Keynote Address by DPM Lee Hsien Loong at "Singapore 21: Heartbeats in Action" Conference on 30 June 2001


1. I am very happy to join you this morning for the Singapore 21 Conference.

2. In August 97 Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong asked RAdm Teo Chee Hean to chair the Singapore 21 Committee. The key question before the Committee was how to strengthen Singapore's heartware - meaning our social cohesion, and the sense of belonging and mutual responsibility. The Committee canvassed the views of a wide spectrum of Singaporeans and drew up the Singapore 21 Vision, with its core idea of "Active Citizenship": getting Singaporeans to actively contribute their ideas, time and energy to build a better Singapore, and develop a strong sense of ownership and belonging. The Committee recognised that Singaporeans have much to contribute at various levels - national, community and the neighbourhood - and in varied fields, be it economic, social, in the arts or in sports. These contributions can help improve national policies, upgrade our living environment, strengthen community bonds and give care and support for the less fortunate.

3. It has been two years since Singapore 21 Committee completed its work and the Singapore 21 Vision was launched. I think we can say that since then, we have gradually been making progress towards this Vision.

4. More Singaporeans are coming forward to share and argue their points of view on issues that concern them. They are writing to the press, taking part in TV programmes and participating in public forums. There is more public discussion and involvement in national issues. More Singaporeans, whether at the corporate level or individually, are looking around themselves to see what they can do to help make lives better for themselves and other Singaporeans.

5. We want to encourage Singaporeans to participate more in discussing and understanding national issues. When faced with serious challenges, we have been able to act decisively as a nation, because we have enjoyed strong political consensus. We must strengthen this consensus by engaging Singaporeans in national issues, and getting them to think about matters which affect their lives. Serious, constructive debate helps to clarify issues, and gets people to understand what is at stake.

6. Of course the Government will work to win support for its programme and policies, but whether Singaporeans fully agree with the Government's point of view is less critical than whether people are following the issues at all. If they disagree knowledgeably, that can help us to understand the issues better, and quite possibly contribute to the government revising its views and improving its programme.

7. We may be living in peaceful times, but there are more than enough issues with long term implications on Singapore's continued progress and prosperity. Developments in Southeast Asia over the last 3 years, for example, represent a major shift in our external environment. The Asian crisis has passed, but the aftermath persists. Many Southeast Asian countries face significant uncertainties. The restructuring of economies to remedy the weaknesses uncovered by the Asian financial crisis is proceeding painfully slowly, held back and complicated by political uncertainties. Singapore is too small to influence events in the region. But we must follow events carefully, because whether we like it or not, what happens in the region will affect us.

8.In terms of economic challenges, we need to move quickly into a knowledge economy, keeping up with globalisation, the rapid pace of technological change and increased competition in the markets. It is a never-ending process of restructuring, and of training and upgrading our workforce.

9. In the short term, we have to deal with the sharp cyclical downturn in our economy. The pick-up after the 1997 financial crisis unfortunately did not last. The US economy has slowed sharply after the long boom, Europe is beginning to follow the US down, and Japan is in recession with structural problems as well. Affecting Singapore even more directly, because we are a major manufacturer and exporter of disk drives, semiconductors and electronics products, is the correction in the high tech sector that is proving to be deep and will probably be prolonged.

10. Our electronics output and non-oil domestic exports last month recorded sharp declines. We must brace ourselves for a more severe, prolonged downturn than earlier expected. How we respond, both individually and as a nation, will be closely watched by international investors. We must show once again that whatever the difficulties surrounding us, Singapore is an island that is stable, looks ahead, and works cohesively together to tackle problems and challenges.

11. Some may feel that these issues of foreign and economic policies are beyond the reach of Singaporeans who, as individual citizens, have very limited influence over the outcome. That is true, but only to a certain extent. But it is still necessary for the man on the street to pay attention to the macro challenges facing Singapore, because these provide an important backdrop for discussions on other issues. We must have a good appreciation of the larger, external forces that affect us, in order to appreciate properly the constraints and realistic possibilities when we discuss more prosaic, tangible issues.

12. Besides the broad economic and strategic issues, there are many local, sectoral issues which are more concrete, with direct impact on the lives of Singaporeans, and to which Singaporeans can contribute valuable inputs. Whether it is a new URA masterplan for the city, compulsory education, or new approaches to the financial sector, therefore, we want to cast the net wide to involve people who can help, and surface proposals for public feedback and criticism. This will help the Government to reach better decisions, strengthen public support for policies, and draw the Government and people closer together.

13. Whether we are discussing high national policies, or down to earth issues like medical costs and bus fares, for the debate to be fruitful, participants have to make the effort to master the issues and understand what is at stake. That is the way to make progress in the debate and find solutions to the problems. We not only need to consider how we are individually affected, but also the options open to Singapore as a nation, the trade-offs and the choices we must make for the wider good of the country.

14. For example, recently Lianhe Zaobao carried out a poll on health care costs. It asked whether people felt that health care costs were too high. Not surprisingly, many people said yes. It then asked whether people should be allowed to pay their hospital bills in instalments. Not surprisingly, another large majority said yes to that too. What was perhaps surprising was that about 30% of the respondents actually said no! All of us would prefer health care to be cheaper, but unfortunately the debate cannot stop there. We have to work out how this desirable outcome can be made possible. Will simply reducing charges, or allowing instalment payments, lead to a better health care system? Will more people get the medical care they need, and our population be healthier? There are countries where health care is absolutely free, like Great Britain. Yet the public there is dissatisfied with the long waiting times and inadequate service, and health care is a hot political issue. How is that? To get the public to understand these issues, and their implications for us, will take more work than conducting a poll.

15. Of course, active citizenship is not only about getting Singaporeans to speak up and debate what the government should do. It is also about getting Singaporeans to actively do something for their fellow Singaporeans, to make a difference to their community and to the nation as a whole. Words must be matched by deeds, and people must commit time and energy to causes which they believe in. After all, Singapore 21 seeks to get Singaporeans to participate actively in the life of the nation. It is about volunteerism, active citizenship and shared responsibility. It is about each one of us individually playing our part as a Singaporean as well as working together as a team.

16. This is essential because there are many issues which the Government cannot tackle on its own, and which need the concerted effort of the public, people and private sectors. Schools alone, for example, cannot mould good citizens. So too, the police by themselves cannot ensure public safety. And the Ministry of Community Development and Sports on its own cannot provide all the social services, without committed and dedicated volunteer organisations to deliver these services with care and compassion. The public sector needs partners in the people and private sectors to accomplish many of its missions.

17. I hope more Singaporeans will "walk the talk", roll up their sleeves and get involved in the community. Through that, they will have a realistic appraisal of the opportunities and the problems, both what can be achieved as well as how much effort is necessary. They will understand that what counts is not just more money or resources, but patient, consistent and committed effort over many years. The work is seldom glamorous. For every volunteer who receives a national award or public recognition, there are many more who remain unsung heroes in the background. But they can derive satisfaction from having helped to improve our society and made a difference in other Singaporeans' lives. More importantly, they can feel a sense of ownership and belonging, that this is a society that they have personally played a part to build and shape.

18. I am encouraged that we are making some progress. The private sector is doing its part. For example the National Council of Social Services' (NCSS) has a Corporate Community Involvement Programme, where companies adopt volunteer welfare organisations or VWOs and contribute through funds and the involvement of their staff as volunteers. The number of companies participating in this programme as increased from 10 in 1999 when the programme first started, to 72 today.

19. There have been other creative initiatives such as the School Pocket Money Fund by the Singapore Press Holdings last year to help students from low-income families meet their financial needs, and SIA's support for the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled in Singapore (MINDS). SIA funds the development of the SIA-MINDS Employment Development Centre. It also provides employment opportunities for intellectually disabled adults, by subcontracting packing of airline headphones to the Centre.

20. Individual Singaporeans have also come forward to do their part to improve things for fellow Singaporeans. Some have found from personal experience something lacking in the current scheme of things, and have come forward to fill the gap. Ms Lee Soh Hong, who is being featured at the National Volunteer Centre Fair for example, found, when her mother was battling colon cancer, that there was very little information on cancer available in Singapore. She started Cancerstory.com, a website to provide more information on cancer, its possible treatments and give real-life accounts of how families cope with the disease.

21. Others have simply come together to support a common cause which they believe in, through fund raising and other activities. "Children's Voice", for example, was the initiative of a group of young professionals who formed a loose, informal grouping to organise annual fund-raising golf tournaments for children's charities. Last year, they raised $260,000 for the Children's Cancer Foundation. This year, they plan to organise a golf tournament and a charity concert at Botanic Gardens, the proceeds from which will go to the Assisi Children's Centre at Mount Alvernia.

22. This trend is encouraging, but represents only a modest beginning. I am sure that many more Singaporeans can be persuaded to come forward to contribute their ideas, time and energy, if we can find the right way to reach out to them, and persuade them that their effort will make a difference. We must motivate every citizen to play his part as a Singaporean, as well as work with others to make Singapore our best home. Many drops make an ocean, and every drop counts. In the same way, every individual contribution, however small, adds up. This is what the Singapore 21 vision is about.