PM Lawrence Wong addresses parliament during debate on President’s Address | Full speech

Key Concepts

• Social Mobility: Maintaining opportunities for all Singaporeans to improve their socio-economic standing.
• Safety Nets: Strengthening support systems to prevent individuals from falling into poverty or hardship.
• Solidarity: Deepening the sense of unity and shared identity among Singaporeans, bridging differences.
• Skills-Based Hiring: Emphasizing practical skills and competencies over academic qualifications in employment.
• We First Society: Prioritizing the collective good and community welfare over individual self-interest.
• Economic Resilience: Enhancing Singapore's ability to adapt and thrive in a volatile global economy.
• Constructive Politics: Fostering respectful debate and collaboration between the ruling and opposition parties.
• Youth Engagement: Involving young Singaporeans in shaping policies and the nation's future.
• Genie Coefficient: A measure of income inequality, used to track progress in reducing disparities.
• Multiracialism: Commitment to racial and religious harmony as a cornerstone of Singaporean identity.

Keeping the Escalator Moving: Enhancing Social Mobility

• Challenge: Addressing the risk of increasing stratification and entrenched privilege in society.
• Early Years Investment: Expanding programs like KidSTART and enhancing ComLink+ to provide early support for disadvantaged families. Focus on integrated, family-centric approaches.
• Education Reforms: Continuing reforms in schools, such as replacing streaming with full subject banding and changing PSLE grading to focus on individual achievement.
• Breaking the Treadmill: Reducing the stakes of single exams and broadening the definition of success to include diverse talents and skills.
• Skills-Based Hiring: Shifting from academic credentials to skills-based assessments in hiring and promotion, particularly in the public sector. Example: GAFT engineers recruited through coding tests, not grades.
• Valuing All Jobs: Narrowing the gaps in recognition and rewards for different professions, including raising salaries for preschool teachers and allied health professionals.
• Societal Mindset: Promoting a shift in societal attitudes towards different career paths, recognizing and respecting diverse vocations.
• Quote: "I'm glad you are trying to make every school a good school, but you cannot succeed unless every job is a good job."

Strengthening Safety Nets: Ensuring No One Falls Through the Cracks

• Essential Needs: Ensuring quality education, healthcare, and housing remain accessible and affordable.
• Housing: Addressing housing concerns by ramping up the supply of new BTO flats and land for private properties. Aiming for shorter waiting times for BTOs.
• Retirement Adequacy: Strengthening retirement adequacy by helping Singaporeans save more during their working lives and providing additional support for those who cannot build a sufficient nest egg.
• Support for Vulnerable Groups: Providing more support for children with special needs, people with disabilities, and those who encounter setbacks.
• Second Chances: Emphasizing the importance of second and third chances, exemplified by programs like the SkillsFuture Job Seeker Support Scheme.
• Income Inequality: Reducing income inequality, with the Genie coefficient at its lowest in more than two decades.
• Wealth Inequality: Mitigating wealth inequality through progressive property taxes, stamp duties, and wealth transfers through public housing and CPF top-ups.

Deepening Solidarity: Bridging Differences and Remaining United

• We First Society: Promoting a "we first" society that prioritizes the collective good and community welfare over individual self-interest.
• Social Capital: Building social capital by creating more spaces and opportunities for Singaporeans to mix and interact, regardless of race, language, or religion.
• Community Engagement: Encouraging Singaporeans to step out of their comfort zones, learn from other cultures, and interact with people from different backgrounds.
• Multiracialism: Guarding against the exploitation of race and religion in politics, reaffirming commitment to serve all Singaporeans regardless of background.
• Quote: "One united people regardless of race, language or religion is not just a line in our pledge. It is the foundation of our independence."
• Survey Findings: Only one in three young Singaporeans had ever volunteered, and more than half said that most of their friends were from the same socio-economic group or race as them.

Maintaining a Strong and Dynamic Economy

• Economic Growth: Emphasizing that economic growth is about uplifting lives and creating jobs, not just chasing GDP.
• Economic Resilience: Redoubling efforts to keep the economy competitive and vibrant in an increasingly fragmented global economy.
• Multinational Enterprises (MNEs): Continuing to attract new investments from leading global companies to stay plugged into the frontiers of innovation.
• Enterprise Ecosystem: Making Singapore a more attractive place for startups and emerging companies, both local and overseas.
• Embracing Failure: Being prepared for more churn and embracing failures as part of the process of creating new value and jobs.
• Focus on the Worker: Prioritizing the worker, not the job, and ensuring that no one is left behind in a fast-changing world.

Constructive Politics and Youth Engagement

• Opposition's Role: Welcoming the opposition's presence in parliament and their role in scrutinizing policies and holding the government accountable.
• Earning the Right to Lead: Recognizing that the PAP's right to lead must be earned by working hard and delivering results.
• Public Engagement: Engaging and involving Singaporeans outside of parliament through public consultations, citizens panels, and other channels.
• Youth Involvement: Involving young people in shaping policies and the nation's future through youth panels and other platforms.
• Quote: "We don't just want to do things for Singaporeans. We also want to do things with Singaporeans."

Conclusion

The speech outlines a comprehensive vision for Singapore's future, focusing on enhancing social mobility, strengthening safety nets, deepening solidarity, and maintaining a strong economy. It emphasizes the importance of skills-based hiring, a "we first" society, and constructive politics. The speaker calls for greater youth engagement and a commitment to multiracialism, urging Singaporeans to work together to build a brighter future for all. The key takeaway is a commitment to ensuring that every Singaporean has the opportunity to succeed and that no one is left behind.