Mariam Jaafar
Singapore
“One trusted person who knows their story, who checks in, who believes in them when they do not believe in themselves can make all the difference. As we scale, how do we protect that relational core as numbers grow?”
“I thank Members for the robust debate. I think healthcare is probably one of the most complex Ministries. On behalf of this Health Government Parliamentary Committee, I would like to say thank you to the healthcare family, from everyone at MOH to the frontliners in the hospitals and community. With that, I seek to withdraw my amendment.”
“Every young Malay/Muslim deserves to know: they are seen, they are valued, they are supported – in faith and in life. When our youths are anchored in faith and supported in well-being, our community – and our nation – are stronger. Singapore College of Islamic Studies”
“We must adapt S+3M: financing not only healthcare, but health itself, not by abandoning the principles, but by fulfilling them fully. Shared responsibility must include shared prevention. Personal ownership must empower early action. Equity must recognise cumulative burden. This is not about spending more.”
“Could MOM share the uptake and outcomes so far? And could we expand practical models so seniors can pace themselves while staying engaged? And with the Tripartite Workgroup on senior employment, when can we expect key recommendations and how will success, beyond placements, be tracked?”
“Can we strengthen incentives for FWAs and provide structured coaching at key transition points, so caregivers do not have to choose between career and care. Third, re-entry. Can we create structured return pathways so that stepping up for family does not mean stepping back professionally. Supporting caregivers is not charity.”
The complete record
Every one of 375 lines we hold for Mariam Jaafar, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 3 of 8.
“Resilience is about our ability and willingness to adapt, to innovate, to overcome, to turn adversity into advantage, recognising that our greatest strength is our unity, holding dear our foundational values of openness, multiculturalism and self-determination. So, first, supply chain resilience. COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine and Middle East conflicts laid bare the impact of supply chain disruptions and the importance of resilient supply chains. This importance has only been accentuated. Trade disputes, sanctions, unexpected crisis and conflicts can ripple through economies. The impact of the 1 February 2025 US tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada is estimated to increase tariff costs by a whopping US$250 billion, materially impacting company profits. The 10 February 2025 steel and aluminium tariffs suggest that all countries will be affected in time, with impact dependent on trade balances and country concentration. Industrial goods, energy, electronics and data centres are the sectors expected to be most exposed. Geopolitics is not the only thing affecting global supply chains. Climate change, digitisation and AI talent shortages are also reshaping supply chain. All this affects Singapore on three levels: one, our own needs; two, as a global foreign direct investment (FDI) and business hub; and three, as a logistics and trading hub. It could have a profound impacts on cost supply and price volatility and inflation, on FDI and jobs, especially in key sectors, like manufacturing and the digital economy, and on trade, our lifeblood. Take volatility.”
“Some say that in spite of geopolitical headwinds, Singapore's value proposition would not suddenly become unattractive. Some say we need not worry, since we have a trade deficit with the US; and some say Singapore might even benefit, for example, from China Plus One. Here is a rhetorical question. Did you ever imagine a day when the US would vote with Russia on a United Nations (UN) resolution backed by Europe? As former British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston once said, nations have no permanent friends or allies, they only have permanent interest. The fact is, these trends are changing fast and the outlook is uncertain. Uncertainty does not in itself suggest pessimism. Within each of these trends, there are challenges but also opportunities for Singapore. What uncertainty does do is compel us to reframe our strategies and build a new vision for the future. We must articulate how we will thrive in the shifting landscape and I say we must build a future founded on resilience. Our financial strength, far-sighted leadership, good governance and stability and the successive generations of the People's Action Party (PAP) Governments have helped us weather and emerge stronger out of many storms. From the struggles of the early years of Independence to COVID-19, we must protect and not squander these. At the same time, there are facets of resilience that we need to develop or strengthen further as we confront a future of heightened uncertainty. Three, I will focus on in my speech: a supply chain resilience, climate resilience and above all, a resilient people. But what is resilience? Resilience is not just about being strong and stoic.”
“A small, open trade-dependent economy, we have been committed to a rules-based trading system and a neutral and pragmatic principles-based foreign policy. And this instability, this increasing tendency of great powers to break rules, norms and long-standing alliances is disquieting. What is at stake is not just whether we can grow the economy 1% or 3% this year or next year. It is whether we can sustain our hard-earned position in this world: a global trading and business hub, a financial powerhouse, a technology and innovation hub, a shining little red dot on the global economic and geopolitical stage. Sir, we are in a good place. Four years after COVID-19, our economy grew 4.4%, real incomes are up 3.4%, corporate profits are up, inflation under control, income inequality lowest since records began in 2000. But we do not measure success by these numbers alone. We measure success based on the success of our people, on the degree to which our people are fulfilling their potential, on our ability to provide not just jobs, but better jobs, better opportunities, better lives for all Singaporeans, including seniors, ex-offenders, persons with disabilities or special needs and their caregivers. And this is why our new social compact matters. The Budget advances Forward Singapore (Forward SG), with short-term measures to help all Singaporeans and investments for the future to keep our economy growing and our people thriving. Yet I believe a deeper treatment of the shifting landscape and what it means for Singapore is helpful. Singaporeans deserve a fuller understanding of what is going on, the potential impact on Singapore and what other countries are doing and what we might do in response to plan their own lives. Some may say this is fearmongering.”
“Sir, I declare my interest as managing director and senior partner of a global management consulting firm. We are living in a time of geopolitical turmoil. Governments and businesses with global footprints are rushing to understand the impact of the new United States (US) tariffs and the responses of targeted countries, while watching for the next wave of actions. Headline-grabbing as they are, the US tariffs are but part of a broader America-first agenda. At the same time, we see China pivoting from the West to strengthen its trade, military and diplomatic positions with the rest of the world. A global South gaining in confidence, forming and expanding alliances, like BRICS, and crafting their own paths in search of growth amid geopolitical fractures. And finally, a Europe facing a reckoning, forced to re-evaluate its security posture and reliance on the US and Russia and its future role on the global stage. Sir, what we have is a multi-polar world. An unbalanced multi-polar world. And this unbalanced multi-polarity is now playing out in new economic battlegrounds: one, tectonic shifts in global trade, trade fragmentation and regionalisation, slowing China-West trade while China-rest-of-world trade and South-South trade grows; two, a technology and artificial intelligence (AI) arms race, the semi-conductor wars, the AI diffusion rule, the arrival of DeepSeek; and three, economic nationalism, rising subsidies, tariff wars and trade barriers, a shift away from the World Trade Organization-led global trade governance. We are also grappling with shocks from evolving conflicts, increasingly frequent and increasingly devastating impacts of climate change and polarised populations.”
“If I have a little more than I need, I try to live kindness and care through action rather than being an observer." Yong Sit Lin, who donated $100, wrote: "I donated so that people in need can have a good meal." Marie Ong, who donated $1,000, wrote: “I always believe that to be able to help others in need or to create positive change is a beautiful thing! I love to see the smile on everyone’s faces and spread love and joy around.” Amalina Mutalib, who donated $10, wrote: “I donated because I know what it feels like to feel hunger.” An anonymous donor who donated $20 wrote: “I have the tendency to lose my wallet and forget where I put it. I found my wallet today and I take is as a sign that God wants me to donate!” Muhammad Faqih Karamy, who donated $10, simply wrote: “I sayang Sembawang.” Finally, an anonymous donor who wrote: “I like MP Mariam as I have been following her on Facebook and her projects have shown how much she cares for people, not just her constituents. Way to go, Ms Mariam!" I had to think twice about reading that last one out, but the point is really not to toot my own horn, but to share the insights, that Singaporeans care and are happy to help others enjoy good hawker meals. We just need to provide the platforms. Beyond the general public, we had great support from Northwest CDC to start it up, and corporate donors and patrons who made significant donations. In addition to helping our residents in need, BAM@Woodlands was a great help to our hawkers during the dark days of COVID-19 when business was low and continues to be a source of business today. It has also strengthened the bonds between hawkers and the community. I will share some examples.”
“There is much that we, as a community, can do to support hawkers while ensuring that anyone, regardless of their circumstances, can enjoy a good meal. In Woodlands, during the COVID-19 pandemic, I started our Belanja-A-Meal @ Woodlands or BAM@Woodlands programme at Kampung Admiralty Hawker Centre and coffee shops in my division. It is a Pay It Forward programme. People can buy extra meals at over 30 participating hawker stalls or make an online donation, while low-income residents can redeem free meals of their choice – 10 meals a month for each member of their family. Volunteers top up the available meals at each stall every week to ensure that residents always have a good selection. All of this is facilitated by a nifty little app built by volunteers in our Woodlands Digital Office. This short summary belies the community spirit that underpins this programme. The relationship is not at all transactional. Many of our hawker stalls give more value than the $4 we pay them for each BAM meal. Our stallholders refer to us customers who they believe would benefit from the BAM programme. We sign them up and also get them other help that they can benefit from beyond BAM. They also tell me when their customers share with them their problems and encourage them to approach me for help at my Meet-the-People Sessions. Many of our stallholders are regular contributors to BAM@Woodlands themselves, especially after a few big redemptions in a day can wipe out their balance of free meals. And the community has really rallied behind it. Let me share some of the heartwarming reasons people wrote on why they were donating. Mak Kai Chong, a regular donor donating $10 to $20 each time, wrote: "I want to contribute to my community and I find the BAM idea fantastic.”
“Perhaps, we could incorporate 360 feedback from customers and especially hawkers, to become inputs into PQM tenders and ongoing performance assessment of SEHCs, to help them improve. After all, hawkers are very important stakeholders in the ecosystem. I will focus my speech on the community aspect of hawker culture. Beyond the good and affordable food, our hawker centres have long been about community. Places where people from all walks of life come together with their friends and families, share stories, celebrate milestones – except perhaps a first date for Gen Zs, by the recent report – and enjoy our culinary heritage. As a Woodlands resident and third-generation hawker, Deen, observed, the veteran hawkers like his grandmother are the salt-and-earth people. Their fellow stallholders and their customers, whom they know by name, are their community. Sure, sometimes, there would be disagreements between hawkers, especially when they sell the same type of food, but, generally, hawkers within a hawker centre get along. They give back, too, as a community, to the community. Deen shared how when a hawker wanted to give free meals to, say, a mosque, the whole row of stalls would chip in. It is their way of doing good while also gaining goodwill within the community and marketing their hawker centre and their own food. Even today, many of us have probably seen hawkers quietly dishing out meals to needy residents for only a few coins in return, without much fanfare, affording them dignity along with their food. Given this community spirit, it is only right that beyond Government policies, beyond actions to be taken by NEA, SEHCs and other ecosystem players, we look to the wider community to be engaged in sustaining our hawker culture.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member Leong Mun Wai for raising this Motion and Member Edward Chia for his amendments. We all care about our hawkers. What has been made clear in the debate thus far is our collective passion for sustaining our hawker culture by ensuring that hawker centres remain affordable and accessible, helping hawkers address current operating challenges, such as the increasing cost of ingredients, the rising costs of running a stall and a manpower crunch. We also need to put focus on attracting and empowering the next generation of hawkers to continue this tradition as ageing veterans retire, preserving our culinary heritage while innovating to meet evolving tastes. It is also clear that the experiences of our hawkers are varied. Different SEHC managers, different locations, different rental rates, different offerings and pricing strategies and, indeed, different hawker aspirations and expectations, lead to different experiences. So, there are no silver bullets. The Government has introduced many programmes to help, such as, on the supply side, the Hawker Development Programme, Hawker's Productivity Grant; and targeted rental, financial and skills development assistance; on the demand side, we are all familiar with the CDC Vouchers scheme. We can see the Government continuing to invest in new and upgrading hawker centre infrastructure and refining its policies to sustain our hawker culture. For example, the recent move to allow hawkers to hire workers on LTVPs in order to relieve manpower shortages. Sometimes, the issue is not the policy, but the implementation. For example, improvements are probably needed in the operating processes and practices of specific SEHCs.”
“There should also be periodic assessments of the impact on workforce outcomes and birth rates to help us assess progress and make necessary corrections over time. Before I conclude, I would like to take the opportunity to repeat my call during the last Child Development Co-Savings (Amendment) Bill debate for the Government to also review childcare leave for families with many young children. Because caring for children does not stop after 12 months. We need to support parents to navigate caring from their children throughout their childcare years. Mr Speaker, I do not have children of my own. But I feel passionately that moms and dads should have a genuine choice about how they manage parenting and work in the early years of their children's lives. It is good for dads, moms, our children, society and the economy in the long run. Let us build a Singapore that is pro-business, pro-worker and pro-family. I support the Bill.”
“Some organisations, especially SMEs, will need support in making the transition to this new culture. But the fact is, there are SMEs that are doing this today, who are progressive and more should take the same step. As for single or childless workers who fear that all these might unfairly create additional burden to them, it is important to recognise that the responsibility for arranging parental leave cover does not like with these co-workers, it is the responsibility of the employer. The Government is paying them for it! Employees who take on a significantly heavier load to cover for a co-worker should be adequately compensated, or the company can look into taking on a temp worker to take over all or some of the duties. The longer the duration of parental leave also makes me more feasible to take on temp workers. While employees are entitled to take their parental leave, proactiveness on their part to not only give sufficient notice as required under the new provisions and to also find practical solutions to their time off and hand over work responsibility, will no doubt be appreciated. And may I ask for a clarification from the Minister of State. For shared parental leave, could it be taken rather than in full days, in half days and the time extended in order for companies to continue to be able to support their employers if needed? Thirdly, we must track and make transparent metrics that will help us measure our progress. We can regularly report headline metrics like take-up rates for the various forms of parental leave. But beyond that, regular surveys can be done to measure shifts in culture and attitudes towards the ideal viz one where parenting is a more equal responsibility.”
“This starts with inclusive leadership and line managers who walk the talk and must be supported by moves to embed gender balanced leadership and diversity within teams, and to enhance parental support in order to help sustain the change. Parental support here refers to not only parental leave but other forms of support before, during and after pregnancy. For example, progressive employers offer flexibility for medical appointments pre-delivery, FWAs post-delivery and after parental leave, and re-integration support post parental leave and childcare leave. Line managers have an outsized impact on how any policy lands for their workers. They need to be socialised and trained on the benefits of parental leave to the company, including on recruitment and retention and to society as a whole. In a tight labour market, such as we are in now, companies need to put their best foot forward, and the sooner they move to a supportive workplace culture, the better. It makes a big difference when managers encourage and are role models themselves for taking up parental leave options or FWAs, so that any employee looking to do so will not feel like he or she sticks out as an exception to the norm. It is critically important that men take the new shared parental leave. By creating a new shared parental leave that is shared equally by mom and dad by default, versus sacrificing part of the mother's maternity leave as is the case today, which may explain the low take-up, is a great move. If the vast majority of shared parental leave is still taken by the moms, women will continue to struggle in the workforce and women of childbearing age could be discriminated against, whether or not they want to have children. So, take-up of SPL by fathers is something we really need to track.”
“According to the Association of Women for Action and Research's (AWARE’s) Workplace Harassment and Discrimination Advisory, maternity discrimination from untoward job interview questions to wrongful dismissals, denials of bonuses and outright harassment is by far the most common form of discrimination seen. In 2022, such cases made up 85% of the service’s entire discrimination caseload. But it is not just an issue for women. Studies have also suggested that some men also fear losing their jobs if they take their paternity leave and feel pressure from their bosses and co-workers when they want to do so. It is important that the progressive moves in this Bill do not lead to unintended negative consequences. In India in 2017, mandated paid maternity leave was increased from 12 weeks to 26 weeks. A study found that the policy change caused a 30- percentage point decrease in women’s employment and a 2% to 4% decrease in income for employed women. This was attributed to a rise in firms’ reservations for hiring women in the high fertility age group, since employers alone financed the leave. Here, in Singapore, the Government is funding the increase in leave and the policy intent is for the leave to be taken by both men and women. I urge the Government to further ensure that protections against discrimination for those who take up any form of parental leave, whether it is SPL, GPPL or GPML are strengthened, possibly in the upcoming workplace fairness legislation. Second, we must promote a workplace culture that supports families and greater opportunities for women.”
“Mr Speaker, in the last debate on the CDCA Bill, I had urged the Government to accelerate making four weeks of paternity leave mandatory rather than voluntary, and to further review parental leave. The provisions in these latest amendments to the CDCA Bill represent a significant step towards realising a vision of society where healthy equal parenting is the norm, where dads get to be a much bigger part of their children’s lives from those vital early months, and moms get to continue to pursue their careers with the support of their partners. By providing four months of maternity leave, four weeks of paternity leave and 10 weeks of SPL for a total of 30 weeks, we are giving moms and dads a genuine choice about how they want to balance parenting responsibilities and work. But I want to stress a key point. Realising this vision is not just about the personal choices of individual moms and dads. Realising this vision requires a systemic cultural shift, where attitudes within workplaces and society at large are supportive of families, and those who take parental leave are not made to feel guilty or regret for doing so. We have heard the concerns of employers over the operational challenges, as well as from colleagues, especially singles or childless colleagues, who worry that that they will be forced to pick up the slack for colleagues on parental leave with nothing in return for them. I do not trivialise these points of view. But I believe the importance of providing more support to families means we must go beyond these concerns. How might we effect these cultural shifts? I would like to offer three suggestions. First, we must ensure that men and women who take the parental leave that they are entitled to are not discriminated against.”
“We must also ensure that we must press on in providing more flexible work arrangements within traditional employment, that can better accommodate family and caregiving needs, so the gig economy is not the only option for flexibility. It is and must remain an option, but not the only option. So, we must continue to revisit our labour policies and processes from time to time. We must continue to improve financial literacy in our community. We must make sure that our policy making is inclusive and the voices of our community are represented. (In English): In conclusion, Mr Speaker, as we move forward together and forge our new social compact, we must not lose sight of the values that define us as a nation: fairness, justice and care for one another. Platform workers deserve the same dignity, respect, protections as any other worker, and this Bill is an important step in ensuring that. Let us not only support the livelihoods of our gig workers but also secure their futures. For the delivery rider who rides through the rain to bring you your dinner, for the private hire vehicle driver who works late into the night to support his family, this Bill is about giving them the security they need without taking away the flexibility they value. Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.”
“The employer contribution of CPF, at 17%, significantly increases the amount of CPF available for housing, and will help platform workers save for a house more quickly or save for retirement. Thus, it is important to improve understanding of the long term benefits of CPF and how it works, among platform workers in our community. Like Woodlands resident Mr K, in his 50s. He became a food delivery rider after he suffered a stroke. While he recovered from his stroke, he and his employer mutually agreed that it was best he leave the company. For him, food delivery has given him a lifeline to continue to earn a living, where he could work when he felt up to it and stop when he couldn’t. Because of his brush with a major health condition, he has been making CPF contributions of $200 a month since he started work as a food delivery rider. It’s for my future he said, if I cannot work anymore, or if anything happens to me again. Part of his CPF goes to paying for Medishield. He knows it’s important. Mr K looks forward to the proposed amendments, in particular the employer CPF contribution, WICA, and the prospect of greater representation. I asked Mr K: will you like your son to work in the gig economy? The young generation is different, he said. They will have more opportunities, more options. And this is what we must never stop striving for. More opportunities, more options, for workers, especially the young, in our community, who have a long career ahead of them. Even while we provide much needed protection and security for the platform workers of today, we must ensure that we do not stop providing opportunities for all workers to gain new relevant skills in the fast changing economy of tomorrow. Because the ultimate job security is employability.”
“But many become platform workers, and remain platform workers, because they value the flexibility that the job allows for them to spend more time with their families, or to fulfil caregiving responsibilities for their children or aged parents. A common issue among platform workers is that they have very little CPF. I often hear people say that they prefer to manage their own money and save on this own, that they don’t want their money locked away. Some say that they don’t make enough to set aside money in CPF. For older workers who have paid off their housing loans, or workers who have spouses or other family members who have CPF, it is perhaps not such an issue. But for others, especially the younger workers looking to start or grow their families, they cannot leverage on CPF to buy a flat or to hold on a flat. Which make it that more difficult. I met a resident in a desperate financial situation. Her husband, who was the sole breadwinner as a food delivery rider had recently passed away from illness, and she was on the verge of losing the HDB flat she lived in with her four young children. The arrears had started accumulating when he fell sick. Her late husband could not work and his medical treatments drained their savings as he had no insurance. Because he had not been making regular CPF contributions, he had not kept up with his Home Protection Scheme (HPS) payments, and the cover had lapsed. In this one example, you see all the vulnerabilities of being a platform worker, with no protections for healthcare, housing or insurance. This should not be the case, and we should all support this Bill that gives platform workers these basic protections.”
“Will the Government provide financial literacy programmes or advisory services to help platform workers understand the long-term benefits of CPF contributions and plan for their retirement? Seventh, innovation. How can we ensure that Singapore remains a hub for innovation in the platform economy? How can the Government encourage platform companies to invest in technology to make platform work safer and more efficient and to develop new services that bring more value to the economy and can help to offset any share of the costs of this Bill that they may incur? How can the Government explore how technology can help platform workers to better track their working hours, manage their CFP contributions and access support services. Finally, monitoring effectiveness. How will the Government monitor the effectiveness and impacts of these policy changes, including the take-up rate for CPF contributions, the impact on the number of gig jobs, the impact on flexibility for platform workers, the impact on business sustainability for platform operators and the impact on consumer cost? How will the Government ensure that these reforms genuinely improve the lives of platform workers without unintended consequences? What are the longer-term metrics, for example, for home ownership? Mr Speaker, in Malay, please. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our Malay community is disproportionately represented among platform workers. Like those from other races, some become platform workers because they could not find another job, or another job that will pay them more.”
“Given the differences in CPF contribution rates by income and by age, how will the withholding of the platform worker's contribution by the platform operators work? Will it be standardised across all platform operators? Will consideration be given for minimising the burden on the platform worker while balancing efficiency? For example, will the platform operators withhold the maximum rate for everyone even if the platform worker consistently earns below the income thresholds for the maximum rate? Second, while the phased implementation and enhanced PCTS will greatly help in mitigating the immediate burden on platform workers, will the Senior Minister of State be open to temporary relief measures or adjustments to contribution requirements in future for lower-income platform workers who simply cannot cope under the lower take-home pay? Third, on WICA. What are the expected WICA costs? How will it take into account the different risk profiles of different platform worker segments? What will be the monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to ensure that platform companies are full complying with new workplace safety and health codes and workplace injury compensation regulations? At the same time, how do we avoid a system of spurious claims? Fourth, cost and cost sharing. How will the Senior Minister of State ensure that any passing on of costs to consumers by the platform operators is done in a way that is transparent and does not inadvertently create opportunities for profiteering, as well as in a way that is efficient, especially as the staggered roll-out of CPF contributions would lead to several rounds of this? Fifth, representation. What is the scope of representation that will be undertaken by the platform work associations? Sixth, financial literacy.”
“On speaking up for workers in their grievances, food delivery riders in Woodlands told me of a particular customer in Woodlands who frequently buys alcohol on the weekends. Every single time, he will report spillage or breakages, resulting in penalties for many, many delivery riders. They have even filed police reports. Yet, the platform has ignored their complaints and they feel there is no way for them to fight back. Other delivery riders have told me about orders that are too heavy for one rider or stacked orders that force them to go in opposite directions and are impossible to complete within the time limit while private hire drivers have told me about how the cleaning fee given to them for cleaning their vehicles when a passenger throws up in the car barely goes to cover the actual cost of cleaning, let alone the loss of income for the period during which the driver cannot take on passengers while airing the car to eliminate odours. These may sound like small things to us, but these small things add up and have a real impact on the lived experiences of platform workers and their feelings of fairness, respect and dignity. Platform work associations have a role to play in effecting positive changes in their lives. Mr Speaker, the provisions of the Bill are both bold yet balanced and therefore should be supported by this House. What is probably more important is how we are going to go about implementing the provisions in a way that is inclusive for all stakeholders, engenders trust and advances long-term benefits for society as well as for the platform workers. To that end, I have a few questions for the Senior Minister of State. First, CPF contributions.”
“Then, there are the WICA payments, plus the cost of compliance for all the new regulations. Is there enough left for this to be sustainable for the platform operator to bear all these costs? So, yes, there will be costs and yes, some of these costs may indeed likely to be passed on. But let us not forget that we as a society benefit from the services these workers provide. It is only fair that the responsibility of ensuring their protection is shared among all stakeholders – the Government, platform operators and consumers. This will not be an easy balance, but this Government has shown that it will not shy away from doing the right thing. In this case, doing the right thing is making sure that our platform operators, who do so much for us, are not left behind without a safety net. The Bill also provides a legal framework for platform work associations to represent platform workers. With the enactment of new laws, the platform work associations will play an important role in representing platform workers on these new laws and more broadly, giving platform workers a voice. In considering the scope for what the platform work associations will intervene in, the associations should take a comprehensive approach, going beyond focusing on the new benefits, health and safety standards as well as prices and incentives schemes to address other things that impact platform workers' rights, well-being and long-term sustainability, including support in improving working conditions, resolving disputes with platform operators and customers, including abuse and harassment, training and career development, and promoting respect, dignity and societal recognition for the contributions of platform workers to society.”
“The Bill recognises that the reforms are important, but so is the real financial impact on platform workers, platform operators and potentially consumers. Thus, for example, the Bill staggers contribution rates over five years and is supplemented by the PCTS, enhanced a few days ago to fully cover the increase in platform workers' CPF contributions in 2025. Similarly, a balanced approach will need to be adopted in the proposed safety codes so that they protect the safety and health of platform workers without taking away the flexibility and autonomy that some platform workers want, considering their own personal situations, for example, on scheduling and work hours, or stifling innovation on the part of the platform operators even while they meet the new regulatory requirements. Mr Speaker, I would like to add my views regarding the concerns that these protections could lead to increased costs for platform operators and that some of these costs might be passed on to consumers or even to the platform workers themselves. It may be expedient to place the burden on one party – specifically, for the platform operators to absorb all the costs. But a quick look at the numbers in the public domain suggest this could be untenable. One ride-hailing platform operator, for example, charges 10% commission on trip fares. That means their revenues are 10% of the fares. With the fixed expense deduction ratio of 60% for drivers, the employers' contribution, which is 17% of the platform worker's income, would be 6.8%, or two thirds of the topline of the platform operator. Therefore, having the platform operator bear the full employers' contribution would mean reducing their revenue to about 3% of what it used to be.”
“But we also have what I call the "chiongsters", who have mastered exactly where and when they should be active on which platform to generate the most income. The two-wheeler segment is very different from the four-wheeler segment and the no-vehicle segment, and within the two-wheeler segment, the motorbike segment is different from the bicycle segment. So, we must consider all these differences in designing and implementing these reforms. But I hope we can all agree on two basic tenets. First, platform work should remain part of the landscape. It offers opportunities for thousands of Singaporeans who need or prefer to have the flexibility of setting their own schedules. As an industry, the platform economy must remain sustainable even if there may be some failures or consolidations among the operators. Second, all workers, employee or self-employed, high-income or low-income, should be treated fairly and with dignity and should have basic protections and a secure future. All workers should be treated fairly and with dignity. The question before us therefore is not just how to protect these workers, but how to balance their need for flexibility with the need for fairness, security and dignity. It is clear from this Bill that the Government has captured this balance. This Bill proposes much-needed reforms, including mandatory CPF contributions, extending Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) and requiring platform operators to take reasonable measures to ensure the safety and health of their platform workers. These measures are not about taking away flexibility but about ensuring that in their pursuit of a livelihood, platform workers are not left without a safety net, because flexibility should not mean insecurity. Flexibility should not mean insecurity.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise today in support of our platform workers, who represent a sizeable and growing segment of our workforce and who have become essential to the convenience we often take for granted in our daily lives. We have heard throughout this debate stories and statistics about the vulnerabilities platform workers face. This Bill seeks to address those vulnerabilities, providing platform workers with baseline protections and hope for a more secure future. This debate is close to my heart because there are many platform workers living in my constituency, Woodlands. Indeed, when COVID-19 struck, our community centres (CCs) in Woodlands had the longest lines for Temporary Relief Fund grants in the whole country. Mr Speaker, any reforms must consider the lived experience and needs of those directly affected, that is, the platform workers. In truth, there is no one face of a platform worker. Our platform workers are a very diverse group with different situations and needs. Some turned to platform work after many failed attempts to land another job. Some turned to platform work to have the flexibility to manage their own time, to accommodate caregiving responsibilities, or simply to have more time with their families. For others, platform work is a side gig to a full-time job to boost their incomes. We have students, working part-time to supplement their family incomes, to pay for school or for additional pocket money. We have those who struggle to make a decent income, living day-to-day on whatever income they make on any given day. We have heard several times of how for many platform workers, their expenses exceed their income.”
“Sir, I thank the Minister for his response on the consideration for when we would recognise Palestinian statehood and also further thank the Government for the very tangible things that they are doing to actually prepare their government for that. I have just one supplementary question. Can the Minister share more on any diplomatic efforts that we are currently taking with international and regional bodies, like the UN, where a vote has been taken in favour of Palestinian membership; the European Union, where 10 out of 27 states now formally recognise Palestine and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), our closest neighbours to facilitate the realisation of the Palestinian state, a two-state solution, and to secure the legal and diplomatic rights of Palestine after this conflict is over?”
“As our population ages, many caregivers are ageing or already elderly themselves, grappling with their own age-related health issues, financial constraints and social isolation. The toll of caregiving can be immense physically, emotionally and financially. The Government has announced many measures to better support caregivers, from higher caregiving grants to enhanced caregiving services and training, to pushing for flexible work arrangements to facilitating special needs trust services. But the challenges are particularly significant when the caregivers themselves are ageing. Plans under Age Well SG, such as shared stay-in senior care services sandbox, are welcomed, but we must ensure that the solutions are scalable. What can we learn from other aged societies? For example, Japan has been at the forefront of leveraging technology, with robotic assistants, robotic exoskeletons, telepresence robots and smart home systems. What is Singapore doing in this regard? How can the Government better support ageing caregivers? What other scalable solutions are there to address this issue? Supporting Seniors with Care Needs”
“For example, transportation costs can be particularly significant for patients with mobility needs, patients who need access to health services frequently, patients with elderly caregivers, and caregivers who do not stay in the same household. For many families, the Home Caregiver Grant barely begins to cover their caregiving costs. And while the chronic tier of Healthier SG is welcome, patients still face high costs of medications and consumables. It is imperative that we recognise and address these ancillary costs to ensure equitable access to healthcare for all. This requires a comprehensive approach that encompasses various facets of healthcare costs. For example, addressing transportation barriers could involve subsidies for transportation costs for low income families and scaling up medical transport services, but they can also involve promoting telehealth services, as well as ensuring that HDB and public transportation designs are supportive of people with mobility needs. Has the Minister studied the ancillary cost burden for patients under different scenarios? What support can the Government provide to alleviate this burden for more families? 7.30 pm Ageing Caregivers On a recent house visit, I met Mdm G who is her 90s. She has multiple medical conditions and is bedridden. She lives with three daughters. They are all in their 70s. They sought my help to apply for medical escort services as they struggle to lift her into a wheelchair for her frequent trips to the hospital. On the same visit, I met Mdm M who takes care of her special-needs grandson. His parents are not in the picture. In her 70s, Mdm M has her own health problems and she was very worried about who would take care of her grandson when she is gone.”
“Digitisation and automation of healthcare systems, has the potential to both improve health outcomes and reduce costs in every area of the industry. The rapid development in GenAI has exciting promises in healthcare, with many emerging AI use cases from aspects as diverse as healthcare R&D, consumer billing and other efficiency, productivity and cost improvements. The roll-out of the National Electronic Health Record (NEHR) and the Next Gen Electronic Medical Record (EMR) alongside Healthier SG, adds vast array of new sources of data, AI and GenAI, offering exciting opportunities to improve preventive care and empower patients to manage their own healthcare. Alternative health care models are also gaining momentum. Telehealth is advancing further, moving from consultations to remote diagnostics, including using AI to analyse symptoms and enable at home lab tests. Wearables and at home smart medical devices are also being rolled out. Virtual hospital wards will facilitate the remote continuous monitoring of patients, helping to reduce demands on hospital beds and manpower as well as reduce the need for hospital trips. What is MOH doing to further harness the potential of digital technology and AI? What has been the impact thus far, and how do we ensure that these efforts drive sustainable value creation and outcomes? Ancillary Costs of Healthcare While the focus on healthcare costs discussions often centres around the costs of medical treatments and procedures, the ancillary costs associated with healthcare are often overlooked. These include medication, transportation and caregiving expenses, and they can add up very quickly to become a significant financial burden.”
“Value-based Healthcare During the Healthier SG White Paper debate, I spoke about value-based healthcare, which is a transformative model of healthcare that focused on delivering better health outcomes with the same or lower costs by optimising available resources, citing several international best practices. Minister Ong Ye Kung had assured the House then that our hospitals have always been implementing value-based healthcare, have also been through many such initiatives, such as community measures to help resuscitate out of hospital cardiac arrests. I am heartened that we have seen many successful value based healthcare pilots in our healthcare system that demonstrate the potential. However, to fully realise this potential, we must scale up these pilots and integrate them across our healthcare system. This requires a concerted effort involving multiple stakeholders across the health care continuum. We must invest in technology, infrastructure, data, workforce training and culture to support this transition and ensure incentives are tied to outcomes, as well as address disparities in access to care and social determinants of health. By embracing value-based care models and scaling up successful pilots, we can improve patient outcomes, enhance health care quality and bend the cost curve. Can the Minister provide an update on the status of these pilots, what results have come out of them, whether some have been scaled up across the healthcare system and why or why not? What is the expected contribution of value-based healthcare to bending the cost curve. Digital and AI in Healthcare Digital technology and AI are rapidly transforming the healthcare landscape around the world.”
“Healthcare costs have grown rapidly and the MOH budget is now second only to that of the Ministry of Defence. Hospital bills and insurance premiums continue to rise. The shift to preventive care under Healthier SG will be a critical lever to bending the cost curve in the long term. But we must also drive cost reduction in the here and now. We have residents who come to us complaining that the cost of medical treatment is higher in Singapore than in the region, but even other wealth developed nations like Japan, that the cost of unsubsidised consultations are sometimes more expensive in our polyclinics that at private GPs. Yes, we have an ageing population. Yes, there is a rise in chronic diseases. Yes, there are global shortages. Yes, we are disadvantaged as a small and rich nation when it comes to drug pricing, but what are the other material drivers of rising health costs that could be controlled? Healthcare economics is a complex field, rife with principal-agent problems, moral hazards, human emotions and behaviours, and the Government has worked hard to address these challenges over time. But there are proven levers to reduce costs – value-based heathcare, digital technology, strategic procurement – but for their impact to be sustained, changes to ways of working, processes, people and incentives all have to be aligned; otherwise, the costs come back or just move somewhere else. With the move to capitation funding, what benchmarking studies have been done and what targets have been set to get healthcare systems and insurers to go after cost savings. How can we get individuals to make decisions for the good of their loved ones and society as a whole? What more is being done to keep healthcare costs under control?”
“Sir, my Woodlands residents have spoken to me about the lack of medical clinics that open late at Woodlands North Plaza. This is an issue if they are unable to get time off during working hours or if someone falls sick at night, especially if they are families with young children or elderly residents themselves. As a result, health conditions sometimes go untreated. Moreover, under Healthier SG, these general practitioner (GP) clinics will also offer a wide range of services – from routine check-ups to vaccinations. So, ensuring that GPs are available at convenient locations and at extended hours is not just a matter of convenience. It is a matter of equity, accessibility and public health. Sir, I understand that GPs have their own considerations of manpower, costs and personal preferences and needs. So, HDB perhaps cannot mandate them to extend their operating hours. But could HDB provide incentives in the form of rental subsidies or experiment with formats, like shared clinic spaces or night relief GPs, until it can be made a tender requirement at the next renewal? Some may say that this would be too expensive to give out incentives for clinics. But, in reality, this is not an island-wide issue. In many town centres, there is no shortage of such clinics. Rather than a broad policy, the Government could look at localised needs and apply the levers in a targeted way. The same analysis could be done for other essential services and amenities, such as hawker centres. As the overall population gets more affluent, having lower-cost options on hand becomes particularly important to ensure no one is left behind. What is the Government doing to ensure the provision of such essential services in our neighbourhood commercial centres?”
“Sir, our hawker culture is our national treasure, providing Singaporeans with affordable and well-loved hawker fare. With an ageing population, rising costs and manpower shortages, there has been concerns over its sustainability. NEA has implemented programmes and initiatives to support and encourage hawkerprenuers to join the trade. But, anecdotally, the failure rates of new stalls in some hawker centres and coffee shops has been quite high, with a number of stalls shutting down in less than one year. Further, many younger hawkerpreneurs aspire to serve more upmarket fare or "atas" fares, such as gourmet pastas, gourmet burgers that start north of $8 in our hawker centres that cater to the taste of more affluent broader population. Hawkerpreneurs who have the ambition to expand express frustration in the lack of manpower and the inability to hire foreigners as their number one challenge. What more can the Government do to ensure that the hawker trade can attract and retain Singaporeans, while ensuring the continued availability of good low-cost options in our hawker centres and coffee shops? Hawker Centres”
“Chairman, for myself and many in this Chamber, one of the most striking announcements in Budget 2024 is the significant investment the Government is making to support lifelong learning, upskilling and reskilling. The SkillsFuture Level-Up Programme, which includes the SkillsFuture Credit, giving mid-career Singaporeans a second shot at a subsidy for publicly funded full-time diplomas and the training allowances, have been welcomed by almost all quarters. At the same time, these are significant investments and it will be important to demonstrate the impact and value of these investments over time. Indeed, beyond the direct investments in the course fee subsidies and training allowances, significant effort will need to be made to curate the right courses, raise awareness, help people overcome the mental, physical and financial hurdles to take ownership of their learning, match them to the right courses and use the newly-acquired knowledge and skills to land a job or move up in their current roles with better salaries and prospects. We also need to make sure that people are resilient and adopt a never-give-up attitude, both in learning and in looking for jobs. The Government will need to track the right metrics, which are not so much the percentage shake-up but the outcome metrics, such as placement into roles that use the skills acquired. How will the Government ensure that this significant investment will achieve the desired results, in particular, of helping Singaporeans grow in their careers and take on new careers? Deepen Lifelong Learning”
“Sir, rapid developments in AI are transforming businesses and industries. Yet, businesses struggle to scale up AI beyond pilots and POCs and therefore fail to derive value and impact from their efforts. As I spoke about in my Budget debate speech and again, I would like to declare my interest as a Managing Director and Senior Partner of a consulting firm that does the work of AI. Scaling AI requires more than just buying a platform and hiring a few data scientists. I spoke about the 10-20-70 rule: 10% of the effort is in the algorithms; 20% in the technological and IT foundations – the infrastructure, the data architecture; 70% though, is about people and processes – ways of working, business-process reinvention, how to drive adoption at scale, organisation, talent strategy and change management. Businesses therefore need to move beyond experimentation and POCs. They need to have a clear strategy and roadmap of how they will build the AI platform, data, process, organisation and other enablers and sequence the development of use cases so that they are able to fund their AI transformation journey and win in the medium-term. MTI has launched a number of good initiatives, such as AI Innovation sandboxes and hands-on workshops aimed at identifying AI and GenAI use cases; and the AI Trailblazers initiative, which helps organisations to identify GenAI use cases and build solution prototypes. How will the Government now help organisations take the next steps to implement AI at-scale, beyond POCs and pilots? Encouraging Entrepreneurial Spirit”
“Three, how can we ensure that the tax credit will incentivise capital investment and drive desired outcomes, such as higher productivity or decarbonisation targets; and help MNEs achieve those targets? And lastly, how else is the Government supporting businesses to stay competitive?”
“Sir, with the impending implementation of BEPS 2.0, many jurisdictions around the world are grappling with the need to strike a balance between attracting investments and ensuring fair taxation. Several countries have implemented various policies, including new tax incentives and credits, enhanced investment allowances, targeted sectoral support and direct subsidies to individual companies. Mr Speaker, those of us who have worked in the frontline in organisations, like the Economic Development Board (EDB) as well as those of us in country teams of MNEs, know the sheer effort it takes to anchor good investments in Singapore. This land scarce little red dot, with no domestic market to speak of, where wages and living costs are higher than in many other jurisdictions. We cannot be complacent and a competitive tax regime is critical. The Refundable Investment Tax Credit is therefore very welcome. It directly alleviates the tax burden for businesses while allowing EDB and Enterprise Singapore to target the companies and sectors that will best contribute to economic growth; as well as opportunities and jobs for our people and our local enterprises. A good understanding of how the scheme will be implemented and its potential benefits for the Singapore economy and Singaporeans is therefore helpful for both businesses and the public. To that end, I have a few questions for the Minister. One, how will the scheme keep Singapore attractive as an investment destination when taking into account the measures that other jurisdictions are putting into place? Two, the list of economic activities and qualifying expenditures appear to be quite broad; can the Minister give more specifics on the sectors and qualifying expenditures that can be expected?”
“Sir, immigrants add to our workforce and add diversity and vitality to our population. With the immigrant community already forming a significant share of the population, integration amongst all those who call Singapore home is crucial to keep our society cohesive. For this to happen, we need more social mixing and business networking, and these efforts should start from young. However, the vast majority of immigrant children attend international schools. We know that sports bring people together. So, perhaps including international schools in our national school games or forming joint sports teams between our schools and international schools is one way to bring Singaporean and immigrant students together, along with their parents. What is the Government doing to support integration in schools, community and workplaces, and how can stakeholders across society do their part?”
“I thank Deputy Prime Minister for both a really good Budget Statement as well as a really good Budget round-out speech. I am sure people worked really hard on it. So, in the context of the hard work and the request for more things to come under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), I would like to reiterate that there are some issues that are really cross-cutting, despite the work that it entails, it really deserves to be sited within the PMO. I would like to repeat my suggestion in my speech where I asked if the AI, in particular, can be something that is taken under the wings of the PMO. I think the other similar thing would be climate change, another cross-cutting issue, which has a National Climate Change Secretariat within the PMO.”
“The bleakest scenarios putting us on the path to a divided dystopia when machines replace man, the benefits accrue only to the rich minority, the middle class evaporates and a deep trust deficit leads to regular social and political instability. How does the Government then confront these threats? Will there need to be, at some time in the future, a complete change in the way we look at social welfare, in the way we look at tax policy and in the way we think about trust? The complexities and cross-cutting issues involved will put a big strain on a model of Government based on a lead Ministry or lead agency, while a joint ownership model could be too fragmented. A strong centre is, therefore, needed to ensure fast and coordinated analysis, assessment and response that the public expects. Mr Speaker, Budget 2024 reflects a refreshing boldness in growing our economy, something I must say has been a little muted in recent years. AI has to be a part of a bold but credible growth plan. Mr Speaker, I support the Budget.”
“The Government can be not only a catalyst, but an end-to-end orchestrator, pulling in multiple stakeholders to create new products and services that can create new value and revenue streams in Singapore and also in other markets. Fourth, strengthening the role of the centre. While Ministries and agencies have the domain expertise and should drive the AI work in their respective sectors, there is a case to be made for having a strong centre that adds value by prioritising investments with the greatest public return, providing transparency and accountability, setting a coherent long-term strategy, challenging the Ministries and agencies on their AI priorities, removing barriers and resolving conflicts with other areas of the Government and drawing on best practices from across the Government and the private sector. So, I suggest that the AI and the National AI Strategy be made a priority of the Prime Minister, supported by a central team, with some parallels to the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO). This team can also provide functional leadership on the deployment of AI in internal functions across the Government and drive the end-to-end delivery of certain high impact use cases that can massively reduce cost and increase effectiveness in the Government itself. There is, of course, another reason for a stronger role of the centre when it comes to AI. AI will not only have significant implications for the economy, businesses or even for public services, like healthcare and education. AI will also have far-reaching implications for workers and society in ways that could have long-term consequences we never imagined.”
“Even in the area of chips, where one chip has emerged as the workhorse of the AI industry, other chipmakers and big cloud companies are developing and deploying their own chips specially designed for AI workloads, and one would expect the AI chip landscape and the cost of these chips to evolve significantly over the next 12 to 18 months. Moving from chips to platforms and models, in our work with companies to deploy enterprise scale-AI, we have often found that no one environment is the best for everything, whether it is in consideration of security, cost or feature set, and so on. So, let us be smart and strategic about what we invest in and when we invest. Third, deploying high impact use cases. While the technology is important, the value only comes from deploying use cases at scale based on a thorough assessment of value and ease of deployment, both horizontal use cases like customer service, that can be adopted across industries, as well as vertical use cases in specific industries, like drug discovery in healthcare. There is significant potential to tackle a few, high impact use cases that reimagine how things are done, not only in an individual company but an entire sector, particularly in sectors where we are already advantaged, say, financial services or transport and logistics, to optimise at a system level and create new sources of differentiation and competitive advantage for Singapore in these sectors. Think, for example, of anti-money laundering using advanced AI/ML approaches that look at transaction data across banks, rather than a single bank, with greater accuracy and efficiency.”
“We need to stay away from the hype and the noise, and anchor on value creation and on proven initiatives that will move the needle and not a bunch of what-ifs. To this end, I would like to offer four suggestions to shape our AI policy. One, scaling AI with the 10-20-70 rule. Talk to any large company and they have probably run a few AI proofs of concept by now. Some have already invested on platforms and models. But companies today struggle to scale AI beyond pilots, and many of those platforms and models have nothing running on them. The news headlines are all about the models and the tech. But if I may offer a practitioner's perspective, scaling AI requires a holistic effort. We call it the 10-20-70 rule: 10% of the effort is in the algorithms, the generative AI, artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) models; 20% in the tech and IT foundations, the model infrastructure and machine learning operations (MLOps), data quality and availability, importantly, architecture design, app integration, cloud migration and other tools; but 70% is about people and processes, ways of working, business process reinvention, adoption at scale, organisation and talent strategy and change management. In order for enterprises to unlock value from AI, the Government can provide support for them to go beyond proofs of concepts and pilots to deploying AI at scale. Two, navigating an evolving infra landscape. The technology is rapidly evolving and there will be new options and substitutes.”
“For local enterprises, I am pleased to see that the Government is enhancing the Enterprise Financing Scheme, extending Skills Future Enterprise Credit and enhancing the Partnership for Capability Transformation Scheme, while also supporting enterprises to be sustainability-ready. These initiatives accord priority to enterprises that embrace the need to restructure and transform, enterprises that are willing to invest in restructuring and transformation. In a world where technology is advancing rapidly, I welcome the investment in upgrading our national broadband network and in harnessing the power of AI across key sectors. I had hoped, however, to hear that we could unlock further development of data centre capacity. But back to AI. Mr Speaker, I have spoken several times on AI and will devote the remainder of my speech today also to AI, because our ability to harness the full power of AI has the potential to boost productivity and propel us to the top-end of that GDP growth target over the long term. At this point, I declare my interest as the Managing Director and Senior Partner of a management consulting firm that does work in AI. To support the National AI Strategy and to further catalyse AI activities, Budget 2024 sets out an investment of more than $1 billion over the next five years into AI compute, including, notably, in advanced chips, talent and industry development. It seems that everyone has an opinion on AI today; whether we should develop our own large language model (LLM), whether we should pause on AI development, whether deepfakes should be regulated, and so on. My belief is that we should be very focused on how AI development can enable new business models and productivity gains and thus, create value in Singapore and beyond.”
“Budget 2024 places significant emphasis on sustaining economic growth by keeping Singapore attractive as an investment destination, riding economic and technology trends to capture new opportunities and enhancing human capital. The Government aims to achieve an average of 2% to 3% GDP growth per annum over the next decade, with a focus on productivity and innovation, while recognising the constraints of labour, land and carbon. Some might say that at our stage of our development and given the constraints we face, coupled with a less favourable external environment and global uncertainties, make it inevitable that we are entering into a slow growth era where eking out a 1% to 2% GDP growth is already an accomplishment. My humble challenge to the 4G leadership team is this: how might we achieve the top-end of that target and grow at 3%? What constraints should we challenge? Where might we take bolder action? Mr Speaker, sustaining growth requires investment. I have noted earlier the significant and important investment in SkillsFuture Level-Up. I also welcome the commitments to invest in strengthening our competitive advantage through top-ups to RIE2025, the National Productivity Fund and the Financial Sector Development Fund. The introduction of the Refundable Investment Credit addresses the need for more visibility and certainty for MNEs of how Singapore will retain its attractiveness as an investment destination in a BEPS 2.0 world, albeit perhaps a little belatedly, amid moves already announced by other jurisdictions, such as Japan, Thailand and the US.”
“So, in basketball lingo, I am three for three, and these shifts have been long time coming, and I think it has taken some time for the external environment to get us to this tipping point. But they are really good news for my Woodlands residents and for many other Singaporeans who need that stronger trampoline. There is indeed much to welcome in this year's Budget, as colleagues before me have said. It is clear that Budget 2024 was developed with the vision of Forward SG, with the vision of a society that is vibrant and inclusive, fair and thriving, resilient and united and a growing economy. It is this last point that I wish to stress today – a growing economy. Mr Speaker, throughout my career, whether in business or in politics, I have been and remain, unapologetically, a proponent of growth. Growth allows us to provide our people and our enterprises with opportunities and better standards of living. Growth allows us to fund the increasing demand for spending on childcare, education, housing, infrastructure, healthcare and support for an ageing population. Growth allows us to tackle the greatest challenges of our time: climate change, energy transition, fighting inequality and the polarisation of society. Growth allows us to uplift each generation one after the next, securing cohesion and trust in society. So, while it is well and good to talk about scrutiny and transparency and accountability and more support for every possible segment of our population, a critical role we must play in this House is to consider the impact of our interventions, our recommendations and our decisions on our ability to sustain the long-term growth of our economy.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Budget. In my speech today, I will first reflect on the asks I had made in Budget 2023; secondly, reiterate the critical role we, in this House, play in ensuring that we achieve sustained economic growth and put out a challenge to grow the economy at the top-end of the Government's target over the next decade; and thirdly, discuss the potential of AI to be a key engine of value creation and economic growth, and make four suggestions to this effect. During last year's Budget debate, I spoke for three groups who I saw, among my Woodlands residents, were being pushed to the limit of any reasonable measure of resilience that we would hope to see in our people. I argued for a stronger trampoline for: one, ex-offenders, calling for more support to get them back into employment; two, people suffering from debt burdens – calling for social support measures to consider debt repayment needs; and three, people who had lost their jobs due to retrenchments, calling for higher quantums and longer durations of financial support and assistance with reskilling and finding new jobs. I am heartened that, a year later, each of these groups is getting more support. In Budget 2023 itself, Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced the Uplifting Employment Credit for employers to hire ex-offenders. Late last year, the Government announced the enhanced Comlink+ packages, which involved matching repayment to creditors. And in Budget 2024, while we yet await the details, the Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the intention first announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to move forward with re-employment support to those in involuntary unemployment, alongside significant increases to reskilling support and training allowances.”
“Let us work together to create a society that is kinder and more understanding, especially for our children and youths. Let us work together to create a society where our children and youth know that whether it is coping with the normal stresses of life or battling more debilitating mental health conditions, they are not alone. [Applause.]”
“Across all these settings, we require a robust workforce plan to recruit, train and retain a workforce with experience and competencies in working with young people. I would like to say a few words in Malay. (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I have just shared a true story about C, who struggled with bipolar disorder. C was Malay. When he lost his job, his mother-in-law belittled him and peppered him with insults like “useless idiot”. Unfortunately, such a response is not uncommon in our community. Many older people do not have a good understanding of mental health issues. We should recognise that they are key to increasing mental health awareness. We should not downplay the amount of effort that is desperately needed. Nonetheless, our community possesses certain traits that are helpful. We have many social workers within our community. We also have many Malay/Muslims who are frontline workers such as Police officers, SCDF officers, teachers and nurses; all of whom would certainly have a good understanding of mental health. If they are able to raise awareness of mental issues in their own families, we will be able to raise this awareness with more people. Our community will certainly be more supportive and more understanding towards this issue. In other words, we can make changes from deep within our own community. (In English): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I am not a betting person, but I would bet that every single one of us in this Chamber has had a personal brush with mental health, whether in our families, our friends or ourselves. I have and perhaps that is why this is personal. As leaders, we can help to create a new openness about mental health by being open ourselves about our own personal experiences.”
“I would also value the Minister's vision for mental health support from GPs under Healthier SG, including whether GPs will perform regular mental health screening and serve as the primary gateway or gatekeeper for referrals.”
“There are several community agencies, civil organisations and frontline staff involved in the mental health ecosystem. We know that the community is the best site for care for many. But we also know that the quality varies. Even experienced doctors, teachers and social workers can miss the signs, as was in A. How can we ensure that the quality of care in the community will meet the requirements? How will we ramp up capacity fast enough? Beyond standard processes, training and tools, how do we structure measures and incentives to drive the outcomes we want, which ultimately must be better care for our people? Community partners I talk to also cite better collaboration with the public health system as a key enabler of better outcomes. Finally, primary care. The Government plans to increase the capacity and capability of mental health services in polyclinics and GPs. This is much needed. Wide awareness of the availability of mental health services in polyclinics can help to destigmatise mental health, especially given the stigma around IMH. I urge the Minister to consider making mental health services available in all polyclinics and not just all new polyclinics. GPs will also play an important role. But we must also recognise that the support today is very patchy. Anecdotally, although we have a few PCN-MH in Woodlands, only one has made any referrals to our appointed CREST partner. It is not clear whether this is down to the patients or the GPs. In the context of youths, we should assess whether youths prefer a different setting from the GP setting, such as specialist youth drop-in centres. I would like to ask the Minister how MOH understands the pattern of needs among youths in the primary care setting.”
“In parallel, the issue of consent is one that will need to be addressed so children can get help even if their parents are not in the right state to support them, and I look forward to details on how the Government will address this. Secondly, schools. It is timely that the Government is committed to promote mental health literacy, starting now at the preschool level. We can do more to make our schools more accommodating to students' mental health needs, including at critical transition points. The idea of support plans and accommodations based on their specific needs experienced by B in Australia and A in Singapore come to mind. There should be greater consistency in how schools acknowledge and address these challenges. This cannot be subject to the personal ambitions or dispositions of the school leaders. We must drive common understanding and best practice sharing among principals, teachers and parents. Mdm Deputy Speaker, the academic stresses faced by our students is a topic that comes up regularly in this House. While MOE is constantly refining the education system, we know, in our society, it will be difficult to escape a certain level of academic pressure. But that makes it all the more important that we be very intentional in building a reservoir of positive experiences in school that students can dig into when the going gets tough. In surveys, students say that they are most comfortable talking to their friends with their anxieties and problems, ahead of parents, teachers or school counsellors. So, let us not underestimate the power of school activities that help students form friendships and be quick to dismiss them, or of making an extra effort to support the kids who sit by themselves or who have learning disabilities. Thirdly, the community.”