MR DESMOND CHOO, DIRECTOR OF NTUC'S YOUTH DEVELOPMENT UNIT AND AN MP FOR TAMPINES GRC

"I really appreciated the fact that (the Budget) exudes a certain quiet confidence; that we are quite aware of what made us successful but at the same time we are willing to tackle some short-term issues...

The emphasis on partnership is really a call-out for everyone to take a stake in Singapore's future. And you can find it not only just in the Industry Transformation Programme but also in the way the Minister for Finance wanted philanthropy to be done, that corporates have a big role in helping the less privileged in society, and that trade associations, industry and workers have a role in industry transformation.

We should not just look to the Budget for big-ticket items or for that knee-jerk reaction to a slow economy. It should focus on the foundations of Singapore's success in the next 10 to 20 years.

We are not going to see immediate results... but I think that each Budget will layer on top of the previous ones; sometimes there will be big changes, sometimes there will be incremental ones."