Debate on President's Address

Ms Sylvia Lim.

Minister Edwin Tong.

Ms Sylvia Lim.

One final clarification for the Minister. I think if there were to be different competing priorities, may I ask that the Government look at the EIP as it is implemented now. I think there are many cases where families have lost out economically significantly, due to the quotas being reached. As I said, I believe that this policy needs to be adjusted if it is not abolished. Otherwise, I believe the consequences are very serious on many families who, since I have made that speech, have written to me with their own experiences of the policy affecting them and the price differentials in the sale of flats was even higher than what I had encountered before I made this speech.

Minister Edwin Tong.

Minister Maliki Osman.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion. Today, I would like to share my aspirations for a fair and equitable society, with opportunities for all. One that is anchored by an education system that celebrates diversity and a social support system that recognises that while we have similar ambitions, we are not all starting from the same place.

Many of my generation benefited from the broad-based social uplift that began post-independence. Our lives improved and we experienced first-hand Singapore's journey from third world to first. We know and believe that the Singapore story has been one of opportunity.

I entered the field of social work when I entered university because of my passion to help families improve their lives and enable children to do better than their parents.

Over the years, I have seen families with multiple and complex problems – drug addictions, divorce, domestic violence, children dropping out of school. I have seen how these and many other problems adversely affected them. Yet, with the right support and motivation, I have also seen how they overcame the odds and emerged stronger. Of course, it was not easy. They had to work hard. We had to spend more time and resources to support and to work with them to resolve their problems. But it was all worthwhile to see how their lives transformed.

But there are also families where the problems appear entrenched, sometimes spanning generations. I am sure Members of the House would have met some of them. For these families, we need to support them better and sometimes differently – to walk that journey at a suitable pace and give them hope at every step of the way towards a better future.

I have sometimes asked myself, as many in the House have – what more can we do to help these families? Does our support come with too many strings attached that they retreat and do not want to seek help? Are the requirements we ask of them set too high? Indeed we must continue to seek ways to uplift our families.

On reflection, I believe that there are two crucial ingredients required for families to seize opportunities and progress.

First, we must not undermine the importance of self-determination – the belief in the possibility of a brighter future and the willingness to put in the hard work that is needed to get there. This is the spirit of our Pioneer Generation that I have seen embodied in many of the families that I have worked with. It is the spirit that my father had taught me and the one that I pass on to my children.

But at the same time, we know the challenges that these families face can be significant, complex and overwhelming. We must provide an environment that enables and empowers them, and gives them hope and opportunities to succeed. Our systems and structures need to support this. This is the second crucial ingredient.

Looking back at the last few decades, many will agree that Singapore has done fairly well to ensure broad-based opportunities for our people.

We have seen the results – more have moved up and experienced middle-class standards. Over the last decade, median income has increased by 32% in real terms – a substantial increase. Educational progression levels have also improved substantially. While only 22% of those born in the 1940s progressed to post-Secondary education, 79% of those born in the 1970s did so. This has increased to well over 90% today.

The increases in income and education are not only substantial but also substantive – they enable people to have more choices and resources to chart their own future.

Our society has also been relatively mobile. A study by MOF has shown that in Singapore, about 14% of those with parents who were in the last income quintile when they were growing up, end up in the top quintile of income earners as adults. This is higher than in other developed countries like the US and Denmark.

Yet as much as we want our citizens to progress together, for some, the path takes longer and is more complex to navigate. And this leads to inequality.

Inequality exists in all societies. The issue is how wide the gap is. Like many cities, our inequality has been relatively high, but we have put in place a progressive system of taxes and transfers to moderate it.

We have kept our tax burden on our lower and middle income low, while providing support to ensure that they can access basic goods like housing, healthcare and education.

Last year, our Gini coefficient of 0.398, after taxes and transfers, was at its lowest in almost two decades. But reducing inequality and sustaining social mobility will get more difficult with time. This is a challenge faced by many advanced countries, not just Singapore. Many in this House have spoken about this topic. Let me assure Members of this House that this is something the Government continues to pay very close attention to.

Unlike in Singapore’s early years, where most of us were from humble backgrounds, over time, we have done well, and many have been able to pass on the advantages to their children. This is understandable, as we all want the best for them. But across generations, those at the bottom will face increasingly unequal starting blocks.

This has been exacerbated by globalisation and digitalisation, which while presenting new economic opportunities, may also worsen wage dispersion, disrupt existing occupations and threaten to leave behind those who are unable to cope in the new economy.

So, we need to monitor, review and adapt our policies, wherever needed, to ensure that they continue to serve our needs well, and that we continue to provide the right environment for families to seize opportunities and move up in life.

Let me now highlight five key areas. First, investing in the fundamentals. Second, ensuring progress. Third, equalising opportunities. Fourth, building a society of equals. And fifth, preserving race relations.

First, we must continue to invest in the fundamentals. We need to ensure that all Singaporeans, regardless of income, can continue to meet their basic needs, and achieve a reasonable standard of living.

How do we define "basic" and "reasonable"? These mean different things to different people – what is a necessity for one, may be a good-to-have for another. Over time, these standards – on education, healthcare, housing, transport, food – will continue to change, and our expectations of them will change too. And because there are different definitions of what is "basic" or "reasonable", expectations on what the Government and the community should provide also differ.

Despite these differences in views and changes in expectations, it is important that we agree on the fundamentals of our social compact, and I believe we can.

These include: for our young children, it is about giving them an education that will develop their character and prepare them well as adults and lifelong learners; for our youth, that they can advance through a vibrant job market and pursue their passions; for the young couples, that they can have a home to call their own and affordably raise a family; for our adults, that they can have job security and prepare sufficiently for their retirement; for our seniors, that they can grow old with their loved ones beside them and with dignity.

We want to ensure that these are achievable goals for all Singaporeans, regardless of their background.

That is why we invest heavily in education at all levels for all Singaporeans and we set aside more resources for those from low-income families.

Low-income families, including those living in HDB rental flats or receiving ComCare assistance, pay as low as $3 per month for full-day childcare at Anchor Operator pre-schools. They also pay zero school fees for Primary, Secondary, Pre-University, and ITE education, and receive additional support for other school expenses.

We recently enhanced bursaries for our full-time diploma and undergraduate students. The cash outlay for fees for low-income students has been brought down to $150 a year for Polytechnics, and $2,000 a year for most undergraduate courses.

Our investments extend beyond school, to encourage lifelong learning. Through the SkillsFuture movement, we support our workers to re-skill and up-skill, so that they can find good jobs and seize opportunities in growth sectors in the economy.

Public healthcare today is heavily subsidised – up to 80% – and those who are still unable to afford their bills can apply for MediFund assistance.

We have one of the highest rates of home ownership around the world and provide significant housing subsidies – such that the majority of first-timer families can pay their mortgage instalments using CPF, with little or no cash outlay.

But even as we continue to invest in these fundamentals, our conversations on the kind of social compact we want must continue.

There needs to be societal consensus on what is a basic and reasonable standard of living that we commit to provide to all Singaporeans, bearing in mind that increases in support and benefits provided are not free, but ultimately paid for by everyone through taxes.

We must remain committed to the fundamental aim of Singapore being a place where our efforts are rewarded not just in economic terms, but in the quality of life we enjoy; and a society where everyone has a place that is valued equally.

Second, to achieve greater social mobility and reduce inequality in a sustainable way, we need to ensure progress for all. Relative social mobility is important, but by itself, and its focus on comparison, it is always a zero-sum game, where a step forward for one is a step backwards for another. We fail to see that both can actually still be doing well and better in their own ways.

Indeed, for mobility to be meaningful, we also need absolute mobility – a system where everyone is progressing together. Senior Minister Tharman has likened this to a moving escalator. If the escalator is moving up, being overtaken by someone matters less. The differences between each step is less stark because overall, our lives are still improving.

Even as we deal with the COVID-19 crisis, we must press on with our long-term commitment to build a strong and dynamic economy that can give our workers good jobs, reasonable wages, and sustained wage increases with commensurate increase in productivity and skills.

At the same time, we may have to accept that rapid growth may be more difficult, as our society matures. For those that grew up in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s – like me – we started from a low base. We saw significant improvements in our lives and made a quantum leap in a generation.

We are now at a much higher base, and we may not be able to replicate the same quantum leap of improvements. Steady progress is still possible if we continue to invest in creating good jobs for our people and supporting our industries to transform and remain relevant to the world. This has taken on greater urgency given the unprecedented challenges posed by COVID-19.

In this new phase of development, can Singaporeans’ aspirations continue to be met?

My view is that our well-being and success should not be defined solely by the academic qualifications that we possess, or how much money we earn, or how big our house is, or what kind of car that we drive. It is something we must define for ourselves. And we know this must evolve with successive generations based on the circumstances they grow up in.

Third, while we cannot ensure equal outcomes, we must strive for greater equality of opportunity. This is not just about access to education, health, and other public goods, which I spoke about earlier. But rather, that our starting point in life should not dictate our ending point, and that with hard work, ability, and ambition, we can succeed. We must strive as much as possible to level uneven starting blocks, and to provide opportunities at every stage of life.

MOE has made significant moves in recent years to address this, and in the years ahead, we will continue to do more, to give all our students opportunities to excel.

First, we have broadened our definition of merit – to go beyond grades and paper qualifications, to skills and ability – to allow more to access opportunities in society.

We have made major changes across our education system – our PSLE scoring system, how we admit students into schools and institutes of higher learning – to recognise the diverse skills and talents of our students.

We are also providing multiple pathways and opportunities to cater to our students’ different learning styles, abilities, and interests, and to allow them to pursue their diverse aspirations and achieve their fullest potential.

A key part of this is our efforts to move beyond streaming, to full subject-based banding.

We have also been enhancing porosity and creating more pathways to the higher education sector. For example, through the expansion of aptitude-based admissions, including for working adults.

We are also creating more pathways for young Singaporeans, including Polytechnic graduates, to take up a publicly-funded degree. Our Autonomous University Cohort Participation Rate, or CPR, was 27% in 2012. This year, we expect it to increase beyond the originally planned 40%, by up to two percentage points.

Over the years, the increase in our CPR has benefited Polytechnic graduates. Around one in three students admitted to our Autonomous Universities today are Polytechnic graduates, up from one in four in 2012. On top of this 40% CPR, we also cater another 10% for working adults to upgrade to a university degree. This is real progress, far from tokenism.

All this is also in the spirit of the SkillsFuture movement, which represents a continuous and broad meritocracy where people can continue to learn and access new opportunities throughout life.

But, fundamentally, for real change to be felt, society must be ready to accept and act on broader definitions of merit. This has to be reflected in our personal choices: as students, choosing an educational path not because it is the most popular, but because it is aligned with our interests and passions; as parents, giving our children the encouragement and space to do so; and as employers, in the way we hire and recognise our workers.

Second, on top of expanding opportunities and broadening merit throughout life, at MOE, we are investing additional resources and effort to uplift the disadvantaged and help them benefit from these opportunities. We are enhancing access to quality and affordable pre-school education, to temper inequalities from the start, and lay a strong foundation for every child. By 2025, 80% of pre-schoolers will have a place in a Government-supported pre-school, up from just over 50% today.

Children from low-income families also receive upstream support through programmes like KidSTART, which supports parents in areas such as health, social and child development.

To ensure that every child can develop to their full potential, we provide more manpower, including teachers, and funding to schools with greater needs, to allow them to provide effective targeted interventions. These include programmes to support academically weaker students, as well as priority access to after-school care and subsidies for student care fees for those from disadvantaged families. Many of these programmes, such as literacy and numeracy support programmes, are conducted in smaller pull-out classes of eight to ten students, to provide more focused support for lower progress students.

For students with special educational needs, we ensure that they are supported – whether they study in our mainstream schools, where they are supported by teachers trained in special needs and Allied Educators in Learning and Behavioural Support; or in our Government-funded Special Education schools, which are a more customised learning environment where they can thrive.

At the same time, we are thinking hard about how to transform the way our programmes are delivered, to ensure that we can better journey alongside those that need help, so that no one is left behind. One example is UPLIFT – or the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce. Through UPLIFT, we are looking at the unique circumstances of such students and their families, and ensuring that they get the help that they need.

First, we are going upstream, to strengthen support to those who show early signs of emerging issues such as irregular attendance in school. By identifying and addressing their needs early, we can build in protective factors and provide sustainable support to prevent their situation from deteriorating further.

Second, we are strengthening partnerships across Government, and with the community, to provide wrap-around support for disadvantaged students and their families.

One key initiative is the UPLIFT Community Pilot, where an UPLIFT Town-Level Coordinator works closely with disadvantaged students and their families to link them up to local community programmes and resources, such as social workers and social service agencies.

We will also explore expanding UPLIFT efforts to the Polytechnics and ITE students.

Ultimately, the question is the kind of society that we want to be collectively.

Just last week, I asked a few youths in my constituency about what a fair and equal society meant to them. One of them told me that she had felt looked down upon when her schoolmates found out that she was receiving financial assistance. Another shared that he felt an invisible divide between himself and some of his other University mates, because he had come from a so called "less prestigious" school. Both of them were passionate about their desire to change society, so that others would not have to feel the same way as they did. This conversation left me somewhat unsettled, about how material divides can translate to social divides, yet still reassured by the drive of our youths to better society and make a difference.

Ensuring opportunities in society cannot just be about systems and structures. It is also about the values that shape our actions and define us. A society of opportunity must be undergirded by: first, egalitarianism – where we treat everyone as equals regardless of their background, with respect and dignity; second, humility – where we recognise that our achievements in life are not just our own, but those of our families and the communities that have supported us; third, responsibility – where we care for not just ourselves, but for our fellow man and our environment. These values are both organic, and carefully nurtured. Education has always played a critical role in the latter.

Through our Character and Citizenship Education or CCE curriculum, we strive to instil in our students a strong sense of values and purpose, so that they can prepare for a dynamic future, where issues of diversity and inclusiveness may increasingly come to the fore. These values cannot be just learned within school, but also applied in life.

We have revamped the CCE curriculum to go beyond the classroom. We strive to have our students internalise values into their hearts and not just in their minds. We hope that as they go out and clean our beaches, they will come home and contribute to ensuring the cleanliness of their own neighbourhoods; or as they spend time in senior homes, that they will come home and connect with the lonely elderly in their own neighbourhoods.

We want to encourage our students to engage in deeper conversations about topics such as equality and inclusivity, to relate these to real-life issues, and take concrete steps to address them and put their values into action. This is really the heart of our education system.

What is core to building a fair and equitable society is to strengthen our racial and religious harmony, and our multicultural ethos. We all want the ideals of a "race-blind" society, one where there is no racial prejudice and discrimination in our attitudes and practices, including in the way we treat one another, and select people for jobs. But we must not confuse this with being blind to the genuine differences and contexts across races, neither should we ignore or underestimate the severe and sometimes unintended negative consequences that can easily occur with unrestrained comments on race relations and related issues.

It is in this spirit of respect for all races, social cohesion, nationhood, and togetherness, that I want to reiterate several fundamental principles that I hope we will continue to agree on.

First, to be an inclusive society, we must accept that there are differences across races, and approach these differences constructively. These could be differences in cultural traditions and practices, emphasis on priorities and what matters more in life, but also the specific community problems or issues that members of a race group find that they have to grapple with, that require dedicated attention and assistance.

An inclusive Singapore must recognise, appreciate, understand and accommodate these differences, and allow this positive sense of racial identity to exist and develop, and have a comprehensive set of policies and community initiatives, including self-help groups, to address issues and be part of a larger ecosystem that provides help and solves problems effectively and with empathy.

Second, from our own individual experiences, as well as psychological research, we know that there is in fact no inherent contradiction for an individual to have both a strong racial identity and a strong Singaporean identity.

To be truly Singaporean does not at all mean that we must forgo or dilute our racial identity, or pretend that we are not of a particular race, or cannot see the race of a fellow Singaporean. On the contrary, to be truly Singaporean is to understand and respect these race differences. So, having the CMIO framework does not make us less Singaporean and doing away with it does not mean we will become more Singaporean either.

This leads to my third point. We need to be aware and respect differences. This common attitude has contributed to the richness of Singapore’s culture, and did not mask the race groups as if races and their differences do not exist. Our policies, practices and public discussions must avoid playing up misunderstanding ethnic differences, as well as not deny and mask genuine differences.

Finally, how we discuss issues about race publicly and push the boundaries of dialogue will evolve with time, but we must always remember to put in concerted effort to be inclusive, especially when we interact in common spaces, and build mutual understanding. The underlying value and guiding principle must be mutual respect for differences and strengthening social cohesion.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, being born both a Singaporean and a Malay in the year of Independence and growing up in multi-cultural Singapore, I have a strong sense of identity as both a Singaporean and a Malay at the same time, and I am proud to be a Malay Singaporean. And I believe I speak for many in my Malay community. We are proud of our rich Malay culture and heritage and beautiful Malay language. Now, allow me to speak in my Malay language.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Speaker, to build a fairer and equal more equitable society requires everyone to play a part. Apart from the Government, our communities also play a key role. I will now discuss three areas that we will require to strengthen our Community's Core.

First, religious leadership. Last year during Minister Masagos’ official visit to Egypt, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and the Grand Mufti of Egypt shared their views that our Malay/Muslim community is the model of a successful minority Muslim community living and functioning in a plural society. This is because our Muslim community lived harmoniously with other communities in Singapore. Other foreign visitors have marvelled at the modern facilities that they saw in our mosques and at Muis, a statutory board, to oversee the religious needs and development of the community.

What we have here is not always the case in other countries, where there are cultural rifts between races, where minorities may be marginalised, and often times, socioeconomic opportunities and the aspiration to succeed differs with other communities.

It is a result of over 55 years of painstaking effort and belief in the common desired outcome of racial and religious harmony, supported by policies that may not be popular but necessary. Every community understands the importance of placing this above their individual needs and are prepared to make adjustments and at times, sacrifices.

Our Malay/Muslim community has also played its part. We have been committed to building a Community of Success, forging a progressive identity in a plural and contemporary Singapore.

Like all other religious groups, Muslims are free to practice their religious beliefs and customs. However, maintaining our racial and religious harmony requires continuous effort on all fronts and by every community. We need to adapt quickly to evolving issues and challenges as we maintain harmony. Interfaith and inter racial relations, are dynamic and evolve over time. These relations can be influenced by regional and global trends, creating fault lines. These fault lines can easily be exploited by internal and external elements, if we are not cautious or careful.

To help our community navigate such issues, Muis envisioned the Singapore Muslim Identity, which details the 10 desired attributes of Singaporean Muslims. This vision and its attributes have guided us, a minority Muslim community in a multicultural society, encouraging us to be progressive, adaptive and inclusive in our religious life and live harmoniously in Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious society.

Living together can sometimes give rise to disagreements, despite our best intentions. We must manage these difficult conversations sensitively, via constructive dialogue on our differences while preserving the social cohesion that binds us together as Singaporeans.

We need a strong religious leadership core, who can help the Malay/Muslim community navigate these sensitive issues. Mr Fahmi Aliman asked about the importance of equipping our future religious leaders with the right skills, so that they can provide strong guidance to the community within our country's unique context. That is why I chaired the Committee on Future Asatizah, or COFA, last year. COFA looks into transforming the religious sector, to ensure that our religious teachers keep pace with the latest developments in science, in our demographics and socio-economic issues, and its effect on the community. This enables them to lead and guide competently and confidently.

For example, our asatizah demonstrated their optimistic and progressive attitude during this COVID-19 pandemic.

The advent of COVID-19 meant that we could no longer go to the mosque or attend face-to-face religious classes. Some of our younger asatizah, particularly in the Asatizah Youth Network, had already been doing extensive engagements on social media. The rest of our much older asatizah were quick to upgrade themselves and pick up new digital skills, so that they could conduct online sermons and classes, to ensure continuous access to religious content for our community.

The Office of the Mufti and our senior asatizah worked with medical professionals, demonstrating their confidence and leadership in issuing religious guidance on issues such as the suspension of Friday prayers in the mosques and deferring this year's Haj pilgrimage. Even though these were difficult decisions, and I am grateful that our religious leadership took early and decisive action.

The essence of leadership is the ability to make sound and well-considered decisions, even if they are unpopular and are difficult to be accepted by some segments of the community, but should be done in the interest of the larger community and society. Our asatizah made these decisions as they understood the context of virus transmission in Singapore. We are also aware that religious authorities in other countries, made the similar decisions, in the months that followed. The COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges. Therefore, our future asatizah will face unprecedented dilemmas and challenges, and they need to be ready to equip themselves with knowledge in new areas, as well as adopt new methods in providing leadership and guidance to members of the community, in a fast-changing and uncertain world.

Second, our efforts to help the vulnerable to achieve their aspirations. Our community has done well over the past decades. For instance, now more than 90% of Malay students in each cohort attained post-secondary education; the number of those who attained first class honours multiplied 10 times in 7 years; one in three of our workers are in PMET jobs.

However, there are still those who are saddled with multiple social challenges – impacting adversely on their children’s growth and potential. We will continue to help them. For children of these families, we will strengthen our support through UPLIFT, managed by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Through UPLIFT, we will approach children who show early signs of emerging issues, such as irregular attendance.

We will also strengthen partnerships across Government, and with the community, to mobilise energy and resources and provide comprehensive support for students and their families.

We understand the challenges of these families. Many face social challenges. They have worked hard to take care of their basic needs. Often, they are unable to contemplate longer-term issues, such as education, upskilling and financial planning. They live from paycheck to paycheck, and COVID-19 has only made their situation more complex and challenging.

I am often told about their dilemma – many are self-employed and do food deliveries. Their income is quite attractive. I was told that if they work hard, they can earn as much as $2,500 a month, in cash. Their hours are long, from morning until late at night. However, they are actually at a disadvantage and lose a lot of benefits, compared to those who take on permanent employment – such as employer's CPF contribution (17%), paid leave (at least 14 days), hospitalization leave (60 days), and better career opportunities, but with a lower take-home pay. The main issue is that if they do not work, there is no pay, for instance, if they fall ill. The risk is high to themselves, their family and their own finances. This is a real trade-off for the family – whether they can pay the bills, or support their children’s education and other longer-term needs.

I understand these trade-offs are never easy for them. Yet I worry if these families continue with this trajectory.

But if we rally together as a community, we can help relieve some of these pressures for fellow members of our community and citizens; to stabilise them and work together to chart a brighter future for their children.

The third aspect that we need to strengthen is our spirit of self-help, with strong institutions like M3 (Mendaki, MUIS, and Mesra) and other Malay/Muslim organisations serving the community – particularly helping to uplift vulnerable families.

Under the M3 initiative, the Bersamamu programme supports soon-to-wed and newly-wed couples to start strong families. Community volunteers act as "marital first responders" to provide basic marriage advice to vulnerable Malay/Muslim couples. With a more comprehensive wrap-around care, these couples will have early access to guidance and support as they meet various challenges.

We will also ensure our community has access to available opportunities to improve their employability. Thus, to complement the national SkillsFuture movement, the community set up the SG Teguh Bersatu Taskforce, to support those affected by COVID-19. The Taskforce which comprises Mendaki SENSE, the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI), and other Malay/Muslim Organisations, as well as NTUC, aim to encourage our community to reskill and upskill to enhance their employability, build resilience and provide assistance to the community.

For example, Mendaki SENSE organised the JUMP virtual career fair which offered more than 3,000 job vacancies across various sectors. More than 10,000 job applications have been received and 600 job seekers have been successfully placed into jobs so far.

KURNIA@WGS is yet another initiative that demonstrates the strength of our community – with eight Malay/Muslim organisations working hand in hand to help families seeking help at WGS via a one stop centre concept.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough on many within our community. People are losing their jobs and the economy is increasingly bleak. But we quickly banded together to as a community to mobilise our resources to help one another.

For instance, with the support of community contributions, Muis administered the COVID-19 Muis Support Fund to support those within the community who face severe financial hardships due to the pandemic. Muis received over 7,700 applications throughout the application period.

MENDAKI has allocated $1.9 million to support, among other things, students' Home-Based Learning by leasing laptops, and providing interim allowance to ITE students who have lost their part-time jobs or if their families had income loss amid the pandemic.

Taken together, these efforts demonstrate the strength of the Singapore Malay community in being self-reliant, while working together with the perseverance of every member of the community. Through this, we grow stronger as a Community of Success – one that is adaptable and stands united in overcoming any challenges, while contributing to the common good of Singapore. This is the impact when we are self-reliant – we are able to find solutions to problems and challenges we face while contributing to the development of the nation. These efforts exemplify the spirit of the Singapore Together movement, where Singaporeans partner with the Government, to own, shape and act on our shared future together.

(In English): Mdm Deputy Speaker, now let me conclude in English. I started my speech by talking about how the Singapore story has been one of opportunity. It has allowed many of us from humble beginnings to not only do well today but also do good to uplift others.

But like many advanced societies, inequality and social mobility is a challenge and the path ahead will not be an easy one. We will need to decide how to define the basic commitment that we will provide all citizens what our aspirations are for ourselves and for our society, and how best to get there.

We will have to make difficult trade-offs, in how we allocate limited resources among competing needs, and balance across conflicting objectives. We will need courage to make tough decisions, boldness to change the status quo, and humility to listen to feedback and suggestions to improve.

Above all, we must continue to put the interests of Singapore and the well-being of Singaporeans first. We will need to build an environment that not only supports us to seize opportunities, but also equips us with what behavioural science calls “psychological capital” – the self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience – that we need, to adapt and emerge stronger and better.

The crux of this is harnessing the diversity on which Singapore has been built, and how we have thrived all these years. This diversity has enabled us to not only be competitive in the world, but also colourful as a nation. Our success in creating a society where people of different backgrounds live harmoniously must be translated into our education system, our workplace, and indeed, our society, where what makes us different individually, makes us stronger as a nation. Mdm Deputy Speaker, I support the Motion. [Applause.]

Ms Sylvia Lim.

Mr Leon Perera.

Thank you, Mdm Deputy Speaker. Just one point of clarification to the hon Minister, Mr Maliki Osman. He spoke about the continued relevance in the eyes of the Government of the CMIO framework that we are members of different ethnic groups in terms of how we are viewed by Government systems and processes and so on, and that it is important to keep that in mind.

Over time we have seen more and more interracial marriages between Singaporeans of different ethnic groups. The Government has more recently allowed double-barrelled ethnic classification on the NRIC. I think that has become a process that has gained some momentum. As time goes by, we may even find more marriages between a Singaporean from an interracial marriage and another Singaporean from an interracial marriage.

Mr Perera, please ask your question.

Yes. My question is: how will the Government adapt to these changing realities? Would children who are offsprings of such marriages be asked to classify themselves as "Others", or how would that be approached?

Mr Leong Mun Wai.

Minister Iswaran.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, as I have said the spirit of my speech is to call for an open conversation on whether the self-help groups should remain distinct as they are different entities. Even if they collaborate, the question is whether it would be something that society wants to move on about, to have these, all the work done under a national body, in that sense.

I can share with the House as well. I think the Minister is a bit older than me, but it does not matter. The fact is that there are many people in my generation, as I had mentioned in my speech, who grew up during Mr Rajaratnam's time. Our distinct memory was quite different from the reality that I sensed today. In fact, many of my contemporaries wrote to me thereafter to say that they are very uncomfortable with the self-help groups as they are.

So, I respect that there may be different views on this, as I have said. But I think it is important for us to have a conversation, and as the President said, in a spirit mutual respect and being open to the possibility that things may not be static.

Madam, the hour is late; I do not want to prolong this. But there are so many things wrong with that. Firstly, about age, I am not that much older than the Member but I will leave that for now. More specifically, calling for an open dialogue, I think is very welcome. We can all do that. But when you start the dialogue, what is your starting position? That is unclear.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, I think in my speech I made a suggestion that we might look into whether the self-help groups should be amalgamated into a national body. I did not say that this is the answer, but this is something which I think should be in the discussion. And at the end of whole national exercise, the consensus is, "No, we should not do it", I will respect that but I think we need to have a starting point for discussion.

Senior Minister of State Dr Janil.

Ms Sylvia Lim, last point.

Last point. Dr Janil.

It is late. Deputy Leader.