Youth's policy recommendations will be seriously considered: PM Wong

Not all will be accepted, but that shouldn't deter them from giving ideas, he says

- Anjali Raguraman

A co-savings plan to help lower income youth here accumulate adequate emergency savings.

Programmes for more young people to gain regional work experience and exposure.

Even a national standard for recyclability labelling to raise recycling rates while reducing bin contamination.

These were among the draft policy recommendations put forward by 120 young people at the inaugural Youth Policy Forum on Aug 24 after nine months of research, consultations and discussions, including with relevant stakeholders and government agencies.

On its part, the Government will seriously consider these proposals and how they can be implemented, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said during a dialogue with some 1,000 young people at the forum.

He emphasised that this does not mean every recommendation will be accepted, nor should that be the basis for judging the work that has gone into them.

Proposals may not be approved for a range of reasons, such as being very hard to implement or requiring a lot of resources that are not currently available, said PM Wong.

Meanwhile, others may just be ahead of their time, and have to be carried out in the future, he added.

"I have had many, many instances as a civil servant putting up recommendations which were not taken up too," he said at the event organised by the National Youth Council and held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

"That is fine, that is part of the policymaking process, SO it shouldn't constrain you to say, 'Oh, I am so disappointed, next time I don't put up ideas any more.""

The proposals were put forward by four youth panels, comprising about 120 young people aged 15 to 35 years.