Consider contrasting views and go beyond dialogue, say youths over Govt moves to involve them in nation-building
SINGAPORE — A key concern of some youths is that the Government may not genuinely take their views on board even as they broadly welcomed President Halimah Yacob's call for their involvement in nation-building efforts.
President Halimah Yacob has called on the Government to involve the youth in nation-building in areas such as mental well-being and sustainability.
- Young Singaporeans told TODAY that they generally welcomed President Halimah Yacob's call for the Government to involve them in nation-building efforts
- However, some expressed concerns that their opinions may not be genuinely taken into consideration
- Others said they want engagement to go beyond consultation exercises, and to be able to have a direct say in policy formulation
- Political analysts said it is good that the Government has identified youths as a force for social change
- But to get them on board, they need to be inspired and sincerely shown that they have a role to play
It's also a good indication that sustainability is genuinely moving up the Government's agenda.
However, Ms Nigelle Leo, 25, is less optimistic. The technology sector consultant said that even if youths do share their perspective on issues they care about, she believes such views will not be accepted by the Government “unless it aligns with their own (ideals)”.
Moreover, she feels that while there are many youth-led initiatives, they are “small scale and do not have a long lifespan”. As such, she said the resulting impact is not as long-lasting as it could be.
“When it comes to issues like mental well-being and sustainability, there is a widespread interest among youth but it does not get translated well because their resources and knowledge do not get pooled into bigger, more centralised initiatives,” said Ms Leo.
Another young person, Ms Carissa Cheow, 27, said that any interactions between youths and the Government should go beyond consultation or engagement exercises.
The public policy postgraduate from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, who is waiting to enter the job market, said that engagement exercises are “ultimately still just consultation and feedback”, no matter how far-reaching.
Instead of such a process, Ms Cheow said she hopes that ordinary residents will be able to have far more direct participation in the different stages of governance.
“Grassroots level engagement (needs) to go beyond mere communication of policy from the Government to citizens, (and) extend to include ordinary people having a direct say in the policy formulation process,” she said.
Grassroots level engagement (needs) to go beyond mere communication of policy from the Government to citizens, (and) extend to include ordinary people having a direct say in the policy formulation process.
For youth entrepreneur Lee Ray Sheng, 24, the call to involve more stakeholders, including youths, in forging a new social compact is important as it would help to foster a sense of responsibility among youths, build their leadership skills and promote social cohesion.
“Engaging young people in various aspects of nation-building can have a significant impact on the overall growth and development of a country,” Mr Lee said.
But beyond involving youths as stakeholders, he also hopes that the Government can provide more support for graduates of local universities and polytechnics such as himself to start their own businesses.
Mr Lee, who launched his own restaurant business called Raydy Beehoon at NTU at the age of 20, said that he wished he had received more support from his school at that time.
He said that support tends to be skewed towards tech start-ups rather than traditional industries such as food and beverage. There is also a lack of access to mentorship networks for non-tech industries, he added.
Among other things, Mr Lee, who also founded another eatery called A Hot Hideout, suggested that the Government get schools to introduce more business-building modules in universities and polytechnics. Such modules could help to guide students on how to start and grow their own businesses, with input from industry experts too, he said.
YOUTHS A FORCE FOR SOCIAL CHANGE, SAY EXPERTS
Dr Felix Tan, a political analyst at NTU said that Singapore’s fourth-generation (4G) leadership will need to work with youths to find solutions to issues they are concerned about.
This, he said, will help to ensure that any social divides are not so prominent, and that in particular areas, acceptable compromises can be reached between youths and citizens of a different generation.
“I think there is a need to understand where (youths) are coming from,” said Dr Tan. “What are some of the problems that they face in this changing landscape?”
Dr Gillian Koh, the deputy director of research at the National University of Singapore's Institute of Policy Studies, said it is significant that Mdm Halimah made a specific reference to youths and mobilising them to help build a better Singapore.
“She was specific about the areas they care about and this demonstrates that she and the Government know what their interests are. She also cited their strengths,” said Dr Koh.
Dr Koh noted that in her previous addresses as president, Mdm Halimah has recognised the emergence of the post-independence generation.
“Of course, the first of the group would be in their mid-50s. But it speaks of a consciousness about how the different and younger generations are not like the older ones who were more passive and waited for the Government to ‘get it right’ and ‘direct’ the country from the front,” said Dr Koh.
Dr Koh noted that the successive generations of Singaporeans want to be engaged, but they do not just want to discuss policy but also take direct action.
She added that youths are not politically apathetic as society thinks, and this is also the result of important reforms that were made to raise their civic consciousness through social action from primary school onwards.
“So, I think it is good that they (youths) are acknowledged as a force for social change and identified as key stakeholders in this process of refreshing the social compact across the country,” she said.
But to get youth buy-in, political analyst Eugene Tan said the 4G leaders will first have to capture the imagination of youths through the compelling ideas and visions of the Singapore of tomorrow.
This also needs to be sufficiently inspiring for them to want to come on board, said Associate Professor Tan, who is a law lecturer at Singapore Management University.
“The biggest challenge is to keep the youths engaged and to demonstrate sincerely that everyone has a role,” he said.
“Any lip service will be damaging to the cause of nation-building. All eyes will be on how the 4G team rallies young Singaporeans.”
Any lip service will be damaging to the cause of nation-building. All eyes will be on how the 4G team rallies young Singaporeans.
