Govt will work with Chinese community leaders on new ideas to overcome challenges: PM Wong
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Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at a dinner organised in his honour on Nov 29 at Hilton Singapore Orchard.
ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI
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SINGAPORE – With a more complex external environment and deepening economic challenges, policies that once worked may no longer be effective.
That is why the Government must respond to this new reality by working with community partners to come up with new ideas and approaches, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Nov 29 at a dinner event with Chinese community groups.
These values include prizing education as a means to broaden one’s horizons and uplift the family; putting community before self by advocating social harmony and multiracialism; and working for the benefit of future generations, said PM Wong in Mandarin.
“My team and I are committed to working hand in hand with the Chinese community to uphold common values, strengthen cooperation, and build a better home for future generations,” he said.
At the dinner at Hilton Singapore Orchard, PM Wong also thanked Chinese community leaders, many of whom he had interacted with in his 25-year career in public service.
He credited them with fostering mutual trust and respect between the Government and the community, besides helping to strengthen social cohesion, preserve Chinese Singaporean culture and assist local companies in expanding abroad.
“Once a government loses the trust of the people, it cannot govern effectively. This has happened in other countries, and it is the people who end up suffering,” he said.
“In Singapore, we are fortunate that the people have a high level of trust in the Government. This is because of the efforts of the leaders of the Chinese community over the years.”
In his speech, PM Wong recounted working with Chinese arts and cultural groups when he was with the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), for example, to establish the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre.
He had discussions with then Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) president Chua Thian Poh on its positioning and funding, and on who should lead the centre, he said.
“It is great to see the development of the cultural centre today, where many parents take their children to learn about Singapore’s unique Chinese culture.”
The welcome dinner was billed as a way for the Chinese community to deepen its engagement with PM Wong.
It was attended by about 800 guests, comprising SFCCA and Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) council members, members from the Chinese community, representatives from clans and trade associations, and local Chinese entrepreneurs.
The event was organised by SFCCA and SCCCI.
SFCCA president Thomas Chua said the Chinese community was strongly encouraged by PM Wong’s maiden National Day Rally speech in August
At the rally, PM Wong had promised that the Government would continue to support Singaporeans in improving their bilingual skills and in using their mother tongue from an early age.
He also announced then that pupils who do well in their mother tongue at the PSLE will be able to study it at a higher level from Secondary 1, without having to meet certain overall scores.
Mr Chua said: “SFCCA will continue to partner with the Government and various organisations to cultivate more bilingual and bicultural individuals, to build a stronger Chinese community and a vibrant multicultural Singapore together.”
He also noted that the Cultural Matching Fund
The dollar-for-dollar matching fund aims to encourage private-sector donations to registered charities in the arts and heritage sector, effectively doubling the value of eligible cash donations.
SCCCI president Kho Choon Keng said that given the turbulent global situation, Singapore is fortunate to be in a stable and peaceful neighbourhood where regional integration continues to progress.
Mr Kho noted that since becoming prime minister, PM Wong had made official visits to nearby countries such as Malaysia, Brunei, Laos, Indonesia and Thailand, and also attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and Group of 20 summits.
“We are all very happy that Prime Minister Wong has made friends internationally and paved the way for the country’s future development,” he said.
