Ng Ling Ling
Singapore
“My final appeal is to the Government, including the Ministry of Finance, to consider providing more budgets for MSF to gradually convert these social residential homes for the vulnerable to purpose-built Homes, like what the Ministry of Education (MOE) did for special education (SPED) schools over the past decades.”
“— everyone in social services who are working very hard to help our Singaporeans in need. I have two questions for the Minister. The first one is on social service research.”
“Chairman, I just have one clarification for the Minister for Health. I am really glad to hear about increase in healthcare subsidies for Singaporeans because it is always a good thing, but if it is on the back of continually increasing cost, then it begs the question of sustainability and the tax burden on our future generations.”
“For our Indian community, there are what we call Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), which is increasingly known in India. My question is, does MOH sees wisdom in beginning studies and understanding into such traditional medicines of our Malay and Indian communities too?”
“My clarification is that, for important issues, like climate change and also earlier, the ageing population, we have Senior Minister-level and Deputy Prime Minister-level coordination, whether this whole class of issues on PDPA, PSGA, cybersecurity, cybercrimes should coordination be taken at a more senior level, at Deputy Prime Minister…”
“The total age dependency ratio that the World Bank uses is the ratio of young and elderly dependents who are generally economically inactive, compared to the number of people of working age. Despite this good data from the World Bank, with an ageing population and declining TFR, there is still cause for concern.”
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“My final appeal is to the Government, including the Ministry of Finance, to consider providing more budgets for MSF to gradually convert these social residential homes for the vulnerable to purpose-built Homes, like what the Ministry of Education (MOE) did for special education (SPED) schools over the past decades. MOE's efforts with the SPED schools have transformed what used to be disused and barely retrofitted SPED schools that I visited in the early 2000s, when I first entered the social service sector, to state-of-the-art well designed SPED Schools, like Pathlight School, that we see today in the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency where I serve as a Member of Parliament. When the homes of our most vulnerable of the vulnerable Singaporeans, the least, the last and the lost are much like better homes that most Singaporeans experience through the decades as Singapore matures as a highly developed nation. I think then, we can truly be proud to bear the hallmark of a strong and caring nation who leaves no one behind. With that Sir, I support the Bill.”
“On the screening of foreign staff, I will like to ask how is MSF helping the agencies to ensure if the background checks of these staff are true and correct, especially if they come from countries that may have less developed systems of records on criminal or civil acts of delinquency, abuse or violence. I would like to take a moment to extend my deep appreciation to Singaporeans who volunteer to be on the Board of Visitors and Case Review Committees of these social residential homes, especially those who visit the residents on a monthly frequency. From my visits of some of these Homes over the years that I worked in NCSS, I have seen the most vulnerable of vulnerable Singaporeans living in them. Many of them, children and seniors included, may not be able to articulate their needs, given their disabilities or trauma that they have experienced unless a responsible adult visits them regularly and is observant of their behaviours and moods. The Board of Visitors forms an essential protective channel to give voices to some of these voiceless residents. I urge MSF to step up in expanding the group of the Board of Visitors for these Homes and encourage Singaporeans who have the compassion and commitment to step up and volunteer in these important roles. Each of the 61 Homes need good Singaporeans who are more privileged to be their volunteers, to serve on their Boards of Visitors and to be donors, like the anonymous donor that I mentioned, who had given to the Community Chest, in my opening paragraph.”
“Further, MSF has introduced a new licensing regime with criminal penalties and regulatory actions revised to be proportionate to comparable offences under other Acts, such as the Healthcare Services Act. While I appreciate the good intentions to safeguard residents and the running such Homes through these changes, I would like to clarify at what level in MSF will the Codes of Practices, that can be issued from time to time with regulatory penalties for non-compliance, be approved. I understand that such codes may contain more details and requirements on operators than what the Bill has shown. Again, how does MSF strike a balance, considering the capabilities of the operators, and how will potential penalties for breaches be informed to the operators in each Code issued? I know of several friends in busy professions who are serving voluntarily on the Boards of the social service agencies running some of these social residential homes out of care and concerns for these vulnerable residents. They are unsure how the stiffer regulatory penalties will be imposed on the Board members, individually or collectively, in situations of breaches that are not of their doing. They asked what are the implications on the Board, the management and the staff, and how will MSF assess where the buck stops. Lastly, on long-term capacity and capability building, I cannot empathise more with the challenges that the social service agencies running these homes face in manpower recruitment, retention and development. Many of them are highly reliant on foreign staff as it is difficult to get Singaporeans to work in many of the roles needed to run such Homes.”
“The social service agencies like Metta Welfare Association (Metta), Movement for the Intellectually Disabled of Singapore (MINDS), Thye Hua Kwan, St Andrew's, Asian Women Welfare Association (AWWA), TOUCH, Pertapis and Trybe, just to name a few, running social residential homes will know well that these Homes are some of the hardest programmes that they need to deliver among their range of social service programmes that they provide. Helping them build standards, staff competencies and operational capabilities should not be a one-off effort but a long-term commitment. Another help that MSF and NCSS should seriously consider is the facilitation for better use of public funds to help these social service agencies, such as in the bulk procurement for common equipment like CCTV systems, which can be very costly if each Home procures on its own. Next, on clarifying responsibilities of board members and volunteers. I note that the Bill provides for powers for MSF to issue Codes of Practices to codify standards of care, including governance, management of premises, resident management and incident management in the Homes. Breach of these Codes of Practices may result in regulatory actions for all social residential homes, irrespective of whether they are funded by MSF or not. The Bill also provides for comprehensive framework to deter errant operators, where MSF may take regulatory actions and pursue criminal penalties against errant and/or failing social residential homes operators. MSF may also issue step-in orders to temporarily take over a failing operator's social residential home to ensure continuity of care.”
“They range from Children's Homes, Homes for the Disabled, Aged Homes, Welfare Homes for Women and six Homes, such as Angsana, Banyan, Meranti Home in Pelangi Village in my Jalan Kayu constituency for the destitute, some of whom suffer from mental illnesses. These Homes provide their residents with 24-hour by seven days residential accommodation and care as their own families or homes can no longer house them for a variety of reasons, often complex and not easy to resolve. This Social Residential Homes Bill which codifies the rules and changes that are important for the protection of how the Homes should be run for the welfare and well-being of these vulnerable residents, our fellow Singaporeans, is thus much needed. I strongly support the Bill, but will like to raise three areas for clarifications and suggestions. Firstly, on the Transition Support Package of $33 million one-off transition amount for training, safety and capability building, for example, to install CCTV systems for safety purposes, I wonder if MSF should not let this be just a one-time transition funding support, but instead, set up a more committed long-term capability fund, similar to the successful multi-year VWO Capability Fund (VCF) that MSF and NCSS are both experienced in designing, administering, evaluating and extending when the needs remain. I have seen VCF alleviate the standards and capabilities of many social service agencies delivering strategic and critical programmes over more than a decade of serving in the social service sector in my work at NCSS.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Social Residential Homes Bill. About 10 years ago, when I was the managing director of Community Chest in NCSS, I remember being invited by MSF colleagues then to visit a social residential home run by a charitable social service agency, looking after young children who had experienced severe abuses, including verbal, physical and sexual transgressions committed against them. I was carefully prepared by MSF for the visit, so as not to be shocked by behaviours, such as punching fists in the walls and others, before I was brought to visit the Home, as MSF colleagues wanted to discuss fundraising required to improve the care model of these children. While I was prepared for the worst, what greeted me at the Home – specifically in a room where some of the children were having tuition for their homework – were innocent young faces, not unlike that of my own son who was about the same age as these children then. All I could conclude from that visit was that these children were born in the wrong families and wrong homes. What I was thankful for after the visit was an anonymous donor, whom I still do not know the identity of, who eventually donated half a million dollars to Community Chest through a former NCSS Board member and helped MSF pilot a better care model for these children. Sir, social residential homes in Singapore house some of the most vulnerable Singaporeans of all ages, genders, race and religions. A strong legislative framework and rules to safeguard their living are thus extremely important and necessary. According to MSF, there are currently 61 such Homes run by various social service agencies.”
“Mr Speaker, I want to thank the Prime Minister Wong for a very clear Ministerial Statement that helped Singaporeans know the times that we have entered since "Liberation Day" announcements and the hard work that the Deputy Prime Minister Gan will be doing for the task force. My question is, how will our Government communicate to younger people in Singapore from here onwards? I was only in my mid-20s and working in the banking sector during the Asian Financial Crisis, when I experienced treasury profits, hard-earned over months, wiped out in days. And I was in my mid-30s when I was working in the social service sector and saw how corporates who had been supporting us, charities or the lower-income, with donations and volunteers, had to roll out very painful retrenchment programmes to keep the companies afloat and keep as many jobs as they can. So, my question to the Prime Minister is, our youths as young as 18 years to maybe 35 years from my Youth Network (YN) shared with me that they really benefited from the Prime Minister's engagement with them through the YN platform; so, how will we engage them to help them understand what is going to come going forward and go through the hard ride?”
“— everyone in social services who are working very hard to help our Singaporeans in need. I have two questions for the Minister. The first one is on social service research. In the 18 years that I spent in NCSS on social service, I have learned that social interventions, especially for complex needs, do take time, sometimes years to see effect. The question is, does MSF commission longitudinal studies, especially for intervention for complex cases, much like the way the GUSTO study is done by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and NUS, which is a very good study that even got featured in the Netflix documentary on neuroscience and the development of babies' brains, as well as, I understand, informed the design of KidSTART programme. So, my question is, is there a longitudinal study like this done in MSF? If not, are there plans to do so and for which group? My second question is on the new development "groove". I am really happy to hear that. I just wanted to check where is the location of this hub and what are the mental health services put together?”
“Thank you, Chairman. I just want to say a quick note of thanks to Minister, political office holders —”
“Sir, in my 2023 COS cut to MSF, I raised the concern that with challenging economic times, social fabric can be weakened and social mobility may slow if students from less-financially-able and stable families have less opportunities than their peers to optimise their potential. These are social trends that we are familiar with and there is much to learn from interventions carried out by other developed countries with longer history and development. However, I felt that with our unique history, our nation building philosophy that has seen us leapfrog from third world to the first world in one generation and our multiracial and multi-cultural society, it will be beneficial to delve deeper and consider social interventions and approaches that will work better for Singaporeans in our context and in the changing times ahead. I would like to ask for an update on: one, whether MSF has done more longitudinal and local research to understand what social interventions work and what do not for our different groups of underprivileged Singaporeans in the past two years; and two, what are some findings and how are they incorporated into major initiatives under MSF, like the ComLink+ programme? Ensuring Workplace Well-being for Social Service Agencies”
“Sir, from 1 January 2026, the Government will expand the Matched Retirement Savings Scheme (MRSS) to include eligible PwDs of all ages to allow them to start building up their retirement savings earlier. Eligible PwDs below the age of 55 will receive the MRSS matching grant on cash top-ups to their Central Provident Fund (CPF) Special Account and benefit from higher CPF savings and monthly payouts in retirement. Anyone, including their families, employers and the community, can make the top-ups to these eligible members' Special Accounts or Retirement Accounts. I think this is a very good scheme and can I ask MSF to elaborate on the following. One, does the definition of disabilities include those with mental illnesses? Two, why does it take almost one year for this new scheme to be implemented? Can families and employers keen to start the top-up for persons with disabilities do so earlier this year instead? And lastly, what is the difference in policy rationale and impact of this new scheme compared to the services provided by the Special Needs Trust Company which is also supported by MSF?”
“Sir, cost of living pressures have been a concern for Singaporeans for the past year. With Budget 2025, I hope that the measures will bring needed relief to most Singaporeans. I have been more concerned about the impact of higher cost on our lower-income Singaporeans in the past year. During my visits to residents living in rental blocks in Jalan Kayu, who are receiving MSF ComCare assistance, I sometimes see them having mostly instant noodles and highly processed, preserved canned food. They tell me that they are trying to stretch the ComCare dollar. While I try my best with donors to augment the Government's ComCare with local welfare projects at the Jalan Kayu Heartstrings, which provides groceries and food items that are as healthy as possible, such ground-up support is subject to donation and in-kind sponsorship that we can garner each time. Can I ask MSF if: one, will MSF consider adding a layer of ComCare in-kind assistance to provide a monthly supply of healthy food items curated with MOH's Health Promotion Board (HPB)? HPB has been active in their "My Healthy Plate" outreach, with a collection of easy-to-cook healthy recipes for residents of all races. Can MSF and MOH collaborate to enable healthier food for our lower-income Singaporeans on ComCare? Two, does MSF track, with MOH, the chronic diseases prevalence and severity of this group? Again, can MSF and MOH collaborate on upstream preventive measures to avoid this group of vulnerable Singaporeans from developing serious chronic diseases that will not only plague their already difficult lives to further downward spiral, but also cause heavy downstream burdens to our healthcare system. ComLink+”
“Chairman, I just have one clarification for the Minister for Health. I am really glad to hear about increase in healthcare subsidies for Singaporeans because it is always a good thing, but if it is on the back of continually increasing cost, then it begs the question of sustainability and the tax burden on our future generations. So, my question is: what are MOH's cost management strategies with the healthcare clusters? And how are efforts, such as what I read about NUH's value-based healthcare framework which measures value-driven outcomes, how is this initiative informing MOH on cost management?”
“For our Indian community, there are what we call Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), which is increasingly known in India. My question is, does MOH sees wisdom in beginning studies and understanding into such traditional medicines of our Malay and Indian communities too?”
“Two, how deliberate and how fast is MOH enabling the scaling of successful automation that can help augment the manpower, especially foreign manpower-intensive long-term care facilities, for a hope to blunt the cost increases when demands continue to rise? Three, how many innovation projects for long-term senior care with some form of Government grants, whether it is under MOH or the National Research Foundation are there currently in Singapore and under the purview of which parts of MOH? Are there any of them that are testing using frontier technology, like AI. If yes, what are they? My fourth question. While we look towards technological advancements to search for ways to blunt the cost increases of long-term care, we must not forget the wisdom of our forefathers in using traditional medicines to also deal with long-term chronic conditions and illnesses. In this regard, I have spoken since my 2023 Committee of Supply cut for MOH on the importance of understanding the efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). I am very encouraged that MOH has since made progress in enhancing TCM practices in Singapore, including having the one-stop TCM Portal. I would like to ask if MOH plans to review the TCM Practitioners Act, which was passed 25 years ago in this Parliament? My last question. As multiracialism and multiculturalism are unique strengths of Singapore, I have also taken an interest in the traditional medicines and therapeutic practices passed down through generations among our Malay community, like the concept of semangat, herbal remedies and urut.”
“Two, for seniors with mild to moderate ageing needs but cannot or do not want to be living alone or cared for in their own homes anymore, what are MOH's views on private operators' (a) interests in developing other new models like retirement villages and retirement homes, common in European countries which are also facing fast ageing population; and (b) the private operators' feedback that the current nursing homes licensing regime is too onerous, costly to comply with and the licence tenure of two years too short, to give certainty to operate with financial sustainability for such potential retirement villages and homes; and (c) their concerns that dependencies on high MOH subsidies for seniors like those in the nursing homes currently will continue to increase healthcare costs exponentially in fast-ageing Singapore? Three, will MOH consider sandboxing a new licensing and operating framework with interested private operators who are keen to innovate into more sustainable models for seniors with mild to moderate ageing needs, like how MOH did for telehealth? What may be the timeline to do so and the selection criteria of private operators who are interested in participating? Long-term Care Affordability Long-term care costs have been steadily increasing. With our ageing population, we can expect the demand for such services to keep increasing. I would like to ask: one, what automation has been tried and tested in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and day care facilities, including those for seniors with dementia?”
“Three, will MOH consider increasing funding to: (a) Health Promotion Board to boost its "My Healthy Plate" initiative to now complement the Nutri-Grade mark for reduction of sodium and saturated fat intake of Singaporeans across all ages through developing healthier versions of recipes of our favourite cuisines and dishes that I have earlier described; and (b) will MOH invest in Singaporean researchers in developing healthier and affordable versions of specialty food additives that can make Singaporeans' favourite dishes still taste good but without the long-term harms and chronic diseases risks that sodium and saturated fat can lead to? Strengthen Ageing Care Support in the Community In September 2023, MOH launched the Shared Stay-in Senior Care Services sandbox to explore the feasibility of having a foreign live-in caregiver to help care for several seniors in one apartment. This is to better support families with caregiving needs amidst shrinking family sizes and expand options for seniors to age in place in the community. I would like to ask: one, having reached the sandbox one year mark in September 2024, (a) what are the costs of caring for a senior annually under this sandbox model compared to that in a nursing home; (b) what plans do MOH have to mainstream this sandbox and what scaling plans do MOH have to benefit more seniors using this model?”
“Five, more than one year into implementation, how much of the estimated $200 million annual budget for Healthier SG that has been disbursed to GP clinics in either calendar year or financial year 2024, and how much goes to GPs in (a) service fees earned per enrolled patient; (b) information technology (IT) grants to help enhance their Clinic Management Systems to better link up with MOH's Healthier SG systems; and (c) additional clinic administrative costs to coordinate with partners like HPB in their GPs' prescription? Availability of Healthier Meal Options I would like to commend MOH for its success so far in the "War on Diabetes" and the implementation of the Nutri-Grade mark as a labelling scheme for drinks based on sugar and saturated fat content. With hypertension and high cholesterol having increasing prevalence rates among Singaporeans in the last few years, I would like to ask: one, how is MOH planning to extend Nutri-Grade labelling and advertising prohibition to key contributors of sodium and saturated fat in popular food and beverage places like hawker centres, food courts and restaurants in the especially high footfall city and heartland malls? Two, what are healthier alternatives to sodium and how will MOH increase public education in this important health topic? What types of cuisines that are popular among Singaporeans of all ages, for example, Chinese dishes, Indian food, Malay delicacies, Mediterranean diets, Japanese meals, Korean cuisines, just to name a few, have more developed recipes using healthier alternatives than sodium?”
“Madam, the roll-out of Heathier SG nationwide since July 2023 is an important move towards supporting the growing disease burden of our fast-ageing population, where long-drawn chronic diseases are the key suffering of our people. I would like ask for the following updates. One, what is the latest number, out of about 1,600 GP clinics in which focus on primary care, that have voluntarily become a Healthier SG clinic? Two, what are the percentages of Singaporeans who have enrolled in Healthier SG in each of these age segments: between (a) 40- and 49-years-old; (b) 50- and 59-years-old; (c) 60- and 69-years-old; (d) 70- and 79-years-old; and lastly, (e) above 80-years-old. Three, I am extremely grateful to MOH for approving two new Active Ageing Centres to be opened in Serangoon North Avenue 4, part of Jalan Kayu, after I spoke about the importance of scaling up Active Ageing Centres faster. The public servants have responded to the Minister for Health's comment that he "was in a hurry" and "we are racing against time" in his reply to my Committee of Supply cut about this last year. I would like to ask if the Minister will also consider new Active Ageing Centres in Hougang Avenue 9 and Street 91, part of my constituency, as well as large private estates like Seletar Hills, which has some of the highest proportion of seniors above 60-year-olds and the other private estates that also have no existing Active Ageing Centres in my constituency? Four, Jalan Kayu residents are very supportive of the Health Promotion Board's (HPB's) healthy lifestyle activities. May I ask what are the efforts to tie these with our Healthier SG GP clinics for their social prescriptions for enrolled residents who need the lifestyle interventions to manage their chronic diseases?”
“My clarification is that, for important issues, like climate change and also earlier, the ageing population, we have Senior Minister-level and Deputy Prime Minister-level coordination, whether this whole class of issues on PDPA, PSGA, cybersecurity, cybercrimes should coordination be taken at a more senior level, at Deputy Prime Minister or Senior Minister level?”
“Thank you, Speaker. I have two clarifications for the Senior Minister, but I want to first thank the Panel for making such a thorough investigation in a relatively short time. I want to respect the two Ministers for taking the courage to assume responsibility and make public apologies very shortly after the incident broke. And I also want to empathise with the Public Service officers who have been involved. I can imagine the guilt and stress that they must have gone through on discovering the mistakes and making right the processes for a live portal and the lessons learned. I also want to appreciate Senior Minister Teo for explaining rather complex issues and investigations in a very simple way for us to understand. My first question is, does Senior Minister Teo find that the Inter-Ministry Policy Coordination and Implementation in this case weak? A follow-up question is that I have my IT-trained husband to thank for understanding the difference between an identifier and an authenticator in the use of NRIC number. But in my conversations with many people from my constituency who have discussed about this whole incident, it actually takes some time for people to understand the difference because there is technicality involved. And I am increasingly concerned about emerging issues in the related issues of personal data protection and privacy, cybersecurity and cybercrimes. The coordination, there needs to be — inter-Ministry and inter-agency coordination in the Government is emerging to be a difficult topic and a very technical one, and I take lessons from how we are dealing with climate change and sustainability.”
“Mr Chairman, my Jalan Kayu residents at one of our HDB estates, Buangkok Crescent, have been delighted to know that they are one of 10 neighbourhoods in Singapore selected by LTA for the Friendly Streets initiative announced in January this year. As the Member of Parliament for Jalan Kayu, I deeply appreciate LTA’s selection to make the streets there more friendly and safe for pedestrians and cyclists as the estate has one of the highest proportions of seniors above 60 years old in my constituency. On the same note, Seletar Hill, one of four Jalan Kayu private estates, also has one of the highest proportion of seniors above 60 years old in my constituency. Given LTA’s intention to extend piloting Friendly Streets to also private estates to ensure safe mobility for seniors living there, can LTA consider: one, Friendly Streets initiative along the main Seletar Road and Jalan Redop, for example, as the gradient of these roads has seen some vehicles speeding through during early mornings, when senior residents come out for morning walks and, in the evenings, when seniors take their after-dinner strolls? Two, when is LTA planning to start consultation with resident networks on the selection and design of the Friendly Streets initiative for private estates? Safety on Shared Footpaths”
“Mr Chairman, in July 2024, URA announced an exciting proposal that it will form an inter-agency Government team, with NParks and JTC, to build a new park around Sengkang West Industrial Estate, which is in Jalan Kayu and next to Cheng San-Seletar constituencies as well as Fernvale constituency, all of which are part of the Ang Mo Kio GRC. I would like to ask: one, how can interested Ang Mo Kio GRC residents living around the vicinity participate in giving ideas on what they hope to have in this new park? Two, can there be sheltered playgrounds, exercise and fitness gyms with equipment suitable for young people and seniors to use, so that residents can keep fit with these facilities, whether it rains or shines? Three, can there be a pets' corner, like a dog run, for pet-loving residents to bring their pets to enjoy the park too? Four, can there be a walk-and-jog track separate from a cycling track, for the safety of both pedestrians and cyclists? Five, can provision of space be made for a potential future MRT station at the corner this area, as it is strategically located opposite Fernvale, Cheng San-Seletar Hill and Jalan Kayu estates and which my fellow Ang Mo Kio GRC Members, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Ms Nadia Samdin and I have previously collectively hoped for and appealed to MOT for a feasibility study, to consider whether it can be done, so as to benefit Ang Mo Kio GRC residents living in all three constituencies in the future? And lastly, when can all these discussions of the ideas above be started, with me as an advisor and Member of Parliament of Jalan Kayu and where the Sengkang West Industrial Estate is sited.”
“Mdm Chairman, I thank the Minister for the very comprehensive updates. I just have one question. I remember during the debate of the Motion for support of marriage and parenthood, the Minister explained the rationale of why the Government is reluctant to set a TFR target. But having been a public and civil servant myself for almost 20 years before I stepped into a political role, I know well the culture of what gets measured, gets attention, gets resources and gets done. So, I am wondering whether the Prime Minister's Office is open to setting a TFR target of bringing it back to 1.0 in the next five years.”
“The total age dependency ratio that the World Bank uses is the ratio of young and elderly dependents who are generally economically inactive, compared to the number of people of working age. Despite this good data from the World Bank, with an ageing population and declining TFR, there is still cause for concern. I would like to ask: one, how can supportive stakeholders, including employers, religious bodies, such as churches and mosques and grassroots organisations across the society, be better connected and coordinated to enable the key population strategies of the Government to reach their best outcomes? Two, where can young Singaporeans, grassroots advisors like me, grassroots organisations and educational institutions interested to support marriage and parenthood find accurate, age-appropriate and contextual information about fertility health of both women and men to increase public awareness and education on this important health topic?”
“Mr Chairman, Singapore's total fertility rate (TFR) reached an all-time low in 2023. Can I ask what is the latest TFR in 2024? Did it increase with the effect of the Dragon year last year? If TFR has improved in 2024 due to the Dragon year effect, besides having more hopes for more babies for Singapore, will the Government consider commissioning research psychologists and behavioral scientists to conduct a study with interviews of parents who have had Dragon year babies to better understand and distill what are the underlying root beliefs that lead to the unusually better TFR in most Dragon years, despite all other circumstances, for example, high cost of living, lack of time, work and life stress, remaining the same in such years? How can the Government use such studies to better design public messaging and conditions that will be more conducive for Singaporean couples to have more babies? While major urban and developed nations and cities have all seen declining TFR over the past years, Israel's TRF has remained relatively stable over the past decade, with a slight decrease to 2.85 births per woman in 2023, despite high inflation and a high cost of living also being a problem for that country. Can the Singapore Government do a more thorough study on the factors contributing to Israel's stable TFR and consider what can be adapted for Singapore? Overall Population Strategies According to the World Bank, Singapore's age dependency ratio for the dependent population is reported as 33% in 2023. This is a lower value against the global average of about 58%. A lower ratio indicates less financial stress on working people and greater political stability.”
“Speaker, I thank the Senior Minister of State for the very comprehensive reply. I think fellow Parliamentarians would have read about a very big Hougang fire that happened earlier this year on 9 January 2025 in my Jalan Kayu constituency. In fact, the fire was so fierce that SCDF had to evacuate seven floors of my residents while they were putting out the fire. The fire, unfortunately, took the lives of three of my residents, the youngest, being an 18-year-old girl. My first supplementary question is that I am deeply saddened by the tragedy, and so, my grassroots leaders, volunteers and I want to step up to see what we can do as a community to work closer with Government agencies, like HDB and SCDF, to respond to and also to assist when we know of residents who may have suspected hoarding issues in their flats. In this case, several neighbours said that they had given feedback to HDB about this unit. So, my question is, what would the Senior Minister of State advise us to do while waiting for the CRU, which I understand will be piloted first at Tampines, to be rolled out? So, we want to take actions as a community. My second supplementary question is that I read from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) website that hoarding challenges can sometimes be due to mental health conditions, such as Obsessive Compulsive Disorder or even psychosis where a person feels compelled to behave in a certain way. So, my question is, in this regard, how are HDB officers trained to identify potential mental illnesses in checking on hoarding complaints and what is the referral protocol to mental health teams, like Community Outreach Team (CREST), in the community?”
“I will wrap up. Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to applaud Budget 2025 for its comprehensive capture of many needs of Singaporean households and businesses. I spoke in my maiden Parliamentary speech in this House in 2020 about happiness, which is one of the aspirations for our people in the Singapore pledge. I would like to end my Budget 2025 debate speech with a intimate conversation I heard from a sacrificial old grandma, who has been through many hardships in her younger days, with her wise and thoughtful grandson, who is doing very well in an investment banking job today. The grandma asked, "Tell me the truth, when old people talk of suffering, isn't it tiresome?" The grandson answered, "Isn't that the point? To burden us." I felt the profound depth of wisdom and love of both the grandma and the grandson for each other. As an advocate for healthy living, intergenerational bonding and sustainability in my Jalan Kayu constituency, my sincere hope is that our residents and all Singaporeans can make the full use of the benefits provided in Budget 2024 to chase after your true happiness that can be passed down from generation to generation. Sir, I support Budget 2025.”
“Regarding elderly care, I suggest further integrating elderly-friendly public facilities in both HDB and private estates alike, with a high proportion of seniors. to promote active and healthy living in their neighbourhoods. Furthermore, as more seniors choose to spend their golden years in familiar surroundings, I hope the Government can expand the Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programme to include smart home technologies, helping seniors with social mobility or cognitive impairment challenges to age safely and comfortably at home.”
“I hope that my inquiries previously about family coach-to-family ratio and family coach's qualification and experience will be continually reviewed to ensure that vulnerable families receive the guidance they need to enhance their lives. Mr Deputy Speaker, please allow me to say some words in Mandarin. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Budget 2025 demonstrates the Government's commitment to building a resilient, inclusive and future-ready Singapore. Amid a complex and changing global environment, this Budget not only addresses Singaporeans' practical needs but also charts a blueprint for Singapore's future development. This year, I will focus on three key areas that are supported by the Budget: (i) first, supporting working residents; (ii) second, caring for the elderly; and (iii) third, helping young couples raise family. For working residents, the Government has strengthened support through the enhanced Workfare Skills Support scheme and extended the Senior Employment Credit, the Enabling Employment Credit and the Uplifting Employment Credit to help employees of different ages and backgrounds upgrade their skills and keep their jobs. These are very good schemes. I hope the Government can promote more training courses aligned with industry needs and provide clearer career development pathways. I suggest strengthening job matching services for employees participating in the Workfare Skills Support scheme to ensure training leads to actual employment opportunities. To encourage companies to hire senior workers, I suggest increasing the wage subsidy ratio of the Senior Employment Credit for employers offering full-time, part-time or long-term positions. This will benefit seniors who wish to continue to work.”
“As young couples and families in Jalan Kayu navigate the complexities of starting and building a family, I am happy that Budget 2025 offers several good supports in critical areas of: one, childcare affordability; two, assistance for large families; and three, enhancing social support networks. Access to affordable and quality childcare is vital for working parents balancing their careers and family responsibilities. The reduction in the monthly fee caps of Government-supported preschools will go some way in lightening the financial load on young parents. I was excited to hear the announcement of the Large Families Scheme by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Finance Minister in his Budget 2025 speech last week. In my speech just last month in this House regarding the Motion on Supporting Singaporeans in Starting and Raising Families, I opened with the sharing of the large extended family that I was blessed to grow up in and concluded with stories of Jalan Kayu residents and Singaporean friends I know who have three or more children. I am so grateful to Prime Minister Lawrence Wong that I can convey the good news of the big "ang pow" that he and his hardworking team in Prime Minister's Office (PMO) have prepared for some more of my residents and friends who are expecting to deliver their third child this year in SG60 and, I hope more, for many more years to come. As we bring children to this world, we must take care of the vulnerability that some will face due to family circumstances that are not of the children's doing. Initiatives like ComLink+ to offer personalised coaching and mentorship to lower-income families, assisting them in overcoming challenges and achieving greater social mobility, are thus important to be continued in earnest.”
“An Active Ageing Centre cited in the heart of larger private estates, like Seletar Hill and Luxus Hills in Jalan Kayu, will be another public policy and implementation breakthrough that I keenly hope for. I also recommend that the Government consider expanding the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme in both HDB flats and private houses to include technological features, such as installing Smart Home devices, for seniors with mobility challenges or cognitive impairments. Lastly, supporting seniors to age well requires many hands-on board approaches with also caregivers being well supported. On this front, I welcome the Home Caregiving Grant enhancement, which increases the maximum grant to $600 monthly and raises the qualifying income ceiling to $4,800 per capita, ensuring more caregivers can receive financial support to defray caregiving costs. Building on my previous inquiry regarding the adequacy of Home Caregiving Grant in covering caregiving expenses, I hope that the Government will also, over time, tier support for caregivers of seniors based on the required intensity and duration of care they need to sustain. For instance, caregivers supporting seniors requiring assistance with all six activities of daily living could receive a higher subsidy to offset the costs associated with more complex care needs. To the final group of Jalan Kayu residents, the young couples and families, whom I feel strongly for, having experienced the ups and downs of settling into a marriage, having a child and constantly juggling with work-life balances throughout the past two decades myself. Strong and resilient families are essential for Singapore's long-term social and economic well-being.”
“On the same note, I propose reviewing the daily MediSave withdrawal limits of $250 for general palliative care and $350 for specialised care to ensure they remain aligned with the rising healthcare costs. I strongly advocated in a PQ in this House last year on providing senior-friendly enhancements under the MND's Estate Upgrading Programme for private estates as seniors ageing in their private homes require similar support as those living in HDB estates, especially if they are asset-rich but cash poor and unwilling to sell a home that they have bought many decades ago and where they have treasured memories of bringing up their children in. I am thus extremely delighted to hear that the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme will be extended to also cover private properties for three years until 2028, in addition to HDB flats. This initiative reflects the Government's commitment to supporting seniors across different housing types. I hope that the Government will not be too quick to take away this extension after 2028, even if take-up rate may not be high in the first three years as outreach to private estates are usually more onerous even for MPs like me who are committed to conducting regular evening house visits to have the best chance of meeting residents in my residents in the four private estates in Jalan Kayu. I have also previously advocated for senior-care facilities under Age Well SG to be cited in both HDB and private housing estates. I hope to see more such facilities in the public spaces of HDB and private estates alike, with a higher proportion of seniors, to promote social engagement, intergeneration interaction and community inclusion for our seniors in their familiar neighbourhood.”
“The Matched MediSave Scheme will offer dollar-for-dollar matching grants of up to $1,000 annually for lower-income seniors aged 55 to 70, complementing the existing Matched Retirement Savings Scheme. I would like to ask the Government how much this additional $1,000 annual matching grant will defer on average in healthcare expenses of a typical 70-year-old Singaporean at today’s healthcare costs in our public hospitals and polyclinics? To support seniors in their desire to age in place, we need to ensure they have access to quality long-term and end-of-life care that respects their preferences. Building on my previous call in this House through my Adjournment Motion titled “Enhancing End of Life with Choices and Dignity” in May 2023, I urge the Government to create greater awareness and accessibility for long-term care and palliative care to Singaporeans. I am heartened to know that the Government will increase subsidies for home and community care to alleviate long-term care costs for seniors. Nonetheless, I hope that the Government would also continue to consider enhancing more use of MediSave funds by seniors and their family members to manage long-drawn commitment to long-term and palliative care costs. I recommend increasing the lifetime withdrawal limit for seniors with limited MediSave savings when utilising a family member's MediSave, currently capped at $2,500 per patient to an amount more commensurate to the real cost of such long-term care costs of an average Singaporean senior at the average lifespan that we are enjoying as one of the longest, if not, the longest living people on earth now.”
“6% graduates were in full-time permanent jobs in 2024, compared with almost 60% in 2023 and 59% in 2022. I await to see the results of our ITE graduates’ employment rate in 2024. In my 2023 Budget debate speech two years ago, I already raised my concern then that while I celebrate the 87.5% of fresh university grads for landing in full-time permanent jobs with higher pay than the year before, the 6.3% in freelance or part-time or temporary jobs and 3.6% who remained unemployed and still looking for a job need some attention. The continued downward trend since 2023, according to results of the annual surveys for our university and polytechnic grads warrant deeper analysis by the Government to understand the trends are due to expectation-reality gaps, educational-career interest gaps or some emerging phenomenon leading to unemployment or underemployment of our young people. This is to ensure that our young people do not fall behind the career start line without understanding the implications of such delays. Next, let me move on to the seniors in Jalan Kayu, whom I care dearly for as most of them are at the age of my own parents and parents-in-law, and the younger seniors are my age. I am heartened to read the enhancements in healthcare affordability, retirement support, senior mobility support, long-term care, caregiving and community care options are all key priorities in Budget 2025. Healthcare costs has been inevitably increasing as our population ages, like all developed ageing societies are confronting. I welcome the introduction of the Matched MediSave Scheme to alleviate some of the financial pressures faced by seniors and their families.”
“I also urge the Government to create more platforms for good companies with exemplary age-inclusive human capital practices to share with more companies so that we can create a conducive workplace and culture that allow Singaporeans who want to work as long as they can, a good environment to do so. Third, promoting inclusive employment is essential in building a fair workplace. I am encouraged that the Enabling Employment Credit has been extended to 2028 to support employers who hire PwDs. Likewise, extending the Uplifting Employment Credit to 2028 is essential to assist ex-offenders in reintegrating into society. I note that the credit supported nearly 700 employers in hiring over 1,000 ex-offenders last year. Employment not only provides financial independence but also builds dignity and fosters social inclusion for PwDs and ex-offenders. I would like to ask if the Government can track and publish more granular employment data to track the job retention and progression of PwDs and ex-offenders, so that employment schemes for them can be improved continually. This should include persons with mental illnesses as this unseen disability and illness have been increasingly afflicting Singaporeans from all ages and walks of life. Finally, on the employment of our young Singaporeans. In a most recent report by CNA on 24 February, the Joint Autonomous Universities Graduate Employment Survey 2024 showed that fewer graduates found jobs six months after graduation compared to 2023, although the median gross salary for fresh graduates in full-time permanent employment increased 4.3% to S$4,500 in 2024. The recent results cited in a Straits Times article on 6 February from the Graduate Employment Survey by the five polytechnics in Singapore released on 13 January showed that 54.”
“With the upcoming enactment of Workplace Fairness Act 2025, I believe that there will be more protection against discriminatory employers’ behaviours due to age of employees or would-be employees. In my Jalan Kayu constituency, our Ang Mo Kio Town Council’s contracted cleaning vendors actively employ our residents who want to work as our cleaners. Among about 70 cleaning supervisors and cleaners in Jalan Kayu, about 10 of them are our residents or those living in nearby constituencies. All of them are aged above 60 years, with the oldest almost 80 years old. They are a jovial group who shared with me during my Chinese New Year luncheon and ang pow distribution with them that cleaning keeps them active and happy. I would like to share what my Jalan Kayu resident, Ms Karen Lai, who lives in Buangkok Crescent and works in Eng Leng Contractors Pte Ltd which provides cleaning services to JTC and our army camps said about older Singaporean cleaning employees to me. She said: “They are responsible, punctual, seldom take MC and keep active by working.” I hope that the Government will continue the good efforts to help our senior employees and that everyone in Singapore take responsibilities to render them with respect, care and consideration as they work. In 2021, I spoke in this House about the importance of balancing legislative amendments with tripartite consensus, ensuring that employers and employees both benefit from flexible and sustainable re-employment strategies. As we extend the Senior Employment Credit, can the Government also track and evaluate whether companies which have received the offsets have effectively supported their older workers.”
“Firstly, as technological advancement in areas like AI and intensifying global economic and geo-political competition place pressures and need for continual transformation on our workforce, it is crucial to ensure that Singaporean working adults have the knowledge and skills as well as opportunities and support to continue thriving. I am encouraged by the key measures in Budget 2025 to empower Singaporeans at every career stage, while promoting a more inclusive and resilient workforce. I welcome the enhanced tier of support under the Workfare Skills Support Scheme, which allows lower-wage workers to upskill earlier with financial assistance for longer-form courses. I have three blocks of rental flats in Jalan Kayu, mostly comprising families with young children. One or both of their parents, my residents, may have been struggling with drugs, incarceration or divorce problems which render them many difficulties in coping with life and work. I hope that the Government will continue to support Workfare Skills Support Scheme training courses aligned with industry needs so that these residents can have the best chance of keeping and progressing in better jobs. In this regard, I would like to ask the Government what the job placement support for participants who completed Workfare Skills Support Scheme courses are and those who are still struggling with just being able to continue with lower wage tough jobs like food delivery even if they aspire for better jobs through Workfare Skills Support Scheme training. Second, I am pleased that the Senior Employment Credit has been extended to 2026. This can continue to encourage employers to hire and retain older and experienced employees and recognise their contributions.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of Budget 2025 which reflects the Government’s commitment to building a resilient, inclusive, and forward-looking Singapore. As we mark Singapore’s 60 years of Independence this year, the well-thought-through Budget not only sets a path for the survival of Singapore in a more uncertain and dangerous world, but more importantly, a lamp to light the way for Singaporeans to seize opportunities at every stage of life to continue to thrive individually, as a family, and as a nation together. Singapore’s economy grew by 4.4% last year against all odds, driven by better-than-expected performance in wholesale trade, finance and insurance, as well as our manufacturing sectors. Looking ahead, our gross domestic product (GDP) growth is projected to moderate between 1% and 3% in 2025 as global uncertainty and emerging market risks continue to impact our economy. However, our core inflation rate is expected to ease to an average of 1.5% to 2.5%. These economic figures, working together, will hopefully alleviate the cost-of-living pressures that have been hanging in the minds of both Singaporean households and businesses this past year. Last year, I spoke on support for three key groups during my Budget 2024 debate speech. They are: one, supporting working adults; two, caring for seniors; and three supporting young families and couples. These three groups form most of my residents in Jalan Kayu constituency living in both HDB and private estates. I am heartened to know that Budget 2025 continues to address their needs. Today, I will again focus on the Budget support for these three groups.”
“My last question is, some of my younger grassroots volunteers have been very innovative in thinking of unconventional ways of solving some problems – not for all the blocks, but for one or two blocks, they have pointed out to me a possible way of granting the lift access without having to build a lift for every floor. And my question is whether HDB has an innovation team that a grassroots advisor, like me, can work with, to explore different options besides building that lift access? So, these are my three questions.”
“Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister for sharing about the comprehensive efforts of the HDB to try and help residents who are in this segment. I have a group of residents with this issue. I have about 10 out of 142 blocks that are under the care of Jalan Kayu, that have got the lift access issue, so it is less than 10%. In the last five years, in every house visit to them, I have explained HDB schemes, including the LHG to each of these residents. But five years since, none have actually used the grants and they are getting older and older each year. And so, as I distil the reasons why they are not moving off, it all comes to the core reason that they want to age in place, in a flat that they have bought about 30 years ago to set up their family, to raise their family, and it is a very important place of memories for them. They can afford to stay in the flat continually, except for the lack of lift access. So, I have three supplementary questions. One is, when was the last time a technical and cost assessment was done for building lift direct access in such blocks? And two, are there grounds to justify a higher subsidy for these blocks that are stuck with this problem? Because I understand that the quantum for a potential lift upgrade is many, many times compared to the usual flats, and thus, the co-payment for the residents is also very hefty, and that is one of the reasons why HDB is also hesitant to do that. But my question is, if we have a year of Budget surplus, is it something that we can consider, that is, a higher subsidy, so that the co-payment is affordable, like other units with LUP?”
“Thank you, Speaker. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. I have two supplementary questions. Sir, I would consider myself quite a savvy HealthHub user, but even with my use of it for the polyclinics and the hospitals especially when I help my parents, I actually needed some help from my GP that I enrolled onto Healthier SG with, on the navigation to find that there is actually a banner on the HealthHub homepage that says "Healthier SG" and the click-on says something like "View Health Plan". It is through that link that you can go in and make appointments with the GP clinic that you have enrolled with under Healthier SG, instead of the normal quick link to "Appointments" that most patients would have used HealthHub to make appointments. My first question is: can the Ministry of Health (MOH) consider using the quick link "Appointment" button that a lot of people are very familiar with if they had been using HealthHub to also make appointments with GP clinics that Singaporeans had enrolled with under Healthier SG? My second question is: I think I have a very good GP who goes over and above the extra mile, even when his clinic is very crowded, to explain to me when I ask questions. That took him an extra two to three minutes. I think some of these other GPs are really doing a good job trying to support Healthier SG which MOH is promoting. Will MOH recognise and give some award to encourage these GPs and encourage what we want to see other GPs doing, as we extend Healthier SG in the coming years?”
“It gives me hope for this homeland, this nation, this Singapore, that we all love and the people in this land who are the most precious, both when we first achieved Independence in 1965, as it is today in 2025, as we celebrate SG60 as one nation and one people. As we celebrate SG60 with pride and new hopes, surely, the best is yet to come with daughters and sons of a better age in writing new history and uplifting records, including our TFR, for Singapore. Mr Speaker, I support the Motion.”
“I shared with them that they are defying the odds of shrinking family sizes and falling TFR, experienced not just in Singapore but in all major highly-developed urban cities and countries. I asked them what their "secret sauces" are. A common theme that emerged from these couples is a strong marriage bond and personal sacrifices as husbands and wives for each other over the years of courtship, marriage and parenthood. Each one stepping up and stepping down in career pursuits and other life aspirations over the course of achieving a common goal of building a big, happy family filled with laughers and, many times, cries of children. It reminds me of a Bible verse, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift the other. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm." Even when I started drafting this speech on the second day of Chinese New Year, a young friend happily announced to me the arrival of his third child, a beautiful daughter named Caroline, which filled me with such joy and inspirations to complete this speech while shuttling from house visits for Chinese New Year and events with family and residents. Mr Speaker, in Mandarin please. 俗话说得好，有国才有家，有家才有我. Back in English, the phrase means a home thrives on the foundation of a good country, and one thrives on the foundation of a good home. While Singapore's TFR has fallen to another record low of 0.97 in 2023, 51 years after I was born, the residents and friends whom I have interviewed for this speech, especially the last group, made me realised that we do not have lost generations who do not want marriage or parenthood. We just have many good policies and initiatives still to be implemented and good stories still to be told.”
“The representative 2023 poll by IPS, which I mentioned earlier, also saw 67% of the youngest respondents, between 21 and 34, without children hoping to have kids. A researcher in that poll said that the young worry about the cost of housing. High cost and stress emerged as the top reasons for not wanting to have children across all age groups. I can understand these concerns. While the number of young married couples still waiting for a successful ballot for a new, affordable BTO flat, whom I see at my weekly MPS has eased from the high number during and right after the COVID-19 pandemic crunch, I empathise with these young couples who are still disappointed to get no queue number or a queue number far exceeding the available units in each BTO or Sales of Balance flats application exercise. While I fully understand the reasons and principles of fairness upheld by the Ministry of National Development (MND) and the HDB for the current ballot system, I wonder if MND can consider piloting a hybrid system of queue plus ballot for first-timer couples who have failed after one to two tries. The hybrid system can help not to delay their obtaining of a new flat much longer, in both non-mature and mature estates. For mature estates, there can be additional criteria, like proximity to parents or parent-in-laws who have been living in the mature estate for a considerable number of years and the young couples are looking to them for childcare support or need to care for their ageing parents. Lastly, I had the joy of interviewing two couples in their mid-30s to early-40s, with four children each. Each of these couples are also working individuals and with senior parents in their 60s and 70s to care for.”
“They publicised that the new event hall was about 700 square metres in size, could accommodate about 150 guests at a booking fee then of just about 100,000 won to 200,000 won, which is about $95 to $190. The bride and groom would be required to receive premarital education before the wedding. The "First New City Hall Wedding" call also offered several talented local professionals who donated their services, including a master of ceremony, congratulatory singers, photographers and so on. The couple could also receive assistance from a socially responsible wedding company consigned by the government agency. However, it is up to the couple to use the wedding company at their own cost. After this unusual call to commemorate the opening of the new city hall, which saw overwhelming applications, the Seoul government continued to make the event hall available for wedding ceremonies weekly for Seoul citizens. For those curious, I assure you that the event hall was nothing short of a dream wedding venue that are alike those seen in many beautiful K-drama weddings, when I visited in 2013. I hope for a chance to visit again when I travel to Seoul. Can our Government consider piloting a similar initiative, with funding support to iconic, historical and beautiful public institutions like the National Gallery or the Old Parliament House, just to name a few, to host a similar programme for our young people desiring to get married? I am sure that cost-conscious young Singaporeans with a hope for a dream wedding, alike any young couples around the world, will appreciate a similar programme to make their wedding plans less of a financial burden, but more of a real bliss. Moving on to the group of young married couples who desire children but have not had any yet.”
“I hope that Jalan Kayu young residents can have Friendzone-type of platforms to just make friends over conversations and topics of their interest, as well as the upcoming Y-Connect for those who would like to explore more dating. Next, for my residents who are single, desire to marry and have found the right person but have not yet married. The IPS pre-conference poll in January 2024, which I cited earlier, also identified cost of living as the top of the list of social issues that young Singaporeans are most concerned about. Several of my young residents who fall into this group shared with me that they are still saving up for their dream wedding as hotel banquet costs have risen substantially post-COVID-19 pandemic and partially due to global geopolitical and economic factors, which are beyond their controls and they feel somewhat helpless about. When I visited Seoul in 2013 on a study trip while I was a public servant in the National Council of Social Service, I was impressed by a briefing from the equivalent of our MSF on an idea initiated by their Mayor Oh Se-Hoon, who was first elected in 2006 and is the incumbent Seoul Mayor today. The initiative was to open a new, state-of-the-art architecture designed and built city hall, with a large basement comprising a citizen's plaza, a gallery, an exhibition hall and an event hall for booking and use by Seoul citizens for diverse purposes. To commemorate the opening of this new city hall in a special way then, the city of Seoul's government hosted a "First New City Hall Wedding" call. The Seoul government accepted applications from Seoul citizens to become the first couple to wed at the event hall.”
“Our resourceful Jalan Kayu YN further stretched the Citizen Consultative Committee budget to do four sessions, from 2023 to 2024, by negotiating for discounted grassroot rates and collaborating with other YNs in Ang Mo Kio GRC, sourcing for National Youth Council's (NYC's) inter-generation engagement grants, People's Association (PA) GRC dialogue grants for youth and co-funding with other YNs to do more sessions for more young people to benefit. One of the four sessions was on 7 July 2024 at our annual Jalan Kayu Day last year, where Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong was the guest-of-honour and interacted with our young residents at the Friendzone conversations on the topic of friendship and relationships. My hope is that the Government can consider one stream of funding support for every constituency to be able to conduct such sessions, without each MP, like me, having to worry about raising funds to start and sustain the platform. Our YNs can also focus on organising such collaborations and outreach rather than navigating different Government grants to carry out what they find useful. With a good start since 2023, I will further deepen the support for Jalan Kayu young people by piloting, in the next few months, a next step Y-Connect programme, with small donations raised from donors who share my belief. JK Y-Connect will facilitate learning on topics, such as dating etiquettes, healthy dating mindset and behaviours, positive ways to find the "right partner" through self-discovery and discovery of potential partners in a fun, unintimidating and authentic way.”
“Armed with the survey data and my experience when I was a civil servant in the Ministry of Health's (MOH's) Office for Healthcare Transformation in piloting projects to achieve proof of concept and proof of value outcomes in hopes that the Government will consider mainstream funding support, I went about researching what I could pilot for my Jalan Kayu young residents. Around then, I met Friendzone SG at an April 2023 conversation session for young people in Jalan Kayu funded by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information's (MDDI's) Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home (REACH) department. Friendzone is a ground-up social enterprise started in 2018 by a young Singaporean who believes in building friendships, teams and communities one conversation at a time. Remembering how my own marriage, which reached its 21st anniversary last Friday, was built on the foundation of friendship, I thought that would be a good starting point and connected Friendzone to my young leaders in Jalan Kayu Youth Network (YN) to explore collaborations. Knowing that as a social enterprise, Friendzone needed funding for materials and time to carefully plan, outreach and facilitate each conversation session, I raised the matter with our Jalan Kayu Citizen Consultative Committee. I was touched by the swift and unanimous support from long-serving grassroots leaders, many in their 50s and 60s, who readily agreed to utilising our Citizen Consultative Committee funds to pilot two Friendzone sessions.”
“It found that our young Singaporeans are experiencing higher levels of loneliness. A representative sample of about 2,400 Singapore residents were also polled by IPS between November and December 2023 in three age groups: the youngest, 21- to 34-year-olds; the middle, 35- to 49-year-olds; and the older, 50- to 64-year-olds. In this poll, 70% of the youngest group think it is not necessary to get married, 58% of the middle group and 50% of the older group feel the same. Despite this, 68% of the youngest unmarried respondents, between 21 and 34 years, old foresee themselves getting married. Across all age groups, the top two reasons for not dating or getting married are that they have not met the right person yet and that they prefer to remain single. In my 2023 Budget and Committee of Supply speeches, I urge the Government to go more upstream and enable more resources for social interactions among our young people. I cited then the Marriage and Parenthood Survey 2021, which found 80% of young single respondents intending to get married, but 50% of them were not dating, with 38% of this group having not dated before. Among those who were not currently dating, 58% of them expressed having a limited social circle and 57% of them not having many opportunities to meet potential partners. Although there has been a growing acceptance for online dating apps, 80% of the surveyed respondents prefer meeting potential partners through more organic and face-to-face settings. I suggested then that a community approach may be more suitable for the Government to encourage more organic social mingling and urged the Government to be open to investing more to help singles expand their social circle and actively encourage our singles to mingle in social settings.”