Minister quizzed at forum on hot-button issues

Shanmugam tackles youth queries on HDB prices and ISA, among others

By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 8 Oct 2012

FROM HDB prices to meritocracy, the questions came thick and fast yesterday.

Law and Foreign Minister K Shanmugam went from table to table, answering the questions raised by some 100 youth participants at a full-day forum organised by Chong Pang Community Club and North West Community Development Council.

Some hot-button issues raised by university students, grassroots leaders and activists of different stripes included the relevance of the Internal Security Act and whether Singapore needs a more comprehensive social safety net.

"I've heard a lot of talk about LGBT issues, Section 377A, our system of meritocracy and the consequences (and) should we do something about it," said Mr Shanmugam, who added that the Government can better communicate its policies to Singaporeans. LGBT refers to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Answering a question on prices of flats, for example, Mr Shanmugam asked a table of 13 young people if they knew the average price of a four-room Build-To-Order flat from the HDB. There was surprise that the real answer was far lower than headline resale prices, which exceeded $1 million for the first time last month.

The minister's comments came after the recent launch of Factually, a new section of the Government's www.gov.sg website that attempts to cut through distortions and rumours on policy.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also MP for the Chong Pang ward, said the point of such dialogues was to "gobble up" ideas from young Singaporeans, and then feed them back to the agencies with authority to deal with the issues raised.

The focus of the forum, held at the Balmoral Hall of Royal Plaza on Scotts hotel, was on young Singaporeans because there has been a "generational change".

"The next 20 years will be very different from the last 20 years," said Mr Shanmugam.

"It's a fresh canvas; it's very much a canvas where the young people have to decide for themselves what the painting ought to be, what sort of painting and what is their role in the painting."

Participants put themselves in the shoes of minorities like LGBTs and foreign workers and had to propose and defend solutions to get an understanding of policy- making realities and trade-offs.

Said Mr Jeremy Lua, the National University of Singapore law student who queried Mr Shanmugam on housing: "We have a tendency to mix around with people of similar background, and this session has given me an opportunity to understand that we live within a bigger society with other concerns and issues. When we understand the constraints, we are less selfish."