Building a Generous Society and Nation

ADJOURNMENT MOTION

The Leader of the House (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Question proposed.

Building a Generous Society and Nation

7.56 pm

Mr Keith Chua (Nominated Member): Mr Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to raise this matter on the Motion for the Adjournment. May I first declare my interest as a board member in various social service agencies and charities and as a trustee for a charitable trust and a foundation that contributes to education, health and heritage.

There have been several positive developments in the recent months both in philanthropy and also in Government initiatives to support the more financially vulnerable in our society. These come at a crucial time of need for several in our midst.

The most recent distribution of Community Development Council (CDC) vouchers for 2024 will certainly be welcome for many to help offset higher living expenses. I would also applaud the Government's initiative to offer the option to households to donate CDC vouchers to charity. Here, we have a generous Government providing the option for those who are in a position to in turn generously share with charitable causes. Besides the gift of the money itself, I am sure that this will also raise awareness of needs and causes in our midst.

In recent years, we have also heard these words repeated by our national leaders: "No one gets left behind". I do hope that this will find its way to be a shared national aspiration alongside our Government's commitment. I would like to suggest that this may be best achieved with a whole-of-society approach – the public, the private and the people sectors.

What do our Parliament records show about the word "generosity" or "generous"? Well, as I prepared for this paper, I did a simple word search on our Parliament website. For the word "generosity", there were nine results and for the word "generous", there were 38 results. I then searched the word "money" and there were 1,790 results. And I looked at the next word, "finance" and it displayed 3,680 results.

Mr Speaker, Sir, many of us witnessed an outpouring of generosity during COVID-19. Our fellow citizens and residents came out in so many different ways to help one another. We did not need a committee or extensive discussions or we did not need to fill out multiple pages of applications. Many across all strata of our society stepped forward in small and not so small ways. Public, private and people sectors acted spontaneously, responding to needs from basic necessities to financial support and financial support for both individuals as well as businesses and to caring for each other.

So, this does beg the question: can we be a continuously generous and caring society now that we have settled in the post-pandemic new norm? I do believe we can if we want to and work towards a shared vision of our future; and I would say, much along the aspirations shared by way of feedback through Forward Singapore.

Tertiary institution research carried out in recent years on philanthropy in Singapore show that generosity is a visible though often silent thread that flows through our heritage and history. At many stages in our modern history since 1819, the whole of society have stepped forward. Our earliest philanthropists were individuals and families from across the main racial groups. I hope that there will be opportunity to make the history of Singapore philanthropy and generosity more available and accessible.

Mr Speaker, Sir, through my involvement in a Centre for Philanthropy at the National University of Singapore from 2009 to 2019, I was introduced to the term "grassroots philanthropy". In the simplest definition, this describes the active engagement and mobilising of all of society in acts of giving and generosity. These would be through giving of time such as volunteerism and befriending, the giving of talent such as giving expertise and programme development and also the giving of treasures through direct donations.

Grassroots philanthropy continues to grow and thrive in Singapore. The good work of groups such as the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) and National Council of Social Service (NCSS) is encouraging the growth of all three areas of generous giving.

If I look back, the response that we see in appeals for help and contributions should continue to be an encouragement to all of us. I recall years back, how society responded in highly generous giving when we became aware of, for example, a foreign worker injured and needing financial help or individuals and their families needing particular financial support for specialised medical treatments. If you look over the years, you would find that our live charity shows, for example, bring together wide sections of our society in generous and spontaneous giving.

I propose we take on the task of nurturing grassroots philanthropy and building generosity to its fullest potential. To achieve this we will need to be intentional.

We can cover this at the earliest stages starting in our schools, progressing it through our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs). We can encourage this through youth programmes and organisations. We can bring this deeper through existing initiatives such a NVPC's City of Good and Companies of Good. We can encourage families to give as a family across all generations. We will certainly benefit from engaging our seniors in acts and activities around generosity.

Religion plays a key role in shaping generosity by the very nature of the teaching of kindness, respect, love and compassion. The majority of Singaporeans belong to one of the major religious groups. Our mosques, temples, churches and other places of worship all contribute toward a culture of generosity in multiracial and multi-religious Singapore. The support of our religious leaders will definitely strengthen our collective efforts and collective responsibility.

These are just some example of ways that we can build on an existing generous society. The values we have been teaching and inculcating have already contributed toward a more caring and compassionate society – and I do hope we keep building on this.

May I highlight a couple of recent Straits Times reports. One on the $2.50 shop which is keeping food affordable for needy customers. Ms Hani and her family are a wonderful example of one of many forms of grassroots philanthropy. Another recent report featured 12-year-old, Ms Chng Rui Jue, who has raised over $1.2 million for charitable causes. Thank you, Ms Hani. Thank you, Ms Chng and the many, possibly countless fellow Singaporeans giving generously, quietly, every day.

Mr Speaker, Sir, we have also been a relatively generous nation. Let us remember that as a fledgling independent nation we benefited from the generosity of larger and more developed nations. We also benefited from the generosity of our local philanthropic community such as the early foundations established by successful families.

Education and training overseas was an important area where we were able to build up a key team for our public sector and essential services. Colombo Plan scholarships are one example of the generosity of others during our crucial early years. Some of our early scholars became political leaders. Our professionals have also benefited from acquiring knowledge, skills and expertise to improve many aspects of our society in areas such as medicine and healthcare.

Gradually, with the transfer of knowledge and our own economic growth, we began to build up our own capabilities. In recent decades we are now sharing this through ASEAN scholarships, and also inviting public sector leaders from the region to attend the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, just to cite a couple of examples.

The establishment of Temasek Foundation and Singapore International Foundation (SIF) are also tangible initiatives that help to benefit and serve communities outside of Singapore.

I believe our foreign missions can also increasingly serve as a conduit of generosity for us as a nation. While there are the natural and the normal priorities for our foreign missions such as economic and trade development, diplomacy and political engagement, we can also, through our foreign missions, continue to plant seeds of generosity in tangible and meaningful ways. I visited Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis and had several meetings with our then Ambassador. He was personally engaged in helping local communities in development initiatives, among which, would be the provision of affordable, clean water solutions. Our Non-Resident Ambassadors can be bearers of generosity to countries where we find ourselves in a position to offer help.

As a nation, we also regularly respond to appeals, unfortunately accompanying natural disasters, and we respond with donations in kind and at times with medical and humanitarian aid. During COVID-19, we also helped countries around us to tackle the pandemic and our neighbours have acknowledged this, with appreciation. The more recent introduction of tax offsetting for approved foreign charitable donations is another step toward enhancing our place as a generous nation.

In its 2023 report, the Charities Aid Foundation that does an annual World Giving Index ranks Singapore as 22nd out of 140 countries. The ranking covers categories such as "would you willing to help a stranger", "donating money" and "volunteering". Were were 22 out of 140 countries. At the top of the list, Indonesia, has topped the global ranking under this report for six years. It may be of interest to note that the SIF's annual Young Social Entrepreneurs programme, attracts a high level of interest from Indonesian participants.

A nation with a spirit of generosity is a breath of fresh air to a troubled world. Allow me to summarise and conclude with some thoughts and suggestions for further consideration.

Firstly, develop Singapore as the Silicon Valley of philanthropy. A visionary Singapore philanthropist shared this idea recently. The more I reflect on it, the more strongly I feel we should take this suggestion seriously as we continue to develop Singapore as a philanthropy hub. Attracting both the financial resources and the service providers to work out local, regional and global solutions is such a powerful and impactful combination.

Secondly, review the current 2.5 times tax deduction for donations to Institutions of Public Character (IPCs). I had made an appeal for the 2.5 times tax incentive to IPCs to be made available for longer than three year cycles, to enable longer-term planning in both giving and in receiving. Providing, for example, a five year or longer, rolling cycle would enable both the donors and the beneficiaries to enhance planning of services with greater certainty.

Thirdly, as I touched on briefly earlier, promote giving as a family. We can action this as part of bringing generosity to the next level and to encourage active participation across all generations. My generation may be more comfortable with direct donations and this is still one of the more common methods. Amongst the younger generation, there may be more interest in volunteerism and direct engagement.

Fourthly, encourage and nurture Singaporeans to become ambassadors for good. Singapore Citizens are fortunate. We have one of the most accessible passports in the world. Yes, this enables us to pursue our business and economic interests, and there is great benefit for that. Yes, this also makes our leisure pursuits more convenient. But how about actively considering the social opportunity that this presents?

Fifthly, actively encourage and build collaboration. We are seeing this, over the years, growing very much so locally. But I would look at international giving. I would propose to encourage that we encourage stronger and intentional public, private and people sector collaboration. Temasek Foundation and SIF, our larger private foundations and philanthropic groups can increasingly take the lead to bring generosity beyond our borders as Team Singapore.

Six, consider to promote internationalisation. Just as our social entrepreneurs look to scale their programmes outside of Singapore, could we look at a suitable support programme for internationalisation for suitable social service agencies. I am thinking of an approach similar to the Enterprise Singapore support for local companies to internationalise.

Seven, maintain a healthy donor-beneficiary relationship. We need to maintain a healthy balance between donor and beneficiary organisation. Beneficiary organisations are expected to be responsible and accountable for public funds and donations. Donors may need to recognise and appreciate that the beneficiary organisations are expected to deliver high levels of service in their area of specialisation. They may also be more attuned to needs on the ground and therefore more knowledgeable, both in service delivery and needs. While fiduciary responsibility remains a collective responsibility, not every aspect of service delivery can be brought back to a simple cost denominator. For instance, the care of certain groups with special needs can require a high ratio, even one-to-one staffing such as adults with autism in a care facility.

Eight, maybe we need to rethink the phrase "he who pays the piper calls the tune". When it comes to identifying needs in the community and allocation of resources, we also need to keep the right balance so that the funding of initiatives does not result in solely being donor driven. We need to provide adequate space so that there is regular and adequate input from service providers and their beneficiaries.

Ninth, we have had an extensive discussion on this, harness technology. Technology has been playing an increasingly key role in the non-profit sector. During COVID-19, we saw how online giving benefited and replaced more traditional platforms. Let us continue to harness technology for all appropriate purposes and specifically for doing good.

Mr Speaker, Sir, whether we look back in more recent years or whether we examine generosity in our society over a longer time span, we can be encouraged by a country where we have been helping each other. The aspirations of our people are for a more caring, compassionate and generous society.

As we continue to unite and persevere in our shared aspirations, I believe that one day, hopefully in the not too distant future, Singapore will not just be recognised as an economic miracle but, also, as a generous society and a generous nation contributing toward a better world. [Applause.]

Mr Speaker: Minister of State Alvin Tan.

8.15 pm

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Alvin Tan): Mr Speaker, I thank Mr Chua for his heartfelt speech for building a generous nation and society. His vision for Singapore echoes the aspirations many Singaporeans shared during our Forward Singapore engagement last year – to live in a society that is fair, inclusive and united, where we look out for others and support those in need.

All of us experienced that firsthand during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people from all walks of life volunteered, donated, cared, making a difference to our community, our society and our nation.

Mr Chua spoke about grassroots philanthropy and mobilising the whole of society in acts of giving and generosity beyond the pandemic. I share his vision. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) is striving to make this vision a reality by creating more avenues for everyone to contribute in their own unique ways.

One avenue to do this is through our SG Cares Volunteer Centres. We have set up SG Cares Volunteer Centres in 24 towns to connect residents, businesses, schools and other stakeholders with local volunteering opportunities. These Volunteer Centres work with Government agencies and community partners on the ground to identify and address pressing needs. For example, Volunteer Centres work with Active Ageing Centres to engage our seniors and help keep them physically active as well as socially connected.

Over the past five years, Volunteer Centres have recruited, trained and deployed over 100,000 volunteers to meet ground needs. So, please join one of the 24 Volunteer Centres around Singapore.

Mr Chua also spoke about encouraging people at different stages of life to give back to society. We are with him. We believe that giving as a habit can start as early as when our children are in preschool. Therefore, we have programmes in place to do just that.

Our Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA)'s "Start Small Dream Big" initiative and our Values in Action experiences in Ministry of Education (MOE) schools aim to inculcate empathy and a spirit of giving among our children and students. Our SG Cares office also works with the National University of Singapore to integrate service learning into their curriculum through a credit-bearing course that gets students to volunteer with seniors in our communities.

And as our students enter the workforce and they already get a taste of what it is like to volunteer as students, we hope they will continue to do so as they start working. To foster this spirit, MCCY partners professional associations from the legal, medical, accounting and engineering sectors to encourage professionals to volunteer their skills. For example, the Law Society's Pro Bono SG partners universities to inculcate a habit of volunteering among law students by encouraging the students complete 20 pro bono hours and channelling them to intern at its community law centre. Once they have graduated, Pro Bono SG continues to provide volunteer lawyers with avenues to volunteer and serve the community.

Beyond school and work, MCCY is also working with NVPC to rally businesses to give back to society. The enhanced Corporate Volunteer Scheme, which came into effect this year, 1 January 2024, allows businesses to claim a 250% tax deduction when their employees volunteer or are seconded to work at an IPC.

Businesses who are keen to do more can join NVPC's Company of Good programme, which helps businesses give back through corporate giving or by redesigning their business practices to benefit society. As advisor to the Company of Good Roundtable, I encourage businesses to join the Company of Good, because they do plenty of good.

Mr Chua also suggested that Singapore could become a Silicon Valley for philanthropy. Indeed, that is what we are doing. We are establishing Singapore as a regional philanthropy hub and making it easier for people and businesses to give. There is much more we can do and indeed plan to do, but let me share what we have been doing collectively.

The Wealth Management Institute and the Private Banking Industry Group launched the Impact Philanthropy Partnership (IPP) last year, with support from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). IPP helps work with high networth individuals and families to support philanthropic activities and causes, to foster partnerships and to drive impactful giving.

Temasek Trust, which Mr Chua mentioned, also launched the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA) last year, gathering philanthropists, governments and businesses to develop novel solutions for social and environmental challenges in our region. This includes advancing education for girls in India and enabling healthcare access in the Philippines. PAA has now over 80 members and partners globally, with collective pledges of $1 billion.

We are also deploying finance, including philanthropic capital, to address the world's pressing challenges like climate change. At the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference, Singapore also announced new initiatives to catalyse a green transition here in Singapore and also beyond our shores. This includes the Financing Asia's Transition Partnership (FAST-P), a blended finance initiative that aims to mobilise up to US$5 billion to de-risk and finance green and transition projects in the region by bringing together partners from the public, private and philanthropic sectors.

MAS also launched the Philanthropy Tax Incentive Scheme (PTIS) last year to encourage overseas giving among Single Family Offices in Singapore. PTIS approved qualifying donors can claim tax deductions on overseas donations that are channelled through qualifying local intermediaries.

We also regularly review our policies and programmes to support local giving. The Ministry of Finance recently extended the 250% tax deduction rate for qualifying donations made to IPCs and eligible institutions for three years until end 2026. This tax deduction rate is high compared to other jurisdictions and we will review what a more sustainable level of tax deduction should be for the longer term while balancing support for our local charity sector.

Apart from tax incentives, we also work with partners like The Majurity Trust (TMT) and Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) to drive impactful giving.

TMT works with philanthropists, companies and other stakeholders to foster collaboration within the philanthropic ecosystem. It supports ground-up groups and non-profit organisations to address community issues. I work closely with the team at TMT and attended their Majurity Night last month, where over 200 of Singapore's leading philanthropists, corporates and nonprofit charities gathered to channel their giving and expertise to the many worthy causes.

Meanwhile, CFS is working with the Ministry of Social and Family Development and Community Chest to introduce a new programme that better connects donors to the needs on the ground.

Sir, these are all examples that point to the emergence of a growing and thriving philanthropic ecosystem that we are all collectively building in Singapore to make a difference here at home and beyond.

Mr Speaker, generosity is in our collective history and our collective heritage. As Mr Chua recalled, our early pioneer philanthropists built Singapore through their generous giving. Our early pioneer philanthropists worked with the community and local groups to build the Singapore that we see today.

Today, in modern, thriving Singapore, we have even more resources, more causes to impact and more ways to connect both to facilitate and to catalyse giving. Please join us. Heed Mr Chua's call to action to partner us to bring our shared vision to life. Join a local SG Cares Movement by signing up with your nearest Volunteer Centre today.

If you are a business, please join NVPC's Company of Good or check out the work that organisations like TMT are doing on the ground.

Sir, Mr Chua spoke about how we do not speak enough about generosity in Parliament. So, let us not only speak more about generosity in Parliament and in Singapore, but also act in generosity, because as Winston Churchill said famously, "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." [Applause.]

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolved, "That Parliament do now adjourn."

Adjourned accordingly at 8.25 pm.