Debated in Parliament on 23 Sep 2025.
Mr Alex Yeo.
Mr Speaker. I rise in support of the Motion of thanks for the President's Address. First, I wish to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Potong Pasir for their warm welcome to my team and me. Potong Pasir SMC is almost as old as Singapore. Formed in 1968, it has grown in population size by 2.6 times. The transformation that it has undergone is a fair reflection of a cross-section of our Singapore society. On the one side of Upper Serangoon Road, the mature estate of Potong Pasir with its landmark sloping roofs, rich heritage and a high number of seniors; and on the other side, the young vibrant families of the Bidadari Estate. As I spent these last few months getting to know my residents and understanding their concerns and aspirations, I find myself reflecting on the notion of well-being.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, well-being is defined as, "With reference to a person or community, the state of being healthy, happy, or prosperous; physical, psychological, or moral welfare."
Today, I would like to speak a little about being healthy and happy. When I speak with retired seniors in the community, they often tell me that they hope to be physically and mentally healthy. Having led active lives in their younger years, they worry that their silver years could become mentally meaningless, physically debilitating or financially a burden to their families. For our seniors, staying healthy with affordable healthcare is about living with dignity and peace of mind. In a "we first" society, how do we ensure this? Dignity is about the quality of life in a senior's silver years. Conditions, such as cognitive impairment or the loss of any of the Activities of Daily Living, reduce their quality of life significantly, and in the eyes of a senior, his or her dignity.
As the Prime Minister shared in the National Day Rally Speech this year, while we now live longer, the years that we live in good health is on average 10 years shorter. Ideally, our lifespan and our health-span should be closer. The concern that we live long but not well, is real.
The increasing number of seniors who reached out to me over the last nine years, first in Paya Lebar and now in Potong Pasir to certify their Lasting Power of Attorney (LPAs) on a pro bono basis, is both heartening and concerning at the same time. While on one hand, seniors are making conscious choices with awareness on what is a very difficult and life-changing issue; on the other hand, it is clear to me, that more seniors are anxious, worried and unsettled about what could happen to them as they age.
They say prevention is better than cure. Preventive healthcare for our seniors can reduce years of bad health while increasing their quality of life. With this in mind, in 2019, I helped launch the Health and Wellness Programme in Paya Lebar. The Programme provided seniors with fully subsidized flu and pneumococcal vaccinations as well as screenings for pre-dementia and osteoporosis. Many seniors in Paya Lebar benefited from the Programme. We focused on Brain and Bone Health because these are common and potentially debilitating conditions that our seniors increasingly face. The results were concerning. They showed that an overwhelming number of seniors were unaware that they suffered from mild to severe cognitive impairment and/or poor bone health.
When Healthier SG was announced in 2023 with its focus on preventive healthcare, including various screenings and fully subsidised flu and pneumococcal vaccinations, it gave me cause to cheer quietly to myself as it meant that we had been on the right track. Unfortunately, Healthier SG has yet to cover screenings and support for conditions, such as pre-dementia and osteoporosis. Dementia is debilitating and scary for our seniors. Poor bone health on the other hand, leads to deteriorating mobility for our seniors, particularly after a fall. Both conditions take a tremendous toll on caregivers in the family.
Pre-dementia screening and bone density tests, therefore, allow for early detection, timely intervention which can slow down the progression and better long-term planning, which gives our seniors and their families the time and opportunity to make necessary adjustments. I am, therefore, happy to announce that next month, we will be launching a similar ground-up Community Preventive Healthcare Programme in Potong Pasir for seniors where we will focus once again, on brain and bone health. We are also working on adding other aspects of preventative healthcare, such as vaccination for shingles.
I hope that in the near future, the Government will consider expanding the ambit of the Healthier SG Programme, to include screening for pre-dementia, bone density tests, fully subsidised shingles vaccinations and other areas of preventive healthcare so that we can augment and support the efforts of our seniors to remain as healthy as they can be, in their silver years.
Mr Speaker, for preventive healthcare to be at its most effective, we must ensure that our seniors age well in an environment that provides the right care, support and amenities tailored to their needs. If this can be created in a familiar environment within the estates that they live in, all the better.
I therefore read with great interest, Minister Ong's remarks last month about Age Well Neighbourhoods. I believe that if we succeed in the four areas of expanding our Active Ageing Centres, introducing the Community Health Posts, Home Personal Care and upgrading the physical environment of such estates to suit the needs of seniors, we can create an environment where seniors can live and socialise in surroundings that they are familiar with, stay active with friends and care for their health through easily accessible preventive healthcare programmes.
I understand that Toa Payoh has been selected to pilot the Age Well Neighbourhoods. Since Minister Ong is not in the Chamber, but perhaps, I could very humbly, on behalf of the seniors in Potong Pasir, make a pitch for our estate to be next.
Sir, to seniors, having affordable healthcare is about having peace of mind. In Singapore, we have a thoughtfully planned healthcare financial assistance framework of S+3Ms, namely, Government Subsidies, MediSave, MediShield Life and MediFund, which provides Singaporeans with support for their medical bills at public healthcare institutions.
As set out in the 1993 White Paper on Affordable Healthcare, the framework is premised on providing a sustainable healthcare system, based on the objectives of personal responsibility, avoiding over-reliance on state welfare and providing good and affordable medical services to Singaporeans.
To qualify for Government subsidies, means testing applies. This has a two-prong approach. First, the per capita household income (PCHI) is assessed. If the household does not have PCHI, then the annual value of the residence is considered.
By and large, it has been a progressive and fair assessment regime aimed at providing targeted assistance to Singaporeans who need it the most and many have benefited over the years. I wonder, however, if it is time for us to review the framework, particularly the assessment of our seniors' eligibility for Government subsidies, given the changing demography of Singapore and their evolving needs and circumstance.
From 1990 to 2024, the median age of Singaporeans grew from 29.8 to 42.8 years. Those above the age of 65, grew from 6% to 18% of the population. As shared widely by other Members in this House, this number is set to become about one in four by 2030.
At the same, time, an increasing number of seniors above the age of 65 either lives alone or alone with their spouses. In 2024, this makes up about 38.5% of households with above 65-year-olds in Singapore.
Many Singaporeans above the age of 65 years are retired, or nearing retirement, often with a significantly reduced income. Conversely, their healthcare needs increase. One can argue that in the 1990s, around the time the White Paper was released, we were a younger nation, with a vibrant workforce underpinned by a strong growing economy. The general healthcare needs of a smaller pool of seniors could be supported by a larger, younger workforce.
Today, however, our demographic has evolved. We have many more seniors with smaller families. They wish to live independently. Using the Annual Value (AV) of a senior's residence as part of the means test may not reflect a senior's means or financial ability. Even where seniors live with their families, financial circumstances can be challenging.
Let me share an example of Mr Jeffrey Tan, which I do with his permission. I got to know Jeffrey in the middle of 2024. Jeffrey and his wife were in their 60s and, at that time, lived in a larger HDB flat. Jeffrey's father was in his 90s and was previously living in a smaller HDB home in Toa Payoh where Jeffrey grew up. As an only child, Jeffrey had arranged for his parents to move in with him.
As a result of this, however, when Jeffrey’s father grew older and had more healthcare needs, Jeffrey realised that his father's entitlement to Government subsidies was significantly lower due to the AV of Jeffrey's home. Given that the household had no income, the added cost caused the family financial challenges. To his credit, in all my conversations with him, Jeffrey did not advocate for universal healthcare nor complain about the financial burden. He however shared that others like him, who had no income but had to care for their aged parents, face similar financial challenges when the ability to afford and the assessment of the level of subsidies was based on the AV of the home that they lived in. He wondered if his decision to be a responsible child, even though he himself was in his 60s and retired, had effectively penalised him and his father, financially.
Mr Speaker, we have a healthcare system that is world class and serves Singaporeans well. As Minister Ong shared during the Committee of Supply debates earlier this year, the Government takes a practical approach, balancing the trade-offs in achieving the three objectives of affordability, availability and quality in our healthcare policies. It is, without a doubt, a delicate balance.
In fact, the Government had recently revised the thresholds for both per capita household income and the AV criteria to include more Singaporeans within the threshold.
This is an acknowledgment that public policy is contextual with time and when there are opportunities to refine, address gaps and/or respond to fundamental shifts. We must, as we always have, continue to do so. The shifting demographic and social paradigms mean that there will be more situations like Jeffrey's, each with his or her own unique circumstances.
It is in this spirit that I hope that this House can, in this term of Government, consider reviewing and removing the means-testing regime for the application of subsidies for seniors in our public healthcare system.
Mr Speaker, our seniors belong to a generation who put the "we" before the "I" in the endeavour of nation building. We have a duty to try to give them the best opportunity to live a life of quality with dignity and peace of mind in their silver years.
Sir, I would now like to turn to the second aspect of well-being, which is happiness. At the recent Emmy Awards, the Netflix show Adolescence swept up awards for eight categories. Its grim, yet compelling portrayal of children, smartphones and social media resonated globally because it reflected a reality many of us recognise.
As a father of two Gen Alpha children, I wish for them, as all parents do, to enjoy an ideal childhood, like a gentle spring season: fresh, full of promise, and unburdened by the storms of life, a time for imagination, exploration, and forming lifelong bonds with family and friends.
Yet, my wife and I worry. Where once parents told children to beware of strangers outside the home, today, we must also guard against the "strangers" and dangers lurking within – in the digital world. Technology offers promise, but it has also dramatically altered childhood experiences, self-worth and social relationships over the past decade.
The harmful effects of excessive screen time and social media on the young are well-documented. I am therefore heartened by the plans announced in the Ministry of Digital Development and Information's Addendum to the President's Address, to establish an Online Safety Commission and to promote healthier digital interactions for children and youth, study interventions in other countries, build on existing measures for age-appropriate access and encourage positive norms for digital well-being. I believe, Mr Speaker, that we are at an inflexion point as a society.
Aside from online safety, the data and literature on the harm caused to the overall well-being of children and youths, growing up in a digital environment is well-researched and publicised. Many Members of this House would be, for example, well-versed with Jonathan Haidt's book, "The Anxious Generation".
We have also all read reports that indicate that while our children are well-connected in the digital world, they remain lonely and disconnected in real life.
The 2024 Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy-Institute of Policy Studies' Youth Survey found that more than half of young people find it easier to communicate online and feel anxious when they interact with others in person. Younger respondents also report higher levels of social isolation and loneliness. A CNA-Institute of Policy Studies survey found that youths aged 13 to 19 spend an average of 8.5 hours daily on screens. These are deeply worrying statistics.
I recall watching The Emoji Movie with my children. I am not sure if Members have watched this movie. But imagine all the emojis come together, through animation, in a story about young people expressing their inner thoughts through emojis to interact with each other.
To me, the movie was an excellent depiction of how our young are growing up socially in a digital world. To be fair, adults also regularly and, as a matter, of course, express emotions through emojis. However, most adults of today grew up in a less digitally enabled time and therefore are more likely to be equipped with strong relationships and real-life experiences with family and friends in the "physical world".
I for one am glad that the Government is keeping a close watch on this trend and is prepared to take steps to intervene by introducing the appropriate legislative safeguards to protect our young.
But will this be enough to shape behaviours especially when the digital space is all pervasive? Even if we manage to somehow reduce or limit access to the digital world for our young, it is likely to leave a gaping void that needs to be filled. While we use legislative levers to address immediate concerns and shape future behaviour, there is also a need to intervene directly in our communities and facilitate social activities and interactions for our young to fill the void.
We have done this successfully for our seniors with our Active Ageing Centres. In fact, we could consider co-locating centres for our children and youth with our Active Ageing Centres. I believe both our seniors, children and youths will benefit from being close to each other with opportunities to interact.
I am confident that we will have the support of many parents for such centres. In the Bidadari Estate, I have been approached by parents of young children who are prepared to put in the time to set up and run such community spaces to keep our youths engaged. They recently shared their proposal with me and I would like to share their vision statement with this House. I quote, "To create a space where parents and children can connect, learn and grow, strengthening their bonds and building resilience together. By fostering a culture of well-being, we aim to nurture a new generation of healthy, confident children and resilient, supported parents. We believe that when families flourish, communities do too", unquote.
There are many like-minded parents in our community who are prepared to work with us to provide safe and engaging spaces for our youths within the community. I strongly urge the Government to leverage on the interest, resources and expertise in the community to set up such community spaces so that our young have opportunities to spend time interacting with friends, family and grow bonds in the community, the old-fashioned way, face-to-face, in person.
Mr Speaker, as we work towards nurturing a "we first" society beyond SG60, we must ensure that we continue to look after our collective well-being. We are only as strong as our weakest link. We have a duty to support our seniors and for the future of the nation, ensure that our young grow up healthy, happy and safe both in the digital and the physical realms.
Together with the foundations of resilience, unity and fighting spirit as a people, I am confident that we can overcome our challenges and shape a future in which we will continue to not just survive but thrive. I support the Motion. [Applause.]
Mr Edward Chia.
Mr Speaker, Sir, it is an honour to rise in this House and to continue serving the residents of Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, especially those in Zhenghua. My heartfelt thanks to all residents.
First, I would like to declare my interest as an entrepreneur within the circular economy space, specifically running a food circularity business. I also serve as an Exco member of the Restaurant Association of Singapore and as an advisor to the Singapore Association of Ship Suppliers and Services, the National Instructors and Coaches Association, and the Visual, Audio and Creative Content Professionals Association (VICPA).
I echo the President's call to refresh Singapore's economic strategies, and to build a future that is both resilient and inclusive.
The world around us is shifting rapidly. Global markets, once seen as stable, are now weighed down by war, protectionist tariffs, and domestic upheavals. Multinational corporations are recalibrating supply chains and rethinking strategies, while trade itself is increasingly weaponised. In this climate, countries are competing fiercely with subsidies and incentives to win investments.
Singapore cannot and should not compete on size or subsidy. We must compete on relevance, on the strength of our ecosystem. And this is why SMEs matter. They provide the embedded networks and value that anchor investors here, and they give Singapore its relevance.
In uncertain times, agility often trumps scale and agility is where our SMEs shine. They are adaptable, deeply rooted in our communities and reflect the entrepreneurial spirit that built modern Singapore. Strengthening them is an economic imperative and also a social one. They enrich livelihoods, sustain communities and make Singapore a more cohesive nation.
To unlock this potential, we need a mindset shift, to see SMEs as co-creators of our national transformation.
To unlock the potential of our SMEs, I put forward eight recommendations. These recommendations fall under three themes, providing targeted relief with accountability, fostering collaboration that scales, and driving structural reforms that reward both economic performance and social impact.
First, I propose a Targeted Restart Grant to support viable firms, particularly in sectors, like F&B, logistics, tourism and services, that continue to grapple with global supply chain disruptions and a subdued business outlook. Crucially, a Restart grant ensures that entrepreneurs with deep experience and networks are empowered to restart so that the jobs they create, the communities they anchor, and the know-how they carry are not lost, but preserved as economic and social value for our nation.
This support should be conditional. It must be tied to forward-looking transformation plans, such as digitalisation, process redesign, internationalisation and workforce upskilling. The aim is not to prop up outdated business models, but to catalyse renewal and innovation.
Support should be structured with clear milestones, co-funding ratios and sunset clauses. Firms that meet their transformation goals could tap into productivity credits and other grants. Those who do not should exit the support framework to safeguard public value. In short, Mr Speaker, we must help experience restart, not expire.
Beyond restarting, SMEs will also need time to rebuild. This is why my second proposal is to give SMEs more breathing space when it comes to financing. This could include extending loan tenures, offer repayment flexibility or introducing principal moratoriums, especially for firms undergoing transformation. These measures should be calibrated with risk-based pricing and require recipients to commit to basic financial reporting and cashflow transparency.
In my maiden speech, I called for repayment schemes to go beyond rent arrears. Today, I reiterate that we should extend them to a wider range of obligations – personal guarantees, insurance bonds, trade financing and term loans. Just as the COVID-19 framework gave many businesses a lifeline, such calibrated extensions can give SMEs the time and confidence to press on with transformation.
At the same time, we cannot rely on traditional banks alone. Alternative financing models must be expanded – revenue-based financing and venture debt designed for SMEs. These instruments are especially crucial for high-growth sectors, like agri-tech, clean energy, health tech and the digital economy, where upfront investment is heavy but long-term returns can be transformative for Singapore’s future. In short, we must give SMEs not just capital, but also time, because time is the oxygen they need to grow, adapt and thrive.
Third, we must actively encourage SMEs to form consortiums and project joint ventures. Forming consortiums allows SMEs to pool talent, share resources and punch above their weight for larger contracts. To facilitate this, agencies can provide higher grant quantums for firms that collaborate in enterprise around projects, seeking greater collaborative ventures. Beyond this, the Government should enhance grant support and offer favourable financing terms for consortiums, including joint training programmes, shared intellectual property frameworks and common procurement platforms.
Trade associations and chambers of commerce should act as neutral convenors and custodians, ensuring accountability and fair distribution of benefits, while giving SMEs the confidence to collaborate at scale. In short, by encouraging collaboration, we multiply the impact of our SMEs, turning small firms into a connected ecosystem that strengthens Singapore’s competitiveness and resilience.
Fourth, we must improve payment terms to ease cash flow for SMEs. Delayed payments from large corporates or Government-linked entities can cripple small businesses. The Government can lead by example to commit to shorter standard payment terms, ideally within 30 days. In addition, I propose introducing automatic late-payment interest clauses to encourage discipline and predictability. This should also include the timely disbursement of grants once project milestones are met. To institutionalise this further, we implement procurement performance scorecard that tracks payment timeliness and SME participation across the public sector.
Fifth, I call for a more efficient regulatory system. For SMEs, every month spent waiting for approvals is a month of lost opportunity. We must set clear standards with publishable timelines, expand "silent approvals" for low-risk applications and adopt sandboxes so that new business models can be tested safely. And to make this stick, we should institutionalise a scorecard that tracks timeliness of approvals across public agencies.
My sixth proposal addresses the issue of rising manpower costs. While the PWM is a critical and necessary step toward uplifting lower-wage workers and affirming the dignity of labour, we must also acknowledge the strain it is placing on our SMEs. Many are struggling to keep pace with mandated wage increases, especially when productivity gains take time to realise and passing on costs to consumers risks pricing them out of the market.
This pressure is further compounded by the rising total cost of foreign manpower, fuelled by higher dormitory costs, steeper qualifying salaries and persistent foreign worker levies. Let us recall that these levies were originally intended to guard against wage suppression. But in sectors already governed by PWM, where wage ladders are clearly structured and enforced, such levies are increasingly redundant, even counterproductive. They burden SMEs without offering meaningful additional safeguards for workers. I, hence, urge the Government to undertake a comprehensive review of the foreign worker levy framework in PWM-covered sectors. Targeted levy reductions or time-bound rebates, similar to those introduced during the pandemic, should be considered.
My seventh proposal addresses rent, a structural issue that continues to weigh heavily on our SMEs. For years, SMEs have called for greater rent data transparency. Why? Because transparency levels the playing field. It ensures fairer negotiations and it allows businesses to make informed decisions.
In the residential property market, URA already publishes rent and property sale values, giving tenants and buyers clarity. Government landlords have also published land and rental data. These are positive precedents. This is why I call on URA to extend this practice and publish commercial rent data in a format similar to that used for residential properties. In addition to transparency, as the largest landowner in Singapore, the Government has the opportunity and also the responsibility to shape how market systems evolve.
I propose that public tenancy evaluations scale and expand the Price Quality Method. Crucially, "quality" component should reflect not just financial bids, but also social and environmental value. This can be aligned with the Corporate Purpose framework under the Company of Good by the National Voluntary and Philanthropy Centre, where firms are assessed not only on profits, but on their contributions to people, society, governance, environment and the economy. Firms recognised with one to three hearts, or as Champions of Good, could then be awarded proportionate scoring in tenancy evaluations.
Because, Mr Speaker, our enterprises are not just economic agents, they are also social change agents and a rent model that rewards placemaking, inclusivity and sustainability will strengthen businesses and enrich Singapore.
Lastly, we must acknowledge that automation requires space, both physical and financial. Automated operations often involve additional infrastructure. For example, an automated production line may require space for conveyance systems, robotic arms, storage buffers, or automated sorting and quality control stations. These spatial needs can significantly increase upfront costs and logistics complexity, particularly for SMEs operating in compact facilities.
For such businesses, I propose that the Government offer property tax relief, accelerated capital allowances, longer lease tenures, calibrated foreign worker levy reductions, provided these are tagged to productivity gains and worker upskilling outcomes. Such support would lower the barriers to automation adoption, while ensuring that public resources lead to real, measurable improvements in efficiency, skills development and competitiveness.
Mr Speaker, Sir, our SMEs already contribute 50% of our Singapore's GDP and employ nearly 70% of our workforce. That alone shows how vital they are and how much more we can unlock if we support them better and support them now. It may be tempting to focus on larger enterprises for quick wins in GDP and jobs. But SMEs are not just smaller versions of multinational enterprises (MNEs). They are the backbone of our ecosystem. They provide the networks, the know-how and the connections that make Singapore attractive to global investors. And when MNEs bring in technology and market access, SMEs gain, scale-up and innovate.
Stronger SMEs mean better jobs: progressive, higher-value, future-ready jobs for Singaporeans. They anchor communities, build skills and nurture innovation. By growing our SME sector, we create a pipeline of local global champions. We stabilise our economy. We build resilience. And we ensure Singapore remains relevant, wherever and whatever the future economic order may be.
Strong SMEs, better jobs, a resilient and inclusive Singapore. Mr Speaker, Sir, I support the Motion.
Mr Sharael Taha.
PAPERCUTS