Building a more inclusive society in Singapore

29.02.2012

Building an inclusive society was one of the topics keenly discussed by MPs in Parliament on Wednesday.
Mayor of South West District and Minister of State for Health Dr Amy Khor said there should be what she calls a social partnership in Singapore's quest to build an inclusive society.
She said an inclusive society wasn't just about the government putting in place policies to redistribute resources to help the vulnerable.
It is also as much about individuals wanting to be helped and to help themselves.
"We need to pursue a social partnership that leverages off the strengths of each party - the government's resources, the community's local networks and the neighbour's alertness to specific people in need.
"The community must look out for one another, and the able must stoop to help the less able. In this way, the holes are plugged and more sustainable solutions can be proffered.
Dr Khor cited an example of a resident in her constituency on how such a social partnership can work out in the community.
"This is the case of a resident in my constituency who alerted us of the Chow family of four siblings in a neighbouring HDB unit. All four were afflicted by a genetically inherited disease and all became blind. The grassroots leaders did not know about the family as the family never switched on the lights and sleeps early every night. Hence, we never reached them during house visits. We need the community to come forward to reach out and support such vulnerable families, hand-in-hand with the government."

SINGAPORE IN SOCIAL RECESSION

In his debut parliament speech, Nominated MP Laurence Lien said being an inclusive society is something Singaporeans must want first otherwise the social policies and programmes implemented by the government would be futile.
He also believes Singapore is in a social recession.
Mr Lien said: "You can give the Silver Housing Bonus to seniors but other residents may reject the building of studio apartments and services for seniors in their midst. You can give the Special Employment Credit but employers may refuse to hire and fit jobs to suit the disabled and senior workers.
"We should establish a basket of social indicators that we track each year to measure the social health of the country. This social health index would be the social sector's equivalent of the GDP indicator for the economy. We should convene a Social Review Committee to create a new shared vision and new social compact, which were missing from Budget 2012."
This effort must be both government and community driven.
And he added that the exercise needs to be co-led by the government and civil society at all levels, including at the Steering Committee.
He said that there should also be social dialogue groups with the public, private and public sector representatives with equal status to have deep discussions on a variety of social issues and reviewing fundamental current assumptions.
Secondly, the dialogue environment must be safe. He stressed that the government must be prepared to be transparent and participants must be able to share freely and have equal access to data and information.
Thirdly, the committee should evolve into a permanent platform, or even as a movement.
This gives social partners a continued platform to co-create with the state and the government a way to harness the energies of the community.
Mr Lien also feels that the government needs to put more power back into the people both into designing their future and taking charge of what affects their everyday lives.
These include how to design their neighbourhoods, use common spaces, site facilities, and restrict noise levels and other negative externalities. We should devolve power to the communities and grassroots, away from the more centralised methods of today.
And with the rising inflation, he called for new strategies to keep costs down so that people can get by and young couples find it less challenging to get married and start a family.

ARTS CAN PLAY A ROLE

Meanwhile, nominated MP Janice Koh urged the government to support the local arts community to build a more inclusive society.
Despite its achievements, she said local artists still face various challenges such as bureaucratic and financial constraints as well as free expression
She appealed to the government not to shy away from supporting creative expression even if it may challenge its views.
In her maiden speech as NMP, Ms Koh said it is important to deepen Singaporeans' participation in the arts by allowing them to have a greater say in their cultural heritage.
She said: "This should include involvement in debates over the conservation and preservation of our natural and historic spaces, as well as a greater recognition of the languages we use to express our points of view. Our various dialects, as well as Singlish, are also part of our unique cultural identity, because culture is the way we live - it resides in our bodies, it is in the way we communicate."
And for people to have a better connection to Singapore through the arts, artists must be able to claim the space and the license to express the complexity of the Singapore experience.
Ms Koh also called on the Community Development, Youth and Sports and Education ministries together with the Housing Development Board to work closely with local artists and arts groups to make positive changes in communities through the Arts.
And to make our arts, culture and heritage a source of pride for the people - it has to be easily accessible to Singaporeans.
Ms Koh said: "We need to take collective ownership of this process. It's not just MICA's job. Anyone of us can here do it - especially as an MP in your own constituency. We need to hear more local music on radio, we need to see more local films on the big screen, we need to see the works of our pioneering artists in our museums, and promote local literature in schools and libraries. We need to make ticket prices affordable to all."

FOCUSING ON SOCIAL INNOVATION

Pasir Ris-Punggol MP Penny Low urged the government to make social innovation a cornerstone in Singapore's development - not an afterthought or an ad-hoc effort.
Ms Low defined social innovation as any new strategies and ideas that meet social needs.
These strategies build an inclusive society not merely by re-distributing resources to the poor, but by empowering people and building self-reliance.
The government, she said, can start with a mapping of the social innovation landscape and players in Singapore.
For instance, she said a paradigm shift is needed in Singaporeans' view of the disabled and elderly.
They too, she said, can be and are assets for the country.
Ms Low said: "The big question is how are we helping each person find the best fit to reap premiums in their jobs or do we continue to do more of the same of ill-fitting them into subsidised wage jobs that leave them vulnerable when the subsidies are withdrawn."