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…”
The complete record
Every one of 269 lines we hold for Carrie Tan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 2 of 6.
“I suggest that we make SPARK Developmental Visits more frequent and random, than only once in three years; and assessors should visit centres more often to observe the classroom interactions rather than rely on a paper audit exercise. This will ensure that teachers' attention is on the children and not on completing paperwork meticulously. I also suggest that we partner teachers, whose main job is to teach and nurture children, with a Child Development Specialist that specialises in the documentation and observation work. Helping Lower-income Families”
“SPARK certification was meant to raise the quality of preschools and it did help to ensure some standardisation and processes are in place. But are there now some side effects? Only 37.7% of preschools here are SPARK-certified. Some early childhood educators find being uncertified more beneficial as they have greater flexibility to do more for the children. Increasing salaries in the sector has not been enough to solve the high turnover problem. The annual attrition rate of early childhood educators was five times higher than the general Ministry of Education (MOE) attrition rate. The problem is no longer about remuneration but whether the work is realistically feasible for each person to shoulder. Thirty years ago, Kindergarten 2 teachers could integrate Mother Tongue, English, art and music in creative manners to help children enjoy learning. Each class had 42 children and the kids grew up fine. I am one of them. Now, despite class sizes being cut to 25 kids, teachers still struggle because of the sheer amount of documentation they need to submit. Lesson plans, curriculum, personal portfolio of each child, sometimes doubling up for the cooking or cleaning aunty if she is on medical leave. Changing diapers or clothes for kids who soil their pants, pulling kids apart when they are fighting and giving more attention to children with special needs. All these while making sure no child gets a scratch or a bruise, or bump their knees, which could then invite very anxious calls by parents for more accountability and more surveillance. This cannot do. We must ensure that the sector is as much teacher-centric as it is child-centric for quality education to be sustainable.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to address my clarification and query to Minister Ong. I think the MIC@Home seems to be very progressive and very promising. I am also glad that Second Minister Masagos announced that there will be enhancements to the caregiver training grants, as well as the SkillsFuture credits for caregivers who receive training. I echo Ms Ng Ling Ling's query on what exactly does this MIC@Home look like from the caregiver's perspective; and whether the Government will consider that for those families where family members have to involuntarily give up employment to assume caregiving duties at home, given that it is skill-intensive and helps to supplement the formal health care system, whether care fare can be considered as an income supplement? I have met residents who say even though the family receives home caregiving grants, they do not feel like they can take that money from their elderly parents because there is a grant given to the care recipient.”
“Just like how the Community Emergency and Engagement Committees (C2Es) is a joint effort between the People's Association and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), now ubiquitous in many neighbourhoods, preparing citizens with first-aid and first-responder skills, a similar platform can be set up between MSF and AIC to prepare Singaporeans for caregiving. The natural place to locate such premises is next to polyclinics and hospitals, and I urge MOH to work closely and in consultation with MSF, which oversees social service agencies to work closely together in such programmes.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to bring up an area of work called Caregiver Equipping and seek a review on whether MOH or the Ministry of Social Family Development (MSF) should be the lead agency in charge of this. While MOH rightly takes care of healthcare, the support and enabling of caregivers should be a community effort with the national strategy of ageing-in-place and, hence, should fall within MSF's purview. Given the rapidly ageing population, more Singaporeans are finding themselves juggling careers and caregiving. Support for them should be made widely available in their neighbourhoods and not be relegated to healthcare settings or experts, which is costly and unsustainable. In Khatib, we launched the Caregiver Resource Centre last year to bring capacity-building and a network of peer support to caregivers. Such services should be ramped up quickly so that every caregiver or prospective caregiver can be prepared and equipped to go on this journey whenever it happens. Many residents shared with me that they were suddenly thrown into a caregiving situation when their aged parents fall ill or have a fall. This was also my experience when my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Luckily, because I have been looking into caregiver provisions and interacting with residents who are caregivers, I found myself much more equipped to know what to do. I recommend that MOH work closely with MSF to set up community-based caregiver resource centres in every neighbourhood and start training the community with caregiving knowledge and navigation of resources before the care avalanche overwhelms a generation of Singaporeans.”
“For young people, living apart from their families of origin can also help to individuate themselves successfully and healthily. Individuation is the development of a clearer sense of self, separate from our parents and others around them. It is critical in our maturing process and one's mental well-being. Housing, therefore, can help us achieve social mobility and well-being outcomes, far beyond just serving the physical function of a shelter. We need to make affordable and pleasant housing options accessible for people in all life stages and circumstances. I recommend MND to offer more co-living rental housing options for singles at all ages, and de-stigmatise public rental housing from the current image that is, "only for the poor". The rent subsidies can be tiered according to each tenant's household and income situation, with lease terms ranging from one to five years, with transition out to home ownership as the eventual goal. That way, people of diverse backgrounds and circumstances can rent affordably when they need to, as a transition phase. This can bring benefits, such as better social integration and the pulling of diverse social capital that enhances social mobility. Our public housing projects, such as Pinnacle@Duxton, have won international awards. I dream and I hope that our public rental housing, such as the one just down the road from it at Jalan Kukoh, will one day be no longer known as the slum of Singapore but as a rehabilitative and incubation space for those who eventually emerge from their difficult circumstances, like phoenixes from adversity. Public Rental Scheme (PRS)”
“Mr Chairman, there is great comfort in having a nice home to rest and recharge in – physically, emotionally and mentally. For some people, a restful home may be an elusive concept if there is frequent conflict, arguments or violence in their families. The roughly 50,000 households under the PRS today, do not have this luxury of a restful home because of space constraints. Another group is young singles below 35 that I meet often in my Meet-the-People sessions, who are unable to have a restful home because of chronic toxicity or conflicts in their familial relationships. The third group are single parents, who struggle to find resources for care in order to hold down jobs. Local research has shown that the causes of inequality and poverty in Singapore is more complicated than we assume. More Singaporeans now recognise and have empathy for the physical and mental hazards of public rental living. An informal poll I conducted on my Facebook page, revealed overwhelming support for more to be done for public rental housing. The Government can provide better options – co-living options for singles, communal living formats and better-designed public rental flats, so that restful, pleasant and supportive homes can be made available to everyone. As I have shared in my earlier adjournment Motion on this topic, experience in other countries have shown that living environments have the power to increase self-esteem and confidence which in turn motivates individuals, contributing to positive rehabilitative outcomes. Commune-based living formats can foster effective mutual support and resource-sharing for those, who otherwise struggle by themselves, such as single parent families.”
“I would like to ask Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey, because I do not believe he has addressed my cut on the after-life arrangements. Specifically, my clarification is whether MSE will consider setting some proactive goals to convert Singaporeans to alternative ways of treating the remains, such as inland ash scattering, instead of waiting for the numbers to grow organically? And whether MSE will channel some resources, or more resources to accelerating public conversations to ensure that the take-up rate will be at an accelerated rate?”
“Rethinking After-death Services Singapore is ageing. There are more people dying each day, each year. From 20,933 deaths in 2020, the number grew to 25,600 in 2022. This may sound morbid, but it is the harsh reality and trend going forward. What is MSE's long-term strategy and innovations, given that competing land needs and climate change concerns are rendering traditional ways of afterlife arrangements increasingly difficult? Do we cut down more trees to make way for more columbariums? Or can MSE work with the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), for example, on research and development to treat ashes to make them beneficial for trees instead? What are other options to having an urn, a niche and more columbariums for memorialising our loved ones who passed? I urge MSE to do more to increase Singaporeans' awareness and willingness towards alternatives, such as inland or sea scattering of ashes. These conversations need to start now with my generation of millennials, who are more open-minded than our parents and may well opt for alternatives. Sustaining Our Hawker Centre Culture”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore's Zero Waste Masterplan aims to increase the overall national recycling rate to 70% and reduce waste sent to the landfill by 30% by 2030. This goal seems reasonable. Singapore has had Clean and Green Campaigns since 1990 and most of us recognise the "3Rs" – reduce, reuse and recycle. But our actions do not mirror this awareness. Even though more than half of Singaporean households said they were recycling, the actual domestic recycling rate based on recyclables collected was only 13%. People are still discarding far more non-recyclables. Despite much effort, there has been limited success after many years. In fact, the domestic recycling rate even dropped slightly in 2022. It is time to shift focus to "reducing" and "reusing" instead, while "recycling" happens in parallel. Research shows it is the effort required and not the lack of desire that is the obstacle to an action. When we do not know how to repair, repurpose or reshare an item, discarding it is far easier. Convenient opportunities to swap and repair items should be permanent features in our neighbourhoods. In Nee Soon South, we have successfully run "Shwap for Sustainability" events where residents can exchange clothes with one another to reduce fast fashion waste. The community group, Repair Kopitiam, organises regular community events in different neighbourhoods where residents can learn how to repair items from trained volunteers. These are two examples of local initiatives that I hope MSE can give resourcing and legs to, to propagate into all neighbourhoods in Singapore through the SG Partnerships Office. Let us discard the "throw away" mindset and embrace a "treasuring" mindset – using less, sharing more and wasting not. Let us make reducing and reusing a national movement.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to thank MOE for the SkillsFuture Level-Up scheme and enquire about the Mid-Career Training Allowance, specifically, what arrangements or provisions will be made regarding training allowance for Singaporeans who have been unemployed for more than a year. There are significant numbers of Singaporeans who lost their jobs during the COVID-19 years of 2019 to 2022. They have been struggling to make ends meet through ad hoc or freelance contracts sporadically over the past three years. Their annual income is a far cry from their last-employed full-time income. Will MOE consider basing the training allowance on the last-drawn full-time income instead of the previous year's income? SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme”
“Research has already shown that employees are willing to work for less pay with FWA. And that is how much people value such trust and autonomy. What are National Population and Talent Division's (NPTD)’s and Prime Minister's Office's (PMO)'s plans to accelerate work-life integration for a triple-win for employees, employers and Singapore? Flexible Work Arrangements (FWAs)”
“Mr Chairman, we need Flexible Work to be an imperative, as a country that needs to increase our total fertility rate – at the same time that people are coping with the rising demands of eldercare. One way to leapfrog this is to progress towards work-life integration, instead of getting stuck and caught with "work-life balance". This goes beyond mere semantics to a fundamental shift in mindset and concept. "Balance" reinforces the idea that "work" and "life" oppose each other and that there is a need to cut back in order to achieve balance. With the push for higher productivity amidst manpower shortages, "cutting back" of any sort makes companies nervous. But with "Integration", the two are melded – potentially mutually enhancing each other. Outdated notions like "going to work" or "clocking in and out" makes both employers and employees calculative when work encroaches into personal time or when personal matters encroach into work time. Such calculativeness is stressful and disempowering for both. Life does not happen like clockwork, nor does business. Work hours and routine helped organise people and shifts – which was relevant during the industrial era with factory-based work. But now technology and communication tools allow many people to work anytime, anywhere. We do business in the information and digital age, but we are still stuck in the industrial-era mindset when organising our workforce. Integrating work and life allows for tasks in each domain to get done, whenever it can be done. It enhances a sense of autonomy when employees can optimise their energies and time to organise their tasks in the most convenient and efficient manners that work for them. These will help boost productivity and mental well-being.”
“How can we strike a balance, using technology with a personal touch, making it convenient for us without sacrificing the interaction and communication between people? This is something we should and must reflect on. So how can we make everyone willing to act and willing to contribute? What I have experienced as a grassroots advisor in Nee Soon South over the past three years is that, as long as everyone cooperates happily, whether they are employees or volunteers, if they can be accommodating and show gratitute towards each other, they will be able to contribute joyfully and everyone can make a difference. In unity, we learn to be inclusive. In giving, we learn gratitude. I believe this is an invaluable way of interaction in our society. I hope that in the future, through our own practice, we can pass on these values to the next generation of Singaporeans. Citizens and the Government can work together so that even with fewer people, we can still get things done and sustain physical and mental health as well as continued prosperity. (In English): With that, I conclude with a prayer that the strategies I offer – tracking our well-being, achieving more with less, enhancing collaboration with citizens, and above all, adopting a strength-based and trust-based lens, will help us on a Uniquely Singapore holy grail, towards the biggest, hairiest and most audacious goal of them all – well-being while sustaining high-growth in our economy. I support the Budget.”
“As a social entrepreneur, I have first-hand experience of how tenacity and sustained commitment is needed for real and sustainable change to happen. And it is not always easy to keep morale high as we go through the transition blues, messiness and pains as we will encounter along the way. It is also much easier to grouse and complain than to commit time and effort to create change. And how do we keep people enthused to contribute and to stay the course? As my past three years being grassroots advisor in Nee Soon South has shown me, when people enjoy working together, they feel cared for and appreciated, the hard work is worth it. And this, we can only achieve by shifting the balance from a performance-based culture to an appreciation-based culture. To shift this, we have to slow down our pace and appreciate what we already have and take time to appreciate one another. Speaker, in Mandarin please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As the population ages, there is shortage of manpower and people's mental health is beginning to decline. How can we achieve a society that is less stressful, physically and mentally healthy and yet, continue to prosper? In the face of these challenges, it is necessary for everyone not only to be willing to speak but also be willing to act. Many people may have seen that there are many who can talk but very few who can truly do and are willing to do. Therefore, the Government continues to implement digitalisation and encourages both individuals and businesses to transform. Some residents complain that excessive mechanisation for efficiency has reduced the personal touch and I understand this very well. But is it inevitable?”
“As we transition and evolve our social compact from a less educated population leaning on intellectual elites to craft and implement policies as it was in the 1970s to the 1990s, we now have one of the most well-educated citizenry globally. The Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO) is hence a positive step forward that must be adequately resourced and developed. As we do this, we must recognise that we are somewhat new at this, and there may be some teething blues as we increase citizen participation and work more closely with one another. Capability-building of facilitators who have ecosystem thinking, to be skilled at navigating cross-system cultures, mobilising people and building relationships across diverse sectors is key. I recall in my first year as a Member of Parliament (MP), I sent an email to Deputy Prime Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat, who then forwarded it to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Mr Edwin Tong. In the email, I recommended the formation of a team of 100 organisational development-trained facilitators from diverse sectors. I am not sure if they took up my suggestion but I do see many Public Service roles now titled “Community Engagement” and I see increase in efforts to train volunteers to help facilitate national dialogue sessions. This is good and we can do more. I urge relevant resources for the SGPO and People’s Association (PA) to train and leapfrog facilitation capabilities to right-size salaries to make sure they are realistic and adequate to hire relevantly skilled people. Such support to public agencies is critical for meaningful inclusion to engage Singaporeans in sometimes contentious and difficult conversations and to do so in early stages of policy-making to avoid U-turns on policies and avoid unnecessary spending.”
“One is the extension of preschool subsidies for non-working mothers. Removing the condition of the mother’s employment tells me that the Government respects the choices women are making, regardless of what they choose and that supporting children in their early years should not be conditional. This reduces stress and enables families more freedom to navigate their caregiving needs, enhance their well-being and ensure that all children have an optimal early childhood start. The other is the SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme – providing training allowance to those who embark on full-time courses. To me, that is a very empathetic policy, showing an understanding of people’s worries and making a full commitment to support and invest in anyone who wishes to grow and upgrade themselves. There has no bond of any kind that has been announced to date tied to this training allowance, and I hope it stays that way, which signals to me the Government’s willingness to trust. To trust that citizens will make the best of the opportunity to create the desired outcomes for themselves, which is a better livelihood, and that itself is aligned with national interest. In this year’s Committee of Supply, I will be making cuts on issues related to the preschool sector, caregiving, sustainability and integrating persons with special needs, with suggestions on how shifting the underlying philosophy and narratives of some policies to a strength- and trust-based lens can help us improve and accelerate outcomes without spending as much money. Third, enhancing collaboration with citizens. The Government cannot tackle wicked problems alone.”
“Now that we have made mental health a national priority, how do we know if we are doing better? And we would not, unless we start measuring and tracking. There are already ongoing national mental well-being surveys or studies, such as the Quality of Life Survey, which is helpful to track people’s level of satisfaction with their lives. Well-being is not simply an existence of happiness or satisfaction. It is also the absence of dis-ease or dysfunctionality within our collective system. Hence, what we also need to monitor are figures such as the rate and incidences of mental health conditions, suicide rates as well as chronic disease rate, and factor all these into a set of indicators that makes sense. We need to be accountable for all the strategies that have been announced by the national mental well-being task force and make the outcomes visible and trackable. It is human nature, that when people are unwell, they worry more and become more needy, whereas a people with high well-being will feel more secure and feel that they have more capacity to give. Secondly, let us exercise our imagination to achieve more with less. It may sound easier said than done, but I offer a quick hack. Perhaps what we need to do is start approaching complex and wicked problems with new lenses – a strengths-based lens instead of a scarcity lens, a trusting lens instead of a skeptical lens. I spoke about this in my Adjournment Motion a few months ago on improving public rental housing to enable human thriving. That is one example. What other policies need a fundamental shift in philosophy and thinking? There were two things in Deputy Prime Minister Wong’s Budget announcement that signalled to me that this shift is taking place and I am glad for it.”
“Mr Speaker, I note that many of my hon colleagues have raised concerns about the sustainability of our fiscal health, given the generous support schemes that Deputy Prime Minister Wong announced, which Singaporeans are getting used to and some are starting to expect as a given. In view of such concerns, I speak to the House again on well-being and emphasise its role as a critical success factor to continued growth, to sustained growth. In my Budget speech last year, I spoke of the need to consider a different model of progress that looked beyond economic growth. To be clear, I am not suggesting de-growth. On the contrary, what I am advocating for is a mindfulness and a slowing down that can help to unlock more potential in order to sustain or even to leapfrog growth. Slowing down our minds and cutting away senseless busyness, to make time and space for things that nourish our hearts: one, family – to bear and nurture children because we desperately need to raise our total fertility rate (TFR); two, caring – to build stronger relationships and community to help alleviate costly institutional healthcare; and three, for dreaming – to nurture and actualise new aspirations. These are all desirables that Singaporeans expressed in many Forward Singapore conversations. How do we put these words into action? I use an advertising sector parlance from my early career and offer this House three strategic actions towards a big, hairy, audacious goal – the twin goals of well-being and high growth. The three strategies are: one, charting Singapore’s well-being with a Well-being Index; two, doing less to achieve more; and three, enhancing collaboration with citizens. On the first, a National Well-being Index – because we love KPIs and what does not get measured does not get tracked.”
“I understand that it is a very sensitive topic and even more so, it warrants conversations around it. I am not sure whether the current approach of going through religious leaders and having that conversation at the point of death with loved ones who are remaining is the most appropriate juncture. Will the Ministry consider putting resources to have perhaps staff or volunteers from the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) to tag onto community talks such as talks that we give on Lasting Powers of Attorney to residents, to help them think about these matters before they reach the end-of-life stage, so that we can help to accelerate people's awareness and have them have time to digest the options and understand the options, and be able to give that instruction to their children? Rather than have the children face that decision at the point of death, when they are already in a lot of grief and may be quite distressed.”
“I thank Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey for his reply. My question is whether the Ministry has set any specific goals in terms of targets to reach in the next five, 10 or 15 years for the take-up rate of inland ash scattering, and whether the Ministry has any plans to accelerate the conversations in society about this as a preferred method for treating remains, in view of the land scarcity issue and the competition for land that is required for columbaria.”
“Speaker, I would like to seek clarification from Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. When he articulated that the National Mental Health Office will continue to drive this effort, may I ask, whether it will be residing within MOH and, if so, how will the Prime Minister's Office ensure that the well-being initiatives and policies are well-coordinated across Ministries? Because, for example, education policies will have an impact on manpower and manpower policies can have an impact on family life; and all these contribute to the levels of stress and bandwidth and all that.”
“Let us focus on our abundance and on an attitude of gratitude to foster the collective sense of security. What do we wish to see in our children's and youths' faces? Certainly not stress, not anxiety or the blank disconnected faces like what we are seeing increasingly today, afflicted and glazed over by digital addictions, anti-depressants or sleeping aids that they use to cope with the disconnection within them untended to and unheld by our collective lack of mindful presence and the constant doubting of what is enough. I wish to see children and youths who are healthy, strong in their minds and bodies, with curiosity and connection alive in their eyes. I wish to see a workforce that is free from the burden of relentless and unnecessary busyness, rejuvenated and revitalised to have a high sense of ownership in every interaction, because people, who are well-rested, will have sufficient mental and emotional bandwidth to do so. I hope by the end of 2024, all of us, including us in this Chambers, would have taken enough pauses to introspect and to reconnect within ourselves and to acquire the language for emotional awareness, to be a more emotionally regulated, emotionally secure and mentally well society. 8.13 pm”
“To this end, a National Well-being Index adapted from existing Quality of Life surveys will be helpful to keep this Office's duties on track and accountable for outcomes. This will actualise what Singaporeans have already expressed in many Forward SG conversations, that desire for a different vision for Singapore, in the paths available, the aspirations and the definitions of success. Singaporeans want to thrive, without being in a constant rat race. How might we enable a deeper sense of fulfilment than the never-ending chasing of KPIs, material or financial success? The 2022 Quality of Life survey results show that those who took a more balanced approach to life, valuing traditionalism, sustainability and family relationships over material success were more satisfied than those who valued materialism over these intangible things. It tells us that the answer lies in the intangibles, the quality of our relationships with ourselves, with the people around us, as well as with our planet earth. This aspect of life requires a slowing down introspection in order to be nurtured. If slowing down feels foreign, selfish or even un-Singaporean, we can seek inspiration from our National Pledge. In outlining Singapore's national objectives, it lists "happiness" ahead of "prosperity" and "progress". And here, "happiness" can be taken to mean and referred to the overall sense of security and satisfaction that our people feel as Singaporeans, not just happiness as a fleeting emotion. Such sense of security and satisfaction is critical to mental well-being. To improve on this sense of security, let us have the courage to take a pause and the gumption to try a different narrative than scarcity.”
“We surely must agree that a burnt-out and emotionally "checked out" people is not what will create progress. The inability to slow down is a serious symptom that we are disregulated as an ecosystem and society. We must take daring steps to foster a collective restoration of our societal nervous system. We need new norms. The "Right to Disconnect" has to be seen as a necessity, not as a problematic "nice-to-have". Do we have the gumption to allow a collective slowing down, to cater time and space for our collective mental and emotional restoration? It may sound illogical or even terrifying to some, to cater for a period of slowing down, especially when imagined in economic terms. But I challenge the notion that growth and productivity is only possible with relentless hard work, especially in this technologically abundant era. Growth is possible with more collaboration in place of competition. Collaboration is more possible when we are well-regulated in our bodies and minds to allow for better listening and more empathy that then fosters more trust. This needs to be a whole-of-Government effort and I recommend the current Inter-agency Taskforce to become a permanent National Well-being Office, not under MOH but directly under the Prime Minister’s Office. This office should consist of well-being champions from each Ministry and Statutory Board, and include a consultative committee of representatives from the private and people sectors. Their role can be as resource persons, sounding boards as well as act as inter-Ministry bridgers to ensure the well-being lens is present in policy discussions and formulation across Ministries.”
“Are we perhaps the only country in the world where our best is still not enough? To be clear, I am not calling for slackness because reaching our fullest potential does require hard work. I am also not a proponent of the "lie flat" movement either. In fact, I am trying to solve or prevent it. Learning from hypercompetitive Asian societies, like South Korea and China where the 躺平, or "lie flat" movement has begun as a silent rebellion by youths against a system in which many feel hopeless about ever catching up with, we must be mindful of the long-term costs of a "pressure cooker" society. We can see this already happening when new technology emerges, such as AI, what a helpful tool, to help us be more productive. But instead of working less, we end up cramping more expectations into our workplans to achieve even more. What is stopping us from reaping the benefits and advantages of technology to avail ourselves the precious time to rest, to nurture relationships and to enjoy our families? Last year, Duke-NUS Medical School reported just depression and anxiety alone could conservatively cost Singapore $16 billion annually. An economically prosperous yet chronically unhealthy Singapore would be a hollow success. In an individual, chronic stress and tension entrenches the flight or fight response as a default reaction. In an ecosystem, chronic stress entrenches similar responses, such as demanding, defending, deflecting or sometimes, a collective numbing, which manifests as a lack of ownership. This may hurt to hear but our Civil Service is one of the most afflicted. I do not blame our civil servants because they take the brunt of overwhelming workloads that inadvertently cause mental and emotional burnout.”
“He observed that, for many university students, introspection is sidelined as a, I quote, "stagnant inactivity" because pausing to do it "does not seem to contribute directly to any measurable progress". He notes, and I quote, "the inability to sit alone with their thoughts and the tendency to bury themselves in work or digital distractions, creating a superficial busyness that masks an inability to process deeper emotions". This does not just afflict youths, but many successful adults as well, including many of us in the Chamber. In my role as a healing coach, I have come across many accomplished professionals and leaders who baulk at the idea of slowing down. Are we somehow living within a bubble where a constant need to be achieving something has made slowing down something that terrifies people? Does rest ironically create more stress? The term "stress-laxing" is found in UrbanDictionary.com, feeling stressed because you are relaxing and not working, the cause of your stress in the first place! What kind of ludicrous phenomenon is this! We must ask ourselves. We have to recognise what is creating this "pressure cooker" bubble we are all living in. The very narrative of our nation's survival and success thus far has been fuelled by the notion of scarcity which then fuels an endless culture of competition and a sense of inadequacy. This is, unintentionally, of course, encapsulated by our classic National Day song "Stand Up for Singapore." If you recall the lyrics, we are first called to stand up for Singapore to do the "best you can", only to be called a few lines later to also "be prepared to give a little more." I love this song. I love to sing it with pride and increasingly, I recognise, some irony.”
“It tells me that Singaporeans are sorely lacking in the emotional vocabulary to be able to identify and even acknowledge our own emotions. One key point I would like to make, most importantly, is let us recognise the invisible forces that are undoing our mental health and mental health efforts. How is it that eight in 10 Singaporeans recognise mental health to be important and as important as physical health, yet less than half of us actively think about our mental well-being or how we are feeling on a day-to-day basis? What is the invisible force that is taking our attention away from something that all of us agree to be important, so important that we have a Motion in this Chamber today? Our attitude towards stress at work illustrates this. In 2020, our Parliamentary colleague, Mr Melvin Yong, God bless his heart, proposed a "Right to Disconnect" law mandating downtime from work for better mental health. What is illuminating is that despite acknowledging its intentions, there were many concerns over its feasibility. For example, would bosses and other colleagues see a desire for greater work-life balance as a sign of lower motivation compared to their peers competing for the same limited opportunities? What happened to the age-old wisdom, in Chinese, “休息是为了走更长远的路”, meaning "Rest is to help us travel even further"? How have we, as a society, come to equate rest with lower motivation? What has caused this collective judgement that demonises the act of rest and restoration? In a recent commentary on CNA by NUS lecturer Jonathan Sim, he talks about youth "hustle culture" and warns of the perils of a lack of the ability to introspect.”
“There are activities such as yoga and meditation, as our colleague Mr Darryl David said, mindfulness practices, and different forms of traditional, art-based, music-based and somatic-based approaches to mental, emotional and spiritual wellness, which are all available currently, although relegated as "alternative wellness". It is time, I say, to mainstream these options because they are derived from the rich and deep history, wisdom and heritage of our Asian cultures. They cater to the varied cultural, faith and spiritual beliefs of Singaporeans and offer individuals more options towards holistic wellness that are accessible, and which resonate with each individual’s inclinations and preferences. I support my colleagues, Mr Darryl David, Mr Xie Yao Quan and Assoc Prof Razwana Begum's, call for mindfulness for authentic listening and authentic care, which all fall under social emotional literacy and empathic care. And hence, I recommend extending SkillsFuture funding for such learning. This will accelerate and propagate emotional wellness skills more widely so that everyone can equip themselves to maintain good mental health as a lifelong endeavour. Mental health, just like physical health, is a journey that requires daily awareness and maintenance, starting with emotional literacy. The Government can do its part to help make such knowledge and training more ubiquitous and accessible for the common man and woman on the street. And here, I would like to share an example on what happens when I go to my training workshops. As a facilitator, I often ask the participants: "How are you feeling now?" And often, the replies I get are "Okay lor" or "Like that lor".”
“Mr Speaker, my dear colleagues, I am well aware it has been a long day, and everyone is tired and even if your brains and minds are tired, I hope that you will be with me and open your hearts and your spirits to hear what I have to say. I would first like to declare myself and my interest as a self-employed transformative and healing coach. There are three points I wish to highlight about mental health to contribute to our collective understanding of it so that we can properly contemplate what this means to our nation. First of all, we all have mental health. It is not just mental illness, which is unfortunately what one in two Singaporeans consider it to be, according to a survey by MOH. By framing mental health as just a healthcare challenge, we risk adopting the traditional language of health, which pathologises and creates a chronic reliance on only formal healthcare institutions and medication. This relegates the ownership of recovery to the field of experts, such as psychologists and psychiatrists, which are in very short supply and also renders the individual dependent on the formal healthcare system’s capacity, which has its limitations. This is neither sustainable, nor true. Mental health is something that every person can own, and be equipped to take care of for ourselves, until it deteriorates to a point where clinical assistance is necessary and that is where clear navigation and adequate resourcing of expert and clinical interventions are important. But I urge us to think and to go one step further, to also equip individuals. We can encourage a wide variety of activities that are personal-based to help Singaporeans access knowledge for maintaining their mental well-being.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam for her response. I would like to clarify whether the Ministry of Health is looking at any plans to review the medical subsidy system to also factor in conditions that may not currently be classified as chronic, but has a significant impact in potentially affecting the activities of daily living for elderly, given that if we do not mitigate this condition, the caregiving costs that will be incurred will be significant in the long run. And that it is imperative to help elderly residents be able to manage this condition which affect their mobility and independence of living much more upstream.”
“Again, I thank Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng for his valiant efforts to explain these needs. I would like to emphasise, suggest and also secure commitment from the Ministry that they will accelerate efforts to look into the other and innovative ways of treating after-death remains, such as looking into options like scattering ashes around trees and potentially even looking into solutions such as cremation diamonds, which are all solutions that require very little space and would be more viable and tenable for the long run in Singapore.”
“Speaker, I appreciate Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng's response. I think it lacks no emphasis that Singapore is land scarce and we have an ageing population, and my residents are very fully well aware of that. But they also would like to ask the Ministry, is it not all the more imperative that the Ministry needs to take more urgency to look at more innovative and sustainable ways of treating our loved ones' remains, rather than to fall back on the conventional and convenient solution of concentrating the niches and columbaria in one area? I think with announcement of the Mandai Columbarium complex, where about half of Singapore's niches are going to be located in the north, residents are expecting that the Ministry can do more to accelerate the conversations on this and accelerate different solutions to see how we can decentralise niches, so that this disamenity does not need to be unfairly concentrated in one area, but can be seen as an amenity that is accessible to all Singaporeans.”
“Speaker, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State for clarifications regarding not the prevention or mitigation of disamenities but what is the recourse available to victims of disamenities caused by – I am going to bring up something other than noise – air-conditioning condensation due to excessive and incessant use of air-conditioning by tenants that creates health hazards in the neighbouring units where residents have to deal with mold and a lot of these things and they have to spend money to repaint and to get rid of this mold. Is there any recourse for these victims and what does MND intend to do about possibly enhancing some regulations and enforcement actions so that we can prevent such excessive air-conditioning usage by tenants which, anecdotally on the ground, seems to be predominantly an issue with tenanted units.”
“I think my vote is not registered. I vote yes.”
“I recognise that in these fiscally challenging times, cost is always a consideration. Instead of increasing costs, there are ways we can rethink the design and construction of rental housing to optimise the value of expenditure we are already planning to spend on rental housing provision. Furthermore, any incremental costs could have a disproportionate positive return in terms of wellbeing and savings in longer-term healthcare and welfare spending. The long-term gains may well outweigh the short-term incremental costs. Architects and design thinkers know full well how design influences and shapes human behaviour. We must recognise the importance of space and beauty in our lives and strive to create environments that inspire and enable human thriving. By doing so, we can unlock the full potential of our rental housing families and give them that much more – a better starting point to recover and thrive from their adversities. The Government does not need to do this alone. There are philanthropists and now, many family offices we can tap on to do this with. I urge MND to partner with the philanthropic and private sectors, to get sponsorships and to work with arts groups, Design Singapore, local artists, designers, developers and volunteers to create uplifting designs and furnishings in rental living spaces. The co-living pilot refurbished from the old Anderson Junior College hostel was well intended but implementation fell too far short. MND launched this in March and I believe it is not too late to still harness this opportunity to pilot such partnerships for the transformation to redesign and rethink our rental housing approach. We can do better, so let us do it together.”
“By using design to enhance living spaces with aesthetics, colours, lighting and art, instead of inhabitants coming home feeling fearful and on high alert from a difficult day, chronically operating on flight or fight mode, they can be more relaxed when they return home, which has proven to improve executive functioning. This can help them focus better on actions like applying for jobs or getting their children to school. Given the availability of such information and knowledge on how space and aesthetics can help improve human performance, we would be doing a disservice if the Government does not start incorporating such principles in the way we design public rental housing. The prevailing approach that provides only a basic and functional roof over people's heads needs to change. This belief, long held by too many in the system, that providing a pleasing and comfortable environment for public rental housing residents might demotivate them from working hard to move out, also really needs to change. These are limiting beliefs that curtail the possibilities and potential of our own citizens who are striving hard to improve their lives. We can do more for the Singaporeans who need our utmost support to help them overcome the adversities in their lives. And having aesthetically pleasing homes, with just sufficient space for inhabitants to participate in daily activities stress-free, is akin to having an ever-present cheerleader that one can come home to everyday. Instead of assuming and blaming lack of personal motivation for poor social mobility outcomes, let us take a more scientific and proactive approach to study the environmental factors that we can enhance to improve human motivation and potential.”
“Does it not look beautiful? This is a homeless shelter. The founder of Path Home shared in an interview that the design was "based on research done since the 1960s in hospitals, looking into what kinds of facilities promote better reactions among patients. "Some of the key elements they’ve identified include having a connection to nature – lots of light, real plants indoors and outdoors – and building with natural materials, so they used a lot of real wood. The color palette is also very calming – lots of greens and turquoises from the ocean." The founder also said, "It’s about helping families feel worthy (so) that they can get up and do the hard work to get their lives back on track." This project has had much success and positive feedback from its inhabitants. It demonstrates the role of aesthetics in uplifting the human spirit and catalysing human motivation. We under-estimate just how being able to have something beautiful can uplift an individual's sense of self-esteem and fundamentally shift their self-perception and motivation. We see the same principle across many makeover TV shows across different cultures, TV shows where a makeover has the power to change someone's life by changing how they perceive themselves. There is also a global architecture firm called the Workplace Group at HOK that has created a landmark guidebook on trauma-informed design with the goal of helping people to quiet the part of the brain that stays in survival mode. Research has shown that the positive emotional effect of the aesthetic experience affects mood and indirectly promotes health and well-being. These benefits include improvement of memory, lower stress levels and increased social connection.”
“What common sense tells us is that the common behavior and attitude of people towards places and things that are beautiful and pleasing is that we are naturally inclined to want to keep them that way. As the philosopher Immanuel Kant once aptly said, "Beauty is a symbol of morality." Beauty has the power to evoke and inspire the higher qualities and virtues in human beings. When we are exposed to beauty, we are more likely to feel motivated to pursue our goals with greater determination and to push ourselves to be our best selves. My team's research found recent projects in the US that have discovered the tremendous role aesthetics and design play in helping to rehabilitate homeless communities. One of them is the first shelter project in Oregon that uses trauma-informed design by a non-profit called Path Home. Here, Mr Speaker, I would like to show a visual example of what their shelter for the homeless looks like. Permission to show a slide, please.”
“Art can help us to see the world in new and different ways, challenging our perspectives and inspiring us to be more empathetic, compassionate and socially responsible. What we can infer logically is that just focusing on objective functionality alone, without considering the value of aesthetics is to miss an opportunity – to inspire and catalyse empathy, compassion and an increased sense of civic responsibility in rental housing communities. If one pays attention, it is not hard to notice that the general cleanliness upkeep in rental estates is much more challenging than those in purchased estates. What is commonly observed are higher rates of high-rise littering, misuse or poor use of common chutes, dirty common corridors and void decks. Most Town Councils share a common challenge in having to deploy more cleaning and maintenance resources in rental block areas. I say this not to shame rental block residents but for us to really investigate what the causes and reasons behind such behaviours are. They reveal little willingness or motivation in occupants to help upkeep and maintain common spaces. Is this function simply because of a lack of ownership because the flats do not belong to them? If that is so, how then do we explain the behavior of much more cooperative behavior when people stay at hotels? We do not own the premises in hotels but we do not also commonly hear of people trashing hotel rooms or littering at hotel lobbies and premises even though the people who stay there are temporary occupants. This begs a deeper examination into the factors contributing to civic behaviour.”
“They cannot really throw a ball to their sibling at home without the risk of hitting something or getting yelled at by a frustrated parent. How can we expect children to study, play, learn and grow up well physically, emotionally and mentally in such conditions? In the latest URA guidelines issued in January 2023, "the threshold of 70 square meters is a reasonable size for small families." I would like to ask MND what is the prevailing floor area of 1- and 2-room public rental flats and is there a minimum space per resident that is adhered to that provides for conducive living? In England, the Building Research Establishment estimates that hazards in poor housing costs the National Health Services in England £1.4 billion a year but that the full societal cost, including long-term mental health, suffering and trauma treatment, is around £18.5 billion per annum. I urge MND to work with MSF to do the necessary research into living spaces and their impact on early childhood development outcomes. Next, I would like to talk about the role of aesthetics in human potential. From the earliest philosophers to modern-day psychologists, scholars and researchers have recognised the power of beauty to inspire and motivate us. Research in psychology has shown that exposure to beautiful environments can have a positive impact on our mental health and well-being. For example, a study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people who worked in aesthetically pleasing environments were more productive and had a greater sense of well-being than those who worked in less aesthetically pleasing environments. Furthermore, aesthetics can also inspire us to be our best selves.”
“The HDB occupancy cap for renting out flats and commercial property does not seem to apply to the Public Rental Scheme and these bring real struggles for the inhabitants. Having people live in insufficient spaces makes it difficult to keep common spaces tidy. Household and personal belongings tend to spill out into common corridors, creating obstruction and potential hazards. These then create tensions with neighbours and among family members, adding on stress from conflict in their day-to-day lives. Many Town Councils and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) regularly receive feedback on fire hazards and end up having to manage neighbourly disputes that are hard to resolve because people simply do not have sufficient space for their daily activities, such as their laundry, their clothes racks, their shoes. Such neighbourly tensions make for very poor quality of life for residents and also create unnecessary toll on public resources. Another important side effect of overcrowding is on children's development. During the COVID-19 pandemic, immense challenges were faced by children in rental flats trying to cope with home-based learning in limited space. In a community collaboration that Nee Soon South had with Yishun Health and SportSG, it was observed by volunteers in a football programme for children from rental block families that the kids had poorer hand-eye coordination and could not throw or catch as well as other kids. We suspect that space constraints had a role in limiting the amount of play within flats, compromising the psychomotor development of children who live in cramped spaces. One can imagine that children living in such tiny flats are very much curtailed in their play.”
“The phenomenon of 20% of healthcare users taking up the majority of healthcare expenses is not uncommon. We can understand that one factor leading to poor health is overcrowding and another is stress. Infections spread easily amongst family members in cramped environments and poor hygiene in common spaces can facilitate disease across households. Poorer health leads to poor employment retention and more frequent school absences. MSF is very familiar with these challenges – high rates of employment turnover and disproportionately higher rates of school absenteeism amongst children from rental blocks communities. The common and perplexing challenge many social service agencies face seems to be – how come the poor seem to be less motivated? If we pause to think about it, might it not be because they are struggling more in their day-to-day lives due to basic, bare-bone and often stressful living conditions which they do not have the resources to improve on their own? Home becomes a place just to survive but not to thrive in. We under-estimate the amount of energy it takes to overcome challenges inherent in the current rental housing premises, leaving less energy for constructive actions, such as focusing on job performance or school performance. Let us look squarely at just one such challenge observed in our rental estates – overcrowding. It is not uncommon when I do my house visits to come across families with three, four, sometimes five children living in a 2-room flat. Under the current public rental housing scheme, 1- or 2-room flats are the norm and, on a case-by-case and very limited basis, 3-room flats are made available to very large families.”
“To uplift those struggling with their lives, there is more our public rental housing can do beyond just providing a roof over heads. In my speech today, I make a case for enhancing public rental housing to enable human thriving. In past Parliament Sittings, I sought statistics from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and MND on how long it takes for the average rental housing family to move out to their own purchased flats. The answer is seven years. My hon colleague Ms Mariam Jaafer also sought information on the rate of transition by rental flat families to their own homes in the last five years. The statistics were: 36% moved to their own houses in less than five years, 32% in five to 10 years and a good remaining 32% after more than 10 years. What if we can improve these statistics by enabling more families to achieve social mobility and home ownership sooner? I invite this House to consider and urge MND to study the role of space and aesthetics in helping rental flat families achieve financial self-sufficiency and social mobility quicker. We can do this by reimagining and redesigning rental flats to help occupants unlock their full potential. I invite this House to go on a design thinking journey with me to understand how space and aesthetics in our living environment actually have a profound impact on human functioning and thereby can aid with social mobility. Firstly, on the role of space and well-being. From my conversations with healthcare providers at Woodlands Health Campus and Yishun Health, which we collaborate with in the community, data from our healthcare system shows that lower-income residents tend to be "frequent flyers" at hospitals.”
“Mr Speaker, I would first like to extend my gratitude for Members of the House who are able to stay despite a very long Sitting today and for lending me their presence and attention to this issue. Mr Speaker, a hallmark of this Government's commitment to its people is the Housing and Development Board (HDB) policies and how it aims to meet every Singaporean's housing needs. I am pleased with the recent housing policy announcements that make housing more accessible to more diverse groups of Singaporeans whilst also enhancing the subsidy schemes that strive to make our housing system a fair one. Today, I would like to address our public rental housing and to highlight the potential we have of transforming it and harnessing it to catalyse the social mobility of our lowest income Singaporeans. In recent years, the Ministry of National Development (MND) has taken the step to incorporate and integrate rental flats into build-To-order (BTO) purchase blocks, such as the ones in Marsiling and Bukit Batok. This is a bold move that I support. I know itis not an easy decision, as I am aware that there are pockets of Singaporeans who hold quite contrary views and who are concerned that having rental units within their blocks could cause a devaluation of their flats. Nevertheless, I am glad the Government chose to do the right thing by prioritising social mixing and integration over political popularity. This addresses the larger social good, especially with emerging trends and threats of social polarisation along class lines that our society is facing. All Singaporeans need to support this effort, if we truly believe that each one of us are our brother's keepers.”
“Speaker, I thank the Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the answer. It is quite heartening to hear that we have been making progress. I understand that since December last year, we have 35,500 students with special needs who are in our education system right now, which means that they will be growing up to become adults in the next 10 to 15 years. Given that we are making some progress, are there going to be further investments in ensuring that this whole-of-society approach can be accelerated to further enable more numbers of persons with special needs to be employed in their adulthood, to greater success, meaning, more retention and to measure their level of self-sufficiency, because this is likely to be a cost to the country? And whether, in the long term, do we look at the support and integration of persons with special needs based on a certain ratio of welfare versus self-sufficiency target? There are some who may not be able to work. But among those who can, with the relevant training and the relevant sensitisation of the employers and the general public, can we move that needle further and faster?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I feel compelled to speak and seek clarification from Ms Hazel Poa as to what is her purpose and intent in comparing this amount of allowance that is still being paid until a verdict has been reached on Minister Iswaran's case, with the payouts from ComCare. Because I believe Ms Poa as an ex-public servant knows very well that these are budgets that are completely separate from each other. And it does not mean that simply because you suspend an MP, that money is going to go to some further ComCare applications. So, I would like to clarify what is her intention in bringing up this analogy?”
“Thank you, Speaker. Earlier in her statement, the Minister of State emphasised that ECDA do not currently impose psychological screening on preschool educators. I would like to ask the reason for that. And in line with our common belief that in such cases, prevention is always going to be better than any kind of penalty or remedial action. Does ECDA see the value of putting in place some form of assessment or screening, if not every single preschool educator but at least to the business owners who want to apply for licences and the principals who are running centres? Because the culture of what it means to respect a child is something that needs to come from the leader of centres. I agree fully with the Minister of State that the preschool teachers need to live and breathe the values and the beliefs of always protecting and respecting a child. I think the enforcement route is necessary, but we should not fall back only on the enforcement route to effectively prevent such cases. So, my second question is, will ECDA consider putting in a mandatory screening or at least a mindset screening assessment to future or existing current operators and principals to ensure that they are in line with a culture of respect for the child in terms of running their centres and expecting the same of their preschool teachers?”
“Just to share, marriage to a Singapore Citizen does not guarantee the non-resident spouse automatic right of entry into Singapore or approval for long-term stay in Singapore. So, we strongly encourage Singapore Citizen-non-resident couples who are interested in applying for an LTVP to submit the Pre-Marriage Long-Term Visit Pass assessment (PMLA) together, before the marriage. And PMLA is a free online assessment tool for couples to find out more about each other and if the prospective non-resident spouse is likely to qualify for LTVP after the marriage. And, in fact, the Government provides support for Singapore Citizen-foreigner couples in areas, such as financial assistance for lower-income households, employment support and access to housing. So, we keep track of the ground situation and you have seen how things have moved over the last few years with regard to financial assistance, employment support and housing. In fact, looking at the facility that we provide and as well as the accessibility, we have to look at the very broad perspective and factors of not only looking at talents, caregiving needs but also at the security of Singapore. So, I hope the Member will understand that we have very broad considerations with regard to such an issue.”
“I thank the Minister of State for his answer. I have come across several and actually quite many cases where residents who are on ComCare financial assistance, meaning they are not independently able to sponsor their foreign spouse, in a very catch-22 situation. On one hand, they need the caregiving support of their spouse to be here physically with them; on the other hand, they also can benefit from the spouse having some part-time employment or income, which actually helps the Government to potentially save on some of these financial support expenses. So, my question is: would ICA consider working with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to create a special category of entry or stay pass for such persons, given that the Government has been expending a lot of efforts to try and encourage ageing-in-place? There is a real caregiving need amongst the lowest income segment and I would like to seek the Ministry's and the Minister of State's view on how we can tackle this particular problem that is faced by the residents. Also, to add, many of them have come and tried to extend their short-term visit pass, for which every application costs $40, which, no doubt, they are taking from the financial assistance amounts that they have been given by the Government. So, I do not see how this is a constructive process going forward. Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. Sir, as I mentioned in my reply, we assess such applications individually and holistically. Given that ICA also considers unique considerations, such as caregiving needs, we assess that there is no need for a separate facility for foreign spouses for now.”