Emerging Stronger dialogue series: First Mandarin session held

Ensuring that seniors are not lagging behind as public services increasingly move online, and making sure that there is sufficient aid for the lower-income and vulnerable in society were among the issues raised by participants in the latest Singapore Together Emerging Stronger Conversations (ESC) session yesterday.

The session in Mandarin was the first one to be held in a mother tongue language. There will be another session in Tamil on Nov 28, and another one in Malay at a later date to be confirmed. The previous 11 sessions in the series, which started in June, were in English.

Yesterday's session involved 50 participants and was hosted by Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu and Senior Minister of State for Health Koh Poh Koon.

"In the coming months, we will hold dialogue sessions in Malay and Tamil to listen to more Singaporeans," said Ms Fu, in her opening remarks in Mandarin.

She emphasised the need for close cooperation between the Government and the public in building a more resilient Singapore in the new normal. The Government is listening to people's concerns and questions, and will respond to topics discussed during the sessions, she said.

She cited the SG Together Action Networks which bring together the Government, the community and businesses to address various issues, such as mental health.

Also speaking in Mandarin, Dr Koh said: "Based on the topics discussed in the sessions, we will form more action networks and partnerships to jointly find and create solutions."

Noting how mental health issues have become more prominent during the pandemic, Dr Koh cited the example of the formation of the Youth Mental Well-being Network in February for youth, mental health professionals and parents to discuss youth mental well-being.

The other action networks currently are the Uplifting Pupils in Life and Inspiring Families Taskforce that aims to strengthen support for students from disadvantaged families; the SG Cares Community Network that brings together 160 government and community help agencies to help the low-income and vulnerable; and the Beyond Covid-19 Taskforce formed in May by the National Council of Social Service to strengthen the resilience of the social service sector.

At least 20 ESC sessions will be organised by February next year.

So far, over 1,600 Singaporeans and community partners have participated in the various conversations, discussing the challenges and opportunities facing the country in a post-Covid-19 world and solutions to emerge stronger from the crisis.​

The sessions will be conducted digitally by default, until the situation allows for face-to-face gatherings to take place safely, said the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth in a media statement.

Mr Damien Koh, 24, an auditor, was attending his second ESC session. For him, the session in Mandarin, which involved participants from different backgrounds and age groups, brought fresh perspectives on issues.

"It was a more matured age group and they were more focused on self-reliance, as (members of) the Merdeka Generation generally have a tougher mindset. So they gave advice to younger people like myself," he said.