Lily Neo
Singapore
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I ask Minister for Health on MOH's capacity in coping with serious cases of COVID-19 in terms of adequacy in respirators and in our ICU beds. Am I correct to say that already half of NCID's ICUs are taken up? What will happen when it reaches its full capacity?”
“But even so, with the right measures of social and medical assistance in place to assist them with their daily living, they can still age gracefully in the comfort of their own homes.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Yes, I will keep it short. Minister earlier said that MSF will proactively reach out to families in HDB rental homes to assist them, to possibly buy their own HDB flats. Many of these families lamented that they cannot afford it. How does the Minister plan to do it?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. May I ask the Minister whether there is a possibility of more widespread community spread of COVID-19? And will MOH be able to cope with this? And whether does our Government have more specific measures in place to cope with this scenario?”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. Earlier in my speech, I asked whether there are assessments by HDB for applicants of Joint Singles Scheme (JSS) to ensure that they are free from mental illnesses and medical conditions before compelling them to stay together.”
“Many of them have lived in rental housing for more than six years and some more than 10 years. Thus, there are signs of entrenchment. What are the schemes in place and the success rate of such schemes, to assist them in looking for better options in their housing needs and to help them get out of their predicaments?”
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“Nonetheless, we need to cater to the various needs of our residents and we therefore may need more dementia homes or Senior Activity Centres in areas where the locals may prefer not to have in their neighbourhood. Thus, we really need to have a considerate and caring society that is willing to accommodate the needs of others. We must find ways to promote this and prevent the "not in my backyard" syndrome to flourish. Our people living in the HDB homes are living in harmony except for the few disputes that have arisen from inconsiderate behaviours occasionally. We have a finite land area here and people know that they have to live with many Page: 18 neighbours in our city-state. We really have to revive the old kampong spirit for things to become better. I feel that going forward, we just cannot leave forging our unity to chance. Our society is subject to demographic change and the various needs of different groups will get more variant and may be more incoherent. The fast pace of life today may leave people with lesser time for interaction and rapport with their neighbours. Many people today have no time to do more than taking care of their own space. There is therefore a need for more Government effort towards encouraging more consideration, better neighbourliness and good rapport among the residents. Such mindsets may be promoted through campaigns or ways that discourage unacceptable neighbourly behaviour. We may need stern measures in place to discourage unreasonable behaviours, especially for recalcitrant cases that are very disruptive to their neighbours. Members of Parliament and grassroots organisations can take more initiative to promote bonding with residents and among residents.”
“It is only with the support of our people that all the policies executed will bear the outcomes that they were originally set upon. Thus, there is a need for a specialised team of public relations experts that are working daily on feedbacks and negotiating on policies with one or multiple Ministries involved to accommodate the end-users. They are then to engage the people and explain policies to them comprehensively. I feel that this cannot be just left to the concerned Ministry of each policy-maker to execute as is being done today. It must be a more concerted effort involving the various Ministries that may be subsequently affected. We need a dedicated team of people to execute it well with targeted outcome. Most importantly, we need the resources and to quickly set it up as a priority agenda. One good example is the enhanced PA Scheme MSF announced 1 March 2013. This enhanced policy was well thought out to reach the recipients who have many needs; many of which are health-related. It is a not the usual "one-size-fits-all" kind of policy. It should be rightly so and I hope many of our new policies can be so designed to better target the end users. This new policy has many healthcare components and the success of it will benefit not just MSF, but also MOH. This policy enables patients to live in their own homes with better support and care, thereby reducing the demand for institutional care. There is good synergy between MSF and MOH here. Two, forging unity. As our society ages, we may have need for more facilities that others in the society feel otherwise. Different groups of the population have different agenda that may be of opposite directions to each other.”
“Thus, it is a society with greater sense of togetherness. Are we deficient in this "Singapore Spirit" presently? Will this "Singapore Spirit" further decrease in time? How do we enhance this "Singapore Spirit"? I am sure we are all in agreement that the "Singapore Spirit" or the vision of togetherness, if embraced by the majority of Singaporeans, can bring us the stronger cohesive community which is the foundation of a strong country. The shared values and the unity will bring out more confidence in Singaporeans. The trust and the concurred vision for the betterment of Singapore and Singaporeans will further facilitate peace and growth. Thus, is it not time that our Government takes the initiative to rekindle the "Singapore Spirit" to enthuse more Singaporeans towards building a better nation? Since the "Singapore Spirit" is such an important tenet for our small city-state, with only human resource to depend on, should we not ensure that it is prevalent and instinctive amongst Singaporeans for the good of Singapore? I would like to suggest the following three ways to achieve this society with greater sense of togetherness and where the Government and the people have a more collaborative relationship. One, consensus. I am convinced that our Government designed the best plans and policies to benefit Singapore and Singaporeans. But today with the sophisticated populace, it is not enough just to plan the best options and policies but we must be prepared to accommodate useful feedback to build Page: 17 consensus. We need to simultaneously design ways on forging the shared visions. We need to get our ideas across on why certain policies, especially those that may not be too popular, are so made for the desired outcomes.”
“We need foreign investments to give more diversity of employment for more Singaporeans and grow our economy. We need good GDP growth to have healthy Government coffers for our infrastructure developments and for our subsidies toward education, medical care and national defence. We do need healthy Budget surpluses to take better care of our disadvantaged citizens. On the various productivity incentives, may I request the Minister for Finance to better inform and ensure better take-up rate of the available incentives that are targeted to help especially the SMEs? Many small businesses want to innovate for better results and are in urgent need of newer ideas but may not have the "thinking-out-of-the-box" ways to survive the present Page: 16 circumstances. Could the Minister provide a better hands-on approach at assisting them on utilising available incentives and at sharing with them good practices ideas? If their businesses still do not make it despite all these, then at least, it is not from the lack of helping on the Government's part. I believe in the common vision spelled out in this Budget Statement such as Singapore Identity, vibrant economy, care of the disadvantaged and affordable living. The one that I consider very important but not as easily achieved, at least not with any monetary incentives is a society with a greater sense of togetherness and where the Government and the people have a more collaborative relationship. This is similar to what the Prime Minister alluded to as the "Singapore Spirit" in this House only last month. I would like to speak on this common vision for the rest of my speech. Prime Minister said that the "Singapore Spirit" is when we feel together, we are in a cause together and we are committed to create a future for all of us.”
“Mdm Speaker, I rise to speak in the support of the Motion raised by Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The part of this Budget which resonates best with me is: "to sustain social mobility and strengthen support for older Singaporeans". I have mentioned in this House time and again on the plight of our older Singaporeans especially our needy elderly and have been asking for more help for them. I have also expressed my concerns for the children from poorer or less stable families and the issue of social mobility. Therefore, I applaud our Government for this caring Budget to provide more for them. This shows that ours is a Government that listens and responds with a heart for the well-being of older Singaporeans and for lower income families. I shall speak further on these issues at the Committee of Supply. This Budget Statement had spelled out more measures to achieve quality growth. I agree that this is an important thrust going forward. I am glad that this Budget has given a big consideration to help businesses cope with the tightening labour market through the Wage Credit Scheme, PIC Scheme and Productivity Incentives. I hope to see the success of all these measures with higher productivity to ensure our economic growth with decreasing reliance on foreign labour. I do not believe GDP growth is not as important as some camps have advocated. I feel GDP growth matters a great deal for a small country like ours. We do not have the vast hinterland for farms and natural resources to fall back on if our economy should falter and result in lesser opportunity or lesser employment for the people. We want our SMEs to thrive well and contribute to our economy and to employ more Singaporeans.”
“Mdm Speaker, two supplementary questions, please. May I ask the Second Minister whether we have discerning criteria in citizenship approval, and are our policies robust enough to ensure that only those contributing to our society with positive outcomes – and not draining our limited resources – are allowed to stay? Secondly, could the Second Minister re-look at our policies and to tweak those that can be taken advantage of, to the detriment of Singaporeans? For example, can we review the HDB and landed home ownership granted to Permanent Residents as the present policies may encourage profit motivation among some, who only leave immediately after achieving the windfall with no intention of settling down in Singapore, right from the beginning, as has been happening more frequently?”
“Their numbers may be increasing but they come and go and we can reduce the numbers when economic situation requires. Mr Seng Han Thong, Mr Arthur Fong and Ms Sylvia Lim asked if we could do more for the foreign spouses of Singaporeans or tap on them for our manpower needs. Most foreign spouses who apply for a long-term immigration facility are granted at least a Long-Term Visit Pass. Earlier on, Minister of State Amy Khor had spoken about the privileges of the Long-Term Social Visit Pass. Page: 91 We had also introduced the Long-Term Visit Pass-Plus (LTVP+) last year to provide more support to Singaporean families with foreign spouses.”
“As Minister of State Amy Khor has said very, very passionately, "they make great contributions, they are part of the community and we are grateful for their participation in this country". This leads me to the second ring which comprises PRs – many of whom have worked or studied in Singapore for several years before becoming a PR. So, to become a Singapore citizen, they will have spent a few days as PRs and before that a few years in Singapore. When assessing their applications, we consider a holistic set of criteria to evaluate not only their economic contributions, but also their ability to integrate and sink root into our society as well. So, Members, we can see that actually with a PR selection, with citizenship selection, both of these steps do consider the assimilability, the years they have spent in Singapore, their ability to integrate, their linkages, their family ties and the years they spend in Singapore. Both these criteria have that in the consideration as part of the framework. Many are also dependants who go through our school system and serve NS. Others are spouses or children of our citizens. The number of this group will stay stable at around 0.5 million to 0.6 million. When the basis for becoming PR no longer exists – for example, if they are staying for a prolonged period of time outside Singapore – we may decide not to renew their re-entry permits (REPs). Next, the outermost ring which comprises non-resident workers. We can control the number and the length of stay through a range of administrative measures – quotas, salary criteria, levy, and so on. The ones with better qualifications, not more than 30,000 a year, can become PR after a period of time working and contributing to Singapore. So, this is really a transient group.”
“We tightened our criteria in 2009 and have brought down the number of PRs granted from a high of 79,000 in 2008, to an average of 29,000 per year in the last three years. We will continue to take a measured approach in taking in immigrants who can contribute and integrate well into our society. Basically, we can look at our population as one of three concentric circles. First, at the core of it all is our people. All our policies are designed to ensure that citizens get the lion's share of any privileges and benefits, in recognition that this is their home. We have relentlessly improved our healthcare, education, marriage and parenthood, and other benefits given to Singaporeans only. For example, in the past year, we introduced greater differentiation in healthcare subsidies, school fees and in balloting for Primary 1 registration. We also recently raised the Additional Buyer Stamp Duty (ABSD) for foreigners and introduced an ABSD of 5% for PRs acquiring their first property. Each year, we Page: 90 will grant citizenship from 15,000 to 25,000 individuals, PRs making the vast majority of successful applicants. The PRs who are granted citizenship would have met our criteria in terms of their ability, assimilability, family ties and would have stayed in Singapore for some time. These new citizens make a solemn commitment to our nation. They sever their ties with their birth countries. It must have been a difficult decision. As the late Mr S Rajaratnam put it, "Being a Singaporean is not a matter of ancestry. It is conviction and choice." Once they have made the decision to sink roots in Singapore, we do not distinguish their status from the rest.”
“Our study showed that singles were most comfortable meeting members of the opposite sex through: (i) Page: 89 recreational, sports and social activities; (ii) friends or fellow students; and (iii) colleagues and work acquaintances. This tells us that every one of us, in our capacity as family members, friends, colleagues and neighbours have the potential to make a difference in somebody's marriage and parenthood journey. So, I hope that Singaporeans will actively help one another to prioritise marriage and parenthood as key life goals. While we are pursuing efforts to increase marriage and parenthood, at the same time, we are also realistic about how quickly birth rates can improve. We are hopeful on this front and ambitiously looking forward to improving our TFR to 1.4-1.5. But realistically speaking, this will take time. In the meantime, we continue to have to address the shortfall of births and our approach has been to supplement our citizen population with a calibrated pace of immigration. Allowing immigration does not mean that we do not take our marriage and parenthood objectives seriously. Members have spoken on the risks of taking in too many immigrants too quickly. It takes time and effort for our immigrants to understand and adapt to our norms. If the texture of society changes too quickly, we will experience a sense of displacement and an erosion of our national identity. We fully understand the concerns of Singaporeans feeling displaced in our own country. Over the years, we have calibrated our immigration policies to achieve a slower rate but better-quality immigration. We adopt a set of comprehensive criteria which includes the individual's economic contributions, qualifications, age and family ties.”
“Values and societal attitudes are wide-ranging and are influenced by many stakeholders in society – from the parents who are role models for their children, to the teachers in our schools, to the employers. The various Ministries are heeding the feedback of Singaporeans and are taking steps to address them. MSF and MOE are addressing pre-school needs; MOM is addressing issues in the workplace just to name a few. Some issues require the involvement of the greater community. For example, the Government works closely with our community partners to spread pro-family messages and reach out to Singaporeans. These include: (a) I Love Children which hopes to see a Singapore that is children-plenty and children-friendly; (b) Dads for Life serves as a focal point for all activities of the national Dads for Life movement to inspire and involve all Dads to play a more active role in their children's lives for life; (c) The National Family Council and Marriage Central, just to name a few. Some contributors have suggested we use the media to further highlight the importance of family. The media have been putting in effort on this front, such as by drawing attention to the value of a family-friendly workplace culture. For example, The Straits Times published an article yesterday highlighting the importance of workplace flexibility and how employers can benefit from changes in mindsets. Other suggestions range from having more television programmes and commercials to seed the idea of marriage and parenthood, such as game shows to encourage matchmaking. We will explore all new ideas. But above all, everyone has a part to play.”
“Notably, the study also found that people with high work-life harmony scores want more children than those with low scores. On the whole, the benefits of supporting a family-friendly culture are manifold. Besides supporting the needs of working parents and helping them balance their family and work commitments, employers also stand to benefit from having more engaged and productive employees who are more likely to stay with the company. Companies with flexi-work and flexi-time arrangements can also attract more women to stay on the job, thus meeting the manpower needs in a tight labour market situation. Fifth, we need to recognise the stress that parents feel in raising children and give the assurance that we will try our best to address the causes. We have received a fair amount of feedback on the education system and would like to reassure parents that we have heard their feedback. MOE has started to rebalance our education system. For example, schools have reduced emphasis Page: 88 on examinations in Primary 1 and 2. They are placing greater emphasis on non-academic programmes like Physical Education, Art and Music. We have introduced diverse educational pathways in our system to cater to those with different areas of strength and different learning needs. MOE is making changes at a steady pace that is appropriate for the children. We hope that the changes will reduce the competitiveness in the system and refocus our attention on giving our children a holistic education and one that is values based. We should give our children and parents the confidence and assurance that their children will be brought up with good knowledge and skills that will prepare them for a wide range of job options later. How can we support these changes?”
“Left too late, fertility treatments will not be able to overcome the age-related decline in fertility. The success rates of Artificial Reproduction Technology treatments are only about 25%. Third, emphasising that raising children is the responsibility of both parents. Ms Foo spoke on the importance of joint parenting. Our study showed that 99% of married respondents agreed that fathers and mothers are equally important as caregivers for children. If this is already the case, why the need to emphasise shared responsibility? It is because the majority of the women in Singapore still see raising children as their main responsibility and therefore feel the stresses of balancing work and raising children, especially the education of their children, more so than the fathers. They would be encouraged to have more children if fathers could take on a greater role in raising children. Societies where parenting is shared more equally between men and women tend to have higher fertility rates. Shared parental leave and paternity leave are signals that the Government send to employers and couples about where the society stands on this issue. Which leads me to the fourth message. Employers should see the value in having a family-friendly work culture to support better work-life balance. Again, 77% of married female respondents preferred to be employed after having a child. Also, respondents were quite equally split between part-time and full-time employment options, with about 40% preferring part-time employment. Our recent National Work-Life Harmony survey found that respondents who scored high on the Work-Life Harmony Index continued to report better work, family and personal outcomes.”
“" In another article published just recently in a weekend edition, Mr Cai and Ms Lin shared about their experiences as a family with three children, and how they brought them great fulfilment. Ms Lin said and I quote, (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] "The sense of achievement of being a parent comes from helping to shape a human being, watching the children grow and hearing their laughter. A hug, a kiss or an 'I love you' from them could relieve you from any kind of anger or frustration or depression that you experience." (In English): I hope that more Singaporeans will have the opportunity to experience the unique joys and fulfilment that only parenthood can bring. What are the key messages to bring about mindset change? First, we should re-emphasise marriage and parenthood as key life goals. As individuals, we should ascribe importance to these life goals and give them priority in the early part of our adulthood. Ms Anita Fam, Chairman of Marriage Central, reminded young couples that they should not wait for the "perfect timing" to get married. Instead, it was more important that both partners share the belief that they would face life's challenges and burdens together. Second, we need to highlight the benefits of having children early and the risks of leaving it too late. In the 2012 Marriage and Parenthood Study, 77% of married respondents indicated that couples would have little problem having children even when they were over 35 years old. This is of course not true, as fertility already starts going into decline in our late 20s. We need to make Page: 87 couples aware of the need to prioritise starting a family alongside career and other aspirations.”
“At the family level, involved parents being good role models to their children, building strong bonds between family members, giving a safe and loving environment in the family, a supportive extended family. At the workplace, employment practices that are family friendly, recognising the responsibility of both parents. At the community level, a socially inclusive society, supportive of the less fortunate or the needy, and empathy for others. These are all positive societal values that will help encourage marriage and parenthood. The Government will set the direction and provide leadership but cannot achieve mindset change on our own. We need all stakeholders in the society to help us. It would be useful to frame the mindset shifts needed as three questions. Page: 86 First, why should Singaporeans get married and have children? Second, what mindsets do we need to change? Third, how can we support change in these areas? Why should Singaporeans get married and have children? The answer simply is because we want to have children. Most Singaporeans want to have children. It is an extension of the love from our parents and a way of leaving our legacy by nurturing our own. Settling down and starting a family is a life goal that many Singaporeans want. Parents often speak of the fulfilment and joy that come with parenthood. A Lianhe Zaobao reader wrote in December last year how he changed his mind about parenthood. "Having children has made our lives more fulfilling," he said. "Every little step they took brought us elation and joy, and we were amazed and moved by every small change in them as they grew. Thanks to our children, our lives are now more complete and more meaningful.”
“Members Ms Foo and Dr Intan, as well as other stakeholders in the society, have mentioned the need for more family-friendly work practices. To complement the enhancements announced in January, the Government is studying incentive schemes to encourage employers to offer flexible work arrangements for their employees. More details will be announced when ready. This enhancement, together with the existing Work-Life Works! Fund, will support employers in putting in place work-life friendly measures, including flexible work arrangement. Minister for Manpower, Mr Tan, will speak more on this later. Now, please let me address the issue of marriage. Getting our young people to marry is an important objective. The desire to get married and have children remains strong amongst young people. Our Marriage and Parenthood Study in 2012 showed that 83% of singles desire to get married while 84% of married Singaporeans intend to have two or more children. Also, most respondents, more than 80%, felt strongly that only legally married parents should have children. Yet in 2011, four out of 10 men and three out of 10 women in the 30-34 age group remain unmarried. Not finding the right life partner, no time to date and the need to be financially secure first, are often quoted as reasons. Members and contributors have shared with us the importance of social attitudes and family values in shaping marriage and parenthood decisions. We have received good feedback on the attributes needed to encourage marriage and parenthood. At the personal level, we need to address the importance of the family in our value system.”
“To recap, the recently announced enhancements provide support in the following areas: First, enabling couples to get housing faster and more easily; Second, providing support for medical-related conception and delivery costs; Third, further defraying child-raising costs, including healthcare costs; Fourth, enhancing work-life measures to help working couples balance work and family commitments; and Fifth, signalling to fathers to play a bigger role through paternity and shared parental leave. Mdm Sharifah appreciates the measures in support of joint parenting. She has shared that she appreciates her husband being around when she takes her children for their regular check-ups. I am very encouraged to hear that Mr and Mrs Madjali are open to having a third child within the next few years, and I wish them all the best in their efforts. If they do have another child, the family will fully enjoy our most recent enhancements. If Mr and Mrs Madjali have their third child, Mr Madjali will have more opportunities to spend time with the newborn. He will get to enjoy one week of paternity leave paid by the Government, with the option to share one week of his wife's maternity leave if she returns to work. He can also take the six days' childcare leave and the one-week no-pay Infant Care leave. All in all, up to one month of leave from work for him to spend time with his newborn. In addition, the children can also benefit from our efforts to improve the pre-school sector. The Minister for Social and Family Development will elaborate more on the affordability, accessibility and the quality of childcare Page: 85 and infant care services later in the debate.”
“Also, as with many other countries we have surveyed, our measures are designed to support three broad outcomes: (a) support parents in balancing work and family life, (b) support shared parental responsibility in raising children, and (c) defray the costs of raising children. These measures are not designed to replace the responsibility of parents, nor to reward Singaporeans for having children, because we believe that it is the responsibility of parents to raise and be responsible for their children. We have enhanced the cash incentives: Baby Bonus, Medisave grant. Other enhancements broke new ground. For example, paternity leave and shared parental leave that signal strongly the important role of fathers in child-raising and shaping employers' perceptions of shared parenting responsibility. How does this package help Singaporeans? Let me introduce another family, Mr Madjali's. Mr Madjali Bin Ahamadi, who works in retail sales, and Mdm Sharifah Shamsudin, a housewife, have two children. This is a lovely picture of the family with their newborn. [A slide was shown to hon Members.] Their elder son Imaan is five this year and their younger son Ihsan is four months old. Mr Madjali's family has benefited from a range of measures under the Marriage and Parenthood package, such as the Baby Bonus cash gift and Child Development Account co-savings valued at $22,000, childcare leave and Page: 84 childcare subsidies. As Ihsan was born in October 2012, he will also be eligible for the new Medisave grant for newborns. In addition to the existing six days of childcare leave per year for the first seven years, Mr Madjali will also enjoy the extended childcare leave of two days per year when their youngest child is between seven and 12 years old.”
“Similar to East Asian economies, Singaporeans are marrying later, or remaining single. And with later marriages, they are having fewer children. We often look to the experiences of many countries to understand how we can improve our measures. South Korea, as mentioned yesterday by some Members of the House, was one of the countries which we studied. While the country's TFR may have moved from a low of 1.08 in 2005 to 1.23 in 2012, it may still be early days to conclude that they have successfully beaten the TFR decline. Page: 83 As we know, TFR is affected by many factors. Parents who have children derive much love and joy from parenthood. The Government, however, understands the cost burden that they have to bear in raising their children. We have, therefore, set out to help shoulder some of the cost to support parenthood. The Marriage and Parenthood package announced recently is an enhancement to the packages implemented in 2001, 2004 and 2008. Members have asked if our efforts in promoting marriage and parenthood have been effective. Last year, we consulted widely and engaged many stakeholders to gather views on how we can encourage marriage and parenthood. Our latest package took into consideration these suggestions. The package serves to address the common concerns of Singaporean parents arising from a variety of needs. From marriage, to the cost of delivery, to children's education and healthcare needs; from working couples, to families with stay-at-home parents; the package is designed to be comprehensive, addressing the different needs, yet targeting the subsidy at areas to benefit the most people, especially those who need more help.”
“The working Singaporeans will have to support and take care of the older members of their own families, as well as contribute to maintain essential services to sustain our way of life. We will also need more polyclinics, eldercare centres and hospitals to provide care for the elderly. This requires more healthcare workers to provide physical care for the elderly. At the current fertility rate, our citizen population will start to shrink beyond 2025, the result of that inverted family structure that you have seen earlier on, if we do not have some immigration. But let me assure Members of the House that contrary to what the Workers' Party understands of our population policies, I would like to stress that encouraging marriage and parenthood is fundamental to ensuring a strong Singaporean Core, and this is central to our population policies. The most important way to strengthen the size of the Singaporean Core is through encouraging marriage and parenthood. Several Members have raised suggestions on initiatives that could help to improve our birth rate, including improving work-life balance and better and more affordable access to housing. These are all good and useful suggestions. We have studied many alternatives over the course of the year, including what other countries have done, and have adopted what we think is right and feasible for Singapore at this point of time. Our fertility rate has been below the replacement rate of 2.1 for several decades. The reasons are complex and we are not alone. Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan have similar trends like ours. In 2012, our total fertility rate was 1.29, which is good news, as it has moved up from the 1.20 that we had seen in the year before, but somewhat attributed to the dragon year effect.”
“If we look at their extended family on screen, Joelle, Michelle and her seven cousins – nine children today – would eventually be supporting and providing care for 17 family members in the previous generations. Over time, we will see a reversal of the typical family structure that we have today, one that is bottom heavy to one that is top heavy. The generations before us have more members than the next. At the national level, more than a quarter of the citizen population will be aged 65 and above by 2030, compared to 11% today. The old-age support ratio will be 2:1. What does this support ratio mean to the Ng family? Physically, although I think the hon Member Mr Chen Show Mao has said that the elderly these days are probably better off, they are happier, they are engaged, they can live longer with healthcare and scientific developments. I agree, but there will be a day when they will become frail and they will need care, as Member Dr Lily Neo has so vividly described, the care that is needed on a very close basis, one-to-one. Even if we can move it to an institutional setting, we need more people in the institution giving care to our elderly. It means that more of the Ng family who are in the working ages, would have to become the primary care-givers of an elderly family member. The ratio is about 10:14 or about one to one-and-a-half. The social cost of healthcare and other eldercare facilities for the elder family members will have to be paid Page: 82 through the taxes of Joelle, Michelle and their seven cousins. As society ages, there will be fewer working Singaporeans for every elderly Singaporean.”
“So, from large families of six children just a generation ago, more are remaining single, and those that are getting married are having significantly fewer children. This is quite typical amongst families in Singapore and it reflects our marriage and parenthood trends, and the demographic challenge of Singapore. The demographic challenge of Singapore, in my mind, is an issue, an outcome of a facility not of today, not of the last three decades; it is of our yester Page: 81 years, the years before we became an independent country. We had a baby boom and this is where we will see a Silver Tsunami hitting us. To illustrate why we need to address this demographic challenge, I would like to introduce Members to a family, the Ng family. Mr Ng is 43 years old and his wife Mrs Ng is 40 years old. The two of them have six siblings in total. The couple has two daughters. The younger daughter, Michelle, is four; the older daughter, Joelle, is turning 10 this year. Joelle and Michelle have several cousins, uncles and aunties, as shown in Chart 1 [Please see Annex 3. Slides were shown to hon Members.] Come 2020, this is how the family structure would look like in Chart 2 [Please see Annex 4.] Fast forward to 2030, Joelle will be 27 and Michelle will be 21, Chart 3 [Please see Annex 5.] Their parents will be 60 and 57 respectively. Their four grandparents will be in their 80s. With longevity and better healthcare, they are expected to live longer but may require some help. Looking at their immediate family structure, Joelle and Michelle would eventually be caring for six family members above 55 years old.”
“Perhaps then, there will be less clamouring for CBD-housing as the elderly in the CBD can now travel freely to their children's homes island-wide. 4.24 pm The Minister, Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Mdm Speaker, thank you for allowing me to speak. I speak in support of the amendment Motion moved by hon Member Mr Liang Eng Hwa. I think it clarifies the Government's intention and takes into consideration many of the concerns expressed by Members. I particularly would like to mention the two sub-points that are contained in the amendments: that the Government is called upon to ensure that the benefits of our population policies, such as better job opportunities and salaries, flow to Singaporeans; and carry out a medium-term review of our population policies and assumptions to take into account the changing needs of Singapore and Singaporeans. I think these are important additions that will help us to clarify our thoughts and also guide us going into the future. Mdm Speaker, many Members before me have spoken from the heart about the concerns expressed by Singaporeans. Do we need to have so many immigrants? Are we getting the right immigrants? Can they be integrated into our society? I would like to address these concerns. I will focus on the need to sustain a strong Singaporean Core, and how we will work towards achieving this. Last month, I visited an eldercare centre and met a lady there. She described her family to me. She has six children. Of the six, four are married and two have remained single. The four married children gave her five grandchildren.”
“Thus, it is necessary to have a good postulation on demand with the possible 6.9 million people and an ageing population. Early planning and proactive measures must be in place. Preventive healthcare and prevention of long-term care in institutional settings should remain the hallmark of eldercare. Step-down care facilities such as community hospitals, nursing homes, day-care centres and community-care centres must be adequately provided so as to reduce the overload on expensive acute hospital beds. I feel that, ideally, the care of the elderly will be in assisting them to live as independently and for as long as possible in their own homes with appropriate support as in homecare. It is possible, as in England, to have affordable healthcare workers that can be trained in their specific scope of medical care in a matter of months for homecare. They are trained to do simple homecare such as wound dressing, changing of catheters, nasogastric tubes and so on. This will relieve the total dependence for doctors and nurses for homecare. May I also suggest that all our future HDB flats, especially studio apartments, should be designed such that adaptations can be done and mobility assisting equipment can be fitted when the need arises? This will facilitate independent living for the frail elderly and also to facilitate homecare for those who are sick. In closing, Mdm Speaker, I hope that our Government will continue to give higher consideration for our elderly in future Government subventions. One good example is that instead of a blanket subvention for our public transport Page: 80 fares, our Government's subsidy should be given directly for the elderly, such as free public transport for retirees. This will encourage mobility of the elderly to keep them active and healthy.”
“But, as in any society, there will always be those that are disadvantaged. These numbers will increase in the future for the reasons I mentioned earlier. The Government's coffers may be decreasing with slower economic growth of the future. May I beseech our Government to have safety net policies entrenched to ensure that the needy elderly are taken care of? I would like to suggest the setting up of an elderly needy endowment fund, similar to the Medifund, when our economy is still growing. The Medifund gives the assurance that "no Singaporean will be deprived of medical care due to the lack of means" and with the establishment of needy funds, we can add another assurance: "No Singaporean will be deprived of their daily living due to the lack of means". I am convinced that Singaporeans will support it and, by this provision, it will show that ours is a Page: 79 Government that cares. People can understand and relate to the need for continued growth in Singapore's economy so that we can continue to take better care of the less fortunate citizens. Third, healthcare. Many elderly are concerned about healthcare costs. I am glad we have our 3M-system in place, which is the envy of many countries. The new Community Health Assist Scheme is also another medical subvention scheme especially for the elderly. The recently introduced yearly Medisave top-up for our elderly is laudable indeed. We need to explain all these schemes to more people, especially the elderly, to allay their fear. My concern on healthcare is on the provision of medical professionals and the physical medical infrastructure to cope adequately and timely on the increasing demand of an ageing population. The need for nursing homes, community hospitals and acute hospitals will increase exponentially.”
“The earlier we start this, the better success we shall have. I have the privilege to be working with many elderly in Chinatown for more than 10 years. I found that active and healthy living in the community with friends, supported by VWOs and grassroots community; keep our elderly happy and healthy. Even when they were struck with severe illnesses, early intervention with care and assistance enabled many to recover quickly to be able to live independently. Thus, facilities to enable healthy community living should be made available. The purpose of such facilities is to enable independent living lifestyles for as long as possible for our elderly. This is also to enable future tapping of resources of the community elderly to care for their buddy frail elderly. This is one good way of self-help and using previously untapped extra resource. The rendering of assistance on other frail ones will become easier and with more compassion in a community of elderly that have known each other for a longer time. There is also merit to get support from voluntary group organisations and grassroots organisations for such facilities. For a start, all studio apartments should have such facilities. Such facilities are based on the tenet of preventive care in keeping active and healthy living for as long as possible in the community, thus reducing the need for dependent care or expensive institutional care. Two, the care for the elderly poor. With the growing number of elderly population, and especially with smaller families and fewer children to give the elderly the financial support, the number of the elderly poor will increase in the future. The retirement age has to be further raised so that people can keep their jobs for as long as possible to support themselves.”
“Government needs to convince the majority with its planned policies during the formulation stage and to get acceptance from the communities at large during the implementation stage. What are the plans in place to better explain and to disseminate our policies across our population? Will these policies be further fine-tuned and taking public's input before implementing them? Mdm Speaker, for the rest of my speech, I would like to concentrate on the demographic challenges with regard to the ageing population. It is PAP's style of governance to plan for the long term. Today, I would like to stress on the road maps we must put in place to cushion the challenges ahead regarding care of the elderly. This is essential to provide better care for our future elderly that is ballooning to 900,000 people above 65 years by 2030. The following are the three areas of my concerns and I would like to suggest solutions for them. First, the care of the frail elderly. I feel that it will not be sustainable in the long run to have one-to-one care of a frail elderly, especially one who is homebound with a foreign worker as is the norm of today. The family carers of tomorrow for the frail elderly will be getting fewer in view of the smaller-families trend. Moreover, we will need all our young and able individuals to be as economically active as possible in view of our already dwindling working population ratio. But our small land space will be a limiting factor in getting the increasing numbers of foreign workers to care for the growing numbers of frail Page: 78 elderly; the imported foreign carers will thus be a challenge. We need to better plan on ways to solve this. I feel that better community living environment is the way to go in order to reduce the reliance on foreign labour.”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker, for allowing me to participate in this debate. I see this Population White Paper as the pre-emptive step to read ahead and plan for the better future of tomorrow. It takes a responsible Government to make such a move and act on it for the sustainability of Singapore in the long run in order to benefit Singaporeans. While I applaud our Government on this move, I have my own reservations in some areas. I know that the outlines of policies will be beneficial in the long run but I am not convinced on the feasibility of the possible population of 6.9 million by 2030. What kind of city-state will it be with our land area of about 700 sq km to be shared by 6.9 million people? How are we going to achieve the quality living environment that we aspire for? Page: 77 How can we allay this fear of overcrowding in our city-state, especially when such sentiment is already felt with a 5.3 million population? In the past week, young residents are lamenting that in the future their children will face competition in getting into good colleges and places in the universities. They are also concerned that the availability of affordable housing will be further compromised. The older residents are worried of higher medical costs and strained medical facilities. These are legitimate concerns. Our Government needs to explain in detail and to show the solutions for the future. I feel that we need to make adjustments to our policy-making that caters to the sophistication of today's populace. Better skills on interpersonal nuances that help connect better with the end users are an important tool.”
“Thank you, Mdm Speaker. Three supplementary questions, please. May I ask the Minister whether he agrees with me that public transport is an essential service that may affect the lives of many Singaporeans and the state of our country's economy? Therefore, is it not better to move away from the profit-oriented business model that is answerable to shareholders' interests which may further add on to the cost of our public transport services? Secondly, will the Minister consider targeted subvention for the sectors of our population, such as the retirees, students and the needy, rather than the blanket subvention for all, including tourists and non-Singaporeans, so that Page: 19 subvention goes to those that need it most and appreciate it most? Lastly, at the stage of formulation and implementation of our public transport infrastructure, are enough considerations given to after-care maintenance, such as the engineering maintenance and cost maintenance, for the long-term sustainability and smooth operation of our public transport here? Are there synergy and communication between all the stakeholders concerned?”
“Mdm Speaker, three supplementary questions, please. May I ask the Minister whether there is any incentive scheme in place to encourage Singaporeans to take up employment in our essential services? May I also ask the Acting Minister what is the percentage of foreign workers being employed in our essential services, and whether he plans to tweak this percentage in the long run to reduce our perpetual reliance on foreign workers for such essential services? Lastly, the Acting Minister mentioned earlier about the notes to be taken from the last strike, may I ask whether he can now give the assurance that there are action plans in place to prevent a future strike?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, may I ask the Minister whether he would consider improving the transport facilities for the disabled in terms of transport availability to help them to get to their jobs or to their doctors; and also, in terms of financial assistance, for the needy who require such transport?”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I ask the Senior Minister of State whether it is correct to say that the method used to set SIBOR is similar to the one used for LIBOR? The US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that the LIBOR system is structurally flawed and is a major problem for financial systems and for confidence in the financial system. May I seek the views of the Senior Minister of State on Mr Bernanke's remarks?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, three supplementary questions, please. May I ask the Senior Minister of State whether SIBOR should be left to the Association of Banks Singapore (ABS) to decide, or should it be overseen by MAS instead? Secondly, is the Senior Minister of State concerned that the rates may be skewed in view of the fact that fewer than 12 banks are contributing to submissions to ABS presently, instead of the 17 banks in the past? Lastly, should the rates be the actual price at which banks can borrow, rather than the price at which they think they might be able to borrow on the market?”
“Much obliged, Mr Chairman. I just want to clarify that earlier when the Minister mentioned about the self-reliance tenet, I did not stray away from the tenet in my suggestion on a safety net for the bottom 5% of the lowest-income families. As elaborated in my speech earlier, in fact, that was the tenet I followed, ie, giving special guidance to these families to help themselves so that they can get out of their poverty trap, and for the prevention of dysfunctional homes. And I would like to end by saying that I am very encouraged when the Minister said earlier that we are not in shortage of resources. Therefore, I hope that the Minister will reconsider giving these resources that we are not short of to these vulnerable groups that are really in need.”
“Mr Chairman, I would like to have two clarifications, please. Firstly, I would like to clarify that I never criticised the Family Service Centres (FSCs) or social workers, as mentioned by the Minister earlier. In fact, I would like to commend them for their good work and dedication. I work very closely on the ground with them. At this juncture, I would like to especially thank Beyond FSC and Tanjong Pagar FSC for sending social workers to my MPS every week without fail, and I am very grateful to them. The point I was trying to make was that MCYS needs to implement special policies to specially target the lowest 5% of income families because this group has multifaceted needs involving many Ministries and even the community to get them out of their poverty trap. To prevent dysfunctional homes, we cannot delegate this work to just FSCs. That was the point I want to make, and never to criticise FSCs, please. My second clarification: the Minister earlier said that no one will be left behind. Can we ask the Minister why is he not in agreement with me and others to give assistance to the lowest 5% income group, especially their children who may be left behind? Does the Minister see that the many assistance schemes he mentioned earlier are not addressing this vulnerable group's predicament? Does he not believe in the opportunity of levelling up and the chance of social mobility? If so, then I think he is contradicting the Finance Minister when he said, and I quote, "Social mobility is a crucial aspect of our inclusive growth model. We have to maximise opportunities for everyone to do well but we have to do more and, in particular, we have to do more to prevent an underclass from forming."”
“This may entail cajoling non-working parents, especially the mothers, to go for employment so that they are eligible for CFAC, sending their children to pre-school in the first place to enjoy KiFAS or getting both parents to go for upgrading of skills and so on. In the earlier stages, the children may need nutritional attention and healthcare. Later, in schooling stage, assistance on educational, social and sometimes psychological needs may be required. We may also need special efforts to help the children feel welcome in school, perhaps by assigning extra counsellor or teacher attention to them. Whether providing for physical or psychological needs, may I suggest implementing a structured programme across the board in all schools so that needy children feel at home in the school environment? May I urge the Minister for MCYS to improve the plight of the children from the lowest income families through such a permanent and constructive safety net? May I also ask the Minister whether the present HOPE scheme is serving its intended purpose and can it be improved further to increase the take-up rate? Lastly, would the Minister tell us if there is a big shortage for social workers and whether this shortage is holding back the ideal targets of MCYS? Coordinated assistance to the needy”
“I would like to echo what the Finance Minister said, we have to maximise our opportunities for everyone to do well and we need this safety net to do just that. I would like to emphasise that I am not suggesting handouts to them in this scheme. I am asking for provisions of intensive programmes to assist eligible families improve their dire circumstances. We need a deliberate and systematic programme for these families and especially for their children who should be followed-up with until after the secondary school level. At present, MCYS does not have any system in place to identify such children early on. These vulnerable children should ideally be identified at the registration of birth when some information about them can be collated. There is also no programme to follow up on vulnerable families and to help them in the holistic way that many of them require. Our Family Service Centres are helping vulnerable cases only on ad hoc basis with short-term remedies. It is much like doctors prescribing medicines to patients without diagnosing or curing the underlying disease and definitely without hope of implementing any preventive measures. MCYS has the following schemes for low-income families: KiFAS, CFAC, CCFA, ICCP, HSP, HOPE, SCFA, CCT, ComCare, PA and WIS. Quite a mouthful but not easily understood in application perhaps even by many of us here, let alone by the disadvantaged families. How do we then make sure that these schemes serve the purposes that are intended? I suggest that we give hands-on guidance, with emphasis on the well-being of the children, through designated social workers to these families so that they can better take advantage of the various assistance schemes. The aim is to tailor each families' needs to their unique situations.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, over the years, Singapore has implemented many well thought out policies to benefit Singaporeans. They are laudable assistance schemes which are the envy of other countries. Sir, I am referring to the safety nets like our healthcare 3Ms, especially the Medifund component, our Workfare Bonus and our Public Assistance schemes that target various groups of our society. These schemes ensure that the vulnerable groups in our society are not deprived of medical care or livelihood due to the lack of means. These schemes showcase us as a caring nation. The Minister for Finance in his rounding-up speech, said that "social mobility is a crucial aspect of our inclusive growth model. And our merit-based system allows any Singaporean with drive, perseverance and different types of talents to succeed. We have to maximise opportunities for everyone to do well. But we have to do more. In particular, we have to do more to prevent an underclass from forming, an underclass that replicates its condition across generations." Today, I would like MCYS to consider another safety net to further enhance the picture of a caring society. A safety net aimed at helping the children in the bottom 5% of the lowest income group. In this group, the families are extremely hard pressed at nurturing their children. Sir, they need special attention. There must be a more deliberate and systematic programme for providing assistance to the children of these lowest income families, especially the dysfunctional ones. The aim is to prevent dysfunctional homes from getting worse and to ensure an environment conducive for them to bring up their children, especially if the children are still young. The pre-emptive move is to intervene and assist the children from an early stage.”
“Madam, I would like to ask the Minister whether there is any structured programme in place to help students from the dysfunctional families to give them special assistance in order for them to have a level playing field. The other question I would like to ask is, is there any study done on the percentage of students from 1- to 2-room HDB flat that get into tertiary education? The Minister earlier mentioned more from the 1- to 3-room HDB flats, but I am concerned more for the lowest 5% of income families who are staying in the 1- to 2-room HDB flats.”
“May I ask the Minister whether MOE takes a serious approach on anti-bullying and is making it clear from the very start that bullying is unacceptable and warrants heavy punishment? What are the policies in place and how successful have they been? Are our teachers adequately trained to deal with bullying? Can there be more information on bullying made available to students, parents and schools? Is MOE also cooperating with the NGOs in enhancing outcome? Could MOE implement an active early intervention programme on anti-bullying for all our schools, involving the teachers, parents and students to successfully tackle this issue? Helping weaker students”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, may I ask the Minister how prevalent is school bullying in our schools? According to a Singapore Children's Society survey recently, 25% of young respondents said that they were bullied in school. This matched its survey on secondary school students who reported that they were bullied in school when they were asked in 2006. The larger picture, provided by the bulk of respondents, suggests that, whether they reported being affected or not, there was definitely a relationship between being bullied and lessened well-being. Other longitudinal studies following the subjects into adulthood found that former victims of school bullying had significantly higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem than those who are not. Studies have also shown that school bullies were more at long-term risk of violent conducts and anti-social behaviour when they became adults. The possible negative effects of bullying are low psychological well-being, poor social adjustment, psychological distress and physical ill-health symptoms. Our schools should pay more emphasis on student welfare and well-being to help reverse the negative and pressured atmosphere that leads both to student misbehaviour and bullying. The UK has adopted a tough no-tolerance policy on bullying in schools and since 1999, UK schools are mandated to implement anti-bullying policies. Inspections are conducted regularly to evaluate and suggest improvements to anti-bullying measures. The topic of bullying has also been integrated into the national curriculum. All teachers are also trained to handle bullying cases during regular in-service training. We know that there are different forms of school bullying in our schools and they can be physical, verbal, relational and cyber.”
“Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to seek two clarifications. The Minister earlier said, with regard to the Middle East, that it is history in the making and that the Muslim Brotherhood may take over in some countries in the Middle East. May I ask the Minister whether this turn of events will affect the national security of our region, especially Singapore, with regard to Muslim Brotherhood taking over? The other clarification is this: does he expect this unrest in the Middle East to affect Singapore's economic outlook, either in the short-term or long-term basis?”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, this is a much globalised world. There are more Singaporeans working and studying overseas and there are increasing numbers travelling overseas every year. The overseas trips made by Singaporeans are expected to exceed 20 million per year. As mentioned earlier by my parliamentary colleague Ms Ellen Lee, let me draw Members' attention to yesterday's Straits Times, a Singapore family showed their gratitude on MFA's assistance in locating their children when the earthquake struck Christchurch recently. Does MFA face a greater demand for consular assistance? In view of our limited resources, how are we coping with this increasing demand? Is there a need to review our present facilities and to further strategise for a better coverage by our existing overseas missions? Perhaps, we might expand their range of scope to the neighbouring countries of their missions. Is there a need to further expand our reach to countries where we do not have Singapore embassy by appointing more local foreign representatives? How does MFA keep track of Singaporeans overseas? And is there a need to increase the use of Information Technology to enhance the efficiency of our foreign missions in lieu of our limited resources? For instance, is there a need to provide better information, increased use of IRAS registration of Singaporeans travelling abroad and so on?”
“Hence, we have been involved in the reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan since 2001. It is a good 10 years now and much resources have been expended. Our involvement in Afghanistan has been multi-faceted; we have soldiers there helping with its reconstructions and we have medical personnel there trying to improve its general healthcare conditions. Going forward, it is important for us to know what role Singapore will be taking in Afghanistan. I would like to hear from the Minister what our committed plans in Afghanistan are. Sir, the reconstruction of Afghanistan is a multinational security operation and, through the years, Singapore has cooperated with many like-minded countries like Australia, United States and others in this effort. In multinational operations, it is hard enough to navigate through different cultures, let alone try to surmount the difficulties in achieving the national interests of each and every country involved. Thus, how has Singapore fared in terms of relations with other countries and how has this mission contributed positively to the international standing of Singapore? Maritime security”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, Singapore is a tiny country in terms of physical size. Notwithstanding that, we have contributed effectively many times in the arena of international relations.For example, in the "Thanks" column of the Straits Times today, a New Zealander said, and I quote, "Singapore's experts and aid have helped lift our spirits in our darkest hours" on Singapore's contribution during the Christchurch earthquake. We have participated in many other areas on international security of cooperation as well. These have helped to enhance peace and stability in many places, some far away from Singapore. Just last year, in January 2010, we took command of the Combined Task Force (CTF). This was a proud moment for Singapore. It was the first time that Singapore was given the command of a multi-national taskforce. The CTF is an international effort, formed in 2009, to actively help deter, disrupt and suppress piracy. The objective is to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. I would like to commend all our personnel who were involved in commanding the CTF. Please allow me this opportunity to congratulate the men and women involved in making us proud in the Gulf of Aden. It is also timely to ask the Minister for Defence, since the command of the CTF, how effective have we been and what is the future role of Singapore in the CTF? Our participation in multinational security operations, however, is not just restricted to Somali or the Gulf of Aden. Since September 11th, Afghanistan has become the focal point in the battle against international terrorism. We recognise the importance of Afghanistan and are committed to the international cause of fighting terrorism.”
“Mr Chairman, Sir, ASEAN is an important regional organisation and has serve its members well for many years. ASEAN's importance is underscored by its evolution. Changing with times to meet the needs and purposes of its growing membership. One of the significant changes is the formation of the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus 8 (ADMM +8). For many years, security related issues are discussed at the ASEAN Regional Forum at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Both of these entities have shortcomings in the important area of discussing security-related matters. The ADMM +8 is, hence, a step in the right direction in view of the growing number of security related issues emerging. The other potential areas of conflict, which occur officially outside the region of ASEAN, have a significant and direct impact on the countries of ASEAN nonetheless. Sir, ADMM +8 includes countries like China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and others which have long-standing unresolved territorial issues. These issues will directly impact the peace and stability of the ASEAN region if they trigger violence. Since the concept paper of ASEAN ADMM +8 was adopted in 2006 and a meeting held as recently as 2010, may I ask the Minister, what has ADMM +8 achieve so far? Has the ADMM +8 help resolve any regional disputes? Have the meetings held so far led to any confidence-building outcome amongst its many members? Finally, what can we expect from the future of ADMM +8? Defence relationships”
“Such families may need help in many areas to ensure stable homes. There are existing schemes that the social workers may recommend to them, for example, to take advantage of the HOPE monetary assistance for those with just two children. Some parents of these families may even need medical care or psychiatric/psychological help. Others may need upgrading of jobs or job placement. The aim is to prevent dysfunctional homes from getting worse, to ensure a conducive environment for the upbringing of their children. It would be good, while improving on these children's opportunities, the by-product is getting their parents out of their poverty traps and future prevention of dysfunctional families. I am not suggesting handouts to them, but these families are assisted to improve their situations. Therefore, through hands-on guidance by designated social workers to tailor to each family's needs, they can better take advantage of specific schemes suitable for them to improve their family income. Minister Mentor Lee recently made the point that we need to encourage parents who may not have attained high education standards to inculcate a spirit of learning in their children. This point resonates with me because with regard to addressing a widening income gap, I think the idea of focusing on helping children to have the best opportunity to do well, to rise above the income level they were born into, is particularly attractive. Our declining fertility rate means that every child counts towards securing Singapore's future. Empowering children from the lower income families is a social welfare programme that may not detract but, in fact, add to our country's economic prospects. 5.41 pm”
“There is another pilot scheme by MCYS to identify at-risk children at three primary schools and three Family Service Centres (FSCs). What we need now is to have more permanent constructive programmes and resources and the right policy to implement to help this lowest 5% of children. I have two main suggestions for what we can do. First, we need a more deliberate and systemic programme for providing assistance to children from low-income families at primary and secondary schools. At an earlier stage, these children may need nutrition and healthcare; then later at schooling stage, more assistance on educational and social help are required to assist these children. It is also important to address their psychological needs. Children from low-income families can feel outcast and thus get turned off school due to a surprisingly acute awareness of their income gulf with schoolmates. We can help to bridge the gap in appearances, whether if it is by providing extra sets of clean uniforms or assessment books and stationery. But we may also need to make a special effort to make them feel welcome in school, perhaps by devoting extra school counsellor or teacher attention to them. Whether providing for physical or psychological needs, may I suggest that we need a structured programme that can be implemented across all schools, to look into making children from low-income families feel at home in the school environment. The second suggestion is to focus more efforts on helping to promote a stable family environment that gives these children an opportunity to concentrate on their studies. It may be necessary to help the parents in order to provide a more conducive environment for the upbringing of children. Many of them may be dysfunctional families as well.”
“The importance of the idea of social mobility is highlighted by the dynamism that drives the United States' economy, which can be partly attributed to the idea of the "American dream", that people are empowered to build a better future for themselves. On the contrary, I have heard that the income divide in Hong Kong had grown so stark that people are beginning to be discouraged and to lose hope in the strive for possible social mobility. Prime Minister Lee had said that society is feeling the strain of globalisation, ageing population and troubled families but deciding how best to help the poor is a complex issue. I agree with him and, in this context, it is apt to apply the same concept as in medicine – prevention is better than cure – before more dysfunctional families are entrenched and become a future source of problems for society. Children at-risk must be identified early. We can get information about families at-risk, for example, at registration at birth. They are assisted and monitored till at least secondary schools by hands-on approach through assigned social workers for eligible families under this safety net. The main aim is to ensure that these children get the assisted guidance and care which is otherwise unattainable if left on their own. A hands-on approach catered to each individual family in a holistic way is the best approach to assist these families. Many of them are not knowledgeable enough to tap on the available assistance schemes in place. The social worker can recommend presently available KiFAS and CFAS under ComCare Grow for their children. There are two pilot schemes for intensive care management that cater to only 150 cases for two years.”
“The various safety nets, such as the 3M schemes, PA, ComCare, Workfare, housing and educational schemes, had mitigated the impact thus far. But globalisation will continue to dampen the wages of the low-income families. Sir, I am suggesting that there is a need for another safety net, one that can help the bottom 5% of children in the lowest income group. The pre-emptive move to intervene and assist these children from an early stage would be wise. The expenditure targeted at this group of children will not have the effect of creating a handout mentality or taxing the population, but will have the opposite effect of nurturing a future generation that will not cause social instability and will contribute to society. If we take 5% of 40,000 per year, it is about 2,000 children per year, and over 20 years, it would be 40,000 adults contributing to the future. We typically think of social welfare programmes as a trade-off against productivity. But I would argue that focusing on children from the lowest income families is not a trade-off but perpetually an additive to social efficiency. First, we are targeting educational goals to level up the productivity of every member of society. Paying attention to the education of these children can be seen as a way of addressing the question of how we can further improve our primary and secondary school pass rates. Second, we will also be fostering inter-generational mobility – that is, the opportunity for children to rise above the income group of their parents – and we should consider the positive incentive effects of this enhancement to social mobility.”