2024年7月2日，新加坡总理黄循财出席由新加坡管理大学（Singapore Management University）与新加坡政策研究所和学生组织 Varsity Voices 联合举办的青年展开对话。
以下内容为新加坡眼根据国会英文资料翻译整理：
尊敬的来宾女士们、先生们同学们：
我很高兴能够与大家共聚一堂参加今晚的对话会。
很高兴有机会与来自我们的ITE、理工学院和大学的年轻学生们见面。同时感谢新加坡政策研究所、学生组织 Varsity Voices和SMU举办这个活动。
我回想起自己在你们这个年纪，也就是学生们的年龄时，那时的我并不像现在坐在前排的你们。那是90年代初期，互联网还很新鲜，我们没有智能手机，更没有社交媒体。
那时的世界与现在截然不同，中国的经济崛起刚刚开始形成。柏林墙刚刚倒塌，苏联解体。美国成为世界上唯一的超级大国。此后，我们享受到了和平与稳定，特别是在亚太地区，我们见证了全球化和贸易的蓬勃发展。
那时的新加坡也大不相同。我知道有时人们会倾向于美化过去；我们常常认为“过去的好日子”总是更美好。你们可能经常从父母那里听到这种说法。但那个时代并非一帆风顺。
当时的新加坡公共交通系统还没有现在这么发达。那时候，我们只有两条地铁线路——东西线和南北线，也就是现在的绿线和红线。你看看现在的地铁地图，线路连接得如此广泛。
那时的娱乐活动选择并不多。事实上，新加坡曾被评论家称为“文化沙漠”。这种批评有一定道理，因为我记得我的和朋友们通常出门都是去乌节路看电影。
在艺术和文化方面的选择非常有限。我们没有滨海艺术中心、滨海湾、滨海花园或体育城。
过去的30年里发生了很多变化。
这段时间里虽然经历了起伏不定的阶段，但总体来说，新加坡的生活质量有了显著提升。我们的居住环境得到了极大的改善——现在我们拥有美丽的组屋区，更多的绿色空间和连通的公园。此外，公共交通系统变得更加便捷。经济方面，新加坡变得更强大、更具多样性，为人们提供了更多机会，包括高薪的工作。生活也变得更加充满活力——我们现在有更多的娱乐选择，以及丰富的体育、艺术和音乐活动。
换句话说，在我这一代人，即那些出生于70年代初期的人中，大约55%选择继续接受高等教育。而如今，几乎每个人都有机会继续接受高等教育，无论是在大学、理工学院还是ITE。在那个时候，一个年轻的大学毕业生，比如像我在90年代初期，起薪大约是3000新元或更少。现在则大约是5000新元。这些都是随着时间推移，事物确实得到了明显改善的例子。
毫无疑问，一路上也有不少挑战。新加坡几十年来经历的变革有时会让社会某些群体感到迷失和不安。我们也经历了自己的一些挑战。1997年的亚洲金融危机，2004年的SARS疫情，以及2008年的全球金融危机。但每一次，我们都团结一致，度过了风雨，变得更加坚强。
展望未来的20至30年，我们还可以期待什么？
我认为预测未来的发展是非常困难的，没有人能确切地知道未来会发生什么。但我毫不怀疑，在未来的岁月和几十年中，我们将面临一些挑战。
首先，新加坡将不得不在更加复杂的外部环境中运作。全球化和自由贸易的黄金时代已经结束，我们不会回到过去的状况。现在我们处于一个新的竞争时代，特别是在主要大国，尤其是美中之间。世界变得更加危险和分裂，各国共同解决全球问题将变得更加艰难。
在应对像疫情这样的重大问题时，我们可以看到一个问题。在疫情高峰期间，每个人都说，让我们共同努力改善全球监测系统，这样如果病毒再次出现，我们就能及时发现并采取适当的防范和措施。那时候是这样说的，但是经过这么多年的讨论，遗憾的是，并没有多少进展在加强全球监测系统以防范未来疫情方面。
谈到气候变化问题，这很可能是人类在我们这个时代需要面对的最大问题。人们谈论着希望减少排放。各国做出各种承诺，但不幸的是，我们确实看到许多国家在这些承诺上出现了倒退。特别是来自大排放国家，这意味着排放量逐年上升，全球温度继续上升，我们正走向气候灾难。就气候而言，情况看起来可能会在好转之前恶化。
再来看另一个挑战，即快速技术进步的挑战。我认为我们正处在又一个重大技术进步和突破的边缘。当我和你们一样年轻时，互联网刚刚诞生，全球网络（World Wide Web）是一种新奇的事物。这种新奇从90年代初开始引发了跨越业务的巨大突破和转型。在90年代初期，没有人能预测互联网的应用会有多广泛。最终，它推动了电子商务、企业变革、社交媒体平台，现在又正在创造物联网。带来了如此多的变革。
今天，新的技术是人工智能（Artificial Intelligence，简称AI）。我们正见证AI的曙光，我相信在未来的20、30年里，AI将对社会产生比我年代互联网更大的影响。目前，我们听到的关于AI的大多是大型语言模型（Large Language Models ，简称LLMs），如ChatGPT。但AI的潜在用途远远超出了ChatGPT。它将改变我们创新的方式，我们工作的方式，我们学习和教育的方式，以及我们如何协作和相互交流的方式。它将改变每个人的一切。而你们将在你们的一生中经历这些变化。
这些是塑造我们运行环境的强大力量。我们对它们没有太多控制力，它们将不可避免地发生。有时候，从我们这个小岛的视角看，这些巨大的变化可能会让人感到不知所措。但我要说：不要害怕！我们在新加坡有能力适应和调整到新的环境中，生存并且茁壮成长，哪怕这是我们作为一个国家过去60年来一直在做的事情。而且我们可以继续在未来做到这一点。
哪些策略来推动新加坡在这个新阶段向前发展呢？让我来分享我的想法。
首先，我们正在采取积极步骤更新我们的社会契约，增强国家的团结和一致性。
这就是我们启动“新加坡携手前进”（Forward Singapore）运动的原因。
拥有更新的社会契约意味着什么？首先，政府将更多地为新加坡人在生活的每个阶段提供保障。
这意味着，我们希望新加坡人能够放心，他们可以期待到负担得起且高质量的住房，优良的医疗系统，以及培养多元人才的教育体系等等。我们将建立更强大的安全网，帮助新加坡人从挫折中重新站起来。我们希望建立一个制度，让每个人都不必在不确定的世界中独自应对；相反，我们重申对彼此的承诺，保证彼此支持。
政府将采取更多措施来实现这一目标。但这项工作不能仅靠政府完成，因为个人也必须对自己和家人负责。举例来说，政府在医疗保健方面可以做更多事情。事实上，我们正在做更多。我们希望增加在预防健康方面的支出，即所谓的“更健康新加坡”，通过积极的生活方式、饮食等方式，赋予人们更好地照顾自己健康的能力和机会。但新加坡人也必须尽自己的责任，保持积极的生活方式和健康习惯。我们不能替代你们，我们可以推广和投资于预防保健，我们可以降低健康筛查的费用，但你们也必须承担自己的责任。
再举一个例子，政府可以增加在技能提升和发展上的支出，我们将会这样做。我们将降低课程费用，使课程更加有效、更易于获取，但新加坡人也必须自愿前来接受培训，并持续提升和改善自己的技能。
再举一个例子，政府希望在提升低收入工人工资方面做更多工作。我们希望看到他们的福祉改善，希望看到他们能够靠自己赚取更多收入。但工人获得更高薪资也意味着成本必须上涨。作为新加坡人，我们都必须准备好为我们同胞提供的服务付出更多，尊重他们所从事的重要工作。
这就是为什么我们称之为社会契约——它关乎社会中每个人的角色和我们彼此之间的责任。我们希望达成一个公平和包容的契约，适用于社会的所有群体——这样一个契约将增强社会资本，培养信任，使我们能够作为一个民族共同进步。
第二，我们将为所有新加坡人提供更多机会去规划自己的道路——追求多样化的愿望和自己对成功的定义。
你们与我和我的同龄人相比的时候，将会拥有更多的机会。
那时候，情况相对简单，人们主要关注几个关键职业，认为那些是成功的职业选择，比如医生、律师、会计师、教师或工程师。
如今，有更多的选择和职业发展路径。这反映了我们今天更为多样化的经济。例如，我们在航空航天、生物技术和制药领域拥有领先的全球公司。他们在这里设立了业务，并为新加坡人提供了优质的工作机会。在专业服务领域，你们有许多机会可以追求，在金融、信息技术、市场营销和传播等领域。
此外，态度和心态也在发生变化。
例如，在医疗保健领域，我们不再仅仅关注医生。我们也认识到其他人的经验和专长——护士、物理治疗师、职业治疗师、放射技师——他们都全心全意地支持每位患者的康复。
我看到越来越多的年轻人选择成为老板，因为创业环境变得更加活跃，新加坡也有更多的风险投资家。越来越多的人开始接受非传统的职业路径，比如全职运动员，甚至是数字内容创作者。
总之，现在有更多的机会和可能性供你去探索，我鼓励你们充分利用这些机会。拥有选择是件好事，但有时选择过多可能会让人感到不知所措。在我年轻的时候，情况相对简单，我的父母会说，如果你能读书，就尽可能多读；如果你不能读书，找份工作。不管是什么工作，只要能挣钱，回家就行。这就是当时非常简单的思维方式。
我对所有人的建议是，从内心开始。不要比较，不要问朋友在做什么。我们每个人都有自己的能力和优势，没有必要与他人比较，试图适应我们本不适合的框框。相反，跟随自己的才能，努力发挥自己的全部潜力。
记住，你的才能并非一蹴而就，不可能一夜之间变成专家。仅仅因为你从工艺教育学院、理工学院或大学毕业，并不意味着你对所学的一切都了如指掌。
学习必须持续地进行。在这个阶段，你可能甚至不确定自己的优势在哪里。这确实需要你获得一些工作经验，开始做事情。随着时间的推移，培养和发展你的能力和优势。这是一段旅程。
在这个过程中，你很可能会面对一些拒绝和挫折。但如果你努力培养自己的美德，并在你所做的事情上做到卓越，你将会看到突破。
这不仅仅是抽象的谈论。我们在世界各地看到了这样的实例。看看疫情期间发生了什么。在疫情期间，我最喜欢的一个故事是关于一位科学家，在mRNA疫苗方面取得了突破。因为疫情，我们现在都知道了mRNA的情况。mRNA的先驱是一位名叫卡塔琳·考里科医生的研究员。
但在疫情之前的20年里，她的研究并没有得到认可。她的资金申请被拒绝。事实上，她的大学降低了她的职位，削减了她的工资，并没有给予她终身教职。但她继续做她的工作，因为她喜欢它，因为她对它充满激情。她并不在乎地位或奖励。她觉得科学很重要，她喜欢科学，她想要坚持研究。由于她对工作的奉献，她最终在全球拯救了无数人的生命，现在是诺贝尔奖得主。
你可能认为这是个例外。但实际上，这正是我们生活中都要经历的。在每一个成功的故事背后，通常都会有失败。你必须为生活中的低谷和挫折做好准备。
有时候，你会觉得自己的工作没有得到足够的赏识或认可。但恰恰是在这些时刻，你必须专注于做好自己的工作。你必须继续努力工作，保持高水准的卓越表现。如果你能做到这一点，你将会学到更多，变得更加优秀，并最终你的才能将会被认可，新的机会将会出现，让你找到蓬勃发展和成功的新可能性。
因此，我鼓励你们所有人都拥抱这种学习和追求卓越的态度——不仅仅是在我们上学时，也不仅仅是在毕业后，而是贯穿我们的一生。
政府将会做更多来支持你们。这就是为什么我们在技能创前程上投入了大量资源，为你们提供更多机会来提升技能，让你们在所从事的工作中保持新鲜感并变得更加优秀。当你们年纪渐长，甚至到了40多岁或者像我这样50多岁时，你们依然可以获得新的技能注入，学到一些实质性的东西，也很可能在职业生涯中迎来第二春。
第三，我们都必须尽自己的一份力，为建设一个更美好的社会做出贡献。
我们不希望有一个每个人只顾自己、适者生存、弱者苦难的社会。事实上，我们所有人都不希望在新加坡看到这种情况发生。在“新加坡携手前进”运动期间，许多人告诉我们，他们希望新加坡是一个包容的社会，每个人都有归属感，福利能够与所有人分享，而不仅仅是少数人独享。令人振奋的是，许多人都愿意尽自己的一份力，为这个更美好的新加坡做出贡献。
在疫情期间，我们确实看到了这一点。我们看到许多新加坡人自发地站出来提供帮助，无论是收集必需品帮助有需要的家庭，还是关心孤立的老年人。最近，在新加坡发生油污事件时，许多志愿者也站了出来，参与海滩巡逻和清理工作。
政府将会为你们创造更多机会，让你们为共同利益贡献力量，塑造我们社会的品格和氛围。我们今年早些时候成立了新加坡政府合作办公室，旨在让新加坡人更容易与政府合作。
我们正在建立更多平台，汇集公民、社区团体和企业，共同开发和实施解决当今重要问题的方案，无论是提升低薪工人待遇，还是增强新加坡的食品安全能力。最近，我们设立了青年小组，讨论年轻人关心的议题。我们建立了四个这样的小组，涵盖财务安全和可持续性等问题。这些青年小组的成员投入了大量时间和精力来了解问题，并将有机会在八月的首届青年政策论坛上提出改进建议。也许你没有参与这一轮青年小组，但将来会有更多机会，我们欢迎更多年轻人加入进来。
结论：
总结起来，我开始谈论世界的变化，以及我们如何像过去新加坡所做的那样适应并蓬勃发展。在过去的六十年里，我们确实走了很长的路。但新加坡始终是劣势群体。我们永远是一个小红点，没有后路和天然资源。如果新加坡出现问题，没有人会来拯救我们。最终，决定一切的还是我们，新加坡人，取决于我们自己的智慧和创造力，为自己的未来奋斗，并决定我们自己的命运。
因此，无论我们之间有何不同，我们必须始终团结一致作为一个民族。这正是我们共同度过疫情的方式。我们需要的正是这种精神——勇敢思考，放眼远方，为我们的前进道路制定计划。
你们每一个人都是新加坡故事下一章的作者。我相信我们的美好时光在前方等待着我们。让我们一同憧憬新的可能性，共同开辟新的道路，引领新加坡走向更加光明的未来。
谢谢大家。
以下是英文质询内容：
Distinguished guestsLadies and gentlemenStudents
I am very happy to join all of you for this evening’s dialogue session.
It is very good to have the chance to meet with young students from our ITEs, polytechnics and universities.
And I thank IPS, Varsity Voices, and SMU for making this event happen.
I am about 30 years older than most of you. I may not look it but I am. I reflected on what life was like when I was around your age, meaning the students’ age, not the ones seated in the front row. Life in the early 90s, at that time – the internet was still very new, we did not have smart phones, we certainly did not have social media.
It was a different world. China’s economic rise was only beginning to take shape at that time. The Berlin Wall had just fallen, and the Soviet Union had dissolved. America had emerged as the sole super-power of the world. And thereafter, we enjoyed peace and stability, especially in the Asia Pacific, we saw the flourishing of globalisation and trade.
Singapore was also very different at that time. I know sometimes there is a tendency to romanticise the past; we think that the “good old days” are always better. You probably hear it a lot from your parents. But things were not all that rosy back then either.
At that time in Singapore, our public transport system, for example, was not as connected as it is now. We only had two MRT lines – East-West and North-South, what we now call the green and red lines. And you look at our MRT map, it is so interconnected now.
There was not so much to do for recreation back then. In fact, Singapore was called a “cultural desert” by critics. There is something to be said about the criticism because all I can remember about going out with friends was to Orchard Road, to watch a movie, pretty much that.
Our arts and cultural offerings were very limited. We did not have the Esplanade, Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay, or the Sports Hub.
Much has changed in the last 30 years.
There have been ups and downs along the way. But on the whole, our lives have gotten better in Singapore. Our living environment has improved significantly – we have beautiful HDB estates, we have more green spaces and park connectors, we have a much connected and convenient public transport system. Our economy is stronger, it is more diversified and there are many more opportunities including more good-paying jobs for Singaporeans. Life in Singapore has become more vibrant – we now have more recreational options, as well as sports, arts, and music events.
Put another way, in my cohort – those of us born in the early 70s – about 55% of us went on to post-secondary education. Nowadays, almost everyone in the cohort has the chance to pursue their post-secondary education – be it at university, polytechnic or ITE. A young university graduate at that time; someone like me in the early 90s would have started out earning around $3,000 or less. Now it is about $5,000. These are how things have concretely improved over time.
No doubt there were challenges along the way. The changes that Singapore went through over the decades were sometimes disorientating and disruptive to certain segments of society. We also went through our share of challenges. We had the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997, SARS in 2004, and the global financial crisis of 2008. But each time, we rallied together, we weathered through the storms and emerged stronger.
What can we expect now – looking ahead, over the next 20-30 years? I think it is impossible to predict what will happen. No one can tell you this will certainly take place. But I have no doubt that we will face our share of challenges in the years and decades ahead. For one, Singapore will have to operate in a more difficult external environment. The previous era of globalisation and free trade is over. We are not going to go back to that again. We now see a new era of competition, especially between the major powers and between US and China. The world is becoming more dangerous and fragmented. It will be increasingly difficult for countries to come together to solve global problems.
Take the problem of tackling a big issue like the pandemic. During the height of the pandemic, everyone said – let us work together to improve global surveillance systems so that if a virus were to start up again, we would know and we would get better at detecting it quickly and we can take appropriate safeguards and measures. That was at that time, now after so many years of talking and discussing, unfortunately, not much progress has been in strengthening the global surveillance system to guard against a future pandemic.
Take the problem of climate change, which is likely to be the biggest problem humanity has to confront in our time. People talk about wanting to cut back emissions. Countries make all sorts of commitments but unfortunately, we do see a backsliding in many of these commitments around the world. Particularly from the large emitters, which means, year-by-year emissions continuing to rise, global temperatures continuing to rise, and we are all headed towards a climate disaster. On the climate, it looks like things might very well get worse before it gets better.
Take another challenge, which is that of rapid technological advancement. I think we are on the cusp of yet another major wave of technological advancements and breakthroughs. When I was your age, the big thing was the internet that had just come into being. The World Wide Web, it was a novelty. That novelty that started in the early 90s led to huge breakthroughs and transformations across businesses. No one could have predicted in the early 90s what the internet could be used for. In the end, it led to e-commerce, business transformation, social media platforms and it is now creating the Internet of Things. So many transformations.
Today, what is new – AI. We are seeing the dawn of AI which I am sure in the next 20-30 years, will have an even bigger impact compared to the internet during my time. For now, everything we hear about AI is Large Language Models (LLMs), ChatGPT. But the potential use cases for AI goes well beyond ChatGPT. It will change how we innovate, how we work, how we learn and teach, how we collaborate and interact with one another. It will change everything for everyone. And you will experience these changes in your lifetime.
These are big and powerful forces shaping our operating environment. We do not have much control over them, they will happen. And sometimes, looking from our perspective in this tiny island: it can be easy to get overwhelmed by these big changes. But I say: never fear! We in Singapore have the ability to adapt and adjust to a new environment, and to survive and thrive in this dangerous world. In fact, this is what we have been doing this last 60 years as a nation. And we can continue to do so going forward.
What are some of our strategies to take Singapore Forward in this new phase? Let me share some of my thoughts.
First, we are taking active steps to refresh our social compact, and to strengthen our sense of solidarity and unity as a country.
That is why we embarked on the Forward Singapore exercise.
What does it mean to have a refreshed social compact? For one, the Government will do more to provide assurances for Singaporeans at every stage of life.
Which means, we want Singaporeans to feel assured that they can look forward to affordable and quality homes, a good healthcare system, and an education system that nurtures diverse talents, amongst others. We will have stronger safety nets to help Singaporeans bounce back from setbacks. And we want to have in place a system where no one feels that they have to fend for themselves in an uncertain world; instead, we reaffirm our commitment to one another, and that we will always have each other’s backs.
The Government will do more to achieve this. But this work cannot be done by the Government alone because individuals must also take responsibility for themselves and their families. To illustrate, the Government can do more on healthcare. In fact, we are doing more. We want to spend more on preventive health, which is called Healthier SG to give people the power and ability to take better care of their own health through active lifestyle, diets and so on. But Singaporeans must do your part too, to stay active and maintain healthy lifestyles. We cannot do that for you, we can promote, invest in preventive care, we can make health screenings cheaper but you have to do your part as well.
Another example, the Government can spend more on skills upgrading and development, and we will. We will make courses cheaper, we will make courses more effective, more easy to access but Singaporeans must also step forward to go for training and to continually pick up and improve your skills.
Another example, the Government will want to do more to uplift the wages of lower-income workers. We want to see them improving their wellbeing, we want to see them earning more in their own right. But higher pay for workers means cost must also go up. All of us must, as Singaporeans, must also be prepared to pay more for the services delivered by our fellow citizens, and respect them for the essential work that they do.
That is why we call this a social compact – it is about the roles all of us in society play, and the responsibilities we owe to each other. We want a compact that is fair and inclusive for all segments of society – one which will strengthen social capital and foster trust, and enable us to progress together as one people.
Second, we will provide more opportunities for all Singaporeans to chart your own paths – to pursue your diverse aspirations, and your own definitions of success.
All of you will have access to far more opportunities than my peers and I had when we were your age.
Back then, it was quite simple, people just focussed on a few key professions, as what they deemed to be successful careers. You be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, teacher or engineer.
These days there are many more options, and career pathways. And that reflects our more diversified economy today. For example, we have leading global companies in aerospace, biotech and pharmaceuticals. They have set up shop here and offer good jobs for Singaporeans. In professional services, there are many opportunities for you to pursue, in Finance, IT, marketing and communications, amongst others.
Moreover, attitudes and mindsets are shifting.
For example, in healthcare, we no longer focus solely on the doctors. We also recognise the experience and expertise of many others – nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, radiographers – all who put in their hearts and souls in supporting every patient’s recovery.
I see many more young people becoming their own bosses because the start-up scene has become more vibrant and there is a wider range of venture capitalists based here in Singapore. More and more are embracing less conventional paths, like being full-time athletes, or even digital content creators.
The bottom line is that there are many more opportunities and possibilities for you to explore and I will encourage you to make full use of them. It is good to have options but sometimes too much choice can be overwhelming. It was quite simple during my time, my parents would say if you can study, go as far as you can, if you cannot study, find a job. I do not care what the job is, just get to work and bring some money back home. That was the very simple mindset.
Nowadays, you have many more opportunities, and you start worrying if you are making the right choice. You start comparing with your what your friends are doing, and it may lead to a certain paralysis and a certain level of stress and anxiety. How do you decide what path to take?
My suggestion for all of you, is to start from within. Do not compare, do not ask what your friends are doing. We all have our own abilities and strengths, there is no need to compare with others to squeeze into boxes we were not meant to fit. Instead, follow your own talents and strive to reach your own full potential.
Remember that your talents do not exist fully formed. You cannot possibly become an instant expert. Just because you graduate from ITE, polytechnic or university, does not make you knowledgeable about whatever you studied.
Learning must continue. At this stage, you may not even be sure what your strengths are. It really requires you to gain some work experience, start doing things. And over time, cultivate and nurture your abilities and strengths. It is a journey.
Along the way, you will very likely face some rejections and setbacks. But if you work hard to cultivate our own virtues and excel at what you do, you will see breakthroughs.
This is not just talking in abstract. We see real-life examples of this around the world. Look at what happened during COVID. One of my favourite stories during COVID was about this scientist who had made a breakthrough in mRNA vaccines. We know all about mRNA because of COVID. The pioneer of mRNA is a researcher called Dr Katalin Kariko.
But for 20 years prior to Covid, her research was not recognised. Her funding applications were rejected. In fact, her university demoted her, cut her pay, and did not grant her tenure. But she continued doing her work because she enjoyed it, because she had passion in it. She cared little about status or rewards. She felt the science was good, she enjoyed the science and she wanted to persevere in her research. Because of her dedication to her work, she ended up saving countless lives globally and she now a Nobel Prize Laureate.
You may think this is an exception. But this is really what all of us have to go through in life. Behind every success story, there will often by failures. You have to be prepared for dry spells and setbacks in your lives.
Sometimes, maybe even many times, it will feel like the work you do is not being appreciated or recognised sufficiently. But it is precisely in those moments that you must focus on doing your work well. You must keep on working hard and maintaining high standards of excellence. If you do that, you will only learn and get better at what you do, and eventually your talents will be recognised, other doors will open, and you find new possibilities to flourish and thrive.
So I encourage all of you to embrace this attitude of learning and excelling at whatever you do – not just when we are in school, not just after we graduate, but throughout our lives.
The Government will do more to support you. That is why we are investing significantly in SkillsFuture, in providing you more opportunities to upgrade your skills to be fresh and get better at what you are doing. As you get older, and even when you are in your 40s or around my age in your 50s, you will be able to get a fresh injection of skills, learn something solid and you might very well get a second wind in your careers.
Third, we must all do our part to contribute to a better society.
We do not want a society where everyone is for themselves, where the fittest survives and the weak suffer what they must. Indeed, all of us do not want that to happen in Singapore. During the Forward Singapore exercise, many told us that they want a Singapore that is inclusive, where everyone belongs, where benefits are shared with all, and not just held by a few. What is heartening to see is that many of us do want to do our part to contribute to this better Singapore.
We certainly saw this during Covid. We saw so many Singaporeans stepping forward, to help on their own accord – be it to collect essential supplies to help families in need, or to reach out to isolated seniors. More recently, when the oil spill happened in Singapore – many volunteers came forward, and helped out with the beach patrols and clean ups.
As far as the Government is concerned, we will create more opportunities for you to contribute to the common good, and to shape the character and tone of our society. We set up the Singapore Government Partnerships Office earlier this year, to make it easier for Singaporeans to partner with the Government.
We are creating more platforms that bring together citizens, community groups and businesses to develop and implement solutions on significant issues of the day, be it uplifting lower wage workers, or making Singapore more food resilient. More recently, we have setup youth panels to deliberate over issues of concern to young people. We have setup four such panels, that cover issues like financial security and sustainability. The youths on the panels that come together put in tremendous time and effort to understand the issues, and they will be given a chance to present their recommendations for improvements at an inaugural Youth Policy Forum in August. You may not have had the chance to participate in this round of Youth Panels, but there will be subsequent editions, and we welcome more of you to join in.
Conclusion
To conclude, I started by talking about how the world is changing, and how we have to adapt and thrive, as we have done many times before in the past in Singapore. We have certainly come a long way in these last 60 years. But Singapore has been and will always be the underdog. We will always be a little red dot, with no hinterland and no natural resources. If Singapore falters, there is no one coming to our rescue. In the end, it is really up to us, Singaporeans, it is up to our own wits and ingenuity, to fend for ourselves and determine our own fate and to chart our own future.
That is why, whatever our differences, we must always stand together as one people. That is how we saw through the Covid pandemic together. That is the same spirit we need – to think boldly, to think far, and to chart our way forward.
All of you are the authors of the next chapter of our Singapore Story. I am confident that our best days are ahead of us. Let us imagine the exciting new possibilities for our next bound. Let us work together to blaze new paths and take Singapore forward into a brighter future.
Thank you.
KS丨编辑
AY、HQ丨编审
新加坡总理公署丨来源