4G ministers to take centre stage this week as Parliament sits
SINGAPORE — When Parliament sits on Monday (May 14) following a mid-term break, the fourth generation (4G) ministers will take centre stage, laying out how they will go about meeting the tasks before them and the Government's plans to tackle issues highlighted in the President's Address last week.
The topics include keeping Singapore world-class and well-connected and securing its place in the world. Perhaps also of interest, are the leaders' plans to work in concert with Singaporeans and leading and mobilising public opinion to support difficult policies in the long-term interest.
The Parliament session on Monday begins at 1.30pm and will kick off with Fengshan Member of Parliament (MP) Cheryl Chan giving an address of thanks to President Halimah Yacob for laying out the Government's priorities for the second half of the 13th Parliament at its opening a week ago.
Members of Parliament (MPs) will then make their speeches in response to her address and the various ministries' addenda.
Ahead of the sitting, several MPs said they were keen to know how the Government intends to tackle the effects of technological disruption, continue strengthening the economy and job opportunities for Singaporeans, and get more people into the spirit of giving.
Some MPs stressed the importance of the 4G leaders heeding how policies are communicated to the ground.
"I feel that it is very important for our people to have a sound understanding of the thinking behind policies, as well as the threats and challenges facing Singapore. This will make our society stronger and more united," said Tanjong Pagar group representative constituency (GRC) MP Joan Pereira.
Ms Pereira said she would be speaking on the gig economy potentially affecting the way Singaporeans, including the younger generation, save. This can impact their ability to buy their homes, she said. Another technology-related topic is protecting Singapore's harmony and stability from "unseen, subversive and malicious elements".
Holland-Bukit Timah GRC MP Liang Eng Hwa wants to know how the 4G ministers plan to develop a "future-friendly regulatory regime" to respond to the rapid pace of disruptions.
Nominated MP, Associate Professor Randolph Tan from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, meanwhile said he worries about Singapore's strong labour market performance – in terms of creating good jobs and maintaining low unemployment – receding, as is the case in many advanced economies.
"We should avoid that occurring in Singapore because if it did, the path to rehabilitation would be much more difficult because of our natural limitations," he said, adding that the performance of the labour market is a cornerstone of Singapore's economy and society.
MPs Louis Ng and Chia Shi-lu will talk about inequality in their speeches.
Dr Chia (Tanjong Pagar GRC), who is head of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Health, said he will highlight ways that the healthcare system can be more "frictionless" for everyone, and will be touching on areas in healthcare with "uneven reach".
Mr Ng (Nee Soon GRC) said he would continue to fight for single unwed parents to be recognised as a family unit so they and their children can be eligible for public housing schemes.
He calls this the "second half of his petition" after speaking up for divorcees, who are now able to buy subsidised flats without a three-year restriction after a recent change in Government policy.
After championing a "spirit of speaking up" among public servants, Mr Ng said he now wants to help rally a spirit of giving and volunteerism among Singaporeans. "How we want to make sure nobody is left behind… All that really relates to a spirit of giving here… It really shouldn't be the Government doing everything," he said.
Fellow Nee Soon MP Lee Bee Wah agreed, saying: "I would like to see more giving back to society - rather than just ask, 'What do I get out of all these?'. Moving forward, I would like to see a more gracious society. What can we do for the society? Ask ourselves, 'Is there anything I can do to contribute to a better environment, better, greener safer homes (and) country?'"
On President Halimah's point that the new leaders "may be tempted not to go for bold changes, but instead be content to tweak things at the margins", Dr Lee said the statement begs a definition of "bold".
"You should not, just because you want bold moves, put aside whatever is working. I feel that since independence till now, our past leaders have put in lots of good policies (and) measures (although) of course along the way we needed to finetune (those)," she said.
Meanwhile, nominated MP Ganesh Rajaram said he would speak about his twin passions of media and sport.
Welcoming the collaboration by Singtel, StarHub and Mediacorp to broadcast the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia to football fans in Singapore, he wants the Government to continue such collaboration and for the 2020 Olympics broadcast rights to be secured as soon as possible.
He also hopes the authorities will ensure the Football Association of Singapore embarks on a robust global search for a national coach and nurture a deep bench of local talent.
Parliament will also debate the Vulnerable Adults Bill on Monday. The proposed law gives officers from the Ministry of Social and Family Development powers to enter homes, obtain information and examine records, and temporarily relocate adults who might be suffering from abuse, neglect or self-neglect.
