Ministers on track to visit all constituencies by mid-2020

Younger Cabinet ministers have completed one-third of the 90 visits they are making to all constituencies in Singapore by the middle of next year, as part of an effort to get a better sense of ground sentiment.

Education Minister Ong Ye Kung, who is coordinating the weekly visits which started last July, said yesterday that they are on schedule.

"We have done about 30; 60 more to go. If we work hard, maybe we can finish it in a year and three months."

He added: "Every week, we are out here in the open, and the residents are sometimes surprised to see us, but I think we get conversations going, so we have a good sense of ground worries, ground concerns."

He was accompanied on his visit to Sengkang Central by Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth, and Communications and Information Sim Ann, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs and Health Amrin Amin, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Transport, and Culture, Community and Youth Baey Yam Keng.

Asked if the visits are part of a shifting of gears for a general election, Mr Ong said: "If it's a shifting of gears, we would have started three years ago, because we have been walking the ground quite hard for the last three years. The day we finish (an) election, we change gear to prepare for the next election."

Said Mr Ong: "Residents will typically bring up problems in their own constituencies whenever you see them, but when you visit other areas, you listen to slightly different opinions, so our overall understanding would be better."

He added that Cabinet ministers have to invest in regular visits to better connect with the people, and to understand their worries and concerns.