Halimah closes debate with call to embrace change
Madam Halimah Yacob. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — Hailing the 2016 Budget as one to be remembered for slaying “not one but two sacred cows”, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob yesterday laid out the challenge faced by the Government in helping Singaporeans navigate the current “period of disruption and transformation to a better future”.
“The schemes are there, grants provided, support given but will that move individuals, companies and our society forward to embrace the challenges of transformation?” she asked as she wrapped up the nine days of parliamentary debate on the Budget and the programmes of the various ministries.
Noting the vast number of new schemes and how “not many Singaporeans follow the debate”, Mdm Halimah added: “The Government can only do so much. It can act as a catalyst, it can prod, nudge, persuade and influence, but beyond that it really depends on all of us how fast we want to run and how much of that rainbow we want to catch.”
Among the slew of announcements over the past week or so, the Government said pupils in Primary 1 this year would be the first to be awarded wider grade bands — instead of T-scores under the present system — when they sit for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) in 2021.
It was also announced that from early next year, unwed mothers will benefit from the full 16 weeks of Government-paid maternity leave that married mothers currently enjoy. The slaying of these “sacred cows”, after Members of Parliament (MPs) have raised these issues for a long time, “reflects a transformational shift in policy aimed at placing children at the heart of what we do instead of focusing narrowly just on academic excellence or procreation”, Mdm Halimah said.
She noted that parliamentary debates here “may not be filled with the sound and fury found in some Parliaments but it is nevertheless of a high quality”. Her only regret was that few Singaporeans kept track of the discussions in the House. “I went on two house visits during the last two weeks, including one (on Wednesday) night, and almost all the residents did not follow the debate,” she said.
In all, 499 cuts were filed by MPs — the highest in the past five debates and an increase of about 7 per cent from last year, Leader of the House Grace Fu said. Cuts allow MPs to raise questions, feedback or suggestions on the ministries’ initiatives.
Noting that her ministry, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, had the highest total speech time for cuts filed, Ms Fu said: “This reflects Members’ interest in community building and the ‘softer’ side of nation-building, which has clearly taken on greater emphasis in this post-SG50 year.”
The debate on the Budget, which focused on economic transformation and building a more caring and resilient society, covered a broad repertoire of issues. Economic transformation was foremost on the minds of MPs, who spoke at length on gearing up the Republic’s industries and workforce for the future economy. On a more sobering note, the debate also brought home the fact that the Republic is rooted in an “era of ‘troubled peace”, facing threats of global terrorism and repercussions of geopolitical instability both near and far, Ms Fu said.
The theme of inclusivity also figured heavily in the debate. For example, the Smart Nation movement will take into account the needs of the elderly and those with special needs, Ms Fu noted. “As we forge ahead to achieve stronger competitiveness, we must also ensure that we move together as one,” she said.
Whether the Republic will remain a “shiny red dot” in the next five decades will hinge not only on the Government, but the country as a whole, she reiterated. “The next chapter of the Singapore story will be written in partnership with Singaporeans. That is how we build a stronger, better Singapore that we can all be proud to call home,” she said.
