps us to train and develop the hippocampus part in our brains! Have an exploration and an adventure! Go to the beach and enjoy the sea breeze instead of the aircon! Or have heart-to-heart talks without digital distractions being available.”
“However, the way to reduce this anxiety is not to avoid the issue altogether, but to build up our people's confidence that things will be okay and can be okay even if we find ourselves having to have one day, a nationwide power rationing exercise. I like Mr Neil Parekh's suggestions of electricity rationing drills like fire drills and I suggest that the Government undertake intentional public education and begin small-scale electricity rationing exercises for short windows of time in limited geographical areas to make it a part of every Singaporean’s awareness that electricity shortage could be a very real possibility in the coming decades, given the current climate, technological and geopolitical realities. Categories of “essential activities” and “non-essential activities” could be created to educate the public about the amount of electricity they consume. This can be a nationwide exercise and take in the comments, feedback and inputs from all citizens. The effort could even be gamified, the same way that the Health Promotion Board did with the National Steps Challenge, to help us develop a habit of moving more for better health and now we can do “Using Less for Better Resilience”. Such campaigns will help citizens develop a perspective on what are energy essentials and what are non-essential in their lives, paving the way to, possibly, setting electricity budgets for different categories of activities in future. In the past, Singapore had to deal with water supply being an existential threat, so this is not new to us. We only managed to achieve water self-sufficiency in the mid-2010s, with more than four decades of efforts, after having had water crises in 1961 and 1963 that necessitated water rationing.”
“Looking at the emergence of AI and the number of data centres required and the amount of electricity and energy consumed by these data centres, I do not see this cliff drop happening anytime soon. Given Singapore’s land constraints that make existing renewable energy sources unimplementable for us, we will continue to depend on deals with other countries for our electricity supply. This makes us vulnerable to conditions that affect their willingness to supply to us. We can infer that if they can get a better deal out of us, they will! So, electricity prices for Singapore will only go up and that is the harsh reality. Hence, despite our Government’s best efforts to forge energy deals and partnerships with diverse countries and this is a really important effort, we will still be hard pressed to reach energy sufficiency without making drastic changes to our lifestyle and the way we organise our economic activity. Achieving energy security, therefore, necessitates that we do not look only at “supply side” solutions, but also at “demand side” solutions. To ensure Singaporeans are resilient in a worst case scenario, we must shift from focusing on energy efficiency and expecting cheaper energy to simply getting used to using less and, potentially, having less. Although this Bill focuses on ensuring energy security in supply, its proposal to empower EMA to implement power rationing during emergencies could be helpful for public education towards becoming a reduced-demand nation. Minister Tan See Leng took pains earlier to stress that power rationing will be a last resort measure and I can imagine he is very concerned about the implications on business and economic activity. I understand the anxiety that people naturally would feel about such a prospect.”
“How do we avoid getting caught up in areas where capital injections and investments are flowing and assume that it works simply because it is "high growth"? When, ultimately, it may be scientifically unsound or inappropriate? One only needs to look at our experience with high-tech farming to see the possibility of this pitfall. Not that many years ago, many private as well as state investors began putting their money in high-tech farming in a bid to solve food security issues amidst global warming. But recent developments have shown that, a high growth area in terms of capital and investments do not necessarily provide the desired results. We should also bear this in mind, in considering our energy investments strategy. Solar energy, for example, has been held up as a renewable, low-carbon and, therefore, a better source of electricity. At face value, this is broadly true. However, if we consider its full cost of generation, transmission and storage, solar energy wins in some areas, but fails in many others. Solar energy still faces the same transmission inefficiencies as other sources. Large solar panels and high-capacity storage batteries required to generate and store at a commercially-viable scale, require huge quantities of rare resources that require us to further excavate and exploit the Earth. The overall infrastructure required is also energy-intensive and we cannot exclude these costs from our calculations. The fact is, until a technological breakthrough dawns upon humanity to unlock viable alternative sources of affordable energy, it will remain expensive, unless global demand somehow does a cliff drop drastically.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to express my support for these measures to ensure Singapore's energy security into the future. I believe the Bill's proposals are absolutely necessary and are heartened that we are doing this now to improve Singapore's energy regulatory framework to safeguard our energy security. However, I have some clarifications and a few suggestions. How do we ensure the logic, which underpins our energy strategy, remains sound? There is always a risk that well-intended improvements to an existing framework will be built on existing and, sometimes, entrenched mindsets, which may be less relevant for a changed context. The energy sector and the context that it exists in, is evolving rapidly with a very fast-changing technology landscape. For a huge endeavour like energy transition that invariably takes time, we need to constantly check if our mindsets and accompanying approaches remain appropriate each step of the way. I would, therefore, like to clarify: how does the Government ensure that our energy security policies remain relevant with the ever-shifting and emerging contexts and technologies and that, we are not, as the saying goes, "training to fight the last war"? For example, as its name suggests, the establishment of the FEF could be absolutely necessary to experiment with new approaches. It supports the development and trialling of emerging technology to make energy production and transmission more efficient. We also need evidence from these experiments to improve our strategy. My question is: how do we also provide safeguards to prevent decision-makers from merely, so-called, "following the money"?”
“Speaker, I would like to ask the Minister of State whether they will consider a joint campaign or some joint trainings together with our recently set up mental well-being department. Because a lot of these examples of road rage, inability to give way, anxiety and impatience on the roads are actually stemming from a lot of emotional and mental stresses that people may not be able to regulate themselves. So, does the Minister of State see opportunities to collaborate with the Mental Well-being Taskforce on such matters? Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, the short answer is we welcome any form of collaboration to save lives.”
“Thank you, Speaker. I would like to thank Minister of State Tan and express that I am especially encouraged by the Emerging Leaders Programme that is jointly organised by SNCF. I would like to ask, given that the co-op community holds so much assets and that it can play a pretty transformative role in terms of helping Singapore to cater to some of the more complex social needs: does MCCY have any plans to provide opportunities, for example, under the Emerging Leaders Programme for youths and young people interested in the social enterprise and co-op operations, to gain experience and learning from other regional economies – who may have a more matured development or who are at a more advanced stage of their development in their social economy – including co-operatives and the way that they have advanced and developed in their own countries?”
“I would like to address this query to Minister Masagos regarding the funding model of FSCs. Firstly, I would like to commend that I think the funding model for ComLink+ is very progressive in that it rewards and has an outcome-based model. But I would like to ask if the Ministry would consider reviewing the current funding model of FSCs to transition towards an outcomes-based funding for those FSCs that work on social mobility outcomes, rather than the current model which is based on the caseload funding? 4.15 pm”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to address my clarification to Minister of State Sun Xueling regarding the EIPIC programme. To clarify whether I heard correctly that, she mentioned there will be some training provided for parents under the EIPIC programme if they have children with advanced or high developmental needs? Could she elaborate more on what this is? And secondly, the point on capacity building, because I understand that right now the waiting time for children with high needs to be enrolled into an EIPIC centre can be several months and it is a bit ironic because we are looking at early intervention in a very critical few years in their lives. So, will the Ministry be looking into shoring up in immediate-term manpower in this sector by, perhaps, attracting talents and well-trained professionals from abroad to shore up our local capacity and then to look into capability building in the next three to five years to quickly tap on local talents to make sure that the EIPIC provisions and services can be ramped up in an accelerated manner?”
“Gran Estación, a mall in Colombia, has persons with special needs making up roughly half of their 120-strong workforce. People in wheelchairs are hired as security guards as they have better visibility at pocket height and are also able to move faster on a chase than people on foot. We can improve public awareness of what neurodiversity is and start to recognise the supernormal attributes that specially abled persons have if we only saw them as such. For example, autism, currently classified as a disability, is also known as a neurodiverse condition, amongst others such as obsessive compulsive disorder, dyslexia and ADHD. What great leaps might we make in the future if we started to approach and excavate the special gifts of these children? More than 5,500 since 2018 per year are found to have autism and this number is increasing. If we adopt the approach much like Professor X in the Marvel series to nurture them, such as the X-Men, and hone their special abilities for good, it is the limitation of society's imagination and resourcefulness that renders them as disabled. Let us bust the stigma of neurodiversity and the myths that employing them require more supervision, are costly to hire or that they are unsuitable for skilled jobs. I suggest that the Government invest in a "kick-ass" public communications campaign that takes a strengths-based and gift-based approach to the portrayal of these talents in our midst. I urge MSF to set a goal to leapfrog employment success by shifting this lens of special needs to specially abled for our friends in this community.”
“Beyond income, work raises confidence, self-esteem, provides identity, structure and purpose to one's life. It can also provide persons with special needs with a community of support at the workplace. Persons with special needs are physically and neurologically diverse. They are not a monolithic group of helpless or disabled care recipients. The framing of persons with special needs labels them as needy. The framing of neurodiversity as a problem labels people who have them as problematic. It is time to change that. Instead of being fixated on their limitations, we can shift our lenses to focus instead on their unique strengths. They are examples of successful employers who have observed their productivity to be often higher than normal employees. UOB is one such company, reaping the inclusion reward since they started the initiative in 2013. They saw decreased turnover rate from 50% to 5%, and an improvement in productivity of 101% in their ScanHub department that utilises the methodical focus of persons with autism for repetitive tasks. We need to adopt a strength-based approach by seeing divergence as an asset and not a problem. The culture of acceptance and awareness from co-workers, as well as the parents' or caregivers' mindsets, is essential for employment to be successful and sustained. We need to change the mindset of the whole of society and not just employers. We can just as easily see persons with special needs as specially able or specially gifted if we start focusing on their strengths. GCHK, UK's national security and intelligence agency, promotes itself as a neurodiverse employer to attract applicants such as persons with dyslexia, whom they find to have good visual awareness and better at spotting visual patterns that other people miss.”