President's Speech

Mr Sharael Taha.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the following Address in reply to the Speech of the President be agreed to: 'We, the Parliament of the Republic of Singapore, express our thanks to the President for the Speech which he delivered on behalf of the Government at the Opening of the First Session of this Parliament'."

Mr Speaker, the President’s Address reminded us of the profound transitions of our time; a world in flux, both globally and at home. We see the sharpening rivalry between the United States (US) and China, and the erosion of the rules-based order that has enabled Singapore to survive so far. Increasingly, we face a divided world where aggression, coercion and the weaponisation of trade have become commonplace, while rapid technological change reshapes our societies at an unprecedented pace.

Against this backdrop, the President set out four key challenges. Firstly, securing our country against both conventional and unconventional threats; secondly, transforming our economy while tackling existential challenges such as climate change; thirdly, assuring Singaporeans at every stage of life on jobs, housing, healthcare and cost-of-living; and forth, strengthening our social compact so that work is valued fairly, the vulnerable are cared for with compassion, and every Singaporean is empowered to pursue their dreams.

More importantly, he reminded us that our future depends on unity; nurturing a “we first” society built on trust, resilience and shared purpose.

Mr Speaker, the President characterised these as not just “transient headwinds” but rather, “fundamental shifts in the tide.” And in times of change, two emotions shape our human response, one of anxiety and another one of hope. It is through this lens that I shape my speech today.

Mr Speaker, the confluence of supply chain realignments, geopolitical conflicts, tariffs, rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and the fracturing of societies due to distrust has fuelled deep anxiety. The world ahead feels unpredictable and uncertain.

As a Member of Parliament (MP) and through my professional experience, I have had conversations with residents of Pasir Ris-Changi, Singaporeans from all walks of life, foreign professionals, investors, businesses from multinational corporations (MNCs) and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to local stallholders in our pasar. In our communities, including the Malay/Muslim community, two anxieties stand out most clearly. Firstly, on jobs and employability: fresh graduates seeking their first role, mid-career workers striving to stay relevant, and seniors struggling to find opportunities. And secondly, on the cost of living and the cost of doing business: from rent to wages to dealing with tariffs. Let me begin with jobs and employability with a focus on fresh graduates.

In conversations with fresh graduates, a common refrain is their struggle to land that first job. Many tell me they have sent over a hundred curriculum vitae (CVs) without a single reply. They have tried LinkedIn, career coaches, networking events, peer-support groups; yet remain unemployed. Parents too share their anxiety, contrasting today’s reality with the past when jobs came more quickly. Graduates lament that companies demand experience, but without the opportunity, how can they ever gain it? Silence from employers with CVs submitted leaves them questioning whether vacancies are real, whether they are being overlooked, or whether there are deeper structural issues in the job market.

The data reflects this struggle. The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported on 17 September that while employment for fresh graduates soon after university rose by 4% in 2024, the rate remains at just 51.9% – leaving about 8,600 still unemployed. A joint survey by the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore Management University (SMU), Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) showed only 87.1% of graduates secured work within six months in 2024, down from 89.6% in 2023, continuing a declining trend since 2022. For private institution graduates, outcomes were worse, with fewer securing jobs and fewer securing full-time roles. Youth unemployment under 30 also inched up from 5.4% to 5.7%.

However, this is not a simple Private Education Institution versus Autonomous University comparison. The real issue is whether courses equip graduates with the skills the industry demands. The trend is clear: our young graduates face a tougher, more uncertain path. And we must work together to make things better for them.

On the other hand, employers see the problem differently but no less seriously. MNCs, SMEs and local enterprises all share the same challenge: they cannot find enough Singaporeans to fill the roles. Hiring managers struggle to find the right candidates.

The data supports this. Unemployment remains below 2%, yet there are still more vacancies than jobseekers – 1.64 jobs per unemployed person. The 2025 ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey found that 43% of employers still intend to hire. On MyCareersFuture, more than 23,000 of the 68,000 listed jobs are for fresh graduates, executives, and senior executives, in roles such as engineers, marketers, data specialists and operational planners.

So we face a paradox: graduates say they cannot find jobs, while businesses say they cannot find workers. The mismatch lies not in the numbers but in alignment – between skills taught and skills and experience demanded and between expectation and realities. The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has framed this paradox through four gaps: the Expectation Gap, the Skills Gap, the Opportunity Gap, and the Experience Gap. I would add a fifth: the Job Redesign Gap.

On the Expectation Gap: technology has reshaped hiring. With one-click portals and AI-tailored CVs, jobseekers can now apply for dozens, if not hundreds, of roles daily. Employers are swamped with CVs, making it unrealistic to expect replies to every applicant. Jobseekers and their parents must adjust to this new reality.

On the Job Redesign Gap: with AI, businesses are struggling to define entry-level roles fast enough. Tasks once designed by fresh graduates such as research, doing slides, doing minutes, are now automated. Companies need graduates who can apply AI but within a business context. This requires rethinking roles so fresh graduates remain cost-effective contributors while still gaining the experience.

So, how do we bridge these gaps then? And I would like to offer four suggestions. Firstly, scale up the GRaduate Industry Traineeship (GRiT) Programme. Let me declare my interest as a Workforce Singapore (WSG) board member. GRiT supports graduates from universities, polytechnics, the Institutes of Technical Education (ITEs) and private institutions, giving them industry-relevant skills. It provides an allowance- up to 70% funded by WSG, and 30% by host organisations. By October 2025, there will be 800 structured traineeships. The challenge is to scale it up. We need more businesses to come forward to invest in our graduates to mentor them, to give them the business context and prepare them for future roles.

Second, expand structured apprenticeships. Singapore has made progress with the AI Apprenticeship Programme and the Oracle Programme, but we must extend this model to other sectors, such as manufacturing, healthcare, logistics, operations and the green economy. Unlike short, unstructured internships which has limited success, apprenticeships must provide both technical training, the business context and workplace readiness.

Thirdly to strengthen collaboration. Within government, industries and education institutions must align their efforts and set standards. Germany’s dual education system is instructive: combining classroom learning with real workplace training which produces industry-ready talent. By adapting some of the useful elements of such approaches, Singapore can fill critical skills gaps and uplift vocational careers.

Fourthly, about encouraging community initiatives. In Pasir Ris-Changi, one of our volunteers, Arshad, together with Al-Mawaddah Mosque and M³ at Pasir Ris-Changi, organised an overnight biking event ending with professionals sharing their work experience with youths. Such grassroots efforts from peer-support groups can link professional networks to the jobseekers.

Mr Speaker, the anxieties of jobseekers are real and the frustrations of businesses are real. But so too, are the opportunities. If Government, businesses, educators, unions and the community stand together in a “we first” spirit, we can close the gaps, redesign roles and prepare our people for the future.

Mr Speaker, the cost of living has risen globally due to supply chain disruptions, conflicts and tougher business conditions. In Singapore, pressures are compounded by our reliance on imports and tight labour markets. While we can manage volatility, we remain a price-taker. The sustainable path forward is for wages to rise faster than costs, through productivity and through better jobs.

Government support through Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers, U-Save, service and conservancy charges (S&CC) rebates, cash payouts and MediSave top-ups has provided some cushioning for families. But the rising cost of doing business must not be overlooked. Small shops such as food and beverage (F&B) outlets, retailers, minimarts, lifestyle stores, gyms and neighbourhood shops, are place-makers, the heartbeat of our communities. They greet us daily, serve our families for years and give our areas character. They make our communities vibrant and provide comfort in the familiarity of everyday life.

Yet behind the counter, many face this deep anxiety. They pour their savings into renovations and equipment, only to find leases shorter than their recovery periods. For some, rent forms up to 20% of their costs. The looming fear of the next rent increase weighs heavily on their minds. Many cannot simply pass the costs to customers without losing them, nor can they sustain wages for their staff if margins collapse. This uncertainty forces them to worry about survival instead of focusing on growth.

We must give these small businesses greater assurance and I would like to offer a few suggestions. First, we should build on the Fair Tenancy Framework developed during COVID-19. It covers 11 areas of fair terms but remains voluntary and does not address rent escalation. I am not suggesting rent control in any way.

Instead, let us provide incentives, such as tax benefits or recognition for landlords who adopt these fair guidelines. Transparent rental benchmarks, tied to indices like CPI plus a margin for rent escalations, can prevent unreasonable hikes while preserving fairness.

Secondly, we can explore property tax rebates or co-funding schemes for landlords who maintain affordable rents or offer support for landlords who help tenants go digital or improve productivity.

Mr Speaker, this is ultimately about trust and partnership. By embracing a "we first" mindset, landlords, businesses and Government can lower costs, reduce uncertainty and give small shops some peace of mind. This might also encourage entrepreneurship and support the startup culture. When our small businesses worry less about survival, they can focus on what matters: improving their services, raising productivity and developing their staff. That is how we keep our communities vibrant, our livelihoods secure and our society coming together.

Mr Speaker, growing our economy is not for the sake of growth alone. It is about securing good jobs for Singaporeans, ensuring rising incomes and improving the quality of life for our people. In every strategy that we take, our end goal must always be clear: to create opportunities that uplift our workers, strengthen our families and build a society where every Singaporean can look to the future with confidence.

Mr Speaker, while these fundamental shifts in the tide have stirred deep anxieties that we must address, we must also remember that change is not only about disruption. Change also brings renewal, new opportunities, new industries and new ways of living. I am encouraged that the Government has formed the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce, to help us seize these opportunities and chart our path forward with unity and purpose. In this spirit, I would like to offer a few suggestions on how we can turn this moment of change into one of renewal and growth.

Firstly, on growth industries. Opportunities are opening in AI, advanced manufacturing, biotechnology, clean energy, and sustainability. In the Economic Development Board's (EDB's) report, it was stated that AI adoption could enhance productivity across all sectors, notably adding up to $27 billion to manufacturing alone. In its totality, AI is projected to unlock billions in productivity gains across sectors, while advanced manufacturing and robotics will drive high-value careers in precision engineering. Biotechnology is transforming medicine, food, and materials science and clean energy from renewables to emerging technologies like small modular nuclear reactors will strengthen our energy security.

Beyond these, niche sectors, such as quantum technologies, space and satellite services, cybersecurity, and the blue economy, they all hold potential for new growth. These industries are not the ends in themselves. They are pathways to secure better jobs, higher incomes and long-term competitiveness for our Singaporeans.

Secondly, businesses need clearer, whole-of-Government support to navigate uncertainty. We must refresh our Industry Transformation Maps and align them with the Jobs Transformation Maps, our Company Training Committees (CTCs), our National AI Strategy, our CTO-as-a-Service and all other alphabet soups of support schemes that we have. Many businesses, especially SMEs, find the landscape a bit fragmented and a bit harder to navigate. A single agency or a unified user-oriented portal would help simplify the access, enabling firms to focus on transformation and focus on growth.

By doing so, we strengthen our enterprises, preserve Singapore's position as a trusted global hub and ensure that the opportunities created at the national level translate into tangible gains for workers and families.

Thirdly, we must anchor Singapore's aspiration to remain a global aviation and aerospace hub. And here, I would like to declare my interest as one of the workers in the aerospace industry. Today, Singapore accounts for 10% of the world's global maintenance, repairs and operations (MRO) output. Imagine that our small red dot accounting to 10% of the world's global MRO output. And MRO is one of the key pillars of our Manufacturing 2030 vision, which seeks to grow manufacturing value-add by 50% by 2030.

To sustain this growth, we should review the masterplan for Northeast Singapore holistically, from the developments in Changi Terminal 5 to Changi Airfreight Centre, to the Changi East Urban District and Changi East Industrial Zone, to Changi North, Seletar, Punggol Digital District and the reconfiguration of the Loyang Industrial Estate.

Together with a rethinking of the Pasir Ris-Changi ecosystem, including preserving the rustic charm of Pulau Ubin, the mangroves and both Pasir Ris and Changi Beach, this entire region on the northeast coast can be transformed into a world-class zone to live, to work and to play sustainably, anchored by future growth industries and seamlessly connected by air through Changi Airport, by sea through Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal and to the rest of Singapore via the Cross-Island and East-West MRT lines.

Within less than 60 minutes of Pengerang, just 20 kilometres away and Batam, the Northeast Singapore is also strategically positioned to complement Pengerang's oil and gas sector at the Pengerang Integrated Complex and Batam's manufacturing base in addition to its central location and its global connectivity. Together with the Johor-Singapore Strategic Economic Zone (SEZ), this ecosystem can secure good jobs for Singaporeans, boost supply chain resilience and anchor Singapore firmly within the global economy.

Mr Speaker, hope must also mean inclusion. Growth cannot be just for some. It must be for all. An inclusive society is one where every Singaporean has the chance to contribute and more importantly, flourish. Technology can and must be used for good and there are ways to which we can use technology towards building a more inclusive society

Firstly, through supporting the less able. Assistive technologies, such as screen readers, navigation apps, sensors, provide independence. For example, AI-powered wayfinding tools integrated into Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations can help guide the visually impaired. One of my residents lost his sight in his 50s. He travels with his elderly mother in a wheelchair and his special needs sister who is also in her 50s. Each contributes a different sense of touch, mobility, vision, or knowledge as they navigate through the town. He was excited by the pilot of wayfinding tools, such as CityGeni, to help his family move independently. More can be done for families like this. And with a "we first" mindset, agencies and partners can make inclusive innovation a reality.

Secondly, through supporting caregivers. While grants like the Home Caregiving Grant help financially, technology can lighten the load. Smart eldercare sensors, telehealth, AI-enabled scheduling, and robotic aids can reduce strain. Scaling these solutions into community care networks, while keeping them affordable, gives caregivers peace of mind and helps seniors live with dignity. We must find ways to adopt them quicker and scale faster to move beyond pilot trials.

Mr Speaker, Inclusive innovation is not only about compassion. It is about bringing that opportunity. The Assistive Tech sector, CareTech and the Silver Economy are fast-growing industries. By investing here, Singapore can export solutions and become a trusted hub for inclusive technology. We will build not only a competitive economy, but also a compassionate one where every citizen feel they matter and belong.

(In Malay): In my speech earlier, I expressed our thanks to the President for providing a clear backdrop during the Opening of the 15th Parliament. The President reminded us that the world we face today is volatile and he described it not as "transient headwinds" but as "fundamental shifts in the tides."

Under such circumstances, two core emotions shape human responses. First, anxiety – the fear of uncertainty. Second, hope – for growth, opportunities and a brighter future. It is through these two lenses that I frame my speech today.

Mr Speaker, around the world, the cost of living is rising due to supply chain disruptions, conflicts, and high global interest rates. In Singapore, this situation is further complicated by our dependence on imports and our tight labour market.

The reality is that we remain as "price-takers". The sustainable solution is to ensure wages increase faster than costs, through higher productivity and better jobs.

Therefore, upskilling and mastering new skills must become part of our lives. In my dialogue with Malay union leaders such as Mr Abdul Samad Bin Abdul Wahab, they emphasised how Unions help workers upskill; by shifting mindsets from merely protecting jobs to protecting workers by providing a better future. I would like to thank them for their efforts.

Our community must also leverage on national programmes such as SkillsFuture Credit, WSQ, Career Conversion, Career Transition, and the Tech Accelerator programme. As the Malay saying goes, loosely translated as "no pain, no gain." In Pasir Ris–Changi, we have worked with NTUC to bring these programmes closer to the residents.

While changing tides bring a lot of anxiety, they also bring a lot of hope. New industries are emerging; such as advanced manufacturing, robotics, precision engineering, biotechnology, quantum technology, satellite services and many more. All these are new pathways to better jobs and higher incomes.

To seize these opportunities, we must first raise awareness. Today, there are 13 professional networks at Mendaki in fields such as engineering, technology, sustainability and finance. Through these networks, opportunities are made available to our community. In fact, just last week, a resident shared that her husband got an engineering job through one of these networks. I strongly encourage more in our community to join them.

Additionally, these professional networks also give back to the community. Just last week in Pasir Ris-Changi, the M³ Engineering Professional Network, together with SUTD and Mendaki, organised Robot Wars, where students built AI-based robots, learnt coding, sensors and object recognition. Students from welfare homes also participated. For some participants, this was their first experience with robotics. It was very moving to see their confidence increase and their eyes light up with these new skills. I would like to congratulate the students from Madrasah Aljunied and children from Muhammadiyah Welfare Home who won first and second place in this competition.

Another source of hope is progress for our asatizah. Since 2023, salaries of over 80% of asatizah in mosques and madrasahs have been raised according to Common Salary Guidelines (CSG), with average increases between 5% to 12%. With the implementation of phase three this year, more will be within the CSG guidelines. Asatizah are the pillars of our community, and their work must be recognised and fairly compensated.

The establishment of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS) is a long-held aspiration of our community. This college will produce asatizah and future leaders, not only for Singapore, but also for the global context. Its adjacent location to SUSS is very meaningful. It opens up cross-institutional opportunities; combining Islamic studies with fields such as social work, Islamic finance, business, and mental health. This will broaden horizons and career choices for our asatizah.

Also importantly, SCIS will be funded by the Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura; another initiative of our community. This demonstrates our strength as a united community – a "we first society" as mentioned by the President.

Mr Speaker, while anxieties exist about the cost of living, jobs, and uncertainty; there is also much hope. By leveraging on national programmes, strengthening professional networks, elevating the status of asatizah and realising SCIS, we can build a brighter future.

Let us work hand in hand to think far ahead, invest in our community, and build pathways with much hope. This is how we transform anxiety into hope and ensure our community continues to progress in the years to come.

(In English): Mr Speaker, Sir, the challenges before us are real. The anxieties of our people are real. The worries of our jobseekers, the struggles of our families coping with costs and the worries of small businesses are real.

Yet, so too are the opportunities. In new industries, in new inclusive innovation and in refreshed economic strategies that can bring about better jobs and better ways to care for our society.

Let us, therefore, choose to be a "we first" society. A society where success is not just measured by gross domestic product (GDP), but by how much we care for one another, where growth is inclusive, opportunities are shared and no Singaporean is left behind; where quality of life improves not just for individuals, but for families and communities, where Government, businesses, unions, workers and citizens work together in trust.

This is how we can turn anxiety into hope. This is how we renew our social compact. This is how we can build a stronger, more united Singapore together. Majulah Singapura. Mr Speaker, Sir, I seek to move. [Applause.]

Question proposed.

Mr Pritam Singh.

Sir, I thank the President for his address. While the Workers' Party (WP) is in opposition, we call on Singaporeans to heed the call to build a better Singapore for ourselves and our future generations.

Today, I will highlight what the WP sees as the international and domestic pressures facing us. After that, I will focus on the President's call for a "we first" society, a term that Prime Minister Lawrence Wong also used at his National Day Rally last month.

First, the international situation. I entered politics in 2011. I remember at the time, a newly-retired Minister shed tears at a press conference over what "globalisation had done to Singaporean workers." This year, US President Donald Trump has challenged globalisation more directly than ever before. His Liberation Day tariffs in April put the brakes on several decades of an economic era that Singapore had ridden successfully, albeit not without its discontents for some Singaporeans.

For the foreseeable future, nearshoring, friendshoring and protectionism are the order of the day. We enter an uncertain and unpredictable post-SG60 world. Of great concern to us is what sectoral tariffs could be imposed on Singapore, especially for two industries that, together, contribute 40% of our GDP – pharmaceuticals and semi-conductors. [Please refer to the clarification later in the debate.]

To use the parlance of the late US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, the imposition of additional tariffs on Singapore exports to the US are more of a known unknown rather than an unknown unknown.

In the Asia Pacific, we are in the throes of a geostrategic transition. Recently, China showcased both its ambition as well as its alliances at a spectacular military parade commemorating 80 years since the end of World War II. China demonstrated that it is ready to take its place as a leading power in the world.

China, a hugely successful economic power, is fast becoming a military juggernaut. It can no longer bide its time nor hide its strength. To many, this must mean a diminution of US influence in the Asia Pacific. But China appears to have considered that it need not behave like a hegemon and displace Pax Americana. China seems intent on deepening friendships and collaboration, thereby representing itself as a force for stability and cooperation even as it stands up to America whenever it deems necessary.

As for the US, its current administration is recalibrating the norms and values that traditionally underpinned its pre-eminent position in the Asia Pacific and beyond. However, the US still retains significant goodwill from many Asia Pacific countries. Its historical actions at the cost of American blood arrested the advance of Communism in the region. It provided an effective security umbrella that allowed Southeast Asian nations, including Singapore, to grow and prosper.

There may well be enough space for the US and China to coexist in the region even as flashpoints, such as Taiwan, and possible nuclear weapons proliferation in East Asia remain known unknowns. What is clear is that defence spending is rising all around. We must brace for turbulence, even as we hope that the turbulence remains only that, while we look to secure our future in a new strategic environment.

Sir, I ended my Budget speeches in 2024 and 2025 with calls to strengthen our national unity – a multiracial national unity in an uncertain world.

A strong SAF, Home Team and a first-rate diplomatic corps give us the agency to think for ourselves and our own national interests. The current strategic environment is yet another reminder of how critical the Singapore Armed Forces, the Home Team agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are. It also reinforces the importance of National Service.

The security that our people in uniform provide is an important strength of Singapore. I repeat this call today in light of the President's address.

Domestically, SG60 comes at a unique inflection point for us. In the next few years, one in four Singaporeans will be older than 65 and labour force participation is not likely to rise. This is part of a long-anticipated transition. In fact, the first Ministerial Committee on Ageing was set up decades ago.

However, living through a transition and being on the cusp of it hit differently. The job front is unpredictable, technology is rendering jobs obsolete quicker than ever before, middle-aged workers who change jobs report being unable to command the same salaries and anecdotally, young people are finding it tougher to secure good jobs. In addition, more employers prefer to offer short-term contract jobs rather than permanent positions.

Cost of living continues to dominate as business profit margins get squeezed, particularly for smaller businesses that face steep rental hikes. Even our cultural capital is being hollowed out and in transition to something unfamiliar. From the slow demise of traditional foods to the closing down of cinemas and the downsizing of bookstores, all these contribute to a sense of loss that weighs heavily on many Singaporeans.

These emotions are not unexpected, because Singaporeans do not want to become a people who know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. We must try to preserve as much of the different strands of our cultural tapestry in our national interest instead of resigning ourselves to the inevitability of change. Just as there is value in learning new things, there is value in remembering the past and the wisdom it endows.

At this critical junction in our nation's journey, how does the WP define its Parliamentary role?

Five years ago, at the Opening of Parliament then, I said that the WP will chart an independent path and fulfil its duty as a loyal opposition. Our loyalty is the people and to the nation and, this term, fidelity to the three key functions of Parliament: to make laws, to check on the Government and to scrutinise the state's finances, will come into distinct focus.

On the back of the Opening of Parliament in our first Sitting today, the WP's Members of Parliament (MPs), in line with our critical and inquisitorial rule to hold the Government accountable, have asked topical Parliamentary Questions covering housing and specifically, the Housing and Development Board's (HDB's) Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS), jobs, education and specifically, bullying in schools, employment, foreign affairs and transport – to name a few.

With so much happening domestically and internationally, the opposition will primarily focus on the function that Parliament demands of us, checking the Government's policies and actions.

Mr Speaker, I wish to assure you that the WP will not file Parliamentary Questions to rack up numbers. Every question we ask is one that needs asking, especially since the opposition does not receive any special Government briefings, unlike the People's Action Party (PAP) MPs; and neither are there Parliamentary Select Committees to scrutinise the work of the various Ministries when Parliament is not in session.

For example, over the last three months, as we heard during Parliamentary Question Time today, there has been a spade of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) breakdowns from July. To date, there have been, at last count, 15 disruptions, some more significant than others.

Like anything mechanical, breakdowns do occur and this in and of itself is not the issue. However, many Singaporeans find this quick succession of breakdowns to be highly unusual, particularly after significant taxpayer resources have been expended to raise rail reliability over the last decade.

This will have to be scrutinised in Parliament, including the findings and recommendations of the recently established task force under the Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) purview.

Some Singaporeans think that when we ask questions, we are trying to embarrass the Government. The WP does not see it that way.

Checking the Government is a function of system design. This is something our early leaders understood and is an essential feature of the Westminster system we adopted from the British. To borrow an old technological phrase, questioning the Government in Parliament is a feature, not a bug.

Embracing this feature will be an important priority for the WP in this term of Parliament. Where alternative proposals and improvements to existing policies need to be raised, we will raise them accordingly.

If our fellow Singaporean workers and professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) wish to suggest matters for us to raise in this House, please contact us. We welcome inputs which are backed by evidence. We also welcome organisations, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and corporates to engage with us with a view towards better policies for our economy and our people.

We believe that the prospect of the opposition raising issues in Parliament has a strong nudging effect in getting the issues recognised and addressed by the Government. We thank all parties for their good faith and engagement, most recently over the issues faced by platform workers. On this, I have filed a Parliamentary Question to delve more deeply into this issue.

All Singaporeans are collectively interested in the betterment of our people. Engagement with the opposition and the WP, in particular, reflects a society that treasures, supports and makes effective use of a balanced political system. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all voters who supported the WP at the last General Elections (GE), regardless of constituency.

A Singapore that understands that it is both government MPs and opposition MPs who contribute to make Singapore worth fighting for, puts Singapore on a stronger footing for the challenges to come.

Mr Speaker, a united society is, however, ultimately rooted in justice and fairness. The individual must feel a sense of belonging to Singapore and an affinity to the community around him or her. This brings me to the President's call to put "we" before "me". This is a theme that continues from the Prime Minister's National Day Rally.

It is a simple idea, but a timeless one too. Singapore has wrestled with the ambit of such communitarian concepts in the past, but one can understand the significance of reiterating this call in light of present times.

In the late 1980s, the Government introduced what was originally referred to as a "national ideology", with the purpose of gradually developing a national identity. This led to the Government white paper on shared values, listing five propositions of what these shared values ought to be.

The White Paper on Shared Values was subject to intense debate over two days in this House. Former Speaker Abdullah Tarmugi argued that two values, first, "Nation before community and society above self” and second, "Regard and community support for the individual", slanted too heavily towards society and community, with not enough premium placed on the individual. He said, and I quote, "People are afraid that these values would lead to a stifling of the individual. While individualism, per se, is not a good value to promote, over-emphasis on the community could lead to a stifling of innovation and creativity and hence reduce our competitiveness. The line between the two has to be carefully drawn."

Another PAP MP, Dr Ong Chit Chung, shared that the most problematic of all values appeared to be "Consensus instead of Contention", as there was a fear or suspicion that the Government would use this call for consensus to browbeat critics, stifle creativity and muzzle opponents. Yet another PAP MP asserted that his conversations with students, grassroots leaders and business colleagues gave him, and I quote, "the distinct impression that many people scoff at the idea of a paper on Shared Values. Most of these things are obvious, they say. Is it necessary for Government to try to push yet another load of sanctimony down our throats?"

The public reaction and the qualified cynicism aside, the vision of the White Paper itself was not objectionable. Despite references to Singapore as an Asian society, the White Paper acknowledged that not everything Asian was good and not everything Western was bad.

The Senior Minister of State, Dr Tay Eng Soon, sought to clarify that the Government neither wanted, and I quote, "blind conformity and compliance in the name of nation or of consensus", which he alluded to as a disease that, I quote, is "not unknown in the East and that tyranny of the majority may be even worse than individualism". He argued that the shared values must never be an excuse to stamp out individual ideas and aspirations that can lead to new achievements. His view was that we must always encourage individual excellence.

Are the shared values important today? I believe there is a wisdom to them, because they foment and advance a unifying ethos. And there is evidence that many of us care deeply about what it means to be Singaporean.

In June 2020, the Government published some information on the Singapore Together Emerging Stronger Conversations. That was a conversation series on Singapore's COVID-19 experience and Singaporeans' aspirations for a more resilient post-COVID-19 society. At that time, I filed a Parliamentary Question seeking details about the feedback given by about 17,000 Singaporeans from those conversations. In our political system, where it is sometimes assumed that the proverbial bread-and-butter issues would dominate, one might have thought that the topics of jobs and the economy and separately, digitalisation and technology would rank highest among the topics discussed. However, what ranked at the top were national identity, and shared values and social support. The issues encompassed under national identity and shared values included protecting our vulnerable, support for volunteerism and how we might build a more compassionate and cohesive society.

So, it is clear that the idea of "we" is important to Singaporeans. But I would assert that it certainly does not mean suppressing or minifying the importance and central role of the individual and his or her place in Singapore. I would instead argue that "we" and "me" are perspectives that exist on a continuum. Both "we" and "me" matter to Singaporeans. A binary treatment is limiting, while an over-emphasis on one is not consistent with our lived experiences. We should aim for excellence as individuals and venture forth with confidence as individuals and be respected by society as individuals, regardless of race, language, religion and backgrounds.

At the same time, an awareness of "we" beyond our comfort zones opens opportunities for us not just to be better, but to be the best versions of ourselves. A sense of personal fulfilment and purpose are more likely to be achieved when we contribute to something larger than ourselves and aim beyond self-enrichment and personal outcomes. Perhaps the most important point to be made here is that Singaporeans are well and truly in the driver's seat of shaping the Singapore they wish to see.

While Singaporeans may struggle today to list the five shared values of 1991, as naturally as they say the pledge or national anthem, the importance of living harmoniously in a multiracial and multi-religious society is not lost on many. Increasingly, however, there is a sense that being a member of a racial and religious group, on the one hand, and our identity as Singaporeans are both equally important. For some, like myself and those of my generation, being Singaporean and a part of the country and something larger, edges in importance compared to one's cultural rootedness and sense of loyalty to our individual communities.

For some younger people, the Singapore identity can be said to have even transcended race. The former Chief of Government Communications was recently quoted in a podcast as saying that his younger colleagues did not make much of the fact that the squadron commander who led the flypast at this year's National Day Parade was Malay. I would suggest that this shows that, for a younger generation of Singaporeans, at least some Singaporeans, a democratic society based on justice and equality ought not to be declared just in words but must be manifested in deeds. It may well be that the aspiration of the pledge has morphed, at least for some, into an expectation. We should acknowledge and even celebrate such expectations as the ultimate reflection of a more united people than ever before. It portends a bright future for Singapore.

At the same time, we must be aware that our multiracial reality can be a soft underbelly that malicious actors may exploit to divide us. Hybrid conflicts are already a reality and we can see how misinformation and disinformation, especially online, have been employed by some to fuel narratives that divide communities. In speech, be it online or offline, it is easy to bully and intimidate others with rank, popularity and labels, and by punching down at those who may not have the full facts or see the world differently. It is much harder to take on someone your own size or bigger or engage an issue respectfully regardless the counterparty. But we should all choose the more difficult path of empathy and mutual respect, even if we agree to disagree.

In Singapore, we must actively fight the tendency to think tribally on a day-to-day basis. As we negotiate the way forward, let us remember to treat each other as equals. We must persevere and work on this as a responsibility of each generation and leave a better Singapore behind for the next generation. This is even as we hold dear and celebrate our individual mother tongues, traditions, religions and cultures. We do this in an English-speaking environment, one that goes a long way to create an accessible and welcoming global city for trade and investment, and an accessible and expansive public space for all Singaporeans. If we succeed in building on this foundation, we will not just shine but survive and thrive well beyond SG60.

To conclude, Sir, Singaporeans should be proud of our diversity, including our political diversity, and yet, be united as one people. The WP will continue to play its part. On behalf of all the WP MPs, I wish the Government and all civil servants well in this term of Parliament. We look forward to serving as the loyal opposition for all Singaporeans and working for Singapore.

Order. We have been in the Chambers for close to five hours. I propose to take a break now and I will suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 4.45 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 4.24 pm until 4.45 pm.

Sitting resumed at 4.45 pm.

[Deputy Speaker (Mr Christopher de Souza) in the Chair]

PRESIDENT'S SPEECH

(Debate on Address of Thanks – first allotted day)

Debate resumed.

Mr Ng Chee Meng.

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I thank the Government in the 14th term of Parliament and tripartite partners for their strong support to the Labour Movement. Because of our collective efforts, many workers, including professionals, managers and executives (PMEs), have seen real improvements in wages, welfare and work prospects.

Amidst rising cost of living, we raised our lower wage workers' incomes. Platform workers now have the Central Provident Fund (CPF), workplace injury compensation and the right to be represented by Platform Workers Associations. Workplace Fairness has also been strengthened so that all workers – especially our mature PMEs – are assured of a level playing field.

We provided new support for our involuntarily unemployed workers and supported our caregivers' flexible work arrangement (FWA) requests. Senior workers now have a longer runway, should they choose to do so, to work.

The Labour Movement also catalysed business and workforce transformation through more than 3,600 CTCs, promoting win-win outcomes for businesses and workers at the same time.

But Mr Deputy Speaker, beyond policies and numbers, what mattered most really, is the impact on ordinary people and workers. Amidst the rising cost of living, every wage increase, every new protection and every training scheme made a real difference. Families and workers were able to be better provided for. This is why I am in the House today, to ensure that every Singaporean worker and family can face the future with confidence.

Sir, as we step into this new term of Parliament, Singapore faces significant external and internal challenges. Externally, the world is more fractured. Trade wars, tech wars, hot wars are redefining the rules-based order that Singapore has long depended on. And technologies, like AI are reshaping how we live, learn and work – faster than many of us can keep up with.

Internally, the realities of becoming a superaged society will hit us. More of our workers will be older and more families will experience more strain from caregiving responsibilities.

During my block visits in Jalan Kayu and in many conversations with workers at union events and community gatherings, I have heard the anxieties of our people. Young graduates worry if they will find good jobs; mid-career and older PMEs fear being displaced by AI and economic restructuring; families struggle with the pressures of caregiving – wondering how they can cope with the financial, physical and emotional strains.

These are not abstract concerns. They are the daily worries of ordinary Singaporeans trying to secure a better future for themselves and their loved ones.

Mr Deputy Speaker, the Labour Movement supports the direction laid out by our President – to transform our economy amidst AI disruption, while ensuring that no Singaporean is left to journey alone. To achieve this, the Labour Movement calls on the Government to work with tripartite partners on three fronts:

One, ensure good jobs for every generation, so young graduates can start well and have opportunities to grow; mid-career workers and PMEs can adapt and seize new opportunities; and older workers can continue contributing with dignity.

Two, uplift our vulnerable lower-wage workers, platform workers and freelancers by ensuring fair earnings and dignified work.

Three, stronger support for our caregivers, so no Singaporean has to choose between caring for their loved ones and keeping their job.

My fellow labour MPs and I will outline the priorities of the Labour Movement to advance these fronts. I will focus my address on two areas today, ensuring good jobs amidst AI disruption and better support for caregivers.

Let me first speak about AI disruption. AI has great economic potential for Singapore. It can boost productivity and help businesses stay competitive. On the flip side, I know many workers, including PMEs, see AI as a threat.

Big companies, such as Amazon and Microsoft, are cutting jobs. Drivers worry about being displaced and replaced by autonomous vehicles. They do not know what AI will mean for them and their jobs. I fully understand these concerns. It can be daunting not knowing what to expect and perhaps worse, how to keep up. They say: "I know AI is here, but Sec-Gen, I don't know what I can do."

This is why we must do more to equip our workers to meet AI disruption head on, bring the right tools and know-how to the businesses and our workers, so that they can take proactive steps to seize AI-driven opportunities.

To this end, NTUC stands ready to support the National AI Strategy. We want to work with the Government and tripartite partners to put forth a National AI Adoption and Training Initiative. I will call this initiative "AI-Ready SG" as a working name. It will serve as a one-stop platform to integrate existing resources from Government and tripartite partners, so businesses and workers can be truly AI ready.

Through "AI-Ready SG", workers can access dedicated resources for upskilling and navigate career transitions. Employers can tap into resources to embark on practical AI transformation. The "AI-Ready SG" initiative can ride on the CTC ecosystem to support AI transformation. And this goes in part in answering some colleagues' earlier speeches about converging business interest and marrying it to workers' interest.

Businesses get help to figure out what AI means to them, chart out their transformation roadmap and implement projects that deliver real productivity gains. At the same time, workers, including PMEs can better map out their AI skills upgrading pathways, boosting their job security and work prospects along with their companies' business transformation.

In fact, NTUC and employers have started using the CTC model to catalyse AI transformation. Take BSL Unify, a manufacturing services company, for example. Through the CTC, they embarked on a company-wide digital transformation programme and implemented an AI-powered service portal.

Previously, customer service and operations staff relied on excel sheets to labouriously track inventory and manage enquiries manually. Today, the portal has saved BSL Unify more than 2,500 man-hours per year, with a 40% efficiency improvement through streamlined processes and smart data management.

Staff and workers also receive a monthly skills allowance of $150 to encourage and enhance their AI skills, so a true win-win for both business transformation and workers outcome.

This is just one example of how "AI-Ready SG" can help companies move up the value chain and bring workers, including PMEs, along. The CTCs power these efforts. As of July this year, we have committed more than $7.4 million in CTC grants to AI-related projects, which is about 11% of the total number of CTC projects.

Mr Deputy Speaker, let us take heed of the President's call for businesses, AI must mean better business. For workers, including PMEs, AI upskilling must mean better jobs, better wages and better work prospects. If we can do these, we will be able exploit AI to transform our economy and better Singaporean lives.

Let me now turn to caregiving. I thank the Government and tripartite partners for measures like enhanced paternity and shared parental leave. Yet, many workers still struggle with the day-to-day reality of caregiving.

Balancing a job while tending to the needs of a sick elderly parent, a child or an adult with special needs, can be exhausting. It is not just about managing the time. It is about the stress, the sleepless nights and the emotional weight that caregivers carry every single day.

I recently met Mr Goh, a 45-year-old freelancer and beneficiary of NTUC's U-Care Fund. He and his wife are both working and they have four children – two of whom have special needs. One child requires round-the-clock care. He shared, and he is grateful that while subsidies help, he worries about medical expenses chipping away at their family's savings. What troubles him most is not just about today's struggles, but the future. Will his children be able to cope when he and his wife can no longer take care of them? Will they be able to retire with dignity? More than anything, he hopes that families like his would not be left to carry the heavy load of caregiving alone.

His story is not unique. During my house visits in Jalan Kayu, caregivers shared with me some of the same worries – how to juggle work and caregiving, and the stress and mental toll it takes on them. We must do more to support caregivers to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

Sir, let us not stop at empathising with caregivers like Mr Goh. We must do more to strengthen caregivers' support in these areas. First, help caregivers stay in work. Having a job is essential for long-term financial resilience. We must expand FWAs and enshrine caregiving leave, making them more widespread, accessible and most importantly, stigma-free.

Second, help caregivers who have left work, return to work. We must redouble our efforts on "Back to Work" programmes to ease their transition – especially for those who have stepped off for long periods of time. We must better design and enhance our existing schemes, to bridge skills gaps, find suitable job opportunities, provide mentorship and give employer incentives to hire returning caregivers.

Third, strengthen the ecosystem of care. We must make bold moves to ensure that care support for elderly and disabled loved ones is available, affordable and accessible. While we are moving in the right direction, we must be prepared to review our policies to better support our caregivers. This includes reviewing MediSave limits and caregiving subsidies to defray costs, provide CPF top-ups for primary caregivers with insufficient retirement adequacy, enhancing community care services, including for persons with special needs, persons with mental health conditions and more and more with dementia. And importantly, strengthening care coordination so families do not have to struggle to navigate the generous but multiple schemes across different agencies, not knowing what to do.

Sir, many of us are caregivers currently, or will be at some point. Let us take bold steps to ensure that Singaporeans have the support they need to care for their loved ones, while staying resilient at work and at home. In Mandarin, please, Sir.

(In Mandarin): In the coming years, our workers will face greater challenges. On the one hand, there is the impact brought about by the rapid development of AI. On the other hand, they have responsibilities caring for families.

The Labour Movement calls for tripartite partners to jointly promote a national AI training and adaptation programme to help enterprises and workers transform and embrace the new era. For businesses, AI could bring better development potential for workers, especially PMETs. AI can bring higher quality employment opportunities, higher wages and better career development prospects.

As Singapore moves into a super aged society, more workers and families need to strike a balance between work and caring for loved ones, which is truly not easy. We must strengthen support for caregivers to ensure that no one is forced to make difficult choices between career and family due to caring for loved ones.

We can approach this from three areas.

First, we must help caregivers remain in the workforce. We recommend expanding the scope of flexible work arrangements and establishing a comprehensive caregiver leave system.

Second, we must help caregivers return to the workforce. We can launch a national return to work programme to reduce difficulties they face in returning to work, especially for those workers who have been away from their position for extended periods due to caregiving responsibilities.

Third, we must take decisive actions to build a stronger caregiving ecosystem, particularly to provide support for elderly, sick and disabled loved ones. We should boldly promote reforms in caregiving services to ensure that relevant resources are accessible, affordable and convenient for those in need.

(In English): Mr Deputy Speaker, let me conclude. Sir, I am deeply honoured and privileged to return to this House. I entered this House on a narrow margin. But I will serve with full conviction, because I stand to be the voice for our workers, fighting for better jobs, better lives and a brighter for all.

To the voters in Jalan Kayu, thank you for the trust you have placed in me. I will honour it and I will serve you to the best of my abilities.

Mr Deputy Speaker, as Singapore confronts accelerating AI disruption and rising caregiving demands, let us all in this Parliament keep faith with the workers, caregivers and their families who want a chance at a better life. Together, let us build a Singapore where every worker can succeed at work, where every family can thrive and where every Singaporean can journey forward with hope and dignity. For every worker. For every family. For Singapore. [Applause.]

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

Mr Speaker, thank you for allowing me to speak and to join in the debate to thank the President.

Sir, over the last six decades, Singapore has built a strong and dynamic economy driven by global enterprises, homegrown champions and an ecosystem of small and medium enterprises. This has in turn created good jobs, lifted real wages and raised the standard of living for Singaporeans.

Our success has been built on solid fundamentals – sustained investments in infrastructure, extensive global connectivity, a skilled workforce and a pro-business environment.

Just as importantly, being a small and open economy, we have benefited from an open, rules-based, multilateral trading system. This has enabled companies here to participate in global supply chains, benefit from global economic growth as well as established Singapore as a hub for goods, services, capital and talent.

But we are now facing three fundamental challenges.

In many parts of the world, countries are turning inward, erecting barriers to trade and investment and prioritising economic security and national interest. The rapid acceleration of technological advancements such as AI will disrupt industries and jobs. Last but not least, our resource constraints, such as land, carbon and manpower, will become increasingly binding.

However, amidst these challenges and difficulties, there are opportunities and new possibilities.

Companies around the world are looking to diversify their production bases and supply chains in response to the evolving global economic landscape. This will create new opportunities for us to capture new investments and enter new markets. Our region has strong growth potential. It has a young population, a rising middle class and good physical and digital connectivity, and it is poised to be one of the fastest growing regions in the world.

Technology, while it may disrupt industries and jobs, can also open up new frontiers for research and innovation and drive the creation of new products and services and even new industries. Similarly, the low-carbon transition will catalyse the growth of the green economy such as green manufacturing, clean energy, carbon services and trading, and sustainable finance.

Five months ago, we had set up the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce to support firms and workers in navigating the immediate headwinds as well as to refresh our longer-term economic blueprint so that we can secure our place in the new economic order.

While there is now greater certainty, greater clarity over the tariff rates that the US has imposed on many of its key trading partners, significant uncertainties remain. Negotiations with several countries, including China and India, are still ongoing. Details on how the deals will be implemented remain unclear. In fact, we have already seen a number of conflicting interpretations emerge.

The US has hinted at further sectoral tariffs such as on semiconductors and pharmaceuticals and that these are imminent. I just want to take this opportunity to clarify that these two sectors contribute about 7% of our GDP, not 40% as Mr Pritam Singh pointed out. But I should say that even at 7%, they are significant.

The full effects of these tariffs will take time to flow through in the months and years ahead. The Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce will continue to monitor the developments and assess the impact of the tariffs on our businesses and workers.

Our current support measures, including those announced at this year's Budget and Committee of Supply, are still relevant and helpful. These include extensions and enhancements to the Double Tax Deduction for Internationalisation, the Market Readiness Assistance Grant as well as the Enterprise Financing Scheme.

We have also announced that we will roll out the Business Adaptation Grant from next month to help companies impacted by the tariffs to adapt their business operations and strengthen their supply chain resilience.

We will also support our workers. To help our jobseekers better identify suitable job opportunities, we have stepped up our career advisory and guidance services, including through NTUC and e2i. We will roll out the GRaduate Industry Traineeships Programme from next month to help fresh graduates gain industry experience and skills, which will facilitate their transition into full-time employment.

We are prepared to do more for our companies and our workers if necessary.

The global developments we have seen over the past few months are not a passing storm. Instead, they point towards a changed world – a new norm that is more fragmented, with sharper competition for investments and a shift towards economic security and national interest. These call for a new economic blueprint to steer Singapore forward in this changed world.

That is why we embarked on the Economic Strategy Review. The Economic Strategy Review is consulting and engaging stakeholders and will submit its recommendations next year. I will not want to preempt their conclusions at this point. But let me just talk broadly about our approach.

First, we must strengthen our positioning in existing growth sectors and establish a strong foothold in new areas of growth, as pointed out by Mr Sharael Taha.

One existing growth area is advanced manufacturing. Over the decades, we have established Singapore as a global node in key sectors such as semiconductors, healthcare, specialty chemicals and aerospace.

I attended the opening of ST Engineering's new engine MRO facility last week. In addition to ST Engineering, we are also a key aerospace manufacturing and MRO site for leading firms such as SIA Engineering, GE Aerospace, Rolls Royce and Collins Aerospace.

Singapore accounts for 10% of the global output for the MRO market and close to 20% of the global market share in engine MRO. We are supporting companies to build new repair and process development capabilities, deploy robotics and automation solutions and conduct research and development (R&D) in AI, additive repairs and electrification technologies. These moves will strengthen Singapore's positioning as Asia's leading aerospace hub and a critical node in global supply chains.

We have also established our position as a leading services hub, such as in commodity trading, digital industries, tourism, financial services and professional services. We will build on this foundation to further reinforce Singapore's status as a services hub for the region, especially with the fast-growing digital economy.

We must also position ourselves well to establish a strong, early foothold in new growth sectors.

One such area is in precision medicine, which is projected to grow at an average of 11% annually to reach a size of US$300 billion globally by 2035. Our strengths as a leading biomedical sciences hub put us in a good position to capture opportunities in the research, development and commercialisation of life science tools, diagnostic testing and therapeutics in this rapidly growing sector.

In addition to precision medicine, we are also exploring other potential growth areas such as AI and deep tech, green economy, autonomous vehicles and space.

Second, we will make Singapore a home for leading firms. We will reinforce the presence of today's industry leaders and nurture companies with the potential to become future industry leaders.

We have established a strong base of industry leaders in key sectors. We will work with them to further grow their businesses and anchor new high value-added activities here in Singapore. For example, in the healthcare sector, eight out of the top 10 biopharmaceutical companies have established their manufacturing sites or R&D activities here. Seven out of the 10 top life science tools companies have significant R&D and manufacturing activities in Singapore. This has enabled us to be among the top global manufacturing sites for high-value manufacturing instruments and consumables.

We will partner with these industry leaders to establish best-in-class manufacturing facilities and R&D activities, develop new capabilities such as AI and expand their product range.

Many Singapore enterprises are also industry leaders in their respective sectors. We will support them to deepen their capabilities and help them to expand overseas. One example is Sembcorp. To date, the company has established a total capacity in renewable energy generation of close to 18 gigawatts overseas in countries such as China, India and Vietnam. This is an example of how our Singapore companies are tapping into growth opportunities overseas.

By growing in overseas markets, these companies will become bigger and stronger to support the value creation, innovation and headquarters functions here in Singapore. This will also reinforce our status as a hub for globally competitive firms.

There are companies which may be small today but have the potential to become future industry leaders. We will seek them out and anchor them in Singapore, so that they may be new engines of growth for our economy in time to come. One such category of companies are startups.

Ambiq Micro is a good example. Ambiq manufactures ultra-low power processors that consume one-tenth of the power compared to their competitors. Their technology can be found in smart watches and was used to power up the TraceTogether token during COVID-19. Ambiq established their presence in Singapore in 2021 and has since grown and successfully listed. To support their international growth, the company has established their regional headquarters and R&D activities here in Singapore and we hope to further anchor their presence in Singapore.

At the same time, we will study how we can better support our local startups and entrepreneurs from initial stages to scale-up and grow. This could include access to growth capital, space and infrastructure needs, and partnerships in overseas markets.

One example is Aliena. Aliena is a space-tech startup that develops electric propulsion systems which enable small satellites to fly closer to Earth for higher quality data collection. With support from Enterprise Singapore's Global Innovation Alliance, Aliena worked with partners in the United Kingdom to develop a technology that uses water electrolysis for electric propulsion systems. These collaborations enabled Aliena to expand its customer base and operationalise their footprint, and the company has seen a more than 300% year-on-year increase in revenue last year.

Third, we will strengthen our fundamentals to stay competitive. Let me highlight three key fundamentals. One, our capacity to deploy and diffuse new technologies. Each new wave of technology, from computerisation, the Internet and now to AI, has shown that it is not just the technological breakthroughs themselves, but the ability and speed at which we can deploy and diffuse them effectively across the economy that determines whether we can sustain our competitiveness.

We must, therefore, be a nation of both innovators and fast adopters. Take artificial intelligence (AI) for example. We have made good progress in accelerating AI-driven innovation through the establishment of AI Centres of Excellence. At the same time, we must complement this by broadening and deepening AI adoption across the broad base of enterprises, including SMEs. We will develop AI playbooks and toolkits to guide companies in adopting AI-driven solutions, as well as raise the AI fluency among both technical professionals and non-technical professionals.

Two, our skilled workforce. The quality of our human capital has been a key competitive advantage for Singapore. As we transform our economy towards higher value-added activities, we must also ensure that our upskilling and reskilling efforts keep pace. We must empower workers with new skills for the future, including being AI-fluent, so as to remain relevant. Similarly, we want our workers to gain overseas work experience and exposure. This will position them well to take on regional and global leadership roles in future. We must also stay open to global talent, so that we may tap on their strengths to complement our resident workforce. This is critical to ensure that our industries and firms stay globally competitive.

Three, careful and long-term planning. Our years of investments in our port and airport infrastructure have been critical to Singapore’s excellent connectivity today, which underpins our role as a regional hub. Similarly, we must plan for the energy transition and help our businesses transition to a sustainable future. This is why we are pursuing multiple pathways to decarbonise our energy mix. We are ramping up our domestic solar deployment, facilitating low-carbon electricity imports and building capabilities in emerging low-carbon alternatives, such as hydrogen and nuclear energy. We will calibrate the pace of the transition carefully. Even as we decarbonise, we must ensure that Singapore stays cost-competitive and our energy security is safeguarded.

Even as we secure our long-term growth, we have not lost sight of the challenges that some of our SMEs are facing, including those in the retail and F&B sectors, as well as our heartland enterprises. This is because of a variety of factors, including more intense competition from e-commerce players, shifts in consumer preferences and rising costs. We have rolled out several initiatives to support such businesses. For example, those in F&B can tap on Enterprise Singapore’s FoodX programme and heartland enterprises can tap on the Enhanced Visual Merchandising Programme and the Heartland Enterprise Placemaking Grant to revamp their storefront to drive more business. Our CDC and SG60 vouchers will also encourage consumers to spend at the heartland enterprises. We will help these SMEs raise their productivity, restructure their operations and rejuvenate their businesses.

I mentioned earlier that despite the challenges ahead, there are opportunities for Singapore to grow our economy. We expect to grow at about 2-3% per annum over the next decade on average. This is comparable to many other small, advanced economies, such as New Zealand, Switzerland and Sweden. But we should not take that as a given. Instead, we should try to aim higher, take advantage of the window of opportunities over the next few years to achieve a faster rate of growth if we can, before we settle down to the 2%-3% trend over the long term.

But this will not be easy. Our foreign worker policy has remained unchanged. We expect our workforce to grow just about 1% per annum over the next decade, given our ageing workforce and falling birthrates. We also expect our productivity to grow by about 1%-2% per annum over the next decade. This is already challenging, judging by the historical experience of economies with similar size and level of development. There will also be times when the global economy will slow down and our growth will also slow down consequently. And, therefore, that will bring us to between 2%-3% per annum.

However, we see opportunities to get a larger productivity lift from technology, such as AI, robotics as well as automation. We will also grow other higher value-added industries as I have outlined before. If we do it right, we may be able to add 1% and achieve 3%-4% growth instead of 2%-3%, and in very good years, maybe even more.

I spoke earlier about how Singapore’s success has been closely intertwined with an open, rules-based, multilateral trading system. Trade is important. Trade is three times our GDP. Singapore pursues an active trade strategy through our Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and other platforms. These FTAs have opened doors for our companies to access new markets, diversify supply chains and build deeper economic partnerships around the world. Our network of FTAs also makes us an attractive destination for foreign investments and has enabled us to build a resilient economy that provides good jobs for our people. We must double down on our efforts to preserve and expand our international economic space.

Bilaterally, we will deepen our cooperation and integration with our key economic partners. Both the US and China remain our key economic partners. The US is our largest foreign investor and China is our largest goods trading partner. While competition between the US and China has intensified, we must continue to work with both US and China in areas of mutual interest and mutual benefit.

India is another economy that is poised to grow strongly in the years ahead. Earlier this month, we launched the Roadmap for the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between India and Singapore, outlining areas, such as semi-conductors, industrial parks and capital market connectivity, where both countries could strengthen economic cooperation. Beyond India, we are deepening our economic cooperation with other key economies, such as Australia, the European Union (EU), Japan, Korea, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and the list goes on.

Closer to home, we are also deepening our economic cooperation with our immediate neighbours, including in Johor through the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and in Batam-Bintan-Karimun (BBK). We are further exploring how the three of us can work together for even stronger synergies. Regionally, we are working within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to deepen our regional integration, as well as to broaden our cooperation with other external partners. We have recently concluded the negotiations to upgrade the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and we are making good progress towards substantial conclusion of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement later this year.

ASEAN is working with the Gulf Cooperation Council to enhance trade and investment flows and also working to establish a dialogue with the EU and with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. And last week, Singapore, together with 13 other small, medium and trade-dependent economies, launched the Future of Investments and Trade (FIT) Partnership. The FIT Partnership is an informal group that will champion a forward-looking trade agenda and work together on areas, such as supply chain resilience, investment facilitation, non-tariff barriers and trade facilitation, as well as leveraging on technology.

These examples illustrate how Singapore will continue to broaden its network of economic partnerships, including in areas, like digital economy and green economy. And by doing so, we will open up more opportunities for our businesses, diversify our markets and strengthen our resilience in an increasingly fragmented world. These efforts will also strengthen the rules-based trading system.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) is not perfect, but it remains an important foundation on which to build a better global, rules-based trade architecture. For sure, the WTO needs to be reformed to stay relevant and effective. We will work with like-minded partners to reform and modernise the WTO, and reinforce an open, fair, rules-based multi-lateral trading system, so that small, trade-dependent economies, like Singapore, can continue to thrive in the global economy.

Mr Speaker, Singapore’s economic journey has never been an easy one. With limited land, manpower and natural resources, we have to work harder and plan longer, further ahead and move faster than others. We can take heart at the success we have achieved over the past six decades, but we cannot afford to be complacent. To secure our future in a changed world, we must stay globally competitive, by building strong industries, anchoring leading firms here, grow our own enterprises, strengthening our capacity to embrace technology, investing in our workforce and finding ways to overcome our resource constraints.

We must also continue to expand our international economic space, by strengthening our network of trade and investment, reinforcing a rules-based global trading system and positioning Singapore as a trusted hub in a more uncertain and turbulent world. Our circumstances may be challenging, but our foundations are strong. Together with determination and imagination, we can continue to grow our economy, create good opportunities for our people and build a better and brighter future for Singapore and Singaporeans.

Ms He Ting Ru. Leader of the Opposition, you wanted a clarification of the Deputy Prime Minister?

Mr Deputy Speaker, it is just a clarification on my speech where I should have said that the broad sectoral tariffs would hurt demand for Singaporean products, including semi-conductors, consumer electronics and pharmaceutical goods, which account for 40% of exports to the US. I thank the Deputy Prime Minister for correcting my speech and stating that pharmaceutical goods and semi-conductors contribute 7% of our GDP.

So, just to confirm, you are clarifying your own speech, not the Deputy Prime Minister's, correct? Right. Ms He Ting Ru.

Mr Deputy Speaker, over four months have flown by since the GE and it feels like we have since lived a lifetime. Our journey in Sengkang started in 2020 and the next five years went by like a roller coaster. We were carried through ups and downs, in no small part due to those who stood by us and who were our rocks as we were tossed around by turbulence.

Through this, our team of volunteers showed up every day, week after week, all doing their part to make sure that we were able to carry on our work within the community for our residents in Sengkang and for that, we are deeply grateful. These five years have crystallised how being an elected MP is an incredible privilege and responsibility afforded to us here in this House. We saw joy and pride in the eyes of parents sharing pictures of how much their children have grown visiting our meet-the-people's sessions (MPS) to show us with excitement their children's EduSave awards. We also sat with residents grieving loved ones and other losses. Thank you for sharing these precious moments with us. We look forward to working alongside you to deepen and continue the relationship to work together to make Sengkang and Singapore a better place for all.

A theme that has played in my mind on results night and ever since, is the power of us and not just the strength of us but also the full spectrum of who we are as a people, our resilience, our skills and our values, but also our limitations, mistakes and flaws. And instead of viewing these as opposite sides of the coin, I have come to see these as part of the richness of the tapestry that comprises our towns, our society and our people.

Compared with five years ago, the world has undergone many changes, even as memories fade, of the pains and coming together in the face of COVID-19, we see living pressures continue to mount. Global conflicts and the straining of the previously accepted world order, add to concerns about climate change and it is no wonder that there is so much talk about climate anxiety, a mental health crisis. We are also faced with ongoing challenges to our own food security in Singapore and how to forge forward to balance where our country sits in a world where sustainability challenges seem insurmountable. Additionally, when financial pressures grow, community often takes the back seat.

Individuals, families and social relationships are put under strain: physical and mental health declines, civic engagement drops and people withdraw from social activities to save money or because they feel ashamed. In communities, social capital may be weakened, diminishing community resilience, risking a downward spiral where vulnerable groups end up even more disproportionately affected by weak economic winds. These are not just abstract concepts.

Ask ourselves, compared with five years ago, are we a stronger, kinder, more inclusive society? In my maiden speech in 2020, I talked about how I felt that the perception of a lack of social mobility and the presence of elitism, regardless of data, is a real and often overlooked danger. More than five years on, where are we? This year, business and employment sentiment survey show dips and many expect these to remain depressed.

How are we faring in terms of the perception that our people have of our much cherished system of meritocracy? How often, too, have we over the last five years had fellow Singaporeans give us a shrug and say, what to do? Not because we have given up, but because we feel pressured up against forces that are just so strong. So, what have we done to prevent this feeling of helplessness in the face of global uncertainty and challenge from taking root?

I believe that the answer to this is in the power of community, of a people-centred community. Human beings are essentially social in nature, relying on one another for our well-being. In a world where scarcity starts to dominate, it is where we have to band together to make best use of whatever resources we have to pool our strengths. Thus, I have been deeply heartened that in the month since our election in May this year, we have been approached by numerous organisations and individuals seeking to partner us toward the betterment of our community of our Sengkang residents.

This deepening of the networks of our community in Sengkang and beyond is something we deeply appreciate. From initiatives to create strong connections within a community to be friendless programmes to better support those in distress, to fostering deep and meaningful integration with those living with disabilities and encouraging residents to explore and engage more with home-based businesses within the community. These are some examples of groups that have reached out to us.

They hope that by working with the elected MPs, the elected councillors of the Town Council, they could join us in ensuring that our resources are maximised for the good of our residents. These efforts may seem small, particularly, when compared against huge movements or organisations, such as national-level agencies, like the People's Association. However, they have given my party colleagues and I invaluable insight and a chance to explore these additional facets of the community and to get to know our people better as their elected representatives. This will eventually translate and inform our work as legislators here in this House. They are also an important acknowledgement that the voice of our people matter, that their collective choice to send my colleagues and I into this House is legitimate and accepted.

I also hope that this trickle will eventually bring us to more collaborations, more acceptance that political diversity is important and here to stay. Community partners should eventually see us as nodes through which we will help our communities overcome challenges, fix problems and grow beyond their current limitations. Ultimately, my hope is that this leads to a shift toward working for a country that is ultimately better able to adapt to myriad challenges.

And as I have mentioned earlier, while knowing our strengths is key, we also have to sit with our limitations to truly see our flaws candidly. This can be discomforting, even raw and terrifying. But this honesty and ability to sit with our past and current shortcomings is how we enable our growth as a country to happen. So, I believe that it is not just about whether it is "me first" or "we first", but "us together".

We have spoken about the Government's planned evolution from "me first" to "we first" here. The Government has rightly, like any sensible government, spoken about national security, nimble economy and increased assurance at every stage of life. But what I hope to add is a recognition of why "me first", as an ideology emerged amidst the wider formation of our nation. We have moved from the first formal residence hundreds of years ago to informal immigration from the region and our merger and de-merger with Malaysia.

I have noticed, too, that "me first" is often said to be a natural response to our highly financialised and immigration-centric society and economy: owning the fanciest cars, getting the top MNC jobs, owning freehold landed property as a means of overcoming the constraints of the country that we live in. Yet we are always told that everything around us will change, everything is insecure, we risk losing it all.

And under this cloud of scarcity, leaving out "me first", it is no wonder that we often see this response as greed, selfishness, sharp elbows, no care for the weak in the society, no care for those without a voice, no care for the planet we share. Our response to this less-than-ideal state is not to be anti-immigrant or anti-capitalist, particularly as our country has been built of an environment that is the opposite of that.

But as a first response, I hope we can once more look at the dashboard of how to measure progress, which I spoke about during the last few Budgets. This measurement of outcomes, apart from GDP, would help us to ensure that some things in the public sphere would not change so that we may find alternative spheres of wealth, rather than just be guided by economical thinking. Heritage should be kept alive, including our schools, community spaces, natural spaces that we and our parents went to.

We should stem the erasure of community heritage currently perceived to be under threat from forces, such as rent and high operating costs. Our non-physical cultures in the form of languages, arts, hobbies need to be supported as they are threatened by "me first" ideology. The first step to do that is to start ways in which to quantify these sources of wealth, as I have called for previously with the developmental dashboard.

It is, thus, very exciting to learn more about initiatives, such as the collaboration between NUS and the Tsao Pao Chee Institute to explore, using Singapore and China as case studies, a new framework integrating environmental, social and governance principles with inner development. The hope is that this work can help governments design systems rooted in sustainability, dignity and shared purpose beyond GDP as a measure of success.

The Government also paints a tender picture of a community where the opposite of "me first" comprises citizens who give up seats on trains, taking initiatives. But there are also things which the Government should not directly try to affect. Using the analogy of a garden, we should note the symbiotic interactions between those living in it, the harmony between macrofauna and microfauna, down to tiny insects, and the essential interactions in the soil to help a garden thrive.

As policy-maker and enforcer of the law, the Government plays the role of a gardener who occasionally pulls out infestations, provides bigger plots and waters the plants during times of drought. Having good intentions to prune carefully and balance fertiliser and pest control is essential, but not enough. The Government must also support the garden to grow, to allow it space to breathe. We must have reliable, physical and intangible spaces within the garden, combined with accessible ways of moving, that allow people to meet one another, like the void decks of old.

How can we have a target population for a garden when we have not made space for denizens to discover themselves and grow? We must allow space for some rewilding. Stop worrying overly about the precise shape of our community. We must trust that by removing barriers, the inherent wisdom of a population with a mindset of abundance will eventually guide itself to an ever-evolving system that encourages us to flourish together. Mr Deputy Speaker, in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): Thank you very much for the support you have given me and my WP colleagues in recent years. Besides serving constituents, in this term of Parliament, we will continue to diligently carry out the mandate that Singaporeans have entrusted to us. In the legislative process, we will continue necessary governance oversight, and checks and balances. A sound political system needs to effectively and reasonably reflect different voices in society, including minority interests, avoiding monopolisation of politics by the majority. As one of the few opposition voices in a chamber dominated by one party, our responsibility is even greater.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of independence. As Singaporeans, we should be proud of the achievements we have achieved together and feel fortunate for our success. Singapore, whether after independence, during the colonial period, or even earlier, has always been a society that accommodates various ethnic groups, religious beliefs, languages and cultures. Mutual respect, integration and maintaining an open attitude are the foundations behind Singapore's success. Facing turbulent and uncertain externality, we need to cherish our diversity even more, which allows us to communicate and have dialogue with people of different positions and find space for cooperation.

We hope for sincere exchange and learn from it. What is needed is mutual tolerance, humble listening, honest sharing and seeking common ground whilst respecting differences, rather than deliberate avoidance or unnecessary reservations, and certainly not one-sided discourse. After all, a gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity, whilst a petty person seeks uniformity but not harmony. Forcing others to accept oneself does not necessarily lead to greater harmony or inclusiveness. In an unpredictable environment, what is needed is bold thinking and bridge-building.

We must understand that diversity is strength, not fearsome opposition or division to be feared. Singapore needs confidence, courage and magnanimity to face multi-faceted reality head-on.

For Singaporeans of different backgrounds, the key should not be whether national consciousness is proclaimed verbally, but rather seeking understanding, giving each other support and encouragement, and working together to move forward.

(In English): Finally, the health of our governance institutions, as a reminder of what we must do to set us on a path for an even brighter tomorrow.

Singapore is safe, stable and in many ways, successful. But as the saying goes, "past performance is not a guarantee of future success". It is timely to ask if we have the right governance processes to safeguard these outcomes in the long term.

In a changing world, we keep emphasising the need for institutional safeguards, such as ombudsmans, Select Committees, entrenching the independence of the Elections Department, not to check a box or just because it is an abstract concept we deem important. We do so because these are real important mechanisms for any nation to ensure that its future stability and gains are protected for many generations to come.

Institutional safeguards also come in a form of oversight in a way our public bodies and public service operate, a clearer perceived neutrality of institutions, like the People's Association, to ensure public resources are not enmeshed with political goals, even in the way we allow the media an independent voice, voices to thrive without the shadow of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) overreach.

These are important foundational pillars to ensure that the excesses of no individual person or party can undo the successes we are proud of and that we will get policies right more often than we will get them wrong.

They are not perfect, but they are designed to hold back the worst excesses, even when politics get heated. We need to ensure our guardrails are robust. We are also working to hope our politics never gets to that point of needing it, because no country, not even Singapore, is immune to shocks, to mistakes, or to excesses and we must design processes to ensure continuity and resilience

To close, I also believe that the Government has a clear mandate with much political capital to spare in order to allow longer-term policies. But many Singaporeans would join my party colleagues and I thinking that the sign of a truly healthy Singapore is one where the colours worn by an elected MP should not matter when we work within the community.

I wish the new Government all the best and success for delivering for Singapore because that is good for all of us. For while we may disagree on approaches, policies, implementation of economic strategies, the one thing that truly unites all of us here is the staunch belief that we will see Singapore succeed. And for that, all of us here in this House should hold our heads high as we work for the betterment of Singapore, for the safety and the future of those whom we love, more than love itself.

Acting Minister Jeffrey Siow.

Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion. It is my honour to stand here for the first time in this House and I want to first thank the voters of Chua Chu Kang group representation constituency (GRC) for the opportunity to represent them in this 15th Parliament.

Since joining politics, my life has changed in different ways. I have learnt how to sleep less. My daughter has observed that my eyebags have their own eyebags. I have less time to play football with my friends on Sundays. And even when I do, I am the most polite of players. When I get kicked on the back of the leg, I am the first to say, "Sorry, sorry".

Life is different now, but my family keeps me going. So, I want to start by thanking all of them: my wife, my brother, my kids and my mother, who even comes to volunteer with me at my MPS. My family makes me feel that I am part of a team.

I have always believed in the power of a team. In my public service career, I have changed roles every three to five years. So, often, I had to learn a new job from scratch. And so, I could never assume I had all the answers and therefore, my approach has always been to lean on the strengths of those in my team – so that together, we are more than the sum of the individual parts.

As a political leader, my role is to make decisions on behalf of people. My approach is to be inclusive, to create space for voices to be heard and to build trust. This way, even issues that are divisive can be opportunities to build bridges.

As Transport Minister, I have the chance to put this philosophy into practice. As you can expect, people give me feedback all the time.

And this is a privilege because, actually, they are telling me their stories and every story is personal – the young couple who wants to buy a car, but finds it out of reach; a single mother who uses her personal mobility scooter to bring her three kids to preschool, even though she knows it is illegal; an office worker who ran in the rain, to catch her bus, but she just missed it; and a father splurging on a private car ride, so that he can get home in time to see his children before they go to bed.

Hearing these stories, I understand why some people feel that the system is sometimes not working for them. They feel the hard edge of the policy. They feel they are on the wrong side of the line.

I would solve every one of these individual problems, if I could, because these are not just matters of efficiency. These are matters of fairness and of dignity.

But in a compact country like ours, transport needs necessarily collide. Pedestrians and cyclists share the same pavement. Cyclists and drivers share the same road. Everyone wants a bus stop just below their homes, but no one wants a bus that stops every 20 metres.

In transport, trade-offs are unavoidable and yet, they are felt deeply and personally. And that is why it does not just matter what we do. It matters how we do it, and how we bring people along. And that is why my approach to policies will be to explain our considerations openly and honestly. What we give up, what we gain and why.

Here, I have found that a personal touch really matters. It really makes a difference. A face-to-face meeting, a phone call, or a personal email that I write myself. Most Singaporeans, when I engage them this way, they are reasonable and fair, even when they disagree with the decision.

Over time, I hope to win more people's trust. I know trust is won over time, with consistency of action and purpose. I must show that our processes are fair and my intentions are right. So, my approach is to be open and transparent, and thus, I welcome the Leader of Opposition, Mr Pritam Singh's earlier comments about how the WP will scrutinise the work of the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Rail Reliability Taskforce. In fact, I will welcome questions from all of us here in this Chamber because good questions are not the sole province of the opposition, but is the responsibility of all of us. This openness will help me build trust and with trust, the toughest compromises become possible.

I have learnt this lesson as a young public officer. I was at MOT earlier, working on the Cross Island Line, a very important MRT Line, especially for the Northeast sector. On one side, engineers and policy-makers wanted the most direct route to keep travel times short and costs down. And the most direct route was under the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. But nature groups feared that the soil investigation drilling would harm the fragile ecosystem of the nature reserve. And so, they amassed in opposition and they pushed back. Arguments were heated. The project was delayed. But the important thing was both sides continued showing up and this gave us the time to hear each other out.

In the end, nobody got everything that they wanted. But together, we found better ways forward. LTA adopted more innovative and less invasive methods. But most importantly, we built trust and as trust grew, stronger solutions for Singapore emerged. When I returned to MOT a few months ago, my nature group combatants, turned comrades, were the first to welcome me back, as friends.

That experience has guided me since then – that trust can be built even when disagreements cut deep but only if we all commit to staying at the table, with the right heart and the right intent.

And that is the spirit I want to bring to shape our transport future. In the next few weeks, the LTA will launch consultations for the next iterations of the Land Transport Masterplan. We want to engage more Singaporeans than ever before – commuters, drivers, cyclists, seniors, persons with disabilities, mobility device users. We want to bring all of them together to have deeper conversations and to weigh trade-offs. My hope is simple: that more Singaporeans feel that the system works for them and that their story matters.

Building common ground helps us balance today's needs but it does not solve tomorrow's problems. To ease the pressures of zero-sum choices, we must create new ground – new choices, new capacity, new options and possibilities.

For example, 15 years ago, we did not have private hire cars. We only had taxis. The older ones amongst us will remember that it was almost impossible to get a taxi on a Friday night or on a rainy day. Then, Uber and Grab arrived. With more cars and flexible fares, more Singaporeans could access door-to-door transport, on a pay per use basis, rather than having to drive or to use or to purchase a car. Initially, taxi drivers feared that private hire cars would undercut them. But in fact, both sets of drivers benefited from more business and higher earnings

If back then, the Government had blocked the entry of Uber and Grab, we would all have been worse off. But we took the long-term view, and everyone benefited.

And that is why we are now looking to bring in autonomous vehicles (AVs) because AVs will add a new option to move Singaporeans around. Imagine a safe ride home, after a late night out; imagine a doorstep pick-up, to the polyclinic for your medical check-up; imagine doing emails or listening to a podcast in a car, without having to drive; imagine new and exciting jobs for our people, especially our young.

New possibilities open up when we focus on creation, rather than division.

In sea and air transport, we have done the same. We dreamt up possibilities that did not exist before, like the world's largest automated port, like our now-iconic Jewel. With Tuas Port and Changi Terminal 5, we are once again building boldly, creating the capacity for decades to come.

We are summoning the same spirit of creation for our economy. Deputy Prime Minister Gan spoke about the Economic Strategy Review.

I co-chair the Committee on Global Competitiveness with Senior Minister of State Low Yen Ling. Our Committee comprises a new generation of Singaporean business leaders, who know what it takes to survive and to thrive in today's world. All of us share a deep sense of urgency. We see how the world may be moving against us.

For decades, Singapore benefited from globalisation and free trade. But as the President explained in his address and as Deputy Prime Minister has explained in his speech, the rules have shifted. Larger economies are raising tariffs and subsidising their core industrial champions. As a small country, we cannot match them dollar-for-dollar, land-for-land. This is a big risk, but it is also an opportunity to retool, to move into spaces where others hesitate, to attract new industries for Singapore and create new jobs for Singaporeans.

And we have done this before. We joined up seven islands to create Jurong Island, to build a petrochemical hub. We invested in semi-conductors when others felt that we could succeed. We grew our biomedical industry from washing test tubes to producing vaccines. And we even built a world-class integrated resort, on land reclaimed from the sea.

These were not just about maintaining the status quo. These were acts of creation. And now, it is time for us to do it again. Our ambition is to be an enterprise hub, where companies are born, grow and scale to the world to become champions.

We will place bigger bets on the industries of the future – advanced materials, robotics, precision medicine, space. These bets may feel uncomfortable. Not everything will succeed but if just one, two or three of these bets come good, they will transform our economy and carry Singapore to the next level.

Industries are only part of the story. What matters most is whether Singaporeans can step into these new opportunities that we create. With a faster pace of economic change, people will have more career transitions. Fewer people will climb a single career ladder like I did, almost did. Most will have multiple jobs, move across many jobs and industries across their lifetimes.

Career transitions can be unsettling if faced alone. But in Singapore, no one should feel alone. We only have 3.6 million Singaporeans, so we can help every person reskill and reinvent themselves to unlock each person's potential, again and again, to bring out the best in every one of us, as the world changes.

Of course, a career change can feel daunting. It can feel emotional. It can feel vulnerable. In these moments, a word of encouragement, a gesture of care can make all the difference.

I experienced this myself. When I decided to join politics, I felt unsettled, too. I was a civil servant and I did not know how I would fare under public scrutiny and politics was a whole new ballgame.

In April, I had to make my first political speech. I remember rehearsing in a corner, slightly nervously. Then-Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean walked by. We did not know each other very well before, but he came over, he placed his hands on my shoulders and said, "As long as you are doing the right thing, do not worry about what other people say."

His words made all the difference to me that day. It gave me the strength to step forward and to speak like a lion.

To unlock the full potential of Singaporeans, we must support one another. We are one team. Encourage others instead of criticising them. When friends and family try new things, celebrate them. When they make mistakes, help them. Treat others' success as if they were our own. Because when one of us rises, all of us rise together.

Mr Speaker, this is who I am. Someone who believes in unity without uniformity. Someone who wants to create what has yet to be imagined. Someone who believes that we achieve more when we work together.

At the heart of my team today is our transport workers: rail maintenance workers working in the dead of night, our bus captains working split shifts, frontline customer service officers who maintain their composure even under public pressure, private hire car drivers trying to make ends meet, all of them are part of my team. I am responsible for them. They keep our system going. They will always have my support and I hope they will have yours, too.

Not long ago, I read a letter that was published in the Lianhe Zaobao. It was titled "请把父亲还给我", or please return my father to me. It was written by a young woman whose father had been a bus captain for 20 years. She wrote about the long hours that her father worked, often on the hardest shifts. When she asked him if work was more important than family, he replied, "The company needs me. I have to do it." At the end of her letter, she wrote, "家庭，才是人生最不该错过的末班车". Family is the last bus in life that we must never miss.

That story moved me. It reminded me of my own relationship with my father. He, too, worked long hours in a coffee shop. Growing up, I wished for his presence even though I understood his absence.

Now, I find myself feeling the same tensions. Some evenings, my children would see me heading out. They would ask, "Where are you going, Daddy?" I wonder in those moments, if I am giving them enough. They are teenagers now. They do not need me to tuck them into bed anymore. But they still need me to listen, to be present and to show up.

I feel a tinge in my heart, but I know that my work matters. I am helping to build the country that we all share, where people can get home on time for dinner with their families, where a daughter can see her bus captain dad because we support the people who keep our country running.

Our country will never be perfect. But it can be one that we are all proud of. That is why I will keep going for every Singaporean, for a Singapore where no one walks alone. The way forward is together, with our families, our friends and as one nation, because the meaningful things in life cannot be done alone. [Applause.]

Mr Kenneth Tiong, do you have a clarification?

Are those your three clarifications to one of the Ministers and no more clarifications? Alright. Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong.

No further clarifications, Mr Tiong? Minister of State Dinesh Vasu Dash.

Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise in support of the Motion to thank our President for his address. Before I proceed, may I please be allowed to say a few words in Tamil?

(In Tamil): Hon Deputy Speaker, and Members of this House, greetings. My father would often tell me how when my grandfather came from India to Singapore, what he had with him was only hope and hard work. He worked as a contractor who engages construction workers. It was hard work; but he never once complained. The explanation he gave my father was: "I work hard today so that tomorrow, you can live well."

This story is not just the story of my family alone. It is the story of countless Indian forefathers too. They came as labourers, traders, and teachers. They endured hardship. Yet, at the same time, they also grew their families. They established schools, temples, mosques, churches and community organisations. All these have stood the test of time till today. It is their sacrifices then, that has uplifted our generations today.

In recent times, new Indian immigrants have come to Singapore. Many of them have come here to study or work. As days went, they did not return home and made Singapore their permanent home. Their aspirations are similar to our pioneers – good family, sufficient income and commitment to the country.

Today, the Indian community is diverse. We are Tamils, Punjabis, Gujaratis, Malayalees, Telugus, Sindhis and many others. We are Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs. But above these- we are Singaporeans! And this is why I stand here today, not only as a representative of the Indian community, but as a part of the Singapore community.

Our community’s progress is not apart from the country’s progress. It is a part of it. That is what Mr S Rajaratnam, who brought glory to the Indian community and the country, emphasised. He has said, any one community should not preserve its own traditions alone, but create a united Singapore. These words are solemn to us.

These words are especially important, given how the world is divided by language, race and religion. Singapore’s’ strength lies in the unity that we find amidst our differences. For this unity, every community must make its contributions.

When our youths excel in education, when our seniors are fine, when our families are prosperous – this is not just a community’s achievement; it is Singapore’s victory.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

As I embark my journey in this House, I hold the stories of our forefathers, the hopes of Singaporeans and new immigrants and the words of leaders such as Mr Rajaratnam in my heart. Let us continue to build a strong and prosperous society. May excellent Singapore excel onward.

(In English): Mr Speaker, we live in uncertain and fractious times. We face a shifting global order, the real impact of climate change and the lingering aftershocks of a once-in-a-generation pandemic. The world today feels more volatile, polarised and far more anxious than before.

We are facing profound challenges within Singapore too – a rapidly ageing society, the rise in technology, potentially displacing jobs and greater individualism. We are also not immune to the global trends and impact of rising populism and protectionism.

However, this is not the first time Singapore had seen trouble. Our founding generation faced severe, existential concerns, yet both the Government and people worked together to defy all odds and transform Singapore.

My generation was born after the trauma of Separation, but we had our challenges too. While there was palpable economic growth, there were uncertainties, economic crises and we did not take anything for granted. Like many families then, my brother and I were taught to treasure what little we had and to always care for those who needed help. This had been the ethos of the Singapore story.

We had our crises too. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, I saw first-hand how the leadership worked hand in hand with our people to save lives and livelihoods. I consider it an honour to have served Singapore during the pandemic and to have the voice of the underprivileged be represented as I served, solved problems and pushed boundaries.

Today's generation faces different challenges and a different lived experience. In fact, in my conversations with young Singaporeans, I hear both optimism and unease. They believe in Singapore, but they want their voices to be heard. And they want to know that this country will work for them even as the world changes. This will therefore be my first area of focus: our youths.

Understandably, their points of reference are different from ours, where development exists, systems work but there are expectations for them to work better. While there are more opportunities both locally and overseas, our youths are apprehensive about their type of jobs, their families, their future and about global justice, climate change and the environment.

To them, I say, "Your voice matters. My colleagues and I are committed to listening to you to understand your concerns and to work with you to fulfil your dreams".

This generation understands different pathways to success and has what it takes to overcome the hurdles that life throws at them.

Take, for example, Mr Wong Kah Chun. While performing for the SAF military band during his National Service, he suffered a nerve injury. During his recovery, he discovered his talent in being a composer and a conductor. After receiving the Lee Kuan Yew scholarship and scoring the first prize at the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition, Kah Chun had many notable appearances such as being appointed as chief conductor to Germany's Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.

Last year, he was appointed the principal conductor and artistic adviser of The Hallee, a 165-year-old symphony orchestra based in Manchester in the United Kingdom. This year, he made history as the first Singaporean to conduct at the BBC Promenade Concerts, the world famous classical music festival held annually in London.

Kah Chun had blazed the trail and had shown young Singaporeans that it is possible to carve out meaningful careers even in less conventional fields. When I asked him for his message to younger Singaporeans, he said, "Dream boldly, work with discipline and always remember that our heritage can be the source of our greatest creativity."

These are very profound words from a Singaporean youth that we are all very proud of.

However, there are anxieties on the availability of jobs and potential displacements due to technology as well as global economic shifts. To this, I would say, "Do not despair. My colleagues and I at MOM will do whatever we can to help to be a bridge for you and to help to connect you to jobs, assess your career health, highlight industries that are growing and to help you acquire the skills needed for roles in these sectors".

Further, in my capacity as the co-chair of the Economic Strategy Review Committee on Entrepreneurship, I hope to be able to provide new opportunities to help fulfil your aspirations. My fellow co-chair Minister of State Alvin Tan and I are determined to create a bustling culture of entrepreneurship where our youths would be able to fulfil personal aspirations and in the process, solidify Singapore's place as an entrepreneurship hub. This is another clear reflection of how the Government works with all Singaporeans to provide for better, more prosperous futures by connecting them to jobs.

While we secure the futures of our young, we must continue to value and respect those who had built Singapore, past and present. This brings me to my second area of focus: our seniors.

Singapore has been designated as a Blue Zone 2.0 country as our residents have exceptionally long life expectancies. Singapore's longevity is attributed to an engineered environment, which is almost exclusively based on Government policies, urban planning and a population that is generally health conscious.

We are expected to be super aged by the year 2026. One in four residents will be above the age of 65 by 2030. In fact, in my constituency in Bedok and Siglap, one in four residents are already above the age of 65. We are five years ahead of schedule. If I were to expand the age bracket to those who are above 60, 32% or almost one third of my residents would qualify.

Many of our seniors are fit and active and have much to contribute to our nation, including our workforce. We should provide as many opportunities as possible, especially for those who are willing and able to work.

The Ministry of Health's (MOH's) Healthier SG and Age Well SG have been significant programmes that have the potential to change the ageing landscape in Singapore. With the speed and comprehensive nature of the rollout of both initiatives, particularly Age Well SG, residents of HDB towns would benefit tremendously from such programmes. Given the sheer number of seniors among us, it would be useful to expand the programme, which includes social gatherings, exercise and therapy sessions, to include private estates as well.

Unfortunately, not all of us will be able to age gracefully. Some of us might unfortunately be affected by illnesses and disease. This might be so despite our best efforts in taking care of ourselves and living wisely.

My wife's grandmother was one such person. Suffering from a severe mental illness for many years, I could see the psychological toll it took on her entire family. Nevertheless, my in-laws took it in their stride and did their duty, always with a warm, loving smile until her last days.

I believe more can be done to support our seniors like my wife's grandmother and their families. I wish to continue to push for initiatives both at the policy and implementation levels and to be a voice for our seniors to live dignified lives.

My third area of focus will be on protecting the vulnerable. One of our key policy pillars had been that families and society formed the basic safety nets for individuals with disabilities. However, with competing demands, reducing family sizes and Singapore's economic development, it is not unreasonable for there to be an expectation for the state to do slightly more – not for the Government to be the sole safety net but to play a stronger role.

For those who may be able to work, we should be giving them a fair wage for their efforts. MOM had been rolling out the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). Most recently, I announced the PWM for the retail sector.

The PWM is the Government's way of ensuring that the most vulnerable among our workers are protected and that their salaries are increased in tandem to cope with the cost of living. To complement the Government's efforts, businesses must also continue to restructure themselves and workers must acquire new skills to remain employable.

We must not forget our migrant workers, who take on much of the toil that Singaporeans prefer not to do. Our buildings and infrastructure are built on their blood, sweat and tears. As if their daily contributions are not enough, they occasionally transform into superheroes to save Singaporeans in need.

In my capacity at MOM, I have had the pleasure of working closely with our migrant workers and hope that Singaporeans will continue to open their hearts to them and to support them, not only when they perform heroic acts from time to time.

Speaking of daily superheroes, the demands on caregivers, particularly those taking care of physically or intellectually disabled people, can be time consuming and both emotionally and financially draining. I do think more should be done to support our caregivers.

I was therefore happy to inaugurate the Enabling Services Hub at Block 28 at New Upper Changi Road, which was a ground up initiative between my grassroots, SG Enable and like-minded partners. Together, the hub aims to provide services for those with intellectual and physical disabilities and for our caregivers to have a reprieve from their daily responsibilities.

Take, for example, Mdm Wendy Goh, who had been making four trips every week for her 21-year-old daughter, Nicole Chew, who has an intellectual disability, from their home in Bedok to Tampines. As we can imagine, this was difficult and draining. Now, with the Enabling Services Hub at Block 28, Nicole can join inclusive activities that would help her learn, grow and connect with others in the community closer to home.

Ultimately, Singaporeans facing physical or mental disabilities together with their families deserve to live fulfilling lives. I will do my best to ensure that no one is left behind.

The uncertainties in the world are likely to continue. There could be pressures on our resolve and unity. Some may draw comparisons between the haves and the have-nots. Others may turn nativist, trying to draw the distinction between second- or third-generation with first-generation Singaporeans.

During such times, we should strengthen our resolve and fall back on our values. We have always celebrated ground up initiatives based on self reliance and a strong work ethic, just like my in-laws. Hence, wanting to be a "we first" society does not mean that we were wholly individualistic previously.

Indeed, we celebrate and strengthen ourselves to be one united Singapore, a Singapore where our vulnerable are able to live dignified lives, a Singapore where everyone is respected, a Singapore where individual contributions are honoured and cherished regardless of age, and a Singapore where our youth would continue to have a bright future. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion. [Applause.]

Mr Melvin Yong.

Thank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing me to join the debate. Sir, I stand in support of the Motion.

I would like to thank Mr President for laying out the key priorities for this new term of Government. I agree with Mr President that our nation’s success must never be measured by economic growth alone. It must be judged by how we support the vulnerable and how we enable every Singaporean to contribute and to live with dignity.

As we begin the 15th Parliament, it is timely to reflect on how far we have come in uplifting our lower-wage workers, and more importantly, the work that still lies ahead. Over the last decade, we have made significant strides in improving the wages, welfare and work conditions of our lower-wage workers. Between 2019 and 2024, the real wages of workers at the 20th percentile grew by 5.9% – outpacing the 3.6% growth for the median worker. This shows that our policies are lifting those at the lower end of the wage ladder.

Some ask why Singapore has not adopted a universal minimum wage. The answer lies in the strength of our PWM. Unlike a single wage floor applied across the board, PWM is tailored to specific sectors, covers over 40 job roles today and enables workers to progress through skills and productivity. Today, more than 155,000 workers across nine sectors and occupations are covered by PWM.

Take the cleaning sector. A decade ago, a general office cleaner earned about $600. Today, the entry wage is at least $1,910. Workers like Azizah Abdul Majeed, a single mother who upgraded herself from part-time cleaner to team leader, show how PWM creates dignity, career progression and better livelihoods.

In the security sector, the basic monthly wage of an entry-level security officer was about $1,100 in 2016. From 1 January 2025, that basic wage rose to at least $2,870 and by 2028, it will further increase to about $3,530. Many security officers are now running digital systems and handling crowd-control duties – roles now seen as skilled professions.

Just as important are the personal stories behind these numbers. One example is Sivamani Taigrajan, whose father once worked long hours as a security guard to support the family. Today, as a Security Supervisor, she leads a command centre, embraces new technology and inspires others to join the industry. More than higher pay, she now has pride and purpose in a profession that has been transformed by PWM.

At the national level, inequality has narrowed. The Gini coefficient has fallen from 0.464 in 2014 to 0.435 in 2024. This is before transfers and taxes. If we take into account both transfers and taxes, the Gini coefficient drops further to 0.364.

Sir, these achievements were not overnight. They were built on strong tripartite trust and tough negotiations. In 2021, the Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers put forth 18 recommendations. I am glad to know that by working together, by July 2023, all 18 recommendations were implemented. Each year, the National Wages Council, another tripartite platform, continues to issue guidelines with a strong focus on uplifting our lower-wage workers.

While progress has been made, the journey is far from complete. Inflation continues to weigh heavily. NTUC’s June 2025 Survey showed that lower-income households are most worried about the rising costs of food, groceries and healthcare. Many are also supporting both young children and elderly parents. Workers know upskilling is key but often struggle to identify relevant training or meaningful career opportunities. I had spoken about this before, in this house, highlighting the two common questions that workers have: train what? Train for what?

Long working hours remain an issue. In security, officers still work 12-hour shifts, six days a week. Higher wages cannot come at the expense of health, well-being and family life. The talent pipelines remain thin. Younger Singaporeans are not joining PWM sectors in sufficient numbers, raising concerns about long-term sustainability for the service providers. Implementation challenges also persist. PWM wage negotiations are becoming tougher in today’s economic climate and close monitoring is needed to prevent uneven application or cost-shifting. These challenges make it even more critical that our tripartite partners stand firm in upholding fair and sustainable outcomes for our workers.

Amidst these challenges, NTUC and our unions will continue to work hard to ensure that wages keep pace and workers are not left behind. Beyond wages, our unions play a hands-on role: negotiating fairer workplace conditions, supporting upskilling and providing aid through our NTUC U Care Fund for members and their families facing financial stress. But our mission is far from complete. Income at the 20th percentile is about 55% of median income – short of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) benchmark of two-thirds.

To close this gap, NTUC believes it is timely to convene a refreshed Tripartite Workgroup on Lower-Wage Workers to chart the next bound of progress. This group must be bold, ambitious, and focused on both wages and sustained career progression.

NTUC will also seek to broaden and deepen the impact of the PWM in two key areas. First, by placing stronger emphasis on productivity as the enabler of sustainable wage growth. For example, 800 Super Waste Management, they work with the Built Environment and Urban Trades Employees’ Union (BATU), deployed AI-enabled recycling bins under a Company Training Committee framework. This boosted productivity, reduced contamination and more importantly, enabled higher-value jobs with a 5% pay increase for 100 workers.

Second, by expanding PWM into more sectors. One area that I have raised before is Pest Management, an essential service in public health but still plagued by low wages and high attrition. A PWM here would create structured career and wage ladders, strengthening both livelihoods and the resilience of the sector.

Beyond PWM, the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) ensures that firms hiring foreign manpower also uplift local wages. The last increase brought the threshold to $1,600 in July 2024. NTUC calls on the Government to further raise the LQS in this term of Government to narrow the gap between lower-wage and median workers. At the same time, NTUC recognises that some workers may need more help. Through the NTUC U Care Fund, we will continue to support vulnerable families and those hit by sudden hardship.

NTUC’s enterprises also play a part. The FairPrice Group, for example, continues to keep essentials affordable, helping families cope even as wages rise. The Labour Movement has, and will continue to, do our part in helping to nurture a “we first” society at every level. Mr Speaker, allow me to speak a few words in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): Over the past decade, the PWM has become an important cornerstone of our tripartite cooperation. We can see that income inequality in our country has narrowed, which proves that our policies to raise the wages of low-income workers are indeed effective.

Behind these numbers are the real workers and families: the cleaning uncle supporting his family's needs, the security officer spending more time with his family or the pest management worker seeking career development and recognition. NTUC will continue to walk the journey with low wage workers, working hand-in-hand with the Government, employers and the wider community to build a fairer and more inclusive Singapore.

For the new term of this Government, I urge the Government to continue pressing forward boldly. First, further expand the coverage of the PWMs. Second, raise the threshold for Local Qualifying Salary (LQS). Third, strengthen support for training and upscaling. Only in this way can we further narrow the income gap, drive sustained wage growth and enable every worker to progress with dignity.

(In English): Sir, over the past decade, PWM has become a cornerstone of our labour compact. Government data has shown that wages for those at the 20th percentile has risen higher than the median. And consequently, income inequality has narrowed. More importantly, behind these numbers are real workers and real families: the cleaner supporting his children’s education, the security officer spending more time with his family, or the pest management worker seeking career recognition.

NTUC remains firmly committed to walking this journey with our workers. Together with our tripartite partners and the wider community, we will continue to build a fairer, more inclusive Singapore, where no worker is left behind. As we embark on this new term, I urge the Government to press on boldly with Progressive Wage expansion, further raise the LQS and strengthen support for training and upskilling. These moves are essential to close the income gap, secure sustainable wage growth and uphold our shared vision of a society where every worker can progress with dignity – because at NTUC, we firmly believe that Every Worker Matters. [Applause.]