Response to adjournment motion on building a democracy of deeds

Introduction

1. Mr Speaker, Mr Foo has spoken passionately about a democracy of deeds and I want to start by crediting that work.

2. Democracy of deeds is a simple yet powerful idea – that a thriving society is built not just by its government, but by everyone who lives in it through acts of participation.  

   1. This is precisely what we in government believe Singapore needs more of.

3. A strong Singapore requires both sides to show up.

   1. We need a society that sees shaping a shared future as something worth giving their time and effort to.

   2. And we need a government that meets that energy with equal seriousness, building structures and a culture to make genuine partnership possible.

4. Now, people are already showing up – and we have seen from that through Mr Foo’s examples – and we want to encourage them.

   1. We are on a journey to learn how to step back so that citizens can step forward to the issues that matter to them.

   2. To shift the question from “how can the government help you?” To “how might we shape this together?”

5. This shift – from government for the people, to the government with the people – is something we are actively leaning into, across three fronts: deepening citizen participation in plans and policies; expanding volunteerism; and enabling citizen-led initiatives.

Deepening citizen participation in plans and policies

6. The first is how citizens participate in shaping government’s plans and policies.

   1. This calls for openness from government to share trade-offs and welcome diverse perspectives to shape outcomes.

   2. When people are trusted with real questions and agency, we believe the proposals that emerge are stronger, and so is the relationship between citizen and state.

7. While the government has traditionally led in these areas, this has started to change in recent years.

   1. PUB’s Our Coastal Conversations is an example where the public discussed how we can protect our land against rising sea levels.

   2. At a session for City-East Coast, we listened to participants, whose views shaped our recommendations for Changi Beach Park and were featured at the Coastal Protection Public Exhibition – “Riding the Tides” – at VivoCity.

8. We also agree with Mr Foo that citizen engagement should be at the heart of infrastructure planning, and are learning from ground-up trials.

   1. Today, HDB and Town Council already engage residents on neighbourhood upgrades.

   2. To take this further, MCCY, MND and HDB are piloting different ways to deepen this engagement as part of Neighbourhood Renewal Programmes in Boon Lay and Canberra.

   3. We will learn from these pilots to improve citizen involvement in the NRP consultation process.

9. Likewise, we are open to resident-led efforts that strengthen our recycling ecosystem.

   1. For example, MSE is partnering Zero Waste SG's trial of dedicated recycling bins for clean stream recyclables in Pioneer.

   2. We are encouraged that Mr Foo’s residents have seen early success with their own collection drives, and we look forward to learning from their results.

10. Mr Foo also suggested an approach centred on social impact and ground-up proposals for state properties.

    1. We share this vision. Social and community value are already key considerations in how state properties are allocated.

    2. SLA will continue to engage social startups and NGOs to understand their needs, and work with agencies to unlock more state properties with social impact.

11. Beyond these areas, the spirit of collaboration is just as vital, if not more so, for the next generation.

    1. When you give young people a real responsibility, they rise to meet it.

    2. In 2023, the National Youth Council introduced the Youth Panels for young Singaporeans to be co-authors of national initiatives and policies they are passionate about.

    3. We will launch the next run of Youth Panels later this year for more youths to step forward and contribute.

12. Now, the goal here is not consultation for its own sake. It is a government and its people thinking through hard problems side by side and arriving at better answers.

    1. That is the ideal we are holding ourselves to and will continue creating opportunities to do so.

Expanding volunteerism

13. The second front is volunteerism. Volunteerism is citizenship in action and that instinct is alive and well.

    1. Many Singaporeans want to give their time and their skills to causes they believe in.

    2. Now, here, our role is to strengthen the conditions to help it to flourish.

    3. We have learned that to sustain it, people need clear pathways to match their causes to their strengths and the assurance that their contributions make a difference.

14. We have been working hard to strengthen the volunteering ecosystem to make it more easy for Singaporeans to step forward and more meaningful for them to stay on.

    1. Our islandwide network of 24 SG Cares Volunteer Centres works with community partners to identify town-level needs, such as senior befriending, and reaches out to interested citizens in areas to meet those needs.

15. For our youths, Youth Corps Singapore has been championing youth volunteerism by bringing together youths to do good – and many of them are already doing so.

    1. In 2025, more than 10,000 Youth Corps Leaders and volunteers contributed over 75,000 hours of service, impacting some 6,500 beneficiaries.

16. Youth Corps is also partnering to reach areas with the greatest need, such as community care for seniors.

    1. Together with the Singapore General Hospital and TriGen, Youth Corps Singapore established the Healthcare Youth Leaders Programme, where youths work alongside medical workers to support the recovery of elderly patients.   

17. Regardless of age, a giving society is one where people feel connected to something that is larger than themselves. We want every Singaporean who steps forward to find exactly that.

Empowering citizen-led initiatives

18. The third front is when Singaporeans take it upon themselves to build what their communities need, ahead of any programme or policy.

    1. For these efforts to thrive, government plays the role of enabler and partner.

    2. That means providing funding that is accessible, processes that are responsive, and a willingness to hold space and follow the lead of citizens who are closest to the opportunity.

    3. The residents of Tanjong Pagar GRC are a great example of this – no one understands the community better than the very people who live it every day.

19. There are many other inspiring examples.

    1. Through the National Heritage Board’s Heritage Activation Nodes, community partners and residents in Katong-Joo Chiat, Clementi, and Punggol have been creating heritage programmes, mobilising 460 volunteers and forging close to 120 partnerships since 2024.

    2. We will be expanding these nodes to more neighbourhoods this year, including Tiong Bahru and Telok Blangah, and are excited about the possibilities.

20. Our young people are perhaps most willing to simply start; to see something their community needs and build it. What they need from us is access to resources and a system that backs them.

    1. This is exactly what we are doing through the National Youth Council’s Young ChangeMakers Grant, where youths themselves are empowered to evaluate and approve government funding for projects by fellow Singaporeans.

    2. Earlier this year, I also announced that we will launch the Somerset Belt Youth CoLab. A team of 15 youth leaders will be given dedicated spaces and funding to activate these spaces at *SCAPE and Somerset Belt.

    3. They are now working with youth communities to plan for the upcoming Youth Month in July.

21. All that I have shared are proof of what is possible when Singaporeans step forward. We want to make it easier for more of this to happen.

    1. For starters, we formed the Singapore Government Partnerships Office as the first stop for any citizen who wants to partner government.

    2. Anyone can submit your ideas through the Partners Portal. SGPO will open doors to the right partners – providing support from venues to volunteers and publicity – to bring your ideas to life.

    3. If your idea isn’t fully formed, SGPO’s Citizens’ Circles will offer a safe space for you to refine your ideas with agencies and fellow citizens.

    4. Finally, as Mr Foo pointed out, we launched the $50 million SG Partnerships Fund this year to support citizens and ground-ups at any stage – from starting up to scaling up.

22. Ultimately, the most enduring community efforts are those that belong to the people who built them. We want to give those efforts the best possible start and will refine our measures to keep barriers low and support relevant.

Building a Public Service that citizens can partner and count on

23. Finally, undergirding all three fronts is a commitment that we are making to ourselves. That partnering citizens well is a capability the government must build with intention.

    1. We are investing in structures, skills, and the culture to engage citizens meaningfully.

    2. The formation of the Singapore Government Partnerships Office I mentioned earlier is a signal of that commitment.

24. MCCY has been facilitating the building of engagement capabilities across government, and at all levels.

    1. We are training our officers and our leaders, sharing best practices, and providing more opportunities for ground learning.

    2. Our goal is to rally agencies to step forward and work closely with our citizens across all three fronts that I spoke about today.

25. We will continue pressing on to build a Public Service that is ready to partner citizens sincerely and wholeheartedly – and become better partners that our citizens can count on.

Conclusion: Nurturing an active citizenry for “We first” society

26. I thank Mr Foo again for sharing what his residents have accomplished.

    1. He has reminded us that when government and people lean in jointly, the whole is far greater than the sum of its parts.

    2. That instinct and belief that we are stronger together is one of Singapore’s greatest strengths, and it is one we must never take for granted.

27. A democracy of deeds is something we build iteratively – learning as we go and always searching for a deeper partnership with our people.

    1. That is the work ahead and we take it on with conviction.

28. Thank you.