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A Vibrant Global City Called Home
Progressing Together
1. Growth is for a social purpose
a. With growth, we can generate resources to achieve social goals,
and make progress together
b. Older Singaporeans – since I spoke about youth last year
c. Low income Singaporeans – to make sure nobody is left out
d. Affordable healthcare – very briefly
2. Providing for needs of older Singaporeans
a. Rapidly growing group
i. Halimah Yaacob met an Indonesian maid who had been here just
a week. She said: “Ibu, saya lihat di-Singapura banyak orang
tua”!
b. Many issues, but focus today only on working longer
i. Must not retire at 55, and live till 80
ii. Key is attitudes – both workers’ and employers’
c. Workers’ attitudes
(1) Older workers have to be willing to adjust, adapt, learn new
skills, and accept temporary jobs or contract work
(2) Many such older workers who made the effort have found new jobs,
with the help of enlightened employers
(3) Strong determination not to give up
(4) Stay in the job market no matter what
(5) e.g. Ms Shirley Lee reported in NTUC’s Lifestyle magazine
(a) 63 year old retrenched secretary who was rejected by many employers,
and decided to take on a job as a toilet cleaner.
(b) Quote Shirley:
“He asked me why I had to stoop so low and be a toilet cleaner
and wanted me to stop. I told him I see no loss of dignity in being
a toilet cleaner. I am earning my living and I am not robbing anybody.
Anyway, what else will I do at home with him so busy in school studying?”
(c) After Lifestyle published her story, it received enquiries from
71 employers. Shirley decided to work for SAGE (Singapore Action
Group of Elders) because she believed in helping others like her
d. Employers’ attitudes equally important
i. Companies must give older workers a chance. They have many strengths
(1) Reliable and loyal, more patient, ready to work
(2) Experienced and skilled
(3) Not necessarily slower. Sometimes they just need more time to
get used to the new working environment
(a) e.g. fast food joint: “Regular - coke - takeaway”,
Older workers may not quite catch it – “Welcome. Would
you like a value meal? Eat here or takeaway?”
(b) cf. coffeeshop: “one kopi-C-kosong, one kopi-gao (3rd sound)
and one teh-o-peng” – yet older workers have no problem
handling the order!
(4) Some good employers – need more
(a) e.g. SGH
(i) 77 staff post retirement
(ii) 3 turning 70
(iii) One is radiographer Mr Ng Hon Weng
e. Tripartite Committee working on this problem
i. WDA, the unions and the CDCs are working closely to help older
workers
3. Giving low income Singaporeans a helping hand
a. Recent years hard for lower income group
b. Now that economy is picking up, incomes are rising again
c. But must continue to work at this, to make sure that everybody
enjoys fruits of progress
d. Also to ensure social mobility
e. We have already done a lot to help
i. Assistance Schemes – Comcare etc
ii. Job re-design and re-creation
(1) Work smarter and be more productive
iii. Education and training
(1) To raise earning power
(2) The most important way to help – will talk about this later
f. Basic principle is workfare, not welfare, i.e. if you are prepared
to work and make the effort yourself, we will help you
g. Highlight two areas tonight
h. Dysfunctional families
i. Subgroup of low income families, with multiple problems
ii. All races, but Malays over-represented
iii. Will help them get their life in order, with stable jobs, providing
for dependents, keeping children in school
iv. Especially help children to break out from poverty
i. Building up assets
i. Subsidise ownership and saving, not spending
ii. Highly successful way to level up
(1) Lowest 20% have on average $138,000 of wealth in their homes
(a) Result of home ownership policy
(2) Money in CPF too
(a) Lowest 20% have on average $49,000 in their CPF ($33,000) and
Medisave ($16,000) accounts
iii. Will do more to help build up assets
iv. New CPF Housing Grant for lower income families
(1) New HDB flats are priced at discount to market
(2) Buying a new HDB flat is equivalent to getting a large subsidy
– one bite of the cherry
(3) But bite is the same size for all families buying the same flat
from HDB, regardless of their income
(4) Will do more to help lower income families buy HDB flats, to
tilt advantage towards them
(5) Introduce new CPF Housing Grant for lower income families buying
HDB new (and resale) flats
(6) Ng Eng Hen’s Committee on Low Wage Workers is working out
details
4. Healthcare costs
a. A concern of many Singaporeans, especially aged and low income
b. Will raise MediShield age limit from 80 to 85
c. Will make use of Medisave more flexible, for those with adequate
balances and who are still working
i. Private hospitals, and Class A and B1 wards
ii. Major treatments in Specialist Outpatient Clinics (SOCs)
d. Khaw Boon Wan is working on this
5. Promise to Singaporeans
a. We are one people together
b. Growth and prosperity is for all Singaporeans to share
c. Provided you work hard and help yourself, we will help you to
succeed
d. We will progress together, and not leave anyone behind
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