Penny Low
Singapore
“These amenities will offer recreational choices and also prevent traffic congestion to the new town when it is built. Will MND look into these suggestions favourably and also work with MOT to prevent congestion?”
“Going forward, the quality of our lives will also depend on how well we can integrate knowledge with technology and creativity to find solutions with daily, social and economic concerns. What plans are there to encourage people to act responsibly, dream up new ideas and design for a better world?”
“Let us navigate the sea of change with mastery of seafaring skills, guided by the light of the stars and not by passing fancy ships. Only then can we continue to be that extraordinary little red dot the world envies; only then will we know that the future generations will continue to be world-beaters and make their families proud.”
“These considerations should be part of the MediShield Life design so that it is holistic, it incentivises the desired behaviour and it improves the overall health outcome of our Page: 122 nation.”
“Thank you, Deputy Speaker. Clarification, Sir. The Minister mentioned that MediShield premium payments can be paid for by immediate family members.”
“Mdm Speaker, there have been more reports on the increase in rodents lately and I am wondering whether NEA has done any study to discover the reason for such an increase, or is it that there is just more visibility of rodents in, especially, housing estates.”
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“Short intervention. Will the Minister agree that the marketplace would indeed be the best place to spur demand and supply? Whether or not there would be more people joining the arts or creative industry as the mainstream career would also depend on the sort of demand for their services and their creative output. So would the Government consider supporting them by becoming a purchaser of their creative outputs? This, obviously, should not be restricted to just MICA alone but also across the board. Give them a hand out, not a handout. My second question is this. Earlier on, I spoke about the need for quality housing for the arts. So would the Minister also reply to whether we would be upgrading Telok Ayer Performing Arts Centre and Telok Kurau Arts Centre? And my final question is on the Cyber Code of Ethics. I think SMS replied that there is a Cyber Wellness Programme that is ongoing, but I think a Cyber Wellness Programme is very different from a Code of Cyber Ethics. Perhaps the Code of Cyber Ethics could also be incorporated into the Cyber Wellness Programme itself.”
“However, if ethical behaviour could be enshrined in generic principles and further guided by examples and even illustrations via cartoons for easy understanding, then in the long run, the Net community could identify and weave themselves out of ethical predicament and troubles with the law.”
“The Internet and mobile phones have empowered individuals in unprecedented ways. But it has also brought a lot of abuses and problems - the MRT suicide broadcast, the rise of cyber sex predators, racial blogs, etc, have become quite prevalent. The OECD estimated that the IPR violations cost the world a whopping $770 billion in 2004. Local surveys by the Fei Yue Community Services have also revealed weak knowledge especially knowledge of the cyber ethics. The Straits Times also reported that many netizens were not aware of the do's and don'ts and the rights and wrongs in the cyber world. As such, I would like to propose two schemes. One, a cyber literacy programme, something like the financial literacy programme under the MAS where a fund is set aside to improve the cyber literacy of Singaporeans. This can be carried out via PPP efforts at community centres, schools, lunch-time breaks in the companies, etc. Perhaps, the infocomm clubs, mentioned by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, can also play a key role here. Two, a code of cyber ethics. Obviously, any voluntary code of ethics could appear ineffective on the surface. However, like the code of racial harmony, it serves as a beacon for behaviour norms and foster the treasured values and ethos of the society. Code of cyber ethics is an inclusive measure to provide strong social acceptance, acceptable norms and behaviours among the netizens beyond the educationist school. Sir, cyber crimes are not bound easily by any jurisdiction system and neither can the law catch up with it very easily.”
“Specifically for iN2015, more efforts in fostering higher ICT adoption rate amongst the micro, especially the smaller SMEs, and infusing an innovative ICT culture for the entire SMEs and people sector would be essential.”
“How do we make these applications affordable for them and also ensure that they can be supported if they run into issues? How can we also enhance the horizontal and vertical integration of these applications? (2) Are there e-communities that businesses can already integrate to help them provide better interactions with their customers, suppliers and partners? An example of this would be a web portal that links manufacturing companies to logistics firms to finance companies in a secured and private network such that these businesses can transact more efficiently. We can perhaps take a leaf out of the European umbrella strategy for developing information and community technology called the I2010 plan. Applications include provision of financial incentives like consultancies, vouchers, creation of neutral one-stop shops to provide information on the benefits of ICT usage in case studies, encourage higher adoption rate by the European ICT SMEs by simplifying public procurement requirements, and so on and so forth. On the people sector, how could iN2015 be served as a platform to meet the needs of this sector and cultivate a more inclusive society? On visiting the iN2015 website, all have been talks about the benefits and wonderful experiences that ICT can bring, but none on education and engaging all sectors to participate in the development. I think we have to talk more than just about the innovation - the 3Is, which is the innovation, integration and internalisation - but also talks about the 3Es, which is educating the SMEs and individuals, empowering all to use ICT in their daily life and enhancing the experience of using ICT. To conclude, a customer-centric mindset could do wonders for us.”
“Sir, a sophisticated IT infrastructure has helped Singapore to stay on the cutting-edge of information and knowledge acquisition. It has also increased transparency and productivity. However, while our e-Government is still lauded, our ICT infrastructure has begun to lag behind countries like Korea. The iN2015 plan therefore is laudable. Laying the hardware, however, is only useful if this infrastructure can also serve as collaborative platforms for the people, public and private sectors. The iN2015 should target to be a web 2.0, a truly integrated and collaborative platform where individual, businesses and the Government can interact to exchange ideas, transact and even work on projects together. In other words, it has to be useful, appealing and also relatively cheap to adopt. Driving adoption rate will also be paramount to ensuring that the iN2015 does not become a white elephant, as in the case of the Singapore One Project. Currently, the adoption rate observed amongst our local SMEs is less than ideal. The key focus of MICA and IDA should be to review and look at developments of adequate and attractive software applications that fit the needs of MNCs, SMEs and the people sector, meaning the NGOs as well, so that what is needed to drive the broadband adoption is put on top of just building another ultra high-speed broadband infrastructure where we already have one today. In fact, as we replace our ICT expressway with a superhighway, how can we make it accessible, attractive and ERP-free - I mean, affordable. So to drive broadband adoption, I think we need to understand a few factors. (1) What are the killer applications that help SMEs and NGOs to drive business productivity, lower their costs and help them reach out to other markets at regional and global levels?”
“And in lieu of the space constraint, I suggest that on weekends, we can even turn the lifeless Raffles CBD area into a live street arts performing centre just like Harajuku in Japan which has become a popular iconic place in and outside of Japan. In conclusion, we have definitely scored well in providing the initial sparks for the creative mind to venture. Now is the time to move on to allow space for these sparks to ignite other sparks.”
“Sir, listening to the Minister for MICA, it seems that the creative sector is set to grow and grow even faster. But I think there has been reflection from the ground that there is a lack of cohesive and permanent public space available for both the visual and performing arts. What is available currently is rather scattered and ad hoc. For the creative talents, this means wasted resources in scouting for venues while, for the consumers and business, which is the demand side, there is no clear place where they can go to embrace the arts. In many great cosmopolitan cities, there are exclusive cultural districts and creative belts for exhibiting and transacting artistic works. For example, London has Covent Garden, Paris has Centre Pompidou and more, and New York has the Green Village where both the public and the tourists can have access to appreciate art for free or for a fee. Over time, these places can develop into a major tourist attraction for showcasing Singapore's creative talents' work and an iconic place that embodies a distinctive Singapore culture and a global interaction point for the top-tier creative talents to meet and exchange ideas. 12.45 pm Moving on, with regard to MICA's objective to grooming our local talents and reaching out to our fellow Singaporeans to appreciate arts, what plans are there to bring arts and artists to the people especially in areas where there is already a natural crowd? For example, on the busy Orchard Road, underpass of CityLink, the underpass linking City Hall MRT and Suntec City, is it possible to turn some of these spaces into permanent living art gallery, or at least blend in some artworks or features as part of the architect? Could we allocate some prime areas as creative space and permanent space for our artists?”
“Perhaps the Minister can also explain what are some of the KPIs used in measuring the success of talent cultivation in Singapore and KPIs in measuring the effectiveness of nurturing ground that we have provided. I would also suggest considering the criteria used in Richard Florida's book, The Rise of the Creative Class, and I think the four criteria outlined are quite useful. They are, one, innovation measurements such as the number of businesses created, patent applications, national share of hi-tech output and the concentration of hi-tech output versus non hi-tech output. Two, talent measurements such as the number of Bachelors degrees or better, per capita and number of creative sector occupations per capita. Three, diversity measurements such as number of foreign bond per capita, a Bohemian index of artists, musicians, etc, a percentage of people and colour and integration index because diversity is key. And, four, workforce measurements such as occupational clusters, industry clusters and creative senses. Would the Minister please consider the above suggestions?”
“The emphasis on a high trust economy and patents should be extended to the creative and artistic works and not only be focused on traditional hi-tech industries. This will spell greater growth in original works and entrepreneurial activities. Three, recognition. The need to be recognised. They need to be recognised by what they do more than who they work for. Due to the nature of their work and the industry, many may fall out of the traditional definitions of formal employment or full-time job. They have little or no CPF or employment benefits or protection, even Medisave, and some move out of the creative sector after some years. I think that is quite a waste. To retain them, we need to find ways to help them get ahead and retain them effectively. Our ability to recognise individuals for their unique contribution rather than their company will help create an environment that attracts and retains talents from across the world and give us the competitive edge. Four, demand and supply. On the demand side, creative talents need a hand up, not a handout. Demand spurs supply. Perhaps the Government, not just MICA but all across the Government bodies, can purchase local creative works, visual performance or design and collectively provide a demand floor to support the creative industry. On the supply side, each year, MOM projects the manpower needs and NMC translated them into intake quotas which affect the number of tuition grants given. Last year, for NAFA and LaSalle, the quota was 903 and 102 for visual arts and performing arts respectively, including the arts administrators. Is this way too conservative? In addition, perhaps the tuition grant should also be extended to degree level to recognise it as a full profession.”
“Sir, I beg to move, That the total sum to be allocated for Head Q of the Estimates be reduced by $100. Sir, in the year since the cultural, capital and Renaissance City Plans were introduced, much buzz has been added to the creative sector. More recently, other initiatives like the Creative Community Singapore, Design Singapore, Media 21, Renaissance City 2.0 and even the iN2015 plans collectively contributed to the making of the creative ecosystem. MICA deserves praise in this respect. In fact, the value-add per worker is amongst the highest and its economic pie has been growing exponentially. To attract, groom and retain creative talents, generate innovation and stimulate economic growth, there must be substantial attention paid to providing a holistic and conducive environment for creative juices. I list four essential elements for the Minister's consideration. One, environment. Be they artists or technologists, film makers or fashion designers, creative talents need centres of creativity in the places that they work, play and live in. Diversity adds colour and vigour to the process. Talent favours open-minded and connected environment where they can fit in easily. Cities that offer places where talents can share and exchange ideas and even places such as cafes, artists markets, cultural belts will help to integrate newcomers into a community and strengthen the existing community. Would the Minister consider upgrading current arts housing schemes, especially those at Telok Kurau and the Performing Arts Centre at Telok Ayer, which are rather run down currently. What about supporting even a dance centre or the likes of a centre like in Paris. I mean the quality of place counts? Two, innovation. We need to support new ideas and put a premium on innovation.”
“Sir, MOF mentioned that the SRS scheme appealed to a very narrow group. Can she clarify which group this may be and whether we could enlarge the appeal of this scheme to a much larger group? Using the back-of-the-envelope calculation, if the middle class is about 50% to 60% of the entire working population of two million, we have about one million and only 35,000 has entered the SRS scheme. Why is that so? Could the Minister enlighten us on the reason for the slow take-up rate?”
“Sir, given 30 seconds, this cut is meant to be read with my many previous speeches on the same subject. The fundamental question is whether the Government senses any urgency to address the retirement funding of an ageing population. If CPF is meant for subsistence living, then we need more than one scheme. Could the Government review and improve: (1) The Supplementary Retirement Scheme? (2) The section 5 plan? (3) Taking care of the retirement needs of the middle-income and the homemakers via the above schemes? Would this not be a prudent way to include them in the Budget? Role of Temasek Holdings”
“Sir, to position Singapore as the best place to start and globalise SMEs, we need a strong capital market. If you refer to the handout, we are slipping behind Hong Kong and Taiwan listings. I have asked industry experts why this might be so, and they cited two reasons: (i) inadequate understanding of the local fund managers and bankers, resulting in poorer valuations; and (ii) regulatory and compliance costs scare investors. The same Sarbanes-Oxley requirements applied here in US were also cited as the reason for the capital flow from the US to the London Stock Exchange (LSE). In 2006, LSE's AIM had US$40 billion, while NASDAQ had US$30 billion. In the last two years, London scored 11 of the biggest international IPOs while New York scored only four. Perhaps, the Minister can enlighten us on: (1) How can we improve SESDAQ? (2) What is our weakest link? (3) How can we encourage greater capital market liquidity?”
“Sir, for a 17-year-old teenager born into a population of 2.7 million in 1990, he would be one in 6.5 million people by age 35. Rapid population increase via the influx of immigrants can stress our social fabric. Can a young Singaporean cope in boom and bane cycles? Recent Straits Times surveys revealed some xenophobic reactions and a lack of national pride. With a highly demanded Singaporean workforce, Singapore must develop itself into an attractive home, not a hotel or revolving door for talents, lest we lose our own talents to overseas. Some questions: (1) What steps can we take to foster trust and empower our own citizens, making sure that citizenship has its privileges? Imported solutions - talents, SMEs, MNCs and even NGOs are fast and easier solutions, but nurturing and empowering local talents would signal a new social compact and foster national pride. (2) How can we expedite efforts to communicate, collaborate and nurture local entities so that our people, including new citizens, know that the Government is a compassionate one that radiates care and partnership? The mutual suspicion and scepticism between the public and people sectors that seem to be building can also be converted into a common space of trust and mutual cooperation. (3) What about our overseas Singaporeans? How are we strengthening our ties with them and bringing them home one day? Any updates on the Overseas Singaporean Unit under PMO? And what is the status on overseas voting and what can we anticipate in the next election? Measures to Promote Procreation”
“I will do so in one minute. In US, to encourage the SMEs, projects under certain dollar value are also reserved to local tenders. Similarly, if we reserve just 20% of the annual Government spending expenses which amount to about $6 billion, I think this will create a great demand floor for our SMEs. To conclude, the present Singapore is built on a strong foundation by a resolute and hardworking population, under astute Government guidance. In the rising power of the three shifts, the essence to survive is to recognise and harness opportunities by responding appropriately. This is an exciting time as well as a time for risk and innovation. Let us go forth and encourage our people to dream, experiment and think of how to build a creative and dynamic society, a culture that truly exemplifies the can-do, will-do and do-well spirit. May we progress in unity. Sir, I support the Budget. 1.30 pm”
“On 23rd February this year, the Straits Times reported on how the lack of local support diminishes the chance of a Singaporean chef shining on the world culinary stage. Another guy, Jack Sim, founder of the World Toilet Organisation (WTO), laments that he loves his country but his country does not love him. Apparently, he was initially rejected by MEWR for Singapore to host the World Sanitation Fund Forum. This forum will see a thousand delegates comprising UN agencies, funders and global experts. He said that he was told that if it was successful elsewhere for the first year, they might consider to host it in Singapore in the second year. Fortunately, when Prof. Tommy Koh heard that it was moving to Thailand, he garnered enough support for it to be held here. Jack said that, "Everywhere, WTO is accepted and supported except in Singapore. The answer I got was: prophets are usually not welcome at home." Jack's family has applied for Australian PR. How can we keep talents like him? Why are we not proud of our own local talent and how can we inculcate national pride so that we can turn the four million smiles into four million ambassadors? To send a strong signal of trust and support, I suggest that we rationalise this spirit in respect to Lifelong Learning Fund, to move from a training institute-centric fund to an individual account, allowing our fellow Singaporeans to bear responsibilities in determining their career pursuit. This will send a strong signal to our people to be responsible for their own livelihood with a little help from the Government. In US, to encourage the SMEs, projects under ---”
“The market has spoken and said it cares whether companies are good citizens; ... Engaging your company in corporate philanthropy is now part of being a good CEO". Ogilvy is also a corporate partner of SIP. Another of our partner, salesforce.com, incorporated this philosophy right from its inception. The result? A legendary rise to become a billion dollar company in eight years! It has attributed part of its success to its 1+1+1, and now a recent plus one, model - equity, profits, employee time and the green movement. In fact, most of its social projects and bottom-up, ie, initiated by its employees or requested by social groups. 85% of their global workforce is active in philanthropy. They currently support more than 1,000 NGOs worldwide. One social entrepreneur that salesforce support is John Wood. John resigned from Microsoft to bring education to children in developing countries to break their poverty cycle through his SE called "Room to Read". With strong support from corporate partners, local agencies and entrepreneurial knowledge, John's six-year-old venture is now found in 1,000 villages in six Asian countries, with 2,000 libraries and one million books in store for about a million children, and offers 1,000 scholarships. He wants to be the Microsoft of the charity world, a trusted global brand. A key element of his success was found in his customised solution models. He relies on native program officers who are personally invested in their national education and familiar with local rules and culture to tailor its development approach to meet local needs. Perhaps, our civil service can also study this customised solution approach to better help our local SEs. On national pride, I think we should foster that with great urgency.”
“Please let me declare my interest as the Founder of the Social Innovative Park or SIP, a non-profit organisation that seeks to educate, empower and enhance social entrepreneurship. To relate my experience, since our inauguration about a year ago, we witnessed tremendous interest from the people and private sectors to join us. At SIP, we have successfully brought in five major corporate partners who have expressed keen interest in giving us some 3,000 employee-volunteers as well as a group of social entrepreneur incubatees. We have also motivated and created a social entrepreneur TV series which is currently screened on CNA every Friday night, called the "Changemakers". These results would not be possible without the encouragement of MCYS, but more is needed to boost the sector. In particular, the mere $3 million social enterprise fund appears more like a market teaser than a serious effort at boosting social entrepreneurship. We need more serious dollars if we want to build a self-reliant society and enforce the many-helping-hands approach. These dollars must have its priority in empowering local social enterprises. The civil service must also ensure its role as the facilitator and not the person doing social entrepreneurship. It must facilitate and empower local bottom-up initiatives and create a conducive environment for its growth. More tax incentives and dollars should also go into kick-starting an integrated approach to corporate philanthropy. In the US alone, corporate philanthropic foundations pour some US$30 billion into their endeavours every year. In the words of Mr Rochelle Lazarus, Chairman and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide, "the debate about whether corporate philanthropy is right for the bottom line is long over.”
“Obviously, Government needs to redefine its role and form a new social compact with its people. It must recognise that it needs to partner the private and people sectors more wholeheartedly, and encourage the growth of responsible civic organisations, as well as inculcate national pride. This means investing into our people and spending more on cementing our social compact. The Budget announcement to develop Singapore into a Philanthropy Hub is a good start. Removing the three 20:80 rules will certainly spur the growth of a multi-billion dollar philanthropy industry as well as civic organisations. They are two sides of the coin. The global trend in philanthropy is the strong emergence of strategic philanthropy. Made famous by the US$71 billion worth of Melinda and Gates Foundation, the more than $100 billion strong global funds, these philanthropic dollars look for strategy investment in transformative and sustainable for-profit as well as not-for-profit enterprise. The idea is to ensure that each dollar can achieve a multiplier effect on meeting social gaps. The sister of this strategic philanthropy is social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurs (SEs) are individuals who address social needs with a business model because they believe that the market is the most powerful and sustainable place to match needs with viable products and services. They are innovators who transform social needs into market niche. In other words, they help solve the Government's challenges at a discounted rate or even for free! Hence, my call here is to ask for more space, resources and investments into social entrepreneurship. It is also to ask for more facilitation of philanthropic dollars to jumpstart local social entrepreneurs.”
“PMETs are our next generation business leaders who will assume top positions in MNCs and SMEs in the next five to 15 years. If our PMET layer is weak, this will blunt our competitive edge. If we become overly dependent on overseas PMETs, we will suffer. Being a revolving door for second-class PMETs will hardly help us to become a top-tier first-world economy. We need to allocate more resources to upgrade our PMETs, lest it becomes our weakest link. To sum up, having an effective civil service and a proficient PMET layer to lead the charge in shaping our economy and service culture would augur well in the new power equation where customer needs are paramount. Third shift: Institutional power to individual power The third shift, from institutional power to individual power. Tom Friedman said the world is flat. The third shift sees power moving from the traditional and institutional centres to the periphery. Power has become widespread, as vertical command and control structures give way to horizontal networks of social communities and collaborative platforms. This is especially prevalent in the e-arena, as evident in the ohmynews.com where every citizen is a reporter, and more recently, more than half a million netizens got behind a Chinese blogger - Mr Rui Chengang, to rid Starbucks from the Forbidden City. During the NKF saga, I think there were some 15,000 signatures done on the on-line petition as well. The new found freedom in the e-arena has translated into e-voices that critic government and change social values and norms, especially amongst our younger netizens. It has also created countless little brothers vis-a-vis the big brother, as seen in ST's Stomp, YouTube and a surveillance society. So what can the Government do and how can the Budget help?”
“I would like to suggest the right to make mistakes. This practice by large French corporations assumes that only persons who do not make mistakes are the ones that did nothing new. Instead of getting a blemish in their record for failed attempts, they get rewarded for taking risk and get a blemish for not innovating. Perhaps, we should adapt their system to incentivise adoption of innovations by civil servants. Only then can Singapore support an innovative culture. Another suggestion is active secondment of the civil servants to the private and people sectors or even international agencies. This will not only provide our civil servants with an experiential understanding of customers' needs, but also enrich their perspectives on redefining customer-centric services. Examples of countries running similar initiatives include Luxembourg and UK. In fact, the UK government has an initiative known as Interchange which even permits private sector individuals to be seconded to the civil service. Vacancies and corresponding job responsibilities in various Ministries and the private sector are posted on the web portal. Such mutual postings reduce administrative cost and improve mutual understanding and effectiveness. Another seemingly unrelated but critical measure is in improving our PMETs' capabilities, many of whom are also in our civil service. The Budget recognised the need for lifelong learning, but it did not go far enough to address the urgency. As our economy moves up the value chain, the PMETs form the backbone of our economy and play a leadership role in guiding our workforce. In the long run, our competitiveness, especially in the local enterprises and SMEs, will have to depend on our PMETs' capabilities.”
“Feedback from the private and people sectors points to growing frustrations with the rigidities and follow-the-rules mentality amongst the civil service. A social commentator, in the form of Jack Neo, the movie maker, devoted an entire movie to this end. His film, "Just Follow Law", maybe an exaggerated caricature of the black-and-white paper-filling, "please submit written proposal first", "sorry not my department" bureau-craziness, but it is a reflection of the frustrations felt on the ground. To be fair, efforts like ZIP, Cut Waste Panel and the Pro-enterprise Panel have helped. However, the marketplace changes far outpace the slower mindset change in our civil service. We need to move much, much faster, or risk losing our talents and businesses. Surely, there are good examples too. One is found in the case of MDA and a film production company called MegaMedia. Their partnership has gone on to grow MegaMedia as one of the largest HD producers in Singapore and also a major distributor of HDTV in the region. Surely, the civil servants are neither good nor bad. In their personal life, they are just as creative as you and me. But once they arrive at their office, they "just follow law". If we quantify this loss in dollars value, it might add up to a mega sum on lost opportunities. I suspect that they may not be as cold-blooded as it seems. They are possibly frustrated that although they too want to innovate, there are restrictions in place. So better 'play safe' and be kiasu. Perhaps, it is the minority, but such behaviour is linked to yeast and it needs only a small amount to affect the whole dough. So what can be done? I suggest that the Budget allocates some resources to the civil service to upgrade their innovation and emotional quotient, maybe we call that IEQ.”
“MOM launched Go the Extra Miles (GEMS), a nation-wide campaign to promote good service. Four Million Smiles was rolled out to welcome the World Bank-IMF delegates last year. Yet, last November, it was reported that Singapore's ranking in world service standards dropped from 17 to 26. In contrast, Hong Kong jumped from 10 to 4. So, does the nation really understand that good customised services go beyond mere smiles? A campaign can create the needed smiles, but sincere, personalised and creative solutions to fulfil customer needs must come from the hearts and heads. Where should we start? Since the public sector is a major employer and has a leading effect on the rest of Singapore, I will focus on the need to cultivate a world-class civil service for a top-tier First World economy. To be sure, we have an efficient administration that is the envy of other countries. Yet, while efficiency is its strength, creativity is not. Ministers and parliamentarians tend to be mission-driven, but they, too, are limited by their bureaucrats' interpretation of their intention into policies and procedures. The civil service translates them into simplified boxes and game-rules that are fair to all, have no room for corruption, and often easy for everyone to understand because it adopts the common denominator. Over the years, we have streamlined processes to the point of flowchart yes-no clarity. Hence, anything that falls within the box or norms can be treated expeditiously. This has worked so far, in a world where mass production and standard answer are the norms. But what happens when the query is innovative and original? I think it gets lost in the lallangs sometimes.”
“In short, can we be more responsive and be on top of the ICT and Green to Gold Wave? Second shift - Shift of economic clout from producers to consumers, ie, from mass production to customer-centric mindset The Industrial Age Ford-black car one-size-fits-all mass production method suffers an ever decreasing profit margin. With high cost and high standard of living, we need to fetch a premium on our factors of production. To illustrate, Nokia wins by producing phones with highly customisable exterior cover, with a wide array of options to personalise the software content, such as the ringtones and wallpaper, so that each user can have a unique product in hand. In the February 2007 Time Magazine, Bill Gates was asked about the NEAR future technology, he replied that "TV will be sent over the Internet, and then you do not have to think about channels. If there is a news segment, and you'd like soccer, we'll show you more about soccer. If there's another city which where you want to know the weather, that will be in your news report ..... the computer will have a camera where it can recognise who's there. A mirror won't just be a mirror, it will be a digital mirror where you can try out different outfits and get advice. Maybe it will say, 'Hey, you don't look good in it.'" I would add that a standard package of creative and innovative products may not be sufficient. It has to be customisable to suit the unique individuals, in order to be the ultimate winner. Is Singapore ready for this brave new world? Are our Government, businesses and people ready for this paradigm shift? Since our most precious factor of production is human, and our service industry is a rising contributor to the GDP, developing a service culture is critical.”
“I was in Davos for the World Economic Forum in January. Delegates arrived raving about their climate change initiatives. As part of the Forum of Young Global Leaders' Climate Change Task Force, we launched a Love Earth Movement, with Shimon Peres, Vinod Khosla and Claudia Schiffer as our spokespersons. We had anticipated 200 guests, but the turn out doubled. I am not sure if it was the Love Movement or Claudia Schiffer who attracted the overwhelming response, but it was clear that the climate change issue is no longer a mere Green Peace agenda. In fact, it has turned from Green to Gold, with green collar jobs, green funds and green dollars featuring big on the business agenda. If we have signed the Kyoto Protocols, issued green building guidelines and, now, intend to build capabilities in alternative fuel, should we not ride the big Green to Gold Opportunity Wave to bring more jobs and dollars home? However, the climate change opportunities can only be successful if tackled holistically, with changes in consumer behaviour too. Hence, I would like to see efforts, whether through legislation, moral suasion or incentives, to be given to green behaviour. A few years ago, BP's CEO, Lord John Browne, initiated a 'looking for CO2' effort to reduce greenhouse gases. The initial process costs $20 million but saved BP a handsome $650 million. By 2006, the savings reached $1.5 billion, all in US dollars. Lord Browne said they "set out to do good ... and ended up doing well." What about us? I think a good start would be the public sector, which is the biggest consumer of energy. Tweaking our transport transformation plan to include bicycle and wheelchair lanes in new towns and on new roads is another completely thinkable, albeit out-of-the-box option.”
“To do this effectively, an extensive ecosystem, comprising the related vendors, channels, services and IT professionals that drive the industry, needs to be nurtured. Microsoft, for example, engages some 700,000 big and small companies worldwide, including software developers and distributors, hardware producers, system integrators, and so on. In Singapore alone, it engages just under 2,000 companies. To achieve a multiplier effect, it uses both a top-down and bottom-up active partnership approach to build its ecosystem. It purchases from the small players, but also empowers them with joint marketing dollars, co-funding of staff, combined development matrix and helps them build skills and enlarge their business. The result? Its partners generate some 90% of Microsoft's revenue. Hence, my question is: how can we replicate such win-win ecosystem which is extremely helpful and critical to our SMEs? We need to ask: how well are our local SMEs leveraging on the ICT infrastructure to increase their productivity? In fact, the SMEs hire more than 50% of the workforce but contribute less than 30% of the GDP. MNCs, on the other hand, hire 35% of the workforce and contribute more than 50% of the GDP. How can the Budget help SMEs to embrace technology to increase productivity and business opportunities? Building a superb infrastructure is only half the story. If the adoption rate is poor, it might end up as a white elephant. I shall elaborate on this during the COS debate on the need to build an ICT ecosystem to leapfrog the growth. From the ecosystem to environment, the next big wave - climate change opportunities. I was surprised that this year's Budget made little effort to tap on the growing opportunities in the climate change.”
“A 2% cut in the corporate tax rate, various measures to help employers lower the tax burden and cost of engaging in new technology, a long overdue but much welcome plan to focus on the SMEs, and even a rise in the broad-based tax, ie, the GST, are all strategies to boost economic activities and ensure employment of its residents. This Budget should also be read with the previous budgets in mind, where resources were poured into economic restructuring and deepening of our economic capabilities through the NRF. I think our Government deserves a pat on the back for its vision and leadership. The question, however, is how can we effectively translate this vision into reality. How would our current R&D investments be translated into operational capabilities? Recently, the NRF also announced a $500 million plan to invest into the IDM sector. How will this be spent and what are the desired outcomes? The Intelligent Nation 2015 plan intends to put Singapore at the leading edge of technology. It is a Web 2.0 platform that plans to leverage information to lower cost, improve productivity and connectivity in a knowledge-based global economy. In Singapore, the IDM sector grew 13% per annum, from $480 million in 1986 to $3.8 billion in value-add in 2003. It currently employs 50,000 employees and contributes an average of $75,000 value-add per IDM worker. In 2005, a Microsoft study revealed that, globally, from now until 2009, the total IT spending is set to rise from US$437 billion to US$562 billion. Some three million additional IT jobs, an estimated US$190 billion in net tax revenues would be available for the governments in Europe, Latin America and the Asia Pacific. Hence, I think the investment into the Intelligent Nation 2015 plan is a step in the right direction.”
“The Government appears to be in tune with this power shift. Physical geography was all the rage in the Asian trade routes. It may not be so in a borderless world. Whether Singapore can continue to be a nexus in this changing knowledge-driven trade route will depend largely on three factors. One, is the ability to attract, groom and retain talent, its trade-link strength, and its responsiveness to fast changes. To ready itself for a 6.5 million population, we are transforming the cityscape with ABC plan and adding plenty of entertainment places to develop Singapore into an ultra-attractive and liveable island for its residents. Undoubtedly, major infrastructures like transport, ICT, housing and living environment would undergo visible transformation. These are exciting measures to develop Singapore into an attractive haven for investors, professionals, workers and, of course, locals. To reposition itself as a hot-spot both regional and globally, PM Lee, SM Goh, MM Lee and, of course, Minister George Yeo have led the charge to strengthen our trade ties via FTAs and mutual investment plans. The result - a robust relationship with China, India, Vietnam and the traditional partners like the US and Japan. In the immediate neighbourhood, however, I think we will need to work harder. Perhaps doing so through strengthening the ASEAN ties and platform would augur well in the long term. In this Budget, the Second Minister for Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, has also announced watershed measures to compete with the rising hotspots around the world.”
“The middle-income reflected that while the safety nets are available to the lower-income group and the high-income earners can take care of themselves in the long term, they need help to build their future needs too. The homemakers, too, reflected that their financial future is insecure, as marriages and children are no longer reliable insurance policies. They, too, want their CPF accounts to be topped up. It is a tall order to craft a perfect Budget, but these concerns do need to be addressed through perhaps innovative means. Overall, I think the Budget is well received, as it delivered good news and ang pows to redistribute wealth as well as hopes for the future. My colleagues have spoken long on the redistribution of wealth. Hence, I shall focus on the other half of the Budget, which is getting ready for the world. In tandem with the Budget's theme, we must examine if our fiscal and non-fiscal measures are aligned with the global winds of change. Hence, I will focus on the three power shifts that have been sweeping across the world in an unprecedented manner. First power shift - West to East (Reinventing relevance) The first power shift refers to the shift from West to East. With the rise of three billion people from China, India, Russia and Southeast Asia, the trade route is increasingly shifting from the Atlantic to Asia. It is clear and presents opportunities extraordinary in Asia. However, the booming economies have also crept northwards from Southeast Asia to North Asia. Hence, a critical question: where is Singapore in this shifting power equation? Will Singapore still be in the nexus of the power shift or will we be sidelined? What steps can Singapore take to ensure its place in the regional and global arena?”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Budget is indeed one that reflects its theme: "Ready for the future, Ready for the world." It has sought to address the present concerns of the lower-income groups and senior citizens and takes a long-term perspective in anticipating and preparing them for the future. The comprehensive GST package is inclusive, giving to all, including $100 to those who do not need it. Perhaps, a website and other mechanisms could be set up to encourage people to donate this money with ease. The Workfare bonus tried its best to cover all grounds, from the self-employed to the lower-wage workers, and served as an important and permanent wealth redistribution mechanism to narrow the increasing Gini coefficient. A subtle but landmark change is paying the bulk of it into the future needs of this population via their health and retirement accounts via the CPF. Although most people would prefer upfront cash, few would have the discipline to save consistently for their future needs. It is a welcome move. However, I was hoping that the Government would go further to address the issue of ageing population and retirement funding. I have spoken long on this subject matter before. Hence, I will not repeat my points. Perhaps it is still cooking in the PMO, with Minister Lim Boon Heng leading the charge on the ageing population issue. Nevertheless, I have filed a cut on it. Despite a good Budget, dialogue sessions on the ground revealed two groups of people feeling left out, ie, the middle-class and the homemakers. They both felt that their contributions were not duly rewarded.”
“They are ingredients in the objective that we seek in life. And I think that end or that objective is a truly brotherly, and I add, (and sisterly) society, the creation of a beloved community". So, again, whose responsibility is it? There is a Chinese idiom that says, guo jia xing wang, pi fu you ze. What it means is that the rise and fall of a nation is really the responsibility of all citizens. So, the creation of this beloved community, I think, is the responsibility of every Singaporean. With that three paradigm shifts, Sir, I support the motion. 2.58 pm”
“While not all can be a Stephen Hawking, more can be levelled up with the help of an accessible, affordable ICT infrastructure that is friendly and inclusive. In fact, what about also building a community interactive web platform that encourages top leaders, subject experts as well as laymen to access and draw the necessary context and understanding around subject matters, allow seamless peer-to-peer collaboration and communication? In fact, use it to raise awareness of important issues and rally communities around them and facilitate interactions. Perhaps, go one step further, empower them as well into constructive action that is for the common good of Singapore. As Singapore positions itself as a competitive economy, we increasingly need to remind ourselves of the need to balance and to temper our fiscal pursuits with compassion. Once again, what will Singapore's future be like? Obviously, it will have to continue to be a land of plenty, in other words, plenty of jobs and opportunities for one to be the best that one can be, where each Singaporean is successful in whichever path or definition of success they use. More than that, it has to have happy people who feel a sense of belonging to a community that sincerely cares for and gives hope to each other. In short, it has to be a happy, compassionate and self-reliant capitalist society. Would that not be the best way to bring back overseas Singaporeans, attract and retain talents, and even encourage births, thereby solving our population crisis? In conclusion, if the dreams are the substance of life's great achievements, then let us have a dream for Singaporeans and Singapore. In the words of Martin Luther King, "I do not think of political power as an end. Neither do I think of economic power as an end.”
“Let me touch on the latter, which is ICT infrastructure planning, as a backbone of our economy. Living in the ICT era means that we have to embrace new technology to keep our economy on the cutting edge. Hence, in MICA's Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015), the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) will "implement a ten-year Intelligent Nation plan which will strengthen Singapore's competitiveness by harnessing IT for key economic sectors." Through the next generation of infocomm infrastructure, there will be new opportunities in infocomm, media, arts and design. IT will drive our economic growth and provide good jobs for our citizens. It will also, like it or not, define the way that we live our life. So it is my hope that while we are developing our ICT for economic competitiveness, we would also put an equal importance on ICT to build an inclusive and self-reliant society, develop an infrastructure and applications that promote social mobility - not just those on the traditional wrong side of the digital divide, ie, the needy and the less-educated and aged, but also those who are physically challenged. Technology is neutral and should be seen as enablers. If we are able to build technologies that embrace the society, then I think we would also be able to build the spirit of society and the soul of the society. Today, there are many technologies developed by both private companies and social entrepreneurs to enable the use of technology to enable challenged people to become self-sufficient, and, in fact, be net contributors. A good example is Prof. Stephen Hawking. Without technology, and, of course, a steel will, what would he be today? Would he be seen as an asset or a liability to his family, his community and the world?”
“Back in 1976, Minister Mentor Lee started the courtesy campaign, in 1994, SM Goh wanted a kinder and gentler society, and, in 2004, PM Lee spoke about a more open and inclusive society where no Singaporeans are left behind. However, after some 40 years of nation-building, we seem to have a lot more to catch up in achieving the civic consciousness of the Swiss. While we no longer spit at will or litter due to the 'fine' policies in place, we still allow our laundry to drip dry while wetting our neighbours'. We still litter and even pee in our HDB lifts (but only in those without CCTVs), and we also allow our pets to poo as they please, adding unwanted fertilisers to the common greens, instead of picking up after them, to help maintain a clean and green estate for all to enjoy. In fact, we expect that residents exercise their emergency braking or skipping skills when we meet with such ugly litter, and of course, the town councils have to keep cleaning these up because we have paid for them. Have we, too, given a caring thought to the poor and humbly-waged town council cleaners, to make their jobs less 'stinky' (literally) and less challenging? As a population, we are much more educated than before, richer in financial assets and much more exposed and connected to the rest of the world. If so, can we not do better, in terms of civic consciousness? Can we not do better, in terms of having compassion for our society? I think we need to move towards a more compassionate and graceful society. Why are we still harbouring the scarcity mindset when interacting amongst fellow Singaporeans? I think the backbone of building a compassionate society lies in the way that we have planned our city, as well as the way we would be moving forward in the knowledge economy.”
“Social entrepreneurship is really identifying social gaps and plugging them, using market models. The idea is, of course, that it will be something good for the long-term sustenance of Singapore and not just Singapore, the world even, and that if we do it right, there are a lot of foundation donors and strategic philanthropists who would be eager to invest in such businesses. We are seeing a rise in social entrepreneurship in Singapore. And I think I will talk more about it on another occasion, probably during the Budget debate itself, as I would like to focus on the third paradigm shift. Paradigm Shift 3: Think Compassion The third paradigm shift is to think compassion. In the past, we have envisioned Singapore to be the Switzerland of the East. Switzerland is a relatively small country but double the population of Singapore. For much of the 20th century, Switzerland was also the wealthiest country in Europe by a considerable margin. How much have we achieved since? That was a target, I remember, when I was growing up.At present, I think we are getting there economically. Swissinfo.org states that Singapore, adopting the Swiss model, could possibly even become the financial centre of the world in 15 years' time, replacing Switzerland. The idea of a global education hub, which once seems remote, is today becoming a reality in Singapore. We have also positioned ourselves to be the financial hub, biomedical hub, ICT hub, logistics hub, and so on and so forth. I think we can get there, if we are determined enough. But what about socially? Are we anywhere near the civic consciousness of the Swiss?”
“They have been doing pretty good work and doing their part for Singapore. There is also an individual whom I think we should really learn from. He is only 16 years old and his name is Jeremy Lim, and I would encourage all to read his articles in Today. Jeremy was born with a brittle bone condition. I do not think it is possible for him to walk and he needs to be carried about by his parents and of course helpers, but he has never given up. I saw a documentary where Jeremy's parents talked about not giving up on their child but providing the best education that they can and the best encouragement and environment for Jeremy to grow up in. And today, I understand that Jeremy had been appointed as a MindChamps Youth Fellow in recognition of his champion mindset. In this article itself, Jeremy spoke about the need to step out of the home and not make the home a prison. What does he mean? He was speaking to his fellow people who were born with some unfortunate conditions. And his point was that our society may not accept them and may look at them with a certain social stigma. The fact is that they, too, disabled or not, can stand up on their own two feet, can step out of their home and whenever they are being stared at or talked about in public, do not shy away but who can also smile, be friendly and open themselves up to the public. In other words, he is asking for a paradigm shift among the disabled community. I think this is the sort of people or individuals we need to highlight more whenever we are looking at enabling all segments of the population, not just the very able but also the disabled. Of course, there are many other examples of people, individually or as a group, trying to make social changes. One of the newest forms is, of course, via social entrepreneurship.”
“However, we must move beyond the mentality of crises as a catalyst and look to causes and vision as motivation. We have benefited from the past sacrifices of others. Singaporeans need to rise up and live for a social cause that takes them beyond themselves. I think we do have many local examples: RSVP, which stands for Retire and Senior Volunteer Programme Singapore, is a non-profit enterprise that was started by a group of seniors. They were premised on the great contribution that senior citizens can make to society and be actively engaged, even at a senior age. With a membership base of seniors with relatively good educational level, RSVP is intending to tap into this core competency and convert it into consultancy services for the VWOs and SMEs in general, and profits generated from these activities would then be passed on to RSVP for serving its social causes which include mentoring latchkey children, IT courses for senior citizens, healthcare for the elders, outreach for the mentally disadvantaged, and so on and so forth. They are making an effort towards building a better Singapore. There is another group that has been around for some time. I think we need to show up more such examples, one of which is the Bizlink group. The Bizlink mission, unchanged since the day it was formed, is to provide jobs to people with disabilities, not just physical disabilities but also the hearing and visually-impaired, and so on. In terms of the enterprises, the employment of people with disabilities (PWDs) is to be found in sheltered workshops and they undertake jobs like printing of name cards for the recent IMF/World Bank event, folding of business cards, birthday cards for NTUC Income, and even some outsourced jobs from Singapore Airlines.”
“There was an important and simple job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry with that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realised that Everybody wouldn't do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done quite easily. Surely we do not want to see this happening in Singapore. For the Government, it is time to engage our people more seriously and cohesively, yet giving space for a thousand flowers to bloom. Support the bottom-up efforts wholeheartedly and devote resources for both economic and social experiments. Our nation is 41 years old, we can trust our people. Let us err on the side of generosity because innovation, which is touted as the key value-add to our economy, needs a new social compact of trust, space and support. For our people, let us not abuse the fruits of our labour and our new social compact. We are all stakeholders and we can do something to move from being net-takers to becoming net contributors. A sociologist, Margaret Mead, once said: "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." Empowerment through social entrepreneurship Pioneers like Florence Nightingale and recent Nobel Prize winner, Muhammed Yunus, with creativity, determination and an indomitable will to see social change, have all made a difference in the lives of others. These are individuals we need and we would like to see more of such Singaporeans. In times of crises, Singaporeans do rise to the occasion, such as combating SARS and contributing to the relief effort towards the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami disaster.”
“In the past, nation-building was inextricably linked to the individual's quest for livelihood. Today, this connection is obscured by the fact that our effective Government has successfully provided the people with relative and sustained comfort and security in the past 40-odd years. But the inevitable side-effect of prolonged peace and prosperity is the gradual but certain erosion of the fighting spirit in Singaporeans. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Government has done a great job - minding everything from education to jobs, to how many children we should have. In short, the narrow path of success is deemed to be defined by the Government and followed by the people and it was a thought that we all embrace directly or indirectly. But my question is: who cultivated this? The Government or the people? Whose responsibility is it? President Nathan mentioned the demographic challenge where our ageing population will double in 15 years' time. This will pose a very real challenge as the burden on the future generation is poised to increase dramatically. If left unchecked, the ensuing tax burden may become unbearable for society and render Singapore unattractive to investors. Again, whose responsibility is it to correct the situation? In fact, every time there is a challenge, we are quick to point our fingers at "cheng hu" or Government agencies, instead of first asking ourselves what we could do about it to help. Have we not noticed that every time we point our finger at someone, at least three fingers are pointing back at ourselves? Is it not a good reminder to us where the answers could be found? Let me illustrate the irony in our society today by sharing with you a story about four people. Their names: Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody.”
“This generation of Singaporeans has more assets, knowledge and education than any past generation had. We can do a lot more. A lot, a lot more - the sky is the limit. I suggest that we Singaporeans do not shortchange ourselves. Incidentally, I read in the Straits Times today that the daily flights for space tourism will be a reality in 2008 and that the Singapore Tourism Board is attempting to build the 'world's first integrated commercial spaceport' which could generate $3.6 billion of economic benefits and create 5,000 jobs over 10 years. So, perhaps, the sky is not the limit afterall. But to ensure that we, too, hardwire this sense of hope, dreams and possibility into our Singaporean DNA, it will augur well for us to herald local stories and inspirations, and we need to have a big, bold and ambitious national aspiration for all Singaporeans to look towards. I have said this for a while now in this House, that to do more, we need a simple but effective image of a Singapore dream which can be shared by most, if not all Singaporeans. We need thought-leaders and dream-makers. But this dream must not be couched only in statistics. Imagine what would happen if Martin Luther King, the great revolutionary leader, was to say that, "I have a dream, and the dream is a GDP of $15,000 and 10,000 jobs." I think the effect would have been quite different, and I doubt if it will inspire the people. I think the dream has to be in vivid pictures, which belongs to the people, and people can feel that it is something that they want to move towards. Paradigm Shift 2: Think Action! Building a self-reliant society The question is: how do we achieve this? What is the Singapore Dream? Who is responsible for it? Let me repeat: Who is responsible for it?”
“Out of curiosity, I emailed my Icelandic friend, Thor Bjolgorsson, who incidentally is a self-made billionaire ranked 350th richest in the world, and he made that billion before age 40. I asked him: "How does a country with a challenging landscape win, survive and achieve all these?" And his answer was this: "There is just some raw and organic originality to it that always tends to amaze me. The harsh nature with its unpredictable and often violent elements has undoubtedly shaped this nation to a very persistent level. The limited resources have definitely curbed it to constantly thinking outside the box. The isolation and the extreme shifts in supply of daylight has taken the mental capacity to a brutal sanity test. All of this seems to have hardwired a rather charged survival instinct into the DNA of the limited gene pool that the Icelanders derive from. Come to think of it, it's like a social study: Isolate a group of people on a barren rock in the North Atlantic for 1,100 years, strip them of resources, heat and daylight and see what comes out of it. I hope you forgive me but I have tried to keep all existential acrobatics to myself as I am a relatively young man and far from the first page of my autobiography. I just try to stay close to my values, keep things simple and let my work and actions speak for themselves." I figure from what he said that the key to Iceland's astonishing success is the ability to think Big, to think out-of-the-box, to think survival by putting one's own foot forward first; in other words, self-reliance. Limiting mindsets will only limit our own potential and action. Singapore has been a miracle too. Our forefathers have thought big and bold enough to turn this marshland into an economic jewel with sparkling skyscrapers.”
“Every year, we grapple with the dilemma - how can a small nation state of three to four million achieve a lot more than what we already have? Surely the law of large numbers limits our talent pool and it will be hard to compete with the billions in China, India and the USA. I have believed this for a while, but a recent trip to Iceland changed my mind. Like Singapore, Iceland is only an island. Unlike Singapore, it is geographically challenged, being vast and far from any continent. It has a challenging environmental climate, which is exacerbated by many volcanoes and long winters. Is it any wonder therefore that they have only a population of about 300,000 people? Yet, Iceland can boast of a Nobel Prize laureate in Halldor Laxness, an internationally-renowned artiste in Bjork, and a literacy rate of close to 100%. In fact, the Icelanders speak about three languages on average, literature is a passion of the people whose per capita publication of books and magazines is the highest in the world. In fact, in the year 2000, with a population of around 280,000, Icelanders enjoyed three daily newspapers and 101 other newspapers and periodicals. Iceland also has one of the highest Internet connections in the world, enjoys the fifth highest GDP per capita and is also ranked second on the 2005 United Nations Human Development Index. It has also, in the last 20 years, transformed itself from a coal fuel using nation to a non-coal fuel using country and is now a pioneer and a leader in thermal and hydrogen energy usage. How did they do it, and with a population one-tenth the size of Singapore's? It proves to the world that size is not all that matters.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address. Vision 2020: The need for a national paradigm shift After listening to the many speeches in this House and the media reviews, I also consulted many residents and voices from the ground, and I asked myself, what do Singaporeans really want? I do not purport to have the answer, but the chorus of voices inside and outside this House is clear: status quo, or just a little bit more of improvements are simply not good enough. We need big, bold and friendly changes, but changes in what? It is relatively easy to spot pimples and acnes in policies, it is not difficult to improve policy features and add facelifts with plastic surgery to make a policy look or even feel good, but would it really improve Singaporeans' quality of life or our economic competitiveness in the long term? I doubt so. As in the case where plastic surgeons tried to take the best features of good-looking people and put them together, it often ends up in a hardly beautiful or even ugly face. I think the recent debates are louder than before, and they are healthy. We are in the midst of an evolution, maybe a revolution, to morph into a new Singapore. If done uncohesively, selfishly, then my sense is that this evolution can turn ugly. But if done cohesively and through some PPP (people, private and public) partnerships, I think we have a higher chance of getting at least what Singaporeans want. I think that would make for a happier Singapore. From this angle, I think we need three paradigm shifts: first paradigm shift - Think Big and Bold; second paradigm shift - Think Action; third paradigm shift - Think Compassion. Let me start with the first paradigm shift - Think Big and Bold! Paradigm Shift 1: Think Big and Bold!”
“In this light, could the Ministry also provide a progress report on the youths creating our future initiative where youths have formed groups to realise the work streams on the future of Singapore? I urge the Ministry to strengthen the community infrastructure to better reach out and involve youths of all shapes and sizes.”
“Sir, there has been a steady rise of youth-related crimes and delinquency in the past year. This is accompanied by more youths hanging out in 24-hour commercial establishments and hang-out spots. While the MHA has responded by imposing curfew checks on youths, my sense is that these checks are at best treating the problem at its surface. Youths can always find an alternative hang-out or hiding place. Hence, the real challenge is on youth engagement. Obviously, for those who are still in school, they need to be continuously engaged so that they will not fall into delinquency. More efforts should be put into preventing them from being led astray. For the out-of-school youths, perhaps more efforts could be channelled to continually engage them via community space and job incentives to provide a listening ear, shoulders to cry on, or even just a space for expression. However, more such spaces, especially within the heartland neighbourhood, should be built as part of a comprehensive infrastructure to facilitate youth engagement. After all, not too long ago, an article published in the Straits Times pointed to strong youth preference for hanging out in the neighbourhood to central location. Hang-outs in neighbourhood commercial establishments is another such testimony. Hence, while the Skate Park is to be built by 2008 and it will provide a central venue for youth expression, there is need for a more wide-ranging infrastructure. Sir, the youths are full of energy and idealism and far more connected to each other than we know. There is an urgent need to better channel and tap on youths to shape the future of Singapore.”
“Should not more resources be deployed to cope with the changing landscape of community leaders and engagement? Also, to support Dr Warren Lee s point on clan associations, they have a renewed role today. They help to preserve our cultural heritage, build bridges with our ancestral land and create a larger society. How does the Government recognise and encourage the key role of these organisations? Racial and Religious Harmony”
“Sir, in a globalised and knowledge economy, Singapore has responded by in-depth study of competitiveness and restructured both our education system and economy to ensure our survival. What is lacking obviously, however, is the impact of these changes on our society and how will social compact evolve, especially with citizen mobility? Has there been any serious research into what made Singapore tick? A 1999 IPS survey on national pride ranked Singapore on par with older nations, like USA. But the question is whether that is enough to persuade able citizens to continue to keep their Singapore passports and the less able to also feel emotionally tied to the nation. If we cannot control the purse strings, we must certainly do more to tighten the heart strings of Singaporeans through community engagement. The People s Association s efforts at rebranding its image, while commendable, must entrench its roots in the people as a civic organisation that reaches out to all citizens regardless of race, language or religion, rich or poor, high-class or low-class, male or female, hip or not hip. If the budget allocation to PA remains the same and millions of dollars are to be spent on engaging consultants and big brand names, does it then mean that there will be less resources left for additional headcounts to cope with the nature and aspirations of grassroots leaders (GRLs) and residents? Do we also understand that even the landscape for GRLs is shifting towards a more transient system of involvement as more Singaporeans travel more frequently overseas for work? This means that the permanence of the constituency office or People s Association in engaging and steering the community becomes even more crucial.”
“I would like to thank the Minister and MOS for their support of the social enterprise and, in particular, the Social Innovation Park. I would also like to thank MCYS for their very keen support. Following that, Sir, I would like to seek some clarifications and also support Mr Sin Boon Ann's call for a better arrangement for social enterprise, especially not-for-profit social enterprise, in terms of the land rent. An example, just to clarify what I was asking, is that I understand that the push-carts for the less-able or the unemployed or the aged workers, even though these are not-for-profit, they were asked to pay commercial rental rates whenever they are being set up for a day or more. I am wondering if this would indeed encourage more not-for-profit social enterprises to be set up since they have to compete, I would say, with quite a degree of difficulty, with the commercial organisations. Would there be a model along the type of zero phase or fusionpolis sort of infrastructural set-up that could be considered to help some of these not-for-profit social enterprises? In addition, I would like to seek some clarification from the Minister on what sort of infrastructure and networking event might be organised to help promote social entrepreneurship in Singapore. Would it be something like the Blue Sky event that brings together the funders, the doers and the thinkers to network, socialise and create both scope and depth for social entrepreneurship in Singapore?”
“Perhaps the Minister can comment on that and also give a little bit more help, to not just the social enterprises, but also the social entrepreneurs themselves, by putting the focus, the funding and perhaps the help on the leaders, who can then go on to create not just one social enterprise but, two, three or four, which empirical evidence has suggested that many of these social entrepreneurs do go on to create more than just one. The Elderly”