Latest news with #SkillsFutureJobseekerSupportScheme
AsiaOne
6 days ago
- Business
- AsiaOne
'Move faster, adapt quicker and innovate smarter': PM Wong on how Singapore can stay ahead in National Day message, Singapore News
Amid heightened economic uncertainty, Singapore must stay ahead of others and remain exceptional in its cohesion, resolve and performance, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his National Day message on Friday (Aug 8). "We must move faster, adapt quicker and innovate smarter. That means embracing new technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and robotics — and applying them meaningfully across our economy," he said. People, workers and businesses here must also be enabled to make full use of these tools to sharpen the country's competitive edge. "The pace of change will be rapid and not always comfortable. There will be disruption. Not everyone will find the transition easy," he added. Outlook 'highly uncertain': PM Wong Addressing the nation in a media broadcast at The Padang, he pointed out the global issues of new conflicts, deepened geopolitical tensions, heightened trade barriers and worsening protectionist sentiments. "To put it bluntly: The global order that enabled Singapore to thrive for decades is unravelling before our eyes," said PM Wong. It is thus necessary for Singapore to prepare ahead for challenges and developments — and other countries are not "standing still", he noted. "They have more resources, larger populations and are hungry to succeed. "The bigger powers are also now more willing to use every tool at their disposal — economic, technological and geopolitical — to tilt the playing field in their favour. That will make it harder for small states like Singapore to hold our own." He continued that the global economy is expected to "remain troubled for some time". And while the Republic's economy has been "resilient" thus far, the outlook remains "highly uncertain". In this regard, PM Wong said the Singapore Economic Resilience Taskforce has rolled out targeted measures for businesses and workers, and will continue to assess risks, identify new opportunities and prepare firms and workers for the future. 'This Govt will walk this journey with you' PM Wong acknowledged that the pace of change will be rapid but said the Government will "walk this journey" with citizens. "We will expand opportunities for learning and skills upgrading, strengthen social safety nets, and help every Singaporean who faces setbacks to bounce back and press on," he elaborated. Highlighting the Forward Singapore exercise and new policies like the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme, he said more will be done to uplift lower-income workers and families. PM Wong emphasised that this is a shared effort by community groups, businesses, unions and many passionate individuals. He then added that Singapore cannot afford to be divided. "We may come from different races, speak different languages, and hold different beliefs. But we are bound by something deeper: a shared commitment to one another, and to Singapore. "This is the faith that has sustained us these past 60 years: faith in ourselves, in one another, and in the promise of Singapore. It gave us the strength to build a nation from scratch. "And this same spirit will be even more vital in the years ahead, as the pace of change quickens and the world becomes more uncertain." Special exhibition to mark SG60 To celebrate Singapore's 60th year of independence, a special exhibition will be held at the Orchard Library, announced PM Wong. The exhibition features a collection of ground-up aspirations and wishes reflecting a vision of what Singapore can be. It has started welcoming student visitors, and will be open to the general public later in August. "In 60 years, we have gone from third world to first. Not through luck, but through sheer determination, resilience and unity," he concluded. "Now, as we stand on the threshold of a new chapter, we must draw strength from our past, and press forward with confidence. Together, we will secure a brighter future for ourselves, our children, and generations to come." [[nid:720779]]
Online Citizen
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Online Citizen
Pritam Singh criticises NTUC-PAP ties, says PAP candidates can still serve workers if unelected
SINGAPORE: Speaking at The Workers' Party rally on 26 April 2025, Pritam Singh took aim at the longstanding symbiotic relationship between the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the People's Action Party (PAP). Singh urged voters to support Workers' Party (WP) candidates Andre Low in Jalan Kayu and Kenneth Foo in Tampines Changkat at the upcoming general election. Singh stated that Labour Chief Ng Chee Meng and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Desmond Choo, both contesting single seats, would likely continue their work in the labour movement even if they were not elected. Addressing the crowd at Temasek Junior College in Tampines during WP's second rally, he said the two PAP candidates would continue to serve workers with the support of 'rank-and-file unionists and workers who are truly the backbone of NTUC'. NTUC as a 'Guaranteed Trampoline' for Losing PAP Candidates Referring to the NTUC as a 'guaranteed trampoline' for defeated PAP candidates, Singh highlighted the unique advantage afforded to ruling party politicians through their relationship with the labour movement. 'It is the safest trampoline for a politician anywhere in Singapore, and maybe anywhere in the world, but you must be a PAP candidate to earn the right to bounce on it,' Singh remarked, rounding off a nearly three-hour-long rally. Singh encouraged voters to allow Ng and Choo to focus fully on union work by not electing them into Parliament. This, he argued, would enable them to generate fresh ideas or even implement ideas proposed by the WP. 'We need to give the PAP candidates more time for their NTUC work, so they can come up with new ideas, or maybe even implement WP ideas,' Singh added. Criticism of SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme Portrayal Earlier in his speech, Singh criticised a social media portrayal of Ng's role in launching the new SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme. He reminded the audience that the WP had also advocated for similar initiatives to support lower- and middle-income Singaporeans who had lost their jobs through retrenchment or business closures. Attacks on PAP's 2025 Election Manifesto Singh further condemned the PAP's 2025 election manifesto, citing a lack of substance and specific policy proposals. He pointed out critical gaps, particularly on issues of housing affordability, the decaying leases of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, and the roll-out of the Voluntary Early Redevelopment Scheme (VERS). He said many families were purchasing resale flats with only 60 or 70 years left on the lease, sometimes at prices nearing or exceeding one million dollars. Yet the PAP's manifesto, he stressed, said 'nothing at all' about how these concerns would be addressed. Workers' Party's Alternative Proposals Highlighted In contrast, Singh said WP's manifesto advanced practical ideas on alleviating high rental costs for businesses and offering more flexibility for seniors using MediSave, Singapore's national medical savings scheme. 'Singapore is a far more complex society now, and it will always need fresh thinking. Yet we have a PAP manifesto without specific policy ideas. I believe it is because PAP wants Singaporeans to sign a blank cheque,' Singh argued. Singh also emphasised the need for Parliament to foster rational, responsible, and respectable debate rather than merely serving as a 'rubber stamp'. He cautioned that voting in PAP candidates with close ties to NTUC would not promote genuine scrutiny or accountability. Citing the proposed S$2.2 billion sale of Income Insurance to German multinational Allianz, which was abandoned following public backlash, Singh observed that no PAP labour MPs had filed questions or contributed to the parliamentary debate when the issue arose. 'Elected PAP MPs who champion NTUC… should fight hard in Parliament when NTUC issues are raised, particularly issues that Singaporeans are concerned about,' he said. Singh reassured voters that WP's candidates, if elected, would work diligently on the ground and manage town councils effectively in the constituencies they contested. 'Tampines wins, Tampines Changkat wins, Jalan Kayu wins, Singapore wins, everybody wins,' he declared. Firm Rejection of Foreign Interference Towards the end of his speech, Singh addressed remarks made earlier by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong regarding Facebook posts from two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee. These posts had been blocked for alleged attempts to interfere in Singapore's election. Singh categorically rejected any foreign interference in Singapore's domestic politics. 'My colleagues and I categorically reject the involvement of any foreign element whatsoever in our domestic politics. Singapore is our business. Nobody else's,' he said. Singh concluded by reiterating his vision for a race-neutral Singapore. 'I passionately believe in a race-neutral Singapore, where we are judged not by our race or the colour of our skin, but by our deeds and our common humanity,' he said. Echoing this sentiment, WP Vice-Chair Faisal Manap, who is leading the party's Tampines GRC team, made a similar pledge. 'I am a minority candidate, a Malay/Muslim. Regardless, I will serve the residents of Tampines GRC – regardless of race, language or religion – equally and to the best of my ability,' Faisal said in his rally speech. Former NTUC Income CEO urges Jalan Kayu voters to demand accountability from Ng Chee Meng over failed Income-Allianz deal Separately, Former NTUC Income CEO Tan Suee Chieh has appealed to Jalan Kayu voters to hold Ng Chee Meng accountable for his leadership role in the failed 2024 sale of Income Insurance to Allianz. In an open letter, Tan disclosed that he had privately written to Ng and NTUC President K Thanaletchimi but received no response. He also highlighted his public efforts to raise concerns, which Ng allegedly did not address. Tan urged voters to seek answers, stressing that speaking up is an essential duty in safeguarding Singapore's future.
