Minister Indranee Rajah on Addressing the Most Discussed Topics Across the Emerging Stronger Conversations
PMO Ministers
Governance
6 July 2021
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Mr Pritam Singh: To ask the Prime Minister how does the Government intend to address the most discussed topics across the Emerging Stronger Conversations as at 31 December 2020 specifically Social Support and National Identity and Shared Values which ranked above Jobs and the Economy and Digitalisation and Technology.
Ms Indranee Rajah (for the Prime Minister):
The Singapore Together Emerging Stronger Conversations were launched in June 2020, as a platform for Singaporeans to reflect on our COVID-19 experience and our aspirations for a more resilient post-COVID society. These Conversations were convened in the midst of the pandemic, because it was important to hear from one another on how we were affected by the crisis, and how each of us could play a part to help Singapore emerge stronger.
In February this year, the Government published a report to take stock of the Conversations and feedback received from 17,000 Singaporeans from all walks of life.
The report highlighted 15 key themes that were most discussed, including, as Mr Singh highlighted, Social Support, and National Identity and Shared Values. The latter two encompassed issues like protecting our vulnerable, support for giving and volunteerism, and how we might build a more compassionate and cohesive society.
Our focus now is on forging strong and sustained partnerships to turn these shared aspirations into reality.
We have been progressively addressing the themes that have come up in the Conversations, through partnerships such as the Singapore Together Alliances for Action or AfAs, Citizens’ Workgroups, and others. The AfAs bring together Singaporeans across the People, Private and Public Sectors, to work together on solutions to economic and social issues.
To date, 25 AfAs have been announced, including a number relating to enhancing social support and building a more compassionate society. Several of these AfAs are driven by a strong conviction of our shared values, and these values will be manifest in not just the outcomes, but also in the way the initiatives are implemented. Let me highlight a few examples.
Apart from the AfAs, partnerships such as the Citizens’ Workgroup for Singapore Citizenship Journey and the Citizens’ Workgroup for National Symbols saw Singaporeans work with the Government and one another, on ideas to strengthen our national identity and commitment to Singapore and Singaporeans.
These have all been in the spirit of Singapore Together, which is about Singaporeans creating our shared future together. We will continue to grow this ethos, and work with Singaporeans, as we grow our partnerships. The future Singapore we aspire to can only be built through a democracy of deeds, where all of us take action to make a difference.
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