Debate on the President's Address

Debate resumed.

6.53 pm

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion. I will first speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The sudden and unprecedented COVID-19 crisis has completely changed the global environment, economic activities as well as our lifestyles. More importantly, it has forced us to re-position ourselves under this new normal, and reconsider the mode of survival and thinking, in the context of country to country, people to people, and how people relate to themselves.

Fifty five years ago, when Singapore was forced to become independent, we were like an abandoned baby and no one expected this tiny country with its inherent inadequacies to survive miraculously. But we not only survived but thrived. Yes, it is the hard work and the wisdom of our forefathers that have made Singapore what it is today.

We have limited land and our natural resources are even less, an innate condition that cannot be changed. However, these constraints did not stop our creativity from expanding. Even without domestic flights, Changi Airport and Singapore Airlines have become world-renowned leaders. Of the world's largest container terminals, four out of the top five are in China which has a huge market. Singapore, with its very minuscule market, managed to occupy a place among them.

Today, the world's situation has changed. COVID-19 has turned every country into an abandoned baby, and the world is facing a serious pandemic. Every country seems ill-prepared. Drastic economic downturns and the challenges that follow have caused many people to complain or feel lost, anxious and even panic.

History tells us that with each crisis, there will be some people who will be ruthlessly eliminated, but others will be able to clench their teeth and go against the tide. They will find opportunities amidst the crisis and eventually emerge victorious by creating history.

Indeed, to survive, you must be brave enough to change. You must not be afraid to change. You must even embrace the changes.

I will give an example. Not long ago, K-pop boy band BTS held a virtual concert during the pandemic. They transformed a physical concert with limited capacity into an online concert with limitless reach. This breakthrough in thinking resulted in the concert selling 750,000 tickets, which is equivalent to holding 15 concerts in normal times.

In this crisis, we have to face the key element of survival, and that is the change in the mindset. Our people have to change; our businesses have to change; our Government has to change. What we have to do is to re-shape a new Singapore that is vibrant, full of opportunities, full of vitality and wisdom.

In this process, we need more synergies from the top to the bottom, and vice versa. This includes tolerance, openness and support from the Government as well as trust, buy-in and participation from the people. Only when the whole nation works together as co-creators can we overcome the difficulties together and once again create the next chapter for Singapore.

(In English): As the world shut down and more people stayed at home in our battle against COVID-19, many people turned to the Internet for information, services and entertainment. Many of these online offerings tend to be available free of charge or supported by public funds. The same problem faced by media companies for many years with a weak business model for online content still exists today.

However, a virtual concert streamed by K-pop boyband BTS in June turned out to be the world's largest paid online music event. The show reached a peak of 756,000 concurrent paid viewers in 107 countries and territories.

The 100-minute show allowed fans to enter and navigate through BTS’ virtual house, where they could choose close ups and full shots among six multi-view screens playing simultaneously and enjoy the group’s highly choreographed performance of 12 songs. There were also intermission-type talk segments, similar to a physical concert. The successful transformation from a conventional to an online concert calls for mind-set changes and innovation.

Let me draw some analogies between this concert and the approach that the Government, business sector and people could adopt to address the challenges in a COVID-19 and hopefully soon to come, post-COVID-19 world.

The BTS concert’s paid viewership was the equivalent to 15 shows at a 50,000-seat stadium, but the concert was streamed from a much smaller venue, a studio in Seoul.

The concert venue is like the environment and infrastructure provided by the government for companies to do business and for people to make a living and to lead their lives.

With an economy built largely by MNC and enterprise investments, the Singapore workforce has for many years, been trained to find a good job, work hard for a promotion and salary rise, or change job when there is a better opportunity and higher pay. That is, to be an employee with a company.

I am glad and heartened that among its extensive range of assistance schemes to help businesses and people cope with the pandemic, the government came out with SIRS to specifically help self-employed persons – people who do not have a formal relationship with any employer.

In 2007, I spoke about the freelancers in the arts sector. Thirteen years later today, some 180,000 people have been helped by SIRS. Besides arts freelancers, it has helped sports coaches, taxi and private hire car drivers, food delivery riders, tourist guides, home bakers and many others making different livelihoods.

While NTUC has stepped up to help administer the scheme, I hope the Government would proactively gather useful knowledge from NTUC’s experience on the many different ways that SEPs are operating. Even before COVID-19, the gig economy has been growing. During and after the pandemic, there will be and have to be new ways to make an honest living, other than working for an employer. Our rules and policies should not unnecessarily disadvantage people who are not in the formal employment that we are used to.

The Government will have to be nimbler in offering different “venues” so that “virtual concerts and other new formats” could be staged. The stadium might have to be "broken up into smaller modular spaces".

In terms of Government policies, I hope we can take a look at the CPF system. It was set up to help build financial adequacy for citizens in retirement. Over the decades, it has become intertwined with financial provisions for housing, healthcare and education. It has become a very complicated system that many people unfortunately do not understand the full benefits.

Once, a resident wanted to appeal for early withdrawal from her Retirement Account (RA) to settle some personal loans. She was honest enough to tell me that, actually, she has savings in a fixed deposit account. But she did not want to touch it because she does not want to lose the interest. So, when I shared with her that she is actually getting up to 6% interest in her RA which is probably much higher than what the bank would pay her, she immediately changed her mind.

The CPF has been built around an employer-employee model where both parties contribute a part. However, SEPs do not have any employer and most do not make their own contribution except maybe for their MediSave.

Many Government support schemes, like the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), are based on CPF contributions and, inevitably, SEPs who do not contribute will not qualify easily. They may not even be captured in our system or be counted in any statistics. Unlike employees of a company, they also do not have HR or Finance departments to help them. There is, naturally, a high inertia for them coming on board the CPF.

So, I applaud the MOM for piloting the Contribute-As-You-Earn (CAYE) scheme to help SEPs with their MediSave contributions. However, we need to do more and to do better to explain the CPF system to SEPs and encourage or even incentivise them to make contributions so that they can benefit from this national system.

Let me move to business. As a commercial entity, whether MNC, SME, social enterprise or sole proprietorship, its primary objective has to be sustainable and profitable. But when the industry, technology or consumer preferences change, the business model has to evolve. For example, the music industry has gone through and survived the vinyl record, cassette tape and CD eras into digital music. To supplement the lower revenue from digital music, singers and musicians have to do live performances and concerts.

However, it is unlikely that large scale concerts will be resumed anytime soon. So, the BTS concert example demonstrated that an online concert can be commercially viable, too. The ticket price for the online concert was about S$35, just 5% of the average price of a BTS concert in 2018. However, with hundreds of thousands of online tickets sold, the total revenue reached almost S$26 million, just for one performance. Good news for BTS fans, they have announced an "offline and online" concert in October and, this time, there will be some limited seating for live audience. So, they are also not sitting on laurels and are now moving on with a new formula.

Certainly, talent, showmanship and popularity are key to their success. But it is also the willingness and out-of-the-box thinking to reformat the concert that made it possible, to be accessible and profitable, probably more so than a physical concert. Hence, I urge businesses to seriously think about their own future in a different world. By all means, make good use of the Government’s help to stay afloat and retain your staff. But if a business is surviving just because of the Government’s help, it is probably not going to last very long. Businessmen and entrepreneurs have the natural instinct to adapt and to sniff out new opportunities. This is what the commercial world is good in, and that is not the forte of the Government. The Government can help by being open and supportive, or even more open and more supportive, and we should not stand in the way for new and creative ways of doing and trying out business.

As consumers and members of the public, we must also do our part in a different world. While there were netizens who complained about needing to pay for the BTS concert, many fans who tuned in found that it was really worth the price. For a fraction of what they used to pay, they can get up close and enjoy a different experience watching their idols.

Of course, they must accept that the screen on their device cannot compare with the set-up in a concert venue. In a stadium, audience can enjoy the sound system, lighting effects, air-conditioning or even the refreshments sold there. But when we are watching an online concert, it becomes our own responsibility to ensure that we have a conducive environment to enjoy the concert, and we cannot complain about it.

So, in the new normal, when almost everyone is affected by the pandemic, we all share a common enemy. We must stand united against this same enemy. Each of us will have to do our part to get out of this crisis.

Recently, a netizen complained to me that it is not fair that he could not qualify for SIRS because his wife earned more than $70,000. He said that that is his wife’s money, not his.

Well, I understand for many couples or maybe some couples, the husband’s money belongs to the wife money, but the wife’s money is hers. But during difficult times, we should turn to our immediate family for help and support, especially if they have the means. The Government is not our spouse, not our parents, not our children.

I have also received some appeals for financial assistance for the various schemes under the four Budgets on the basis because their friends got it, not because they are in financial difficulties and need the money.

Madam, the Government has dug into our current and past reserves for the four Budgets. Likewise, we should also tap into our own reserves. Our reserves are not just our personal savings; but our reserves are our reservoirs of concern and care for our family and loved ones, compassion and empathy for others, especially the more vulnerable, and the mental strength to overcome adversity.

Over the last few months, we stayed at home more, spent more time with our family, and forged closer ties with our loved ones. The skies have turned bluer, we see more rainbows and more wildlife around us. One day, this pandemic will be over. Hopefully, we will be wiser to know what the truly important things are in our lives. [Applause.]

Mdm Deputy Speaker: Mr Darryl David.

7.08 pm

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion of Thanks to the President.

Many Members have already spoken about the need to mitigate the crippling effect of COVID-19 on our economy and our people during these challenging and unprecedented times. I am very heartened also that while the methods and the means might differ, that both sides of the House are united in the approach that we have to strengthen the Singapore Core and support Singaporeans through this difficult time.

What I would like to focus on is what Mdm President said in her Address last week with regard to how Singapore’s model of meritocracy has to evolve and change.

Meritocracy, which can be defined as “a social system in which advancement in society is based on an individual's capabilities and merits” has served Singapore well as a fundamental principle for the past 50-odd years. However, I find that we would need to move beyond too narrow a definition of meritocracy, especially vis-a-vis our education system.

I am heartened that in the speeches shared earlier by Minister Maliki and Minister of State Sun Xueling, they both stressed that we have to move away from the focus on the academic arena to move into other broader, non-academic arenas, as it were. My point is to look at it from a slightly different perspective, Mdm Deputy Speaker, and that is to make the point that we have placed too much focus, not so much on academic qualifications per se, but on examination-based academics for too long. Our children and students are often judged by a grade or a mark that is determined by how well they are able to perform in an examination. But, yet, there are many students who are not able to deliver an examination-based performance, but who are no less intelligent or capable than their peers who are able to do so.

I spent more than 16 years in the Polytechnic and worked with students who had less than stellar grades based on their examination-based academic results. Yet, when they were exposed to an academic system that was based more on coursework and project work, they were able to score well and achieved very good GPA; thus achieving, and I quote, “academic success”, albeit in a less examination-centric system.

So, grades and GPA, Mdm Deputy Speaker, are important; they do give us some indication of how students perform. However, I would hope that MOE can continue to work on how we can create more academic systems that are less examination-focused and more coursework based.

In short, let us work on different grading systems, broader grading systems, which allow different students different paths to achieving good grades.

Take the PSLE, for example. I recognise and applaud the fact that there already are alternative routes that students with differentiated intelligences and capabilities can take to move on into Secondary schools, such as the DSA. I also applaud the fact that MOE is moving towards PSLE scoring bands, as opposed to using absolute T-scores.

But the fact is that the PSLE still remains the “mother-of-all-examinations”, one that relies purely on students’ ability to replicate what they have learnt over the years in a few hours.

And if we look at it, Mdm Deputy Speaker, what does a PSLE score tell us? How intelligent a student is? What the true potential of that child is? Or is it simply a snapshot of how well that child can be drilled to take an examination at a particular point of their life?

I am not suggesting that the PSLE be scrapped any time soon. I understand that it is a sorting mechanism for Secondary school placement. I get that.

However, just as almost every Primary school has a combination of coursework and examinations that determine their pupils’ year-end grades for each Primary level from Primary 1 to Primary 5, I strongly urge the MOE to see how they can make each Primary 6 student’s grade a final grade, a combination of coursework and their PSLE examination score.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, a good examination score is only a reflection of what one can reproduce in certain controlled situations. It is no indication of what one can truly achieve. And we are living in a world where it is increasingly not so much about what you know any more; rather, it is about what you can do.

So, I would hope that the MOE can examine the methodology of allocating a final grade to all Primary 6 students that is based on a combination of school-based coursework and the standard PSLE examination, instead of all students being simply reduced to a one-shot, high-pressure, examination-based mark.

And while we aspire to move beyond examination-based academics, why not challenge ourselves to go beyond academics altogether as we broaden the definition of “merit” to redefine what “excellence” should look like.

In moving beyond traditional definitions of success, we have the opportunity to redefine what "great" looks like, looking further past academic achievements and to those who have not only walked roads less travelled to the beat of their own drum, but achieved the highest standards in their chosen field.

It is not just about celebrating mavericks per se, but mastery of a chosen field by those whose efforts merit recognition and reward for their unrelenting pursuit of excellence.

In sport, for example, let us pop our heads out of the pool for a second and look at athletes who have made an impact, such as Irving Henson, the Singaporean Powerlifter who broke the world record, and the indoor skydiving phenomenon that is Kyra Poh.

In the culinary scene, our Singaporean chefs regularly take home Gold at top international competitions. At the 2016 Culinary Olympics which are held once every four years, Louis Tay, Teo Yeow Sian, Tristan Fang, Alan Wong, Roy Lim and Alex Chong took on the best in Germany and the world and they came out tops. Yet, I wonder if more can be done to celebrate our Singaporean gastronomical rock-stars in the same way that we herald the international chefs cooking in Singapore’s kitchens.

So, why not extend the definition of excellence in the arts to beyond the classical? Let us have more arts scholarships and bursaries, not just for the traditional fields, but in other non-traditional fields, too. And if we do have someone who is able to make a mark for Singapore on the international stage in the performing arts and raise the profile of our country – for example, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng talked about BTS, the Korean phenomenon, although I must admit I am more of a Blackpink fan myself, thanks to and purely because of my daughter, nothing else – I would love it if, one day, we had a Singapore pop phenomenon who succeeds at the global level, we should celebrate and promote this achievement because they have brought the Singaporean brand name to a global international level.

We have a chance now, as a collective society, to recognise merit across a broader level and this can only make for a richer and more diverse representation of who we are as Singaporeans.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, I seek your indulgence in closing my speech with not a grandfather story but a grandmother story. My grandmother, who is now 92, used to make my sister and I quilts when we were much younger. Coming from the tough, hardy Pioneer Generation, my grandmother did not believe in wasting money on new blankets and made these quilts from various scraps of cloths that were sewn together.

Some of these cloths had more of some prints than others; some were leftovers from a blouse, or even excess scraps from pyjamas – all were unique, none were the same. Sometimes, the prints clashed, sometimes they were complementary. But it worked.

The quilt kept us warm when we needed it; at other times, it was a pretty reminder of my grandmother’s love because, as my sister just reminded me recently, quilting is hard work. Which is why in some cultures, quilting is a real communal activity – many hands make light of hard work. And when there is a tear, everyone comes together to mend the fabric.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, earlier, Minister Edwin Tong referenced the Singapore Tapestry. In a sense, I think of the Singapore identity as a quilt. The metaphor is quite similar, although I think, in the Minister's term, the tapestry is something more grand and majestic, which I also see Singapore as. The reason why I picked the quilt is because the quilt, for me, is something that you hold close to you, it keeps you warm, gives you comfort and protects you.

Our Singapore identity as a quilt is a patchwork of many cultures and multiple identities that we have stitched together and that has stayed together over the past 55 years.

But, like any quilt, over time, we do have the occasional tears in the fabric, too, and some parts of our quilt maybe they are fraying at the edges. But, perhaps, these are the parts of our community that we have not always heard, engaged or connected with, and who are somehow feeling more like a discarded scrap of cloth, rather than part of a beautiful and wonderful quilt.

So, it heartens me to note that the Government is intending to convene the Emerging Stronger Conversations so that all Singaporeans can have meaningful dialogues about important societal issues.

These conversations, Mdm Deputy Speaker, have the potential to be the stitching that will reinforce and strengthen the parts of the quilt – but only if we are able to take a long, hard honest look at ourselves and have the difficult conversations that need to be had. And only if we are able to do so with kindness. After all, if we start to turn on each other and start to be unkind – if we flame, criticise, destroy, tear down, burn down rather than build, construct and work together, then we begin to rip the quilt apart. And if that should happen, then I fear that Singapore is finished.

But if we come together in these conversations and treat each other with dignity and respect, then I am confident that not only will we mend these tears, but – working together – we will all craft a better Singapore quilt, a stronger Singapore quilt, one that will provide warmth, comfort and security for many generations to come. [Applause.]

Mdm Deputy Speaker: Miss Cheng Li Hui.

7.20 pm

Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Mdm Deputy Speaker, Parliament convenes for a new term at this critical juncture. Mdm President has charted the way forward in her Address. What a time this is. We have witnessed how an intertwined unprecedented economic and health crisis has affected our lives. Those who understand that this is going to be the new normal are preparing themselves for the rough journey ahead.

In this pandemic, it is now more imperative than ever to push on with our continuous efforts to create a robust and inclusive education system for our children and youths.

From a young age, parents, family and teachers heaped praises on our young ones, to encourage them to be the very best they can be. Every parent wants the best for their children and push them towards their own notion of success. When these children grow up, many become fixated on this notion of easy success and they want it and want it quickly. Some despair when they realise that success in real life takes time and endurance.

I often remind parents in Edusave ceremonies that in their workplace, their colleagues get promoted not based on academic results. Academic results offer that first step into their careers but then, it is their interpersonal skills, attitude at work, such as commitment, drive and leadership skills, that lead to promotion.

Our education system is exemplary when it comes to imparting knowledge and skills for the future economy. We have received worldwide recognition for this. Yet, given how fluid and competitive today's economy is, all these will come to nought if our youths are incapable of reacting well to changes and setbacks.

Just before the pandemic hit us, I spoke about resilience in individuals and as a nation in the first Budget speech of 2020. Resilience is a critical skill that all educators, both at home and in school, should impart.

Some of the methods to incorporate resilience in the classroom include discussions and reflections on goal-setting and perseverance, sharing stories of success and failures, understanding strengths and weaknesses through student-led report cards.

Our education system has been evolving in this direction, reducing the emphasis on academic results and nurturing talent across different arenas. I hope more can be done to expose students to more experiences that will encourage resilience and perseverance in our children and youths.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, when my friends and I graduated in 1998, Singapore's economy was still suffering from the aftermath of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. The job market was bleak and we could not see the glorious rainbow that we were looking forward to. But the mountain tops also have valleys in between. It is in these "valley" moments that we grew more robust, more determined and resilient, and soar out of these valleys.

I read with interest in the Straits times in April of fresh graduates facing lower salaries and rejections, and I reminisced about our days in 1998. Then, my NUS friends and I sent out hundreds of job applications, too, and we had low starting pay. Thankfully, MOE was recruiting teachers, and some took up the offers, yet some others became administrative staff. As for me, I studied insurance and did real estate work. Both became very useful in my later career.

I also remember chatting with my friend, then an administrative clerk earning $1,600, wondering how we would ever be able to afford a flat. She worked hard and did a part-time ACCA. Ten years on, she was earning a more than comfortable $12,000. I saw articles of graduates' concerns of low starting pay affecting their future earning power. I say to them, "Do not worry about this. Go out there, learn and gain experience, even if it is not your field of study. You will gain other useful skills, such as teamwork, communication and planning skills, that will pay dividends well into your future."

Those of us in this House that do yoga or pilates will be familiar with a pose called the "plank." It is a simple exercise similar to a push-up position. You support your body with your elbows and your back in a straight line to your ankles. Hold that position. The muscles that ache later? That is your core. It holds you upright and improves your stability and core strength for the next time you need to sprint. Perseverance and resilience are our society's core muscles. Like all workouts, you cannot do it with just one repetition and expect results. It requires a quiet determination to push forward through the pain, uncertainty and ambiguity. We need to have faith in our family who provide our hearts inspiration, encouragement from our friends, and trust that our Government will leave no one behind.

I want to encourage all those seeking jobs not to wait for a better job with less work and more pay. Instead, look at investing in yourself, build your toolkit with new skills, grow your library of experiences. Develop a strong core of perseverance and resilience, and I promise you, when we are out of this valley, it will be your time to soar.

Mdm Deputy Speaker, the Finance Minister has handed out almost $100 billion in subsidies and assistance to our people and businesses to help them tide over this crisis. Yesterday, we heard the Prime Minister remind us that this is possible due to the hard work and sacrifice of our founding generations. He called the reserves our rainy day money or coffin money.

I know many people and businesses are struggling in these tough times. The money from the Government has given them some reprieve from severe hardships and difficulties. However, I am concerned that some people may be tempted to keep asking the Government for more money, even if they can survive with some sacrifices. I met some residents, a couple, who were staying in a 5-room flat. Their children had married and moved out to their own flats. They were not on talking terms with their children. They even had a Court Maintenance Order to require their children to support them. Yet, they refused to downgrade or right-size or do a lease buy-back of their paid-up flat in case they wanted to leave their flat to their children in spite of all this. They were retired and asked the Government to give them more money.

While these cases are few, it is, nevertheless, a cause for concern if more people think like them. As the Finance Minister has explained, we need to use the money wisely, to save for real rainy days, and we are in the middle of a very long and heavy thunderstorm right now. I would go further and urge that we look for ways to cut back on spending, and reduce Ministries' budgets. Now is the time for all of us to be resilient and work together to restore our financial health, even as we battle the virus to restore our physical health. Madam, I support the Motion.