Speeches

Building A United “We First” Community

Sectors

All Sectors

5 March 2026

Speech by Mr David Neo, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Senior Minister of State for Education, at the Committee of Supply Debate 2026 on 5 March 2026

Mr Chairman

Introduction – “We, the Citizens of Singapore”

I thank Members for their speeches and suggestions, and for their strong support for the work that we do at MCCY.
Sir, this year, 2026, marks the 60^th anniversary of the Singapore pledge. For 60 years, we lived out our ideals of becoming “one united people, regardless of race, language or religion.”
1. In writing the Singapore pledge in 1966, our founding father, Mr S Rajaratnam, articulated his vision of building an inclusive “Singaporean” identity anchored in our model of multiculturalism.
2. Fresh off the uncertainty of separation, we chose to build a united, shared, and equal existence as a “We First” collective, rather than co-existence as divided, isolated and competing “Me First” communities.
It was a bold vision. Over 60 years, we have built a cohesive multicultural society, where we identify with one another as Singaporeans first.
While Singapore is often noted for our exceptional Third World to First World economic story, what is equally – if not more, exceptional – is our success in fostering a cohesive multicultural society amidst great diversity in race, language and religion.

Our National Identity is our Compass in a Divided World

And today, we again face the uncertainty of a changed world.
1. Externally, the world order that brought us peace and prosperity is being challenged, reversed and dismantled.
  1. We have heard how international relations have become more “my interest first”, rather than “how can we prosper together”.
2. Internally, we face a combination of rapid ageing and fast declining fertility. As DPM said, it is an existential challenge. We will need to stay open with a carefully managed immigration flow to augment our low birth rate.
3. Immigrants will need time to adapt – will we choose unity over division, sharing over isolation, and equality over discrimination?
It is in these uncertain times, that the question, “what makes me a Singaporean” becomes even more salient for us, as individuals and as a nation.
1. Our national identity – which reflects our core values, our principles, and our beliefs – will be what anchors us in a changed world.
2. Only when we are strongly anchored in our collective identity as Singaporeans, can we withstand the tests that will come.
The honourable member Mr Alex Yam spoke about the need for a “We First” national identity.
1. In MCCY, we seek to foster a We First society in three ways. Let me elaborate.

Preserving and Expanding our Common Space

First, we need to expand the common space that we share as Singaporeans.
At a basic level, we need to do more to get people to interact, bond and identify with one another.
1. As members in this chamber will remember, we used to bond through shared experiences – whether it is watching local TV programmes like Aksi Mat Yoyo or drama serials like Wu Suo Nan Yang, or just going downstairs to play at the dragon playground.
2. But times have changed. With Netflix, Youtube and Tiktok, experiences have become more individualised. We can be in the same room at the same time, but yet have totally different experiences.
3. This reduction of spontaneous, shared experiences have led to an erosion of the bonds that bind us together.
  1. In the recent 2026 IPS study on Fraternity and Social Fabric, Singaporeans report a drop in their number of close friends, from an average of 10.67 in 2018 to 6.49 in 2024. 1 in 10 Singaporeans profess to have no close friends.
We need to change this. MCCY will step up efforts to foster greater interaction, understanding and respect among Singaporeans – as this is what keeps our Singaporean identity strong.
1. We will do this through our strengths in arts, heritage, culture and sport, which is our identity infrastructure.
One of MCCY’s priorities going forward is to deepen our multiculturalism, a core value that we all hold dearly.
1. Over the years, MCCY has consistently invested in preserving and enhancing our multiculturalism.
2. Our arts and heritage programmes, such as ArtsEverywhere@CDC and Heritage Activation Nodes, bring Singaporeans from different backgrounds together to appreciate and understand each other’s heritage and culture better.
3. Our Harmony Circles encourage honest conversations, build empathy, trust and respect across differences – so that we do not just live alongside each another, but we stand together and we celebrate each other’s cultures and beliefs.
I agree with Mr Mark Lee that we should set our ambitions higher – going beyond peaceful and harmonious co-existence, to foster deep cross-cultural understanding and appreciation.
1. When I speak with practitioners from our arts and culture groups, they tell me they are starting to notice declining interest among the young to engage in traditional arts. Some youths are trading traditional dance Co-Curricular Activities or CCAs for contemporary dance styles such as K-pop.
2. While I understand the allure of K-pop and K-drama, we also need to retain our diverse traditional art forms and culture that forms the foundation of our multicultural identity and we need to pass these on to the next generation.
3. So, we will be stepping up our efforts to strengthen our unique multicultural identity.
  1. National Arts Council, or NAC will introduce a suite of new initiatives at pre-schools and MOE schools, to actively expose our younger generations to our ethnic cultures. MOS Baey will elaborate on this.
  2. NAC will also launch a new $20 million Multicultural Arts Programme Grant, seeded by both the President’s Challenge and MCCY, to support the development of practitioners of traditional and multicultural arts forms.
  3. To reinforce our identity as a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural nation, the National Heritage Board, or NHB, will step up placemaking to strengthen the ethnic identities of our historic districts of Kampong Gelam and Little India. SMS Low and MOS Dinesh will elaborate further.
4. Through these initiatives, we want more Singaporeans to appreciate, experience, and treasure the multicultural identity that makes us Singaporeans.
On the community front,
1. We will do more to share our unique multicultural identity with newcomers who choose to live, work and study in Singapore.
  1. Newcomers need to understand and appreciate that Singapore is not a homogeneous or monocultural society, and they have to adapt to a set of norms that may be different from where they came from.
  2. At the same time, Singaporeans also need to make a conscious effort to share our culture, values and norms with them.
2. The Alliance for Action on Integration of Foreign Professionals that was formed last year has made good progress in putting forth new initiatives, to better integrate foreign professionals into our workplaces and our communities. MOS Dinesh will share more.

Building a Caring Democracy of Deeds

The second is to encourage people to care for one another and contribute to building Singapore together.
1. While activities bring people together, it is care and connection that keeps us together.
2. This spirit of care is alive and well in our society – we saw this clearly during COVID-19 when people instinctively stepped up in their own different ways.
3. We continue to see it in everyday acts, such as giving up our seats to people who need them more than us.
Our ambition is to build a vibrant and thriving democracy of deeds, where more Singaporeans can contribute to build Singapore together.
1. Many Singaporeans want to step forward.
2. Take, for instance, Ms Yu Poh Leng. At 60, a breast cancer survivor, Ms Yu discovered the benefits of water exercise during her rehab and was driven to share this gift.
  1. She created bite-sized aqua-fitness videos and led twelve classes for seniors from Fei Yue Active Ageing Centre.
  2. The seniors enjoyed the sessions so much that they encouraged Ms Yu to offer these classes more regularly.
  3. With support from the Singapore Government Partnerships Office and SportSG, Ms Yu is now an ActiveSG coach and she runs her aqua fitness classes as part of ActiveSG regular programming so that she can impact more seniors.
3. We want to lower barriers and create more opportunities for Singaporeans like Ms Yu to step forward to contribute.
  1. In 2016, we launched Our Singapore Fund – or OSF – to partner citizens and turn their ideas for the community into reality. OSF has since supported more than 800 projects to benefit Singaporeans.
  2. While OSF is very well received and has made a real impact on the ground, there are pain points. For example, the grant cap and short implementation period confined projects; and the need to co-fund posed challenges for smaller ground-up groups or individuals who lacked fundraising capability.
  3. We took this feedback seriously, and we have been working very hard to finetune this grant.
4. We will launch a new $50 million SG Partnerships Fund over the next 5 years, as announced by PM earlier. This fund supports bigger projects and dreams, welcomes smaller groups and embraces good ideas wherever they may come from. SMS Low will share more on how this will work.
We want to empower more Singaporeans to contribute meaningfully, so we can build stronger bonds, deeper trust and a greater sense of shared ownership. This is the first step towards building a stronger “We First” society.

A Place where We can Succeed Together

Finally, we want to rally the nation to build an inclusive society, where everyone, regardless of their starting point, will be supported to realise their full potential.
1. Our strength lies in our diversity of talents – from entrepreneurs to artists.
2. When we create pathways that allow Singaporeans to pursue their passion and thrive in their chosen fields, we forge a strong national identity built on the shared belief that every Singaporean matters.
This is especially important for our youths, who will have to overcome new challenges in this uncertain AI-dominated and changed world.
1. As Ms Elysa Chen, Mr Kenneth Poon and Mr Alex Yam pointed out, our youths increasingly struggle with social isolation, worsening mental health outcomes, and growing career insecurities.
2. The National Youth Council is committed to support our young people to make them active participants equipped with the skills, opportunities and support systems to thrive and fulfil their aspirations. SPS Goh will share more about our initiatives in this area.

Sport as a Powerful Unifier

Let me now turn to sport development.
1. Sport is a powerful unifier for all Singaporeans, transcending age and ability.
2. Sport creates genuine human connection.
3. Sport also ignites national pride and solidifies our national identity, as Associate Professor Kenneth Goh pointed out.
MCCY and SportSG will step up efforts to further democratise sports participation among youths. I share Mr Alex Yam’s concerns that sport CCAs should not be something only for the naturally gifted or those who can afford prior training.
1. We will provide more platforms where children can play to nurture their love of the game – so that every child has more opportunities to experience what sport can teach them about themselves and others.
2. We introduced the School Sports Fiesta last year to bring students from different schools together to play sports. To date, we have held Fiestas for 16 schools and well over 2,000 students.
  1. 15-year-old Aryaa Geajaindren, from St. Gabriel’s Secondary School had never considered playing basketball. The School Sports Fiesta sparked a desire in him to explore the sport more deeply. He is now pursuing basketball competitively.
  2. We want more students to benefit from this. So, we will double and bring the School Sports Fiesta to 32 schools by 2027.
3. Another platform is through CCAs, where students train together forging bonds through sweat, blood and tears.
  1. CCAs are where many of us made our closest friends, forged through hours spent laughing or crying together in training. This sustained interaction and tight bonds are precisely what we want to nurture.
  2. However, with schools taking in smaller cohorts and students having more diverse interests, some schools may not have enough students to start a CCA.
  3. This is why MCCY and MOE introduced Strategic Partnership CCAs – or SP-CCAs, so that more students will get to participate in the CCA of their choice. We will launch more in the next few years.
  4. As a ground up initiative, some schools have also come together to form Multi-School CCA Teams. For example, ACS (Barker Road) and Queensway Secondary came together to form a hockey team that trained and competed together at the National School Games, or NSG.
  5. To encourage more of such collaborations, we will launch a new $10M grant for Multi-School CCA Teams. Each team will receive $200,000 over four years to be invested among the partner schools, which can be used to partially fund facility, transportation or coaching costs.
  6. NSG participation has been increasing steadily. This year will see its highest participation to date, with around 69,000 student-athletes from more than 300 schools competing across 29 sports.
  7. We want to expand this to provide more opportunities for our student-athletes. MCCY and MOE will start a new initiative to work with ready, able and willing National Sports Associations to introduce more sports into the NSG.
The power of sport to unite and build connections goes beyond schools.
1. The friendships forged through playing together, the encouragement shared during a challenging game, and the growth that comes from pushing our limits.
2. These are experiences that all Singaporeans, regardless of age and ability, should continue to have access to throughout their lives.
3. Therefore, SportSG will also step up our efforts to democratise sports in the community, and ensure that everyone can continue to bond and to live better through sport.
Ms Gho Sze Kee will be glad to hear that we have been steadily expanding sport spaces, especially in the heartlands.
1. We have renovated 4 sport facilities, such as the Delta Sport Centre, the ActiveSG Sport Park @ Teck Ghee and completed 15 development projects, including Bukit Canberra and the ActiveSG Sport Village @ Jurong Town.
2. Within a year, we will be completing 3 facilities to provide more localised sport access. They are Queenstown, Hougang, and the new Punggol Regional Sport Centre.
3. We have also completed 11 Sport-in-Precinct facilities with another 11 undergoing construction in Tampines North, Keat Hong, Whampoa and Kembangan, amongst others.
4. Our facilities are well-utilised and see over 20 million visitors annually. As more Singaporeans embrace active lifestyles, there is also a rise in demand for public facilities during peak hours, particularly for popular sports like badminton and pickleball.
5. Therefore, I am happy to announce that we will build 50 multipurpose courts for badminton or pickleball over the next five years.
  1. This includes the recently opened 8 dual-use pickleball courts at The Kallang.
  2. We will soon complete another 8 pickleball courts at the Little India Bus Terminal
  3. As we build these new courts, we are mindful of managing noise levels at residential estates.
  4. I commend Ms Gho Sze Kee’s effort in arbitrating citizen considerations and pushing for foam balls that are quieter in her ward. This is “We First” in action.
  5. SportSG will work with community stakeholders on solutions.
  6. And where it meets space and height requirements, we will also activate underutilised spaces such as spaces under viaducts in our neighbourhoods so that these facilities are conveniently located closer to Singaporeans, but far enough to manage noise levels.
  7. We can see an example like the Gali Batu flyover.
  8. I hope this addresses Ms Goh Sze Kee concerns, and I also hope that this is more than a 80 percent solution. To Associate Professor Jamus Lim, the issue with MND is not about revenue lost, it is about whether residents are well-served, especially noise as many multi-storey carparks are located very close to flats. I believe on the 4^th of November, there was also a PQ filed by Member, Mr David Hoe, which received a comprehensive reply from MND on what their considerations concerns were. Perhaps, I will point the Member to look up that PQ reply.
Sporting spaces are just the first step. They must follow with more programmes for all ages and abilities.
1. We have ActiveSG Academies and Clubs, that are open to children and youth to play the sport they like. Some go on to developmental programmes in high performance sport.
  1. We also have ActiveSG Interest Groups and Learn-to-Play programmes for adults who wish to pick up a new sport or just to play recreationally.
  2. We are committed to offering more of such programmes and will study what Associate Professor Kenneth Goh has mentioned on the SG Sport Pass.
2. Mr Andre Low asked about access to strength training to combat ageing-related frailty. We have introduced the Frailty Prevention Programme – or the FPP – for seniors. This enables them to age healthily and to continue to build social connections through sport.
  1. Under the FPP, SportSG rolled out the 8-week Combat Age-related Loss of Muscle – or CALM – programme at Active Ageing Centres – or AACs – in 2024.
  2. Since then, CALM has yielded positive physical changes in our seniors – one of them is Ms Florence Soo. After experiencing a stroke in 2025, she joined CALM 1.0.
  3. Under the guidance of her trainer, Ms Florence gradually regained her strength, mobility and flexibility, including improvements in her breathing and mood.
  4. This experience is not just unique to Ms Florence – in fact, almost all CALM participants reported improved functional performance in at least one measure, such as handgrip strength or gait speed.
  5. To date, CALM strengthening programme has been implemented at 132 AACs, reaching about 4,000 seniors, and we target to reach 180 AACs and 5,500 seniors by the end of this year.
  6. Besides CALM, our seniors have also found adaptive sport attractive and useful in keeping them active, healthy and socially connected, whether it is through seated floorball or disc golf.
  7. As part of the FPP, SportSG has progressively equipped 200 AACs with adaptive sport equipment. By the end of 2026, we will target to equip all AACs, so that more seniors can participate in adaptive sport.
  8. Mr Low will also be glad to know that at the end of the CALM programme, participants are introduced to HUR machines. Almost all senior care centres and some AACs are equipped with these variable weight machines.
  9. Last year, we also launched the Seniors National Games, or SNG – where seniors represented their AACs to compete across five adaptive sports.
  10. We are heartened by the turnout – over 4,500 seniors from 110 AACs and even more family, friends, and fans – and the positive feedback on how the SNG provided opportunities for seniors to not only keep active but also build connections and have fun.
  11. We invite more seniors to take part this year.
3. For persons with disabilities, we launched the Enabling Sports Fund – or ESF – last year, supported by the President’s Challenge and as part of the refreshed Disability Sports Master Plan to support community-initiated projects.
  1. We received many good proposals.
  2. One of these is from SUN-DAC, which created iBoccia, a modification of the Paralympic sport, Boccia.
  3. iBoccia is customised and is suitable for both persons with intellectual or other disabilities, and their able-bodied teammates. Through the Fund, SUN-DAC will introduce iBoccia to more persons with disabilities.
  4. Altogether, the ESF will support 21 initiatives for more than 8,000 persons with different disabilities across more than 20 sports.

Sport as a Pathway of Success

Sport also opens doors for Singaporeans to chase their dreams. With the right support, we believe our athletes can realise their aspirations and their full potential.
Dr. Kenneth Goh asked for an update on athlete support.
1. We have put in place spexPotential to nurture athletes with potential for gold medal success at the SEA Games.
2. We have increased stipends and introduced CPF top-ups for spexScholars to make competitive sport more financially viable;
3. We signed agreements with six autonomous universities to create more athlete-friendly environments;
4. And launched the spexEducation Undergraduate Scholarships for athletes to pursue both education and competitive sport.
5. Take for exampleRyan Lo, a gold medallist at the Asian Games 2023 and two-time Olympian. The spexEducation Programme Office worked closely with James Cook University to balance his academic commitments with training and competitions. He is on track to complete his Business degree within a shorter duration – enabling him to pursue both his sporting ambitions and educational aspirations. Ryan will also be defending his title at this years’ Asian Games, so let’s cheer him on.
We want to do more for athletes like Ryan.
We are re-organising ourselves to achieve this.
1. This April, we will consolidate our key sport entities – the High Performance Sport Institute (HPSI), the Singapore Sports School (SSP) and Unleash the Roar! (UTR!) – into a new entity that we will call Sport Excellence Singapore – or SpexSG.
I would like to update Mr Alex Yam that this consolidation will materially transform the sporting ecosystem for the better.
1. First, we will enhance the breadth and depth of our support to athletes, by making our high performance sports system more athlete-centric and whole-of-life.
  1. To enable more of our athletes to stay longer and go further in sport, we will support them with specialist expertise and in managing sporting commitments and other demands of life.
  2. Under SpexSG, we will expand our Athlete Life Management capabilities to support athletes in a wide range of areas, like tertiary education, career development, family planning, financial literacy and personal growth.
  3. Our athlete life performance managers have commenced personalised consultations with top athletes, co-developing plans to help them manage major life transitions.
  4. Dr Kenneth Goh will be glad to know that we will also run workshops to equip our athletes with skills in areas such as personal branding, entrepreneurship, mental wellness literacy and media training.
  5. We will also deepen and integrate sport science and sport medicine – or SSSM – support for our athletes.
  6. A key benefit of this consolidation is the pooling of our SSSM expertise and knowledge.
  7. This will increase our capacity and open more opportunities for cross-knowledge transfer and pathways for career progression.
  8. Our athletes will see more dedicated and consistent support across sports, and as a system, we reap synergies that we otherwise would not if the entities remain separated.
2. Second, within SpexSG, we will strengthen SSP’s role as our education concierge for all Team Singapore student-athletes.
  1. Today, SSP provides a dedicated high performance development pathway for youth athletes at the secondary and post-secondary levels. With the consolidation, we will capitalise on SSP’s expertise and we will offer this to all Team Singapore student-athletes regardless of age or school.
  2. SSP currently avails its annual University and Scholarship Fair and university advisory services to Team Singapore student-athletes. Going ahead, it will support Team Singapore student-athletes in all six of our local autonomous universities.
  3. SSP will also work with NSAs to allow talented student-athletes to transfer to SSP whenever they are ready to commit. Regardless of where they are at in their secondary or post-secondary journey.
  4. SSP is also developing capabilities to support overseas-based Team Singapore student-athletes so that they can learn with their SSP classmates in Singapore for both the secondary and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP).
  5. SSP will further enhance its partnerships with NSAs and lean forward with boarding and facilities support. One example is the Junior Performance Pathway Programme, a collaboration between SSP and the Singapore Badminton Association. Under this programme, student-athletes who are not studying in SSP can access training sessions at SSP, and they can also board with SSP. SSP will continue to develop such partnerships with more NSAs.
  6. Altogether, these changes will enable our student-athletes to pursue their aspirations and realise their full potential.
3. Third, SpexSG will tighten integration with our NSAs, empowering them to develop their sport for excellence.
  1. Like Mr Jackson Lam, I too hear from NSAs their aspirations and challenges.
  2. We will strengthen our support for, and partnerships with, the NSAs.
  3. NSAs will now have a single point of contact to address their high performance and pathway development needs, whether through a dedicated High Performance Sport Manager or shared service desk.
  4. For new and emerging NSAs, we will also develop a playbook to guide them in achieving Charity status.
  5. We will also have media communication trainings for NSAs to enhance media management capabilities and athlete profiling efforts.
  6. SpexSG will also expand secondment opportunities for sport administrators to more NSAs. Today, SportSG seconds CEOs, GMs and High Performance Managers to NSAs such as Sailing, Fencing and Badminton.
  7. I hope Mr Jackson Lam and Ms Valerie Lee will be happy with these changes.
4. But above all, SpexSG will transform the end-to-end journey of our national athletes to be a lot more integrated and seamless. Let me just illustrate with basketball.
  1. 3x3 basketball is gaining popularity because of its high-intensity and fast-paced game play. Our men’s and women’s team are both ranked top 6 in Asia Pacific.
  2. But we can do better.
  3. Previously, our young basketball athletes trained separately. The National Youth teams come together for a few months before major competitions and then they separate after that.
  4. This ad hoc training environment does not develop their technical skill, decision-making speed, and high performance habits to their full potential. Neither does it build team chemistry. Sport science support is reactive at best.
  5. We want to create a more integrated pathway that brings together our young athletes more consistently, so that we can strengthen individual mastery and team cohesion.
  6. That is why SSP, HPSI and the Basketball Association of Singapore established a new Under 19 National Youth Development Programme – or NYDP – at the Singapore Sports School. How does this look like for an athlete? Let me illustrate it with an athlete’s story:
  7. Emily Elessa is a high potential talent in the national Under 16 girls’ team that won a silver medal in the U16 Southeast Asia Basketball Association qualifiers last year. Recently she decided to transfer from her DSA school, Yishun Secondary School, to SSP to pursue her aspiration to represent Singapore at the senior level.
  8. Before, Emily trained twice a week in her secondary school, separately from her national teammates and under a different coach, until competition period nears.
  9. Now, Emily trains up to ten times per week for both the 3x3 national team and the NYDP, under national coaches with a standardised coaching pedagogy. This consistency means that Emily is building the right technical, physical and mental foundations for progression into the senior national team.
  10. Emily will also now have year-round sport science and sport medicine support.
  11. Beyond sport, Emily will also be able to build a strong academic foundation in SSP, with all the flexibility that Team Singapore athletes need.
  12. She will also have access to the suite of Athlete Life Management offerings where she can seek guidance for her other life priorities, so she can be ready for life.
5. SpexSG will work with more NSAs so more of our national athletes can be supported like Emily.

Conclusion

Mr Chairman, let me conclude.
After 60 years of nation building, we have:
1. Bonded over our shared experience, built a strong multicultural community that will step up to drive positive change;
2. And we forged a united society that identifies ourselves first as Singaporeans, and not by our race, language or religion;
Faced again with the uncertainty of a changed world, let us stand on the shoulders of our pioneers, and choose to build an even more cohesive and stronger Singapore.
1. One where our ethnic and religious communities not only live in harmony, but share a deep appreciation for one another’s culture;
2. One where everyone contributes actively to care for and uplift others in our community;
3. One where everyone can fulfil their aspirations and reach their full potential.
4. One that is truly a “We First” society.
Mr Mark Lee asked what success looks like.
Mr Chairman, I believe it is the Singapore that Mr S Rajaratnam envisioned as he wrote our pledge 60 years ago.
1. Where we come together to celebrate our diverse cultures and share the same “We First” values.
2. Where we choose to be united as one people, trust each other, uplift one another, give back to society, and where everyone can succeed on their own terms.
3. Where we cast aside our differences in race, language or religion, and we contribute in our own ways to build our nation.
4. Where every Singaporean, regardless of their starting point, can achieve full potential.
Let us come together and work towards this dream just like how our forefathers did when Mr S Rajaratnam first wrote our pledge.
Let us not be mere spectators, but pledge ourselves as one united people. So that we can achieve happiness, prosperity and progress, for our nation.
Thank you.