PM Lawrence Wong at REACH’s 40th Anniversary

My Cabinet and Parliamentary colleagues
Partners, friends, and staff of REACH

Good afternoon, I am delighted to join all of you this afternoon at this beautiful venue, to celebrate REACH’s 40th birthday. Congratulations to everyone on this milestone!

Recognising Achievements

Your journey began in 1985, when then-DPM Goh Chok Tong mooted the idea of a Feedback Unit to strengthen the government’s engagement with Singaporeans.

In its early days, Feedback Unit officers would hit the streets to gather views from Singaporeans. Over time, it grew its channels to engage Singaporeans in more accessible and convenient ways.

The Feedback Unit itself did not set policy. But its work influenced many government reviews and helped shape policies in areas like healthcare and social support. And these early contributions laid the foundations for a more consultative and inclusive approach to policy making.

Around 20 years later, in 2006, under then-PM Lee Hsien Loong, the Feedback Unit was restructured and rebranded and it became REACH, or Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home. I think REACH is easier to remember.

REACH pioneered the use of digital platforms to engage Singaporeans.

It made use of social media, live web chats and WhatsApp Chatgroups to gather feedback swiftly on the pressing issues of the day. And in fact, these chatgroups turned out to be invaluable when we had to tackle COVID a few years ago.

After the pandemic, REACH continued to experiment with innovative approaches to engage citizens. REACH also broadened its outreach by partnering with civil society groups, giving voice to diverse communities, including lower-income families, ex-offenders, persons with disabilities and youths-at-risk amongst others.

Today, REACH is well respected within the Public Service for being at the forefront of public engagement, and recognised by Singaporeans for its efforts in fostering dialogue and understanding.

To all REACH officers, past and present – thank you for your dedication and hard work! Many partners and stakeholders of REACH are also here today – your contributions have made a real difference. So thank you everyone for being part of this journey with us!

Commitment to Engage and Work with Singaporeans

The evolution of REACH reflects the Government’s deepening commitment to engaging Singaporeans and forging stronger partnerships.

I witnessed this firsthand early in my career as a civil servant.

In 1997 when I started work, I was part of the MTI team supporting the Committee on Singapore’s Economic Competitiveness. In 2001 we had the Economic Review Committee and I was also involved in that work.

Both committees brought together government officials, business leaders, academics and private sector experts across different industries.

And I could see the robust debates and discussions taking place that helped to strengthen our economic strategies and contributed to better outcomes.

And indeed, over the past two decades, our public engagement efforts have expanded in scale and scope.

In the Economic Review Committee or ERC, we had perhaps, several hundred people contributing – on the main committee, and in numerous sub-committees and work groups.

When we had the “Our Singapore Conversation” which some of you may remember in 2013, we reached out to nearly 50,000 Singaporeans.

In the recent Forward Singapore exercise, we took this further, and we engaged more than 200,000 Singaporeans to shape a new compact for our future.

But it is not just about engaging more widely and having more numbers. Because we listen to you, we listen to every feedback. And your suggestions have directly shaped key policy changes over the last 1 to 2 years and helped to shape the Forward Singapore agenda.

For example, we have introduced new guidelines on flexible work arrangements.

We have had additional shared parental leave.

We rolled out a Majulah package for young seniors to help boost their retirement savings.

We have made major changes in our education policies to create more pathways for students, including the revamp of the Gifted Education Programme.

All these arose from our engagements with Singaporeans in Forward Singapore.

Of course we will not always agree on every suggestion.

Where we differ, the government will explain our reasons. For example, from time to time, we hear Singaporeans asking  for price controls in order to curb inflation. We understand the concerns about cost of living. But the experience everywhere shows that price caps are not effective, and in fact, can have counter-productive effects. So we find different ways to help Singaporeans, including through direct assistance like cash payouts, utilities rebates and of course CDC vouchers.

Sometimes, we may agree on the objective of doing something, but we need more time to work through the trade-offs. For example, in the past, we had MediShield providing insurance coverage only up to 90 years old. And there were suggestions to extend MediShield coverage beyond 90. Clearly, that was desirable but it would also mean higher premiums which could make MediShield unaffordable. So we had to study the implications carefully before we eventually introduced MediShield Life, which we have today.

Sometimes it takes time for good ideas to be fleshed out into good policies.

One example is the SkillsFuture JobSeeker Support Scheme which we announced last year and will be implementing soon.

This is a form of unemployment support, and in fact we have been receiving many suggestions to have unemployment benefits for some time.

But we were always concerned about the unintended consequences which we could see in other places, where overly generous benefits dampen the incentives for workers to get back to work.

So eventually we experimented and developed a model which we think strikes the right balance – providing some temporary support while preserving the incentive to find meaningful employment. And that is why we now have the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support Scheme.

Public engagement goes beyond listening to feedback, which we do. We also want to involve Singaporeans directly in shaping solutions.

We already do some of this for municipal projects.

For example, some years back when I was at MND, we started something called the Build-a-Playground initiative. All HDB estates have playgrounds, we upgrade that from time to time. It is quite common for the playgrounds to be upgraded without much input from residents. But we started an initiative where we actually got residents to design and build the playgrounds themselves. It took a longer time and more effort was certainly required to get consensus and to get residents involved. But at the end of the day we found greater ownership and pride amongst residents when the playground was completed.

We also now have Alliances for Action, or AfAs, where we bring people together to tackle more complex challenges. We had one recently, some years back on Supply Chain Digitalisation, where industry players came together to see how the supply chain could be run more efficiently, and they themselves came up with the idea and developed a Singapore Trade Data Exchange to share data more seamlessly and securely, which has helped to make our supply chain more efficient.

In recent years, we have convened Citizens’ Panels where individuals come together, they discuss ideas in a wide range of areas, whether it is tackling diabetes or improving employment resilience. And then they discuss amongst themselves the trade-offs and come up with recommendations.

We are also empowering our young people. In 2023, we launched our first round of Youth Panels – where we gave young Singaporeans the opportunity to research, consult and develop policy recommendations. And these proposals have led to initiatives to boost financial literacy, job opportunities, digital resilience, and recycling.

Moving forward, we will convene more Citizens’ Panels and Youth Panels. If the ideas are good, we will take them further – we will want to discuss them, we might table the recommendations as a White Paper in Parliament, perhaps even leading to legislative changes and certainly implementing these proposals for the benefit of all.

I cited many examples of how the Government and people have successfully partnered one another to find better solutions. This process of collaboration is of course not so straightforward. There will be divergent views, there will be disagreements. Inevitably, the journey comes with some messiness, and the solutions may take a longer time to be developed. But I firmly believe that a more open and participatory society will strengthen, not weaken, Singapore.

The government will provide leadership and direction. But we cannot and should not do this alone.

By opening up more spaces for participation, we tap into the ingenuity and the energy of Singaporeans.

When Singaporeans themselves contribute to solutions, they feel a sense of ownership and responsibility. This strengthens our social compact, and fosters a deeper sense of belonging.

As Prime Minister, I am committed to strengthening this partnership between the Government and Singaporeans.

Within the Public Service, we will strengthen the instinct to seek partnerships.

We have an excellent Civil Service. They want to get things done. They want to solve problems quickly and make things better. But not everything has to be done in-house. Indeed many agencies already have processes to partner with the public. But there is still room for improvement.

I know some agencies are keen to do more and to experiment with new approaches. But they are also mindful that not every experiment will succeed. And when the outcomes fall short of expectations, they worry about public backlash. They worry that they will be taken to task for not using public funds properly.

These are concerns on the ground. But they should not deter us from trying. We must be prepared to take calculated risks, test new ideas, and learn from both successes and failures.

At the same time, Singaporeans also can be helpful in this process. We must recognise that co-creation is a messy and iterative process. There may be bumps along the way. Things may not be as efficient as we like them to be. But if we persevere and if we stay the course, I believe the outcomes will be better and we will emerge stronger together.

That is precisely why we recently formed the Singapore Government Partnership Office – to create more opportunities for collaboration, to enable Singaporeans to participate meaningfully in shaping solutions, and ensure that our collective efforts translate into real improvements in people’s lives.

Maintaining Unity

Singapore is becoming more diverse – in our perspectives, in our life experiences, in our world views. The diversity enriches our society. But as you heard from the video just now from various people, it can also pull us apart if it is not managed well. And we can see this in so many different places, where views start to form and it becomes not about coming together, but about pulling apart – extreme views, black and white views – and societies become more divided and polarised over time.

To be clear: diversity does not have to lead to fragmentation or polarisation. Nor does unity require us to erase our differences. We have to strike a balance – one where we can have healthy debates, agree to disagree where necessary, and still maintain overall unity of purpose as Singapore and Singaporeans.

So to navigate these complexities, REACH will have to refresh its role. I do not think you need a new name or new brand like we did 20 years ago, you do not need to do this because there is a new Prime Minister, every time you have a new leadership, new brand, new name. But certainly, given the new circumstances, I think it is timely for REACH to think about an additional focus and priority in its work. And it is reflected in the signboards or in the banners that you see here, which is to build bridges in our increasingly diverse society.

In other words, REACH can continue to have public engagements for government-to-people dialogues.

But we should also have dialogues between people to people, between different groups with different views, to build better trust and mutual understanding.

We have to create more common and safe spaces for Singaporeans of different backgrounds to meet, talk and build a common understanding, especially on issues where it is difficult to see eye-to-eye.

So this year, as part of its 40th anniversary, REACH will organise a series of such sessions. It will bring together leaders from civil society to engage one another on difficult issues, like race and religion, social mobility, and the impact of rapid technological changes.

Building these bridges will not be easy. But we will take the first step. And with time, hopefully it will become smoother and easier.

The Government will continue to do our part. We will keep our policies inclusive, balance competing needs and create opportunities for engagement. We will keep building platforms, spaces, and opportunities for Singaporeans to come together regardless of backgrounds.

But cohesion and unity cannot be mandated by policy. It must come from Singaporeans choosing day after day to stand together and look out for one another.

It can be something as simple as participating in activities and events in your community. Or reaching out to check on your neighbours.

It could mean going out of your comfort zone and befriending someone of a different background.

We may not see the changes overnight. But these small acts of care and kindness add up. And they will help to build a reservoir of goodwill and trust that will keep Singapore cohesive and united.

Conclusion

Finally, this year is SG60, and we mark 60 years of independence. Our success over the past 60 years was never guaranteed. It was built because generations of Singaporeans believed in a shared future, and worked together to make it a reality.

Likewise, when we look ahead, Singapore’s future is not something the Government can build alone. It is something we as Singaporeans must create together. Each of us has a role to play. And when we come together, we achieve far more than anyone of us can do alone. Let us deepen our engagement and build a Singapore where every voice matters and where everyone feels a deep sense of belonging. This is how we can secure a better future – not just for ourselves, but for the generations to come, in a strong and united Singapore.

Thank you very much.