Janet Ang
Singapore
“It is important that the GPs step forward and engage themselves in the redesign of work processes and incentives that will help make Healthier SG implementation efficient, effective and most importantly, deliver on its intended purpose.”
“In conclusion, my hope is for our Singapore-style of meritocracy to be one which values the dignity of every person – no matter their abilities or achievements, upholds the spirit of community, that is, as Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong calls it, more about the we and us and less about the I and me; empowers attitudes of always learn…”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to ask Minister how is MSF enabling, empowering and compensating our social workers so that they can meaningfully journey with families and persons in their care? What is MSF doing to attract good people and leaders to this sector? Communities with purpose serve.”
“How does MOM and the Tripartite partners intend to manage the implementation of the Fair Practice in the Workplace legislation and achieve its intended purpose while at the same time ensuring that we maintain workplace harmony and not allow for a litigious culture to take root?”
“That said, what measures are in place to ensure that Government agencies do not spend on advertising on what can be perceived as self-promotion of the Government or to show it in a positive light? How does MCI measure the effectiveness of its spending? Partnering Industries for the Future”
“Two, in view of recent Presidential-level engagements between them, how hopeful can we be that open communications and dialogue will continue to progress constructively?”
The complete record
Every one of 219 lines we hold for Janet Ang, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 5.
“Secondly, it would do each of us well to remember that we did not get to where we are today on our own but on the collective determination of our founding leaders, Pioneer and Merdeka generations, and the successive generations of leaders in Government, in politics, in Public Service, in civil society and in business, to survive post-Independence and then to build and grow to become the Singapore that we are today, a nation we can call our own home. Let us not mess it up for our children. Thirdly, Parliament is serious business of governing a country. At the same time, it is political, and those involved can oftentimes feel like it is a thankless job, one that is subject to public scrutiny and even unscrupulous character assassination at the will of dirty politics. To ensure that our Parliament continues to govern well, we will need good leaders to step forward, to serve Singaporeans, to do it out of love for Singapore, for the common good for all in Singapore. Singapore is a multiracial, multi-religious society not by chance and we need to guard our multiracial harmony very carefully. We will always be a work in progress and we cannot take it for granted. Mr Deputy Speaker, I do not support the Motion for abolishing GRCs. [Applause.]”
“As published in an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) article in 2013, “In fact, the winner-takes-all effect of GRC does not disadvantage credible opposition but in fact, GRC also advantages the opposition, as it can knock out an entire team of PAP candidates in one constituency, as it did in Aljunied GRC in 2011, when the Workers' Party dislodged the PAP slate consisting of three political officeholders and one newbie touted as a future Minister.” I believe the "newbie" made it. The results of the GE 2011 and then GE 2020 should put any conspiracy theory to bed. With the GRC concept, all the political parties need to have the gravitas to be able to attract a strong diverse slate of men and women that reflects multiracial Singapore; to contest in elections on a multiracial platform and not with communal or racial undertone; and when they win, be part of a multiracial Parliament that represents our society. So, it looks like the key issue is perhaps the size of the GRC and the number of SMCs, which I am sure the Government is listening very carefully to and will make the right call. For me, before I close, if you may indulge me as I share a few thoughts. I cannot believe I am making my last speech in Parliament on such a matter. But still, please indulge me. Firstly, I think conspiracy theories and rumour-mongering not backed up by facts and data, and which is plainly untruths, should not be entertained. This is likened to poisoning our own body, that is, Singapore our country and our home, and causing self-harm to ourselves as a nation. I say this not only for politicians, but actually for all Singaporeans.”
“3%, considering I am not even going to talk about all the positives, the achievements, and the growth that Singapore has experienced and attained in the last 35 years. Next, is the GRC concept still relevant today? Mr Goh Chok Tong in his Second Reading speech in January 1988 to move the Bill to implement GRCs, said, “this Bill is to ensure the long-term political stability of Singapore in two ways: first by ensuring that Parliament will always be multiracial and representative of our society; and second by encouraging the practice of multiracial politics by all political parties. Singapore is a multiracial, multi-religious society, but not by chance. For Singaporeans to enjoy racial and religious harmony, the PAP and the Government consider multiracialism to be a fundamental axiom of politics in Singapore.” These words still ring true today. Perhaps even more so today as the world is becoming more polarised and social media content carrying falsehoods and rhetoric that are not helpful for building cohesive societies, is everywhere. We can see it across the globe. Closer to home, we might recall the sad incident of a lecturer, Mr Tan, who made racist remarks against an interracial couple, and had to be taken to task. One might say that this was just an incident. But we must face the realities that Singapore is not homogenous, and our multiracial harmony must not be taken for granted. Well, I added another question to my three questions, because I was just analysing, I have no recommendations for anybody. There is this whole big thing about a conspiracy theory that GRCs was a ploy by the PAP to handicap the Opposition.”
“The Committee was set up to investigate public support for the scheme and see if there was a better proposal to ensure multiracial representation in Parliament. The Committee received public submissions, 81% supporting the need to ensure a multiracial Parliament, 52% supporting to achieve it with the GRC scheme and 29% supporting the need to ensure a multiracial Parliament but with concepts other than the GRC, which were some of those examples I gave earlier. It was a controversial issue as race was openly discussed for the first time at that time. It was controversial as critics saw it as a ploy to handicap the diminutive Opposition further at that time. Finally, in January 1988, the GRC was tabled for Second Reading in Parliament by Mr Goh Chok Tong. There were two issues debated: the first is with regard to the principle of ensuring that Parliament is multiracial in composition because Singapore is a multiracial society; and the second is with regard to the “how to achieve it”. The first issue was agreed to unanimously in the House, including opposition Members of Parliament at that time. The second issue of “how” was of course, hotly debated. Like already discussed by my fellow NMPs, the GRC while not perfect, was decided to have the best chance to ensure that Singapore’s Parliament would always be multiracial in composition and representation. The Bill was passed in Parliament on 18 May 1988. Thirty-five years on, has the GRC delivered on its promise? Today in Parliament, in 2023, we have 28.3% of all elected MPs in Parliament, excluding NMPs and NCMPs who are from minority communities as compared to 19.5% back in 1987. So, 19.5%, today we have 28.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to join in this debate on the Motion raised by hon NCMPs, Ms Hazel Poa and Mr Leong Mun Wai, that this House calls for the abolition of GRCs. To I start off, I stand not in support of the Motion, but I thank Mr Leong, as always, giving me homework to do. Because of this Motion, I must admit that I learned a lot more about GRCs. Let me start by first looking at why GRCs in the first place – what are the key reasons for setting up GRCs; then assess if GRCs have delivered on those objectives; and finally, whether GRCs are still relevant today. Why GRCs in the first place? According to Singapore InfoPedia, the setting up of GRCs was to ensure that Singapore’s Parliament would always be multiracial in composition and representation. The constitution stipulates that teams for candidates standing for election in a GRC must include at least one member from a minority community. GRCs were put into practice in the 1988 General Elections. To understand better, I researched to understand the history of GRCs-in-the-making. The issue of ensuring minority ethnic representation in Parliament was first raised by then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew in July 1982. In addition to the concept of GRC, which was then termed the "Team MP" concept, there were actually different proposals raised by both PAP and Opposition parties at that time, which included “twin constituencies”, “giving minority voters extra vote”, “communal based constituencies”, “dividing Parliament along communal lines” and so on. In an article that summarised the history of the making the GRC, it was said that the GRC concept was fleshed out after a long-drawn debate which included representations made to a Parliamentary Select Committee.”
“For there to be a win-win-win, this public-private collaboration needs to continue. Can Minister share plans if any, for deepening this collaboration to facilitate the win-win-win? Notwithstanding my clarifications, Sir, I support the Bill.”
“As most of these online services are global tech companies, they most likely have their own processes and tools and ways of doing things. How much flexibility will the online service providers have to arrive at the outcomes expected by this Bill? Cyber criminals often use anonymisation tools and encryption techniques to conceal their identities and activities online. How will MHA handle the challenge of tracing and identifying offenders to take them to task? And, of course, we know, the Internet transcends geographical boundaries. Service providers may also run into issues where data or processes are not stored and run solely in Singapore. In some cases, Directions may touch on issues out of jurisdiction and time may be needed to fully comply. There may be requests that are subject to further legal processes, such as a government-level request under a mutual legal assistance treaty with other countries. How will the Ministry handle the challenge of jurisdictional issues? There is an appeals mechanism within the Bill. Will the timeline for the adjudication commensurate with the amount of time provided under a relevant Government Direction or will the Government Direction have to be complied with while the appeal is being looked into? Can Minister clarify how, in the implementation of this Bill, the Government will balance the need for effective law enforcement with privacy rights and legal safeguards? And, of course, what technology and capabilities are we investing in to fight this war against online crimes? In speaking with the industry players, there is appreciation of the consultative approach that the Government has been taking and welcome continued engagement as the Government work on drawing up the codes of practice under this OCHA as this Bill is referred to.”
“As spelt out in the First Reading of the Bill and in Minister's speech earlier as well, "complementing public education efforts and the steps being taken to build a discerning citizenry, this Bill enables the Government, in partnership with industry, to act more effectively against online criminal activities, including scams and malicious cyber activities." The Minister has also shared during her Committee of Supply (COS) speech last year that Australia, the UK and the EU are also looking into online safety legislation that provide powers for the authorities to seek take-downs of harmful online content. I support the approach which will be taken under the proposed Bill, but I do have a few clarifications for the Minister. When this Bill is enacted into law, Government Directions may be issued when there is reasonable suspicion that an online activity is being carried out to commit a crime. To ensure speed of response, lower threshold for taking action enables the Government to disrupt scams and malicious cyber activities before anyone falls prey. How will the competent authority qualify "reasonable suspicion"? How much investigation time will be given to the online services to assist in validating the identity of the suspected perpetrator? In fact, will the investigation be before or after the directions are issued? The collaboration of the online service platform providers is imperative. They are the middlemen, so to speak, in the middle of the crime being committed. While the tech industry is committed towards apprehending scams, but compliance may be an issue considering the broad nature of the legislative text. So, what responsibilities are expected of them? How does the Government ensure compliance?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Online Criminal Harms Bill. Online services have become a part of our daily lives and changed how we interact with people, businesses and Government. The convenience of doing things from the palm of our hands has forever transformed how we live, work and play, bringing new opportunities for people and businesses. At the same time, however, the online space is also increasingly being exploited by criminals and our digital footprint expose us to the risks of scams and malicious cyber activities. The Government has spared no effort in public education and engaging private sector stakeholders, such as banks and telecommunications companies (telcos), to join in the fight against online criminal harms. As users, we all need to be extra careful and diligent and not let our fingers do the thinking. A wrong single click may lead to a regret of grave magnitude or even the loss of one's life savings. As users, we need to unlearn doing everything with speed. With all the instant tools around us, we, in fact, need to relearn how to allow ourselves some time to think and reflect before we act. Let us not get impatient and frustrated in having to read the repeated warnings about scams and the advice not to release our one-time passwords (OTPs) or to simply click the links in messages without validating. As users, we do need to be vigilant against bad actors by setting up our digital house in order and doing the regular "digital spring cleaning" and "digital health checks". But given the pervasive threat and grave impact of online criminal harms on victims, it is timely that the Government is enacting this Online Criminal Harms Bill to tackle online content which is criminal in nature or used to facilitate or abet crimes.”
“All the major religions and philosophies of life teach more or less the same thing in this regard. Children are to honour their parents, which includes actions of care, assistance and support, especially when parents become elderly and/or are not financially independent. Likewise, parents must fulfil their responsibilities for having brought their children into this world. Abuse and abandonment are not acceptable acts. It is sad when such cases occur and are symptoms of deeper issues in society that need to be resolved. One's family is the gift we have been given. We did not choose them. For those who may have been gifted, unfortunately, with a family that has been a "living hell" for them, I can only pray and hope that they may find closure and conciliation. It was quite heartening to hear one of the hon Members share a story whereby one of the siblings forgave the parents who were asking for maintenance. Finally, as a community, "we must reawaken the collective sense of gratitude, of appreciation, of hospitality, which makes the elderly feel like a living part of the community." This, I quote from Pope Francis' teaching in his book, The Joy of Love. Notwithstanding my clarifications, Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“Still, in Singapore, we have this law to provide the abandoned elderly a last resort for support, fairly and justly. I do have a few questions for the hon Member Seah Kian Peng and his team. How many cases have been handled since this Bill passed into law in 1995? Based on the past cases, how many would have been dismissed if the amendments being debated today were taken into consideration? Do other countries have similar legislation? Finally, my last question of clarification. From the experiences of the social workers, the elderly who need help would probably approach the social service agencies first and the social workers will always propose conciliatory engagement with the family even as they help the elderly with ComCare or Silver Support where appropriate. Will the amendment processes recommended engage the family service centres to attempt conciliatory efforts first before taking amendment 3, involving the Government directly reaching out to the children of the destitute parents without consent? I echo Member Carrie Tan's caution to be sensitive in the communications' approach and the language used with the children to ensure that we do not do more harm to already estranged relationships. Let me conclude my speech with the following reflections. Firstly, we will do well to remember that each of us is a son or daughter to parents. We did not give ourselves lives but we have received our first great gift of life from our parents. As a Catholic, I have been taught from young, "Children, obey your parents for that is what is expected of you. Honour your father and your mother and it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth." I am sure that my friends of other faiths have similar teachings.”
“On the balance, the amendment also gives the Government the discretion to directly reach out to children who have the means to provide and care for their parents' basic needs but have abandoned their parents to destitute homes, expecting the taxpayers to pick up the tab. In speaking with social workers on this issue, I understand from their experiences that the complexity of family relationships is very high. Many of the parents who are destitute or homeless, either on the streets or in shelters, have been living this way by choice and over a long period of time. The reason in almost all cases is that they are estranged from their spouse and the children and more often than not, they are the ones who walked out on the family and abandoned the children. Most of them do not wish to even start the process of conciliation as they do believe that they were the ones at fault and that there is no reason for their children to take them back. Often, when they go to the social service agencies, they will ask help to get government support for a rental home, shelter, financial aid, but shy away from asking for conciliation. Moreover, they do not wish to bring the Government into their complicated family matters as they do not see how it could do anything to improve the already estranged relationships. There are, of course, also cases whereby unmarried children, the singles, are left supporting their elderly parents even if other siblings can afford to weigh in. Still, very often, like many of the hon Members who have spoken before me have shared, many of the parents are too shy to put their children in the hands of legislation. The social workers have seen all these things happen often enough.”
“This practice is a visible sign of filial piety and of the universal value of "honouring your father and your mother" that is practised across religious beliefs and traditions of the way of life such as Confucianism. Financial contribution is but one way to practise filial piety. Even more important is the practice of giving time to accompany our parents, to listen to their stories, to share with them our aspirations, to show them care and concern and to journey with them as they age. And if God willing, the parents may live to a ripe old age, blessing the next generations with their wisdom and sage. But alas, in a world with shifting values, legislation like the Maintenance of Parents Bill had to be put in place to protect the elderly parents from being abandoned by their children. It is equally unfortunate that there are cases where the parents have treated the child or children badly and have abused their children or even abandoned them, leaving the children to grow up with traumatic, deeply wounded experiences in their childhood. Under such circumstances, requiring the children who have been abused or abandoned to submit to the maintenance orders by the Tribunal must appear to be unjustified. The amendment accords the Tribunal the discretion to deny the parents of the Maintenance Agreement's eligibility for support if there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the parents have abused the children. And I guess that is only fair. It is very good that the amendment Bill has also set out a framework to step up reconciliation as the first step. It is also important that in the implementation of the maintenance order, the Tribunal can require the beneficiaries, that is, the parents, to undergo counselling if the parents are found to have, for example, gambling habits.”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, I thank you and the hon Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng and his team of hon Members of Parliament of the workgroup for the opportunity to join in the debate of the amendment to the Maintenance of Parents Bill. In Singapore, the family is the bedrock of our society and the basic principle is that parents bring up children in a loving and positive family environment and the children, when they grow up, are responsible for supporting their parents. This principle stands on the value system of filial piety, which Asian societies hold dear, which Singapore holds dear, and which is universal across multicultural, multi-religious Singapore. The different faiths practised here promote the same regard that children need to have for their parents through to their old age as long as they both are living. All also teach the same about how parents ought to treat their children and bring them up in a positive, loving family environment, providing and caring for them in their growing years until they are economically independent. For Singaporeans, filial piety is a value which have seen us grow and prosper in the past six decades since Independence and has been part of the foundation of our families and our society for continued happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation. Most of us would recall the ritual of handing over a percentage of our pay cheque – later on, GIRO standing order – to our parents as part of our contribution to household expenses and for the maintenance of their well-being when we started our first job. It is a moment of pride, both for the child who has come of age and is independently earning a salary after years of depending on the parents for everything, almost, and for the parents who have arrived at a milestone of parenthood.”
“Sorry. Okay. Who will be responsible for recruiting, training and managing all of them? Perhaps, some form of uberised certified healthcare professionals who schedule their own rosters and probably work the "beat" in their neighbourhood could be the best. As I conclude, I cannot help but worry about our collective ability to transform at this pace. To rush too much, risks the effort being channelled to the superficial, resulting in us getting the form and losing the substance. Change is never going to be easy. We are blessed to have a healthcare system that is amongst the best in the world. The latest Legatum Prosperity Index 2023 ranked Singapore in number one position with a health index score of 86.9. I would like to close by paying tribute to everyone involved with the healthcare ecosystem: the cleaners, care support staff, allied healthcare professionals, nurses, doctors, medical professionals and healthcare administrators. To all of you in and around healthcare, to quote Pope Francis, "Compassion is the heart of what you do. You know that it is not just about good organisation but a heart of all that is listening, accompanying and supporting the people under your care." It is not an easy job but for most of you, it is a vocation. So, a big thank you for your tireless efforts and contributions to keeping Singapore and Singaporeans health aware, ready, inclusive, resilient and dignified through every stage of our lives. Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Motion.”
“It is important that the GPs step forward and engage themselves in the redesign of work processes and incentives that will help make Healthier SG implementation efficient, effective and most importantly, deliver on its intended purpose. The GPs need to lean in, to help themselves and to help reinvent primary care for our Singapore healthcare ecosystem, help technology to help our medical teams. Five, home medical care. For a sustainable healthcare system, home medical care must play a key part in the continuum of care. A doctor friend shared that there was a scheme at one time, which has since been pulled back, where post-delivery patients could go home because there were nurses visiting baby and mom for three days after discharge. This would be the kind of domiciliary services needed as we transition to a right care at the right time in the right setting, often at home.”
“How many training positions are there each year if we are successful in convincing medical officers that it is as good as any other specialisation? Private sector GPs and clinics must step up to offer specialisation traineeships for our junior doctors. And we probably need to look into pay gaps amongst these specialities. What will it take to motivate the GPs to engage and be part of the primary care network so that together, we can work toward a common goal of preventive health? The new capitation funding model will play a key part and it needs to be designed to incentivise as well as disincentivise behaviours at all levels of care, including the GPs and the population. Prevention and going upstream has been proven to be the best way to improve clinical outcome. For example, at Intermountain, they incentivise the primary care network to keep people out of hospitals as much as possible. For their diabetic population, they invested additional 4% of budget in this group and achieved a decrease in hospital admits by 22% and a decrease of 21% for other avoidable visits and admissions, resulting in overall improvement in value of care and reducing overall costs over time. In Singapore, we should perhaps look to modelling something similar. One of the issues that I hear often is that GPs are not set up to handle and cope with the increased administration and IT workload. It might be worth considering for MOH to set up a standardised platform or for an agency or a private sector to provide the administrative services required to be done at scale.”
“Apparently, they are expected to have undergone the same breadth of training as Singapore-trained physiotherapists. Perhaps, MOH can consider conditional registration for these overseas qualified physiotherapists and allied health workers, while they take up continuous learning in the subjects that might not have been part of their training overseas. In this way, we bring home another Singaporean son or daughter, who becomes a plus to our workforce. Four, how can private sector play a part. There will always be senior doctors who, after their training, opt out of the public system, quit and go private. That is a perennial challenge for the public sector in the management of specialists. To have a Healthier SG, we need all hands-on deck. One suggestion is for private sector specialists to regularly attend to subsidised patients on a pro bono basis or subsidised rate or they could run free clinics for those assessed to be unable to pay. Execution may not be easy but as during COVID-19, we see how the private sector healthcare was roped in and played an important role in complementing public healthcare resources. In this regard, we can learn from the legal community. With the Healthier SG, general practitioner (GP) doctors and family medicine clinics are going to be the key nodes of care, in the community. I am sure that MOH is constantly reviewing the split between various specialisation. It is quite clear that we should be encouraging more junior doctors to specialise in family medicine and pursue the path of becoming GPs or family doctors. From my understanding, family medicine is already a speciality. What will it take to attract more medical officers to choose the family medicine route?”
“With appropriate retraining, this would be a good pool of candidates to bring back into the workforce, at an appropriate level and not make them start with the junior nurses all over again. There is also a Nursing Career Conversion programme and this programme, I hear, has been pretty successful in terms of enrolment. It will be interesting to get the statistics on the number of jobs which get filled by the graduates of such programmes and schemes. (g) for foreign nurses and allied health staff, not being able to bring their family with them seems to be the biggest bugbear especially as other countries dangle that benefit. We know it is a challenge for Singapore but perhaps, MOH, Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) can share the strategy for attracting and retaining foreign nurses and allied health professionals? (h) what can the community do? Well, I hope that all parents can do our part to encourage our children who went overseas to attain their healthcare degrees and qualifications, to come home. I would recommend for MOH to do for nursing and allied health professionals, the same or similar as what is being done to attract overseas medical school graduates who are Singaporeans and Permanent Residents (PRs) to return and work here. I hear that our marketing campaign makes the graduates feel very much needed. (i) one last point on this issue of manpower shortage. We might want to incentivise qualified professionals who are Singaporeans and PRs schooled and qualified overseas to return to Singapore and take up the open positions and get themselves registered. I have heard anecdotal stories that Singaporean physiotherapists who are qualified to practise in Australia, cannot get registered in Singapore.”
“Whether it is Robotic Process Automation (RPA) or artificial intelligence (AI) or data analytics, they have been proven to support positive patient outcomes, in addition to efficiency and effectiveness in the organisation. Mindset change and ease of adoption are key challenges that need to be done. One good example is the use of sensors to read vital signs, reducing the time nurses and doctors have to spend going from patient to patient to take their vitals physically. That is one and grumble. I have got plenty to give but, due to short of time, I will just go straight to the point. Jobs that are well assisted and enhanced with technology are more attractive especially for the younger generation. I am sure it is already doable for robots to serve the medication based on the barcode of the patient's tag and the day will come when barcode can read our retina and serve out the correct medication. (f) design scheduling system that can accommodate flexible shifts/hours. Such a system will be very attractive for staff who needs to juggle work with family and caregiving duties as well as studies as pointed out earlier. This may attract also retired nurses or part-time nurses to return to the workforce. I understand from the Singapore Nursing Association that there is already a "return back to nursing" scheme for those who left for family reasons. I understand, however, that the Singapore Nursing Board has stopped registration for previously-registered nurses who have not been practising in the field for more than five years. Some of these nurses have had years of experience prior to their break and would like to rejoin the service but perhaps, are experiencing difficulty getting back their registration.”
“That said, from the conversations I have had, what carries more weight when choosing nursing and allied health as careers is not exactly money. Please pay them enough. If they want to make lots of money, they will go and become investment bankers and so on. But what is important is being on a role that is respected and appreciated, having more flexibility so that work life balance can be better achieved and having the opportunity for career progression and personal growth, perhaps being able to say that living a life with a purpose. (c) the community can help by changing our mindset when it comes to perceiving and treating "service" staff. Our nurses and allied healthcare professionals should be treated with every dignity, respect and gratitude. (d) designing human resource (HR) policies that offer opportunities for them to choose pathways to progress in their career toward further certifications and even degree qualifications, granting study leave and examination leave for those doing their part-time degree or part-time specialised training, much like what we do for the doctors. These staff often struggle with roster and they feel bad for requesting shifts. If we are serious about lifelong learning, this is something that needs to be addressed. It need not necessarily be fully paid leave but just provide some flexibility in rostering. (e) technology can automate repetitive work and augment the skills of the nurses and healthcare staff. Singapore is well recognised for our innovations on the world stage as amongst the top dozen or so healthcare systems that leverage technology well.”
“Perhaps that will come a time for everyone to be trained in basic nursing and care skills and be providing the services in their own families or communities or to be involved in some form of national community services. This could apply to young men as part of their National Service and for young ladies as part of their pre-IHL community service training. This can also apply to retirees as well. It could be a voluntary basis or perhaps even considered as some form of paid gig work of sorts. My third point: shortage of nurses and allied healthcare workers. Minister Ong has shared often enough that the key challenge in our hospitals is to have sufficient nurses, allied health professionals and support care staff to operate hospitals, clinics and eldercare centres. When there are insufficient nurses and allied healthcare workers, the in-service staff including junior doctors all have to take up the slack, resulting in everyone overworking, experiencing burnout and mental wellness issues. In having to manage the COVID-19 response since 2020, our healthcare workers must likely added several years to their age. How is MOH addressing these issues? How can the private sector help? What can the community do to support? Some ideas include: (a) broadening training and responsibilities for existing nurses, allied health professionals and pharmacists so that they can take on crucial roles alongside doctors. This can help make these pertinent roles more attractive to Singaporeans. A lot, I know, is already being done by MOH in this aspect but more still yet to be done. (b) nurses' pay is also being reviewed and implemented which is great. My point is that we have to align to pay for skills. When it comes to compensation, more is always welcome.”
“These and other ground-up initiatives like the SG Mental Well-being Network or the Family of Wisdom by Dementia Singapore or Caring Commuter Champions who assist our public transport commuters who have visual impairment or physical disabilities or may be seniors with dementia, during their daily public transport commute. These are examples of what the community can do to be a part of the Singapore healthcare ecosystem. Serendipity has it that I just attended this morning a heartwarming Sing Out Loud! performance at Esplanade by nine seniors with dementia accompanied by nine Kindergarten 1 and 2 children. The seniors are residents of the St Joseph's Home and the children are preschoolers attending the childcare centre which is located in the same compound as the St Joseph's Home Infant and Childcare Centre. Sing Out Loud! or 大声唱 is a community engagement programme by Esplanade, developed in partnership with Dementia Singapore in 2016, but this is the first time involving an inter-generational group. It will be remiss of me not to mention the Convent Yuki and the flourishing fund initiatives sprouted out when friends transitioned into the second half of their retirement and supported seniors like my mother-in-law Mrs Lily Chia to continue having a meaningful and reasonably active life even into their 90s. By the way, my mother-in-law celebrates her 100th birthday next week. These kind of initiatives can become a part of the Healthier SG community partnership. It would be wonderful to see how these can qualify or be recognised under the rewards of Healthier SG as well. One last point on community involvement. With an ageing population, it may soon become an imperative for everyone to be equipped with care skills.”
“As part of the Healthier SG, the system will incentivise positive behaviours, and poor healthcare lifestyles and behaviours should be disincentivised or penalised. Next, the community can help ourselves by forming little support groups among residents or neighbours to support one another. These little support groups can be like little satellites receiving and disseminating correct, right healthcare-related information. Each general practitioner (GP) can be Advisor to a few groups to check in with them, to advise on activities or even join in, similar to what Members of Parliament do in a constituency. These groups can organise themselves with some governance and help to visit their neighbours and bring those in need for hospital checks, check that they are taking their medication and so on. I understand that some of this is already happening but perhaps not in a cohesive, organised way. I guess the best example is whatever we managed to rally during COVID-19. So, now, in peace times, how do we repeat that? Going forward, we can be more coordinated and more collaborative. Then, the community may organise health screening, community exercises like Zumba, hikes to MacRitchie, Tai Chi and so on. The issue is how to get more people involved and keep it sustained. Maybe with Healthier SG, where you have credits for participation and these can be used for healthcare or purchase of healthy staples like oats, milk and so on. In my speech at the Healthier SG debate, I shared about GoodLife! Makan at Block 52 Marine Terrace, an initiative of Montfort Care FSC as well as “Share-a-Pot” at the Caritas Agape Village in Toa Payoh.”
“There sometimes is this unrealistic expectation of “being served” in hospitals. Asking to be served water much like what we would do at a restaurant is the wrong expectation. Overusing of call buttons for minor requests is not being considerate. And hurling abuses at anyone, let alone folks who are actually helping us, is absolutely unacceptable. Instead, a smile, a "please", a "thank you" would go a long way to show some consideration and appreciation. Hospitals are high-stress places. I am sure the healthcare staff are trained to be empathetic and sympathetic, which if not so, they should be. Still, the families and the patients should not think it our right to let go of our anger and frustrations on the healthcare staff, be they doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, support care staff or even the hospital security guards. Take a deep breath. Think of one thing we are grateful for. And consider the wise age-old golden rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you”. That said, still, there will be bad behaviours and I support MOH’s plans to have a concerted, across-the-board policy to handle and address the bad apples amongst us even as I wish and hope that as a community, we can all do better. The second point, community involvement. Nurses, allied healthcare and care support workers will become increasingly important along with family physicians, doctors and medical specialists, as Singapore heads into becoming a super-aged nation. The community ourselves must recognise that we have just as important a role to play. The first order of the day is to individually keep an active and healthy lifestyle to prevent chronic illnesses.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Motion put up by hon NMPs, Dr Tan Yia Swam, Mr Abdul Samad and Dr Shahira Abdullah. Over the past few months, we have debated on Healthier SG and then the White Paper on COVID-19 Response. Minister Ong has also updated this House on the three strategic pillars of Singapore healthcare going forward – acute care, public health and aged care. There were also several Forward SG dialogues giving birth to lots of ideas and initiatives. I applaud MOH and the whole-of-Government for the comprehensive holistic approach that is being taken, but we must all recognise that this is a marathon and not a sprint. There is a lot to be done and will need whole of Singapore to be committed to act together for a healthier Singapore especially as we mature rather rapidly in age. Continued dialogue amongst all stakeholders is very important to listen, to clarify, to prioritise issues and to collaborate on solutions as we move forward, will be a key imperative. For this debate, I will focus my attention on what the community and the private sector can and ought to do to complement and supplement the whole-of-Government efforts to support our healthcare workforce and our healthcare strategic transformation initiatives. Inevitably, I will also have policy consideration questions and recommendations which I hope MOH and the whole-of-Government can consider to take on board. I have five topics for discussion. Firstly, respect and gratitude for our healthcare workers. Considering that Singapore’s healthcare system is ranked amongst the best in the world, I think it is time for the users of our Singapore healthcare system, that is patients, families, visitors, all of us to aspire to be ranked amongst the “most gracious” in healthcare systems.”
“This will involve investing in new technology, enhancing international cooperation and improving training and resources for all personnel involved. Notwithstanding my clarifications, Mr Deputy Speaker, I stand in support of the Bill.”
“(f) With the Internet enabling global communication and transactions as we have seen in past cases, cybercrimes often occur across multiple jurisdictions, making it challenging to identify and prosecute offenders. How does MHA involve INTERPOL and their overseas counterparts to ensure that the Bill can be enforced effectively? (g) Most important are the poor victims. The victims need to be protected as much as possible and, where possible, the victims are supported as much as possible with recovering the monies that have been scammed. What else beyond the initiatives already in place will the Government be planning to put into action that can help the victims recover as much of the monies that have been scammed? And perhaps a little bit of compassion from the banks would help, because, in fact, in 2021, a very good friend of mine had somebody, her friend who was totally scammed and then the bank locked down all her bank accounts and she was left borrowing money from other friends. So, certainly, we hope that we need to have a little bit of compassion for the victims and ensure that there is a systematic approach to helping them and supporting them. But, of course, the most important help is to tell them not to give away their identity. So, in conclusion, to overcome these challenges, MHA and Anti-Scam Centre Singapore as well as CSA need to work closely with technology experts, cybersecurity professionals and other stakeholders like the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) and the banks as well as international communities to stay abreast of emerging threats and develop effective strategies for preventing and prosecuting computer misuse crimes.”
“(b) There has been a lot of efforts in driving awareness of importance and responsibility of protecting one's digital identity and digital footprint across the board, from banking access to social media and so on. What else is the Government planning to do to increase the effectiveness of these initiatives and what else needs to be done by the banks, financial services institutions, the community and the rest of Government? (c) Is the Government considering additional levels of authentication, for example, using biometrics identification, AI-generated questions, to authenticate that the individual using the identification is really who they say they are? It is probably no longer secure enough to use a login with simply a password and a one-time password (OTP). All this, of course, leads to more costs being involved and more steps. But it looks to me that this may be required. So, how is the Government planning to fight this kind of crime? (d) As this inevitably always involves the banks, the proposed set-up of COSMIC, the FI-to-FI information sharing services platform, which will be debated under the amendment to the Financial Services and Markets Bill will, I believe, be pertinent because everything flows through the banking system. In lieu of COSMIC going online, what data will the Government use to strengthen enforcement of this Bill? (e) Enforcement of Computer Misuse legislation can be challenging due to several factors, including the rapidly evolving technology. So, how is Singapore planning to keep pace with new forms of cybercrime and methods of committing offences and enable MHA to be able to identify and prosecute perpetrators and the syndicates involved?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to join in this debate. The current situation is very concerning on several counts. Firstly, the increased number of persons being scammed to release their Singpass and/or personal banking credentials and the value involved give cause for grave concern. Secondly, that Singaporeans are becoming money mules who knowingly participate in the criminal activities involving their Singpass and/or personal banking credentials is even more concerning as it points to potential waning of Singapore's high integrity value system. Maybe I am watching too many Mediacorp programmes, but are we seeing the return of triads, only this time, triads in digital skin? So, with the amendments to the CDSA and CMA Bills, it will give the appropriate power to the authorities to take action and I hope will also deter persons who think this is easy money to recognise the severity of their actions. At the same time, we do not want Singaporeans to lose confidence in moving to digital. Digital is here to stay and, in fact, will accelerate and become more pervasive in our lives. So, it becomes even more important for Singaporeans to be digital first, even if not digital only. The Minister has assured us in previous speeches that, for Singapore, we are definitely going to take care of those who are less digitally savvy but it does not mean that we are going to go back to the old ages of totally non-digital just because we have such situations going on. That said, I do have a few questions for the Minister. (a) What are the challenges envisaged by the Ministry with regard to enforcement of the law and how does the Ministry intend to address those challenges?”
“In conclusion, my hope is for our Singapore-style of meritocracy to be one which values the dignity of every person – no matter their abilities or achievements, upholds the spirit of community, that is, as Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong calls it, more about the we and us and less about the I and me; empowers attitudes of always learning and collaborating, embraces a culture of care and dialogue, compassion and giving, inspires each one of us to strive for excellence together for the common good and creates an economy that is at the service of society, where no one is left behind. I am confident that as One Singapore, we can make every tomorrow better than today. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion.”
“Next, pay for skills, pay for value. In Singapore, I said earlier, most employers still hire and pay by qualifications and not by skills and value. I would advocate once again that SGUnited Jobs and Skills may be leveraged to target certain jobs which we want to have more Singaporeans in the roles but whose compensation package is currently not appealing for the Singaporeans to be excited to step in and companies need to be weaned off supposedly cheaper foreign labour. The target jobs ought to be aligned with MTI's Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) so that the support and incentives can be more targeted. MTI's Accelerated Pathways for Technicians and Assistant Engineers grant to support manufacturing companies in training and hiring ITE graduates for critical technical roles is a good case in point. We should replicate that – fast. Next, Government to lead the way. Between the Public Service, the Temasek-linked and Government-linked companies, they hire a sizeable percentage of the Singaporean workforce. So, I hope that they can lead the way from all the points that I have mentioned and start now. Many of our SMEs do not have the same access to capital, tools, networks and leadership. How can we incentivise our MNCs and large local enterprises (LLEs) to bring along our SMEs who are the vulnerable community in the business world in their value chain and, in so doing, intervene to avoid the pitfall of meritocracy which SMEs may be disadvantaged? Government procurement, if open to SMEs directly or via the value chain, will certainly help minimise the pitfalls of meritocracy as well.”
“So, let us re-imagine meritocracy in the workplace. Just as MOE has developed multiple pathways for success, there should be multiple pathways for success in the industry. Allow me to focus my attention on the 60% of each year's cohort of students who attend the Institute of Education (ITE) and/or polytechnics. The industry has a big part to play to help themselves as this is the pipeline of their workforce. Over the years, the polytechnics and ITE have stepped up engagement with industry and in many instances, imbedded industry into the curriculum. This is very important to ensure that the students are skills-ready and job-ready when they leave the system. Today, almost all students have the opportunities to do internships and attachments with companies as part of their polytechnic or ITE education. I think that more can be done to incentivise companies to hire our polytechnic and ITE students as apprentices even before graduation and; for the companies' on-the-job training to be certified as stackable modules toward the diploma course which the students are pursuing, or even toward professional qualifications later on. MOE's Work-Study Programme has been designed to facilitate such a pathway. Singapore Polytechnic's Industry Now Curriculum has imbedded such elements. Outcomes have been positive. But we need more companies to come on board. This is where I see SGUnited Jobs and Skills, which was effectively applied during COVID-19, can pivot to incentivise companies to employ our polytechnic and ITE students as apprentices and progress them to full-time jobs after graduation. The target group should be the polytechnic and ITE students who are unlikely to take the university route right after attaining their diplomas. So, we can be more targeted.”
“This will spread out the talent to our local industry and, at the same time, these smartest of the smartest of Singaporeans will have a better understanding of issues on the ground and be better policymakers when they return to the Public Service. Six, teachers play a significant role in all of this. The challenge of teachers is time. How can we help teachers by having them do less administrative work, so they have more student encounters? How can we help to unburden their stress and keep their mental wellness in glowing condition? A kind word, a thank you, a please, a smile from the students and from parents would mean so much. And I would like to add that teacher-student interactions play a big part in educating the child. As we have falling enrolments due to fewer babies born each year, one proposal that I hope MOE can consider and I heard it in the House just now as well, is to bring down class sizes to less than 30 students per class. This will really help enhance teacher-student interactions. Seven, it takes a village to raise a child. Can the Government consider giving tax rebates to singles – the aunts and the uncles – who sponsor their nieces or nephews for their continuous education or tuition, in the same way like deductions for foreign domestic helpers in the tax form? Let me now transition from education to the workplace. Unlike the past, our students today face constant disruptions. What they have learnt in the first 25 years will need to be constantly upskilled and reskilled to stay relevant to the industry and the workplace. Singapore's SkillsFuture is a brilliant and strategic vision. Its implementation will go a long way toward changing the view of meritocracy earned at point of graduation, to meritocracy earned over a lifetime.”
“While we do want to develop our students to their best potential and have them be the Edusave Awards for Achievement, Good LEadership and Service (EAGLES) and soar, we ought to take a lesson from nature as even eagles in the sky fly in formation and take turns to be at the head of the "V". This formation helps them to fly longer distances. Perhaps, MOE and the schools and the parents might take this lesson on board and rethink the criteria used for rewarding students' EAGLES. Five, rethink Government scholarships. I have heard stories of how smart students attain the Singapore Government's prestigious scholarships only to break bond and worse still, the intention to do that was already there even at the point of application. The Government might want to rethink the purpose of Government scholarships and perhaps, consider giving more scholarships to students who both have merit and financial need. The Public Service Commission may also want to review the penalties for persons breaking bond and make them punitive enough, likened to defaulting their National Service commitments, so as to incentivise the right behaviours and values. Breaking bond is a crime, as you rob a fellow Singaporean from the opportunity to access the education and the experience that the scholarship provides. Of course, there may be some scholarships which are in recognition of one's achievements. For such scholarships, perhaps, the Government can consider not imposing a bond but, instead, other forms of paying it forward. Another recommendation I have, is for the Government to send their scholars to serve their bond in local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).”
“For this, perhaps, we can take a page from the late Nelson Mandela, and I quote, "In Africa, there is a concept known as 'ubuntu' – the profound sense that we are human only through the humanity of others; that if we are to accomplish anything in this world, it will in equal measure be due to the work and achievement of others." Ubuntu is the philosophy of "I am, because we are". As Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said yesterday, let our language be "more of us and we, and less of I and me". Three, rewards motivate behaviour. The next step is to review the rewards system across the board. How are the teachers evaluated and rewarded? Are the students rewarded based on academic achievements primarily or behaviours of their values in action? How are parents engaged in the process to fulfil the common purpose of educating their child? Are students encouraged to share their knowledge and their skills with classmates who may need help? Rewards motivate behaviour. We cannot ask the educators to deliver one thing, but measure and pay them on something else. Likewise, for the students, how will their behaviours be rewarded, both in terms of the way they are graded as well as the way they will qualify for admission to higher levels of education? And so, I come to the next point. Specifically, admission criteria for students to progress can afford a rethink. How do we reward team spirit and team behaviour and perhaps, penalise negative individualistic behaviours when crafting admission criteria?”
“And community initiatives, like Yellow Ribbon, to give youths who have made bad choices in their lives a second chance, is to be applauded. And the Government's commitment to KidSTART and other programmes, which help to uplift the children in the lower-income households and give them an equal chance early in life to participate on a level playing field, is the absolute right thing to do. And for older students who may need extra help but cannot afford tuition, I would like to propose that MOE invest in some kind of after-school "study halls", facilitated by teachers and student ambassadors to help these students with their revision, homework and preparation for examinations. These initiatives will go a long way to narrow unequal access to resources and, in doing so, facilitate social mobility. Three, the biggest challenge lies in changing mindsets. Meritocracy inevitably drives individual achievements and that is how the individualism mindset gets ingrained. To break the individualism mindset, a few things need to be reset. First, expectations need to be reset for both the teachers, the principals, the school system and the parents: from focusing on grades to emphasising the dignity of the child; developing in the child the joy of learning and; inculcating in the child the values of fairness, inclusivity, mutual support and the desire to give back to society. I submit to you that the adults need to walk-the-talk and role model the way forward for the students. So, dialogue and alignment amongst the stakeholders would necessarily be the first step. Two, teach our students that "we are all in this together".”
“Three, meritocracy can also create social division as those who are successful may attribute their success as solely due to their own merit, rather than recognising the role of their family, the larger environment and society that has enabled and empowered them to be successful. This individualism mindset will, over time, erode the values of our society. Responding to Mdm President's call to action for a rethink of the approach to education and to work, so as to avoid the pitfalls of meritocracy, as it is today, I would like to start the dialogue along these two aspects and offer some "food for thought" along the way. First, let us re-imagine meritocracy in education and I will raise three themes. First and foremost, we need to go back to basics and remind everyone in the system of the following – embracing the dignity of the child and igniting in every child the joy of learning. It needs to be central in any education system and believed in by all stakeholders – parents, educators and teachers, principals, policy-makers and society. Singapore does a reasonably good job in this regard and our educators deserve a big kudos for all they do for our children. How we were able to keep our children in school throughout most part of COVID-19 with teachers having to pivot to provide hybrid-learning, is a case in point. The child is certainly central to our educators in Singapore. Next, I am heartened to see that, increasingly so, more attention and resources are being given to children with special needs. For youths whose circumstances are challenged, the Government is enabling more social services agencies to provide the appropriate care from preventive to developmental to rehabilitative.”
“The Collins dictionary defines meritocracy as a society or social system in which people get status or rewards because of what they achieve, rather than because of their wealth or social status. Hence, the idea behind meritocracy is that the most talented and hardworking individuals should be given opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background or social class or their gender. Many positive outcomes of meritocracy have been realised: (a) top of the list is social mobility and many amongst us can stand to be counted as beneficiaries; (b) another positive outcome is that meritocracy promotes a more efficient and effective workforce as individuals are rewarded for their achievements and their hard work; and (c) meritocracy is largely seen as a fair system, thus promoting justice and equality. That said, there are also pitfalls to meritocracy. Meritocracy assumes equal access to all opportunities by everyone. And this is not always the case since those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds may not have the same resources or access and that can limit their chances of success. Two, meritocracy can be limited by how we define merit. In Singapore's case, merit has been closely associated with paper qualifications and, hence, the phenomenon of the "paper chase". The narrow definition of merit to paper qualifications does not consider other qualities which, in fact, are competencies needed for the 21st century workforce and these qualities include, emotional quotient, creativity, ability to communicate with influence or even craftsmanship and other non-traditional skills. Most of our employers in Singapore recruit, pay, promote and advance their employees based only on paper qualification primarily.”
“Singaporeans are faced with a dilemma of accepting this reality and creating a welcoming culture of integrating our foreign guest workers into our communities, or, allowing the continued tight labour situation to (a) negatively impact our service quality and the Singapore brand; (b) cause the burnout of our workforce due to their having to double-up for the shortage of labour; and (c) limiting our companies' growth opportunities, just to name a few. I would like to call Members' attention to a Straits Times article on 13 April with the headline: SBF calls for foreign worker measures to be eased as workload on frontliners piles up. Singapore is, indeed, at a point of inflexion. It is timely that the whole-of-Government has engaged Singaporeans in the Forward Singapore exercise, led by Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and the 4G leaders, as a start to the refresh of our social compact. I salute the 14,000 Singaporeans from civil society and businesses who have stepped forward to co-create with the Government in re-imagining what success for Singapore 2.0 could look like. I attended a couple of the sessions myself and I could feel the love by so many of our Singaporeans for our country. Most heartening for me to know is – the affirmation that Singaporeans wish to hold intact the core values that we cherish, as Singaporeans, that is: fairness, inclusivity, mutual support and the desire to give back to society. In her Address, Mdm President spoke about the need for a broader and more open meritocracy that will work well for all Singaporeans. What would this Singapore-style meritocracy look like?”
“Mdm Deputy Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the Motion put up by hon MP, Mr Murali Pillai. I join the hon Member to express gratitude to the President for her Address. Mdm President's speech on behalf of the Government, was uplifting and covered a lot of ground and I thank her for inspiring all of us to run the next lap as one Singapore amidst an increasingly complex world. We have come a long way since gaining Independence and achieved what many would consider an economic miracle. The Economic Intelligence Unit recently just ranked Singapore for the 15th consecutive year, as the world's best business environment over the next five years. Trust in Government, as measured by Edelman, remains consistently high and we should not take that for granted. Our political maturity has also come of age with this Parliament having its first Leader of the Opposition appointed by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. However, all of us need to acknowledge that Singapore is at a point of inflexion. We have had a declining birthrate since 2017. And like many of the advanced economies, we are in the middle of a silver tsunami. To keep our economy vibrant and to support the needs of our ageing population, Singapore needs a large pool of foreign complementary workforce. Hence, the foreign residents today constitute 38% of the labour force and represent 27% of all residents in Singapore.”
“With Budget 2023, business community is assured that the Government will continue to support businesses and workers in their efforts to recover and rebuild from the pandemic. It is crucial for the Government to continue to work closely with industry stakeholders, including TACs to develop targeted measures that address the specific needs of businesses and workers in different sectors and industries. We are blessed to have survived COVID-19 relatively well and have emerged from the pandemic, ready to take on the opportunities ahead of us. What is before us unfortunately is not yet clear skies as we grapple with rapid inflation, supply shocks and energy price hikes from the Russian's invasion of Ukraine and the threat of global growth slowdown. The scares of a financial system meltdown sparked by the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and Signature Bank in the US being brought down in the past weeks and quickly spiralling related or otherwise to the near failure of Credit Suisse Bank add further dark clouds looming ahead of us. Singapore, once again can rise above these troubles if we, like during COVID-19, stand together, shoulder to shoulder, hand-in-hand, SG United and resolved to handle whatever this next crisis lies ahead of us with strength, with hope and with love for our country. Mr Speaker, I support the Motion put up by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance that this House expresses gratitude to all in Singapore who contributed to the nation's fight against COVID-19 affirms the Government's effort to learn from the experiences of the last three years and to that end, endorses Paper Cmd 22 of 2023 on "Singapore's Response to COVID-19: Lessons for the Next Pandemic."”
“And while we did not track where the rest of them went to, the anecdotal feedback from employers is that the SGUT experience is appreciated. Over the past three years, I am sure most of us would have come across graduates or mid-career professionals who benefited from the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Programme and, even if not said, all are grateful in one way or another. SGUnited Jobs and Skills, in my opinion, has become a brand unto itself. I believe that it is a programme which can have a long tail, even as we are now operating in DORSCON Green. I would like to ask the Government to share some updates on the following. One, what is the Government's assessment of the impact of SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package and tripartite efforts in mitigating unemployment and supporting the recovery of the labour market and whether we will continue to do so? Two, how has the setting up of SGUnited Jobs and Skills Centres in every HDB town been helpful to jobseekers and do we see this as a permanent support for our workforce? Three, the Job Growth Incentive (JGI) supported businesses and local jobseekers during COVID-19 and was very helpful for a wide pool of jobseekers, especially the unemployed and mature workers. It can be helpful even in post COVID-19 to motivate and encourage workers to enter certain industries which traditionally may not be attractive or to incentivise employers to invest in certain persons for jobs in their organisation. How does the Government plan to use tools like JGI and SGUnited Jobs and Skills to correct some of the structural employment misalignment in our industries for our Singaporean workers and also for persons with disabilities and vulnerable jobseekers? Moving forward, the strengths of our tripartite partnerships must be further leveraged.”
“SBF was one of the administrators for the programme and approved and onboarded around 19,500 placements from May 2020 to December 2022, about 10% of the total placements as reported in the White Paper. The common feedback which SBF received from companies is that both the SGUnited traineeships for fresh graduates in 2020 and 2021 and the current SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways for mature individuals are useful in two ways: (1) helping companies lower their risk in taking near-fit on non-fit individuals through the six to nine months of attachment before offering them permanent jobs and (2) helping fresh graduates and mature individuals secure opportunities to get permanent jobs. SGUnited skills have also provided very good support for Singaporeans who were displaced due to the pandemic. This is not just because of the allowance that the Government gave to the trainees who signed up for the courses, but the skills that they picked up and the employment opportunities that they secured after the course. Singapore Polytechnic (SP), which I am involved with, participated actively in supporting the SGUnited skills programmes, training about 1,200 jobseekers. SP itself hired more than 100 of the trainees under the SGUnited Traineeship (SGUT) Programme and put the trainees to work in producing online videos to support the home-based learning during COVID-19. The SGUnited skills trainees hired by SP, in fact, contributed to SP scaling up and accelerating the transition to a more digitalised pedagogical model and ready for the post-COVID-19 hybrid model where 20% of class time in lectures are conducted online increasingly, while tutorials are still face-to-face on campus. When the traineeship was over, seven of the trainees got employment contracts with SP.”
“There were various points in time when Singapore temporarily suspended the entry of long-term passholders, who are, generally, the family members of tax-paying Employment Pass (EP) holders. It was a judgement call not without reason. However, the implication is that many of our EP holders had to endure prolonged family separation and disruption to their work or schooling for the children. It was a painful time for them. Mr Per Magnusson, Immediate Past President of the Singapore International Chambers of Commerce, shared with me that the White Paper, having included this issue and suggested improvements to better handle this segment of the community who also had their homes here, makes the already excellent report an outstanding one. He said, and I quote: "Singapore did a great job at handling the difficult situation during COVID-19. The international community was especially impressed with the equal approach, whether Singaporean or not, to vaccinations during COVID-19. Even more importantly, it shows an open and eager attitude towards learning from what went well and what could be improved." Last but not least, I would like to speak to what I believe has saved jobs and livelihoods and prevented lost cohorts of young people who graduated during the COVID-19 years and, that is, the SGUnited Jobs and Skills programme. It was a good thing that the National Jobs Council was already in place, pre-COVID-19, to help workers acquire new skills and competencies necessary for adapting to the changing business landscape. Amid the COVID-19 situation, MOM very quickly was able to roll out the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package, which helped local jobseekers access jobs, company-hosted traineeships and attachments, as well as training opportunities.”
“At the peak of the pandemic, average daily ridership dropped to less than 25% of pre-COVID-19, but it was decided that public transport must be kept available for our essential workers and bus and MRT train service levels were sustained at largely pre-COVID-19 frequencies. Our public transport workers put our commuters before self and worked tirelessly with a smile. We salute them for that. When Malaysia announced the closing of borders, our public transport operators (PTOs) worked around the clock to find accommodation to house our Malaysian bus captains and engineers. When the vaccination programme was launched, our public transport workers were given priority access to vaccines. And when there were concerns with the mental well-being of the public transport workers, especially the foreign workforce having to be away from their family and loved ones for prolonged periods, the PTOs leaned in. The CEO of SMRT, Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, shared how SMRT stepped up their engagement with the staff and provided strong support to the team throughout to maintain high staff morale. This is the SG Cares spirit. During the pandemic, it became also more important than ever to promote a caring and inclusive public transport experience and the PTOs leaned in. The CEO of SBS Transit, Mr Jeffrey Sim, shared how SBS Transit staff partnered Dementia Singapore and rolled out the "Find Your Way" initiative to make bus interchanges and MRT stations frequented by seniors more friendly for them. This is the SG Cares spirit. For all the positives of how well Singapore has managed during COVID-19, there was one low light besides the dormitories that caused us a PR hit and the Deputy Prime Minister mentioned it just now as well.”
“MigrantWell is also providing care gaps, for example, in dental care for pain management, rehab physiotherapy and mental wellness for our migrant workers. Mr Govindaraj Mathiyalagan, a migrant worker with BJ Harvest Services, joined us at the launch of MigrantWell and shared that he and his fellow migrant workers are thankful to Singapore for doing this for them. The silver lining of COVID-19 is that, through the dormitory saga, Singaporeans are now more aware of the contributions of our 600,000 to 700,000 migrant workers whose lives are just as precious as our own. These are people who are here in Singapore to earn an honest living to support their families back home. During COVID-19, when the plight of migrant workers came to the forefront, Singaporeans and residents opened their hearts and their wallets with generous donations with care packs and warm meals for our migrant workers. This is the SG Cares spirit. Third, I would like to speak about the public transport industry. During COVID-19, among the heroes of our frontline workers include our 21,000 public transport workers. Notwithstanding that I am involved with the Public Transport Council, I submit to you that our public transport workers, as do our healthcare workers and all the other frontline workers, deserve our heartfelt appreciation. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the public transport operators kept our buses and trains running so that our healthcare workers and essential workforce can get to where they need to get to, to save lives, to connect Singaporeans to their families even during the phases when it was only two per household allowed, to keep Singapore humming in spite of the pandemic.”
“The President of Real Estate Developers' Association of Singapore (REDAS), Mr Chia Ngiang Hong, recalled the chaotic condition at the beginning of COVID-19 breakout due to the lack of direction and coordination among the various Government agencies. I quote Mr Chia Ngiang Hong: "We agree with the finding in the White Paper that the handling of migrant workers was rather disappointing. As migrant workers are a lifeline to the construction industry, the impact to the industry and consequences were quite significant, as evidenced by the long delays in many construction projects and the collapse of a few big contractors. The reopening of worksites after the stabilisation of the migrant worker situation was rather painful, with volumes of new rules and requirements resulting in painfully slow progress on sites. Fortunately, Minister Desmond Lee stepped in to personally supervise the situation. With his very regular meetings with relevant stakeholders and agencies and very frank exchanges of views and feedback, the situation recovered well and inched towards normalcy. In hindsight, much could have been done differently by everyone, and the White Paper was objective and frank in calling out the issues and the lessons learnt." As we read in the White Paper, MOM has since set up a new primary healthcare system for migrant workers. There are now six medical centres for migrant workers across the island. In partnership with MOM, the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) foundation, with the support of our SBF members, set up MigrantWell, an IPC charity, to establish one of the centres, St Andrew's Migrant Worker Medical Centre, at Penjuru Walk.”
“Additionally, the launch of STB's Singapore Rediscover vouchers in December 2020 was another scheme which helped hotels to keep the lights on and retain its local workforce. The SHA would like to record its appreciation to the Government for helping the industry stay resilient. Hence, the number of SHA hotel members has remained unchanged from pre-COVID-19 days at 160." Hon Members of this House, many of us would recall ourselves or loved ones having to stay away from home while serving isolation, quarantine or Stay-Home Notice (SHN). Ms Kwee shared how all the hotels stepped forward swiftly to repurpose their properties into isolation facilities to help our nation fight against COVID-19. Isolation, quarantine and SHN was an important line of defence against the pandemic and, at one point, more than half of the 67,000 hotel rooms in Singapore at that time were used in our battle against COVID-19. I am sure all of us in this Chamber will join the Singapore Hotel Association (SHA) to express our gratitude to all hotel employees, especially the frontliners, who very quickly adapted to their service delivery to offer compassion and care to guests who had to undergo isolation, quarantine or SHN. Ms Kwee said: "Hotels have made good use of the crisis by enhancing manpower capabilities and adopting technology solutions to accelerate their transformation journey. With the support from the Government, the industry has emerged stronger from this crisis of a generation." The next industry that was badly affected by COVID-19 was the construction industry.”
“Looking back, Mr Kurt Wee, President of the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME), said: "COVID-19 brought unprecedented collaboration and cooperation between SMEs and Government. Coordination with ESG was almost on a daily basis, at times, with two to three advisories being disseminated to the business ecosystem. TACs played a critical information bridge hand-in-hand with Government to usher the whole ecosystem throughout the crisis. Strong levels of trust were established. It was also an event that demonstrated the strength of the 4G team, which businesses highly recognise and appreciate." Add to that, Government support to help businesses to pivot to e-payment to e-commerce and to reach customers online was transformational for many businesses, but, for many others, it was a lifesaver. There were several industries that were particularly hard-hit during COVID-19 and I asked three of them for their perspectives. First up is the hotel industry. Given that, in general, 90% of hotel business comes from international travel, with the closure of our borders and subsequent border restriction measures, this industry was severely impacted. I would like to quote Ms Kwee Wei Lin, President of the Singapore Hotel Association: "Hotels are thankful to the Government for lifelines, such as the Jobs Support Scheme, which had helped to protect the livelihoods of our local employees. This, in turn, ensured that the industry had talents to restart effectively when recovery eventually came. Additionally, the rollout of the Enhanced Training Support package by the Government worked really well for the industry as hotels could optimise the downtime to upskill and reskill their employees to cater to a post-COVID-19 tourism landscape.”