Needs of residents who are Singaporeans come first at Meet-the-People Sessions: Masagos
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Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said residents attend Meet-the-People Sessions to have their most pressing needs addressed.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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SINGAPORE – Residents’ needs are the priority at Meet-the-People Sessions, and those attending should recognise and respect that.
Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said residents attend the sessions to have their most pressing needs addressed.
“(The residents) are very stressed and we shouldn’t add to any of these stresses that they are already facing,” Mr Masagos, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, said on March 15 in response to questions from the media about disruptions at Meet-the-People Sessions by activists.
Meet-the-People Sessions are usually held once a week in individual wards, and offer residents one-to-one meetings with their MPs.
In recent months, activists have turned up at the sessions to air their grievances.
They include members of the Monday of Palestine Solidarity group, which the PAP said had carried out its activities at more than 10 Meet-the-People Sessions.
The People’s Action Party said the group would typically create a ruckus in the waiting area and disrupt the queue system, while also filming and raising their voices, affecting residents.
Speaking on the sidelines of an event launching SG60 care initiatives for Tampines residents, Mr Masagos, who is a Tampines GRC MP, said that everyone attending a Meet-the-People Session should be respectful of the residents.
He did not comment about any such disruptions in Tampines.
Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo, who is an MP for Jalan Besar GRC, posted on March 14 about two similar incidents
She said that in the November 2024 incident, two women attended her Meet-the-People Session to voice their concerns about Singapore’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war.
Although such sessions prioritise residents, she spoke to the women for nearly an hour after attending to her duties.
Mrs Teo said that a few weeks later, an online article appeared about their exchange, despite interactions during Meet-the-People Sessions being confidential and MPs typically not publicly disclosing what was discussed.
The issue is in the spotlight after two women confronted Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam
The activists had shouted and called Mr Shanmugam, an MP for Nee Soon GRC, a coward.
Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat said there are various avenues for people to have their voices heard, but building a better society requires more than just voicing views.
DPM Heng, who is an MP for East Coast GRC, added: “It is our belief that to build a better society, it is not just about voicing our views, but about doing something.
“Like if I say I care about old people, I care about keeping the environment clean, the question is what can I do with this?”
Speaking to the media during a walkabout at Simei Plaza on March 15, DPM Heng said that many residents have condemned what the activists did at Mr Shanmugam’s Meet-the-People Session.
“In fact, many in our Malay-Muslim community have also criticised that, because that is not the right way,” he added.
Two women activists confronted Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam and caused a commotion at his Meet-the-People Session in Chong Pang on March 12.
PHOTOS: K. SHANMUGAM/FACEBOOK
DPM Heng said MPs have been holding dialogues, forums, house visits and walkabouts to engage people on various issues.
He said that the Government is always happy to help young people, whether it be in the start-up world, with volunteer movements or participation in other programmes.
“So it’s not just about ‘I want it this way’. But come and construct this future together,” he added.
