SINGAPORE: A "we first" society could include foreigners, and the idea encourages individuals to focus on the community instead of themselves, said Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong on Monday (Jan 26).
Speaking during a dialogue at the Institute of Policy Studies’ 2026 Singapore Perspectives conference, Mr Gan was responding to a question about how speeches that evoke a “we first” society may be perceived as referring to Singaporeans, unintentionally excluding foreigners, especially when leaders call on individuals to be involved in integration efforts.
The Nanyang Polytechnic student who asked the question noted that some Singaporeans may also think that if the government calls on foreigners to integrate, this might be seen as the country’s leaders being in favour of “having foreigners over citizens”.
“What can leaders do to promote genuine integration between groups while avoiding a situation where Singaporeans feel that leaders are increasingly accommodating foreigners at the expense of Singaporeans?” he asked.
The idea of a “we first” society was mentioned by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in the 2025 National Day Rally, where he spoke about collective responsibility as a way to strengthen the bonds between Singaporeans.
On Monday, Mr Gan shared his interpretation of a “we first” society.
“I think ‘we first’ doesn’t mean ‘we first, you later’ … Actually, 'we first' means 'we before I'.
“The key is, who are we? All of us together is we. The difference is it’s not about me and myself alone, but about us, together collectively.”
For example, a business owner could think that their company’s interests should come before their own.
“We can be … Punggol comes first before Gan Kim Yong,” said the Punggol GRC Member of Parliament.
“There are different ways of looking at it, but the key message really is, rather than focusing on ourselves, focus on the collective. And the ‘we’ could include foreigners,” he added.
Deputy Secretary for the Prime Minister’s Office Janadas Devan, who moderated the dialogue, asked Mr Gan how Singapore will keep society together while having to bring more foreigners into the country.
Noting that Singapore’s total fertility rate has been declining, Mr Gan stressed that the country should not give up on it despite facing “great challenges”, and continue supporting parenthood and families.
At the current rate of 0.97, the Singapore citizen core will begin to shrink after a while “if we do nothing”, he said, adding that Singapore would lose a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things.
“I think it’s important for us to continue to maintain our citizen population core, and hopefully allow it to grow.”
Despite Singapore’s immigration policies, its citizenship growth rate has come down over time, he noted.
With immigration, the key question is how to integrate foreigners and ensure that Singaporeans can work with them for the benefit of Singapore, said Mr Gan, who is also minister for trade and industry.
This is why it is important to continue to focus on measures that encourage and support social integration, especially with new citizens, he added.
Noting that there are many different types of foreign workers, Mr Gan said that there are different challenges to look at in managing Singapore’s foreign worker population.
“Those who are PR (permanent residents) and eventually those who become citizens, we need to think about how we can integrate them better.”
He cited the mandatory Singapore Citizenship Journey programme, which is for applicants aged 16 to 60 who have been granted in-principle approval for citizenship.
But it is also important to acknowledge that these individuals are “different from us” because they are new citizens.
"They have spent a good part of their life in a different culture, have different practices, maybe hold different values," said Mr Gan.
"But the fact that they have decided to become Singapore citizens, they have decided that there's something common between Singapore and them … want to become part of this bigger fraternity.
“Therefore, they have decided to cast their lot with us, and they want to embrace Singapore. But at the same time, we need to recognise that some of the differences will remain."
The challenge is to see how to recognise the differences while expanding the common space between new citizens and existing Singaporeans to become a more dynamic society, he said.
The Deputy Prime Minister also responded to a question about the fears surrounding immigration and what would happen if Singapore does not overcome them.
Mr Gan noted that Singapore is competing with many countries around the world across sectors, and wants to stay “one step ahead” of its competitors.
“If you are able to keep half a step ahead, I think we will be able to continue to create opportunities for Singapore and Singaporeans.”
He also accepted that Singaporeans sometimes feel that they face a lot of competition at work from fellow Singaporeans, foreigners and even new citizens.
“I think this sense of competition is real. We have to recognise that. But it is also something we have to accept that we just have to continue to compete with the rest of the world,” said Mr Gan.
Noting that Singapore is an open economy without natural resources like rare minerals, oil and gas, he stressed that the country only has its people.
“So we have to make sure that our people will be the most competitive in the world. And how do we do that? We want to do that through giving them the best education and training system in the world.”
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Speaking during a dialogue at the Institute of Policy Studies’ 2026 Singapore Perspectives conference, Mr Gan was responding to a question about how speeches that evoke a “we first” society may be perceived as referring to Singaporeans, unintentionally excluding foreigners, especially when leaders call on individuals to be involved in integration efforts.
The Nanyang Polytechnic student who asked the question noted that some Singaporeans may also think that if the government calls on foreigners to integrate, this might be seen as the country’s leaders being in favour of “having foreigners over citizens”.
“What can leaders do to promote genuine integration between groups while avoiding a situation where Singaporeans feel that leaders are increasingly accommodating foreigners at the expense of Singaporeans?” he asked.
The idea of a “we first” society was mentioned by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in the 2025 National Day Rally, where he spoke about collective responsibility as a way to strengthen the bonds between Singaporeans.
On Monday, Mr Gan shared his interpretation of a “we first” society.
“I think ‘we first’ doesn’t mean ‘we first, you later’ … Actually, 'we first' means 'we before I'.
“The key is, who are we? All of us together is we. The difference is it’s not about me and myself alone, but about us, together collectively.”
For example, a business owner could think that their company’s interests should come before their own.
“We can be … Punggol comes first before Gan Kim Yong,” said the Punggol GRC Member of Parliament.
“There are different ways of looking at it, but the key message really is, rather than focusing on ourselves, focus on the collective. And the ‘we’ could include foreigners,” he added.
Related:
Deputy Secretary for the Prime Minister’s Office Janadas Devan, who moderated the dialogue, asked Mr Gan how Singapore will keep society together while having to bring more foreigners into the country.
Noting that Singapore’s total fertility rate has been declining, Mr Gan stressed that the country should not give up on it despite facing “great challenges”, and continue supporting parenthood and families.
At the current rate of 0.97, the Singapore citizen core will begin to shrink after a while “if we do nothing”, he said, adding that Singapore would lose a lot of opportunities to do a lot of things.
“I think it’s important for us to continue to maintain our citizen population core, and hopefully allow it to grow.”
Despite Singapore’s immigration policies, its citizenship growth rate has come down over time, he noted.
With immigration, the key question is how to integrate foreigners and ensure that Singaporeans can work with them for the benefit of Singapore, said Mr Gan, who is also minister for trade and industry.
This is why it is important to continue to focus on measures that encourage and support social integration, especially with new citizens, he added.
Noting that there are many different types of foreign workers, Mr Gan said that there are different challenges to look at in managing Singapore’s foreign worker population.
“Those who are PR (permanent residents) and eventually those who become citizens, we need to think about how we can integrate them better.”
He cited the mandatory Singapore Citizenship Journey programme, which is for applicants aged 16 to 60 who have been granted in-principle approval for citizenship.
But it is also important to acknowledge that these individuals are “different from us” because they are new citizens.
"They have spent a good part of their life in a different culture, have different practices, maybe hold different values," said Mr Gan.
"But the fact that they have decided to become Singapore citizens, they have decided that there's something common between Singapore and them … want to become part of this bigger fraternity.
“Therefore, they have decided to cast their lot with us, and they want to embrace Singapore. But at the same time, we need to recognise that some of the differences will remain."
The challenge is to see how to recognise the differences while expanding the common space between new citizens and existing Singaporeans to become a more dynamic society, he said.
Related:
The Deputy Prime Minister also responded to a question about the fears surrounding immigration and what would happen if Singapore does not overcome them.
Mr Gan noted that Singapore is competing with many countries around the world across sectors, and wants to stay “one step ahead” of its competitors.
“If you are able to keep half a step ahead, I think we will be able to continue to create opportunities for Singapore and Singaporeans.”
He also accepted that Singaporeans sometimes feel that they face a lot of competition at work from fellow Singaporeans, foreigners and even new citizens.
“I think this sense of competition is real. We have to recognise that. But it is also something we have to accept that we just have to continue to compete with the rest of the world,” said Mr Gan.
Noting that Singapore is an open economy without natural resources like rare minerals, oil and gas, he stressed that the country only has its people.
“So we have to make sure that our people will be the most competitive in the world. And how do we do that? We want to do that through giving them the best education and training system in the world.”
Continue reading...