ss notes
Roles of Government 2
Maintains law and order 2
Ensuring the well-being of citizens 2
Promotes and protects national interests 2
Diplomacy 3
Deterrence 3
Good for Society 4
Why is it hard to decide this? 4
Managing trade-offs 4
Principles shaping governance 4
Good leadership (2023 EOY) 4
Anticipating change and staying relevant 4
A stake for everyone, opportunities for all 4
Meritocracy (2023 EOY) 5
Working for the Good of Society 6
Addressing the needs of society 6
Examples for addressing the needs of the elderly 6
Influencing decision-making in public affairs 7
Strengthening sense of belonging 7
Living in a Diverse Society 1
General 1
Common Spaces 1
Social Spaces 1
Openness 1
Cultural Exchange and Appreciation 1
Cultural Appropriation 1
Exchange of Knowledge 1
Discrimination 1
Stereotypes 1
Prejudice 1
Discrimination 1
Roles of Government
The government makes and passes laws, implements and enforces laws, and interprets and
applies each law.
Maintains law and order
The government preserves safety and security by ensuring that citizen’s lives and properties
are protected from harm.
● Singapore Police Force, a government organisation, to prevent, deter and detect
crime, and ensure that threats do not escalate to the point where somoene is
harmed
● Singapore Courts and Law enforcement agencies investigate crimes to ensure that
justice is served in every case.
● Everyone is equal before the law, and are governed by clear and fair rules
spelt out in the constitution
When there is justice in society, people can expect equal treatment and fair outcomes.
Ensuring the well-being of citizens
Economic and social well-being refers to the stiuation where an individual has not only
basic needs for food, water and shelter met, but also has the opportunity to pursue goals
and enjoy a satisfactory quality of life.
Basic Needs:
● Polyclinics throughout Singapore provide subsidised primary care for Singaporeans
(healthcare)
● HDB flats are provided to about 80% of the population (shelter)
● CPF savings provides foundation for the retirement of most Singaporeans, paying
for healthcare, insurance, homes, investments and providing retirement funds with
interest
Opportunities:
● SkillsFuture provides Singaporeans with opportunities to learn
○ Skill focused courses relevant ton industry needs
○ Provides credit to Singaporeans at 25 to encourage lifelong learning
○ Work-Study programmes for students to get head start before working
○ Subsidy of >90% for Singaporeans 40 and above
Promotes and protects national interests
The government wants to protect and achieve their national interests (what is necessary to
ensure a country’s well-being), and this influences foreign policy.
Examples of national interests are:
● Promoting trade for economic growth
● Ensuring food and water security
● Military defense
This can be accomplished through two main methods
Diplomacy
or, coming to agreements
Diplomacy aims to promote common interests and resolve conflicting interests peacefully.
This is mainly done through meetings or summits with one or multiple other countries.
● Singapore has relations with Malaysia over water security
○ Singapore draws 250 million gallons of water per day from Johor River
○ Malaysia receives up to 2 per cent of the water treated in Singapore per day
● ASEAN enables Singapore to establish partnerships with countries within and
beyond ASEAN
○ Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership with 14 other APAC
countries
■ Deepens economic cooperation
■ Facilitates trade and investment expansions
■ Increases business and employment opportunities for APAC residents
by reducing tariffs for 90% of goods
■ Enables digital economies by protecting consumers information,
paper trading, e-authentication systems and cybersec
Deterrence
or, intimidating potential aggressors by making them lose more than they gain
● Ministry of Defense and SAF
○ Automated tanks
○ Unmanned planes for surveillance and strikes
○ AI command and control system
Good for Society
Why is it hard to decide this?
● Differing needs and interests
● Different priorities
● Unequal sharing of costs – some people suffer for others’ benefit
Managing trade-offs
As a result of limited resources, a decision must be made between different options or
things
● Cross Island Line
○ Will serve 600k commuters daily, 1 mil in longer term → brings convenience
to people who need it
○ However, it cuts through the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, and may
disrupt habitats, and the proposed solution to skirt around increases the
length of the tracks
○
For skirting Against skirting
Direct path will cause loss of flora more expensive, environmentally
and erosion and contamination of unfriendly, longer duration of trip,
soil which is bad for the fauna, wear and tear causing expensive
skirting path increases ridership and maintenance
serves more stops which increases
profits
Principles shaping governance
Good leadership (2023 EOY)
Anticipating change and staying relevant
By having foresight and taking action early, the government can minimise threat and
maximise opportunity
e.g. Singapore’s efforts to tackle rising sea levels – Lee Hsien Loong spoke about impact of
climate change in National Day Rally 2019, $5 billion budget was set aside for Coastal and
Flood Protection Fund in 2020 to help to address the rising sea levels
A stake for everyone, opportunities for all
This entails giving citizens a say in decision making, so they develop a greater sense of
belonging and are more willing to work towards the good of society.
E.g. Singapore Together movement encourages Singaporeans to partner with the
government and supports citizen-led initiatives to work towards a shared future
One of their initiatives is the Energing Stronger Conversations (ESC) which had people
express their hopes for post-COVID.
Meritocracy (2023 EOY)
Working for the Good of Society
Citizens can and should work with the government for the good of society. They can do
some from two main positions:
Individuals can be active participants through volunteering or helping out in their daily lives
(any small action still helps out).
Groups are filled with likeminded individuals, which increases the interest in helping out.
Groups also have more resources.
Citizens have first hand experience and can better relate to the issue (compared to
policymakers) so they can better improve and address challenges.
Addressing the needs of society
Government and citizens can work together to improve the well-being of different groups by
responding to the issues and challenges theses groups face.
Examples for addressing the needs of the elderly
● Individuals - Age Well Everyday programme which prokmotes active ageing and
healthy lifestyles for seniors to reduce the risk of dementia. Instructors teach senior
citizens how to keep active, stay healthy and stimulate their brains
● Groups - RSVP Singapore encourages the elderly to volunteer and help others to
make their lives more meaningful. Beneficiaries include socially-isolated seniors,
mentally deficient, and poor children. Some initiatives are the MyBuddy programme
to help discharge elderly patients cope at home through house visits, and the
Cyberguide programme to teach elderly tech skills
● Government - National Council of Social Service (NCSS) developed the Volunteer
Management Toolkit 2.0 to provide social service agencies with guidelines on how to
manage volunteers
The government sets up the structures, policies and national programmes to create
opportunities for the community to show care.
Community groups use these structures to start initiatives to help other.
Individuals fill in the gaps, using resources from community groups and government to
further attend to the needs of society
Influencing decision-making in public affairs
● Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home (REACH) collects feedback and
views from citizens on public policies and listens to their concerns and issues,
before sharing the feedback received with relevant government agencies.
○ Social media (instagram, twitter, whatsapp, facebook)
○ Face-to-face and online engagement sessions
● Citizens’ Jury for the War on Diabetes was a nationwide effort to help SIngaporeans
prevent and manage diabetes. The jury was formed to develop community-based
and -driven reccomendations to combat the problem of diabetes, and had citizens
actively work together with govertnment to craft public policy.
Strengthening sense of belonging
When citizens have a sense of belonging, they will form their national identity and feel that
they have an essential role in society.
● National Day
● Remaking our Heartland and HDB Build-a Playground → surveys, group discussions
and workshops to contribute ideas for public space design
● Dakota Crescent redevelopment meant that many people had to relocate and the
rich heritage of the community would be lost.
○ Community groups launched Between Two Homes which conducted
workshops to discuss how the plans could be improved
○ The government launched Our Singapore Fund to support and fund projects
that build national identity, including BTH
○ Volunteers conducted interviews with the residents of Dakota Crescent and
documented their stories
Living in a Diverse Society
General
Diversity in society can be based on culture (race, ethnicity, religion etc.) or socio-economic
status (income, education, occupation, housing etc.).
Government uses the CMIO categorisation (chinese, malay, indian and others) for two main
policies
● Group Representation Constituency to ensure that minority races are represented in
parliament → at least one MP in each group must be Malay or Indian
● Ethnic Integration Policy → Ensure a mix of ethnic groups in each HDB block so they
can interact with each other
Common Spaces
Diversity in society is shown through common spaces which is advocated by the
government, where people of different groups can interact, forging ties and establishing
mutual understanding between people of different backgrounds and create shared
experiences.
● Void decks in HDB estates allowing neighbours to interact
● MOE-OBS Challenge for students from different backgrounds to work together
(creating shared experiences)
Social Spaces
Social spaces include social and cultural events and programmes where people can
develop relationships with one another.
● Racial and religious Harmony Circles – Inter-faith platforms in every constituency to
promote racial and religious harmony by organising activities to build trust,
understanding and confidence.
● People’s Association – Offers wide range of community service, sports and cultural
programmes to connect people to people and people to government.
Programmes carried out at grassroots organisations and community centres to
promote racial harmony and social cohesion.
Openness
It is important to be open-minded when interacting with others, and actively listen,
respectfully engage and appreciate the differences between one another. (i.e. Celebrate our
Differences)
● Just An Extra Chair by Singapore Kindness Movement – Singaporeans host
foreigners working or studying in Singapore during festive celebrations
○ Mr McRhon Banderlipe, a professor from the Phillipines and working in
Australia, and other expats joined Ms Sia Yan Dih’s family for Chinese New
Year Dinner. They prepared games and icebreakers for the guests and shared
their perspectives on food, culture and experiences
Cultural Exchange and Appreciation
Cultural exchange enables a deeper understanding and appreciation of other ethnic
groups, allowing people from different groups to interact respectfully with one another
and contributes to harmony in a diverse society.
Ethnic traditions
● Lion Dance
● Malay handshake
● Kolam (Indian drawing on floor with chalk or grain to feed insects)
● Jinkli Nona (Portuguese-Asian folk song in Eurasian community shows the
influences of Portuguese communities in Asia)
Learning from other people with other backgrounds
● ASEAN Youth Fellowship where young ASEAN leaders forge partnerships and
strengthen connections with their fellows in other ASEAN regions, to enact positive
change in ASEAN countries
Cultural exchange and appreciation can lead to cultural fusion, which can lead to a
dilution of culture and a loss of identity
● Fusion in fashion
○ Baju by Oniatta is a Batik clothing line which combines Japanese and
Javanese motifs in batik clothing
● Fusion in furnishing
○ Onlewo designs curtains, wallpapers and fabrics inspired by heritage, places
and cultures of different communities in Asia
● Fusion in food
○ Geylang Serai Hari Raya bazaar during Ramadan sells a lot of fusion food to
the extent that people are demanding for more traditional Malay food
○ Bulgogi tacos
Cultural Appropriation
Cultural appropriation occurs when elements of another culture are portrayed insensitively.
● Italian fashion company Max Mara plagiarised Oma ethnic group in Laos’ clothing
by digitally duplicating their designs, which was disrespectful to the Oma peoples’
skill, time and patience used to create their textiles
Exchange of Knowledge
A diverse society brings people with different qualifications and experiences together,
resulting in the creation of new ideas, methods and products.
● Thermo Fisher Scientific is a medical device production company, with an R&D
facilitiy in Singapore. Employees are trained in leadership skills and are encouraged
to work with employees from different backgrounds, enabling employees to sharpen
their skills by sharing and working with one another. This collaboration helped
Thermo Fisher in collaborations with A*STAR, MOH and Temasek Holdings in
genetics and cancer research, as well as PPE and PCR test development and
production
Discrimination
Due to conflicting views on values, beliefs, practices and perspectives, interactions can lead
to misunderstanding and unhappiness.
Stereotypes
Stereotypes are generalised beliefs and assumptions about a group of people, based on
physical traits, gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, age, SES etc.
Prejudice
Prejudice are baseless attitudes and feelings towards other groups of people. It can lead to
insensitive and hurtful remarks or discriminatory actions.
● Anton Casey was a British expat who made Facebook posts with captions of
“Daddy where is your car and who are all these poor people (people on the mrt) ?”
and “Normal service (of driving) can resume once I have washed the stench of
public transport off me”, causing outrage. Casey lost his job and eventually left
Singapore as a result of his prejudice
Discrimination
Discrimination is the hurt or excluding of a group due to prejudice, which can lead to
strained relationships between group
● Chinese man humiliating inter-racial couple of Indian-Filipino-Spanish and
Thai-Chinese, telling man to stop “preying on a Chinese girl” and demanded he
“date people of your own race”, and openly admitted to be a racist.
○ The man was later fired as a polytechnic lecturer and charged in court
● During COVID-19 pandemic, many doctors, nurses and hospital staff were
discriminated against due to fear of the virus. One example was when a nurse and
his family had disinfectant sprayed at them by their neighbours, and verbally abused
by calling them “virus” and “virus family”
Impacts
Discrimination and prejudice can caus ehurt and unnecessary suffering fro the targeted
individuals and groups. To overcome prejudice and discrimination, it is critical to promote
open-mindedness, sensitivity, respect and mutual understanding
● Nets e-pay ad had a Chinese actor perform blackface to mimic a Malay woman
wearing a tudung and an Indian man. The video also had profanity targeted at
Chinese. They were called out for being racially insensitive and offensive by
perpetuating stereotypes.
● Amos Yee made insensitive remarks about Christianity in a online blog and was
fined and jailed for repeatedly and deliberately using obscene language and actions
against Christians and Muslims, generating social unrest and undermining the
religious harmony in Singapore.
● RI student wore a FoodPanda uniform with a LeBron James mask on Racial
Harmony Day. Faced heavy criticism and backlash online, and was punished for
perpetuating stereotypes (“food delivery drivers are black”)
Competition for resources
Foreigners are imported into Singapore to address labour shortages due to low fertility rates
and ageing population.
● Employment pass – qualified professionals earning at least $4.5k a month
● S pass – mid-level skilled workers earning at least $2.5k a month
● Work permit for migrant workers / migrant domestic helpers
However, this creates heightened competition over limited resources, such as job
opportunities and infrastructure. This can lead to tensions among groups of people in the
country.
● 2020 survey by REACH found that Singaporeans agreed that being a regional hub
provided good opportunities for Singaporeans, but there were concerns over job
security
Government addressed concerns
● Job security – Stricter workforce controls by tightening the criteria for
employment pass and raising the minimum qualification salary for the S pass
● Availability of public resources – Land Transport Masterplan 2024 to improve
connectivity by train, creating priority lanes for buses, creating more cycling paths,
and building more integrated transport hubs to commute conveniently via many
different does of transport