Lee Yi Shyan
Singapore
“When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong opened the Heartbeat@Bedok on 4 February 2018, we unveiled a locally-installed art work named “Pulses”. Singapore is no Florence but we could still envision our version of renaissance. Given this context, would the Minister enlighten us how MCCY views arts and culture development in the community?”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister if the Government has a framework to review and reduce outdated and obsolete regulations on a regular basis to keep the regulatory burden light. Would the Ministry consider applying expiry dates or sunset clauses to newly introduced regulations?”
“How would the Ministry encourage Singapore entities to capture the intellectual property created, so that we can monetise them and invest in our future? Does MOT see the need to champion research and development (R&D) activities in intelligent transport technology?”
“How would a wide range of solutions be coordinated amongst different agencies responsible for service delivery? Mr Chairman, just as the Government rolls out the 23 Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) to transform our industries, is there a similar masterplan to transform our Public Service to be a smarter Government?”
“Now that the region has caught up, China has risen, we need to make continual and further adjustments to our strategy to sharpen our competitiveness. Being multilingual and deeply connected to the regional hinterlands must be our strategic priority. I support the Budget.”
“It is not just physical connectivity that we need to build, but the psychological bridge to understand the world, to reach out to complex issues and to deal with them tenaciously. There is no silver bullet but hard work aplenty. Mr Deputy Speaker, there is great urgency. I support the Budget.”
The complete record
Every one of 438 lines we hold for Lee Yi Shyan, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 1 of 9.
“When Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong opened the Heartbeat@Bedok on 4 February 2018, we unveiled a locally-installed art work named “Pulses”. Singapore is no Florence but we could still envision our version of renaissance. Given this context, would the Minister enlighten us how MCCY views arts and culture development in the community? Would MCCY support more ground-up initiatives on visual arts including installation of art works at public places, with programme akin to URA's "The Art Incentive Scheme"?”
“Sir, as a First World economy, we strive to be a First World people – charitable and gracious, considerate and compassionate. Apart from pursuing economic goals, we should also have room for the intangibles of life: to understand our history, appreciate our heritage, celebrate our diversity and participate in artistic expressions of various forms. Thanks to years of consistent investments, we can be proud of having world-class venues in performing theatre, museum and art gallery. Singaporeans have ready access to world-class concerts, performances and exhibitions. We have a vibrant arts scene. Arts and culture, however, should not be confined to the premises of museums and concert halls. Instead, they should flourish in the daily lives of our people. Visitors to Italian cities such as Florence would see amazing sculptures and magnificent architecture at piazzas, along streets and on their buildings. In my constituency, we work hard to bring arts and culture into the community. Since its opening two years ago, Heartbeat has held more than 250 workshops on arts and crafts, painting, sculpturing, calligraphy. Our choir, orchestra and interests groups put up pubic performances. We are grateful to PA, NHB and NAC for their support and partnership. Sir, may I ask for your permission to display a picture on the LCD screens.”
“Sir, one of the key trends shaping Singapore's future is the rapid advancement of technology. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, 5G, robotics and so on are poised to shape future industries. The emergence of Industry 4.0 and Services 4.0, are fast becoming the new global landscape. In fact, the on-going technology boom shows no sign of slowing. According to McKinsey Global Institute, up to 800 million global workers will lose their jobs to new technology by 2030. Earlier on, Deloitte and the University of Oxford predicted that 35% of the jobs in the UK in 2014 would go to robots in 30 years. Here in Singapore, many companies are trying to automate their operations without hiring more workers. While Singapore is making all efforts to transform, we may still be too slow for competition. Against this backdrop, I would like to ask the Minister, how has MTI, been preparing our enterprises and workforce to adjust to the new economic landscape? In leading sectors such as AI and Blockchain where we are short of a critical mass of talents and companies to play in the global game, have MTI agencies made concerted efforts to bring in lead players and top talents to catalyse our local eco-system development? Given that Chinese economy is now the second largest, and several of their IT and digital sectors are world-leading, has MTI been successful in attracting Chinese unicorns to be located in Singapore? How is MTI going to identify and attract would-be unicorns from China, India and ASEAN so that Singapore has a fair share of the future Asia unicorns, going forward?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, one of the key trends shaping Singapore's future is the rapid advancement of technology. Artificial Intelligence, 5G, Robotics and blockchain and so on, are poised to disrupt existing industries, eliminating jobs and create new ones. According to McKinsey, applying AI to nine business functions in 19 industries has the potential to create between US$3.5 trillion and US$5.8 trillion in value annually. Growth projections for 5G, Robotics and blockchain technology applications are similarly breathtaking. Traditionally, economic development is predominantly the responsibility of MTI, but increasingly, several other Ministries are overseeing vertical domains which are filled with opportunities for innovation, technology applications and industry development. For instance, MND has deep knowledge of planning a smart and sustainable city, MCI for smart nation, MOT for driverless transportation, MEWR for clean energy and water solutions, MOF for Fin Tech, and MOH for telemedicine. In all these areas problem solving will require multi-disciplinary knowledge employing the new technologies I just mentioned. These Ministries are in very good position to champion R&D applications and industry development in their respective domain expert areas. Would MOF therefore consider, when allocating budgets to Ministries, set aside a certain percentage of the Budget for Ministries to take on mandatory industry development roles, including technology planning, R&D and enterprise development within their vertical domains? After all, building an advanced knowledge economy is a complex task well beyond the expertise of any single Ministry.”
“Sir, our Public Service has long been recognised for its efficiency and transparency and as a key factor underpinning Singapore’s success. Worldwide, technology is disrupting business models, reshaping supply chains and creating new jobs. In this creative disruption process, those who cannot keep up will be left behind. Going forward, Singapore's future depends on the support of a forward-looking and technology-savvy Public Service – one which is wary of the speed and scale of competition, hungry for new ideas, has the capacity to learn and undertakes its tasks with a sense of urgency. Given this context, I would like to ask the Minister, over the years, how has our Public Service re-invented itself to keep up with competition? How has the Public Service embraced technology to render itself more efficient and to serve its clients more effectively? What has the Public Service done to encourage, induce and catalyse large-scale innovations among businesses and society at large? According to a Zaobao report, Mr Lan Shaomin, the current Party Secretary of Suzhou, when he was the Mayor of Taizhou in 2016, gave out "Snail Awards" (蜗牛奖) to 57 individuals and organisations for their "slow work" or "non work". Such is a city in a hurry. Does the Public Service, perhaps, in a different but no less urgent way, reward its internal innovators and change agents and punish the procrastinators and non-performers? Care and Empathy in Public Sector Delivery”
“Mr Chairman, in the same evening after he had beaten Lin Dan, the two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion at the Thai Masters on 12 January, Singapore’s shuttler Loh Kean Yew wrote the following text to the younger players in the National Intermediate Squad (NIS). With permission, I quote: “What kept me going were the gentle reminders that I played the game because I loved it. I worked, listened and learnt from all the coaches and experienced players. I persevered when the going got tough because I was hungry to reach my dreams. Being in NIS is a privilege that you should cherish. You guys are lucky to have support from different resources to help improve your badminton. Treasure it and don’t waste it. Set a goal, big enough for people to laugh at. They laugh because it’s impossible for them. They’re the weakling, not you. Work hard towards it." "I really must add that the key word is "discipline". It is a word that should be applied in everything that you do, be it training, studies, time management. Discipline is not something that should be reflected in only badminton. Discipline should be applied in every aspect of your life. This truly reflects the character of a true champion". Mr Chairman, sports inspire, sports unite. Sports build character. Kean Yew's achievement is an inspiration to all who love sports and their nation. Many of the values personified by this young and intrepid player are the same values we seek to promote and embrace in Vision 2030. Would the Minister update us on the key achievements of Vision 2030 since its launch seven years ago? Active SG”
“Sir, I would like to ask the Minister if the Government has a framework to review and reduce outdated and obsolete regulations on a regular basis to keep the regulatory burden light. Would the Ministry consider applying expiry dates or sunset clauses to newly introduced regulations? How could our business associations and SMEs provide their feedback and suggestions to the Government on a regular basis with a view to improving regulations for certain industry sectors or for business in general? I would like to ask the Minister if our Government would consider establishing a methodology to measure regulation impact on businesses, regardless of whether the regulation is introduced by MTI or other Ministries. Finally, how has the Pro-Enterprise Panel performed with respect to cutting Government red tape and improving our overall pro-business environment?”
“Mr Chairman, this Chamber enacts laws, creates regulations and enables Government agencies to formulate rules. By updating our laws, introducing new regulations, we keep our governing framework current, effective and relevant to the needs of the society. While many new regulations are conceived for their specific purposes, there can also be unintended effects and heightened compliance costs to those the regulations seek to serve. According to the arguments of Brexiteers, EU regulations are estimated to cost Britain a total of $120 billion per year. The common agricultural policy alone reportedly cost £10 billion and indirect costs and by inflating food prices. Some other economists estimate that the current regulations cost the UK 6% of its GDP. One of them, Prof Patrick Minford, said, "If Britain seizes the freedom to move away from the EU regulations, the current 6% could be cut by a third, boosting GDP by 2%." Chairman, while we are not debating the merit of Brexit here, it suffices to recognise the duality of regulations. Regulations seek to protect but sometimes prevent. There are tradeoffs, using benefits on one hand, but also increase compliance costs on the other. High compliance costs are not just a result of the need to conform to new standards per se but also the outcome of multiple inspection stations, longer inspection time, uncertainties in the final outcome of the test. 12.45 pm New regulations added to existing ones can also lead to confusion. They can be onerous and costly for businesses. Already, some businesses here have found it hard to navigate in an ever increasingly regulated environment.”
“How would the Ministry encourage Singapore entities to capture the intellectual property created, so that we can monetise them and invest in our future? Does MOT see the need to champion research and development (R&D) activities in intelligent transport technology? Would the Ministry consider organising more conferences to showcase future transport technologies and advanced prototypes in support of a smarter transport workforce and population? Funding Changi Airport Terminal 5”
“Mr Chairman, Mercer Consulting, which ranked Singapore as having the Highest Quality of Living 2017 has this to say about Singapore: "Singapore’s highly efficient and super-fast public transport is world famous. Residents use the MRT system. The MRT has 106 stations and is the second-oldest metro system in Southeast Asia". Train to a city is like an elevator to a skyscraper. It connects people and ideas. It joins discrete spaces and makes them valuable. Good transport infrastructure drives economic competitiveness. International recognition notwithstanding, we cannot rest on our laurels. Our plans for the future are firmly in place: Thomson-East Coast Line, Circle Line 6 and North East Line extension. In addition, we are starting to plan for two more new rail lines, the Cross Island Line (CRL) and the Jurong Region Line (JRL). Besides rail infrastructure, we have also improved bus connectivity. Earlier on, the Government has invested S$1.1billion in 1,000 new buses under BSEP. The Government is also building a $3.2 billion rail-and-bus depot at Tanah Merah to support three converging MRT lines: East-West, Downtown and Thomson-East Coast lines. At the national level, we have big plans for Changi Airport Terminal 5 (T5) and the Mega Port in Tuas, which will cost tens of billions of dollars to complete. With MOT investing heavily into these transport infrastructure, would the Ministry consider using investments to catalyse the industry development in transport technologies? Does the Ministry foresee our private and public sector building new industry capabilities in engineering, design and system integration along the way? How does the Ministry plan to co-develop the various technologies with the private sector in support of Smart Mobility 2030 vision?”
“Mr Chairman, in a May 2017 Business Times report, a headline read: "Tech talent shortage in Singapore unable to meet industry demands". It quoted Hays Consultancy saying that employers were struggling to fill a number of tech roles, including cloud architects, cybersecurity professionals, data scientists and analysts, and mobile app developers. In another report in August 2017, a Business Times’ headline read: "In the Asia Pacific, talent shortages will bite hardest in Singapore". Given that we are rolling out 23 Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs), and new skills and talents are needed to make these transformations successful, what is MOM's assessment of the manpower shortage problems? How would the shortage impact Singapore’s overall competitiveness and ability to create jobs for Singaporeans? How would MOM help employers, particularly those who are making efforts to raise productivity using technology, to recruit sufficient talents locally or overseas? For new and special technical fields which our local institutions have not yet produced in the right numbers, would MOM allow firms to recruit more overseas talents in the interim?”
“How would a wide range of solutions be coordinated amongst different agencies responsible for service delivery? Mr Chairman, just as the Government rolls out the 23 Industry Transformation Maps (ITMs) to transform our industries, is there a similar masterplan to transform our Public Service to be a smarter Government? How would the service glean the world's best practices for our own learning? Would our service invest in its own research and development (R&D) as part of a smart Government? Finally, I would also like to ask the Prime Minister, given that a number of Ministries are making sustained investments in new infrastructure in billions of dollars, would the Ministries take the opportunity to groom our local players, develop new capabilities and jobs for the economy? Could all large budget Ministries be given industry development and job creation key performance indicators (KPIs)? Evolution of Public Service”
“Mr Chairman. The day before, I spoke about Singapore as a thriving hub in the Pacific Century. While the current external conditions are favourable, Singapore’s continued growth will largely depend on whether we are able to stay relevant. Our future success is not a given. An ageing population, shrinking workforce, international competition and technological disruption – as has been discussed in this House – and other unforeseen calamity could set us back, especially if we are unprepared, unable to adapt and unable to reinvent ourselves. While these risk factors are not unique to Singapore, our responses can be. But we will have to face them squarely in order to find solutions to address them. To do so requires courage, imagination, discipline and organisation. Singapore has one of the most efficient Public Service systems in the world. But past achievements are no guarantee for future success. It is easy to lose our vigilance. We cannot allow efficiency to be replaced by bureaucracy, urgency by complacency and creativity by paralysis. 1.15 pm I would like to ask, in this time of rapid changes, how would our Public Service exercise its leadership in helping Singapore navigate the way forward? Could we expect the Public Service to lead change? How would the service anticipate future problems? Mr Chairman, many of the issues we face today are complex and multifaceted in nature. For instance, I spoke about the need to nurture a multilingual environment for Singaporeans to use their mother tongues frequently and naturally. If this idea is accepted, whose responsibility would it be to see to the creation of such an environment? Another example would be demographic-related issues.”
“Now that the region has caught up, China has risen, we need to make continual and further adjustments to our strategy to sharpen our competitiveness. Being multilingual and deeply connected to the regional hinterlands must be our strategic priority. I support the Budget.”
“While it is true that news consumption is mostly local, Singaporeans, as a people, must not suffer from a myopic view of the world. The more we know about the vastness of the world, the larger our ambition. The more we know about competition, the faster we run and make changes. As a trading hub for centuries, Singapore thrives on making continual adjustments to external market signal stimuli. Staying open and connected to the world has become our lifeline. As soon as we turn inward and insular, we will stagnate and decline. The question is: how can we read the world as it is, without subconscious "filtering" or "selective reading"? Could we create a media environment where our population watches the news, documentaries and business analyses as if we were part of some larger markets? Besides Channel NewsAsia, could we access Caixin Global, 财新传媒, Bloomberg or CNBC for free and on a daily basis? Our news source shapes our worldview and our biases. Could we invest more in our local media for analytical programming of China and the regional businesses to promote widespread learning? Mr Speaker, Sir, what I have proposed might sound like a departure from a long-held policy on language use. But, in reality, they are, in essence, extensions of our bilingual policy beyond the classrooms into society. Constructing a multilingual environment can only be an advantage for Singapore. After 50 years of bilingual education, I think we are ready to introduce the next phase of language application. Singapore will soon celebrate its 200 years of founding. In the past two centuries, Singapore raced ahead of the region to be an oasis of investments and trade.”
“Frequent practice in translation from English to our three other official languages, or even selected international languages at some places, will also help people broaden their mindset and promote inter-racial harmony. Our public sector will also make less, at times, embarrassing translation errors with constant practice. In the public broadcast and media space, we should also encourage the correct use of mother tongues. Funding of Public Service Broadcast (PBS) should not be based on viewership alone. On the contrary, investing in good programming to promote correct language usage will multiply the effectiveness of our bilingual programmes in schools. Two, encourage learning by immersion and internship (鼓励浸濡, 就地实习). For decades, we have sent our best and brightest students to the top universities in the west. This has helped us build up a pool of talents familiar with the West which is synonymous with entrepreneurial capital, advanced technology and know-how. Going forward, we need to systematically develop our pool of talents, both in public and private sectors, who would study and understand Chinese ways of doing things. I would go further to suggest that our three G-to-G projects – Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP), Tianjin Eco-City and Chongqing Connectivity Initiative – offer ready platforms for our Public Service Leadership Officers for a meaningful period of internship and exchange. All multinationals I know make it a requirement for their top talents to have overseas tours of duty. There is no reason why we cannot know Shenzhen as well as we know the Bay Area, and Beijing as well as we know Boston. Three, invest in infrastructure to access world news, business information and global affairs, especially business news from the region and China, 掌握资讯 帷幄千里.”
“In fact, the late Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew made this comment in his book "My Lifelong Challenge" more than 10 years ago: "While Singaporeans are more bilingual than before, we do not have enough who understand the Chinese at a deep enough level to deal effectively with them. Knowing the language is insufficient; it is equally important to know how the other side thinks and negotiates. The Suzhou Industrial Park project taught us this". To shore up our shortcomings, I propose that the Government consider three broad measures. One, to support the use of mother tongues outside classrooms and in the larger society. In Chinese, I will call it "活学活用, 学以致用". We have succeeded in adopting English as the lingua franca among all races. English is now established and a given. Our next phase of development will require us to level up our second language proficiency beyond a textbook subject to a live tool used in commerce and business. Obviously, mastering Chinese will help us connect to its 1.3 billion population. Mastering Malay will help connect us with 300 million population in Southeast Asia. Likewise, Tamil for southern India. At the strategic level, it is enhancing our ability to connect with the steadily growing markets of Asia. Being bilingual or trilingual has to be a key component of our overall competitiveness. Many successful small nations speak multiple languages and thrive. Some examples are Luxembourg, Switzerland and the Netherlands. For a start, we should promote the use of mother tongues at Government service counters and public places. With programmable signboards, we can easily require multiple language displays without space constraints.”
“Compelled by tough competition, the Chinese people have demonstrated stunning learning abilities and surpassed Singaporeans very quickly. Low Er Wei said: "Singaporeans find it increasingly difficult to adapt to local conditions. They are used to comfort and cannot take hardships. Now I don't want to hire Singaporeans at all. They are complacent and have become a stumbling block for progress. Furthermore, Singaporeans have been comfortable for too long and lost the sense of hunger. This is our biggest worry." Low Mi Lun also lamented that, currently, there are still many Singaporeans who believed that they were great and even take pride in not being able to speak Chinese. He said, when you compare China with Singapore, you will see how differently people see and do things, showing up Singapore's weaknesses. (In English): I do not know the two brothers. I thought they perhaps could have established a stronger link with Singapore. However, the Lows' rather forthright and uncomplimentary comments were rather similar to some of the feedback I received from Singaporean businessmen doing business in China. Their messages to me are: "China is developing faster than we care to know"; "Singapore faces very keen competition"; "Complacency will set us back"; and "We do not know what we do not know". These blind spots, perceived or real, have serious implications for us in Singapore. It affects our ability to engage effectively with a fast-rising economy. Our ability to value-add as a knowledge-, investment- and trade-hub to the rising trade and investment flows in the region is not a given, and can be challenged or replaced.”
“As China exports its capital to the region, Singapore will also benefit. Of course, this presumes we know how to add value in this two-way process. In a 2016 Government survey, it was found that less than 35% of Singaporeans spoke Mandarin at home. While this percentage remained stable over the years, many observed that our standard of Applied Chinese had declined sharply. The same observation was also made of the usage of Malay at home. Is this trend good for Singapore? Perhaps, we could consider the comments from the Low brothers. Mr Speaker, Sir, in Mandarin please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Lianhe Zaobao published an interview on 23 February titled "Worries for Singaporeans: the Loss of Hunger". It said: "China is growing ever stronger. The Low brothers were lucky enough to be able to board this gigantic ship sailing into the world. While working in China, they were amazed to see how fast China had progressed over the years. At the same time, they were worried for Singaporeans." Low Er Wei said, "In the old days, when we went to China, we felt superior because we felt we were better educated, could speak English and lived in a good environment. The situation now is totally different. China is overtaking us in every aspect of life. Speaking English? There are many people who can speak English better than we can, not to mention Mandarin. We have lost the advantage we once possessed." Low Mi Lun said frankly that when they first set up the company in China, they only wanted to employ Singaporeans because they felt the cost of communication would be low. However, in the past seven or eight years, the learning capability of the Chinese people has made a great leap.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, on 13 February, The Straits Times headline reads: "China tourists top arrivals here, surpassing Indonesia". It went on to say: "The world's most populous country has become the biggest source of visitors to Singapore for the very first time, while its tourists remain the biggest spenders here". With the rising affluence of its middle-class, Chinese outbound tourism is rising rapidly. In this Chinese New year alone, an estimated 6.5 million will leave China. This number will rise for a long time, given that only 5% of the Chinese population currently holds international passports, compared to 40% in the US. In the broader context, China’s economic heft has been felt around the world. For instance, it became the largest trading partner to 120 countries in 2014. In 2015, it exported more capital than it received. HSBC projected that China's Belt and Road Initiative will further change the face of global trade, with 900 planned projects, $4 trillion of investments, $8 trillion of infrastructure and $2.5 trillion of trade annually. We are entering a new era of global economy, anchored by two juggernauts across the Pacific – China and the US ‒ which will be of the same size in economic terms by 2030. For Singapore, we will have to make adjustments swiftly and decisively to leverage China’s rise. For a long period after WWII, the US, Western Europe and Japan were the main sources of capital and know-how. A good command of English connected us to the advanced economies. As a result, we industrialised and developed our workforce skills in a relatively short time. Unlike the West, which is at least 12 hours' flight time away, the Chinese economy is merely 3.5 hours away. Such proximity gives us immediate access to the market.”
“Mdm Chairman, air traffic growth in the Asia Pacific region is one of the fastest in the world. A 2015 study by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation shows that $226.8 billion will be invested in building new airports and expanding airport facilities in the Asia Pacific. That is 37% of global investment and the highest of any region in the world. From Beijing, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, Taipei to cities in India and the Middle East, airports are fast expanding to capture a slice of the rising long-haul business travels and intra-regional traffic boosted by low cost carriers. Obviously, there are many economic spin-offs arising from a city's comprehensive and international connectivity. Just as we have experienced in Singapore, a thriving air hub benefits directly not just the overhaul and maintenance industry, but also brings measurable benefits to other sectors, such as logistics, convention and exhibition, hospitality, financial, healthcare and so on. A vibrant air hub also renders Singapore ideal for regional headquarters operations. 1.45 pm Competition to be the premier air hub is, however, most intense. I would like to ask the Minister how would MOT ensure that Singapore maintains its edge as a vibrant and leading aviation hub? How does MOT work with the industry players to map out a collective vision for our future? Would MOT take on an industry-development role to evolve a comprehensive Industry Transformation Map? Could the Minister highlight the kind of new jobs Singaporeans can expect from being a vibrant air hub of the future? Industry Transformation for Aviation”
“How would MOM work with present employers to improve workers' skills, and with would-be investors to develop future skills needed to support the future industries? Lean Enterprise Development Scheme”
“Mdm Chairman, Singapore has been ranked amongst the world's most competitive economies. One chief reason is our well-trained workforce. So long our workforce possesses the right type of skills, available in the right quantity, Singapore will remain an attractive place for investments, enterprise growth and entrepreneurship development. In recent years, however, Singapore's indigenous workforce growth has slowed. In addition, the Government has also reduced the inflow of foreign workers needed to augment our pool. Coupled with rising worker levies and stricter dependency ratios, wages have risen. Between 2011 and 2015, wages outstripped productivity growth in every year. In fact, in 2015, real median wage growth was 7%, compared to labour productivity growth of 0.1%. A number of economists have warned that "wage growth that outstrips labour productivity growth translates into declining profit margins, business closures and layoff of workers and, unless accompanied by a depreciation of the Singapore dollar, the increase in unit labour costs also implies a loss of international competitiveness." The latest international Institute for Management Development (IMD) report also says, "Singapore is losing its edge in drawing and keeping talent". Worryingly, if this trend persists, Singapore will become less attractive for business and lose its ability to create good jobs. New investments may pass us by and existing businesses may relocate to more competitive economies. I would like to ask the Minister for Manpower, besides being pro-workers, would MOM also be pro-business? How would MOM help our workforce to remain internationally-competitive?”
“Will the Ministry consider a "Cut Red Tape task force" to greatly reduce layers of regulations added over time by various agencies?”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore's sound regulatory environment has always been an important part of our attractive business environment. Our processes and regulations have provided a safe and predictable environment for our people and enterprises. However, as the CFE report mentioned, this is an era of rapid technological change. The emergence of new business models has upended traditional industries, such as Uber and Grab in the taxi industry, and Airbnb in the hotel industry. The Government will need to be nimbler, given the rapid pace of innovation and shorter technology cycles. I would like to ask the Minister for Industry how the Government, at the broad level, will adjust the way it works to keep pace with these trends. Specifically, our regulations will need to keep up with the speed of industry disruption. These should adopt a balanced approach, placing safeguards on the risks in new industries, but also enhancing the ease of doing business. What changes will the Government make to ensure that we have an innovation-friendly and agile regulatory environment which supports the growth of promising sectors? As part of our pro-business environment, it is also important to have clear and simple regulations to provide a conducive environment for businesses to start and grow. Overly complex regulatory processes leave business with less time and money for their actual business activities and this impedes corporate growth and innovation. Therefore, besides pushing regulatory innovations in the new sectors, how will the Government ensure that our business regulations are streamlined and simplified to render Singapore most business-friendly against global competition?”
“Sir, Singapore's economic development has benefited from global trade liberalisation and globalisation trends. Global trade has grown significantly in the last two decades, supported by global trade liberalisation and the proliferation of global value chains and rising incomes. Our network of FTAs has given us preferential access to key markets, stronger trade linkages with our FTA partners and opened up opportunities for our companies. We also built on our position as a gateway to the region and to become an important hub for businesses. However, the global trade landscape is fast changing. As the report of CFE has pointed out, trade and globalisation have become more politicised, as they are blamed for rising income inequality or the inability to create good jobs. At the same time, the Committee also called for Singapore to strive to remain open and connected to the world. I, for one, agree that it is even more important today to stay open and be connected. But it will be challenging for us to do so in this current climate. Much depends on what the major economies will do. The US has withdrawn from TPP. There are also signs of increasing protectionism amongst the G20 economies. In this challenging climate, what is MTI doing to ensure that Singapore and its key trade partners stay open and connected? How can we improve on our Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-centric FTAs and what is next in terms of Singapore's trade agreements? Will Singapore enhance existing bilateral FTAs and build new ones? Companies Tapping ASEAN Opportunities”
“Mdm Chair, Singapore has enjoyed decades of peace and stability. At the COS debate last year, we learnt that our younger generation, unlike the Pioneers, saw events, such as Konfrontasi, racial riots and our road to Independence, as study subjects rather than personal experience or memories. With that in mind, I would like to ask how MINDEF is working to engage our younger generations of Singaporeans on defence issues and to foster a strong commitment to defence amongst the youth. I note that Senior Minister of State Maliki had launched a "Commitment to Defence" Ambassadors programme to allow SAF Pioneers to engage and inspire the younger generation. Mdm Chair, each generation of Singaporeans will have to confront our own security threats. While we may no longer be in the era of World War II or Konfrontasi, Singapore still faces multifaceted threats to our security. Just in the past year alone, developments from around the world and the region have shown us that threats to our way of life, including from terrorism, cyberattacks and fake news, have become increasingly apparent and are closer to us than we think. More so than ever, the security challenges of today require the vigilance, unity and resilience not just of SAF and the Home Team, but of all Singaporeans. In light of our rapidly evolving security environment, can we have a status update on MINDEF's Total Defence efforts and how it fits in with other Government efforts, such as SG Secure? Total Defence”
“Mdm Chair, in June 2014, the Government accepted 30 recommendations proposed by the Committee to Strengthen NS (CSNS). This Committee was made up of members from diverse backgrounds, including Members of this House, all tasked with reviewing how NS could be strengthened to better serve Singapore and Singaporeans. The CSNS Report cited a survey done by the Institute of Policy Studies where 97% of respondents felt that more could be done to match Servicemen's personal skills and abilities with NS vocations. The Report also noted that CSNS had studied the Finnish and Swiss NS systems, both of which enjoy strong public support, and noted that both the Finns and the Swiss had some form of policy where conscripts could indicate their vocational preferences when enlisted. Based on these findings, one of the CSNS recommendations was to consider the vocational interests of NSFs when assigning them to vocations. In line with CSNS' recommendations, MINDEF allowed the first cohort of pre-enlistees under the new initiative to indicate vocational preferences when they reported to the Central Manpower Base in November last year. Can MINDEF provide an update on the vocational interest initiative? Are there other ways in SAF that are being reviewed to better deploy its Servicemen?”
“Would this quote still be apt to describe the frontier-charting spirit of our Public Service? New Capabilities in Our Public Service”
“Mdm Chairman, Singapore's Public Service is renowned for its transparency and efficiency. In fact, it often tops international rankings. In the early days, the Public Service created many world-class infrastructure, such as the PSA port, Changi Airport, HDB housing, Garden City, Intelligent Island, Jurong Island and so on, all of which we are very proud of. In recent years, however, competition has caught up in fast and furious ways. Some cities might have even surpassed us in hard infrastructure, technology applications and people- and business-friendly regulations. Singaporeans who travel frequently often warn that we should not slacken in our efforts to improve. As our society matures, so has our Public Service. Our public institutions appear to be much larger, having more specialisations and divisions of work, longer command chain and slower decision-making. It does not help if our newly-recruited officers serving the public do not walk the ground, or those serving businesses do not understand how SMEs work. Mdm Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister for his vision and plans for an innovative and integrated Public Services. Would he consider setting up a "Cut Red Tape Task Force" to simplify regulatory burden on our businesses? How can the Public Service culture be improved to empower officers, young and long-serving, to challenge the status quo, take initiative and drive change? How often do officers keep track of competition to stay ahead? How does the Public Service learn from the best practices in the private sector to keep itself lean and mean? How could there be more strikers in the team, borrowing a soccer parlance? The late Dr Goh Keng Swee once said of the EDB: "It's better to hold back a stallion than to kick a mule".”
“It is not just physical connectivity that we need to build, but the psychological bridge to understand the world, to reach out to complex issues and to deal with them tenaciously. There is no silver bullet but hard work aplenty. Mr Deputy Speaker, there is great urgency. I support the Budget.”
“Complemented by our growing think-tank and research community, there is no reason why we cannot raise our average understanding of complex issues and the understanding of the world. I think the bottom line is, how do we watch the world "live" from Singapore. Mr Deputy Speaker, international competition is intense and relentless. Consider this, the Single's Day Sales on Alibaba amounted to S$25 billion sale in just one day. That is 70% of all retails sales in Singapore for one year. So, 70% in Singapore is one day on the Alibaba platform. Still in China, WeChat Pay has become the de-facto cashless payment means in China, regardless of transaction amount and IT infrastructure. By this, I mean, even hawkers at the wet market can take payment using WeChat Pay, without the cashless terminal. It makes us wonder why we are still struggling with different non-standardised payment terminals in Singapore after many years of trying to go cashless. Mr Deputy Speaker, let me conclude. Budget 2017 builds upon a plethora of support programmes previously introduced. These programmes include SkillsFuture that help the workforce in general, and a whole host of productivity-related programmes that help SMEs. And they were all summarised just now by Minister Iswaran. There is really no shortage of support programmes. What we need is strong motivation from individuals, from firms and organisations. To develop strong motivation, there must be deep awareness of the world and the understanding of competition. Singapore's challenge now is how not to be a victim of our own success. How can we leap from our comfort zone and overcome the false sense of security.”
“But I just realised that in this House, it is the topic that every Member has addressed. I think it is perfectly understandable how many people had found the jump of 30% abrupt and drastic. But if we consider the subject in context, that despite the very same dry season brought by El Nino in 2016 sweeping across Southeast Asia, Singapore unlike a number of Malaysian states such as Perlis, Pahang, Malacca, Johore and Sabah, did not have to impose water rationing because of the severe drought. The belated 30% hike, put in context, is a necessary and small insurance compared to the billions of dollars we need to set aside for future new water plants and pipeline infrastructure. We can go around the world and survey more water-deprived countries. Their problems are many times more severe. To put things in perspective, our public discourse needs to be supported by deep knowledge of subject matters in discussion. Thankfully, our schools are doing a great job in injecting realism in learning. Our teachers are taking learning beyond classrooms, into the community and overseas. We have more students at different levels participating in overseas exchange programmes than ever before. The CFE also outlined the Government's intention to provide more funding to support overseas internships and work attachments. We are headed in the right direction. I would also argue that we should do more, for the population at large. For instance, the Government could invest more in media and content production, to help our public broadcast be even more comprehensive and interpretational in their news-reporting and analysis.”
“But we also must be aware that there are a few orders of magnitude of difference when one says "local news" in continental-size countries such as the US and China, and that in our tiny Singapore. While people in these large countries may take comfort in being contended with local news, we in Singapore cannot afford to think and behave the same. Lest we unknowingly wear blinkers to see a very narrow world. A number of businessmen I met commented to me that many Singaporeans are surprisingly insular and inward-looking. I asked them for evidence. They told me two manifestations of this psyche. One is Singaporean's unwillingness to leave their comfort zones and take up foreign postings; two is that being very sheltered, Singaporeans become unsure and very risk adverse in poorly defined and uncertain environment. They believe that such lack of adaptability will hold Singaporeans back from many opportunities in the emerging world. When I travel, I like to tune into news stations and see what is being reported. When I tuned into China Central Television or Phoenix news, I often found their reports of world affairs very insightful and comprehensive, covering a wide range of geographies far beyond the Chinese borders. Over the years, I have also found CNN and other American news reporting to be more globally informed, often although accompanied by distinctive American view of the world. Singapore news and our public discourse must, by definition, be a keen observer of the world. This is because we do not have a continental size economy or geography to buffer us from any shocks. Mr Deputy Speaker, at the domestic front, the issue of 30% water tariff hike seemed to have hogged the headlines of the new media space for the past week.”
“Meanwhile, right-wing populist parties campaigning on anti-immigration and anti-globalisation are gaining ground in Europe. If EU, the world's largest single market breaks up, world trade will be in disarray. What ensues may be trade wars leading to ultimate shrinkages in trade volume causing job losses and destabilising economies. Given that two-third of our economy is externally driven, a trade-hampered world will spell great hardship for us. Secondly, populist politics are leading people away from real solutions. From the rising popularity of far-right political parties in Europe, one has to conclude that more and more voters are taking in their campaign promises which are premised not on reasons, research and facts but on impulses, emotions and anger. Their prescriptions to economic and social woes ignore the very complex nature of economy and trade, of global supply chain and relative competitive advantages. They promise a magic wand which solves all problems merely by building walls around one-self, for instance. David Rothkopf, the chief editor of The Foreign Policy, coined the term "the shallowness of the state" to describe politician's tactics to over-simplify issues to win votes. He reminded us that "experience, skills and know-how require time, work and study. Truth is hard, shallowness is easy". Thirdly, news-reporting and consumption tend to be local. That most people will be concerned with things happening in their backyard is perfectly understandable. In fact, survey has shown that those who follow local news closely also tend to be more civically engaged in and volunteer for the local community, which is a good thing for citizenry.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, one theme that stands out in Budget 2017, is the emphasis to strengthen our external orientation. The new Budget introduces a $600 million International Partnership Fund. It also extends the existing Internationalisation Finance Scheme which has worked very well. These programmes dovetail closely with CFE's first strategy to "deepen and diversify our international connections". Under this strategy, the Committee suggests the setting up a Global Innovation Alliance, linking our institutes of higher learning to the leading innovation hubs in the world. It also recommends us sending more young Singaporeans to overseas internships and leadership development. Despite the fact that close to 10 million Singaporeans travel overseas every year, that these programmes are still introduced says something about our realisation that we cannot afford to slacken in inculcating in especially our young, the ability to understand and appreciate the world. The world is like a vast ocean, constantly waving currents and under-currents. Singapore can only steer forward safely if only we have up-to-date weather charts and topographical maps. Speaking of unpredictability of events, 2016 was nothing short of surprises and shocks. Uncertainties are still unfolding in ways which have profound implications for Singapore. Let us consider three trends. Firstly, protectionism is on the rise. Amongst the first executive orders President Trump signed was to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership. As Prime Minister Theresa May laid out her 12-point plan for Brexit, the European Union (EU) is now increasingly worried about the prospect of a "Frexit" as the French presidential elections draws near.”
“Mdm Chair, according to experts, Singapore will face severe water supply challenges in 2040 as one of the world's most water-stressed countries. What is the Ministry's plan to further moderate demand of water usage in the general population? Can the Ministry give us an update on what new measures or smart devices PUB might introduce to help households save on water usage? On commercial water users, I see on the one hand very effective water-conserving devices being fitted to the taps in public buildings, hotels and shopping malls. On the other hand, I see generous water usage in many manual car-wash service outlets at petrol kiosks. Observations like these suggest that we have very uneven practices in different commercial and industry sectors. While there is a requirement for commercial water-users consuming more than 60,000 cubic metres of water a year to submit Water Efficiency Management Plan to PUB, would the Ministry consider introducing finer measures which would promote water conservation among different industries and establishments, large and small? Singapore has accumulated substantial expertise in water reclamation, regeneration and consumption management. Many water-related companies based here have grown and are exporting their expertise to the regional markets. Would the Ministry consider leveraging RIE2020 and the Industry Transformation Roadmaps to further strengthen our water industry cluster and, thereby, creating more meaningful jobs for Singaporeans?”
“Some also believe that the laws governing subterranean development can be further enhanced to catalyse new investments. Would the Ministry, in consideration of the larger and long-term good for Singapore and as the lead agency responsible for last-mile connectivity, champion Singapore's underground space developments, especially in the City Core area? Would the Ministry provide an update on how the newly-amended State Land Act and Land Acquisition Act would facilitate such a lead role MOT might play? Finally, I would also add that MOT's investments in last-mile infrastructure would have a profound and positive impact on Singaporeans' health and well-being. Walking more on a daily basis could help many average Singaporeans to reduce the risk of obesity, diabetes and other heart-related diseases. Safety of Pedestrians on Footpaths”
“Commuters can access more than 50 buildings and office towers, 20 parking garages, six subway stations, two major departmental stores, eight major hotels and a railway terminal. Commuters can also get to some of Toronto's major tourist attractions, such as the Hockey Hall, Roy Thomson Hall, the Air Canada Centre, Rogers Centre and the CN Tower. Closer home, Japanese cities show how underground space development can be maximised. According to Japan Times, Tokyo has approximately 63,000 underground areas, 40% of which are underground paths, subway systems and shopping complexes. The eight largest underground shopping areas in the capital add up to about 214,000 square meters – about the same as having five Tokyo Stadiums buried underground. 12.15 pm One could walk from the Otemachi station to Higashi-ginza station, all via underground over a 4.05-kilometre walkway. This is about the walking distance between our Newton station and City Hall station in Singapore. For those of us who have travelled to Hong Kong and Taipei, we also see similar underground walkway infrastructure which render the cities walkable. In Singapore, most of our efforts to improve last-mile connectivity have been focused on sheltered linkways. For instance, in 2013, MOT announced the "Walk2Ride" initiative to build 200 Page: 16 kilometres worth of linkways throughout the island. More recently, MOT has reaffirmed its vision to enhance our last-mile connectivity to promote "walking, cycling, and riding public transport" as a way of life. Beyond sheltered linkways, we have heard little about our plans to build more underground spaces and walkways, especially in the City Core areas. Building owners often cite cost and technical challenges as key deterrents.”
“Mdm Chair, the Ministry is investing heavily in enhancing our public transport infrastructure. By 2030, there will be an MRT station within a five-minute walk from any location in the central area and eight in 10 households will be within a 10-minute walk of a station. By then, three out of four commuters will travel by public transport daily. Building transport infrastructure is a long-term undertaking. I applaud the Ministry's focus on the long-term needs of Singapore even as it beefs up our current capacity. Compared to other leading cities in the world, however, we do not seem to have as comprehensive a last-mile connectivity as other cities do. So, in the spirit of contributing to a world-class transport system, let me mention a few examples. In Canada, they have built an underground city named RESO right in downtown Montreal. RESO consists of 32 kilometres of tunnels spreading over a 12-square kilometres area. By comparison, our Orchard Road shopping belt is only 2.2 kilometres long. The underground city includes 60 residential and commercial complexes linking hotels, shopping malls, banks, corporate headquarters, museums, university buildings, seven metro stations, two commuter train stations and the Bell Centre hockey arena. This is equivalent to an indoor stadium of 21,000 seats. There are more than 120 exterior access points to this underground city. Nearly 500,000 people use the underground city per day, especially to escape Montreal's harsh winters. In another Canadian city, Toronto, there is an elaborate Downtown Underground Pedestrian Walkway called PATH. It claims to be the world's largest, continuous underground shopping complex with 30 kilometres of shopping arcades. PATH has approximately 1,200 shops and services, employing 5,000 people.”
“Would the Ministry provide an update on what the response to the Lean Enterprise Development Scheme (LEDS) has been since its launch in September last year? What are the profiles of LEDS applicants so far? Mdm Chair, a number of trade associations and chambers (TACs) and businesses I talked to very much welcomed the Industry Transformation Programme (ITP) announced during Budget. Businesses have high hopes that ITPs will be able to meet sectoral needs because of their customised nature. While recognising that there is much we need to do in embracing technology and modern management as part of the restructuring, some businesses are also worried whether we will have the right quantity and quality of workers and skills to support the restructuring efforts. Given that our labour participation rate is already almost the highest in the world, our indigenous workforce growth tapering off, businesses question if we should selectively let in foreign talents with skillsets to strengthen our Singapore Core, to render our workforce more competent and versatile overall. Aligning our HR development strategy and skills upgrading programmes with ITP is, therefore, the best way to ensure success in our economic restructuring. The close working relations among the public and private sectors and the unions are pivotal. In this regard, may I ask how the Ministry is involving the tripartite partners in the development of ITP and their roadmaps? Would MOM officers be represented in the Transformation Champions to co-drive ITP? Manpower Policies”
“Mdm Chair, in the face with tightening labour supply, manpower-intensive sectors, such as retail, food and beverage (F&B) and hospitality, are finding it hard to cope with their day-to-day operations. Some businesses have expressed doubt that they could ever expand even if demand for their businesses increases, shortage of workers being the main constraint to growth. Nonetheless, many SMEs in the services sectors have realised that relying on manpower to grow their businesses is not a long-term solution. They are responding to the Government's call to raise productivity. Page: 76 SMEs are seeking ways to improve, to become more efficient and effective. For most, improvements made are piecemeal and incremental, often not significant enough to eliminate existing headcounts or avoid new hiring. Not surprisingly, therefore, only SMEs which undertake fundamental changes revamping their business models stand a good chance to succeed and become manpower lean. But the learning curve is steep. Implementation experiences from SMEs attempting major revamps often suggest that manpower loading can become worse before it gets better. This is because businesses need to maintain two parallel systems until the new one stabilises and can replace the old system. May I ask, therefore, how the Ministry would coordinate the efforts of the various agencies to help SMEs to embark on holistic and comprehensive remodelling of their businesses? How would the Ministry address SMEs' needs for additional manpower during their transformation efforts? Apart from helping individual SMEs, does the Ministry see any benefits of grouping SMEs of the same industry for effective intervention?”
“Mdm Chair, last year, Singaporeans celebrated its Golden Jubilee during which we recognised the contributions of the Pioneer Generation and leaders in nation-building. Thanks to them, Singaporeans have enjoyed decades of relative peace and stability. For the younger generations of Singaporeans, events, such as Konfrontasi, racial riots and Singapore's road to Independence, are study subjects rather than personal memories. For many in the younger generation, the outpouring of recollections when Mr Lee Kuan Yew passed on, may have been the first time they learned of the hardships our Pioneers had endured to build the Singapore of today. Even as we move past SG50 and SAF50 celebrations, there are still many ways in which we can recognise our Pioneers and tap on their wealth of experiences. How is MINDEF working to engage younger generations of Singaporeans on defence issues and foster a stronger commitment to defence amongst our youths? Does MINDEF plan to tap on the experiences and wisdom of SAF Pioneers? How is MINDEF using social media to engage young people and Singaporeans at large? Given the multifaceted nature of threats to Singapore's security, all Singaporeans must stand ready to play their part in the Total Defence of Singapore. Modern threats evolve quickly and our concept of Total Defence must also be updated to adapt to global, regional and societal developments and challenges. Can MINDEF provide an update on its 2016 Total Defence Campaign? Navy Vessels”
“Mdm Chair, as the Minister for Defence has just assured the House, SAF is respected as a strong and professional armed forces. In addition to having cutting-edge capabilities, a key element in maintaining a strong and professional armed forces is effective training. At MINDEF's COS debate in 2015, Minister Ng Eng Hen also said that the SAF had consistently benchmarked with militaries from other advanced countries and tested its systems through realistic training and real operations. He also discussed ways in which MINDEF and SAF had been prudent in their land use for training space. Given Singapore's land constraints and the increasing complexity in the battlefield, in what new ways is SAF improving its training and learning systems in a way that overcomes resource constraints? How is SAF ensuring that our servicemen maintain a high-level of operational readiness?”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, the question is: can Singapore stay relevant?”
“It is common knowledge by now that China is the world's largest market for smart phones and e-commerce and mobile, or m-commerce. It is the world's largest automobile market. China produces 6.6 million graduates every year. It has 100 cities with more than a million people, and Shanghai alone is 4.2 times the size of Singapore in population and talent terms. China's outward investments started to outstrip its inward investments last year. Economists expect China to overtake America somewhere between 2020 and 2030 to be the world's largest economy. The rise of China has enormous ramifications for us and the region. Last year, Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong and I spoke in the Twin Cities seminar entitled, "科技创新驱动合作商机", translated as "Opportunities and cooperation driven by science, technology and innovation." The topic suggested by our Shanghai counterparts clearly showed that Shanghai was like us, at the stage of development where science and technology matter most. But the title also meant that if Singapore Page: 93 did not have adequate science and technology capability, there was no basis for this seminar. In conclusion, there is, therefore great urgency for the tasks at hand. We must redouble our efforts in R&D, applying our R&D resources to industries, get our young people interested in science and technology and pay serious attention to the learning of Mandarin and regional languages. Capital is mobile. Firms will invest where they can find high-quality workforce and talents. If we stagnate, if we close our doors to foreign talents and new ideas, the Singapore Core will be weakened and Singapore will diminish. On the day the Finance Minister announced the 2016 Budget, The Business Times headline read: "Singapore's continued relevance – that's the big question".”
“Ultimately, whether economic restructuring succeeds or not will depend on how our businesses and workers are involved. I hope we will face the competition with courage, resilience, determination and creativity to overcome constraints and competition. Our competitiveness is built through roughing it out in the international marketplace. If we rely on a walking stick and depend on protection, we will not be able to endure the storms that come our way and will never be able to take flight. Conversely, if we are able to build upon the pioneering spirit of our nation and work together, with TACs actively participating in industry upgrading programmes, company bosses striving to learn the best practices of world industry players, workers investing in lifelong learning to master new skills, and with the technical and R&D support of our tertiary and research institutions, there is hope that we will be able to strengthen our competitiveness, create our own innovative products and services, and earn our place in the international market. (In English): Mr Deputy Speaker, at SG51, Singapore faces a vastly different, developed and connected world. Every country I visited is making progress. Some inspire; some impress; some make me worried. When I was in Sanya City, Hainan, last week, I saw a seafront belt of 12 hotels under construction. Each of these mega-hotel complexes has a private beach, iconic architecture and differentiated theme. Each would have been a billion-dollar project if located on Sentosa. Seeing them makes me wonder: are we as imaginative? Are we as bold? How are we to maintain our tourism share? To the competition around us, do we keep up or give up? China is gargantuan in every aspect of its economy. And in enormity emerges excellence.”
“In my interactions with the Singapore Furniture Industry Council (SFIC), I have seen how an effective TAC has helped the entire industry to upgrade, internationalise and acquire new design capabilities. SFIC could do so because it has successive generations of strong leaderships. SFIC's annual International Furniture Fair Singapore is very well-attended. It also generates for SFIC the financial resources needed to sustain a full-time professional secretariat. While SFIC is well-organised and well-run, the same cannot be said of every TAC. I hope the enhanced LEAD+ programme will help many more TACs to professionalise and level up. Mr Deputy Speaker, please allow me to say a few words in Mandarin. Page: 92 (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In the 2016 Budget, the Finance Minister repeatedly highlighted the importance of long-term economic restructuring. Only with a strong economy can we raise the income of workers and invest in social development, healthcare, infrastructure and defence to ensure peace and stability for our nation. Yet, as Singapore embarks on its 51st year of nation-building, we are faced with a world that is totally different from the one in the early days of our nation-building. Many developing countries in Asia have caught up with us. China has surpassed Japan in 2010 to become the world's second largest economy, and is forecast to surpass the US in about 10 years' time. External competition, an ageing domestic population, low fertility rate and limited space – all these have put a limit to our development. Right now, there is a greater sense of urgency to accomplish the many things that we need to do, for our next generation.”
“The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) is a respected agency internationally for its world-class planning capability. BCA's Green Mark and Sustainability standards are being adopted in other countries. The Centre for Liveable City is a global thought-leader in urban planning and solutions. The Land Transport Authority (LTA), coordinating huge investments in building up an elaborate public transport network, has experience that is valuable to other cities. IDA architects the state-of-the-art infrastructure to make Singapore a world leading smart city. EDB draws in clean and green technologies research needed to grow a smart city. And the list goes on. Each of these agencies has something unique and valuable to contribute to an overall competitive cluster. The solutions we devise here require a high degree of interagency coordination and seamless public private partnerships. Together, we are solving very real, day-to-day problems with budget, resource and space constraints. Given the inter-disciplinary nature of problems in urban solutions, a more effective way for industry development for this new vertical would be to empower Ministries and agencies involved to take on industry development roles, by giving them the necessary tools to do so. In this way, we can grow our competencies into new clusters of growth, bringing along our large local enterprises and SMEs to create solutions for a fast urbanising Asia. Mr Deputy Speaker, Budget 2016 has emphasised the importance of partnerships in bringing about collective progress and effective restructuring of our economy. In this regard, I am pleased to note that the Ministry is enhancing the LEAD programme to strengthen our TACs so that they can do more for their members.”
“Furthermore, they also wished to see a better integration of NRF funding with the Industry Transformation Roadmaps, eliminating the perception that our research institutes and our industries have not forged a common vision for the future and are working separately from each other. According to the 2013 national R&D survey, economic spin-offs attributed to R&D was $23.8 billion. The private sector contributed $23.7 billion, which is 99.5%. The public sector, comprising the Government, universities, polytechnics and research institutes merely accounted for less than 0.5%. Page: 91 From the above, it is clear that allocating more R&D funding to industry-led research collaborations would greatly multiply the economic spinoffs to our economy. Large local enterprises and SMEs especially, are hoping that more R&D funding can be directed to them for better local value capture and IP-retentions. Mr Deputy Speaker, under RIE 2020, the Government has identified four broad verticals to focus our R&D efforts. They are the Health and Biomedical Sciences sector, the Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering sector, the Urban Solutions and Sustainability sector and the Services and Digital Economy sector. To fully harness the economic spin-offs of these four sectors, two changes would be helpful: one, Ministries and their agencies to take on industry-development roles; and two, agencies outside MTI be given the investment promotion tools to undertake economic development under the whole-of-Government approach. Let me explain. In each of these verticals, there is substantial expertise residing in our public sector and "their industries". Consider the Urban Solutions and Sustainability cluster.”