DPM Teo Chee Hean at NTU Ministerial Forum 2015

DPM Teo stresses need to balance different interests
Saving for future, self-reliance also needed for success in next 50 years
By Charissa Yong, The Straits Times, 4 Feb 2015

FINDING a compromise between conflicting interests in society is one of three key ingredients that Singapore needs in order to succeed in the next 50 years, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said at a forum last night.

The other two are saving and investing for the future and maintaining a sense of self-reliance, he told 500 students from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) at the school's annual ministerial forum.

His remarks came after a snap poll of the students showed that they think Singapore's biggest challenge in the next half-century is the spectre of different interest groups pulling society apart.

Some Singaporeans hold strong views on issues such as race and religion, acknowledged Mr Teo, who is also Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security.

But he said it is possible to find a way to reconcile these positions.

The way forward is to balance between having enough "community space" for each group, and enough common space in which all Singaporeans can interact, such as in schools and workplaces.

"If we decide that we want only to persist in our own view but not listen to others and work together with others, then we will end up polarised," he said.

"But if we say: We each have our own views and priorities, but let's see how we can work together and develop a consensus to move forward, then we're more likely to succeed."

Mr Teo also outlined two other important principles for Singapore as it embarks on its next 50 years of nationhood.

One is to save and invest for the future, so that subsequent generations will have enough resources to give them a good start.

This is why Singapore has built up its reserves for a rainy day and ensured that it could pay for the $8 billion Pioneer Generation Package without burdening the next generation, said Mr Teo.

The other principle is to be self-reliant and work hard to climb to new heights, instead of expecting an easy ride, he added.

Should Singapore run into obstacles, it must be resilient enough to keep trying.

If the country devolves into fractious arguing at the first sign of trouble, "then we have a problem", Mr Teo said. "But if we can look at things in a constructive way, then we can move forward."

At the forum yesterday, the NTU students also expressed concern about how Singapore would deal with an ageing population.

Mr Teo replied that the Government has been working to help young Singaporeans who want to start a family. It is focusing on providing more support in the areas of housing and childcare.

He cited a National Population and Talent Division poll which found that most singles wanted to get married and most married couples wanted to have children.

"Between what our hopes and aspirations are and what we actually deliver, there's a gap. We want to try and bridge that gap," he said.

Latest official figures show the number of marriages fell 6 per cent in 2013, while the declining total fertility rate here dipped from 1.29 children per woman in 2012 to 1.19 in 2013.

In a separate poll of 100 NTU students conducted before last night's forum, the majority said Singapore's biggest achievements over the last 50 years were attaining safety, security and economic stability.

They thought Singapore's biggest challenge over the same period was in the field of defence and security.

For the next 50 years, most students said they hoped for an assurance that Singaporeans' basic needs would be met and there would be opportunities for all.

New liquor law in response to years of public outcry
By Rachel Chang, Assistant Political Editor, The Straits Times, 4 Feb 2015

THE new law to control the supply and consumption of liquor was conceived in response to years of consistent outcry from ordinary Singaporeans about public drunkenness encroaching on their public space, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean said yesterday.

Speaking to 500 Nanyang Technological University students at a dialogue, Mr Teo disagreed with a student's comment that most people do not support the new law and that the Government did not adequately consult the public.

Passed by Parliament last week, the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Bill prohibits drinking in public places between 10.30pm and 7am and restricts the sale of takeaway alcohol.

MPs here have been receiving residents' complaints for years about late-night drinking in the common areas of public housing estates, said Mr Teo.

Some residents were so bothered that they petitioned MPs to tear down seating built originally for neighbourhood bonding, but which were now being used for late-night drinking.

"This is consistent feedback we have been getting from the ground over the last few years," he emphasised. "We needed to do something about it."

On the topic of public consultation, Mr Teo said the survey by government feedback unit REACH - which shows more than 80 per cent are supportive of the law - is more "well sampled and representative" than a Straits Times online poll that shows more than 75 per cent are against the law.

He also said the authorities often have difficulty getting people to respond. He earlier asked the 500 students to vote in a poll. Only 300 did.

In the 90- minute dialogue, he fielded questions ranging from retirement adequacy for the low-income to discrimination against foreigners. A student asked why single parents do not get the same housing subsidies as married couples.

Noting the rising trend of children born out of wedlock in societies around the world, Mr Teo said "my own view is that it's too early to tell whether this is positive or not". "Many societies have found that what is described as 'conventional' families have been conventionally successful in bringing up children.

"My own view is that we should continue to encourage family formation the 'conventional' way, (as) that gives us the highest likelihood of bringing up children who will be able to do well in life. In my own view, a stable, strong family system has got to be one of the bedrocks of a stable, strong society."

DPM TEO ON:


Attracting young people to politics

I and my colleagues are driven by the desire to want to do something for society... If we can reinforce those positive elements - that when you come into politics and public service, you're able to do something for society - then I think politics is an elevating mission that can attract young people.


Whether Singapore is becoming conservative or liberal on, say, gay rights

Even in what we consider very liberal societies (like France), the views (on gay marriage, for example) are very strongly divided... What we need to do is discuss (conflicting views) and let them evolve, rather than press for them. If either conservatives or gay rights activists press very hard, what happens is that you polarise society. Let it evolve. Let it evolve.

Emulate spirit of pioneers, younger generation urged
Society must build on common purpose instead of differences, says DPM Teo at NTU forum

By Xue Jianyue, TODAY, 4 Feb 2015

While Singapore society transforming into a more questioning one and airing more diverse views is a positive development, there is a need for Singaporeans to put aside their differences sometimes and work together, said Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean yesterday.

Speaking during a dialogue with 500 students on Singapore’s future in the next 50 years, he said the way the pioneer generation was prepared to work together as a community was what brought the country through its tumultuous early days and urged young Singaporeans to follow this spirit into the future.

“There are many things we have in common. But we also need to work towards a common purpose. We should build upon the many things we have in common together ... rather than pick out, identify, accentuate the things that are different,” Mr Teo said at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Ministerial Forum.

“We have to evolve it in a way in which everyone has their ideas of what’s the best way to do ... (But) in the end, we have to arrive at some consensus on how to go forward. Otherwise, we will be just each one going his own direction.”

In stressing the importance of seeking a middle ground and compromise, he cited the approach Singapore has applied to race, religion and language over the past 50 years. “So we have a church, temple and mosque — all can flourish. We have a large common space in Singapore where we can all work together as Singaporeans,” he said.

“Also important is that Singaporeans can have meaningful and constructive engagement among ourselves, as well as between the Government and citizens, rather than a society where everyone fights only for their individual rights and freedoms, without regard for the community and the overall good,” he added.

Mr Teo also cautioned that dividing a society would always be easier than keeping it united. Many of the extreme ideologies tend to accentuate differences that can cause people to rise up against one another violently.

On the other hand, positive forces and the moderates will always find it harder to overcome such divisions. It will take “all of us in society” to be able to stand up to such divisive forces, said Mr Teo. “The force of goodness and moderation, because it is moderate, tends to be quiet and silent,” he noted.

Singapore pioneers’ self-reliance and habit of saving for the future are two other lessons the younger generation needs to learn to ensure the nation’s continued success, he added.

Besides questions on the polarisation of Singapore society during the dialogue that lasted more than an hour, students also asked about support for single mothers, the future of dialects, integration between locals and foreigners, as well as equality for people with different gender and sexual orientations.

In a wide-ranging opening speech, Mr Teo asked the students what they felt is the most serious concern that lies ahead for Singapore and what they wished for the country in the next 50 years.

Two issues that ranked high on their list of concerns were a polarised society, as well as an ageing and shrinking population.

Mr Teo also shared with students at the forum the results of an earlier poll, in which almost half of 100 respondents said the biggest challenge facing Singapore when it attained independence 50 years ago was defence and security. Regarding which of the nation’s achievements they were most proud of over the past 50 years, it was a close tie between stability and security, as well as economic stability achieved by the country.