Cheryl Chan Wei Ling
Singapore
“I note that Singapore has been pursing discussions with multiple countries over the past few years, regarding these cooperation activities. Will the Government be able to provide an update on the status of these cross-border discussions and whether they are progressing as expected, and aligned with our infrastructure plans and timelines?”
“Speaker, I have one supplementary question for the Minister of State. I want to ask the Minister of State, given the fact that we do this environmental impact study, will there be a study that will be conducted for every single oil spill and, if so, how long would the monitoring period be?”
“Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. As we go for more resource- and energy-efficient models of agri-tech production, would the Ministry consider taking a more active stand, beyond just grants, to look at areas of R&D, scaling and commercialisation?”
“Speaker, I have a supplementary question for the Minister. I agree with the Minister that these software systems are relatively complex and, generally, you do not just have a single supplier supplying to the overall system.”
“I have got a supplementary question for the Senior Parliamentary Secretary. From now till when the official regulation is in place is still some time away. For home owners, they would not have a means to be able to detect formaldehyde levels because they would not know.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have one supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. I recognise the challenges and headwinds that the Senior Minister of State has mentioned, but the reality is beyond just capability building and the grants that are given.”
The complete record
Every one of 455 lines we hold for Cheryl Chan Wei Ling, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 9 of 10.
“Early exposure provides our students with choices and understanding of what the future work environment might be or to further pursue areas of studies they are keen to specialise in. For the companies, it is a resource pool and also an early recruitment of potential talents that fit their company well. While it is important to develop skills in areas that one is lacking and those where one is passionate about, the identification process and taking the relevant courses to reinforce it is not an easy path. The challenge that many individuals may face after gaining qualification from third party vendor courses in the open market is the level of recognition these companies are willing to accept on relevance and useful skills they have acquired. Thus, if company or industry-related training can be considered under SkillsFuture, it will provide the incentive, scope and flexibility for the companies to enable some focus on continuous upgrading of their workers. Some of the programmes can be on-the-job training or cross-function job rotations; and this ultimately benefits the companies and enhances broader skillsets of our workers over time. This will also assist the SMEs which usually do not have the luxury of more resources and ability to dedicate their staff for external training. For workers in this situation, they will be further disadvantaged from not having a chance to learn broadly. With time, they may even face more difficulties to find the next appropriate job. So, Mr Deputy Speaker, while I support the Bill and efforts that MOM has made thus far, we need to be cautious of the weary and prolonged effects a society may face if the efforts are made solely on the part of the Government.”
“To change this trend, I strongly urge hiring managers and employers to rethink and to shift their mindset. Consideration must be based on the value that each worker brings to a company, many of which will not diminish with age, such as expertise and experience; and if done in collaboration, more work opportunities can be created locally and reducing social costs. As pointed out by my colleague, Mr Heng Chee How, it will also be useful for MOM to work with SPRING Singapore to actively share practices and showcase how some companies, especially SMEs, have successfully implemented and redesigned their work scope to help mature workers manage new functions that they have not encountered previously. In the second area, enhancing the framework for broad-based learning. We constantly speak about continuous learning and encourage individuals to cultivate a habit of learning not only in school but also at work. Often, this is not an easy task for companies without a people development centric culture or others without the scale to offer their staff training beyond their current job scope. As we develop the scope of SkillsFuture in Singapore, I suggest looking at courses from a different angle and enhancing it in three ways. First, to gradually mandate that tertiary students should have at least an opportunity for internships at companies in the public or private sectors through the course of their study. Second, allow companies to tap on SkillsFuture credit and expertise to develop in-house training programmes relevant to their organisations or industries. Third, incentivise the employers not through salary subsistence but skills development and work scope crafted for mature workers. Why the need for this?”
“As the Government encourages and persuades the tripartite partners to re-employ older workers, I urge the Ministry to consider the following on grounds of immediate and long-term needs. The first area is the increased focus on contract workers and freelancers. I have previously raised in this House and would reiterate again the need to provide access to basic knowledge related to contracts, service agreements, common HR practices to all working age adults, so that they are better equipped with understanding the latest industry practices and mentally prepared to handle the situation if it does arise. Increasingly, our older workers will not be hired as permanent or full-time staff and more PMEs are facing retrenchments even before the specified retirement age. Many of them end up with roles as part-time contract workers and freelancers. Such information and knowledge bear significance and are central to the workers on being better-informed and reduces the risk of unfair practices or litigations. With the tightening labour market and a maturing workforce, it is hard to imagine why our older workers are perceived to bring no value at all to the workforce. Some claim that physically, the older workers cannot cope or do not have relevant skills to handle the work. This may be true for some specific jobs, but it cannot be so for all. Many companies are willing to hire fresh graduates or some with little relevant experience, so why not the older workers? From my experience and observations, many mature workers have stronger resolve to learn, are willing to take on more scope if given the opportunities and share a greater sense of loyalty to their companies. Indeed, their wealth of experience cannot be redundant simply because they have reached an age.”
“Now, would it not be more critical for us to fast forward our thinking on solutions for the future where generations of seniors, where workers in their mid-40s today, can continue to be meaningfully involved at the job market as they mature in the workforce? We should recognise that under the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers (Tricom) and TAFEP, some progress has been made through working with the tripartite partners and also with the WorkPro Grants. However, depending on the Government alone or the law to ring fence and provide security for our older workers may be counter-productive in some instances and stagnates progression in achieving our desired outcome of having active ageing for those who wish to. There is a Chinese saying, 强 中 自 有 强 中 手、 一 山 还 有 一 山 高. What this means here is, whilst we can put some measures in place to ensure that our older workers remain employed, but the employers could also find more reasons and tactics to argue why they prefer not to have seniors in their workforce. Based on feedback, I believe there are three reasons that primarily led to the companies' reluctance in retaining or hiring older workers. First, our subconscious conjectures that associate our seniors to specific roles and worth of their abilities when they come of age. Second, the perceived higher cost of having older workers due to their need for more medical benefits and correspondingly more sick leave and time off work. Third, many companies lack the ability and bandwidth to deploy resources with job match, redesign appropriate jobs and have little will to retrain and manage these workers.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, as we look at an ageing population in Singapore, this Bill serves to highlight some truths about social awareness of our ageing workforce and the current situation that many seniors face today or in the coming years. For a society with an active workforce, surely our definition of retirement and re-employment must go beyond the traditional association with an age or the adjustment of benefits in a contract for older workers. How do we then define retirement? A check with Oxford Dictionary describes retirement as "The action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work". Literally, this means anyone can retire at any age they feel comfortable to go without a need for the job and not because they have reached a predefined age and need to be made redundant from work. I view both retirement and re-employment as personal choices where individuals decide when they wish to retire and whether they wish to be re-employed post-retirement at work and in what capacity. Sadly, the current employment trends reflect the harsh reality of the mindset of many employers and society at large that links one's effective worklife contribution to a particular age. While we question the state of things, should we not be asking what the root cause is? And are there better options in keeping a healthy, active workforce of willing and engaged workers? I agree that it is necessary to have some short-term plans on creating active work for our seniors or Pioneer Generation. But is it sufficient to achieve sustainable re-employment through a transactional focus on areas like how and when companies find ways to employ our seniors beyond a certain age; or for the Government to continue providing transitional subsistence for the employers to hire our seniors?”
“Third, to facilitate our public donors who wish to contribute funds to these low-income families by topping up the CDAs of the needy in order for the savings to receive these matching grants. And fourth, to permit the parents or even trustees to tap on the CDA funds to purchase education endowment or insurance policies for these children. Through some of all these above suggestions, we can better support those children in need and enable social and financial support to be given by willing individuals, apart from the child's natural parents or even legal guardians. This also extends the aid beyond the early childhood and Primary schooling years of the children and better utilise the funds provided. In conclusion, I support the amendments and some of the positive changes that will impact these families. 3.25 pm”
“Today, the CDA fund is given to every child at birth and can be utilised when it is used at the approved institutions. With the introduction of the Baby First Step Grant and dollar-for-dollar matching benefits that were introduced on 24 March 2016, this gives a further financial relief to all the families. However, I feel that the low-income families may not be able to benefit fully from this scheme. Firstly, some families are not aware of all the approved institutions where the funds can be used, including those indirect expenses. Secondly, they do not have the immediate financial means to capitalise on the matching grants even if they understand and wish to save for their children's future. Thirdly, some families with challenging backgrounds are using this pretext of lack of funds to delay enrolling their children for pre-school or childcare. With this context and to further support some of these families, I would like to ask MSF to consider how and what can be done to maximise the usage of the CDA funds, especially for the low-income families. I would like to suggest four areas. Page: 62 First, to assist parents who are already receiving the aids from the Social Service Office or those with low-income capped at specific limits and who have young children and school-going children in maximising the usage of the CDA funds. If required, MSF or even an appointed guardian can disburse and utilise the funds for the children's benefit instead of giving the cash amount directly to the families under their name. Second, to enable automatic transfer of any unused CDA funds for the child's post-Secondary or Tertiary education.”
“Mdm Speaker, I welcome the amendments introduced to the Child Development Co-Savings Act (CDCA) and believe that these will serve to enhance the support for parents to better care for their children. Some of the amendments have made the definition of parenting more inclusive and give flexibility to accommodate different parenting styles, particularly in the areas of adoption and unwed parents, and provide clarity on administrative matters related to parental entitlements. The Bill shows that we have positively progressed on some topics where there is a growing trend and our willingness to recognise and accept some diversity in family nucleus. I remember a few striking cases of my own residents who attempted to have their own children but they were unable to due to age and also medical conditions. The tremendous efforts these families undertook to adopt the children from overseas impressed upon me that it is not the financial aids that we provide that are material to them, but the acknowledgement from society that they are akin to the child's natural parents for their love in raising the child as though it is their own and also the fairness in including them under such benefit schemes that really makes the difference. Similarly, for cases where marital status used to be the qualifying criterion, with the introduction of the new amendments, this would help quite a number of families with differing circumstances. As I believe Child Development Account (CDA) touches the lives of every child and family in Singapore, the schemes implemented therein should not only encourage the families to have more children, but to give those children who are from vulnerable background a boost and also a better quality in life.”
“In conclusion, Mdm Speaker, I support the need to update the qualifying criteria, making it more stringent and keeping it relevant with the changing times. For other intangible measures or even indicators of whether we have progressed as a nation in terms of multiracialism and encouraging individuals from diversified backgrounds to step forward and contest in elections, these efforts can only be meaningful and enhanced over time with the participation of our citizens. Amendments to the Constitution are not one-off discussions but rather a constant work in progress that should bring us forward as a nation, one that gives soul and substance to this Constitution. Ultimately, the President is one whom we want to deliver his or her responsibilities as is a human that touches and connects with the lives of every Singaporean. And with this, I support the Bill.”
“Among the two roles that the President is accountable for, he or she must be equally qualified to deliver both the ceremonial and custodial roles. Over the years, it seemed that the associations with which people had drawn among the former Presidents, past potential candidates and even the political parties had become more intertwined. This was a result of most candidates being known public figures, that is representing a Party, or they are individuals who have extensive track records in the public sector. The number of "new" or unknown contestants were few and far between. There is no issue of past or present politicians that I see coming forth to contest for the higher office if they meet the qualifying criteria. But as a citizen, we are always mindful if the individual will have the moral integrity to stand up for decisions done in the interest of the country and be apolitical in their new role. The likelihood of a former public figure or individuals with prior knowledge from the public institutions to stand for elections is higher. We cannot deny that. The need to encourage them to serve as compared to a private individual, will be much easier. The concern is not about having a former public figure to run for the office. Rather, it is the need for this individual to: (a) understand their role as one being different from what they used to contribute when in governance; (b) establish their role in a needful manner and consciously demonstrate independence of thoughts with the nation's interest as top priority; and (c) to demonstrate the ability to reconcile differences in opinions and work through solutions with the Government to ensure that all the key proposition is in preserving wealth for the future generations of Singapore.”
“The Head of State is not just a symbolic figure, but a person whom the citizens respect, can assimilate to and can unify the nation as one. Most would believe that we uphold the values of meritocracy regardless of race, language or religion. The challenge will be if five terms down the road, we still find ourselves in a situation where a reserved election has to be held, then Singaporeans have to seriously consider whether we have indeed evolved as a country and have been multiracial in our roots and identity. To note, Singapore by then will be close to 80 years since our nation's Independence. If multiracialism is what we pride ourselves high on, it should have been second nature to us. Elections by then should be one where any capable man or woman, regardless of their race, will feel confident and comfortable to step forward and vie for the highest office on this land. By then, the term "reserved election" would be unnecessary. In my opinion, we must first acknowledge that these individuals who stand for elections are there due to their own merits instead of fulfilling a quota or even as a symbolic figure. Failure to differentiate their merits from their race and acknowledging it as a prerequisite in standing for election, would be, in my opinion, a retrograde step in forging a multiracial society. And lastly, on politics. Unlike some countries, Singapore's Presidential candidates do not enter an election campaign representing any party and effectively should not run a campaign with a list of promises to be delivered after being elected. Understanding and accepting this as the design of the President's role is important because it directly relates to the expectations of the electorate.”
“In order to achieve a right balance between both roles, and the diversity and inclusiveness of different individuals who can potentially be our Head of State, we can consider broadening the criteria over time and supplementing it by reviewing the process and selection of the CPA. Next, on race. For Singapore to achieve and enjoy the social harmony where people today exist in a multicultural and multiracial society; it did not come easy and certainly it was not an unplanned miracle. Every step was cautiously designed from our housing quota, bilingual education system to interfaith and racial harmony events. All efforts were taken to strengthen and evolve the culture that we want entrenched in our nationhood. But in order to achieve a race-blind state, whether as a nation and as individuals, we need to embrace the race identity beyond a definition and make true connections. As mentioned by several Members in this House over the past few days, deep-rooted connections that reflect our attitudes towards different cultures and races, the human touch of readiness to support fellow Singaporeans and the ability to imbue the different cultures as one common identity that resonates with all Singaporeans are exactly what we need. Most would say they do not look at race and simply want the best man or woman to stand for election as the President. However, surveys and history have shown that human beings have an affinity to find and settle with environments or even communities that provide them with most familiarity to their own belief or even values. This, in itself, has an added layer of complexity, especially if there are new faces of potential candidates whom we are unfamiliar with. How best then do we assess them or even judge?”
“After all, the President is not responsible for governing or passing Bills pertaining to Budgets. Like the CEOs and top management in many companies, they lead and work with the support of expertise from various cross-functional teams. In this instance, the CPA similarly advises on the exercise of the President's custodial and discretionary powers. Should we be prepared to encompass broader diversity and have a President who is not from top posts of the private or public sector, there are some questions we have to ask ourselves. First, do we need to review the selection and appointment process of the CPA, for example, supplement the CPA with an expert team focused just on the economy and financials of the country's wealth management, or having the CPA that is solely appointed by the President? Two, if the custodial role of guarding our nation's Reserve is a critical mandate, should the President have the final right to veto against any decision made by the Government if it is substantiated to be detrimental to Singapore? Three, by changing the criteria, it may provide the possibility for more potential candidates to be contenders. Is this just a formality or will it truly enable and inspire more capable candidates to step forward and serve? The stringent criteria recommended are necessary to ensure that we have the best qualified individual with critical capabilities to make central decisions when crises arise and safeguard our past Reserves for future generation. As our country progresses, there will be circumstances from time to time where one role may take dominance over the other, and vice versa.”
“Mdm Speaker, since the recommendations made by the Constitutional Commission on proposed changes to the Elected Presidency were announced, there had been much talk about the motivation behind all the proposals. The flurry of questions and discussions continued not only in this House but both online and offline. The questions were varied. Was it designed for specific individuals who could become the potential candidates? Was it made to reduce the net pool of individuals who could qualify or was it about multiracialism and politics? From this, I see three aspects that are worth deliberating: leadership, race and politics. First, on leadership. In all processes where selection of leaders is concerned, we generally need a set of criteria as a starting basis of comparison for consistency and fairness. To be relevant with time and context, I agree and support that the qualifying criteria must be reviewed on a periodic basis, especially this case in point pertaining to the post that belongs to the highest office in Singapore. Based on the recommended criteria, the initial impression was that the stringent criteria would have restricted the eligible candidates to individuals who have experience as CEOs and also senior management in the private or public sector. Would this then mean that other outstanding professionals not in top management be unlikely Presidential candidates in the future? To answer this, it is important for us to understand that, as citizens, how do we see our President's role and the appropriate balance between the ceremonial and custodial roles? For the custodial role, it is without doubt that material knowledge of broad economic and financial fundamentals is necessary. However, this role does not need to be solely performed by the President.”
“For those who have to make career switches due to market conditions or with their acquired upskills through their lifelong learning, it will be beneficial for them to have better visibility and understanding of practices in the new industries before they venture into them. In conclusion, I believe that the employment claims process can be better implemented and will be well-balanced, without unduly impacting on critical resources when all these updated market practices and necessary legal framework and information are widely made accessible to Page: 101 most of our workers and not only restricted to those who are being protected under the Act. Awareness and rolling out these good practices would only more effectively circumvent the need for extensive mediation in the long run. Hopefully, through all these different support networks, our vulnerable working groups and PMEs could improve their job opportunities and achieve fair work packages.”
“However, just relying on the influencers or even some of these advocates of like-minded practitioners to push the agenda for fair workplace practices with SMEs and the private sector may take a very long while to materialise. In an open economy, companies are more susceptible to the dynamics and impact of all the external market forces. Increasingly, we have observed that trends and all these indicators reflect our workplace as one where it is commonly seen with frequent company restructuring, reduction in breadth of our industries, earlier retirement of our skilled workers and difficulty in well-educated mature workers being re-employed. Over time, these trends are invariably more challenging to deal with. In order to resolve them, it requires multi-pronged approaches to strike a balance or to mitigate their effects, and many of these effects go beyond the basics of what are considered discrimination on grounds of age, race or even language at the workplace. I encourage the agencies to consider stepping up on audits, doing external valuations to benchmark, identifying and stemming the current weak practices in some of the sectors, while the educational aspect continues to be communicated and implemented. I feel one area to look into urgently is that of the employment agencies, particularly those that are outsourced. These HR firms actually have very short-term commitments and also non-contractual commitments to the employees who are being hired on behalf of the hiring companies. The parties impacted would be the freelancers, part-timers and mature workers.”
“But because he is the sole breadwinner in his family and he has minimal paper qualifications, Page: 100 he is afraid of losing his job if he stresses upon this any further with his HR. He thus remained in his job and decided to pursue all overdue claims if he is able to, only provided that he can secure a job externally and because he has got four members in his family to care for. So, having a claims process and tribunal may be a start for those seeking help, but the claims and appeal cases to be heard could easily take between six months and up to a year. This is a very arduous waiting period and is mentally and physically taxing for many of these workers, especially those who have special circumstances, like those who are sole breadwinners, have unexpected health conditions and or are actually silent individuals who do not dare to contest for their job rights or make the next "big" move into the next job. So, how can MOM assist this group of individuals? The last area, the path of pursuit in terms of the promotion of all these concepts, implementation and enforcement. TAFEP, I recognise, is putting in efforts to expand and play a very key role in changing the mindsets of employers and HR practitioners, so that you build a good workplace architecture in order to get a fair and progressive workplace. I recognise that to push this in a widespread universal practice across the board is a very huge task and it requires the active participation from all responsible parties in the workforce, not just MOM. Promoting it and education become the natural first steps in all this raising of awareness.”
“Personally, I have some residents who brought up cases of this nature at my Meet-the-People sessions. Let me just cite two real-life experiences. The first case is that of a resident in her early 40s. Before she was laid off, she held the position of HR Director in a multinational corporation. Her dismissal was not due to misconduct or even restructuring, but she was at the end of the fifth month into her first pregnancy. One would imagine that she would know how to handle the situation because of her background in HR and the fact that she is a senior manager. On the contrary, she was devastated and tried to seek help. But she had no avenues to turn to, and the EA excludes her from any coverage for the mere fact of her salary range. So, though the company did compensate her financially in the end, she was physically not prepared to fight for her rights, which she believed she was justified to have even more of. And the costly process gave her second thoughts because the child was going to be due soon. Searching for a job after her maternity leave would be a second challenge for her as she juggles between her new-born baby and seeking a job of a similar scope and seniority. The second case is that of a resident whose monthly salary is $1,900 and works for a local SME for the past 18 years. He is aware that he has not been appropriately paid for some of the components in his work package and the matter has come to the attention of the company because there is a group of similar workers just like him a few years ago. While some of his colleagues have had their packages duly adjusted and they have been paid for the missing monies, it was not so for him.”
“I suggest that MOM consider with the Workforce Development Agency or now Workforce Singapore and SkillsFuture agencies, to providing access on basic knowledge related to contracts, service agreements, common HR practices to all working age adults so that they are better equipped with understanding the latest industry practices and mentally prepared to handle these situations when they arise. This will also be useful for those undertaking part-time work, mature workers or workers who are transiting back to the workforce, fresh graduates and those workmen who are not covered under any industries specified under the WorkRight initiative. This way, for those who are not covered under the EA or will not benefit from the Employment Claims Bill currently, they will be more aware and better informed to ask the right questions during contract negotiation. It is the first step in preventing them from getting into the unknowns. The second area, provision of support during and after the claim mediation period. Often, we assume that all these workers who have been unfairly dismissed or treated at work will eventually be duly compensated when their cases are proven and supported. However, many do not know that the consequences of a worker being unfairly dismissed, mistreated or suddenly dismissed goes way beyond the monetary compensations. Some of the downsides include the difficulty of being re-hired due to uncertainty by their prospective hiring companies as to why they have been dismissed in the first place, long waiting periods for professionals to search for equivalent matching jobs, diminishing self-confidence of those who are financially strapped during this claim period and an inability to cope after they have been reinstated post the findings and so on.”
“So, here, I would like to highlight three areas that I urge MOM to review and consider. The first area, increasing employees' awareness of employment terms and basic legal structure of contracts and service agreements. Annually, we have fresh cohorts of graduates who are looking to join the workforce at around this time of the year. Many of them would be delighted to have been gainfully employed and offered an employment even before they graduate. But how many of us would recall our first ever employment contract and what it really contains? To most who are hired as permanent employees, they may remember having signed a contract that contains pages of information and, at best, they would likely take interest in remembering a Page: 99 few things, such as their monthly salary, bonus scheme, annual leave and maybe termination notice period. On one hand, we can say this is a blessing as one should really not have to focus on the contract details regularly when they are contentedly engaged in their day jobs. But on the contrary, when an unfortunate situation does arise, it may be a difficult and costly affair for some of them who did not fully understand what they had been contractually bound from the start. While it is useful that the enhanced EA mandates stipulating these key employment terms (KET) in writing, but the administration of KET does not necessarily reduce the misunderstandings or even minimise disputes that arise.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill and would like to make some suggestions to further improve matters in this area. In April this year, the EA was enhanced to facilitate better administrative records and for employees to better understand employment terms and benefits. According to the TAFEP, 259 complaints were received about unfair practices at the workplace in 2014, compared to 475 made in 2013. While there is a trend of decline in the complaints, most of the complaints received were related to hiring practices which disadvantaged Singaporeans and they were based on age, language and race. However, there has been little survey statistics available about the percentage of unfair dismissal of workers. Similarly, not much attention has been given to unfair practices that go unreported by the workers who were so affected who may not be covered by the Act or due to lack of knowledge on their entitlements or for fear of losing their jobs, especially when the job market is weak. Though I agree that not all complaints and claims should be viewed with a negative light, lest we think the current job market is skewed with unbridled bad practices, the need to continue pushing for a fair and inclusive workplace behooves us to look at these areas where current coverage is lacking and has to be enhanced. And since the primary purpose of the proposed Employment Claims Bill is to facilitate the expeditious resolution of employment disputes by providing mediation for such disputes, there should be prior steps made available that assist employees to make informed decisions or assessments of whether they should raise their cases and how best for those, as covered under the Act, not to overburden our mediation system.”
“I would like to ask the Minister if there is a technical committee that exists today where the Town Council or even the lift contractors could refer to in terms of their technical specifications. And whether they have best practice sharing. Because part of the problem is that a lot of downtime is due to trouble-shooting, which is inevitable when the lifts break down. But when it has a lot of trial and error, I think that can be avoided.”
“I believe that rejuvenation of our heartlands is just as important, if not more than infrastructural changes or beautifying and modernising the landscape. We also need to ensure that we have a right mix of businesses and encourage startups or social businesses to form an ecosystem in our neighbourhood and town centres. Improving Liveability”
“Chairman, several existing businesses would like to continue their trade in the same area rather than moving to a new location. However, in mature neighbourhood centres, many of their remaining leases are 10 years or less. Business operators and residents share strong sentiment of the place and businesses were their "go-to" shops in the neighbourhood. The operators are hesitant to participate in the enhanced Revitalisation of Shops (ROS) scheme as the amount they have to invest, albeit co-funded, does not justify the remaining lease period. Co-funding for the scheme and rent-free period during renovation do not resolve their concerns over the lease period. The Government should, therefore, consider giving these owner-operators an option to extend their leases so that the cost-benefit of the enhanced ROS scheme is more attractive to them. For shops that were previously sold, many would have been sublet to tenants. This usually results in frequent change of tenants. The shop owners also have no keen interest to be part of the ROS scheme as maximising rental is their primary aim. We often end up with a poor mix of business types, having multiple tenants within same vicinity conducting similar businesses. This creates competition but yet a lack of diversity in offerings. In this regard, since the Government is encouraging startups, it should consider and assist those with innovative business models or those revitalising traditional trades by offering shop spaces in the neighbourhood over a shorter lease period. This helps to reduce their startup cost, serves as an incubation bed for potentials and inject new elements to the mature estates, at least a different variety from the retail chain stores that are common in our malls today.”
“However, moving forward, I hope that the need for integrated planning, design and executing solutions ahead to manage potential practical challenges of a developed living community is an area that the inter-agencies can consider and improve upon. In our efforts to improve connectivity, much of the focus has been put on connecting and moving people through transportation. We emphasise on the availability of hardware and timeliness of putting them in place, but very often, lacking is a fundamental thought around how users could actually be integrated into the process as infrastructures are being made available over time. An example would be cycling as we strive to be car-lite. I think cyclists and pedestrians both have a right of way on shared pavements. Unfortunately, the lack of thoughtfulness in shared spaces have resulted in one accident too many. Instead of pleasant, shared spaces, over time, what is sighted are increasing measures and enforcements that may not actually be enforceable over time, because we cannot counter these reckless behaviours. What I hope the Ministry could look into are: the basic awareness and education which should be the primary tasks before infrastructures are being put in place, can the Government prioritise this, and if so, step up on all these measures?”
“First, the planning horizon has to take a longer-term perspective for better integration of the old and new towns, to prevent fragmented developments as we move from one town to another. Second, renewal of old towns must be sustainable. Thus, designs must be practical for maintenance and yet aesthetically lasting. Third, basic amenities and infrastructures to support new developments have to be built in tandem, rather than as add-ons or an afterthought. Lastly, connectivity between and within townships has a broader implication beyond just transportation. Planning of new towns, in some aspects, is easier than in mature towns as requirements can be designed in to meet the needs. For mature towns, direct or simple modifications may not necessarily be possible at times to achieve the same outcome as in a new town. In such instances, master planning for purposes of land use and land sale should have systems in place for early notification and enable integration or adaption of feedback from local communities. Co-development would increase acceptance from the local communities and allow better collaboration. In fitting amenities for public usage, sometimes, it is easy to forget the pragmatic need for maintenance and ease of upgrading. So, from material selection and design to ergonomics, it is important to fully consider all aspects before the build. This will help to ensure practicality, functionality and better cost management of common amenities in our neighbourhoods. As estates begin to mature and are more built-up with time, it is inconvenient to bear with the modifications that are required to cope with the capacity, but this is understandably acceptable as it is necessary.”
“Given that flats of this nature may have a shorter lease period, the possibility of resale for such flats after the minimum occupation period (MOP), assuming MOP is longer than five years, unlike in a BTO or the regular direct sale flats, will become less attractive. This will actually discourage some families to take up the scheme as they would be concerned that their investment in such flats will not ensure they can afford a home during their retirement. I suggest that the Ministry consider further what more can be done to address the aforementioned points. In addition, I propose that this scheme be also made available to young married couples who are in the process of family planning or soon to expect their first child. The grants made available could be reduced to match the income level, so as to maintain a fair treatment in financial assistance rendered. This may be helpful for those young families who wish to live closer to their parents and want to have a flat sooner than BTO flats or have been repeatedly unsuccessful in the sale of balance flats exercise. The results would be a win-win solution where they have better extended support from their parents and are also able to start a family earlier at a lower cost. Creating Sustainable and Connected City What is the definition of a sustainable and connected town in a developed city? The answer can vary widely depending on who we ask and people's expectations. For a developed city, continuous planning, creation and renewal efforts need to be in place for new towns and mature towns. Let me share some key objectives I think it needs to fulfil.”
“Mdm Chair, housing affordability is a frequently raised topic. While affordability is a function of supply and demand, but for some families, this is not merely about the price of a flat. In the Fresh Start Housing Scheme, the Ministry's focus is on young families who are currently living in public rental flats and aspire to become home owners as a second-time buyer. For some, this is a welcome move as it will enable them and their families to start afresh. However, there are others who, though desire to have a place of their own, may have other considerations that deter them from making the purchase. Some of the considerations include flat locations, whether they can purchase their existing rental flats, upfront cash payment, shorter lease period and so on. Some families have school-going children or preschoolers already enrolled in nearby childcare centres. If they have to move to flats located far from their current rental place, the availability of suitable schools and childcare to transfer their children into will be a key priority for them, without which, they may not be able to continue working and have care support for their children. As such, some may prefer to purchase their existing 2-room rental flat. If there are more such requests, would the Ministry consider? And how will the proportion of rental versus sale flats in such blocks or areas be managed in the long run? A number of these eligible families may have difficulties having sufficient cash for the downpayment of the flat. Does the scheme allow them to make the downpayment using CPF only, and can the maximum mortgage loan period for the flat be equivalent to the full lease period?”
“This will lessen their financial burdens, improve their retirement adequacy, give them flexibility to use Government aid and empower them to seek individual support services for a better quality of life for themselves and their loved ones. Means Testing”
“A Duke-NUS Medical School survey found that fewer than 5% of caregivers interviewed used individual support services, such as home nursing and respite care programmes. Care-givers are becoming a vulnerable group themselves while they care for their vulnerable loved ones. They face emotional stress, lack of social support and immediate and long-term financial burdens. This is worse for specialised caregivers who have to care for loved ones with specific illnesses, for example, caregivers for elderly with dementia, caregivers of people with mental illness and parents of children with special needs. I understand that some of these specialised caregivers will qualify for tax reliefs, such as Handicapped Parent Relief or the Grandparent Care-giver Relief. However, tax reliefs are only meaningful for working Singaporeans with large enough incomes to pay taxes. Many specialised caregivers either cannot work or work part-time due to the nature of the specialised caregiving. I also understand that some Government subsidies are available at the point of service, for example, for the Singapore Programme for Integrated Care for the Elderly (SPICE) and also the Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) grant. However, there are also specialised caregivers who feel that taking care of the dependants personally is the best care that they can give them. I ask that the Minister consider giving means-tested refundable tax credits for specialised caregivers, meaning that some of these caregivers who do not work or work part-time would get the cash refund, a portion of which would go into their Central Provident Fund (CPF).”
“Assurance is also necessary that the push for such electronic service delivery within Government agencies does not result in lesser clarity of ownership on the issues or become a revolving door. Second, how does digitalisation change our behaviour towards the auditing, security and data protection processes in organisations? As it stands, many organisations already have different forms of operating systems and databases that they use to handle the operational tasks. However, the regular audit process still requires massive amounts of manual backend paperwork, filing and keeping of records in order for all these audits to take place. The question remains if the methods of handling audits are contradictory to the digitalisation efforts, while remaining a necessary and critical check of any organisation. Third, the resistance to change will set in when users contemplate that they have to input similar data repetitively into different Government agencies. So, I would encourage the Government to create a unified base system structure where existing data can be shared across the different agencies. Time and cost on both parties would be alleviated when fewer processes are reinvented and streamlined. And of course, the most critical link is the need for inclusiveness when systems and processes are designed because the ability of the different groups to adapt will vary in society. As we progress, we must not forget there are those who lack resources to keep pace. Tax Credits for Caregivers Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Mdm Chair, more than 200,000 people are estimated to be providing regular care to family and friends in Singapore. This number is expected to rise as the number of elderly would more than double by 2030.”
“The Government should consider having the public sector outsource some of their functions in support of these organisations. This way, it allows the enterprises to harness resources and leverage capabilities to sustain or learn best practices. Lastly, in all solutions initiated, it is critical to have a closed loop to improve the feedback channel and finetune the system instead of adding more features continuously which, invariably, result in some complexity and redundancies. Move towards Digital Service Delivery As the world transforms, so must we, to keep pace and remain relevant with the global environment, digitalisation being one of the ways forward as there are known benefits. I would like to ask the Ministry, as we introduce more of such programmes, how can we ensure that all Singaporeans, including seniors and those without prior knowledge, will not be left out of the journey? And a clarification whether the Ministry has done anything to advance the use of e-payment. Before we move full swing to introduce services, there are a few aspects that are necessary to be deliberated. First, sufficient effort must be made for different groups of participants, be they businesses, citizens, voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and so on, to understand the significance and tangible benefits of such implementation rather than viewing the process as yet another target. The initial process may be long, but these efforts are necessary, without which, any momentum in the transformation would be painfully slow and is likely to achieve a lower success rate. It may also cost us more since additional resources have to be injected at a later stage because it is more of a "push" than a "pull" process.”
“Thank you, Mdm Chair. After 50 years of good progress, it is timely for us, as a nation, to reflect and begin charting new directions together to scale new heights for the next 50 years and more. As the Minister for Finance calls for better partnership with industry and our people, what areas can we look at to co-create solutions? Here are some areas that may be worth considering. Let us start from the ideation process. With many sectors in the broad-based industry, each sector has its unique characteristics and needs. To enhance and find areas of synergy, it is pertinent for the different sectors to provide insights and champion ideas that they believe would put our industries on a better footing on the global stage. The Ministry should provide platforms for such collective ideas to take shape. Each sector should allow natural champions in leading their own industry to define the framework and seek support in areas of assistance required to differentiate themselves as a business or as a Singapore brand. For community leaders, we need flexibility in defining guidelines and, during its implementation, to encourage co-ownership and innovation with local adaptation of ground-up initiatives to suit their needs. This is a culture that we seek to foster with both our industries and our people. Reduce top-down directive that is, in return, strengthened by our social recognition of what we define together as a community. Next, to create enhanced support with a planned roadmap for these outfits. Take, for example, our social enterprises that have emerged over the years. Many have embarked on the path due to their passion and belief to support specific causes. However, many have closed down over time from an inability to sustain due to funding or other reasons.”
“one with an agility to adapt and constantly keep abreast of market trends. And the crux of this is the culture within the company and the mindset of the business owners. As a step to encouraging more innovation and piloting some of these creative ideas, we need an open, flexible and trusting environment. To facilitate this, I hope that the Government could strengthen the framework for IP protection, streamline some of the channels for information search and their applications, as well as to leverage the trade networks that could assist them in future expansion as part of the transformation process. Slow Economy Affecting SMEs”
“Mr Chairman, while I am glad that both the Ministers have addressed some of the challenges and also some of the support packages or schemes that would be made available, but, with the weak global growth, the immediate business outlook for some of SMEs, as well as startups is still poor. Here, I would like to suggest a few areas in which the Government can step in to assist on a short-term basis and help the companies continue to transform and remain competitive. First, for startups and SMEs, managing startups and ongoing costs is one of the key challenges. Any schemes that support reduction of their fixed costs will be useful for them to manage their cash flow. Cost of labour and rental are the main components of their fixed costs. The Government can consider providing some of their subsidised rental and tax rebate for a fixed period, based on some mutually agreed objectives, like innovative business models, target financial returns and others. Second, I am glad that Minister Lim Hng Kiang has referred to the fact there would be the LEAD+ programme that would actually provide these shared corporate support functions. To take that further, I would suggest that they can also provide job opportunities for some of the retirees who have past management and extensive business experiences. A platform can be established for matching these retirees to SMEs and startups to serve as mentors and consultants so that they continue providing their know-how in the field. Lastly, for businesses, managing cost is only one of the many aspects that they have to handle amidst the challenging economic conditions. The silver lining for businesses that survive tough situations is that their businesses would have stress-tested a differentiating edge −.”
“For more sustainable businesses, especially those in niche areas, it is necessary for us to generate end-to-end support functions in order to thrive. Cost and labour are commonly some of the concerns and would foresee us not being a manufacturer in Singapore for some aspects. But our role in the most critical levers within the ecosystem would be the value that we seek to position ourselves and transform ourselves into. Trends in Manufacturing and Innovation”
“Mdm Chair, businesses are faced with sharpening domestic constraints and grappling with structural transformations. I would like to ask MTI what our strategy is in generating sustainable economic growth and continue creating jobs for Singaporeans. With dynamism in the economy and growing regional competition, we need to take a multifaceted approach to develop an ecosystem that continuously creates jobs for Singaporeans. As a start, I suggest we need a strategic outlook on what makes up this ecosystem and how to find traction within each of these spaces. Logically, it begins with an end point of what potential industries we can attract or create in and out of Singapore. As we move up the value chain and innovate within some of the traditional markets or industries, we can identify which we aspire to be in or in becoming a significant representation of. As Mr Cedric Foo has pointed out, EDB has actively scouted for such partnerships in the past and created opportunities for the players to leverage our human capital in Singapore. I think we need to accelerate this search for potential partners once again and create some cohorts of relevant talents in these fields. With internationalisation, we should view our offices through a global lens. The critical connection between Singaporeans and our work locations should be the people, and not the offices. Our reputable Singapore brand gives us a notch in the international arena, and I think our younger generations should be adventurous in wanting to learn new skills and take opportunities beyond our local shores. It is a different perspective, but one that strengthens our human capital and extends our job horizons over the years.”
“Moving forward, I hope the Government and the public can jointly view subsidies and funding support packages or programmes more holistically and taking longer term perspectives. This way, we can continue our prudent spending approach with an aim to improve wealth distribution throughout our society and funding timely investments for the subsequent generations. Mdm Speaker, with this, I support the Budget. 3.37 pm”
“Third, many groups on the ground who receive help from community networks today are not registered or belong to any IPCs. This does not mean that corporations who are willing to support community networks cannot do so. Instead, I advocate that IPCs and VWOs extend their support and work closely with local communities in conjunction with these corporations. Likewise, social enterprises that assist in similar ways should be given consideration and concession under the framework. This way, more individuals and vulnerable families can benefit from the system. Lastly, to expand on the SG Future Citizen Engagements that was launched in November 2015, I hope the various SG Future Ministries continue to partner the community in co-creating solutions and finding more effective methods of delivering their services in this digital age. With close community involvement, tangible benefits can be achieved and more individuals with varying circumstances may also receive assistance. Unless we begin planning early, the right balance between state support and community involvement will not emerge. To ensure that social support will be sustainable, it needs like a balloon to have more than one party adding their lung capacity to keep it afloat. State support coupled with individuals, family and community involvement is the way forward to ensure a basic decent standard of living for all Singaporeans, even as the cost of that invariably rises over time. The Budget, to me, is more than the announcements of basic subsidies and handouts. We should view it over a longer horizon and chart directions for Singapore both socially and economically. Thus, there is urgency for us to act in the interest of our future generations and prevent any undesirable outcome.”
“Earlier in my maiden speech, I spoke about the need for an Integrated Social Hub, or what I term the the 3G Village, where we can bring community networks together and reinforce social values through inter-generational sharing, thereby strengthening our social fabric. It is heartening to note that in Budget 2016, more focus is given to improve last mile delivery and social innovation to maximise impact of schemes. Some of the schemes that are encouraged include corporate social responsibility (CSR) as well as promoting the scale-up of ground activities and community networks. To take the Budget's focus on partnerships a step further, I propose some areas for future considerations. First, introduce the social culture and inculcate values at a young age. Today, some schools do conduct projects under the Community Engagement Programmes (CEP). However, there is a lack of emphasis on values learnt from these projects. I believe that these projects should go hand-in-hand with training and such emphasis begins from home. Parents should be given opportunities to be a part of the CEP experience with their children and not be restricted to giving back only through CSR organised events. Family role models and precious time spent as a family would be more effective benefits emerging from such programmes. Second, there is a growing trend of self-organised groups for different causes that benefits the society at large. We applaud these efforts and should assist them in scaling up. It would be helpful to have platforms made available where the different self-organised groups can leverage resources, shorten their learning curve and enable volunteers to extend their contribution to other new areas which may interest them.”
“Second, the people involved have to be aware and prepared with passive income and financial planning for old age beyond today's primary twin pillars – their property and CPF. Third, options have to be made available for them to balance the level of dependence and financial support on their family, bearing in mind the smaller family units and increasing trend of singles over time. These approaches, if taken in tandem, could be alternatives or will at least maintain cross-subsidisation at reasonable amounts or levels. Third, groups that do not qualify for any state support. The reality of any system is it cannot provide coverage for all groups across the society, thus, the need to dispense support based on a targeted approach. However, if subsidies continue to be targeted only for specific groups, how can we be assured that those whom we believe are self-sufficient will indeed be able to manage on their own? For this group, I feel that some of their needs can be looked into through funding at different aspects instead of direct subsidies. One of the options is to supplement it by fostering care in our society. In doing so, we can broaden the support base for some groups that fall outside public support due to their household income or property value. Knowing that state support will always be required, how then do we partner and involve the community at large to enhance our social safety net? As a country, we need to ensure fostering care in society becomes an ingrained culture and paying it forward is a social value that Singaporeans are associated with. Such culture cannot be achieved overnight. Likewise, partnerships also require willing parties to step forward and the willingness to smoothen the creases together along the journey.”
“It was good that PGP covers all seniors who were 65 and above at the point of policy implementation regardless of their household income. Post-PGP, MediShield Life was introduced, and it provides further protection for those who do not have insurance coverage. It was critical for the lower income families and those with little savings to manage their hospital care needs. Now, there is the Silver Support Scheme providing quarterly payouts for the bottom 20% of seniors and, to some extent, 30% of them. While all these are beneficial to our Pioneer Generation (PGs), their children who are the next generation of seniors will likely require the same types of support but at a much higher cost than our PGs today. Herein is a possibility of the successive generation of seniors not being able to support themselves at an earlier age, if income disparity and social support are not properly managed. This brings about the urgency for us to review and begin engaging them while they are still active income earners. As we begin charting the directions for the future, I feel that we need to take strategic and proactive approaches rather than time-based subventions specific for each generation. And second is increasing funding and cross-subsidisation from public. To reduce the burden on subsequent generations, we must begin the planning right now and choosing the right paths for them. On the same note of strategic and proactive approach, below are some suggestions of how we can involve our future seniors. First, there is a need for earlier community involvement and collaboration with today's middle-aged group as they plan for both their family and retirement.”
“To sustain an appropriate level of state support for social programmes, more revenue streams must be created, and this may increase the burden on our future generations. Being aware of what the potential outcome may be, it is prudent for us to take the necessary steps today to avert such an outcome. I believe we can do so by defining our new chapter together and creating options to strike a right balance between state support and partnerships with the community at large. To begin, we must recognise that a social safety net must be present for some groups of individuals and those with lower likelihood of being able to be self-sufficient without external assistance. Typically, some of these groups are our seniors, the lower-income workers, people with disabilities (PwDs) and our younger families. In order to supplement state support, we have further enhanced our social safety net for those more vulnerable through multiple schemes. However, the challenges that we face are: one, the state support system has become more complex over the years and it is harder to implement with ease so as to maximise the support for the intended beneficiaries; two, increasing funding requirements means a need for the public to cross-subsidise in different ways; and three, some groups, albeit small in quantity, may still not qualify for any available support schemes. Let us take a closer look at each challenge and what could be done to address it. First is the complexity of the public support system. An example is the support for our seniors. Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) began in 2015 and that was crucial to many seniors due to their age and also the lower preparedness to manage their healthcare costs as they started their lives during the difficult times of nation building.”
“Mdm Speaker, Budget 2016 is a Budget that covers a broad spectrum of support for individuals and industries with a targeted approach and some long-term investments on infrastructure. Like past Budgets, it is one where we get some disappointed sighs from those who do not stand to benefit while others heaved a sigh of relief as the much-needed safety support is provided. Minister Heng noted that, in 2016, there are cyclical headwinds and challenges that exist, but there are also opportunities if we adapt and grow in preparation to capture those future opportunities. With this context, we clearly understand there cannot be generous packages annually. In the years ahead, we will inevitably encounter some years similar to 2016 where economic outlook is not at its best and yet we need the tenacity to weather the storm together as a nation. Central to this is the question, "How can we find a balance between state support and involvement of community to enhance our social safety net?" As Singaporeans, we share a common wish deep in our hearts. We want Singapore to reach SG100 and beyond for many generations to come and in a much better position than today. As we progress towards SG100, there are a few social indicators that will continue to raise the bar of support requirement in our society. These indicators are an increasing ageing population, constant need to bridge the income disparity, a shrinking working population and the well-educated younger generation with higher aspirations and expectations of what basic livelihood entails in a developed nation. It is apparent that to provide for such rising needs, we may reach a stage where there is an over-dependence on the Government for social programmes.”
“I thank the Acting Minister for his answer. I would like to follow up with two supplementary questions. I do support and agree that the SkillsFuture programme is a good one and it should be one that is about broad-based learning and lifelong learning. However, fairly often, I do hear from constituents that some of these WDA courses that are provided for them do not adequately enable them to look for jobs subsequently. One of the reasons they were told was that some of the courses they had taken were insufficient and they needed to go for additional accreditation. The first question is: would the Ministry consider putting up some guidelines or criteria to say what are the relevant courses which are applicable for particular industries so that people would have better guidance on how to go for the relevant courses because there are a lot provided currently? The second question is with regard to quality and assurance: could the Acting Minister elaborate on the frequency of the cross-accreditation and how do the auditors regularly benchmark these against what is being provided out there in the market?”
“The second question is what are the criteria being used to determine the ratio in each of the HDB heartland, between those shops on sale and those for lease.”
“Mdm Speaker, I thank the Minister for his answers. I have three supplementary questions. First, for those where the tenure is already up, how long will the lease be for the renewal? Second, what are the criteria under MND for the mix of those on sale and of the lease of the shops? Last, would MND consider the transfer of ownership between one generation and the other, if we want to have some businesses thrive over generations?”
“This way, we not only maximise resources, infrastructure, people, communication of policies and outreach; it also provides options for localised employment opportunities, promotes active ageing and lifelong learning. As such, it will slow down their health and mental deterioration, leading to healthier lifestyles and providing choices for these seniors to age gracefully. The stories mentioned earlier may seem to be a dream to many. But is this a vision we can jointly turn into reality? The answer is yes. We can create an integrated social hub within each living community where the residents live, work and socialise. In a true sense, the kampong spirit is revived and this takes on a whole new dimension. I term this new village the "3G Village", one built with care and respect for all ages, as everyone has a meaningful role to play. With that, Mdm Speaker, I support the Motion.”
“This is possible if we aspire to be a part of nation-building and want to define community involvement at all ages and in varying forms. Shortage of labour will persist in our system, like many other developed countries, specifically in this area of caregiving. Singapore will compete with other countries, like Japan, Germany and Italy, for external caregiving resources. UN studies have shown that these countries will also have more than 25% of their population aged 65 years and above by 2030. Thus, the urgency and need for self-reliance and building resources that cater for the characteristics of our aged as they are strongly influenced by the culture within the country. Third, to help to supplement and provide support at the community level to state-level welfare initiatives. Increasingly, we have seen that it is a social and economic cost to our society when older people are shut out from mainstream life. Loss of income, status and a positive role in community life means a greater likelihood of dependence on the taxpayer. In addition, the failure by society to use the experience of older people results in further costs to our communities. Older people are as heterogeneous as any group in society and reflect the social and cultural mix of any cross-section of the community. Similarly, they have needs and aspirations which differ from their individual circumstances. For some, work has provided a sense of identity and recognition of their contribution to society. A substitute thus must be established in retirement to maintain their individual self-esteem. In summary, through the integrated social hub, we can bring about a reinforced sense of social and human awareness, and inculcate values through intergeneration sharing, thus strengthening our social fabric.”
“Mrs Soh and her father-in-law would consistently be at the hub for half a day to contribute their know-how at the social enterprise that was established by their neighbours. This enterprise provides jobs for those in the community who require flexible work options. Through the social enterprise, they also found a network of friends who have strong passion on some causes and continue to set up their own initiatives to support these causes. This, then, is how an integrated social hub for our seniors would work. If properly executed, these hubs will help, first, to raise awareness of this stage of life and will effect a longer-term positive social impact. Let me explain. Most in the middle-age working group today play the role of caregivers and will, in the next two decades, become seniors themselves. Often, in their state of busy-ness, they will conveniently Page: 49 forget or ignore what lies ahead of them as they progress in their life stages. However, it is imperative for them to be aware at an early stage what it entails and be mentally prepared for life as a senior which involves, often times, discomfiting changes on various fronts − ranging from relationships with their families, preventive care and well-being both medically and socially, adaptations at the workplace and social acceptance in retirement. Second, leverage our social capital to maximise resources and strengthen our social fabric. Diversity adds colour to a society, but it is the communal strength that defines us as a community and a nation. We do not, and should not, hope for unity to shine through only when we have difficult times. As Singaporeans, we can and should aim to build solidarity at different levels within the society.”