Singapore Government Press Release
Media Division, Ministry of Information and The Arts,
MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2^nd Storey, Singapore 179369
Tel: 837-9666

Excellencies

Distinguished Delegates

Let me begin by extending a warm welcome to all the ASEAN Ministers and your delegates for attending this meeting.

I would like to thank the ASEAN Deputy Secretary-General Honourable Dato Ahmad Mohktar Selat and his staff for the assistance the ASEAN Secretariat has rendered to my Ministry to organise this Meeting.

Thank you also to all the SOM Leaders and the delegates for your hard work over the last two days at the 4^th Meeting of the Senior Officials for Social Welfare.

Barely out of the financial crisis that hit the region in 1997, we are now in the midst of an economic downturn even as we are reorganising ourselves to meet the New Economy. The social challenges that Singapore has to manage at the start of this new century need to be managed within this economic context because of the close relationship between the economic and social spheres of our lives. This holistic approach requires that our social and economic policies are closely integrated and that problems are addressed, as far as we can, upstream rather than after they happen.

Allow me now to highlight two social challenges we are facing; namely families under stress and the emerging skill divide.

Let me begin with families under stress. In Singapore, two demographic trends are converging to erode the ability of the family to provide care for its members, especially for the very young. The first trend is a rapidly aging population as a result of falling birth rates and increasing life expectancy. The proportions of persons aged 65 years and above will increase significantly by the middle of the century. In 1999, Singaporeans aged 65 years and above made up about 7% of the population. By the year 2030, the proportion of elderly persons in the Singapore population will increase to 19%. In other words, about 1 in 5 Singaporeans will be 65 years old and above. The family as the first line of social support will come under greater strain. The second trend is the rise of the dual income household as more women join the workforce. These two trends, plus the increasing pace of work in our urban setting, have increased individual stress levels which inevitably affected the quality of family life.

Singapore’s young people are also marrying later. The average age of marriage in 1986 was 26.5 years old. In 1999, it was 27.25 years. Such a marriage pattern contributes to the declining birth rates in Singapore.

Should Singapore’s fertility rates continue to fall, and singlehood rates and the nuclearisation of the family continue to rise, we are likely to see a greater proportion of elderly couples living on their own. There will also be more aged singles with no spouse or children to care for them. These developments have highlighted the importance of ensuring the financial security of our elderly Singaporeans now. We realised that younger Singaporeans also need to plan for their old age, particularly given the rising life expectancy. Hence, we are encouraging people of all ages to seriously think about their retirement years early, to be responsible and make preparations for their own retirement.

I will now talk about our second social challenge, the emerging skill divide. According to Singapore’s Census 2000, many of the unemployed are from the older age groups with little formal education. Many are above 45 years old and when they are retrenched from their jobs, many are unable to be re-employed because they lack the skills required in the New Economy

In response, we have put in place programmes to help these older, less-well-educated workers re-skill themselves for continued relevance in the re-structured economy. Indeed, the need for re-skilling is all the more pressing given the current economic downturn.

In the long-term, our main concern is to ensure that low-income families do not remain in poverty. And the main way of uplifting poor families is through the education of the children.

The ultimate objective for our social policies is to enable Singaporeans to maximise their potential and participate fully in society. In this way, each will lead more fulfilling lives and contribute more fruitfully in the economy. Our specific responses can be expressed in four "Help" statements.

First, "Help yourself". The utmost consideration is to develop the potential of the individual. We place great importance on education, training and skills development. Every Singaporean must realise that he or she can contribute to society. And in a meritocracy, the individual can reap the rewards of his or her effort and capability.

Second, "Help the family support itself". The family is the basic unit of society, and it is important that we help to sustain its position as the primary care provider and first line of support and assistance to its members. We believe that strong and stable families build a strong and stable society. We are fortunate that the institution of family remains strong among Singaporeans, but more importantly, keeping it strong is a crucial upstream measure to prevent social problems.

One important strategy is to build on public education on the Family. Our Family Life Education programme aims to strengthen desirable family values, and parenting and relationship skills among Singaporeans at all stages of life. We have recently also introduced programmes to help families balance their demands from home and the workplace, to provide support for care givers in the family, and to help the elderly continue their contribution to family and society.

Third, "Help those in great need". The main idea behind our social safety net is the "Many Helping Hands" concept based on the philosophy that the community has a shared responsibility to provide assistance to the less fortunate. Individuals or families in need of help can turn to a range of social assistance and services provided by both community organisations and the government. The primary aim, however, is still to help the individual or family in need get back on their feet as quickly as possible, and to be independent.

Last but not least, "Help one another". It is important to involve the community in the social development of the nation. One way is through fostering the spirit of community self-reliance and self-help. In Singapore, one of the key agencies in this effort to encourage community involvement is the Community Development Councils. The Councils coordinate and facilitate the provision of social services and social support at the local level, and empowers the community to extend assistance to one another. Currently we have 9 such Councils.

We also try to create avenues for community bonding by promoting interaction at the community level, and increasingly, by encouraging people to participate in voluntary work. We believe that a strong culture of volunteerism can strengthen the sense of community and rootedness in our young people. An active and caring community will also lead to strong community bonds and a cohesive society. To this end, we have set up the National Volunteer Centre in 2000 to promote volunteerism among Singaporeans.

Another area that we are trying to develop is philanthropy, both at the individual and corporate levels. We hope to highlight the element of compassion, for the better off to help the needy and the disadvantaged and to remind commercial and business enterprises of their obligations as responsible corporate citizens in our community.

Through these efforts, we strive to build a cohesive, caring, resilient and harmonious society, the foundation to meet the social challenges faced by Singapore.

Thank you.

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