Goh Pei Ming
Singapore
“I would like to thank the Member for his questions. Specifically, like I said in my response earlier, we have noticed an increase in the number of such posts, especially given the use of AI enabling the creation of such posts.”
“They have been generally effective as the social media companies have worked with us and complied with the directions issued by the Government. Of course, we will from time to time continue to review the laws to ensure that they are fit for purpose, to continue to be proactive in this space.”
“We have also put in place a penalty framework to deter scam mules. Fourth, public education – extensive public education, including for our seniors – to make sure that we share the latest modus operandi as well as the best anti-scam preventive practices that our citizens and our seniors can adopt.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the clarification. Yes, indeed, the Police do track the amount of scam proceeds recovered. We just do not track them by age group. Yes, the amount of scam proceeds that have been recovered are a small proportion compared to the overall amount of monies that is lost.”
“So, we know the number is healthy but we will want to do more, and we think the final reminder and the various public information announcements are useful in that regard. I would like to take the opportunity to also share with the House, with Members, that in this year's Budget, we also announced a further tranche of CLC.”
“In the first quarter of this year, the numbers have continued that trend; we are slightly heartened. But it is too early for us to celebrate, way too early. There is a lot more work that we need to continue to do on this front. Like I mentioned earlier, further anti-scam measures are coming out later this year.”
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“Specifically, the Police accord priority to missing vulnerable persons as they may be at higher risk, regardless of the duration they have been missing and this includes young children. Cases of missing vulnerable persons are escalated to the regular case review sessions with supervisors for monitoring and guidance. It is standard procedure for the Police to work with other Government agencies to locate missing persons, including sharing the data of the missing persons. Where necessary, the Police may also issue appeals for information to seek the public's assistance. The Police do not track the duration taken to close a case. There are many factors that can affect the length of an investigation. This includes the wide range of offences with varying complexities, as well as the need to work with different partners as part of the investigation process. There are internal controls in place to ensure that cases are followed up promptly. These include a daily case review process for supervisors to provide guidance on the cases, and multiple levels of supervision and regular checks throughout the investigation. But the Police have also continued to strengthen these processes and systems. In particular, the Police have made several enhancements. In 2022, they introduced the Family Violence Training Package for all frontline and IOs to adopt a sensitive approach to family violence cases, including child abuse cases, and to recognise and escalate and work high-risk cases together with the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF). In 2023, the Police formed Family Violence Teams (FVTs) at all Land Divisions to give focus to family violence cases, including child abuse cases.”
“My reply will also cover questions for written answer filed by Ms Valerie Lee and Ms Diana Pang for today's Sitting. Megan Khung's case was a tragedy. Minister Desmond has earlier set out the Government’s views on it. In 2020, after Megan's death was uncovered, the Police reviewed their handling of the case. There were two rounds of police reports filed. The first report was made in January 2020 by Megan’s grandmother. Further police reports were made in July 2020, by Megan's grandmother and father. The Investigation Officer (IO) who dealt with the first Police report, and her supervisor, failed to follow Police's procedures to escalate the case to the regular case review sessions for monitoring and guidance. The IO had assessed this as a case of child discipline with low safety concerns based on the information that she was presented with at that time. Following the report, the IO attempted to contact Megan's mother over the next two weeks, but could not reach her. She did not follow up beyond that because she was then deployed for COVID-19 related duties. Despite this, the case would normally have been followed up if the IO and her supervisor had escalated the case to the regular case review sessions in the first place. The subsequent Police reports concerning Megan were referred to the regular case review sessions, and this eventually led to the discovery of Megan's death and the arrests of the perpetrators. Police commenced internal investigations once the case came to light in 2020, and disciplined both the IO and her supervisor. The IO resigned subsequently. The Review Panel has corroborated these findings. For missing person reports, the Police have established procedures to guide the follow-up.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. In terms of whether the case comes from a restaurant, or it comes from a hawker centre, I think all these are fake bulk order scams and all the cases are currently under investigation. As and when we do have details and conclusions from the investigations, we will make them public, especially if it is in the public interest. Perhaps the question is also about whether we have an increasing or growing fake bulk order scam situation in Singapore. Overall, this scam variant is not new. But since May 2025, the Police have seen a recent re-emergence of this kind of scams, in this case, including the impersonation of SAF personnel and teachers from academic institutions. Over the last four months, the Police have received at least 45 fake bulk order scam reports, which include six reports involving SAF personnel.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the supplementary question. As mentioned in my reply, it is often not possible for the Police to fully protect the businesses and the public from all forms of fraud and scams. Businesses should verify their identities of the people they are transacting with. For example, if the person claims to be a Government official, who wishes to make a bulk order for an event, businesses can consider asking for the order to be sent via an official email address, always ending with "gov.sg". If in doubt, businesses can approach the relevant Government agencies or its officers using the contact details found on the official Singapore Government Directory. Businesses should also check for reviews of suppliers to establish their legitimacy before committing to a purchase or pay only upon delivery of goods. If in doubt, businesses can also check the legitimacy of suspicious messages, phone numbers and website links via the ScamShield app or calling the helpline at 1799.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. For the numbers, we are assured that 50 infants is a good start. We just launched the pilot in December last year for our three-year pilot. Whether the number can be higher, yes, we are prepared for the number to be higher. Primarily, I think it may be a function of also public awareness that this option exists and that is something that we are working on, to enhance public awareness of this option. Especially in infant care centres, where there is a waitlist in infant care centres, we do offer this childminding as an option for residents to consider. Whether we are exploring extending this pilot, I think we are still in the early days and we are refining it along the way with operators, with feedback from parents, and we will stay open. It is a three-year pilot.”
“I thank the Member for the supplementary questions. In particular, he is concerned at heart for our seniors. Indeed, we are working on it, in 2026, this is a suggestion that we recently discussed internally and my guidance to the team is to be earlier rather than later. This is an effort that we are working on in concert with the National Crime Prevention Council. We hope to deliver as soon as possible within 2026. In terms of what kind of advice we give to our seniors, I think, more importantly, I will refer them to the ScamShield suite of options. We have the website, we have the app as well as the helpline. I think these are important resources. And if indeed, they find the operator on the helpline speaking too quickly, the senior can make a request for the operator to slow down.”
“We need to rethink the definition of "success". Success is not just about grades, positions or wealth, but whether one can find direction and meaning in life. We should guide our children to pursue growth, not merely materialistic achievements. Finally, let me conclude with an analogy: society often calls parents with high expectations "tiger parents", but I hope that Singapore's parents can become known as "bear parents”. Bears are warm and caring, they protect their cubs, but they also let the little bears explore independently, learning to stand up on their own after falling. Only in this way can children become truly resilient. Let us work together to cultivate the next generation's character of confidence, resilience and compassion, so that they can not only respond to the future, but also shape it. (In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion. [Applause.]”
“We must learn from the good examples set by the previous generation, and prepare for the future, planning ahead for the next generation. The future is full of uncertainties: geopolitical situations, climate change, artificial intelligence and the impact of the digital world will all bring new challenges. Singapore is one of the best places in the world for children to grow up but we cannot become complacent because of this. We must help our children build confidence and curiosity – learn to think and make judgements – whilst cultivating resilience and tenacity, so that they can face future storms with composure. This requires us as parents to change our mindset. Academic results are certainly important, but they cannot be the only goal. What is truly crucial is giving children a proper and meaningful childhood. Children should have the freedom to explore and play, to learn creativity and resilience through trying and falling. Research also shows that free play promotes brain development, laying the foundation for problem-solving and emotional regulation. At the same time, we must pay attention to the influence of the digital world. Many parents worry about their children becoming addicted to screens. I myself am often "persuaded" by my children to treat online gaming as a form of play. But excessive use can easily lead to dependency. We should gradually reduce screen time, replacing it with more face-to-face interaction and high-quality companionship. Children also need to interact with their peers, learning empathy and care through communication, collaboration, and sharing. These values cannot be replaced by textbooks and tuition classes, but they are key to building a “we first” society. Parents have a profound influence on their children.”
“Let me cite a quote that sums this up quite nicely: "I would give wings to children, but I would leave it to them to learn how to fly by themselves". I would like to leave this House with one final image. The world sometimes calls parents "tiger moms". It is my hope that we become better known as "mommy bears" instead. I use "moms" and "mommy" carefully because that is how these phrases are coined, but it includes all the fathers, myself included. Why mommy bears? Mommy bears are nurturing and warm, and very cuddly too. Mommy bears raise their cubs to be independent, to be able to survive, to hunt and to be able to explore on their own. Mommy bears allow their cubs to stumble, because that is how they learn and become more resilient. But when danger comes, mommy bears will defend their cubs ferociously. This is the mindset change we need, from "tiger" parents to "bear" parents or, if I may call, "Bear-rents". If we do this, then our next generation will not only be able to face the future but also shape it with confidence, resilience and heart. Mr Speaker, Sir, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, hon MPs, good afternoon. It is my great honour to speak here today and I am deeply aware of the weight of this responsibility. As a member of the younger generation, I want to thank our parents and grandparents for their hard work and dedication. They have weathered economic fluctuations, regional instability and the trials of the pandemic. Through their relentless efforts and perseverance, they have given us a better life. Here, I would like to say “thank you”! The responsibility of building and safeguarding Singapore has fallen upon our shoulders.”
“So, let us help families rebalance – more real time, less screen time; more play, less pressure; more emotional intelligence, not just artificial intelligence and give space for our children to learn how to learn, because when learning is fun, it becomes its own destination, rather than a means to live up to an adult's expectations. As parents, our children look to us and what we emphasise and define as success influences them too. Is a child successful only because of straight "As" and a delightful co-curricular activities (CCA) record? As adults, how do we measure our own success? Is it only about our job titles and salaries? Is it about what vacations we take and what car we drive, if we drive? Comparison is the thief of joy and in this age of social media, it is easy to feel that we pale, in comparison, to others. But social media is not an accurate reflection of most people's lives. Many of us will curate and share only the best and the most positive aspects of our life, while filtering out the mundane or the natural realities of everyday. So, I want to encourage Singaporeans with this. Let us define our own success, our own sense of meaning, of purpose and this is how we can pursue our own dreams and our passions. Perhaps, the "kiasu" spirit is ingrained in all of us. Perhaps, this sense of exceptionalism is what got us this far in the first place. But let us channel this competitiveness more positively, away from rigid definitions of success, towards self-improvement, not for the purpose of outdoing others, but to become better versions of ourselves. Mr Speaker, amid the many challenges that Singapore faces, I chose to speak about our children and their childhoods.”
“Not a bad thing in controlled quantities, but when done in excess, its effects are no different from gambling and substance abuse. So, what can we do? We can do more to support our families to dial back on screen use. Not sudden, total withdrawal, but progressive changes. For a start, one simple change is to devote more time and energy to interacting with our children face-to-face and listening to them. Rebalance away from tuition centres, away from devices and cater more time for play. Yes, it might mean sacrificing some peace and rest for us caregivers, but nothing beats spending quality family time together. And for those of us who need to work long hours to make ends meet, our communities and our schools can do more to engage our children meaningfully. Finally, our children need to learn from and interact with other children; and from there, they can grow to become more communicative, more caring and more emotionally balanced. Growing up, I recall playing many variations of catching, at the playground, in the void decks, what the catcher can and cannot do. We made up our own rules and played by them. We learnt to convince, to negotiate, to compromise. We learnt how to share. We can be playing football and basketball on opposite ends of the same court. Through it all, more importantly, we found ourselves friends, best friends, friends that we can reliably call upon later in life. Friends that ChatGPT can never replace. An article I read on World Suicide Prevention Day a couple of weeks ago, emphasised how important friends are in helping us navigate the stresses and storms of life. Through supporting one another, our children can learn about care, about compassion, about empathy. These are important in building a "we first" society.”
“It was my own experimentation and playful experience that taught me these powerful lessons and more. Our children need such experiences to grow their curiosity for a lifetime of learning. Bring them out to our parks and playgrounds, they need to learn through doing and experiencing for themselves. Let the world be their classroom. But child development is not just about intentional learning experiences. There is much to learn through play, unstructured play. Increasingly, research shows that play enhances our children’s brain development. New neural pathways are formed when children play. These lay important foundations for problem solving, creativity and emotional regulation. There are important lessons from play that every child deserves. From playing five stones and zero-point, my generation honed our hand-eye, leg-eye coordination and learnt how to focus and persevere. From falling from a swing, we learnt about resilience. It is not how we fall, but how we get up and swing faster and higher. From the pain of blisters that came from playing football barefoot, we learnt about consequences and how to keep ourselves safe in the future. Yet in our effort to want to keep our children safe, we sometimes deprive them of these lessons. While we ironically overprotect, in the real world; we may have under-protected, in the virtual world, allowing our children to indulge in their devices. After MOH’s advice on screen time for young children, parents are anxious. Parents say it is not easy to pull back on those devices. My own child will also argue with me that digital play is also a form of play. While that is true, the constant sensory stimulation releases dopamine.”
“Even though they did start the conversation by telling me that they were disappointed they did not get to vote in the recent General Election. But it was a good reminder to me to never take our residents’ trust for granted. They subsequently went on to share their concerns about the academic pressures that their young child already faces. I want to make the point that the best start in life is not about pushing learning earlier. It is not about studying ahead of the school curriculum, and it is not about outdoing their peers academically. Growing up, I recall friends around me being drilled in abacus classes to help with their math and there are many more examples like that. Do not get me wrong. Our children must develop and must have good numeracy and literacy skills, because it is important in life to go on. But I think Singapore as a country, we are already doing well in these areas. The way to give our children the best start in life, is to build them up well, to make sure they have a proper childhood. A childhood rich with opportunities to develop important values that will help them to become inventive, resilient and flexible. A childhood where they truly learn to be a good person, as opposed to just being academically clever. When you are a young child, the most powerful lessons, the most powerful learning, comes not from books, not from tuition centres, but from experiences. Our children need a childhood where they can enjoy the freedom to explore and learn from their own experiences because that is how they learn best. I learnt about a butterfly’s life cycle from keeping a caterpillar. I was pretty good at playing marbles and that helped me quickly understand Newton’s Laws on Action and Reaction, many years later.”
“Amongst all the shifts that we need to make, sometimes changing mindsets is the hardest. But just like how our grandfathers and fathers have prepared us well for today’s challenges, it is now for us, our generation to prepare our children for their future. We all want our children to get the best possible start in life and the good thing is, many parents today already send their children to preschool, although starting ages differ. Our data shows that children who start preschool at three years old do better in primary school and, in fact, the benefits continue long afterwards. Children develop better and learn better, with preschool. So, I strongly encourage all parents to start your children in preschool early. Of course, parents need to be able to identify and secure a good preschool, especially if both parents are at work. As a parent myself, I care deeply about my children’s education. Eight years ago, when choosing a preschool for my first-born, there was no vacancy in any of the nearby Government-supported preschools. Fast forward to today, as the Minister of State overseeing the preschool sector, I am glad to learn that our Government-supported centres can meet 80% of our population’s needs. This leaves options for some Singaporeans to pursue private centres. Furthermore, our early childhood educators, our teachers, are well qualified and committed. Preschool fees have also come down and we must continue to do better; and we will. I had a chat recently with a young couple. Marine Parade is a mature estate, but we do have our fair share of young parents. They grew up in the East, like myself. They are happy, living and starting a family in Marine Parade.”
“And if I may add, on a more personal note, it is precisely my heartland upbringing and my pride in Singapore that has kept me committed to serving in the SAF for many years as well as in the community as a grassroots leader through the past two decades; and now, to do even more, as I take this step into politics. Just as our Pioneers had their challenges, my generation, our generation, will have ours to confront as well. As a nation we have no lack of issues to think about in our next lap. In a world of rapid change, geopolitical situations, climate change, intense economic competition, the opportunities and challenges that AI brings, the dominance of tech and mobile devices, the explosion of choices that face us all will be even more daunting for young minds. It is, therefore, our responsibility to help them thrive and we have to do as well as we possibly can. Singapore is already one of the best places for our children to grow up in, with a high-quality of life, safe and secure environment, excellent healthcare and schools. But with new uncertainties ahead of us, we need to ensure our next generation is ready to brave it and resilient enough to stay ahead. We must help our young people develop in the right way, to shift from “what to think and do”, to “how to think and do”. So that they have the confidence and curiosity to navigate those winds of change. So that they develop the critical thinking for them to discern what’s right and what is wrong for them to possess the grit and perseverance to keep pushing when the going gets tough and to have the resilience to get up when they fall. To do so, we, as a nation, need to change the way we raise our children and that begins with changing our mindsets.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion. As one of the younger new political office holders in this House, allow me first to share my thanks, for what my generation has received. Then, Mr Speaker, amid the many challenges that Singapore faces, I would like to speak about our children and their childhood, and offer some suggestions on how we can help our next generation thrive. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s in a simple HDB flat in Bedok. Studying was important, but my fondest memories were from playing football during recess, going to the nearby playground and wandering around Bedok Town Centre shops and the library. A simple childhood, a heartland experience, like most Singaporeans. And I am grateful for what I had, for it shaped me into who I am today. My generation grew up proud of Singapore. Proud that our small country was able to punch above her weight as one of the four "Asian Tigers", proud that we stayed principled and resisted external pressures, proud that we were bold and planned long term. We owe gratitude to our grandparents and our parents whose hard work and strong values enabled them to overcome tough cycles of retrenchment, global conflicts and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic, so that we all can have a much better life than they ever did. Now, it is our turn to take on the mantle, to navigate through the dark clouds, to support and take care of our seniors and to raise our children well to become future leaders of Singapore.”