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SINGAPORE – There is an urgent need to address perceptions of elitism and lack of social mobility, which are real dangers Singapore faces, despite the large number of programs and schemes to address the problems, said Ms He Ting Ru ( Sengkang GRC).
In a broad opening speech during the debate on the President’s speech in Parliament on Wednesday (September 2), the Workers’ Party MP said that one solution could be to encourage more university students and professionals to speak and advise the younger generation of disadvantaged people. background.
These mentors may be available to encourage students, discuss their concerns and guide them through the recruitment or application process, said Ms He, a Cambridge-educated attorney.
She said: “When I worked with my university’s access schemes to encourage students from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply to the best universities, we found that it was often a lack of faith and confidence that held many of these students back.
“They often showed great potential, but it never crossed their minds to even apply as they felt they had no chance.”
This perception can persist even for students who applied and succeeded, added Ms. He. She cited the case of a volunteer she had met, who came from a disadvantaged background. She said: “After obtaining a polytechnic diploma, he managed to get a place to read law at one of our local universities and was about to start a training contract with a prestigious firm.
“When asked if it was an excellent example of our meritocracy, he firmly replied that it was an example, rather than symbolism.”
Ms He said it is a good start that Singapore now recognizes the limits and even the failures of meritocracy, similar to what is happening in other developed economies.
“We must not allow blind confidence in what meritocracy can achieve turn us into a harsh and unforgiving society in which the vulnerable are blamed for their plight, not being hardworking or talented enough to fight for a better life. for themselves and their families, “he said. said.
In her speech, Ms He also spoke about the importance of sustainability, adding that this goes beyond climate change and environmental issues. She said Singapore must also ensure that it remains socially, economically and demographically sustainable.
Environmental sustainability not only means cost and compliance, but it can also offer new opportunities to develop expertise in sustainable supply chains that can be exported to other economies in the region, he said.
Green finance and technology should be more accessible to small and medium-sized businesses, Ms He said, and awareness of green issues should be instilled in Singaporeans from an early age.
He also called on authorities to measure unpaid care and domestic work to make such work more visible and better understand whether policies aimed at helping caregivers are effective.
“This approach immediately recognizes this work as of great value to our society and will be a first step in changing the way we think about that work and understanding the profile of these workers,” he said.
“Having better visibility and unpaid work measures also means that it is easier for our policies to pay more attention to inequality,” he added.
Ms He said that one way to do this would be to conduct time use surveys, which are a key part of national statistical systems in Europe and the United States, as well as in some regional countries such as South Korea, Australia, New Zealand. and Japan.
Singapore does not currently conduct such surveys, he added.
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