'Do you agree with criticisms of PAP?' PM Wong responds at youth dialogue

Unhappiness and frustrations about the government - even if they are without "logic and rationality" - is a reality everywhere, not just in Singapore, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (Jan 21).

Speaking at a dialogue session at the University Cultural Centre in NUS, he added that the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) will try to find solutions to Singaporeans' concerns - even if there are "no easy answers".

"We explain to you what the situation is to the best of our abilities, and then we find ways to move forward as a country," said PM Wong to the nearly 900 students across various education institutions.

He was responding to a question from a student participant on who had asked: "Do you agree with criticisms of PAP?" 

Wong addressed a wide range of topics at the dialogue, including the affordability of public housing, cryptocurrency, and same-sex marriage.

Moderated by NUS' vice-provost of student life Leong Ching, the session took a light-hearted tone when another student probed the prime minister about some of the criticisms he had heard about the ruling PAP government.

"There are many. I mean, you just need to go online," replied PM Wong, causing laughter from the audience.

The prime minister said that while there is much to be grateful for in Singapore, the government does not assume that everything is perfect and they "know everything".

"I think we should have a balance. Be grateful first of all that in Singapore, we have many things that we can be appreciative of - healthcare, retirement, public housing," added PM Wong.

"But does it mean that we therefore become complacent and assume everything is okay? There are genuine concerns around costs, around affordability, we understand."

Organised by government feedback unit Reach and Varsity Voices, a student-led university initiative, the 90-minute dialogue session saw long lines of students who wanted to ask PM Wong questions.

It was held under Chatham House rules, which allow for reporting of what was said but not who said it to encourage an open and inclusive dialogue.

Public housing prices pegged to Singaporeans' income

During the session, PM Wong said that the government will "always keep public housing affordable for Singaporeans".

The prime minister acknowledged some peoples' "anxieties" when they look at news reports about million-dollar flats and when comparing the cost of public housing with that of their parents' generation.

The latter, he said, is just "one part of the equation" as the income of Singaporeans have since gone up over the years.

PM Wong added that more than 80 per cent of first-time flat buyers were able to service their loans through their Central Provident Fund (CPF) funds "with very little or zero cash".

"If you speak to your parents… people who bought flats in the 70s and 80s, they had to fork out a lot more from their take-home pay in order to service the loan and are left with a lot less in terms of disposable incomes to deal with their day-to-day expenses," he said.

"The assurance to all of you is that HDB will continue to price the new flats in relation to income, not in relation to the resale market, to make sure that it remains affordable."

Besides the "heavy" government subsidies, PM Wong said that supply for both public and private housing is also being ramped up, which will help to stabilise the overall property market.

On cryptocurrency and same-sex marriage

During the dialogue session, PM Wong said that the government's views on two issues - cryptocurrency and same-sex marriage - will remain unchanged for now.

On cryptocurrency being accepted as legal tender, PM Wong said: "Our views have not changed, because the realities of crypto have not changed - it's still not quite something backed by an asset with value and is very much a speculative type of thing.

"It can go up, it can go down and it can go down all the way to zero. So everyone looking at it should really have a care."

Responding to a student's question on whether the government will recognise same-sex marriage, PM Wong noted the recent repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code was in tandem with the parliament passing a Bill to protect the definition of marriage in the constitution.

"The government is not going to lead social change of these sorts, but these things will evolve over time and progressively," said PM Wong. "If indeed, down the road, there is a very different view, then the government at that time can make a decision in due course."

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'God help us all'

Hours after Donald Trump was sworn in for a second term as US president, PM Wong took several questions on how Singapore will navigate its relationship between the US. 

The prime minister recalled a "good phone call" he had with President Trump last December. 

"He remembers his visit to Singapore in his first term as President," he said. "So our bilateral relationship is positive, and I am sure we can continue under the Trump Presidency to strengthen that partnership.

During the campaign trail, Trump has called for an "America first" foreign policy and warned of tariffs on China.

The prime minister said that the likelihood of both superpowers forcing Singapore and other countries to choose sides is "not so high".

"If it does, I mean, frankly, it is not just Singapore that is impacted. If it were to happen, that such a scenario were to arise, frankly, God help us all," he added. "Then we are truly, truly at the brink of a Third World War."

Updating MOE's sex ed curriculum

Besides fielding questions to the prime minister, several students also shared personal anecdotes during the dialogue session.

One university student, who said she was a victim of sexual harassment, pointed out that the sexuality education curriculum taught in schools is currently "lacking".

"When I was in secondary school, the materials I was taught were from 2001. I was not taught how to stand up for myself or stand up for others, nor was I taught what I should and should not report to the police," she said.

"I ended up not reporting anything to the authorities - thinking that what happened to me was not that big of a deal or that I should just ignore it."

In response, PM Wong said: "We will continue to see how we can do better, is my short answer. Things are not perfect.

"I think there are areas we can improve, and certainly the issues that you have raised are amongst those that we will look at and see how we can improve."

Responding to a motion filed in Parliament by then-Sengkang Member of Parliament Raeesah Khan, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said that sexuality education, which falls under their Character and Citizenship Education syllabus, was refreshed in 2021.

This is to ensure that they remain relevant towards sexuality matters, added the ministry.

"We considered emerging trends, local and international research, input from specialists in relevant fields and our local context, and also importantly, feedback from our youths on their concerns and how they want to be meaningfully engaged," said MOE.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com