Government’s call for Singaporeans to register in 'Forward Singapore' initiative draws criticism from netizens

Forward Singapore is Prime Minister-in-waiting Lawrence Wong’s initiative. It calls on all Singaporeans to come together, examine their values and aspirations, and build consensus, to refresh Singapore’s social compact. Wong said that Singapore is at a crossroads in its journey and that its social compact must evolve and respond to both new opportunities and emerging challenges. Through this exercise, he promised to examine what Singaporeans want to see for Singapore’s future, what they should prioritise, and what each of them is willing to contribute, in order to get there. In introducing the Forward Singapore national conversation, Wong said, “Forward Singapore will be a major undertaking of the 4G team… We will engage in good faith; consider all ideas, and work alongside Singaporeans to achieve our shared aspirations.” The Forward Singapore exercise will be organised along six pillars, each headed by the new fourth generation (4G) political leaders from the People’s Action Party. The six pillars in the exercise are:

1. Empower – Economy and Jobs
2. Equip – Education and Lifelong Learning
3. Care – Health and Social Support
4. Build – Home and Living Environment
5. Steward –  Environmental and Fiscal Sustainability
6. Unite – Singapore Identity

Each pillar will engage Singaporeans to understand their concerns, review policies, and establish new partnerships to implement changes, the 4G leaders assured Singaporeans. The Forward Singapore exercise will last a year and conclude with a report in mid-2023. However, the Forward Singapore exercise’s call to Singaporeans to register their interest to participate in its engagements has drawn criticism online. Several Facebook users, who responded to the sponsored post on the social media platform, wondered how serious the Government was in taking feedback onboard. Some also wondered what happened to the feedback provided by the general public at the previous national conversations. The Singapore Government has had at least 2 other large-scale national conversations in the past 10 years. Other locals were more positive about the exercise and encouraged others to join in and give their views in the Forward Singapore conversations.

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