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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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 6 of 6.
“Take the story of another resident Yusri better known Shaggy in this industry. Despite being from a low-income and challenged family, he made a career and eventually a business out of being an arts technician and multimedia designer for stage productions. He saw the arts as a way out of poverty and it has, so far. His work in the arts provided him with a better life than he had when he was growing up. Yusri is quite established now in his livelihood after spending more than 10 years in the sector. He was also personally also highly resourceful in seeking out courses in business and marketing that could help his arts career. Despite the progress thus far, Yusri sees such opportunities disappearing for those starting in the industry today like Edward. Where in the past it was not necessary to have a degree to begin work in the arts and entertainment sector, it is now increasingly important, despite wages staying the same. He also shares the same anxieties about the future as Edward. The arts and entertainment industry is one that has tremendous potential and unlimited in its "export capacity" – thanks to technology and the Internet. It would be a mistake for us to miss out on developing our arts and entertainment sector with a view towards its internationalisation. We can learn a lot from South Korea's example, whose arts and entertainment industry brought the country S$39.8 billion in 2018. Besides being now known globally, Korean entertainment has created subsequent demand worldwide for Korean-branded merchandise including cosmetics and food. Even the example of a local food establishment cited by Deputy Prime Minister Heng yesterday during his speech – Seonggong, is also a Korean brand.”
“It also includes lighting and sound technicians, school CCA teachers, museum operators, fashion designers, event photographers, and many more highly skilled people who produce and enable the productions that we consume. If we continue to do nothing more for them in terms of financial support during this time, they may be lost to other sectors, to the long-term detriment of our arts and entertainment industry. An entire sector may be at risk of being wiped out. I was disappointed that in yesterday's Ministerial Statement by the Deputy Prime Minister, there was no mention of any extension of support to the arts sector workers. To be fair to the Government, the $55 million Arts and Culture Resilience Package is certainly helpful, but it can be enhanced to make the support accessible for all arts workers, including permanent casuals. The Digitalisation Fund specifically is also a good initiative in the right direction, but only currently available for productions rated G. Granted, NAC and IMDA may be approaching these funding criteria with consumer perspective and safety in mind, but I urge consideration on the limitations to creativity and marketability of our arts productions if only G-rated productions can receive funding. Parental controls on online media platforms exist for a reason, for parents to be involved and exercise the necessary control over children's media consumption. This should not be a responsibility that is shifted over to the state, with costs that the arts and entertainment sector ends up bearing, to the detriment of an industry's vibrancy and sustainability. If we invest in its development and the development of those who are keen to have a career in the arts, it can provide financial upliftment to individuals and families.”
“When the circuit breaker measures were announced, all of the jobs Edward had signed on for evaporated, leaving him with very zero income. He is now returning to school to "upskill" and shared with me about his worries – whether there will be any opportunities left available for him in the arts sector when he re-enters the workforce in a few years. Chronic income pressures on arts workers as well as other workers, come from a lack of regulations on a group of employees called "permanent casuals". They are among the 47% of freelancers that make up the arts and entertainment sector, higher than the 14% at our national level. Although permanent casuals might work full-time or part-time, they are paid hourly with no health or leave benefits. Such workers do not benefit from the Job Support Scheme or JSS because they are only paid for their time and therefore have no regular pay from their companies to begin with. They also do not qualify for the Self-employed Persons Relief Scheme because they typically often work exclusively for one company. Outside of such workers, existing JSS measures provide only 10% of support to the arts and entertainment sector, even though this sector is still unable to return to its former operating capacity. From January 2021 onwards, JSS support will be reduced to 0%. There is a real risk that people like Edward may not have opportunities to return to, if or when the sector does recover. Lack of stable income, heightened by COVID-19 restrictions, are forcing arts workers to seek other jobs. The arts and entertainment sector is incredibly diverse. It is not just made up of writers, actors, musicians and poets.”
“I was saddened to see that and felt it was unnecessary to include that poll of “non-essential jobs” at all. Perhaps the arts have grown so commonplace and ingrained in our lives that we started taking it for granted. The arts have contributed not just in terms of providing comfort and strength during difficult times, but also to our economy. The Arts and Entertainment sector generated $6.6 billion in revenue earned in 2017 and provided jobs and livelihoods for 26,300 people in 2018. There was a time when the arts held a great deal of importance to our society and our leaders. From former Acting Minister for Culture Mr Ong Teng Cheong who first recognised the importance of arts institutions in Singapore and who created what is now the National Arts Council, to former Minister of Information and the Arts, Mr George Yeo who aimed to turn Singapore into a culturally attractive global city through the Global City for the Arts project, we once saw the arts as a viable and important part of city-planning and development for Singapore. However, it seems that the arts have fallen from their previous stature. Government funding for the sector has dropped almost 50% from $937 million in 2015 to $458 million in 2018. Artists today are struggling and many live hand-to-mouth. This past month, I spoke with Edward, a 23-year-old Nee Soon South resident and professional actor, singer and dancer. Despite having a diploma in performance, he makes $10,000 a year, less than $1,000 a month, through his various freelance gigs. Edward worries about the future, specifically to what extent he will be able to support himself through his profession and whether he will ever be able to afford the expenses of starting a family.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I will first like to thank the Members for their patience. It has been a long day and I wish I could bring a song and dance item to break up the monotony of today's proceedings but that would not be allowed although I am sure it will be very welcome by Members of this House. I would like to raise this Motion that “That this House recognises the importance of the Arts and to increase support for Performing Arts Workers and the Arts Industry.” Mdm Deputy Speaker, the circuit breaker measures that were announced on 7 April sent our country into a tailspin. People were confined to their homes, separated from loved ones, deprived of their usual social activities and anxious about the future. After ensuring that we had enough food and essential items, our next instinct was to seek comfort in anything that could provide a semblance of normalcy, many of us turned to Netflix and YouTube, re-watched old films. We saw the videos on social media of people in other countries, singing, dancing, playing instruments and performing on their balconies to provide solace and companionship to their neighbours. I was touched by these videos. I am sure many in this House were too. As the months dragged out, people sought ways to connect with others, to satisfy the need for human connection that we as human beings fundamentally need. In our lowest moments, as the number of COVID-19 cases climbed higher, many of us felt powerless. The arts helped keep us sane, helped us process our confusion and grief and entertained us, lifting our spirits. During the circuit breaker there was the poll in the newspapers reporting that Singaporeans thought artists had the most non-essential jobs.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. In cases where the residents have encountered multiple repair attempts to water seepage and wall seepage problems due to shoddy waterproofing works done by the contractor, and despite multiple attempts by contractors to fix the same problem, the problem keeps coming back in intervals of two to three years for the past 10-15 years – what recourse do residents have from HDB in terms of the distress that they have had to live through for the many years in encountering these problems?”
“I thank the Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam. I have further questions for MOH. Does the Ministry have any data about the recovery rates and outcomes of mental health patients currently receiving existing types of treatment through the methods employed by IMH? Second, will MOH consider exploring or supporting research into alternative treatments or rehabilitative care methods for mental health patients, including, possibly, TCM or other alternative medicines?”
“I would like to thank the Minister for clarifying a lot of the questions previously. I am very heartened to know that the MOM exercises compassion in the way they approach the various challenges in hiring practices that micro-enterprises and SMEs encounter to support them to adopt the correct and desired hiring practices. My supplementary question is related to the overarching issue of unfair hiring or workplace practices. I understand that so far proactive surveillance has surfaced more of these companies than complaints by job seekers or employees. In my encounter with my residents, I do see that there is a lot of hesitance and uncertainty by employees or jobseekers when they encounter unfair hiring or workplace practices. They are not sure or not confident of raising these issues to the correct authorities. My question is, will the Minister consider increasing efforts in jobseeker or employee education efforts to reassure people and empower them that if they are aggrieved in any of their experiences while seeking jobs or within their workplace environment, they can safely blow the whistle. And what is the recourse that they have? Because I think they have concerns and on repercussions on the employability in the future.”
“Mr Speaker, firstly, I would like to the thank Minister for Manpower for a very —”
“The youths of today are passionate because they care so much for Singapore. Many have good ideas, and many are capable. It is now our cross to bear too. I have confidence that if we balance circumspection from the youths, with guidance and mentorship from the elders, we will find a sweet spot. A sweet spot of unity, cohesion and shared purpose together, across generations. I look forward to an awakening and participation of our people that stems from compassion and empathy and future discourse that roots itself in mutual respect. I look forward to enabling young people to step forward, to take on this mantle of nation-building work. I urge the House for magnanimity and forbearance towards the young and the dissenting, while we figure things together in all our messiness and diversity as one people, as we evolve a new social compact for Singapore, together. Thank you, Mr Speaker, Sir, I reaffirm my support for the Motion. [Applause.]”
“I invite all of us to reflect on what are the biases that we have inherited from the society around us and how do such biases affect the way we speak to and treat our friends and fellow countrymen and women who are in the minority. Did we behave in ways that have been insensitive and unmindful that we should remedy? Outside of these, I would also like to extend a challenge to those who are passionate about working on these issues. Can we make our activism and advocacy more accessible? Can we explain concepts like microaggressions and intersectionality to our elders? Can we include our parents and grandparents in these discussions about equality and justice? I encourage our youths and others who are passionate to step up on these issues, not just on social media, but also in real life. Real life is where we build strong relationships. And we need strong relationships in order to have these difficult conversations. I am happy to share my experience from Daughters Of Tomorrow in empathy education with anyone keen to do this work. At the leadership level, I believe that the Government can loosen out-of-bounds (OB) markers and practise more tolerance. There are those who may not have the finesse to talk about such topics with the level of sensitivity that would be ideal. There are those who are well-informed and well-researched but may sometimes be hindered by passion and inexperience. I see and I empathise that our leaders bear the weight of Singapore on their shoulders. They bear the burden of protecting us, protecting our security, and protecting our stability. They have dedicated much of their lives and uncountable sleepless nights for the good of our country. It is a heavy cross to bear, but there is no need to bear it alone.”
“Are we making enough and intentional effort to get to know their stories? Mr Patrick Tay spoke about hiring biases. And similar to Mr Louis Ng, some of the instances I have seen in my work at Daughters Of Tomorrow are the following: a pregnant job seeker in a dilemma whether to disclose her pregnancy to a prospective employer; a single mother being asked how she expects to turn up for work on time with four kids on her hands; a Malay or Indian jobseeker being turned away because employers prefer “Chinese-speaking” individuals for jobs that may not require this; a tattooed individual being turned away for a job at a childcare centre and a Muslim woman being asked to remove her headscarf to perform her customer service duties. Discrimination is real to minority communities, not just in daily life and social interactions, but also from people in positions of power over their lives. Recently, due to several notable incidents, our racial and religious harmony has been tested. Minority communities have spoken up again, with some in the majority listening with an understanding ear, but some not. As I, myself, am learning right now, sometimes I say and do things that come across as unwittingly hurtful to our minority communities. In the past, I know that I have held and maybe even perpetuated some of these biases without knowing better, but I am trying to learn from my mistakes and be better. I would like to extend an invitation to people like me – who are privileged in some ways – to expand our empathy to our minority communities and begin really listening to what they say and how they feel.”
“We need MOM, MSF, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Finance (MOF), as well as domain experts from civil society working in gender as well as the care sectors to come together. We need to ensure that the complex interconnections among employment, caregiving, domestic labour, healthcare and retirement adequacy are considered holistically from a woman’s life journey approach. Mdm President mentioned in her speech that we need more innovation in the ways we transform our economy and to create new livelihoods for our people. I believe if the Government also works with social innovators and entrepreneurs and focus on enabling women, we could see the rise of a Care Economy that creates economic activity and new jobs for our citizens, both men and women, while serving the care needs of our ageing population. The third and final question that Singapore needs to address is this: how do we cater for the aspirations of the younger generation while meeting the desires of our older generation for social cohesion, peace and stability? To do this, we first need to step out beyond ideologies, theories and frameworks, away from emails and keyboards, and into people’s lives, to truly understand how they feel and why they feel the way they do. My colleague, Ms Yeo Wan Ling, spoke about knowing people for the stories behind the faces and the stories behind their challenges. Related to gender and poverty is a larger conversation about discrimination in our society. For those of us who are privileged, whether by race, class, gender or education, we may not always notice that it exists. However, for those without such privileges, I have come to understand that it is ever present, seeping into their daily lives.”
“This then means she ends up poor in her old age, because she has not made enough income during her productive years to ensure that she can retire well. According to research by AWARE Singapore, women earn close to $550,000 less than their male counterparts, over the course of a standard 40-year career. As we already know, the low fertility rate in Singapore has serious implications for our society. Less people working means a shrinking tax base, while we face rising healthcare costs due to our ageing population. So far, measures such as the Baby Bonus scheme have not been effective in improving outcomes, as our birth rate remains far lower than our replacement rate at 1.14 in 2018, the lowest in eight years. I beg the House to consider that the root causes of women’s decision to delay marriage and childbirth have more to do with quality of life that is made worse by financial sacrifice. The lack of caregiving support, opportunity costs in career for women, as well as the increased stress in their lives are all barriers to women having more babies. As my colleague, Mr Louis Ng, spoke passionately about, if we do not remove these barriers, we have little hope of reversing the trend of low birth rate. The strategies I urge this House to consider and debate in the coming months are: valuing the unpaid care work of women; legislating adequate workplace policies to support working caregivers, men or women; facilitate easier re-entry back to work; and reducing the burden of care on women with upstream gender and care education in our schools. I look forward to discussing and debating these strategies in future Sittings.”
“With compassion, empathy and the correct key performance indicators, we can lift the plight and spirits of our people, one person, one family at a time. My second question: how do we rebuild our economy to ensure equity while balancing fiscal sustainability? I believe the best solution lies in better harnessing the potential of women and allowing their talents and wisdom to shine, and to contribute better by reducing work-care conflict. During the General Election, I made a promise to my constituents that I would look after the sandwich generation of families and ease their stresses and burdens. I, myself, am a self-confessed millennial woman guilty of not choosing marriage and childbirth, not because I do not wish to, but because I am hesitant to. I grew up watching my mother be a tireless and self-sacrificing full-time homemaker. This gave me the unchangeable impression that a mother is someone who willingly takes on all chores in the household related to cooking, cleaning and taking care of the health and happiness of everyone in the family. As a 38-year-old woman with a career I find immense fulfilment in, there is no way I could see myself being a mother the same way mine was while continuing to advance in my personal and professional aspirations. Despite more and more women graduating from university with a degree, we still face the pressures and penalties that come with being a wife and a mother. All over the world, once a woman bears children and stays home to rear them for a few years, there is little chance, if ever, that her income can catch up again with the level she otherwise could have gotten. When her parents get old, again, she may have to give up her job to look after them, especially if they are in ill health.”
“I am certain our social assistance policies were designed to get people out of poverty and not keep them poor. But did we unintentionally create a perverse situation for people to stay poor because the system forces them to show us how needy they are before we can help them? The human spirit is intangible, and it is so important to preserve, especially in such difficult times. The cost to rebuild it is far too high. My charity, Daughters Of Tomorrow, was set up to help low-income women from challenged families rebuild their confidence in order to step back into the workforce. We intervene at the right time with the right measures without judging them. We incentivise effort and we reward progress. All these help us rebuild the spirits and revive the potential of hundreds of women. We put them and their family back on their feet. I urge this House to rethink our social assistance approach, from a “needs-based approach” to a “growth-based approach”. For a start, I recommend that we shift our language to stop referring to these families as “needy” families and start addressing them as “challenged families” to kickstart a mindset shift in our society. It might sound like semantics, but the choice of words can remove unhelpful labels and refocus our social assistance approach towards removing the barriers faced by these families who struggled. I also urge the relevant Ministries to create funding for individuals and social service agencies to reward effort and progress. We should reward individuals and families for making progress. We should also reward social service workers and officers for successfully enabling these families. I believe we can change the vicious cycle to a virtuous cycle.”
“] The Government's schemes are meant to help the people but, for some, the application process can be very frustrating. Take Workfare Special Payment, for example. Many low-income earners cannot qualify just because they have Medisave account arrears. Hence, they feel very frustrated. Is it because the schemes are not designed thoroughly or because public officers lack empathy? I do not think the problem lies with the frontline officers because their job is to do what is instructed to do. The Government should study where the problem lies and avoid unnecessary conflicts. What is meant to be “sending coals amid snow” should not end up becoming “adding frost to snow” and damaging the morale of public officers at the same time. (In English): While we support those who have lost their jobs with the usual practicalities of upskilling and employment matching, it is imperative that we uphold their dignity. We must maintain their self-esteem and we must upkeep their morale. Deputy Prime Minister Heng affirmed this in his speech on Monday. Hence, let us remove the shame of people feeling that if they resort to welfare, that it is because they did not try hard enough. If COVID-19 cannot convince us to be more compassionate and less judgmental in the way we help and support our people, what else can? When Minister Masagos made an announcement on 7 August that there would be an automatic renewal of ComCare for those whose support was due to end in the current quarter, I was delighted. This is a really good start. We can make more of such improvements to help reduce the anxiety, stress and erosion of self-esteem that affects many recipients of support. As my colleague, Mr Seah Kian Peng, also advocated, let us err on the side of being kind.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would first like to declare my interest as Founder and Strategic Advisor of a charity with Institution of Public Character (IPC) status in Singapore called Daughters Of Tomorrow. I rise in support of the Motion to thank the President for her Address. There are three key questions I would like to raise for this House to consider, as well as for our citizens to reflect on and contribute their views to, to help shape our policies. My first question: how do we maintain the fighting spirit of our people, maintain our unity, even as the loss of jobs puts increased pressures on families and make people feel like they have to compete for resources? I think the best way to do this is to change the way we think about welfare and social assistance. We need to first acknowledge that there could be biased assumptions in our current notion and perceptions of deservingness. We projected our gross domestic product (GDP) to shrink by 5% to 7% in 2020. Our unemployment rate is at 2.9% and it could rise further despite our best efforts. We will need to provide strong social support to those hit hard. This will require our social policies to be more generous. It also gives us an opportunity to evolve the existing narrative and notion of welfare recipients beyond having to be deserving and needy. COVID-19 has shown us that anyone can fall onto hard times. With global trade and economy being so volatile, we can now clearly see that the willingness to work is not the main factor that makes someone seek help. More often than not, people seek welfare because of many forces outside of their control. Mr Speaker, allow me to make a point in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I would first like to seek a clarification from Mr Leon Perera. He seems to suggest that it is because we do not have redundancy policies in place and hence our self-employed persons could not be adequately supported during this crisis. This suggestion seems to be premised upon that self-employed persons are necessarily self-employed due to redundancy and not by choice. It seems rather sweeping to me. Does Mr Leon Perera have anything to substantiate or to ascertain that people necessarily become self-employed chiefly due to redundancy and not by choice?”