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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“Nonetheless, taking reference from a report published in November 2018 by AgeUK, those aged 65 and above who are online appear to place a higher emphasis on communication and information-finding and less on transactions, such as internet banking, needless to say sophisticated products like digital payment token transactions. Closer to home, the 2019 IMDA Annual Survey on Infocomm Usage in Households and by Individuals also highlighted that while there was a considerable increase in Internet usage by seniors aged 60 and above, this same age group registered the lowest proportion for payment activities, such as transferring of funds, using online payment services, Internet fund transfers, peer-to-peer fund transfers and having an eNETS virtual account. Not surprisingly, seniors were also the largest group that did not have the confidence in making online transactions and had the lowest level of trust that their privacy and data will be respected when performing online transactions. In both these reports, the seniors' lack of trust, privacy concerns and lack of skills and confidence in being able to navigate the online world have been cited as reasons for them not going online and interacting digitally. The unintended consequences would be that, firstly, the seniors may begin to lag in the adoption of digital payment services and this gap may continue to widen as the acceleration towards digitalisation increases with new innovations in the payment services space.”
“As such, the Payment Services (Amendment) Bill and the requirement for entities carrying on a business of providing payment services in Singapore, including a DPT service, to be licensed and meet standards for mitigation of risks relating to money laundering and terrorism financing are steps in the right direction to develop the financial services industry and to encourage digital innovation in the fintech space with the necessary safeguards. The Payment Services (Amendment) Bill further regulates activities across a wider range of digital payment services as well as expands the definition of "digital payment token services" to regulate activities of virtual asset service providers like digital exchanges, cryptocurrency firms and e-wallet services. This is timely, especially when the accelerated shift of financial services towards the digital will also likely increase the risks of misuse of such services and scams. The amendments will further ensure responsible and safe innovation in the financial services industry. While accelerating digitalisation, such as the DPT innovation and development, is good for the economy, it has also exposed an uneven understanding and adoption of technology among segments of the population, especially the seniors. The closure of physical touch points has accelerated banking and payment services online and, overnight, the seniors needed to learn how to transact with banks and merchants digitally. Research in the seniors' perceptions towards digital payment is sparse and is specific to countries.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I stand in support of the Payment Services (Amendment) Bill, for its extended protection against money laundering and terrorists financing by digital payment token (DPT) service providers, as well as the introduction of the power to impose user protection measures on certain DPT service providers. However, allow me to raise some considerations in its implementation from a more social perspective, especially to safeguard more vulnerable user segments. The group of users that I am most concerned about are the seniors because of the good, the bad and the unintended developments in the digital payment token service space. First, the good. The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we socialise and interact with each other. From how we work and play to how we make purchases for our daily needs, almost every aspect of our life has been impacted in one way or another. The need to reduce human contact has accelerated the need and pace for digitalisation. Financial services have been going cashless and moving online with more new types of players beyond the traditional financial institutions with more sophisticated financial products, such as the DPT that is fast innovating and growing. This acceleration, though challenging, is generally good for the economy at large and also helps the public to keep pace with digitalisation.”
“No matter how diverse our views are and no matter how complex the challenges we are facing, we can all prevail in a common destiny ahead if we know how to harness each other's strengths and will. Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion.”
“We must continue to reduce the stigma of help seeking behaviours for Singaporeans, especially when it is at the early onset of mental health issues, such as mild depression or anxiety, for preventive care nearer to home in the community. I hope to encourage more preventive mental health support in primary care providers, including the polyclinics and general practitioner (GP) clinics, which are closer to most people, with more support in terms of subsidies and integrated care with social services. Social cohesion amongst all generations for a collective destiny is increasingly important. In dealing with the issues I have mentioned so far, we can see that we are facing more complex challenges among our people, both young and old. However, I remain hopeful that if we pull our strengths together, not seeing the emerging issues like what I have mentioned as solely the problems of one specific group or another but affecting our common destiny ahead, we can find new solutions together. After all, all our futures are closely intertwined with each other and how Singapore will continue to thrive ahead. We can build intergenerational "Communities of Support" at work, in the neighbourhood and at home out of the Singapore Together conversations. Such communities can act as platforms that promote intergenerational bonding through embarking on shared projects with common interest that value each other's strengths and provide support that is enriching in a meaningful way intergenerationally Mr Deputy Speaker, I would like to end my speech on a note of hope. Hope for all Singaporeans, young and old, during this period of uncertainty. Hope for a better nation as a whole.”
“Respondents mentioned that they experienced a sharp increase in feelings of social isolation, with individuals living alone experiencing larger increases. One factor that impacts quality of life is job security, and it is telling that many respondents in the survey expressed anxiety about the future, with about a third of respondents expressing being very or extremely worried about the health of their loved ones and the economy. In my opinion, this has potential impact on our people’s mental health. In another survey conducted by the National University Health System (NUHS) Mind Science Centre on mental health resilience published in The Straits Times on 19 August this year, it found that younger Singaporeans 45 years and below are more likely to feel anxious and less mentally resilient than those aged 45 and above. These two reports show that the impact of the current crisis on mental health is a complex one that affects different groups of Singaporeans in different ways, both young and old. My hope is that our younger people today, who are more likely to talk about mental health more openly and honestly, can increasingly exercise "self-care" and be part of their normal vocabulary to be able to find support and care that they need. I am heartened that compared to five years ago, the awareness when talking about the stigmatisation of mental health among youths and young adults has vastly improved. But we must keep on this journey of bringing down the stigma for youths that need the help to find help. Some of the older adults may find it difficult to talk openly about mental health. They may not dare to tell people that they are not doing well. Perhaps they feel that their dignity may be impacted, or they do not want to be a burden.”
“To begin with, I have helped to bring together the NCSS and Pan Pacific Hotel Group to start dialogues on partnership to join forces and combine the social and business perspectives to enable awareness and resources for new job redesigns for the mature workforce. I am glad to share that there is much keenness to support this segment of our workers. For example, the hotel group in their sustainability pursuit are thinking of new roles such as urban farming specialists where they will encourage older workers to pursue and in a dignified way. I hope that more public, private and people sector organisations will collaborate and join in such efforts. Change in workplace culture, mindsets, HR policies and practices that will ensure non-discriminatory hiring and retention of older workers will require relentless and collective efforts. Because of the important element of self-worth and self-empowerment that work brings, we must continually improve status quo to give assurance to our older workers and help them increase job security. This brings me to the next part of my speech – the impact of the current crisis and uncertainties on social and mental health of our people. The Centre for Research on Successful Ageing, a research centre based in the Singapore Management University (SMU), undertook a study recently to understand the possible impacts on elderly Singaporeans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings from their population-representative monthly survey, with about 7,500 respondents, tracking the lives of Singaporeans aged 55 to 75 during this period were reported in The Straits Times on 28 August this year. There was an important finding: older adults experienced a drop in overall life satisfaction by 3.8% in April 2020 and 4% in May, as compared to January 2020.”
“I have met older adult residents who have lost or are at the risk of losing their jobs and they shared with me their anxiety in finding new jobs. Not for the lack of will to learn, but for the steep learning curve of acquiring new skills in growth areas and the learning pace they need. My constituency volunteers and I keep them supported by encouraging them not to give up. The Government has started many good schemes to provide assistance to this group. Whether it be the strong support from the SG United Jobs and Skills Package, the new Jobs Growth Incentive or efforts from the Tripartite Committee on Employability of Older Workers. These are all commendable schemes, but we need to also systematically redesign jobs, shift workplace culture and HR policies to institutionalise new possibilities for our maturing workforce. We need to help them overcome the workplace barriers which may stand in the way of maximising their potential. In my view, social service experts are adept in designing systemic environment and practices, designing new job roles, breaking down tasks and coaching them in partnership with employers, doing these in a way that build psycho-social wellness of people, bringing in elements of respect, dignity and empowerment. We saw that in the hard-forged efforts in the movement for employment of persons with special needs, which organisations like the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), SG Enable alongside community-minded corporates like Pan Pacific Hotel Group, as well as Social Service Agencies like Autism Resource Centre led by our capable Mayor Denise Phua have made impactful progress in. We need a similar movement for our older workers.”
“I resonate with them because I have been seeing the vulnerability of our older adult workers over 50 years old and those above 60 years old feel even more uncertain and anxious this period in my constituency. We have started the most significant demographic shift of this generation – the near doubling of citizens aged 65 and older by 2030, with the number of elderly citizens projected to be about 900,000, or one in four by then. As Minister of State Ms Gan Siow Huang had mentioned, the median age of our resident labour force today has also risen to 44, compared to 41 just a decade ago, and it will continue to rise. It is important that we recognise and appreciate the wealth of experience and skills of our older workers, who will make up an increasing share of our workforce. I commend Moovaz, a Singapore-based startup specialising in international moving services. In a The Straits Times article reported on 24 August 2020, they employed Mdm Becky Chang, 60 years old, after she was let go from her company in the shipping industry. Moovaz valued her four decades of experience in the shipping industry and, importantly, her willingness to learn. We need more of such employers. As Members of this House have quoted, and I would like to reinforce, as Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has aptly said, and I quote, "no Singaporean who is willing to learn should be 'too old' to hire. And no one who is willing to adapt should be viewed as 'overqualified'." As a society, we must make every effort to continually support a more mature workforce in meaningful and dignifying work. What is even more important is for us to respect the emotional journey they are going through as they cope with the rapidly changing job market.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion of Thanks to the President for her Address. I would like to declare my role as an independent consultant in healthcare transformation. Singapore is going through a challenging year. It will not be easy for us or the world to emerge from COVID-19 and its economic fall-out to recover fully any time soon. But I have confidence that we can grow and emerge from this difficult time. What we can and must count on and empower is our people, Singaporeans, young and old. I have been reflecting on the last few words of our pledge: happiness, prosperity and progress for our nation. What truly does happiness to a nation mean? To me, "happiness" is about ensuring and engendering the social and collective well-being of our society as a whole. Economic growth is crucial, yes, and is the lifeblood of Singapore. But addressing the softer human needs and the collective well-being of our people can be a counter-balancing force when our economic growth may no longer be as fast as in the past decade. A balance in the pursuit of what is most important to benefit the wider population, especially the at-risk groups, will become increasingly important. As such, my speech will focus on building our people, not just on the "bread and butter" issues affecting livelihoods and jobs, but also social and mental health of our people, and social cohesion. First, I would like to talk about one group of at-risk people particularly impacted by this crisis, and many in this House have also spoken up about them: the older workers and how we can assist them.”