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5. Thrust into the Covid-19 spotlight
In 2020, then Health Minister Gan Kim Yong had an idea to assemble a group to lead Singapore's fight against an emerging pandemic. Mr Wong was his pick to co-chair what would eventually be the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19.

Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, who was acting prime minister while PM Lee was away, called Mr Wong to tell him about his appointment.

Mr Wong's response was "Okay, if you think I can help, I'll be happy to support and I will do my best".



<p>CMG20210119-KwongKC02/邝启聪/王康威, 刘智澎/Embargo Timing to 21 Jan, 6.30pm/Interview with Co-Chairs of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce for COVID-19/Minister Gan Kim Yong and Minister Lawrence Wong[MCI]</p> PHOTO: CMG

In the book In This Together: Singapore's Covid-19 Story written by The Straits Times, he acknowledged that the role was not something that would naturally fit into his portfolios at the time - National Development Minister and Second Finance Minister - even though those ministries would have to be involved in managing the unfolding crisis.

Publicly, he was not seen as the most obvious choice as well.

But Mr Wong would go on to make his mark at media briefings for his calm, clear explanation of policies, grasp of detail and steadying presence overall.

Mr Gan and Mr Wong have both used the same word - enjoyable - to describe what it was like to team up.

Speaking in Parliament in March 2020, the usually dispassionate Mr Wong was overwhelmed and had to choke back tears as he paid tribute to the front-liners.

6. Budget debut
After nearly two years of frequent appearances as co-chairman of the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19, Mr Wong put on a different hat in February 2022, delivering his first Budget statement since assuming the portfolio of Finance Minister in May 2021.

It was a significant Budget, packed with progressive tax measures aimed not only at generating revenues to fund major programmes needed over the next few years, but also at addressing social inequalities.

It fell on Mr Wong to outline the Government's vision of a "fairer, more sustainable, and more inclusive society" and he did so in his usual unruffled way.

"Looking back at what we have been through during these Covid-19 years, we have nothing to fear. We will always overcome. We will always prevail," he concluded. "We will chart a new way forward together. We will see through the pandemic today, and build a better Singapore tomorrow."

7. Music and dogs
Mr Wong's Instagram bio still reads "bookworm, guitar player and dog lover".

His father gave him a guitar when he was eight, and he still speaks about music with real enthusiasm.

Where schoolmates had pictures of their favourite celebrities in school files, he had a picture of Eric Clapton's guitar.

Mr Wong loves rock, blues and soul, and jazz singers such as Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald.

He picked the US to further his studies because it was home to his favourite musicians.

At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he even went busking with his American roommate.

Mr Wong's other great love: dogs. His 16-year-old golden retriever, Summer, died in July 2020.

In 2011, he wrote about his "golden girl" in a Facebook post, saying: "There's something wonderful about the way dogs behave - they eat with gusto, play with exuberance, and love extravagantly. In many ways, they help to restore our own sense of wonder, inspire us to look at things from new perspectives, and enable us to better appreciate the many simple blessings of life."




8. Fronting major speeches
After the 2020 General Election, it was Mr Wong who helmed a press conference to share preliminary findings from the PAP's post-mortem.

He is a member of the party's top decision-making central executive committee, and adviser to the PAP Policy Forum, which organises regular dialogues for rank-and-file party members to engage government leaders on policies.

"I'm doing it today but it could have been any one of us. I don't think you need to read too much into who is the spokesperson," he said then, reiterating that the Government's focus was on getting Singapore through the Covid-19 crisis, and that the question of political succession would be dealt with later.

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In January 2021, Mr Wong delivered a speech at the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) think-tank's flagship Singapore Perspectives conference, touching on the key themes of inequality and meritocracy; sustainability; and social solidarity.

He would then appear as keynote speaker at forums on race and racism in June and tribalism and identity politics in November, in a year where these issues came to the fore in Singapore through a spate of widely publicised incidents.



<p>Finance Minister Lawrence Wong speaking at the IPS-RSIS Forum on Race and Racism in Singapore, on June 25, 2021. </p> PHOTO: INSTITUTE OF POLICY STUDIES

His June speech in particular was lauded in some circles for presenting a more forward-thinking and progressive approach than usual, to an often contentious topic.

Then, he pledged that the Government would continue to engage Singaporeans and update its policies on race and racial harmony.

"No community has gotten everything it wanted, but collectively, we have achieved more together than what we would have otherwise by just focusing on our individual agendas," said Mr Wong.

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S'pore's fifth desalination plant opens on Jurong Island
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(From left) ST Engineering's president for marine Ng Sing Chan, Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Tuas Power president and chief executive Jiang Hanbin and PUB chief executive Ng Joo Hee. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE


Ang Qing

PUBLISHED
APR 17, 2022, 7:00 PM SGT

SINGAPORE - The Republic's fifth desalination plant opened on Jurong Island on Sunday (April 17), boosting the nation's capacity to tap its surrounding sea for water sustainability.

Equipped with the latest proven water technologies, the new plant can produce up to 30 million gallons, or 137,000 cubic metres of water daily, the equivalent of 55 Olympic-size swimming pools, said national water agency PUB.

This amounts to up to 7 per cent of Singapore's daily water demand of about 430 million gallons.

Unlike the nation's first four desalination plants, only two to three people are needed to man this highly automated plant, making it the most manpower-efficient.

Desalination - the conversion of seawater to drinkable water - is the last of Singapore's four national taps, the others being imported water, local water catchments and Newater.

With water consumption expected to double by 2060, PUB had earlier said the plan is for weather-resilient sources Newater and desalination to meet up to 85 per cent of Singapore's future water demand.

Currently, more than half of local water consumption comes from water catchment areas and imported water, said Mr Ong Key Wee, PUB head of public-private partnership management office.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat officially launched the new desalination plant in conjunction with the start of the Singapore International Water Week.

The plant's unique integration with Tuas Power's Tembusu Multi-Utilities Complex makes it about 5 per cent more energy-efficient than conventional desalination plants, said Mr Heng.

Spanning more than 3.7ha, or about the size of five football fields, the plant receives seawater used to cool the complex - a utility plant supplying steam and electricity for chemical companies on Jurong Island - for processing into potable water.

Its sharing of seawater-intake and water-discharge facilities with the complex as well as power supply results in annual energy savings sufficient to power nearly 1,000 Housing Board households, said PUB.

Such energy savings will make seawater desalination - the most expensive way to produce water due to the energy required - much more palatable, noted PUB chief executive Ng Joo Hee.

Mr Jiang Hanbin, president and chief executive of Tuas Power, said: "Leveraging the complex's existing infrastructure for seawater intake, the synergies between desalination plant and the complex have enabled operations to save approximately 5,000 megawatt-hours per year."

The plant will operate as a joint venture company formed by the Tuas Power-ST Engineering consortium for a period of 25 years.

With Internet of Things technology, smart analytics will enable predictive maintenance of the plant to optimise productivity, monitoring of reverse osmosis and detection of membrane fouling in the plant's extensive network of pressure vessels.

While the plant was slated to begin operations in 2020, its opening was delayed by about two years owing to the manpower crunch caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Said Mr Heng: "The completion of the Jurong Island Desalination Plant... marks another key milestone in our water journey.

"This is the second desalination plant to start operation in the last two years."


Unlike the nation's first four desalination plants, only two to three people are needed to man this highly automated plant, making it the most manpower-efficient. ST PHOTO: DESMOND WEE

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In his speech, Mr Heng took stock of how Singapore has grown from rainfall-dependent sources - imported water and local water catchments - to adding weather-resilient sources Newater and desalination in the 2000s.

He noted that it took several decades for desalination to become cost-viable in Singapore, with the first large-scale desalination plant commencing operations in Tuas in 2005.

But Newater and desalination come with limitations, said Mr Heng, observing that they are more expensive and have a much higher carbon footprint, especially desalination.

As the nation strengthened the resilience of its water resources, the cost of water operations had grown from $500 million in 2000 to $1.3 billion by 2015.

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Though seawater is limitless, extracting fresh water through desalination requires a lot of energy. Hence, desalination is relatively more expensive compared with other processes, said PUB's Mr Ong.

To lower the energy-intensive process of desalination, Singapore has been investing in research and development to reduce the energy take, said Mr Heng.

"For example, PUB will be building a desalination Integrated Validation Plant in Pasir Ris to trial promising technologies for implementation in full-scale desalination plants," he added.

When validated and scaled up, such technologies could potentially reduce the energy required to produce one cubic metre of desalinated water from 3.5 kilowatt hours (kWh) to less than 2kWh by 2025, said Mr Heng.


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Singapore and New Zealand to collaborate on climate change, green economy: PM Lee, Ardern
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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana on April 19, 2022. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN


Goh Yan Han
Political Correspondent

UPDATED
APR 19, 2022, 10:22 PM SGT

SINGAPORE - New Zealand and Singapore will be working more closely on the green economy and the fight against climate change, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced on Tuesday (April 19).

Speaking at a joint press conference with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the Istana, PM Lee said both countries share similar perspectives on climate change, which is the existential challenge of these times.

He said: "We need stronger cooperation amongst countries to protect the most vulnerable peoples and places on our planet.

"At the same time, we see opportunities for practical collaboration as we adopt low-carbon and green technologies."

Ms Ardern, who arrived in Singapore on Monday for a three-day visit, noted that a quarter of New Zealand's imports and a fifth of its exports travel through Singapore's ports, and therefore there is a natural partnership given Wellington's ambitions to reduce its emissions profile.

"You are a hub, and you only need see that from those aerial shots as you enter just how busy your ports are," she said.

"This makes perfect sense for us to work together to look at low-emissions options for shipping, the way that we can integrate hydrogen as an option and other fuel alternatives."

Another area is food - New Zealand is a major food producer and while Singapore has stated its goals to reduce its reliance on imported food, both can work together in food research, said Ms Ardern, who added that New Zealand's food research institutes are looking at ways to create urban growing systems.

This is her first overseas visit since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.


PM Lee said this new area of collaboration will see the two countries work on initiatives in energy transition technology, carbon markets, sustainable transport and waste management, for a start.

It also reflects both countries' shared commitment to implement the Paris Agreement - a pact among countries to reduce their carbon footprint - and to work together to seize growth opportunities in the green economy.

Climate change and the green economy will be a new fifth pillar in the Singapore-New Zealand Enhanced Partnership, which the two countries inked during Ms Ardern's first visit here as premier in 2019.

The other four pillars are trade and economics; security and defence; science, technology and innovation; and people-to-people links.

The partnership has also paved the way for the two countries to collaborate on the research, production and deployment of low-carbon hydrogen as an energy source since last July.

Ms Ardern said the new pillar will include a joint research project on low-carbon technology as well as information exchange on things such as low-emission vehicles and low-carbon initiatives.

She said: “We cannot collectively simply return to a high-carbon emissions business-as-usual approach. Globally, we have entered what must be an age of action and that includes the private sector as well - no government can do this alone.”

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In response to a question on the initiatives under this new pillar, PM Lee said there would be knowledge-sharing dialogues on waste management and jointly organised capacity-building workshops for Asean member states to strengthen regional capabilities in carbon pricing and markets.

Ms Ardern also thanked PM Lee for the contact that the two leaders maintained throughout the pandemic, such as a phone call during the height of lockdowns in 2020 when they discussed ways for the two countries to support each other's food security and resolve supply chain issues.

"They say that during tough times, you're reminded who your friends are, and it is clear that Singapore is a very close friend of Aotearoa and New Zealand," said Ms Ardern, referring to the Maori name for New Zealand.

PM Lee noted the progress of initiatives between the two countries, such as the upgraded bilateral free trade agreement that came into force in January 2020 and the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (Depa) that both countries signed together with Chile, which came into force in January 2021.

Of the Depa, he added: "Other countries have also asked to join. We welcome their interest."

Ahead of the press conference on Tuesday afternoon, a welcome ceremony was held for Ms Ardern at the Istana.

 

Ms Ardern had called on President Halimah Yacob before meeting PM Lee.


New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called on President Halimah Yacob at the Istana on April 19, 2022. ST PHOTO: ONG WEE JIN

PM Lee said he and Ms Ardern had discussed regional and international developments.

They agreed on the importance of an open and inclusive regional architecture that supports Asean centrality, and PM Lee said that both leaders are staunch supporters of international law and the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter.

"That is why both Singapore and New Zealand have strongly condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine," he said.

"The geopolitical uncertainties, supply chain vulnerabilities and rising protectionism make it all the more important for countries to work together to find a path forward and identify win-win opportunities."

In this endeavour, Singapore and New Zealand are natural partners, he said.

Ms Ardern, when asked about China’s relationship with Russia and its increasing influence in the Pacific region, said that when it comes to the engagement of China on the conflict and war in Ukraine, New Zealand’s message is that what is happening in Ukraine is an assault on a country’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity.

She said: “We continue to encourage, at every level, China to continue to acknowledge what the Ukraine conflict represents for the world.”

A new orchid hybrid was also named in honour of Ms Ardern on Tuesday morning - the Dendrobium Jacinda Ardern.

The plant, a hybrid of Dendrobium Lim Wen Gin and Dendrobium Takashimaya, produces flowers with white petals and sepals with a flush of orchid purple towards the tips.

Following the press conference, PM Lee hosted Ms Ardern to lunch.


PM Lee Hsien Loong hosted New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to lunch after a press conference. PHOTO: MINISTRY OF COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION

Ms Ardern is accompanied during her visit by her partner Clarke Gayford, New Zealand Minister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O'Connor and senior officials.

As part of the visit, she will witness the signing of the Enhanced Partnership for Growth Arrangement between New Zealand Trade Enterprise and Enterprise Singapore. The agreement aims to expand existing business alliances and promote deeper collaboration in areas such as perishable food transshipment and emerging technologies.

Ms Ardern will also witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding on sustainable aviation, an initiative under the new pillar of climate change and green economy of the Enhanced Partnership.

The MOU will be signed by Singapore's Ministry of Transport, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and New Zealand's Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment.

Both countries will also be establishing an officials-level supply chain working group to share best practices to mitigate supply chain disruption risks, particularly for essential goods and services, and explore solutions to help businesses withstand potential supply chain disruptions.

In a statement on Tuesday afternoon, Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said that during Ms Ardern’s call on Madam Halimah, they reaffirmed the strong and multifaceted relations between the two countries and noted the strong Covid-19 cooperation between both sides.

The ministry said they had an engaging conversation on the contributions and progress of women in both countries and also discussed the importance of maintaining social cohesion, particularly in diverse, multicultural societies such as Singapore and New Zealand.

A joint statement by PM Lee and Ms Ardern said both leaders had discussed their countries’ responses to managing Covid-19 and reflected on the high value of the close cooperation and frequent discussions between health, border, transport, foreign affairs, and other officials throughout the pandemic.

They also welcomed reconnecting through the reopening of borders to each other, which would restore people-to-people links between the two countries.

They also discussed further strengthening food and agriculture partnerships, defence and security cooperation and cyber-security partnerships, among other issues.

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Find out more about climate change and how it could affect you on the ST microsite here.

 

Lawrence Wong: The 'loyal team player' thrust into role of Singapore's PM-in-waiting

Then Education Minister Mr Wong at Waterway Primary School during a visit on the first day of school in January 2021. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Justin Ong and Hariz Baharudin

PUBLISHED
APR 23, 2022, 5:00 AM SGT

SINGAPORE - Some 30 years have passed, but music industry veteran Nelson Kwei still remembers a standout member of the Victoria Junior College Choir, which he founded in 1985 and still conducts today.

Hailing from the school's class of 1990, this teenager was a fast learner who overcame a lack of prior experience to attain a polished vocal range in no time at all.

He could act, too, playing the lead role in a choir-only skit based on the popular wuxia novel Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, and winning an award for his improvisation and stagecraft.

"It was just a fun event but I was impressed by his quick response and wittiness," says Mr Kwei, a renowned choral conductor.

He recalls him excelling at both academic and co-curricular activities in two busy years for the group that included a performance at founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's final National Day Rally in 1990.

One time, Mr Kwei trusted him enough to let him conduct his choir, adding: "He did a remarkable job".

A government scholarship, a civil service career and a rise up the political ranks later, the guitar-strumming youth leader named Lawrence Wong finds himself entrusted with the top job again - possibly, this time, of a nation.

Mr Wong, who turns 50 in December, was last week announced as head of the fourth-generation, or 4G, team of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), effectively putting him in line to take over from Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In conversations with over a dozen people who either knew or worked with Mr Wong over the years, a picture emerged of a man both self-possessed and yet self-effacing; an initial dark horse for the top post whose team- and consensus-building approach to leadership suggests he will aim to take Singapore in a more inclusive, consultative direction.

His former civil service colleague, Mr Lionel Yeo, has known Mr Wong since their days in national service as officer cadets.

"He has always been comfortable in his own skin, coming across as authentic, empathetic, unflappable under pressure and highly intelligent," says Mr Yeo, now chief executive of the Singapore Sports Hub.

"Lawrence does not strike one as ambitious. Perhaps that is why people sometimes underestimate him. But people should not underestimate his abilities, his patriotism and his willingness to step up and serve when asked."

Economist Donald Low, who was a colleague at the Ministry of Finance (MOF) in the early 2000s, says he stands by what he told The Straits Times in a 2013 profile of Mr Wong: The PM-in-waiting is patient, listens hard, connects well with people and is intellectually honest while welcoming of vigorous debate.

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His co-leadership of the multi-ministry task force on Covid-19 has also allowed Singaporeans to see what those who have worked with him closely have, says Professor Low, now at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology's division of public policy.

"That he's calm under pressure, that he listens and consults widely, that he's prepared to make tough, sometimes unpopular, judgment calls," Prof Low adds. "And if those calls turn out to be wrong, he's humble enough to admit the missteps and quick to learn from them."

As public servant: 'Always looking out for Singapore'
In earlier interviews, Mr Wong, who is currently finance minister, has been described as bookish and studious, and former schoolmates confirm this.

Not flashy, a bit nerdy and admittedly "someone you wouldn't notice at first glance" was the impression of Mr Kerwin Hing, a manager at the Institute of Technical Education, who attended Tanjong Katong Secondary Technical School at the same time from 1985 to 1988.

After his A levels, armed with a Public Service Commission scholarship, Mr Wong chose to study economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison instead of Oxford or Cambridge in Britain or an American Ivy League college, like other Singaporean scholarship holders. He chose the United States as it was home to his favourite musicians, Mr Wong said in a 2020 interview.

Associate Professor Suzaina Kadir, vice-dean of academic affairs at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, started on a PhD at the university just as Mr Wong was entering his final year.

She says of his choice: "This reflects the careful research that would have gone into him choosing the best school in the disciplinary area as opposed to a typical brand name. I think this says a lot about him as a person, and about his approach to education."

Mr Wong obtained a master's in economics at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where Singaporean business professor Linda Lim first got to know him.

Through occasional interactions and discussions since, she found Mr Wong to be thoughtful and sincere.

"(He) may have a 'softer' side than previous Singapore PMs, perhaps more in tune with where Singapore society is evolving," she says, pointing to his emphasis in recent speeches on equality, social cohesiveness and participatory rather than top-down citizen engagement.

Mr Wong returned to Singapore to complete his NS and start work at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1997. Later, he spent about five years at MOF, working on improving budget policies and processes and updating rules on the protection of reserves.

His mentor and then permanent secretary of the ministry, Mr Lim Siong Guan, found Mr Wong to be "serious, reliable, thorough, questioning, imaginative, always looking out for Singapore".

"He is open to disparate views but always clear about what he is trying to accomplish with the ideas," the former head of civil service says.

"To him, the value of ideas does not lie in where they come from but what they are meant to deliver. If new things need to be done and some current things need to be changed, he will not shrink from doing so… Refraining from doing right will not be an option for him."

It was at MOF that Mr Wong was absorbed into the top-tier Administrative Service leadership track in 2002. He also spent a year at the Health Ministry before becoming principal private secretary to PM Lee from 2005 to 2008, taking over from Mr Ong Ye Kung, who is now Health Minister.

Mr Wong was then appointed chief executive of the Energy Market Authority, where he test-bedded electric vehicles and built Singapore's first liquefied natural gas terminal facility.

In 2003, he completed a master's degree in public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School in the US.

Freelance writer Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh was at Harvard at the same time, and once hosted dinner for Mr Wong and his then girlfriend. Though they did not meet regularly, they have had the occasional interaction since then.

"I have heard that Lawrence has long surprised other elite civil servants with his progression up the ladder - something he continues to do today," says Mr Vadaketh.

In January last year, he penned a piece on his website on Mr Wong as a dark horse to be the next prime minister.

Recalling a private event in 2019 attended by Americans working in policy and international affairs - some of whom did not recognise Mr Wong - he overheard one asking the then National Development Minister what he did for a living.

"I work in government" was the response - one indicative of Mr Wong's unassuming nature, wrote Mr Vadaketh.

As youth leader, guitar player, dog lover

This modesty is not just confined to work or school, according to people who have had encounters with Mr Wong.

Reverend Ling Kin Yew, a Cairnhill Methodist Church pastor, says that he got to know the minister when the two served together in the youth ministry at Bedok Methodist Church.

"He was one of the youth leaders there and often led worship sessions with his guitar. He was easy-going, humble and had a beautiful voice," he says.

 

In 2002, Mr Wong co-founded PromiseWorks, a voluntary organisation which develops and mentors youth. PromiseWorks received the Outstanding New Volunteer Initiative award in 2003.

Mr Wong has not shied away from mentioning his faith over the years, sharing in a 2020 interview that he now goes to Barker Road Methodist Church.

He also said then: "I suppose in the Methodist tradition, you would say your work is your worship, right? You don't delink faith from day to day.

"Whatever you do on a day-to-day basis, if you do it well, if you take responsibility, that in itself is a testimony of how you as a person are an example, you know, a light for the world."

He "can definitely play" the guitar as well, says Timbre Group CEO Danny Loong, who shares that Mr Wong's skills - in both acoustic and electric guitar - made it easy for them to jam together.

The pair became friends in 2014, after he sent a Facebook message to the then Culture, Community and Youth Minister about music.

Mr Wong responded within the day, and since then they have hung out over meals, played music on stage and visited music shops together.

"When we play music, there's really no need to rehearse. We just go over the chords and then play, it feels very natural. And jamming together with him, because we love the same music, it feels good," says Mr Loong, who plays the electric guitar and hammond organ.

This down-to-earth quality was something Singaporeans got a glimpse of in May 2020, when Mr Wong shared at a press conference that his wife cut his hair at home amid circuit-breaker measures to curb Covid-19's spread.

His wife Loo Tze Lui runs a family office and sits on the YMCA board of directors.

The couple have no children. He also told ST in a 2013 interview that he was previously married at 28 but divorced "amicably" after three years due to "incompatibility".

Mr Wong is also a dog lover, as he professes on his Instagram bio.

His 16-year-old golden retriever, Summer, died in July 2020.

In a heartfelt post on Instagram, which drew hundreds of comments, Mr Wong called her his "baby" and thanked her for bringing so much love and joy to his life.

In 2011, he wrote about his "golden girl" in a Facebook post, saying: "There's something wonderful about the way dogs behave - they eat with gusto, play with exuberance, and love extravagantly.

"In many ways, they help to restore our own sense of wonder, inspire us to look at things from new perspectives, and enable us to better appreciate the many simple blessings of life."

Perhaps not known to many about Mr Wong is that he also has a sporty side, with at least three marathons under his belt, according to online reports.

Although growing up he was more likely to be reading than playing sports, a close look at his social media posts reveals Mr Wong does keep active by cycling and going on walks in places like the Rail Corridor along Bukit Timah and Thomson Nature Park.

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As politician: Carving out his own leadership style
When Mr Wong called time on his civil servant career to contest the 2011 General Election, he was just a few months shy of qualifying for the pension given for 15 years of service.

Retired MP Arthur Fong, who was Mr Wong's teammate on the PAP's West Coast GRC slate in 2011, believes that at that point, the newly minted politician himself could not have imagined being elevated to be within grasp of the country's top job.

"I don't think he was looking for it," says Mr Fong. "I think he grew into it, and I think he was thrust into it."

Instead, it was Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, 61, who was slated to take over from PM Lee - only to remove himself from contention in April last year, citing his age and health concerns.

On either side of Mr Heng's recusal were breakthrough moments for Mr Wong. In 2020, he was appointed co-chair of the Government's pandemic task force, giving him a good amount of airtime in the public eye.

For all the plaudits Mr Wong received for being a calm, measured presence at media briefings, there were brickbats, too - particularly late last year, when public discontent mounted over a perception of stop-start measures and mixed messaging in the Government's intentions to live with Covid-19. Much angst was levelled at the task force and petitions calling for the resignations of Mr Wong and his co-chairs - Mr Ong and Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong - drew thousands of signatures.

Later that year, Mr Wong was elected to the PAP's top decision-making body for the first time.

Then, in his maiden Budget statement this year, he pulled off both the prickly announcement of an impending goods and services tax (GST) hike and the rolling out of progressive tax changes to address inequality.

Questions from opposition MPs objecting to the GST increase were deftly handled - without being disparaging - and Mr Wong emerged from those exchanges seemingly none the worse for wear.

The way he dealt with these major tests most likely secured him the trust, support and votes to become primus inter pares, or first among equals, in the 4G team.

Mr Wong switched to Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC for the 2015 polls and oversees the Limbang ward today. Residents there say he has a fairly active presence, with most indicating they have been visited by the minister and his team at least once in the past two years.

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Mr Wong started out in 2011 as a junior minister in the education, defence, and communications and information ministries before becoming a full Minister for Culture, Community and Youth. There, he led a 2014 bid for the Botanic Gardens to be recognised as Singapore's first Unesco World Heritage Site and launched the ActiveSG national movement for sports.

Mr Wong was then National Development Minister from 2015 to 2020, where he had to deal with contentious issues like property cooling measures and also ruffled some feathers by reminding the public that Housing Board flats would have to be returned to the state when their 99-year leases expire.

But he also pushed the envelope, says former fellow Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Ong Teng Koon, by introducing measures such as a grant of up to $160,000 for eligible first-time families to buy resale flats.

 

In 2016, Mr Wong launched the upcoming Tengah "forest town", billed as an eco-development integrating smart technology and sustainable features.

A 10-month stint as education minister followed before he assumed his current portfolio as finance minister.

After the 2020 GE, Mr Wong was also tasked to helm a press conference on the PAP's post-mortem.

Then, he asked reporters not to read too much into this, saying: "I'm doing it today but it could have been any one of us."


<p>Minister Lawrence Wong sharing preliminary findings of PAP's performance during GE2020 with about 130 activists via Zoom and with the media at PAP HQ on 18 Jul 2020.</p> PHOTO: PAP
Insight approached several past and present civil servants who worked with Mr Wong in his office-holder roles, but most declined to be interviewed.

Those who spoke on condition of anonymity describe an enlightened, decisive and quietly confident approach to solving problems and giving directions.

Pressed on murmurings of Mr Wong being exacting on others, they say this was always within the realm of reason - and perhaps justifiable given the national ambit and importance of his job.

"He applies himself single-mindedly to any task he is set. He's someone who puts the needs of country above personal interest and ambition," says one, recalling how Mr Wong could deliver official speeches without referring to notes.

"He will grow into the PM job and over time stamp his own leadership style on Singapore's governance and politics."

Others note how Mr Wong sets himself apart by playing up the importance of team effort and consciously dialling down his own presence.

Mr Yeo, the former colleague, believes the PM-designate "is sincere in wanting to build a kinder, stronger and more inclusive Singapore". He adds: "Nobody has a free hand to shape a country, and he understands that politics is the art of the possible. I believe Lawrence will consult widely but make up his own mind, and then forge a way forward carrying as many people with him as possible."

Prof Lim, from the University of Michigan, says Mr Wong's presumptive premiership is unlikely to bring a significant change of course for the PAP and the Government.

She says: "Lawrence has been very much a loyal team player who hasn't given away much of what his personal policy principles and preferences are or will be, or how strongly he will hold them, and I don't expect this to change."

"Because he is not ideological, has a technocratic bent and I think also a strong ethical core, one hopes he will use whatever discretion he will have to be more flexible in policy choices where called for, particularly in situations of uncertainty - flexibility delivers strength more than rigidity does," Prof Lim adds.

"The world around us is changing rapidly, as is Singapore internally, so our leaders, whoever they are, need to adapt to these changing circumstances, and to have the courage to take decisions that may deviate from the historical status quo."

Mr Wong's appointment as prime minister might still have some way to go - but his chapter in the Singapore story is already being written. Will he pull off the part of the protagonist like he did as a choirboy all those years ago, with acumen and aplomb?

The people are watching.

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The mandarins who support the ministers
While much attention has focused on political succession, renewal in the civil service is equally important


Chua Mui Hoong
Associate Editor

Renewal in the public service ranks is as important as renewal in the political ranks. PHOTO: VINCENT CHIANG

PUBLISHED
9 HOURS AGO

The resumption of plans to build Changi Airport's Terminal 5 has been front-page news this week.

Plans for the new terminal were put on hold during the pandemic, as national borders closed worldwide and air travel was decimated.

With many countries now learning to live with Covid-19 as an endemic disease, and reopening borders, the aviation sector is recovering rapidly. Construction of the new terminal is now due to begin in two or three years, and the terminal is expected to be operational by the mid-2030s.

Pre-Covid-19, Changi Airport handled over 68 million passengers in 2019. The plan for T5 was to accommodate 50 million passengers a year, bringing the airport's total handling capacity to 135 million passengers per year. The plans for T5 are being updated to take into account changed travel patterns in post-pandemic times.

For many Singaporeans, plans for a fifth airport terminal may look bold. But it was all foreseen by the airport's visionary champion, Mr Howe Yoon Chong, way back in the 1970s.

At that time, there was intense debate on whether to expand the existing airport in Paya Lebar or to build a new one in Changi.

Then Deputy Prime Minister Goh Keng Swee and Finance Minister Hon Sui Sen wanted to stay in Paya Lebar; but Mr Howe, who chaired a high-level multi-agency committee in 1975 on the issue, came out strongly in favour of building a new airport in Changi.

Mr Howe by then was the head of the civil service, and believed that a new airport would help Singapore exploit its position at the heart of a growing South-east Asia. He was so convinced of the growth potential of aviation, he told planners to make room for not just two, but six runways in future.

Fast forward to today. By the 2030s, a fifth terminal will be built - "impressive, but still short of Howe's ambition by one", according to a new book on Mr Howe and his fellow pioneering civil servants.

Catchily titled The Last Fools: The Eight Immortals Of Lee Kuan Yew, the book is edited by former Straits Times journalist Peh Shing Huei. It summarises the life and achievements of eight bureaucrats from the pioneer generation who became permanent secretaries and went on to found and lead major national organisations.

The word "fools" in the title is a reference to a comment Mr Howe is said to have made in 1989, about how Singapore's success was "built by fools" like him; leading him to wonder aloud if there would be "fools" among the young willing to take up the challenge of public service to serve the country.

While Mr Howe had the vision, it was Mr Sim Kee Boon, then the permanent secretary for the Ministry of Communications, who led the team that built the airport.


General view of Changi Airport Terminal 5 construction site as seen from Jewel on May 17, 2022. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY
Mr Howe's far-sighted vision shaped not only the airport's direction. When he became chairman of the Port Authority of Singapore in 1970, he pushed for a new container port terminal, as he saw that container shipping was the future.

Many Singaporeans today remember Mr Howe for his brief stint in politics, especially the report on ageing that recommended delaying the Central Provident Fund withdrawal age that drew a firestorm of protest.

In fact, he had a long, fruitful career as a civil servant before politics. He was due to retire at the age of 55 when he was persuaded by Mr Lee, his former schoolmate, to enter politics. Mr Lee had tried and failed to get him to do so for decades. Mr Howe served for only one term, from 1979 to 1984.

More a down-to-earth doer than a savvy politician with the gift of the gab, Mr Howe said in 1984 that he had told Mr Lee, that "as much as he was thinking of political leadership, I was thinking that we must run a proper and stable civil service. My thinking was that we should displace the British but whatever we did, we must still have a proper service. Otherwise there would be nothing but chaos".

Minister-mandarin relationship
The first generation of civil servants like Mr Howe had a strong and unique relationship with their political masters. Many knew one another through school or social links. They had survived World War II and went on to share the bonds of anti-colonial struggle.

Theirs was a bond based on shared interests - to build a new Singapore - that drew on a reservoir of mutual respect that deepened over the years.

The relationship between boss and subordinate sometimes turned itself inside out.

Mr J.Y. Pillay, known for his work in building up Singapore Airlines from scratch, fought to retain the then young Goh Chok Tong in the Finance Ministry.

Mr Goh had just returned from a master's course in the United States, and Mr Lee, as Prime Minister, wanted to appoint Mr Goh as his own principal private secretary. But Mr Pillay would have none of it and Mr Goh remained where he was.

Recounting the incident, Mr Goh said his respect for Mr Pillay went up a few notches: "Here was a civil servant who dared reverse the Prime Minister's decision."

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Mr Goh of course went on to enter politics, was senior minister of state for finance at one point and then prime minister from 1990 to 2004.

And yet Mr Pillay himself was wont to say that civil servants' role in shaping policy was minor, "anything major is decided by the politicians and often initiated by the politicians". He said: "We should not be under the illusion that civil servants are movers and shakers of events."

That generation of civil servants understood their role clearly and did not seek the limelight.

Importantly, though, the politicians also respected their advice, gave them space to exercise leadership, and valued those who stood up to them.

Mr Lee certainly did.


ST ILLUSTRATION: MIEL
In 2010, a book I had spent over a year researching and doing interviews for was published. Titled Pioneers Once More, the book tells the story of the first 50 years of the Singapore public service, from colonial days to the Malayanisation (or localisation) of the civil service to the early years under a new People's Action Party (PAP) government; and the consolidation of the service in the decades that followed.

Shortly after it was published, Mr Lee, then the Minister Mentor, wrote to me saying he enjoyed reading the book, and found the first few chapters most interesting. He then shared a few anecdotes about the civil servants he had worked with. He singled out Dr Andrew Chew for mention as "an outstanding civil servant".

Dr Chew was then in the Ministry of Health under Dr Toh Chin Chye, whom Mr Lee wrote was a "difficult minister to work with".

Mr Lee wrote: "On several occasions, I saw Andrew Chew to get him to implement policies which his minister, Dr Toh, was dragging his feet on. He stood up to his minister and was not intimidated."

Apart from Dr Chew, Mr Lee highlighted three other outstanding civil servants: Cabinet secretary Wong Chooi Sen, "the most reliable, meticulous and dependable officer that I ever had the privilege to work for me".

Former head of civil service Stanley Stewart was "able and reliable to execute his assignments"; and Mr George Bogaars was "a first-class Special Branch director" who helped Mr Lee cross-check on the pro-Malayan Communist Party types working inside the People's Association and the PAP.

In his note to me, Mr Lee said that if he had known of my book, he would have added his views, and he gave his permission for his comments to be included in future editions.

That he wanted to do so, is an indication of how much he valued the work of these civil servants.

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Generational change
Reading The Last Fools over the weekend, I thought wistfully that Mr Lee, who died in 2015, might have been generous with his time in sharing stories about them, if he had been asked by the book's authors.

In Mr Peh's introduction to the book, he noted ruefully that by the time work on it began in 2020, six of the eight "immortals" had died, one was unwell, and the team managed to interview only Mr Pillay. There was thus some urgency to the task, he wrote.

There is certainly no substitute for hearing stories first-hand from those who went through stirring times.

Even today, over a decade after the interviews, I remember the frisson in the air when Mr Koh Yong Guan (he headed the defence and finance ministries, among others, and was commissioner of inland revenue) recounted to me how he felt as a young officer, when he entered Dr Goh's hotel room to find the minister arm-deep washing his underwear in the hotel sink. Ever since then, Mr Koh said, he could never make any claim for laundry expenses while travelling.

That Dr Goh washed his own laundry in the hotel sink is by now well-known, and I have read similar stories many times since. But because I heard it from Mr Koh, and saw his face and heard the quiver in his voice when he told the story, it left an impression on me.

And so stories and values can be passed on, from the founding generation to the next, and on to the next.

I also remember Dr Andrew Chew telling me that the hospitals were so under-resourced, they recycled syringes and needles - so when a needle was blunt, they would sharpen it, sterilise it and reuse it.

Hearing these stories in 2008, at a time when the country was prosperous, and top civil servants were paid salaries pegged to top earners, helped me remember the country's early years of privation.

While the pioneering generation of civil servants may have mostly faded away, there is a second and third generation of bureaucrats who remain active and healthy.

Some have written their memoirs, or had biographies written, in recent years, including Mr Herman Hochstadt, Mr Philip Yeo and Mr Bogaars.

A few, like former diplomats Chan Heng Chee, Kishore Mahbubani, Bilahari Kausikan and Tommy Koh, remain in the public eye, writing articles on current affairs that are invariably well-read.

Others, like Mr Lim Siong Guan and Mr Peter Ho, both former heads of civil service, have kept a lower public profile.

The second and third generation of civil servants still have time and health on their side.

I hope more can be persuaded to put pen to paper for posterity. I am sure many Singaporeans would love to read about their lives and their contributions to Singapore. They should write their memoirs, for the sake of future generations.

But of course the times have changed, and the rewards and demands of public service are different from those of the past.

On the plus side, salaries are now more attractive. The job scope remains equally demanding and challenging, as Singapore has to rethink many of its existing policies in the post-pandemic world, amid a more threatening geopolitical landscape and a competitive environment of ever-faster technological transformation.

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Partnership, 4G-style
Just as the first generation of political leaders needed a sterling group of mandarins to help them build Singapore, so the new fourth-generation, or 4G, group of leaders will need a committed and capable team of civil servants to help them.

Renewal in the public service ranks is as important as renewal in the political ranks. As Mr Howe noted, without a stable civil service, there will be chaos.

Just as the pioneering generation did, today's ministers and civil servants have to see each other as partners, working together. The relationship should be similarly based on mutual respect and a common commitment to doing what's best for Singapore. When stories are told of their exploits in future, I hope there will be similar tales of how civil servants stood up to their ministers and were not intimidated.

The same traits exhibited by those cited in The Last Fools are still needed: curiosity about the world, ability to look far into the future, and a deep-seated desire to make Singapore better.

Today, among the crop of about 20 permanent secretaries, there are at least six in their 40s. In February, the Public Service Division issued a press release on permanent secretary appointments, saying that 11 of them would receive new appointments and two would retire.

Quietly, away from the public eye, renewal in the top rungs of the civil service is very much under way. As one generation of permanent secretaries makes way for another, it is important that some of their experiences are captured for the future.

Telling more stirring stories of public service is one way to ensure a steady stream of more "fools" willing to devote their life's work to making Singapore a better place.

 

Badminton star Loh Kean Yew included in Forbes 30 under 30 Asia list

Loh was the first Singaporean to be crowned badminton world champion after winning the singles title at the 2021 BWF World Championship in December 2021. PHOTO: ST FILE


Prisca Ang
PUBLISHED
MAY 26, 2022, 1:20 PM SGT

SINGAPORE - Badminton player Loh Kean Yew is among 47 individuals in Singapore who have been included in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia - a list celebrating 300 young entrepreneurs and trailblazers under the age of 30 in various fields in Asia.

The honourees were selected across 10 categories, including the arts, social impact, consumer technology, and entertainment and sports.

Announcing the list on Thursday (May 26), Forbes said it features young people who are inspiring change and driving innovation in their respective fields amid challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The list's editor Rana Wehbe Watson said entrepreneurs and innovators on this year's list are working towards reconnecting Asia after the pandemic-induced disruption and isolation.

"From innovative ways of delivering e-commerce and online learning services to venturing into the Web3 space, they provide a glimpse into what the region's future may look like," she said, referring to decentralised internet services such as those based on blockchain technology.

Singapore is represented by 34 entries - co-founders of the same company are grouped together in one entry - its highest number of entries since the list's inception in 2016. It is the second-most represented country after India, having moved up from fourth place last year.

Loh, 24, was the first Singaporean to be crowned badminton world champion after winning the singles title at the 2021 BWF World Championship in December.

On his way to victory, he also beat Denmark's world No. 1 and Olympic champion Viktor Axelsen, whose training camp he had attended a few months before. Loh, who was born in Malaysia and took Singapore citizenship in 2015, is currently No. 10 in BWF world rankings.

Other honourees include rapper Yung Raja, 26, who recently signed with US label Alamo Records, and Mr Ng Ming Wei, 27, a taekwondo athlete turned TikTok content creator and founder of digital marketing agency Boom Digital Media.

Mr Ng said he started Boom to help brands grow on TikTok and other social media platforms, especially since people are now are mostly using their mobile phones to access them.

He founded the agency in June 2020, when he was a university student in his final year. The company now has a team of 15 full-time staff and its clients include fast food chain Nando’s and Giant supermarket.

Boom also plans to set up overseas offices in Malaysia and Dubai to serve global clients, Mr Ng told The Straits Times.

“Many brands want to grow on TikTok but they are not sure who to go to... People always think that a brand’s account is hard to grow and that’s where I try to take up this challenge,” he said.


<p>新加坡跆拳道国手黄名纬（Ng Ming Wei）。</p> PHOTO: CMG
It also featured Ms Mia Deng, 26, the youngest partner at crypto asset firm Dragonfly Capital, as well as Mr Darshan Bathija, 28, and Mr Sanju Kurian, 29, who co-founded Singapore-based crypto exchange Vauld in 2018. The exchange also allows customers to borrow and lend cryptocurrencies and earn interest on their deposits.

Those who made the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list were selected from over 4,000 nominations - a record for the list - and vetted by industry veterans. Criteria for honourees include their demonstration of leadership, how they embody the entrepreneurial spirit, and their potential success in their industry.

Other factors like innovation, disruption, and size and growth of their ventures in some categories, also play a role.

South Korea's world No. 1 female golfer Ko Jin-young was also featured on the list, as were Chinese Olympic gold-medallist skier Eileen Gu and Australian Max Shand, who founded music NFT marketplace Serenade.

The list also spotlighted China's Zhang Zihao, who co-founded plant-based beverages firm Plantag. Its products include oat, sesame and pistachio-flavoured milk beverages, and it is also working on new products such as yogurt and ice cream.

Mr Rashid Khan, co-founder of India-based conversational artificial intelligence company Yellow.AI, also made the list. The company's proprietary natural language processing engine helps clients build chatbots and voicebots in more than 100 languages that can be used to automate customer care or call centres.

- additional reporting by Elijah Wong

 

NUS ranked Asia's top university for 5th year running



Amelia Teng
Education Correspondent

PUBLISHED
8 HOURS AGO

SINGAPORE - The National University of Singapore (NUS) has been named Asia's best university in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) annual higher education ranking, while Nanyang Technological University (NTU) slipped several notches.

In the ranking released on Thursday (June 9), NUS came in 11th globally, retaining its place from last year, while NTU took 19th place, down from 12th last year.

NUS has held the top position among Asian universities for the past five years in the Britain-based higher education analysis firm's rankings. It comes ahead of varsities like University of Pennsylvania, The University of Edinburgh, Princeton University and Yale University.

Meanwhile, NTU lost its spot as 2nd best university in Asia to China's Peking University.

This year's QS table is the largest with 1,418 universities included, up from 1,300 last year. Globally, the top 10 continued to be dominated by American and British universities.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States topped the list, while the University of Cambridge in Britain came in second. Stanford University and Harvard University in the US, and Oxford University in Britain, rounded up the top five on the list.

Same as last year, the only university in the top 10 outside the US and Britain was the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, which came in ninth place.



QS evaluated the institutions on six indicators: academic reputation, reputation among employers, citations per faculty member, faculty to student ratio, ratio of international faculty members and ratio of international students.

The results are based on 16.4 million academic papers published between 2016 and 2020 and 117.8 million citations received by those papers. They also account for the opinions of over 151,000 academic faculty and over 99,000 employers.

This year, two additional factors were also considered: employment outcomes and international research network, which measures the extent and volume of global collaboration.

In a statement on Thursday, QS said that competition is "very tight" among the world's top 20 universities.

"Although NTU's overall score dropped just 2.4 points (from 90.8 to 88.4), even a minor change can make a substantive difference at the top of the table," it said.

Some of the factors that contributed to NTU's drop were citations per faculty, employer reputation, and faculty to student ratio.

Still, QS senior vice-president Ben Sowter said in the statement NTU has been among the top 20 globally for seven consecutive years, and moved up from a decade ago when it was ranked 58th. This is an achievement for an institution that was founded as recently as 1991, he said.

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Mr Sowter said that Singapore's top two universities remain the "finest higher education hub" outside Europe and the US.

"Very few universities have done more to attract top international faculty from across the world than NUS and NTU. Their elevated levels of research impact directly result from this global outlook," he added.

"Singapore is a successful knowledge powerhouse that continues to punch well above its weight," he said.

Interdisciplinary research and boosting graduates' employability and job readiness, alongside weaving innovation and entrepreneurship into their learning experience, are some of the aspects that NUS and NTU excel in, said Mr Sowter.

An NUS spokesman said: "We are pleased that NUS is consistently regarded as among the world's - and Asia's - best universities. This is an affirmation of the steadfast dedication of our talented community and a strong recognition of our future-focused approach to education and research.

"The university remains committed to nurturing agile and resilient graduates through our interdisciplinary, experiential and lifelong learning initiatives, while developing a solid core of researchers with diverse capabilities to deepen the translational impact of our research. We aim to continually transform lives and create a positive impact that will be beneficial to Singapore and society at large."

An NTU spokesman said it was one of the world's leading universities, as shown by the latest QS ranking, as well as others such as Times Higher Education, Nature Index and US News and World Report, where it maintained or improved its standing in the global top 50 in the last few years.

"As fluctuations are expected in all rankings, the university assesses its performance across different rankings and over a multiple-year time horizon, rather than focus on a single indicator in a specific year," she said.

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World's first commercial cultured meat production facility operational in Singapore

The facility in Ayer Rajah Crescent by Esco Aster was given approval and started production of cell-cultured chicken in July. PHOTO: ESCO ASTER


Audrey Tan
Science and Environment Correspondent

PUBLISHED
SEP 15, 2021, 5:14 PM SGT

SINGAPORE - A commercial facility that produces chicken products through cell culture instead of slaughter has already began operations in Singapore, The Straits Times has learnt.

The facility in Ayer Rajah Crescent by Esco Aster, a home-grown contract development and manufacturing organisation, was given approval and started production of cell-cultured chicken in July - a world first.

It could pave the way for more such protein alternatives to enter the Singapore market and boost food security for the Republic.

In December 2020, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) was the first regulatory authority in the world to approve the sale of a cultured meat product - bite-sized chicken from Eat Just, a California start-up - after it was deemed safe for consumption.

Eat Just's Good Meat cultivated chicken is available here via the foodpanda delivery platform from Madame Fan, the Cantonese restaurant at JW Marriott Singapore South Beach.

On July 28, Esco Aster was given SFA approval to produce cultured chicken for commercial use. A spokesman for SFA added: "This is the same cultured chicken which was previously approved by SFA in 2020."

ST understands that prior to this approval, Eat Just's cultured chicken bites could not be manufactured in Singapore.

Cultured meat refers to meat products that are made from growing animal cells in a bioreactor - similar to the vats used in brewing beer - instead of slaughtering actual chickens.

This is considered to be a more sustainable meat production method, as large volumes can be produced involving less land and labour.

Esco Aster is a subsidiary of the Esco Lifescience Group, which has supplied tools and technology such as bioreactors to firms in the alternative proteins industry.

The company also focuses on offering manufacturing services in the areas of vaccine development and cell- or gene-therapy, among others.

This background helped Esco Aster design the manufacturing facility to the standards required by SFA for food production, its chief executive Lin Xiangliang told ST on Wednesday (Sept 15).

In Singapore, firms producing cultured meat products must conduct and submit safety assessments of their products for SFA's review before they are allowed for sale.

These assessments cover potential food safety risks, including toxicity and production method safety. Detailed information on the materials used in the manufacturing processes and how these are controlled to prevent food safety risks must also be provided, the SFA spokesman added.

Firms that wish to manufacture these approved products in Singapore must obtain a separate SFA licence.

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"If companies wish to manufacture any already approved alternative protein products in Singapore, as with any other food, they must obtain an SFA licence and are subject to checks by SFA of the premises, systems, and products," said the SFA spokesman.

"SFA will also inspect and sample the product for testing, just as we do for other imported and locally manufactured food products."

The Eat Just cultured chicken bites are the only cultured meat product currently approved for sale in Singapore.

When approached for comment, a spokesman for Eat Just declined to give details about the Esco Aster production facility, saying the firm does not comment on details of its partnerships.

But he added: "We have multiple production partners for Good Meat and look forward to growing our business in Singapore, which will be a manufacturing hub for the company."

Eat Just's Good Meat cultivated chicken is being assessed by regulatory authorities in other jurisdictions, such as in the United States and in the Middle East, a spokesman for Eat Just said, adding that the firm plans to set up a cultivated meat facility in the Middle East and Northern Africa region.


The Eat Just cultured chicken bites are the only cultured meat product currently approved for sale in Singapore. PHOTO: EAT JUST
Alternative proteins are gaining traction globally amid growing consciousness about the massive carbon footprint of rearing livestock for food, which produces about 15 per cent of all global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.

But as this is an emerging field, with Singapore the only country which has approved the sale of such products here, many cultured meat products are made in smaller facilities and laboratories at a smaller scale.

A commercial plant in Singapore, however, could enable production of such alternative proteins to be scaled up more rapidly once they are approved for sale here, and bring costs down.

Said Mr Lin: "The licence for manufacturing will allow alternative protein companies to produce small batches of approved cell-cultured food products for commercial market launch in Singapore."

Ms Mirte Gosker, acting managing director of non-profit The Good Food Institute Asia Pacific - which champions alternatives to traditional meat products - said: "This move is the clearest sign yet that the Lion City is all in on scaling up alternative proteins and driving Asia's runaway lead in food technology.

"Other nations would be wise to follow Singapore's example by investing in this smarter way of making meat before they get left behind."

In April, ST reported that more than 15 alternative protein start-ups - including those looking at cell-cultured and plant-based meats - have set up base in Singapore.

A recent Good Food Institute report also revealed that a record US$3.1 billion (S$4.1 billion) was invested into alternative proteins globally last year - three times the capital raised in 2019.

 

Asia's largest cell-cultured chicken facility to be up and running in Bedok from 2023
1 of 3

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu (third from right) and other VIPs at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Good Meat's ground-breaking on June 10, 2022. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI


Shabana Begum

PUBLISHED
JUN 10, 2022, 11:00 AM SGT

SINGAPORE - Meat lovers here will have more options in their diet when Asia's largest cultivated chicken facility is built in Bedok early next year.

California food technology firm Eat Just's Good Meat division broke ground on its upcoming 30,000 sq ft facility - about half the size of a football field - in food industry hub Bedok Food City on Friday (June 10).

Singapore was the first country to approve the sale of cell-based meat in December 2020, with the product coming from Good Meat.

Cell-cultured chicken is meat from chicken cells grown in a bioreactor - similar to the vats used in brewing beer - thus doing away with having to slaughter actual chickens.

Once operational in the first quarter of next year, the $61 million Bedok plant will house a 6,000-litre bioreactor - the largest one in the cultivated meat industry to date - which will produce tens of thousands of kilograms of the novel chicken each year.

The vessel is two storeys high, and about three times the size of a typical industrial bioreactor.

About 50 researchers, scientists and engineers will work in the facility, which will be the largest Good Meat plant until its second United States facility is built later.

Research and development in such novel foods and alternative proteins have been gaining traction in Singapore in recent years as the Republic boosts its food security and produces food sustainably.

With Singapore currently importing more than 90 per cent of its food, the country is looking to shore up against global food supply shocks by producing 30 per cent of its food locally by 2030.

Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, who was at the ground-breaking event, said: "With technological advancements and growing consumer demand for sustainable foods, alternative proteins have the potential to supplement Singapore's agricultural productivity and contribute meaningfully to our 30 by 30 goal."

Good Meat’s bioreactor can produce between 4,500kg and 45,000kg of cell-cultured chicken meat every year, said Eat Just chief executive Josh Tetrick.

This is a fraction of the 214,400 tonnes of chicken Singapore imported last year.

The announcement of the new facility comes more than a week into Malaysia's chicken export ban, which has left suppliers and sellers here with lower stocks of fresh meat. They have turned to chilled, frozen and processed poultry.

Ms Fu said: "Our importers were able to respond quickly by tapping their vast network of suppliers from alternative sources, such as from suppliers in Thailand and Australia."

Large volumes of plant-based or cell-cultured foods can be produced with less land, labour and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the global livestock sector accounts for 14.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions.

Good Meat believes the energy and carbon costs from cultivated meat production will be significantly lower than animal agriculture.


Singapore is looking to shore up against global food supply shocks by producing 30 per cent of its food locally by 2030. PHOTO: EAT JUST
Last July, the world's first commercial cultured meat production facility started operations here when Esco Aster, a local contract development and manufacturing organisation, was given approval to produce the novel food.

An Eat Just spokesman said Esco Aster is a strategic partner of Good Meat and there will be opportunities to strengthen their partnership when the Bedok facility is up and running.

After its approval for sale in 2020, the cell-based chicken bites were first served in a members' club in Robertson Quay, known as 1880, early last year.

Since then, the novel meat has been inching closer to customers here, and in different variations.

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Every Thursday, delivery platform foodpanda delivers to customers various dishes cooked with Good Meat chicken from Cantonese restaurant Madame Fan. The dishes, which include dumplings and breaded chicken bites atop rice or salad, are sold at around $23.

For a few days between February and March this year, the chicken slices were sold with curry rice for $4 at a hawker stall - Loo's Hainanese Curry Rice - in Tiong Bahru. During the run, Good Meat subsidised the cost of its chicken bites.


Mr Loo’s Hainanese curry rice with cultivated chicken bites and KEK’s cultivated chicken satay served Singapore style with pineapple salsa. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
And for three days last month, the meat was given a more textured makeover when it appeared as chicken satay in zi char eatery Keng Eng Kee Seafood in Bukit Merah.

With the new facility next year, Good Meat will gradually expand to more restaurants, hawkers and supermarkets.

The larger production capacity will allow the price of the chicken to fall significantly, but Mr Tetrick did not provide a figure.

He added that cell-based chicken could one day be cheaper than ordinary chicken if three components are met.

First, production must be scaled up with massive bioreactors, each with a capacity of more than 200,000 litres. Second, the cost of the nutrients for the cells must drop from dollars a litre to cents a litre. Finally, cell density – which refers to how much meat can be produced in a period of time – must increase.

His company aims to progress on those three areas before the end of 2030. Good Meat will also launch chicken breast soon, on top of the nuggets and satay.

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The alternative chicken is not the only novel food from Eat Just that is available in Singapore. The firm is also building the nation's largest plant-protein factory in Pioneer, which will produce vegan eggs using mainly mung beans.

Mr Tetrick said: "We view Singapore as vital in our plans to build this new approach to making meat. We'll launch new products here, distribute to other countries in Asia and learn from customers here."

Good Meat will expand its cell-cultured line to beef, which is currently in early R&D stages. It is planning to launch ground beef in Singapore first.

Future operations here will include a plant that will make tens of millions of kilograms of meat annually from multiple 250,000-litre bioreactors.


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Production facility for cultivated fish cells set to open in S'pore by 2022

 

ST's Invisible Asia video series, visuals shine at Inma Global Media Awards
ST's Invisible Asia video series, visuals shine at Inma Global Media Awards | The Straits Times

The Straits Times' multimedia series Invisible Asia chronicles the plight of little-seen and little-talked-about people around the region. PHOTOS: ST DIGITAL
Rei Kurohi and Fatimah Mujibah

PUBLISHED
JUN 10, 2022, 7:59 AM SGT

SINGAPORE - The Straits Times and its publisher SPH Media Trust (SMT) bagged several awards in the annual International News Media Association (INMA) Global Media Awards on Thursday (June 9).

ST's Invisible Asia series won second place under the national brands category for best use of video, while American media company Insider, previously known as Business Insider, took first place for its video coverage of the US Capitol riot.

The weekly series by ST's correspondents had feature stories, videos and podcasts on people and communities in the region who have been silently living their lives without a platform to speak out.

The passion project aimed to shed light on the people's struggles by sharing their personal stories, and making them "visible" across ST's multiple platforms.

One of the features focused on Japan's ostracised "untouchable" burakumin community, who are descendants of a shunned caste.

The package by ST's Japan correspondent Walter Sim included a four-minute video with on-camera interviews with members of the burakumin community and portrayed the ongoing prejudices they face, including online harassment.

Another feature highlighted the plight of a migrant worker working in China and the lack of work and financial security he faces daily.

ST's China correspondent Danson Cheong included a four-minute video of an on-camera interview with the migrant worker and displayed the struggles of labourers and the multiple issues and risks they face.

The videos in the series garnered over 491,000 views in total and about 92,000 page views on average. The series also won an Eppy award, beating CNN and The Boston Globe for best investigative/ enterprise video, along with winning accolades from readers.

In the national brand category for best use of visual journalism and storytelling tools, ST received an honourable mention for a selection of four stories that focused on visual storytelling across multimedia platforms.

USA Today Network, Argentina's La Nacion and Spain's elDiario.es won first, second and third place respectively.

One of the stories in ST's entry was an animated illustration of 21 major news events of 2021, with an accompanying print graphic. The story depicted international events from the Jan 6 attack of the US Capitol building and the Feb 1 arrest of Myanmar's then leader Aung San Suu Kyi to the Oct 31 opening of 26th United Nations Climate Change conference (COP26) in Glasgow and the first virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and China's President Xi Jinping on Nov 15.

Local political events were also depicted, such as when Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat stepped down as the People's Action Party's fourth-generation leader on April 8 and when former Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan admitted on Nov 1 that she had lied in Parliament.

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Sporting achievements were also celebrated, including paralympian Yip Pin Xiu's two gold medals on Sept 2 and badminton player Loh Kean Yew being crowned world champion on Dec 19.

Another story in the selection was a four-part comic strip about the impact of climate change, which was also animated for ST's mobile platform in the form of Instagram-like "stories". These comics explained global warming, the effects it has, why some countries and people struggle to adapt to a hotter world and why COP26 is important.

ST also included a print graphic and stop-motion animation of the DC Comics character Wonder Woman's costumes through her 80-year history. The print graphic traced 80 major costume changes from the character's first comic appearance in 1941 through her various incarnations in TV shows, cartoons, movies and games. The animation involved painstakingly cutting out pieces of coloured paper and assembling them for a photoshoot. The project took the artist and animator about a month to complete.

The final inclusion was a look back at how the Jemaah Islamiah terror network in Singapore was uncovered through a package consisting of an article, print graphic, animation and video. The graphic and animation depicted one Singaporean's journey from being radicalised and meeting Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden to plotting an attack on Singaporean soil and getting arrested and detained under the Internal Security Act.

ST also won third place in the national brand category for best product iteration, in recognition of its approach to gamify its reading experience to improve engagement and build readers' habits over time.

Norway's Aftenposten took first place in this category while South Africa's Netwerk24 took second place.

ST's initiative offered readers rewards for reading a certain number of articles a day. This was based on observation of other products that rely on repeated user behaviour, such as social media and health promotion apps.

Meanwhile, SMT won first place in the group category for best subscription niche product, for Shop by SPH. The loyalty programme offers subscribers special deals on various products like wine and household appliances, while SMT earns commission revenue for sales generated.


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Making Miss Universe's Top 16 a dream come true for Singapore undergrad

Ms Nandita Banna said she relished the chance to "show the world that Singaporeans are not just brainy people, STEM or work-oriented". PHOTO: AFP


Jeanmarie Tan

PUBLISHED
DEC 14, 2021, 1:30 PM SGT

SINGAPORE - Shock and disbelief coursed through Miss Universe Singapore Nandita Banna when she made history by placing in the Top 16 of the beauty pageant.

When the show's host Steve Harvey announced her name at the pageant in Eilat, Israel, on Dec 13, she was stunned - Singapore had not made it to the semi-finals in 34 years.

The 21-year-old undergraduate told The Straits Times in an e-mail interview: "Shock and disbelief turned into happiness and joy when it started sinking in - that's the first cut, the first dream.

"And to me, even though I wanted it so badly, it felt like an unrealistic dream because there were so many powerhouse countries which also wanted to get into the Top 16 like the Philippines, Venezuela and Thailand.

"I was also not expecting it because Singapore hadn't made it to the semi-finals in 34 years and Singaporeans usually think that we have no chance. But I was glad to prove everyone wrong."

The Top 16 reveal was followed by the swimsuit competition, but Miss Nandita reached the end of her Miss Universe road when she did not crack the next round - the Top 10.

Miss India Harnaaz Sandhu was eventually crowned the winner, as several contestants defied pressure to boycott the 70th edition of the annual pageant - held in Israel for the first time - in support of the Palestinians.


Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane took the second runner-up spot, even though South Africa's Ministry of Sports, Culture and Arts had urged her to stay away.

Muslim-majority Indonesia and Malaysia, nations that do not have diplomatic relations with Israel, did not send contestants, though both cited complications related to the pandemic, not Israel's human rights record.

Miss Nandita, who will be arriving home on Dec 16, said she is at peace with the outcome of the pageant.

"People expected me to feel sad and disappointed, but I feel content and happy because I did what I came here to do.

"I came to Miss Universe thinking, 'I want to make Singapore proud, I want to make history for Singapore, I want to be that change-maker'. And I was just happy that the judges saw my potential and put me in the Top 16, and now I have this whole journey ahead of me where I can improve and grow."


Miss Singapore Nandita Banna presents herself during the swimsuit competition in Israel on Dec 13, 2021. PHOTO: AFP
An alumna of Raffles Girls' School and Raffles Institution, she is a third-year double degree student at the Singapore Management University, majoring in business management and information systems (business analytics).

Looking back, she felt her performances on stage and in the question-and-answer segment in the preliminary rounds helped boost her chances and were the key to her success.

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Her modelling and runway experience helped her walk and present herself better.

"I also think that because I am a dancer and I love being on stage, that confidence and energy was present. I had fun, I wasn't stressed out. I was just enjoying myself, showcasing and entertaining the audience."

She also considers herself a good speaker who knows how to articulate her thoughts well.

For example, she felt she nailed her preliminary interview, whether the judges were asking her about being one of the few candidates with short hair, the origins of the capelet she was wearing or what it was like pursuing a double degree in a male-dominated field.

Summing up her Miss Universe experience, Ms Nandita said she relished the chance to "show the world that Singaporeans are not just brainy people, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)- or work-oriented".

"We can do multiple things, we can be holistic. We can win beauty pageants, we can do double degrees. We can excel in whatever we set our minds to and we shouldn't be held back because we are a small country and we don't think we have a chance."

Her family said the Top 16 feat was a moment they will cherish forever.

Her father G. Rao Banna, 52, is a senior manager at Republic Polytechnic, her mother Madhuri, 53, works in building information modelling and her brother Saurav, 16, is an undergraduate at the University of British Columbia in Canada.

Her parents, who moved to Singapore from India before Miss Nandita was born, said in a joint statement: "Personally, we feel that God has given us a chance in this form to give back to Singapore, which we have called our home for the last 25 years."

 

Former Miss Singapore World wins global pageant after 28-year hiatus from scene

(Left) Ms Angela Lee Pickard with her mother when she won Miss Singapore World in 1994. (Right) Ms Pickard was crowned Mrs Classique Globe on June 4. PHOTOS: ANGELA LEE PICKARD, MRS CLASSIQUE GLOBE


Jeanmarie Tan
Senior Correspondent

PUBLISHED
JUN 10, 2022, 11:40 AM SGT

SINGAPORE - In 1994, Ms Angela Lee Pickard lived her beauty queen dream to the fullest by competing in three pageants.

That year, she became the first runner-up of Miss Universe Singapore (MUS), a finalist of Supermodel Of The World Singapore and the winner of Miss Singapore World. And she represented the country at the Miss World finals in South Africa.

While working as a Singapore Airlines flight attendant after that, she met and married pilot Loo Ray Sun, now 53.

Since 1998, she has been a housewife, raising their two daughters while the family lived in Malaysia, Abu Dhabi and Britain.

Upon returning to Singapore in 2021,Ms Pickard, 48, decided to revive her modelling career by signing up with local modelling agency Mannequin.

In May, she resumed her pageant aspirations and was crowned Mrs Classique Globe Singapore.

And on June 4, she became the first Singaporean to win Mrs Classique Globe - held in California and for married women 45 years and older - in the pageant's 26-year history.

On nabbing an international title after her 28-year hiatus from the scene, Ms Pickard tells The Straits Times: "I feel proud of this tremendous milestone and I'm humbled to be an ambassador twice over. It took a team to lift me up and I'm blessed to have family and friends who have supported me throughout. My crown belongs to all of us and to all Singaporeans."

It is no surprise that her daughters have gravitated towards pageantry too, having heard of their mother's successeswhen they were growing up.

Ms Pickard's older daughter May Tia, 23, was an MUS finalist in 2018. She is currently in her third and final year of biomedical science at the University of Western Australia in Perth.

Her younger daughter Cate Lin, 19, who is studying medicine at Flinders University in Adelaide, was an MUS finalist in 2021.

Ms Pickard, whose father is British and mother Chinese, has been passionate about the scene since she was 12 and watching May Tia participate in MUS "lit a desire" in her.

"I felt the excitement, happiness and joy being surrounded by beautiful and empowering women. I was inspired to once again step out and pursue pageantry as a missus."


(From left to right) Miss Loo Cate Lin, Ms Angela Lee Pickard, Mr Loo Ray Sun and Miss Loo May Tia. PHOTO: CATE LIN LOO
With her new Mrs Classique Globe title, she is grateful to have a platform as she continues to advocate for survivors of blood disorders.

That is because Ms Pickard, who is 1.68m tall and weighs 50kg, suffers from Protein C deficiency, a rare genetic condition that increases the risk of developing abnormal blood clots.

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Ten years ago, when she was in Perth, Australia, she was stricken with a pulmonary embolism, where a third of her left lung was full of blood clots. She spent a week in hospital where she was given daily blood thinners, both oral and through injections.

She recalls: "It was excruciatingly painful. My road to recovery took a year. Physically, I never felt the same again. Mentally, it was a challenge - the fear of sickness and death coupled with the loss of my father at the time.

"Anxiety got the better of me during stressful situations. It's my body's way of coping and perhaps a side effect of medication too."

She persevered and, one day, decided not to see herself as a victim but as a survivor instead.

She adds: "Pondering on 'why me?', I said, 'why not me?'. I am strong, I am precious and I can make a difference. By changing the narrative, I changed the trajectory of my life.

"From that experience, I'm now very focused on health and wellness."

She takes natural anticoagulants like fish oils and vitamin E, stays hydrated as much as possible and exercises regularly.

She takes Xarelto, a strong anticoagulant, during high-risk situations like air travel and long road trips when deep vein thrombosis is more likely to occur.

Ms Pickard - a pescatarian who does yoga three times a week and is "diligent" when it comes to skincare - adds: "Every day, I wake up thankful to be alive, hence my determination to help other survivors.

"Depression is real when one is sick. I am here to say you are not alone. Hand in hand, we are stronger together."

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Forbes honour 'hasn't sunk in yet': The Singaporean fashion designer whose creations are worn by J Lo
Grace Ling
Pop superstar and actress Jennifer Lopez, or J Lo, is seen modelling Grace Ling’s (left) signature bralette, skirt and cropped leather blazer.

• Ms Grace Ling is 25-year-old Singaporean and an alum of Sota, Central Saint Martins and Parsons School of Design
• She was recently featured in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for the arts category
• Her high fashion, quirky designs are created with 3D technology to reduce the wastage of materials
• Pop singer and actress Jennifer Lopez wore Ms Ling's outfits, which caught the attention of fashion magazines and Singaporeans

BY
LOW YOUJIN
Published June 19, 2022
Updated June 19, 2022

SINGAPORE — When Ms Grace Ling started her eponymous fashion label at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, she chose to base her business in the fashion capital of New York, thinking that her clothing line would not gain much traction with Singaporeans.

After all, the 25-year-old Singaporean questioned whether her compatriots would want to part with close to US$1,000 (S$1,390) for a pair of wool gabardin pants, or quirky accessories like a tiny human-shaped metal mesh bag.

Ms Ling said her high fashion creations are generally targeted at people working in the creative industries and is someone who is “informed culturally and wants to have a dialogue between art and fashion”.

She describes the style of her products as “eccentric elegance” inspired by the surrealist art movement.

But the School of the Arts Singapore graduate eventually caught the attention of Singaporeans when it emerged that she was the designer of the outfit that pop singer and actress Jennifer Lopez, or J Lo, wore while performing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this year.

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Fashion magazines like Vogue Singapore and Harper's Bazaar picked up on it and this led to a “significant order” from Singaporeans for the products of the alum of Central Saint Martins in London and the Parsons School of Design in New York — both institutions renowned for producing famous fashion designers.

“That was exciting… knowing there are people who appreciate (my work),” said Ms Ling, who has outfitted other celebrities like fashion model Karlie Kloss, singer Charli XCX and YouTube personality Emma Chamberlain.

Ms Ling is no stranger to showbiz herself. She began a modeling career at the age of 16, and can even be spotted making her way down the aisle as a bridesmaid in the spectacularly shot wedding scene in the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians.

RECOGNITION BY FORBES
In any case, the recognition for Ms Ling’s work was made official by Forbes on May 26, when the business magazine featured her in its 30 Under 30 Asia list for the arts category.

The annual list, now in its seventh edition, featured 300 young entrepreneurs, leaders and trailblazers across the Asia-Pacific region under the age of 30 in 10 categories.

Forbes described them as individuals who were “inspiring change and driving innovation in their respective fields amid the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic”.

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Aside from Ms Ling, there were 33 others from Singapore, including non-citizens based here.

Forbes lauded her use of 3D technology, which features heavily in her work, as a means to reduce material wastage.

In essence, Ms Ling's designs are first fine-tuned to specification on a computer-aided design software before she puts the pieces together.

For accessories that use metal, she prints them out with aluminium powder, a material she called “infinitely recyclable”.

“We view sustainability as a design process,” said Ms Ling. “The way we design and create means we don’t have to make a tonne of samples to get to the correct one.”

The daughter of a make-up artist mother and an entrepreneur father said she felt both honoured and grateful to make the Forbes list, and that it has always been on her bucket list of achievements to attain.

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Ms Ling recalled receiving the news from Forbes on the same day the announcement was made, just as she was about to end a long day at work.

“I was just chilling out with my assistant when I got an email (from Forbes). It was very surreal,” said Ms Ling. “My assistant was jumping and congratulating me… She was so happy.”

But for Ms Ling, she had been so busy with work that the news “has not sunk in yet. I just need time to sit down and process it”.

Indeed, when TODAY spoke with Ms Ling during a cross-continental phone call on June 7, she was in the midst of coordinating movers who were helping her set up furniture in her office in New York.

The hustle for Ms Ling has not stopped since her label was launched in August 2020, immediately after graduating from Parsons.

As a newcomer to the scene, one of Ms Ling’s first priorities was to “get the brand out there”, which she did through a three-minute-long fashion film that featured products from her Fall Winter 2021 collection titled Mimicry.

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The plan worked. Snippets of the video were reshared on fashion-themed Instagram accounts, and it just “took off from there” which gave her a reason to launch an online store.

While Ms Ling has no plans for any physical shops at the moment, she said her brand is getting picked up by many physical retailers, “so they will be in stores soon”.

For now, she will be getting ready to launch her next collection in September.

“We're doing it with new fabrics, new lengths and new colourways… There are just so many (ideas) that have yet to be explored.”

 

Charting Singapore's new path forward together

Ooi Boon Keong/TODAY
BY
LAWRENCE WONG
Published June 28, 2022
Updated June 28, 2022
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In launching Forward Singapore on Tuesday (June 28), Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that the new year-long public consultation exercise is aimed at “refreshing” Singapore’s social compact while identifying how everyone can contribute towards charting a new path forward together.

Below is his speech at the launch held at a labour movement dialogue organised by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

We are all gathered here because we are deeply invested in Singapore’s future. Where is our country headed?

What can we do now to secure the future we hope for? How can each of us contribute?

To address these questions, I announced earlier that the 4G (fourth-generation leadership) team will embark on an exercise to review and refresh our social compact, and chart a roadmap for the next decade and beyond.

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Today, let me share some of my thoughts on this Forward Singapore exercise.

It’s fitting that I do so at this NTUC tripartite dialogue, because NTUC has played a crucial role in shaping our social compact since the early years of our nation building.

Our unions steadfastly protected the interests of our workers to get a fair deal.

They persuaded workers to abandon strife and conflict, and work with employers instead.


Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong speaking at the launch of Forward Singapore on June 28, 2022.
In turn, the Government provided a stable and conducive environment — which enabled businesses to grow and create jobs, and importantly, to share the fruits of progress with all workers.

All sides kept faith with each other. Together, we developed our unique tripartite system. Together, we’ve uplifted generations of Singaporeans.

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So I want to say a big thank you to all of you for your steadfast partnership throughout these years. Thank you very much!

Importantly, we’ve kept faith with the values and beliefs set out at the founding of our nation too.

They are expressed in our Pledge: “one united people, regardless of race, language or religion”; and “a democratic society, based on justice and equality”.

These are timeless values. We must continue to hold fast to them, as we write the next chapter of our Singapore Story together.

REFRESHING SINGAPORE’S SOCIAL COMPACT
What is a social compact and why do we need to refresh ours?

Broadly speaking, a social compact is a shared understanding of how all of us in society relate to one another.

It’s about the respective roles and responsibilities of different groups.

What should the Government, employers and the community do for workers and individuals?

What are our obligations as individuals to one another and to society at large?

A social compact that is deemed fair by all segments of society will strengthen social capital and foster trust, and this is what will enable us to progress together as a nation.

This is why it is so important for us to refresh and update our social compact, so that it remains fit for our changing context and circumstances.

EXTERNAL TRENDS
Just consider the world around us.

Over the past decade, we’ve seen many examples of fraying social compacts and more fractured societies.

Look across Europe and North America, for example. Many people with difficulties coping have felt excluded from their nation’s progress.

They sense that the system has failed the people.

Their resentment has fuelled the growth of extremist political parties on both the far-right and the far-left.

As a result, many societies have turned inward and xenophobic, and they are unable to find a consensus on important national issues.

Fortunately, in Singapore, our situation is not as dire as in many of these countries. Economically, we are in better shape than most.

Unlike most developed countries, we have been able to achieve inclusive growth, including over the past decade — where the real wages of lower-income workers have risen faster than that of the median worker, which means that our income gaps have been narrowing.

We are still creating many new jobs, thanks to the investments that we have been able to attract from overseas, as well as the growth of our own companies and the skills of our workers.


Raj Nadarajan/TODAY

Mr Wong said that it is important to refresh and update Singapore's social compact so that it remains fit for our changing context and circumstances.
Throughout the last two years of the pandemic, we have stayed nimble and adapted quickly, and demonstrated a strong sense of social solidarity.

Amidst great adversity, we were able to come together, seize the opportunities ahead of us, and emerge stronger.

AT A CROSSROADS
But we find ourselves now at a crossroads in our nation’s journey.

All of us had expected a strong recovery from Covid-19, but now we have flown into stronger headwinds:

• We have a war raging in Europe fuelling global inflation, and possibly a recession — if not stagflation
• We also face rising geo-political tensions, especially between the United States and China; disrupting supply chains and ushering in a more dangerous and bifurcated world

Domestically, too, we have to deal with a number of social trends with long-term consequences:

• A rapidly ageing population
• A concern that social mobility is slowing, with those who have done well pulling further ahead of the rest due to their entrenched advantages
• And, with that, mounting anxieties among many of being displaced by others

These are very real fears in our stressful society — the fear of not doing well enough, of being left behind.

I understand your concerns.

Our students feel pigeon-holed in a system where the stakes are high from very early in their lives.

Our graduates and workers are anxious about their careers; and worry that they will be priced out of the property market.

Our older workers sometimes struggle to be considered for new jobs after being displaced or retrenched.

Sometimes, those who do not meet the traditional yardsticks of merit may find opportunities closed to them. They may feel beaten down by early failure, and feel discouraged from trying again.

I know that these are genuine struggles that Singaporeans face — perhaps more so today than in the past.

And I hope we will have honest conversations about these concerns, and how we can tackle them together.

The bottom line is that the world around us and our own society have changed, and will continue to change.


TODAY file photo

A rapidly ageing population is one of a number of social trends with long-term consequences that Singapore has to deal with.
So we know in our guts that it cannot be business-as-usual.

For the stable state of affairs we now enjoy can easily be disrupted.

And if our social compact fails, a large segment of Singaporeans will come to feel estranged from society, believing that the system is not on their side.

Trust in the Government and among various segments of society will plummet. Politics in Singapore will turn nasty and polarised.

We will become a low trust society, like so many others in Asia and Europe.

And Singapore, if this were to happen, will surely fracture.

Conversely, if we strengthen our social compact, we can turn each set of challenges into opportunities.

We can find the silver lining in whatever comes our way. We can be a bastion of stability and opportunity in this world.

And we can leave behind a better Singapore for tomorrow.

 

This is why my 4G colleagues and I think we should take a step back to:

• Reflect on where we are today
• Where we want to be in the future
• And how we can get there together

At this juncture — as we prepare for a post-pandemic world; as we navigate an increasingly treacherous geo-political situation; as my 4G team and I prepare to take on the mantle and lead Singapore forward — let us:

• Re-affirm our fundamental values
• Re-examine our principles
• Re-view our priorities and policies — and chart our new way forward together

This is what the Forward Singapore exercise is about.

To help focus our efforts, let me offer some questions for us to consider.

How can we do more to equip and empower our people, whatever their starting point in life, and ensure everyone is able to maximise their potential?

How can we as a society better assure Singaporeans and better care for their needs in this volatile and unpredictable world?

With increasing demands on our resources, how do we build an even better home and steward our shared environmental and financial resources, so we can meet the needs of Singaporeans today as well as those yet unborn — our future generations?

And finally, how might we unite our people and foster a greater sense of shared ownership and responsibility, so that we can all pull together as one to take Singapore forward?

Let me share my thoughts on these questions, and how I think our social compact might evolve.

ECONOMIC SYSTEM
First, on how our economy is run, and whether the system benefits all or just the few.

Everyone knows we have long relied on open and free markets to grow the economy.

That must remain the case — for it is by staying open to investments and talent from around the world that we create wealth, keep our economy innovative and vibrant, and thus provide good jobs and better opportunities for Singaporeans.

But we also know that left unchecked, the workings of the free market can lead to excessive competition and rising inequalities.

That’s why we have always tempered extreme market outcomes and resisted a winner-takes-all economic regime.

For example, to stay open as an economy means having to accept some degree of competition from foreign workers and professionals — whether they are here or overseas.

I know this competition sometimes causes anxiety.

That’s why we have not left Singaporeans to fend for themselves, or allowed outcomes to be decided by market forces alone.

Instead, we have invested heavily in skills upgrading and retraining — and will continue to do so — so that Singaporeans are better equipped to compete fairly for good jobs

And we will be passing a new law to ensure that all employers uphold fair employment practices.


Ili Nadhirah Mansor/TODAY

To stay open as an economy means having to accept some degree of competition from foreign workers and professionals — whether they are here or overseas, said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.
We will not hesitate to take action against any employer who discriminates on the basis of nationality — or other factors, namely, age, sex, disability, race and religion.

At the same time, we will continue to update our policies to manage the inflow of work pass holders, and ensure they come into sectors where we need them the most — to complement, not to displace, our local workforce.

I want to assure everyone, Singaporeans and Singaporean workers will always be at the centre of everything we do.

In this same spirit, we will ensure that public housing remains affordable, especially for the young and first-timers.

We will continue to uplift our vulnerable workers through schemes like Workfare and the Progressive Wage Model.

And we will further strengthen our progressive system of taxes and transfers, so that everyone contributes something, but those with more contribute more, to help those with less.

In fact, I made a series of moves in the Budget this year to do this, and we will continue to study what more needs to be done.

As Singapore prospers, we will ensure that our income and wealth gaps do not widen, and that every Singaporean has a fair share in the benefits of growth.

IMPROVING MERITOCRACY
Second, on our system of meritocracy.

People debate about this a lot but meritocracy is still the best way to organise our society.

Why? Because it encourages people to strive and to make the best use of the opportunities available to them, and it preserves upward mobility.

After all, if we do not reward on merit, then what other alternatives do we have?

Surely, we cannot do so on the basis of connections — just because I know someone — or networks, or worse, social pedigrees.

But we also know that meritocracy has its downsides.

The rich can give their children more opportunities.

Those who have succeeded by their merit naturally seek to pass on their advantages to their children by any means possible.

So there is a risk of privilege being entrenched across generations.

We cannot abandon meritocracy, but I believe we can improve it and make ours a more open and compassionate meritocracy.

One way is to do more early in the life of every child, especially those from less well-off families, so that the circumstances of their birth do not determine their future in life.

We are already investing in pre-school education.

I believe more can be done in the early years, including from ages one to three, and especially for those from lower-income families.

This way, we can better ensure that all Singaporean children, no matter their social background, can fulfil their potential.

Another approach is to broaden our conception of merit beyond academic credentials: to recognise and develop talents in diverse fields, and give our people opportunities to advance at multiple stages of their lives.

We’ve started and made progress with SkillsFuture. But a lot more needs to be done.

So the Government will need to work closely with employers and unions to effect more changes.

For example, how can we get employers to hire and promote staff, not just on the basis of credentials, not because of a piece of paper, but on the basis of their skills and actual work performance?

How can we strengthen our overall system of learning, not just in schools and formal education, but lifelong education, so that our people can continually upgrade their skills and secure better jobs?


TODAY file photo

An exhibition by Workforce Singapore WSG at PLQ Mall on Feb 15, 2022.
The most important change is not something that the Government can legislate into reality: We must all, as a society, learn to value the contributions of every worker in every profession and every field.

This means respecting all — including those in lower-income jobs — who keep society going in so many ways.

Many of these unassuming workers are essential, as we all learnt during the pandemic — our hawkers, cleaning workers, food delivery riders, security officers, and so many more.

Let us all recognise them, treat them with dignity and respect, treat them kindly, never turn up our noses at anyone — and pay them well.

This way, we can accord these workers a greater sense of dignity and sufficiency in life, and the opportunity to continue to improve their lives.

This is my deepest belief: I hope to see a society and a system that benefits many, not a few; that rewards a wide variety of talents, not a conventional or narrow few; that values and celebrates all individuals for who they are and what they can achieve; and provides all with opportunities to do better throughout their lives.

Let’s all work together to make this happen.

STRENGTHENING SOCIAL SUPPORT
Third, on our system of social support.

In the Budget this year, I explained how the Government has been spending more over the years to strengthen our social safety nets, to provide Singaporeans with more protection.

But new forces of technological and economic disruptions require us to rethink if our current assurances are adequate.

In a more volatile job market, more Singaporeans will find themselves getting displaced and in financially precarious conditions.

Or they may choose to take on platform jobs which, though more flexible, do not offer adequate safeguards for their employment, career progression, or longer-term needs.

And as our population ages, healthcare and retirement adequacy will become more critical to help our seniors live out their golden years with dignity.

I believe, as a society, we can and we must do more to provide greater assurances for our fellow Singaporeans.

Everyone, every Singaporean, must know and feel that they will not be left to fend for themselves when times are hard.

That is why we will study how we can do more to help our workers tide over difficult times.

And how we can better provide for our growing number of seniors. Of course, all this will require more resources.

That’s why we must also collectively determine: How much more the Government should spend — and on what, as well as how much more our people are prepared to pay to fund this spending.

Beyond that, we must also consider how families, corporates and the community can complement what the Government is doing.

For it is only when we all chip in that we can better support one another, especially the most vulnerable amongst us, to weather the storms that may come our way