SM Goh Chok Tong at the opening ceremony of the Hope Fair 2009

When MP Lim Biow Chuan told me that Paya Lebar Methodist Church would like to invite me to open the HOPE – or Helping our People – Fair, I gladly accepted the invitation, especially after he assured me that the fair will be open to all Singaporeans, whatever their religions.

HOPE is a refreshing and welcome initiative from the Christian community. Our most worrisome fear during the economic downturn was not the plunging quarter-on-quarter growth rates, but rising unemployment. Fortunately, our quick and decisive response to the downturn has kept our unemployment rate from soaring. For example, although the fall in GDP this time is about double that during the Asian Financial Crisis, the net job loss is only half that during the Asian Financial Crisis. As a result, our unemployment rate rose only slightly to 3.3% while retrenchments eased in Q2 this year. These compare very favourably with the US where the unemployment rate has reached almost 10%¹. Our Economic Resilience Package works, in particular, the Jobs Credit Scheme and the Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience (SPUR).

But we cannot look at the unemployment problem just from the macro-statistical viewpoint. We must also look at it from the human angle – the shock and anguish of losing one’s job, the anxiety and, sometimes frustration, of looking for another, the new skills to be learnt and the adjustments to be made. There is also the financial and psychological impact on the family – the mortgage and bills to be paid and the loss of self-esteem.

That is why government must also reach out to job seekers at the human level, not only to provide financial and social assistance for those who need it, but also to retrain and prepare them so that they are job-ready. For instance, in the first eight months of this year, our Community Development Councils (CDCs) processed more than 26,000 cases for social assistance, and helped some 12,000 residents find employment. The CDCs leverage on their partnerships with corporations, grassroots organisations, voluntary welfare organisations and self-help groups to organise job fairs and job preparatory exercises that suit the needs and profiles of the job seekers. They have also helped residents to build stronger resilience through budgeting workshops, which teach low income families how they could reduce their arrears, get out of debt and live within their means. Even Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) who are generally middle-income are not neglected. Recognising the challenges that retrenched PMETs face, the CDCs also organise networking and confidence-building workshops to help them find jobs.

There is also e2i, or Employment and Employability Institute, which was started by the NTUC in February 2008. With support from the government, e2i helps the unemployed acquire new skills and obtain new jobs, and also re-skills those who are employed, so that they can take on higher value added roles. In the first eight months of this year, e2i has helped over 11,500 Singaporeans to find new jobs.

The CDCs and e2i illustrate the government’s philosophy of personalising its macro approach in social assistance through voluntary organisations and a “Many Helping Hands” network. I therefore commend the Methodist Church for being part of this overall effort. As reflected in its name, this fair provides hope and confidence to the people, by offering practical guidance in job-hunting, how one should prepare for job interviews and also other forms of professional counselling. It is noteworthy that the key purpose of the fair is not to provide fish to the people, but to help them learn to fish or for those who already know how to fish, to mend their nets, or point them to new fishing grounds.

I am happy to see that the Methodist Church is helping all Singaporeans, regardless of race or religion. I am particularly pleased that many other religious organisations in Singapore also adopt an open and inclusive approach when they undertake social welfare programmes. Such an approach underpins the unity and harmony of our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

The Al-Iman Mosque Welfare Committee, for example, has been collaborating with North West CDC and the Bukit Panjang Citizens’ Consultative Committee since 2006 to operate the Community Kitchen. By equipping the long term unemployed with skills to prepare pastries for small-scale retail and catering purposes, it empowers the unemployed and encourages self reliance rather than dependency.

Another example is the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple, which recently announced that it would sponsor the cost of building, equipping as well as operating the National Kidney Foundation’s 25th dialysis centre in the western part of Singapore. Other examples include the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, which has been serving free vegetarian meals at its premises for some 20 years, and the Sri Sivan Temple, which provides food supplies to needy families through the MacPherson Community Club.

Religious organisations have also joined hands to do good together. For example, the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, Jamiyah Singapore, the Hindu Endowments Board and the Taoist Federation teamed up to distribute more than $400,000 worth of education bursaries to needy students earlier this year. The recipients were of different races and religions, including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus and Muslims.

These are just a few examples of religious organisations providing social welfare services to the needy. It is good that our religious bodies deliver such services beyond their followers and without imposing their religious beliefs on the beneficiaries. This way, they help to strengthen the sinews and spirit of our multi-racial and multi-religious society.

To conclude, I commend the organisers and others who have contributed to the HOPE Fair today. Let us together build a warm and happy home for all Singaporeans. And since today is Deepavali, let me also take this opportunity to wish all Hindus a happy Deepavali.

[1] The unemployment rate in the US was 8.5% in Q1, 9.5% in Q2 and 9.8% in Q3 2009.