Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh warned in a parliamentary speech on Wednesday (22 Feb) that ‘two Singapores’ may emerge if we do not move forward together and guard against a split in society.
This split, the Workers’ Party secretary-general said, would be one “where the rich and the well-off high earners are pitted against the rest of Singapore.”
He also mentioned the need to continually refresh and review policies so that Singaporeans can thrive and leave a better future for subsequent generations.
Acknowledging online references to Budget 2023 as the ‘Robin Hood’ budget, Mr Singh said such a term indicates that it pits high earners and the rich against the lower and middle classes.
Source: MCI Singapore on YouTube
For those of us on the ground, our social trends are clear — a rapidly ageing population, a belief that social mobility for younger Singaporeans contrasts markedly with that in our parents’ generation, and a view that meritocracy has developed a perverse edge, allowing the well-off to move ahead much faster than the broad middle-class.
He added that it’s critical for any government to fight inequality and intervene to lift those at the bottom.
Mr Singh noted that the Government has made moves in this regard, for example, when Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong mentioned helping less fortunate children get an early leg up. However, he thinks Singapore needs to do more.
Otherwise, he fears “the potential emergence of two Singapores may become reality”.
Pritam Singh described the “two Singapores” as thus.
One is where Singapore is connected as a hub economy and helps make the country relevant to the world.
“It is a Singapore that always strives to be at the cutting edge of global developments,” he said.
Source: Pxhere
However, another Singapore is where the majority of Singaporeans live.
There exist perceptions of slowing social mobility, connected to the reality of high housing prices.
“Today, the view is that once you have not succeeded academically, even if you slog for years, success, let alone wealth, may not follow,” Mr Singh remarked.
He also warned that such stratification can cause friction in societies and manifest in cruel ways.
Despite efforts to keep society open and bring in new businesses and opportunities, he noted that the second Singapore comprising “a very broad middle of Singapore…should never find itself unmoored and cynical” about the country’s future.
Such concerns aside, Mr Singh recognised the older generations’ efforts to ensure our slice of the pie grows while keeping Singapore relevant to the world. He acknowledged that what they did allows us to propose “other redistributive policies” for the present generation.
Nevertheless, he tried to argue WP’s point:
The interventions of the Workers’ Party [in] this debate would be in the spirit of this review of our social compact – envisioning how best society can position itself for an unpredictable and potentially far more disruptive future.
Mr Singh then asked how the new Job-Skills Integrators initiative was qualitatively different from past initiatives such as SkillsFuture and Professional Conversion Programmes.
He also questioned who the new Job-Skills integrators will be as well as the possible expenses.
The WP leader additionally expressed his hope that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will make necessary adjustments for the extension of paternity leave.
However, he cautioned against making it policy to excuse men from NS duties for the year their child is born. He explained that it would be better for unit commanders to determine how to accommodate to their requests.
Mr Singh emphasised that whatever the decision may be, they should not compromise the needs of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Home Team agencies.
Mr Singh also asked housing-related questions, expressing concerns that additional housing grants for eligible first-time buyers would cause home prices to rise.
In the spirit of renewing Singapore’s social compact, Mr Singh asked if the Government can break down the rationale behind the difference between valuation of land for public and private use.
He urged the Government should reply to these questions as members of the public would want to know the answers, with the view of considering alternatives to valuing land for 99-year leasehold public housing.
Broadly speaking, WP agrees with Budget 2023.
However, Mr Singh warns that the sharpest social division in Singapore may be based on class rather than race or religion.
“The perception of two Singapores that we must guard against which I raised earlier in my speech reinforces the point that fiscal redistribution, better social protections and greater support for our most vulnerable Singaporeans must remain a mainstay of our future budgets,” he said.
Therefore, the Government should continually refresh and renew policies to avoid the existence of two Singapores, Mr Pritam Singh said.
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Featured image adapted from @mikeenerio on Unsplash and MCI Singapore on YouTube.
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