Mayor Zai's Blog

Citizenship Ceremony

On 23th August, I had the proud opportunity to congratulate 201 new citizens on receiving their formal Singapore citizenship, at the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC and Potong Pasir SMC’s Citizenship Ceremony.

As a new citizen, you play an important part in nation-buliding. Singapore is known internationally for being a safe, stable and harmonious multi-racial society. Every citizen has a part to play to contribute to our society and to embrace our firm beliefs in equality and meritocracy, regardless of race, language or religion.

To help you settle in as a new citizen, you will be visited by another pillar of the community; the grassroots leaders or the Integration and Naturalisation Champions. They represent an integral part of our small and closely-knit society. They are your best neighbours and the best source of information for happenings around your homes.

One of the quickest ways to get to know your community is by participating in the activities and programmes offered by your Residents’ Committee (RC), Neighbourhood Committee (NC) or the Community Club (CC). Or better yet, volunteer your time to help out at your community events and be part of the action. I would like to urge you to visit your nearest RC, NC or CC to know more about the many programmes and activities that are being offered to the residents.

Choosing Singapore as your home is the best choice you could have ever made.  Each and every Singaporean plays a role in the society to ensure our country progresses with time. I strongly believe that each of you will be able to contribute to this community and do Singapore proud. I wish each and every one of you here the best in your new life in Singapore. Let’s make Singapore a home which we all can be proud of.

Roadshow for Contract and Casual Workers

On 30^th August, I had the honour to speak at the National Day Observance Ceremony cum Roadshow for Contract and Casual Workers. This ceremony was to commemorate and recognise the contributions of the low wage workers who are in contract employment and trying very hard to move up and into the economic mainstream.

While the government is rolling out a series of measures and generous initiatives, such as the Workfare Income Supplement, to help these low wage workers, I want to know how we can further intensify our efforts to help them in Singapore. These workers constitute 12% of the working population. They are the unsung heroes who wake up very early in the morning to clean our office, maintain the garden and ensure that we have clean roads. They face long working hours, do not have many statutory benefits, no job security, have low skills, experience drop in salaries, and are not interested to go for training and upgrading. Some employees also resort to employing illegal workers to replace them. It was highlighted in the 2007 Report for Wages in Singapore that the lowest paid blue-collar jobs comprise of the cleaners, labourers and related workers.

Today, I would like to appeal and call for a concerted national effort to help bring these disadvantaged workers and their families into the mainstream of our economy through concrete and active approaches that focus on self-sufficiency, advancement, assistance programmes and corporate social responsibility. Here, I would like to highlight two ways in which every one of us can help to champion this cause.

Firstly, end-user companies can help influence good employment conditions when contracting third-party services through responsible outsourcing. In March this year, the Tripartite Committee on CPF and Work-Related Benefits for Low wage Workers (Tricom) had unveiled a Tripartite Advisory on Responsible Outsourcing Practices to help end-user companies enhance the employment terms and conditions of the employees of their service providers. Working together with UCCW, we want to strengthen the Corporate Social Responsibility and embed the Corporate Social Responsibility knowledge in all service buyers and service providers. I urge all service buyers to constantly check and review their contract specifications and ensure that they award contracts to responsible service providers. Understand what it means to have an effective system and implement it across all levels and monitor the situation. This approach is more sustainable and will benefit host company as workers who are taken care of will be motivated to perform, reducing absenteeism and turnover rate.  

Secondly, whistle-blow and prosecute those breaking the law and showcase those with good practices. It is important that we raise the awareness of their employment rights and ensure that these rights are properly enforced.  

The UCCW will continue to work with the Ministries to provide assistance programmes and advisory services, and training and upgrading. Today, we will be giving UCCW members NTUC Fairprice vouchers and U Stretch vouchers to help them cope with the cost of living. The U Train U Gain initiative is a new training programme specially put together to cater to the needs of contract and casual workers. This programme comprises of a comprehensive development structure, allowing them to gradually develop themselves and their skill sets in stages with the appropriate training. Hopefully by udergoing these training, they will be able to earn more and assume higher value jobs.

Everyone must play their part, both employers and employees, to work together for a better life for all. Nothing is impossible if we have the right will and right attitude.

Is China a Third World Country?

Let’s take a moment to marvel at the wonderful things that happened at the recently concluded Beijing Olympics. Besides celebrating the sports achievements of our local athletes, we should rejoice at the triumph of the human spirit and aspire to achieve greater things for ourselves. While the 8 Gold medallist Michael Phelps has magnified the profile of the swimming sport, and Usain Bolt became the first man in history to set world records in three track events at a single Olympics, we should admire how a one billion strong nation was able to rally its efforts to organise this giant sporting event. Here, there are two learning points which we could obtain from China’s success.  

Firstly, we should see China’s accomplishments as positive influences to our own preparations towards the 2010 Youth Olympics Games. China spent $43 billion and a culmination of seven years of national investment, planning, concentrated state power, national mobilization and hard work, to build the infrastructure for the two-week long games. The Chinese learnt English and built better stadiums, roads, subways, and airports. The modern rich regions of China are now more advanced than those in the USA. China’s buildings are architecturally more interesting, its wireless networks more sophisticated, and its roads and trains more efficient. The Olympics did not change history, but the Beijing Olympics showcased the best of a powerful rising nation that is slowly but surely moving away from its third world country status.

Secondly, as we marvel at China’s accomplishments, we should also be aware of the challenge that a rising China may pose to us. While we may take comfort and take for granted our language advantage, our nimbleness, our competitive status in the region, and the stability of our country, what would happen if China’s success makes us irrelevant? What would happen if the Chinese are able to speak better English than us? What would happen if China becomes more relevant than us? I believe we are now faced with the challenge of not becoming redundant.

While the Beijing Olympics has boosted the significance of sports achievements and allowed us to admire China’s hosting capabilities, China’s success also remind us of greater challenges to our future. Let us find ways to ride the rising tide and take full advantage of the growing economic importance of China.

Beijing Olympics 2008

Our Spirit of Graciousness

Though it is a little bit late, I would still like to wish my fellow Singaporeans and residents a very Happy National Day. As we enjoyed the beautiful fireworks at the National Day Parade 2008 “Celebrating the Singapore Spirit” and celebrate our country’s success thus far, we should always continue to strive ahead.

43 years had past since we achieved independence and we continue to grapple with new challenges that come our way fast and furious. As much as we enjoy a better life, we also struggle to understand and survive in this new world. Many had marvelled by what we had achieved and how we got here. But sadly many still could not fathom how we did it.

I believe that the younger generation should understand how we got here. They should learn to appreciate how our ancestors, great grandparents, grandparents and parents who had so little resources, but many insurmountable challenges, managed to survive, raised many able, educated and successful Singaporeans, and along the way, built this great country. Young people today should not take things for granted or complain about trivial things. The young people today should take challenges and difficulties in their stride, improve their vigilance, and demonstrate their passion and commitment to their country.

In the same vein, during the PM Lee’s National Day Rally speech, he presented the good and bad side of Singaporeans as a society. Graciousness! Where do we stand at the moment? Are we pretending to be courteous or are we saving our good manners only for tourists? At the NDR 2008 PM also shared good stories and bad stories. I am more inclined to take a more bleak perspective. Even though we have tried, we are far from being gracious to our fellow Singaporeans.

How then do we measure the success of our national campaigns or projects? Do we abandon these projects and focus on what really makes the difference – proper upbringing at home and education in the schools? While I am not a total non-believer of these national campaigns or analogies, I am for a method where we can make the most impact. At the present, these campaigns should be continued, but in a more creative and innovative way. Hopefully, Singaporeans will realise that it is basic human nature to be gracious.

I strongly believe that graciousness is as simple as showing respect to everyone, because you want to be treated with the same amount of respect in return. To me, it is basic human decency. Being gracious is not difficult. It is not rocket science. So let’s do it and let’s make the first move.