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Straits Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
New mentoring programme for S'pore youth to develop solutions for social issues
Mr Josiah Cheng (right) from NUS presenting the university's initiative to bring digital access and digital literacy to disadvantaged groups to Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan at Gen2025 on June 5. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN SINGAPORE – Under a new mentoring programme, Singapore's young people are encouraged to come up with solutions to social issues such climate change and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on jobs. The Gen2050 youth action programme, launched on June 5, will provide mentoring through structured modules to the first batch of 100 students from i nstitutes of higher learning. In one of the modules, participants can receive up to $5,000 in funding for each project from the National Youth Council (NYC), which will run the programme with KPMG in Singapore and the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore. At the launch event, NYC chief executive David Chua said that even if the projects do not come to fruition, 'just the fact that (the youth) take action and go halfway is also a good outcome. That seeds something for the future that they can come to again, to take action in other ways and forms'. 'They will still gain invaluable lessons, connections and insights that will shore up their confidence,' he added. Gen2050 has four modules, where experts will cover identifying pressing social issues and analysing the scope of the problem; creating proposals and measuring the effectiveness of potential solutions; managing stakeholders; and creating compelling pitches. The module on crafting compelling pitches includes a practical section where teams can receive up to $5,000 from NYC to fund a project and pitch their ideas to industry partners. Dialogues will be held as part of a second track of the programme, giving young people an opportunity to hold conversations with policymakers and industry professionals on topics concerning youth. The dialogues and modules are collectively expected to reach more than 1,000 young people. After the participants have completed the four modules, they will develop ideas and solutions to social issues, and pitch their projects to different organisations. Seed funding will be given to selected teams, and their ideas will be piloted if they are feasible. Those who have completed the modules may be considered for other national youth leadership programmes. The programme aims to reach youth from all backgrounds, and will tap institutes of higher learning to find suitable participants. NYC will also use its links with social service agencies to find youth facing adversity who may be interested to join the programme. The team will conduct outreach events to recruit prospective applicants. (From left) President of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore Ross Gan, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan and managing partner from KPMG Singapore Lee Sze Yeng at Gen2050 on June 5. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Goh Hanyan, who attended the launch event, said that youth today have enjoyed stronger education and greater exposure. Addressing the young people in the audience, she said during a dialogue session: 'Being connected globally gives greater awareness and understanding of what is happening around the world, to know what problems you want to solve and what has been done out there. 'I think there is a lot of power in your hands that you can wield if you find something that you are truly passionate about.' Policymaking in the past could have seemed like a black box as the Government would roll out policies on its own, but this is no longer the case, she added. 'Now within the Government, they are giving space to bring in voices of the citizens and youth to better inform how our policies should look like,' she said. 'We have come a long way as a society – we are genuinely interested in co-creation and it is not just lip-service. .. There is funding out there, there is support. The question is, what are you interested in? And how are you intending to come up with a solution for it? ' Managing partner of KPMG in Singapore Lee Sze Yeng said that young people have the passion and energy to address pressing challenges like social sustainability and climate change. Senior Parliamentary Secretary Goh Hanyan taking a wefie with participants at Gen2050. ST PHOTO: NG SOR LUAN National University of Singapore (NUS) undergraduate Josiah Chieng, 22, is part of a team of communications and new media (CNM) students running a programme on digital literacy. He shared his project with event attendees on June 5. CNM Connects was launched in 2020 to improve digital literacy among disadvantaged groups in Singapore. It was among projects showcased at the event as examples of student-led initiatives looking into social issues. The programme has worked with social service agencies like Allkin Singapore and Morning Star to teach children coding and AI skills. Mr Chieng, a first-year student, said: 'We hope that since Singapore is continuing to invest in AI to be a Smart Nation, no one is getting left behind.' CNM Connects plans to reach 200 people in 2025. Mr Chieng said programmes like Gen2050 are important as the youth can easily get confused or overwhelmed by the resources that are available to make their projects a reality. 'It is also in part due to our need to be perfect, as we really want our projects to be successful and make real impact, so we worry about failing because we did not make the right choices,' he said. 'Having such support from experienced professionals gives us the assurance and confidence in making mistakes, and innovating and executing our projects, as we have a safety net to fall back on for support.' More on this Topic No fixed pathways to success as education system continues to evolve: Desmond Lee Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
23-04-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: PAP takes on RDU in Nee Soon GRC
SINGAPORE: A refreshed People's Action Party (PAP) slate will take on Red Dot United's (RDU) top leadership in Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) in the May 3 General Election. The candidates' nominations were confirmed on Wednesday (Apr 23). Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, 66, anchors the PAP's team that includes four newcomers. They are Ms Goh Hanyan, 39, a former director at the Ministry of Digital Development and Information; Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, 40, a psychiatrist and former Nominated Member of Parliament; Mr Jackson Lam, 40, a director of a cleaning and pest control company; and Ms Lee Hui Ying, 36, a communications director. RDU's secretary-general Ravi Philemon, 56, and chairman David Foo, 60, lead three first-timers in their fight for the constituency. They are Dr Syed Alwi Ahmad, 57, a teacher and theoretical physicist; Mr Pang Heng Chuan, 56, a director at an international company based in China; and Ms Sharon Lin, 40, a senior consultant in the IT sector. Nee Soon GRC has 151,634 voters and will return five MPs. Its boundaries remain unchanged from GE2020. It is the third-largest constituency behind Ang Mo Kio and West Coast-Jurong West GRCs. In GE2020, the PAP went up against the Progress Singapore Party in Nee Soon GRC and won with 61.9 per cent of the vote.
Straits Times
21-04-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
GE2025: With its new slate, PAP looks to form 5G with more diversity, minorities
The new PAP candidates include (clockwise from top left) Ms Goh Hanyan, Dr Hamid Razak, Madam Hazlina Abdul Halim, Mr David Neo, Ms Jasmin Lau, Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Mr Jeffrey Siow and Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash. PHOTOS: SHINTARO TAY, BRIAN TEO, LIM YAOHUI, KEVIN LIM, MARK CHEONG, JASON QUAH, BERITA HARIAN, THE BUSINESS TIMES News analysis GE2025: With its new slate, PAP looks to form 5G with more diversity, minorities SINGAPORE – Three elections ago, the PAP brought in a slate of candidates who would eventually form the core of the party's fourth-generation leadership. This 2011 group included Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing and National Development Minister Desmond Lee. That year, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung was also fielded but lost in Aljunied GRC. Fast forward to 2025, and the party is set to field a group of young candidates pulled from the public service who could form the core of its nascent 5G if elected. It has also moved to fill potential gaps by bringing in more minority candidates tipped for political office, and recruited beyond the usual professions to flesh out its slate. PM Wong said when introducing them: 'If elected, a number of our new candidates can become more than backbenchers. 'They will help to strengthen my team, and some of the younger ones will form the core of the next 5G team – they will make sure Singapore continues to be in good hands.' The party's slate is younger on average, with more women. Some have professional backgrounds that mirror those of current office-holders, said Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan. These individuals could be tapped to be junior office-holders after the general election, he added. Top civil servants who have left their jobs to don party whites this election include permanent secretary for trade and industry and manpower Jeffrey Siow, Health Ministry deputy secretary Jasmin Lau, Finance Ministry director Shawn Loh, Digital Development and Information Ministry director Goh Hanyan and Transport Ministry director Foo Cexiang. Also in the mix are former army chief David Neo, former chief of staff – joint staff Goh Pei Ming and former Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) chief executive Dinesh Vasu Dash. The group is relatively young. The oldest is Mr Dinesh at 50, while the rest are in their 40s, and the youngest are Mr Loh at 38 and Ms Goh at 39. The professional journeys of these new faces, a mixture of top public servants and high-ranking military men, closely mirror those of the current Cabinet. Mr Siow was principal private secretary to then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – a role also previously held by PM Wong and Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat. Mr Chee and DPM Heng were also permanent secretaries at the Ministry of Trade and Industry – Mr Siow's last held role. Mr Neo's career trajectory mirrors that of Mr Chan, who was also chief of army before retiring to stand under the PAP banner. Mr Chan was 41 when he left the armed forces – Mr Neo is slightly older at 47. Training for Cabinet has to start now The move to renewal comes later than expected. The party's transition to its 4G leader was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and DPM Heng stepping away from being PM-designate in 2021. Bringing in a slate of ministerial-calibre candidates is not a new strategy for the PAP. It has done so in cycles over its 66-year rule. Before the 2011 batch, there was the 2001 cohort which yielded a group later dubbed the 'super seven'. This included President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and former transport minister Khaw Boon Wan. They also entered politics in their 40s, and quickly rose up the ranks into Cabinet. Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) Social Lab research fellow Teo Kay Key said of the current crop: 'The lowered age does send a signal that these individuals are likely to have a longer runway in politics.' She added that this helps to give assurance about the sustainability of the party in the longer term. IPS senior research fellow Gillian Koh said succession planning is essential for parties that are serious about their long-term national impact, and preparation for political office should start sooner rather than later. She said: 'Because voters are demanding, the policy space is getting more complex, the more time the younger generation of leaders have to pick up some key skills for political engagement and policymaking expertise, the better.' PM Wong was part of the 2011 class of the PAP recruits. The length of time it took to have him and his peers come into positions to lead the party and country was almost 15 years, she noted. For this reason, early exposure to being an MP for key roles in government is important as it takes a decade to do it and ensure that it is done right, she said. 'For the PAP, it is not too early to groom 5G leaders who would be in their late 30s and early 40s. 'They will already be in their early or mid-50s by the time they are ready, if they have not already been very senior civil servants or leaders in the SAF (Singapore Armed Forces).' SMU's Associate Professor Tan said the process to establish the party's next generation will take at least two to three elections. He said: 'The sooner the process is started, the better it is for renewal and succession.' Rounding out the slate with greater diversity The party will also field more minority candidates and individuals beyond the usual professions and sectors. There are four new Malay candidates – Dr Syed Harun Alhabsyi, Madam Hazlina Abdul Halim, Dr Faisal Abdul Aziz and Dr Elmie Nekmat – and three new Indian candidates – Mr Dinesh, Dr Hamid Razak and Mr Jagathishwaran Rajo. Of this crop, at least two could eventually become political office-holders if elected, based on their current trajectories. Mr Dinesh, who is slightly older than the rest and has a background in the SAF and the Health Ministry, and in helming the AIC , could find himself in government relatively quickly. The Tamil speaker has also spoken of his intent to champion issues and work on integration in the Indian community. The additions are needed by the party, which fielded no Indian new faces in 2020 and two in 2015. Since then, Mr Murali Pillai, who first contested in 2015 in Aljunied GRC and later won in Bukit Batok SMC in 2016, has been appointed Minister of State in the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Transport. The other Indian political office-holders are Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, 66, who has been in Cabinet since 2008, and Foreign Minister Balakrishnan , 64, who became a full minister in 2005. Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, 62, became a minister in 2018. Among the Malay candidates, Dr Syed Harun was tipped by Mr Shanmugam as someone who can 'easily be an office-holder'. While there were six new Malay MPs elected in 2020, none of them has risen from the backbenches. The youngest Malay officer-holder is Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, who entered politics in 2015. Dr Maliki Osman announced his retirement on April 21, while Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli and Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower Zaqy Mohamad will seek re-election. Outside of its future leadership, the party also appears to have brought in more candidates from outside established routes into politics . Dr Teo said: 'This time, we seem to be seeing more individuals from a community background, such as Cai Yinzhou, Hazlina Abdul Halim, David Hoe, and Elysa Chen. 'There seems to be efforts to reach beyond the usual industry choices like civil service, law and entrepreneurs.' What is for sure is that the party and its secretary-general are putting it to the electorate that voting for this slate is also a vote for the country's future leadership. How much water this argument will hold with Singaporeans will be tested on May 3. Ng Wei Kai is a journalist at The Straits Times, where he covers politics. He writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. Goh Yan Han is political correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes Unpacked, a weekly newsletter on Singapore politics and policy. 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