Prioritise core values like compassion, multiculturalism: MPs

They call on society to hold firmly to what is important as Singapore moves forward

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent

As Singapore competes in a world of accelerating change, MPs called on society here to hold firm what is important, including the role of the family unit and values such as kindness.

On the third day of debate on the President's Address, Ms Cassandra Lee (West Coast-Jurong West GRC) said the city state must continue to reach for the stars, while catching those who fall.

"In my view, the biggest task Singapore faces today is what I call the Singapore Puzzle: how do we compete in this changing world, without losing ourselves, to hold together what seems to pull apart?" she asked.

Part of the answer is recognising that family is the heart of society, and doing more to help young working parents juggle work and caregiving, said Ms Lee, who was among 10 first-term MPs who made their maiden parliamentary speeches on Sept 24.

"Families are not just a private choice; they are a public good," she said. "They shape the strength of our workforce, the resilience of our national defence, the cohesion of our communities and the depth of our national identity."

She called for increased childcare leave that scales based on the number of children one has, and for young parents to get more support to make the best decisions for their children.

Dr Charlene Chen (Tampines GRC) spoke on the paradox of progress, where new technology moves society forward, but also causes problems such as increased isolation, cyber bullying and shorter attention spans.

As Singaporeans adopt new tools, they must remember to guard closely human strengths such as judgment, intuition and compassion, she said.

Kindness is the foundation of soft skills such as empathy and resilience that the young will need to thrive in an artificial intelligence (AI) era, she added, which means it must be taught at school and modelled at home and in the community.