Our Singapore Conversation - a big success!!!

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

The top three concerns that emerged from the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC) -- healthcare, education, and housing -- will be taken up "substantively" by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally on August 18.




SINGAPORE: Healthcare, education, and housing -- these are the top three concerns that emerged from the Our Singapore Conversation (OSC), and they will be taken up "substantively" by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally on August 18.

That was one of the outcomes of OSC, a national project to get Singaporeans talking and thinking about the future of the country.

Coming to a close after one year, the dialogue has involved more than 47,000 participants.

One year on, the Our Singapore Conversation was wrapped up where the first dialogues were held -- at the National Library.

From open-ended chats to focused discussions, organisers said five core aspirations emerged during the process. They captured the direction participants feel society should be heading towards.

One is assurance -- that basic needs like housing and healthcare will be affordable; a strong kampong spirit; and trust -- both in government and between Singaporeans themselves. The other two are opportunities in terms of making a good living; and purpose -- Singaporeans want a purposeful life that celebrates achievements beyond the economic.

Education Minister Heng Swee Keat said: "When we have all these aspirations, are they sufficiently representative?

"Certainly this has been the most comprehensive engagement effort... We went out of our way to look for different groups of people. In the different corners we were able to touch, similar aspirations were raised. That gives us some confidence that the process has been able to throw out meaningful similarities."

Adding to the Conversation, a survey of some 4,000 people threw up similar findings on what Singaporeans want. It also showed many would prefer a more comfortable pace of life over their careers.

What is certain, Mr Heng said, was that the dialogue has helped shape policy making along the way.


He said: "Policy making in government is an ongoing process and it takes into account a whole range of different factors. The external environment, the resources that we have, where we are today, and so on. But clearly, the aspirations of our people that are well crystallised during the OSC process enriches the discussion on policy and helps to shape the direction of the policy."


Organisers said that the year-long dialogue has shown that for Singaporeans, conversation and engagement are becoming increasingly important. There are also stark differences and much diversity in the way people think and feel about the same issue.


Taking a participant's seat in the dialogue has improved the government's ability to consult and engage, added Mr Heng.


"In the Ministry of Education for instance, we have added resources to engaging parents, students and various stakeholders. That is something I hope that we can develop even greater capacity in," said Mr Heng.


He said that the value of the conversation is that different ministries will be able to carry it out in their own ways, to reach the people who are most important to them.


Changes to the Primary School Leaving Examination are also expected as part of the government's response to the conversation, Mr Heng told reporters.

However, he said that the details will only be announced at the Prime Minister's National Day Rally on August 18.

An account of the Our Singapore Conversation, including the five core aspirations and a snapshot of the diversity of voices heard over the year, are laid out in a 47-page magazine "Reflections", which is available online at www.oursgconversation.sg.

- CNA/ac


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