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Want a ‘we first’ society? Members of Parliament are vital to the effort

They must help grow civic participation and the social capital that a resilient society needs.

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Sengkang Sculpture Park in 2008. Sengkang GRC’s Ms He Ting Ru and her team worked with residents and young people to co-design improvements to the park, creating shared projects bringing diverse groups together.

Sengkang Sculpture Park in 2008. Sengkang GRC’s Ms He Ting Ru and her team worked with residents and young people to co-design improvements to the park, creating shared projects bringing diverse groups together.

PHOTO: SHIN MIN DAILY NEWS

Nicholas Thomas and Justin Lee

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As Singapore’s

15th Parliament opens

, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has called for

a “we first” society

. This echoes a thread running through Singapore’s nation-building journey.

In 1991, the Government’s White Paper on Shared Values affirmed that Singapore must place “nation before community, and society above self”.

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