PM Wong committed to Govt-citizen partnership

He firmly believes a more open and participatory society will strengthen S'pore

- Goh Yan Han

A more open and participatory society will strengthen Singapore, even though there will be divergent views and disagreements, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Calling on Singaporeans to contribute to shaping solutions for the country, he said this will allow them to have a sense of ownership and responsibility, strengthening the social compact and fostering a deeper sense of belonging.

Their suggestions have directly shaped key policy changes and the Forward Singapore agenda in the last year or two, said PM Wong.

The Government has listened, even though it does not always agree on every suggestion. Sometimes, it may agree on the intent, but needs more time to work through trade-offs. At other times, the ideas need to be fleshed out into good policies, added PM Wong.

"The Government will provide leadership and direction, but we cannot and should not do this alone," he said.

"As prime minister, I am committed to strengthening this partnership between Government and Singaporeans," he said at the 40th anniversary launch ceremony of government feedback unit Reach at Jewel Changi Airport.

He pointed to the evolution of Reach over the years, which reflects the Government's deepening commitment to engaging Singaporeans and forging stronger partnerships.

Bringing together government officials, business leaders, academics and private-sector experts was something he had seen during his time as a civil servant with the Ministry of Trade and Industry. This led to robust debates and discussions that sharpened Singapore's economic strategies.

Since then, public engagement efforts have expanded in scale and scope, with over 47,000 Singaporeans reached during the 2013 Our Singapore Conversation. More than 200,000 Singaporeans were engaged in the Forward Singapore exercise led by then Deputy Prime Minister Wong that concluded in 2023.