Unity and “We First” mindset key for Singapore to stay exceptional in a changed world

1.            Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise in support of the motion.  

2.            SG60 is a significant milestone for Singapore. After all, Singapore was not a nation of choice, but no choice. Our pioneers overcame the challenges of the day, and built an exceptional multicultural nation, one that we are proud of.

3.            Today, we stand at another important crossroads in history. As President and many members have said, the global order that Singapore has thrived in, is changing.

4.            Geopolitical tensions and tariff wars are raising prices everywhere.

5.            These difficult economic conditions have led to a rising tide of individualism and me-first mentalities all around the world. The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer reports that more than six in ten global respondents feel a deep sense of grievance. That for someone to win, somebody else must lose. Each man for himself. Elsewhere, the 2024 Gallup World Poll reports significant drops in global activities that put others before self: volunteering, donating, helping strangers.

6.            There are also strong social forces that pull us apart. Social media ironically can drive a wedge between us. Because algorithms are designed to make us stay online longer by showing us more of what we want to see. And we end up being trapped in larger echo chambers, and more polarised societies. As many members have pointed out.

7.            We see a loss of social cohesion in many countries, fracturing societies from within.

8.            As a small, global, hyperconnected city, we will be subjected to the harshest of these pressures. Our unity will be tested, in a changed world.

9.            We see weak signals. You heard some of these from PM. The share of Singaporeans who desire to help build a caring society has dropped from 60% in 2019 to 42% in 2024, an almost 20 percentage point drop.

10.        What are we to do?

11.        As the saying goes, amidst order, look for change. Amidst change, look for order. As we stand at SG60 in a changed world, we are pioneers once again. And we can learn from our Pioneer and Merdeka Generations, as we forge our way forward in a changed world.

12.         Through conversations from when we first started the Pioneer Generation Office, to more recent engagements such as Project Citizens, our founding generation cited multiculturalism, boldness, and service to others before self as some of the shared values that made us exceptional. And underlying it, a sense of unity. Seniors who lived through the 1964 racial riots recounted how they shared food with neighbours regardless of race, language or religion – a reminder of the importance of our unity in moment of darkness in our history.

13.        Mr Speaker, I believe this unity is key if we are to stay exceptional in a changed world. And be one of the very few places in this world where anybody can have a fair chance in life, regardless of where you start. This is something I believe strongly. We need to do more to expand our common space, increase social mobility, and build a we-first society to strengthen our unity.

Expanding our common space

14.        Our pledge begins with a simple word - “We”.

15.        Our unity is founded on multiculturalism. We build our national identity on top of, not in place of, our individual, diverse cultures. We are intentional in protecting and expanding the common space we share as Singaporeans.

16.         Spaces where Singaporeans come together, interact and bond, across socioeconomic, ability and cultural divides.

17.        Where we cultivate an inner curiosity to know more about one another.

18.        And we need to welcome people from all backgrounds, so we know what it feels like to walk a mile in their shoes. So we can make decisions and trade-offs that are better for everyone. Our multiculturalism and openness are our strengths.

19.        We must place a special focus on our youth, for they are the architects of a more cohesive Singapore to come. While our youth are the most digitally connected generation, they risk becoming the most socially disconnected in real life. The 2022 National Youth Survey revealed a worrying trend: the proportion of youth with no close friends doubled from 4 to 8% in the last decade. In other words, where we saw no more than one student in each classroom with no close friends in each classroom, today, we see two or three.

20.        We need to tap on the universal language of sports, arts and heritage to build bonds for our youth. In 2023, three schools formed one football team – Methodist Girls’, Boon Lay and Westwood Secondary. On their own, they didn’t quite have enough players, but together they formed a team. They trained together three times a week under the School Football Academy Programme. Last month, they claimed their first National School Games title. These girls proved that on the football field with a common goal, school badges faded away and they became a “we”, and their “we” succeeded in their pursuit of a common dream.

21.        MCCY and MOE will work together to create more cluster-level sports competitions and games, to get youth from different schools and backgrounds to play together. We will pilot a new cluster-level games, the School Sports Fiesta, next month, beginning with 16 schools across three clusters at the primary and secondary levels. We want to get more students to unite through sports, and to play together.

22.        On Tuesday evening, we cheered Pin Xiu on as she won silver in the women’s 100m backstroke S2 final in the World Para Swimming Championships held in Singapore and Asia for the first time. Pin Xiu’s win is a powerful testament to the strength of the human spirit and the importance of building an inclusive society. One where every Singaporean belongs.

23.        It helps us see diversity not as a barrier, but as a source of strength. MCCY will deepen our efforts to build an inclusive society across all domains.

24.        We will also do more to make the arts another platform to unite young Singaporeans, especially in multicultural art forms. An example is the recent production of Tempest and Tranquillity, by Siong Leng Musical Association, in collaboration with Young Artist Award recipient Nawaz Mirajkar, who is a renown tabla musician. There was a perfect blend of Nanyin and Indian music and dance forms. I quote a review by Dr Chang Tou Liang, a prominent music reviewer. “When the two music coalesced in composer Ng Kang Kee’s sensitive arrangements, it did not matter which was Chinese or which was Indian. They simply became one in soul and spirit.”

25.         And that is what we want our people to be – one in soul and spirit.

26.        NAC, with the support of the President’s Challenge, will introduce new initiatives that will give an added boost to the development of such cross-cultural efforts, to make us one in soul and spirit.

27.        Mr Deputy Speaker, member Dennis Tan talked about the importance of the arts in building the soul of our nation. I thank him for his affirmation. That is why this Government has increased the amount of arts housing and space available to our arts groups by almost 35% from 2010 to 2020. And we stand today at almost 100,000 square metres of arts housing to support our vibrant arts groups. They in turn have almost doubled their performance activities to almost 13,000. It is this outreach that will allow our Singaporeans to understand, appreciate and feel what it means to have the soul of the nation. And I also want to thank this house for your continued support for our arts, heritage and culture groups, for indeed, they play a very strong role in helping us understand what it means to be Singaporean.

28.        And we need to bring our understanding of our diversity and common space from textbooks, into everyday life. Last month, Minister Desmond Lee and I joined students in Mayflower Secondary School for their CCE class on racial harmony. Our students told me what was more important than classroom learning, was to take action. Practise little acts that strengthen racial harmony in their daily lives, and create the positive school culture that this house spoke about. Be the change that we want to see. I was really proud of our students.

29.         Beyond schools, the National Youth Council has also engaged more than 5,000 youths since 2023 in constructive dialogues on how to strengthen our racial harmony.

30.        Looking ahead, we will create even more of these opportunities for conversations and social mixing amongst our youth to foster mutual understanding.

Keeping social mobility alive

31.        Second, we must ensure that Singapore remains a place where everyone can succeed, regardless of where we start in life.

32.        This is what Singapore stands for. This is not an ideal – this is the story of Singaporeans, and many of our members seated in this house, myself included.

33.        We must do what we can to keep social mobility alive, and help every Singaporean fulfil their fullest potential.

34.        That includes giving every Singaporean opportunities, uplifting individuals and developing different pathways to success. Like Clarence Ching. A former Normal (Academic) student, Clarence and his friends felt that barriers – invisible ones such as a lack of networks and opportunities – held back students from disadvantaged backgrounds. So what did he do? Clarence founded Access Singapore. With just a handful of university volunteers, he knocked on the doors of schools and companies to initiate programmes such as career guidance and industry attachments. Because he believes everyone should have a fair chance in life. And Access Singapore grew from a small volunteer group to an organisation with over 150 staff, volunteers and facilitators, uplifting 3,000 students across more than 30 schools. And MCCY will continue to work with Access Singapore on its mission to improve social mobility. Be the change that we want to see.

35.         And we need to broaden our definition of success. Our youth tell us they want to redefine success and be empowered to chase their dreams – whether in the arts, sports, or other fields. And we will be there to support them. In Tampines, my resident Yazrul and his childhood friends started Sporting Tampines, a community football club with a big dream. They want to build a community anchored on a shared love for football. And they started in June this year, and now have 44 members who participate in both competitive and social games. They have made great strides as a new team, having played international friendly matches and also secured corporate sponsors. I arranged for the good people behind Unleash The Roar! to meet with Yazrul and his team to see how we can better support their dreams to play on a much larger stage. Who knows, one day you will see “Welcome to Tampines” on Netflix.

36.        Our youth are also breaking new ground in sports. This July, we saw 14-year-old diver Ainslee Kwang made history at the World Aquatics Championships as the first Singaporean to reach the world semi-finals of the women's 10m dive. Despite having mild scoliosis, Ainslee overcame the odds and showed us that with belief and hard work, you can chase your dreams. We are supporting Ainslee through the spexPotential programme, which provides financial and other support, to help her fulfil her dreams. Ainslee credits her success to the strong team supporting her – our high-performance sports fraternity, her coaches, and most importantly her family and friends – and this gives her the confidence to pursue her dreams.

37.        But one question I got from Ainslee and other youth breaking new ground in sports such as Diving and Tchoukball, was why were they not recognised in the school sports colours award when they represented Singapore, unlike their friends in swimming or track and field. It’s a question that their parents and coaches, and some of our members in this house have asked me as well.

38.        Since I am both in MCCY and MOE, I thought we could do better to recognise youth like Ainslee who are breaking new ground, taking the road less travelled, and chasing their dreams.

39.        Our officers worked hard, and for this year, we will more than double the number of sports eligible for the Singapore School Sports Colours Award. Students who represent Singapore in games like Diving, Tchoukball, Sport Climbing and 33 other additional sports will all now be eligible for the award.

40.        Ainslee and Team Singapore divers and artistic swimmers who represented us in the recent World Aquatics Championships will all be recognised alongside our swimmers.

41.        MOE will share more details on this in due course. And to member David Hoe, not to worry, ActiveSG credits for dual-use facilities are also on my to-do list.

42.        Similarly, in the arts, practitioners like Muhammad Muazzam, or Zam, are redefining the role of the arts in community building. Zam believes that the future of Singapore’s arts scene lies in its ability to bring value to other sectors. Together with his community engagement work, Zam explored the intersection of the arts with healthcare, social services and education sectors. He recently founded Arts for Action, a community arts organisation that expands on using the arts to build relationships and strengthen community bonds. With a scholarship from the National Arts Council, Zam is pursuing a Master’s in Gerontology at SUSS to further inclusive and age-affirming arts engagement in Singapore.

43.         To our young people, be bold, take the road less travelled, and chase your dreams. And we will be with you every step of the way.

Building a We-First Society

44.        Finally, the need to build a we-first culture based on a strong set of shared values that underpins what it means to be Singaporean. To be clear, it does not mean that we abandon “Me”.

45.        Building a strong “We First” culture means understanding that “We” and “Me” are inextricably linked. That when “Me” succeeds, it is often because we got a hand up from “We”. In turn, “Me”, must also give back, and contribute to “We”.

46.        At Woodlands Regional Library, I spoke to one of our Project Citizens participants, Mr Dennis Tan, who was in primary school during the 1964 racial riots. Dennis recalls there being a lot of misinformation and untruths spread through rumours and gossips, and he did not know what to believe or to expect. Despite this, people in the kampung put their neighbours first by housing them at night when curfews kicked in – regardless of race, language or religion. Putting the We before Me.

47.        Everyone must play a part in building a We First Singapore, whether individuals, community groups, or corporates. We want to nurture this mindset amongst our youth. At Youth Corps Singapore, we support our youth to take tangible steps to put others before self. I met Hannah Batrisyia, one of our youth volunteers. Her journey started with a 3-day leadership camp in 2019, which kindled her passion to put others before self. Today, while pursuing her Master's degree, she leads multiple projects to benefit the community. This December, she is also leading a Youth Expedition Project to go overseas to make a difference to a community in our region.  

48.         Like Hannah, many of our youth feel a sense of purpose, and resonate with the call to build a “We First” Singapore. MCCY’s 2024 Social Pulse Survey found that three in five young people want to take action for a better Singapore, and more than half want to work with the government to do so. We will continue to make it easy for our youth to step up to put we before me, and my ministry will continue to give our youth a voice, a platform, and a space to make a difference. To build a Singapore they will be proud to inherit. When people are empowered to make a difference, it builds a virtuous cycle of care, trust and collective responsibility. And when we all put we before me, we build a better Singapore.

Conclusion

49.        Mr Speaker, we are pioneers standing at an important crossroads, in a changed world.

50.        Let’s move forward together, with a new spirit. Or something we are more familiar with. Marilah kita bersatu, dengan semangat yang baru.

51.        We are “Not Alone” in this journey. As Benjamin Kheng puts it – “If we just look to each other, then this house will feel like home. And the more we’re together, the further we’ll go.”

52.        Let’s go further, together.

53.        Mr Deputy Speaker, in Mandarin please.

面对变化万千的世界、不稳定的国际局势，

SG60这个节点犹如新加坡建国那段日子,

荆棘重重。

就让我们学习建国和立国一代的团结精神和家国情怀，

同年轻一代，

携手迈向新世界。

谢谢。

54.         Mr Deputy Speaker, I support the motion. Thank you.