SINGAPORE - There will be more opportunities for Singaporeans to weigh in with ideas about how they want to shape Singapore's future in the form of private-public alliances and conversations that take a deep dive into topics of interest.
The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, in an update on the Singapore (SG) Together movement, said on Saturday (June 26) that already, 25 Alliances for Action (AfA) have been formed in the past year to look into issues ranging from the well-being of lower-wage workers to the mental health of young people.
It added that many of these have gone beyond the discussion stage to start projects that people can volunteer for.
In remarks on the second anniversary of the SG Together movement, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat noted that Singaporeans wish for a more caring, just and equal society, and are prepared to play an active part in achieving it.
Amid the disruptions caused by Covid-19, Singaporeans' desire for such a society have found even stronger expression, he added.
Mr Heng, who launched SG Together two years ago, said on Saturday: "Covid-19, instead of throwing the Singapore Together movement off course, has strengthened our sense of purpose, and surfaced areas for more urgent action.
"The pandemic has convinced me that our people have the conviction and will to recover and build a brighter shared future post-Covid-19, and that this future is within our reach."
He added that in the coming months, new alliances will be convened to address the wide range of topics that have come up in the SG Together Emerging Stronger Conversations that canvassed the views of 16,900 Singaporeans, especially in the areas of creating new jobs and opportunities, reducing inequality, making further progress on Singapore women's development and building a greener Singapore.
One Singaporean who has joined one of these private-public alliances - which bring together regular Singaporeans, companies, various organisations and the Government - is Mr Karthigayan Ramakrishnan.
The 38-year-old, who is in charge of strategy and planning in the non-profit Tech-for-Good and is in the alliance for lower-wage workers, said issues faced by such workers have wider implications for society as a whole, and that he hoped to contribute to making a change.
"I see the concerns around lower-wage essential workers as a progressive thing. Better remunerations are important, but I'm more concerned about the quality of life of lower-wage workers," he told The Straits Times.
He has formed a team with some of the members in the AfA to convince companies to focus not just on the bottom line, but also on their people, and be "organisations of conscience".
On Saturday, Mr Heng attended a workshop held by AfA on lower-wage workers. Among the issues it is looking at is how to strengthen people's respect for such workers, as well as boost support for progressive wages.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who co-chairs SG Together with Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, said in a statement that he was encouraged that the alliances have made good progress in trying to tackle the complex issues that matter most to Singaporeans.
"The AfAs will adapt to the needs and context of each topic, but what is common across them is the partnership approach. I hope this approach will strengthen our sense of shared purpose," he added.
Ms Indranee also said: "To give effect to our desire to better engage and involve Singaporeans in policy development, government agencies have been innovating, with new approaches like citizens' panels and participatory design."
Besides the alliances, deep dive conversations around themes such as families and parenthood, as well as sustainability, have also been organised, building on the Emerging Stronger Conversation series conducted between June and December last year.
Mr Heng said after two years, the SG Together movement has shown that "when all parts of society come together to work on something, we can very quickly put thought into action".
"The effort to build our nation will never end. Singapore Together will be a work of a generation," he added.
"But as we seek to emerge stronger from Covid-19, we must build on the bonds that have drawn us closer together during this crisis, and step forward with our passion and energy to create a better and brighter future together."
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