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East Coast Plan unveiled
- Thread starter A Singaporean
- Start date
Singaporeans can save on travel. PAP bring the world to SG. Just open your door is China. Travel to work is India. Go makan is Malaysia. Go hospital is flipping.
SG and HK keep flip flopping over their travel bubble. They cannot decide what to do.
Deities. Chinks pray to deities when they want good fortune, of course must show sincerity no?
Sincerity is the passport to a smooth journey in life.
Actually, HSK, in his plan knew that the new wave from infections will come from the East.
That's is why East Coast Plan, we know now.
That's is why East Coast Plan, we know now.
Our resources may be limited
But our opportunities are endless.................
provided Loong steps down and gives me a longer runway.
Turkeys will not be able to fly, no matter how long the runway.
'The one not willing to give up the runway is also a turkey.
from straitstimes.com:
Sumiko Tan
Executive Editor
SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has decided to step aside as leader of the People's Action Party's fourth-generation (4G) team, and pave the way for a younger person with a longer runway to lead the country when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong retires.
Mr Heng, who turns 60 this year, cited the long-term and profound challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, his age, and the demands of the top job, as reasons for his decision.
In a letter to PM Lee on Thursday (April 8), he said: "This year, I am 60. As the crisis will be prolonged, I would be close to the mid-60s when the crisis is over. The 60s are still a very productive time of life.
"But when I also consider the ages at which our first three prime ministers took on the job, I would have too short a runway should I become the next prime minister then. We need a leader who will not only rebuild Singapore post-Covid-19, but also lead the next phase of our nation-building effort."
Mr Heng said the next prime minister should have a "sufficiently long runway - to master the demands of leading our nation; formulate and see through our longer-term strategies for our country; and win the confidence and support of Singaporeans to build this shared future together".
Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was 35 when he took on the job, his successor Goh Chok Tong was 49 and PM Lee was 52.
Mr Heng, who said his decision was taken after careful deliberation and discussion with his family, said: "I have decided to step aside as leader of the 4G team, so that a younger leader who will have a longer runway can take over. It will be for the 4G team to choose the person, and I stand ready to support the next leader. I appreciate the support of Singaporeans and have made this decision with the best interests of Singapore and Singaporeans at heart."
In his letter of reply, PM Lee said he understood and respected Mr Heng's decision. Mr Heng will stay on in Cabinet as DPM and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. As had been earlier planned between the two men, he will relinquish his finance portfolio when a Cabinet reshuffle takes place in about two weeks' time. Mr Heng will also remain the PAP's first assistant secretary-general.
Noting that Mr Heng had done exceptional work as Minister for Finance, especially in the past year, PM Lee also said: "I thank you for your selfless decision to stand aside. Your actions now are fully in keeping with the spirit of public service and sense of duty that motivated you to step forward when I asked you to stand for election in 2011."
The 4G leadership also issued a statement saying it respected and accepted Mr Heng's decision. "We appreciate what a difficult decision it must have been. But no one could have foreseen the disruption of Covid-19, the great uncertainty it has created, and its long-lasting impact. We know that he has made the decision with Singapore's long-term interests at heart."
The statement noted the critical role that Mr Heng played in leading key initiatives, including delivering five Budgets in 2020. "We are glad that DPM Heng will remain a member of our team, and will continue in his roles as DPM and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. We have all benefited from his experience and expertise, and we look forward to his continued advice and contributions as we navigate our recovery and chart Singapore's path forward."
The 4G statement, which bore the names of 30 office-holders, the Speaker of Parliament and the secretary-general of the NTUC, also noted that tackling Singapore's pressing immediate challenges and ensuring that the country emerges stronger from this crisis remain the foremost priority.
"Under these circumstances, the 4G team will need more time to select another leader from amongst us. We have therefore requested PM Lee Hsien Loong to stay on as Prime Minister until such time when a new successor is chosen by the team and is ready to take over. We are grateful that PM has agreed to our request."
The statement added: "This unexpected turn of events is a setback for our succession planning. We recognise that Singaporeans will be concerned. We seek your support and understanding, as we choose another leader for the team. We will continue working as a team to serve our people, and to earn the confidence and trust of all Singaporeans."
The shocking news was announced at a 4.30pm press conference at the Istana on Thursday. Facing the media were PM Lee, Mr Heng, and seven other ministers who are in the PAP central executive committee. They included 4G ministers Chan Chun Sing and Ong Ye Kung, both 51, who had in earlier years been touted as contenders for the role of 4G leader, as well as younger ministers Lawrence Wong, 48, and Desmond Lee, 44.
Mr Heng, a former top civil servant, had been chosen by his PAP peers as "first among equals" in 2018, and was on track to be Singapore's fourth prime minister when PM Lee retired. While there was a question mark about his health after he had a brain aneurysm during a Cabinet meeting in May 2016, he fully recovered.
PM Lee, 69, who succeeded Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister in 2004, had said that he aimed to hand over the reins of power by the age of 70 in February 2022.
But the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to have affected the succession timeline. In July 2020, when Singapore held its general election, PM Lee had said he would see Singapore through the crisis and hand the country over "intact and in working order" to his successor.
On Wednesday, Mr Heng had informed the ministers of his intentions to stand aside at the Istana. Following this, he, PM Lee and senior ministers Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam left the room. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is chairman of the PAP, then chaired a meeting of all ministers, senior ministers of state and ministers of state, as well as the Speaker and the secretary-general of the NTUC, where they discussed the matter and agreed to the statement.
Speaking at the press conference on Thursday, Mr Heng - who was his usual relaxed and smiling self - said that when he joined politics, it was not with an ambition to become the prime minister. "In fact, I did not even ask what appointments I would get," he said, adding that his life "has been uplifted in significant ways".
On when he made his decision to step aside, he said: "I do not want to take on any job which I cannot deliver. As those of you who have worked with me know, I am a workaholic. I put my heart and soul into what I do. And therefore, I've been thinking about... whether am I the right person?"
Given how the pandemic is such a bad crisis, he reiterated: "I think it is better for someone who is younger, with a longer runway, to take on this job."
Asked if the 2020 General Election results had a part to play in his decision, Mr Heng said it hadn't. In a surprise move, he had moved from his Tampines GRC ward to the East Coast GRC at the last minute. "I did my best together with my team," he said.
The PAP won East Coast GRC, considered a shakier ward for the party, with 53.41 per cent of the votes. The party retained Tampines group representation constituency with 66.41 per cent.
At the press conference, PM Lee reiterated how Mr Heng had made a selfless decision with the best interests of Singapore in mind. "Nevertheless, as the 4G statement acknowledges, this is a significant setback to our succession plans," he said.
The 4G team wants more time to work out new succession arrangements and he has agreed to stay on until such time as the new leader is chosen. "I think they will take longer than a few months, but I hope that they will reach a consensus and identify a new leader before the next general election," said PM Lee. "I have no intention of staying on longer than necessary."
DPM Heng Swee Keat steps aside as leader of 4G team, setting back Singapore's succession plan for next PM
Sumiko Tan
Executive Editor
SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat has decided to step aside as leader of the People's Action Party's fourth-generation (4G) team, and pave the way for a younger person with a longer runway to lead the country when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong retires.
Mr Heng, who turns 60 this year, cited the long-term and profound challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, his age, and the demands of the top job, as reasons for his decision.
In a letter to PM Lee on Thursday (April 8), he said: "This year, I am 60. As the crisis will be prolonged, I would be close to the mid-60s when the crisis is over. The 60s are still a very productive time of life.
"But when I also consider the ages at which our first three prime ministers took on the job, I would have too short a runway should I become the next prime minister then. We need a leader who will not only rebuild Singapore post-Covid-19, but also lead the next phase of our nation-building effort."
Mr Heng said the next prime minister should have a "sufficiently long runway - to master the demands of leading our nation; formulate and see through our longer-term strategies for our country; and win the confidence and support of Singaporeans to build this shared future together".
Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew was 35 when he took on the job, his successor Goh Chok Tong was 49 and PM Lee was 52.
Mr Heng, who said his decision was taken after careful deliberation and discussion with his family, said: "I have decided to step aside as leader of the 4G team, so that a younger leader who will have a longer runway can take over. It will be for the 4G team to choose the person, and I stand ready to support the next leader. I appreciate the support of Singaporeans and have made this decision with the best interests of Singapore and Singaporeans at heart."
In his letter of reply, PM Lee said he understood and respected Mr Heng's decision. Mr Heng will stay on in Cabinet as DPM and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. As had been earlier planned between the two men, he will relinquish his finance portfolio when a Cabinet reshuffle takes place in about two weeks' time. Mr Heng will also remain the PAP's first assistant secretary-general.
Noting that Mr Heng had done exceptional work as Minister for Finance, especially in the past year, PM Lee also said: "I thank you for your selfless decision to stand aside. Your actions now are fully in keeping with the spirit of public service and sense of duty that motivated you to step forward when I asked you to stand for election in 2011."
The 4G leadership also issued a statement saying it respected and accepted Mr Heng's decision. "We appreciate what a difficult decision it must have been. But no one could have foreseen the disruption of Covid-19, the great uncertainty it has created, and its long-lasting impact. We know that he has made the decision with Singapore's long-term interests at heart."
The statement noted the critical role that Mr Heng played in leading key initiatives, including delivering five Budgets in 2020. "We are glad that DPM Heng will remain a member of our team, and will continue in his roles as DPM and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies. We have all benefited from his experience and expertise, and we look forward to his continued advice and contributions as we navigate our recovery and chart Singapore's path forward."
The 4G statement, which bore the names of 30 office-holders, the Speaker of Parliament and the secretary-general of the NTUC, also noted that tackling Singapore's pressing immediate challenges and ensuring that the country emerges stronger from this crisis remain the foremost priority.
"Under these circumstances, the 4G team will need more time to select another leader from amongst us. We have therefore requested PM Lee Hsien Loong to stay on as Prime Minister until such time when a new successor is chosen by the team and is ready to take over. We are grateful that PM has agreed to our request."
The statement added: "This unexpected turn of events is a setback for our succession planning. We recognise that Singaporeans will be concerned. We seek your support and understanding, as we choose another leader for the team. We will continue working as a team to serve our people, and to earn the confidence and trust of all Singaporeans."
The shocking news was announced at a 4.30pm press conference at the Istana on Thursday. Facing the media were PM Lee, Mr Heng, and seven other ministers who are in the PAP central executive committee. They included 4G ministers Chan Chun Sing and Ong Ye Kung, both 51, who had in earlier years been touted as contenders for the role of 4G leader, as well as younger ministers Lawrence Wong, 48, and Desmond Lee, 44.
Mr Heng, a former top civil servant, had been chosen by his PAP peers as "first among equals" in 2018, and was on track to be Singapore's fourth prime minister when PM Lee retired. While there was a question mark about his health after he had a brain aneurysm during a Cabinet meeting in May 2016, he fully recovered.
PM Lee, 69, who succeeded Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong as Prime Minister in 2004, had said that he aimed to hand over the reins of power by the age of 70 in February 2022.
But the Covid-19 pandemic appeared to have affected the succession timeline. In July 2020, when Singapore held its general election, PM Lee had said he would see Singapore through the crisis and hand the country over "intact and in working order" to his successor.
On Wednesday, Mr Heng had informed the ministers of his intentions to stand aside at the Istana. Following this, he, PM Lee and senior ministers Teo Chee Hean and Tharman Shanmugaratnam left the room. Health Minister Gan Kim Yong, who is chairman of the PAP, then chaired a meeting of all ministers, senior ministers of state and ministers of state, as well as the Speaker and the secretary-general of the NTUC, where they discussed the matter and agreed to the statement.
Speaking at the press conference on Thursday, Mr Heng - who was his usual relaxed and smiling self - said that when he joined politics, it was not with an ambition to become the prime minister. "In fact, I did not even ask what appointments I would get," he said, adding that his life "has been uplifted in significant ways".
On when he made his decision to step aside, he said: "I do not want to take on any job which I cannot deliver. As those of you who have worked with me know, I am a workaholic. I put my heart and soul into what I do. And therefore, I've been thinking about... whether am I the right person?"
Given how the pandemic is such a bad crisis, he reiterated: "I think it is better for someone who is younger, with a longer runway, to take on this job."
Asked if the 2020 General Election results had a part to play in his decision, Mr Heng said it hadn't. In a surprise move, he had moved from his Tampines GRC ward to the East Coast GRC at the last minute. "I did my best together with my team," he said.
The PAP won East Coast GRC, considered a shakier ward for the party, with 53.41 per cent of the votes. The party retained Tampines group representation constituency with 66.41 per cent.
At the press conference, PM Lee reiterated how Mr Heng had made a selfless decision with the best interests of Singapore in mind. "Nevertheless, as the 4G statement acknowledges, this is a significant setback to our succession plans," he said.
The 4G team wants more time to work out new succession arrangements and he has agreed to stay on until such time as the new leader is chosen. "I think they will take longer than a few months, but I hope that they will reach a consensus and identify a new leader before the next general election," said PM Lee. "I have no intention of staying on longer than necessary."
from straitstimes.com:
SINGAPORE - A post-Covid-19 Singapore is one that breaks new ground in the digital space to offer unlimited opportunities for its businesses and people, and collaborates closely with them to be sustainable and stronger together.
This is the vision put forward by the Emerging Stronger Taskforce, a year after it was launched last May to chart Singapore's post-pandemic economy.
In a 118-page report released on Monday (May 17), the task force makes five recommendations to drive the Republic's transformation as a node for technology, innovation, and enterprise.
They are:
- creating new virtual frontiers
- seizing growth opportunities from sustainability
- enabling global champions and growing an agile and strong Singapore core
- institutionalising private-public partnerships through Alliances for Action (AfAs), and
- strengthening international partnerships, especially in South-east Asia.
At a media conference on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat, who is chairman of the Future Economy Council (FEC), said that Covid-19 has created the "burning platform" for change.
The Emerging Stronger Taskforce's (EST) recommendations were made in the collaborative spirit of the Singapore Together movement launched two years ago, where Singaporeans partner with the Government to shape their shared future, he said.
"The AfAs conceived by the EST are a testament to the power of private-public collaboration, both within Singapore, and with our partners in Asia and around the world."
Mr Heng noted that while Singapore will still be battling the pandemic in the immediate future, all the nine AfAs in the economic field "address directly or indirectly the challenges of Covid-19".
The 23-member task force was set up under the FEC in May last year to identify systemic shifts arising from Covid-19; and provide recommendations to the council on how Singapore could refresh, reimagine, or reset its economic strategies.
They are: a changing global order amid growing geopolitical and economic tensions; accelerating industry consolidation and churn; a rebalance between efficiency and resilience in supply chains and production; accelerating digital transformation and innovation; changes in consumer preferences; and an increased focus on sustainability.
"Businesses are likely to consolidate in response to Covid-19's economic and financial implications. Covid-19 could reinforce the market dominance of large private companies in certain sectors, especially those that have done well to capture opportunities during the pandemic, and those with available capital to acquire distressed assets," the report explained.
"While new players could face difficulty growing in the current climate, this will test the transformative and innovative capabilities of our companies who aspire to become global champions."
Addressing changes in consumer behaviour, it said that in the near term, dampened travel demand will spur alternatives such as hybrid business conferencing formats, or staycations for leisure.
"Consumers will demand higher standards of safety, health and hygiene. They may also be more conscious about environmentally friendly products and business practices."
This meant identifying areas of opportunity for Singapore to invest in, and setting off pathfinders to pilot and test-bed new, creative ideas. Views were sought from around 2,000 individuals across 900 organisations.
Some of the ideas were explored under nine Alliances for Action (AfAs), involving task force members, business leaders, industry stakeholders, institutes of higher learning, the labour movement, non-government organisations, and government agencies.
Seven AfAs were formed in June last year, with another two launched last November. They cover supply chain digitalisation, sustainability, digitalising the built environment, smart commerce, robotics, safe and innovative visitor experiences, edutech, medtech and agritech.
The AfAs quickly developed, prototyped and executed minimum viable products or pilots which can be subsequently scaled up if successful.
They also worked with government agencies and stakeholders to stretch the medium- to long-term ambition for Singapore in each opportunity area identified.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who co-chairs the task force with PSA International group chief executive Tan Chong Meng, said that given the unprecedented challenge brought about by Covid-19, the task force decided right from the start that it could not stop at just setting out recommendations, but should also establish a tangible agenda for Singapore to emerge stronger together.
"The AfAs have been a hallmark of this orientation towards action. The spirit of partnership that has allowed the private and public sectors to pilot new concepts and ideas within a short span of time can potentially be a critical differentiating factor for Singapore in the years ahead," said Mr Lee.
They serve as "proof points" for longer-term ambitions, with some at a more mature stage of development than others, he added.
The task force has recommended that this approach be institutionalised under the FEC, and that future economic AfAs be established primarily under the council.
Said Mr Lee: "The AfA approach is valuable in tackling challenges across not just the economic realm, but also in the social space... this collaborative approach also makes for more sustainable and more impactful actions and outcomes."
Mr Heng also said the FEC will incorporate the recommendations of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce into its current update of the Industry Transformation Maps, or ITM 2025.
It will scale up the AfAs as a more agile and nimble way to undertake industry transformation.
For example, the alliance on robotics developed solutions to address manpower issues and boost productivity in the transport and cleaning sectors.
It conducted commercial trials of on-demand private bus services at Singapore Science Park 2 and Jurong Island, to test the commercial viability and public acceptance of autonomous vehicle solutions.
These were done with a view for companies here to export solutions and eventually become global champions, said PSA's Mr Tan. "The use of autonomous solutions in robotics is not foreign in the industrial environment, but in urban spaces and social contexts, many of them are still in the development phases."
The sustainability AfA identified the voluntary carbon market as an opportunity that Singapore is well placed to pursue, and aims to build a marketplace to trade high-quality carbon credits.
The report said this is due to Singapore's position in Asia which is a key source of nature-based solutions offsets, Singapore's reputation for trust and integrity, and its strengths in professional and financial services and commodity trading.
"This growing demand for a green economy presents the chance for Singapore to capture first-mover advantage," said Mr Lee.
Another AfA on enabling safe and innovative visitor experiences piloted prototypes at TravelRevive in November last year, the first regional hybrid travel trade show during Covid-19.
The lessons learnt were incorporated into an updated hybrid event prototype for Geo Connect Asia in March, which hosted over 1,000 participants from 55 countries.
The report noted that scaling up these prototypes, and developing solutions to address broader opportunity areas identified by the AfAs, will require continued collaboration and sustained effort by industry stakeholders and the Government.
It also acknowledged the possibility of failure, and said that key criteria should be set for commissioning and closing AfAs.
"In the spirit of entrepreneurship, and in line with the AfAs' 'start-up' approach, we should be prepared that not every AfA will succeed in the traditional sense of delivering the outcomes it had set out to achieve at the start," it said, adding that AfAs could "graduate" in different ways.
It added that the FEC, as the proposed custodian of the AfAs in the economic domain, should continue to refine the AfA model by learning from its successes and failures.
"The trust built by the partners in the process remains," said Mr Tan. "The EST wants to call upon all Singaporeans to band together and strive towards establishing a Singapore with limitless opportunities for all to live, to grow and to prosper, and we believe that we can do so even as we deal with this ongoing Covid-19."
Emerging Stronger Taskforce proposes how S'pore can emerge stronger in a post-Covid-19 world
SINGAPORE - A post-Covid-19 Singapore is one that breaks new ground in the digital space to offer unlimited opportunities for its businesses and people, and collaborates closely with them to be sustainable and stronger together.
This is the vision put forward by the Emerging Stronger Taskforce, a year after it was launched last May to chart Singapore's post-pandemic economy.
In a 118-page report released on Monday (May 17), the task force makes five recommendations to drive the Republic's transformation as a node for technology, innovation, and enterprise.
They are:
- creating new virtual frontiers
- seizing growth opportunities from sustainability
- enabling global champions and growing an agile and strong Singapore core
- institutionalising private-public partnerships through Alliances for Action (AfAs), and
- strengthening international partnerships, especially in South-east Asia.
At a media conference on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat, who is chairman of the Future Economy Council (FEC), said that Covid-19 has created the "burning platform" for change.
The Emerging Stronger Taskforce's (EST) recommendations were made in the collaborative spirit of the Singapore Together movement launched two years ago, where Singaporeans partner with the Government to shape their shared future, he said.
"The AfAs conceived by the EST are a testament to the power of private-public collaboration, both within Singapore, and with our partners in Asia and around the world."
Mr Heng noted that while Singapore will still be battling the pandemic in the immediate future, all the nine AfAs in the economic field "address directly or indirectly the challenges of Covid-19".
The 23-member task force was set up under the FEC in May last year to identify systemic shifts arising from Covid-19; and provide recommendations to the council on how Singapore could refresh, reimagine, or reset its economic strategies.
Drivers for change
The task force's recommendations are spurred by six key shifts.They are: a changing global order amid growing geopolitical and economic tensions; accelerating industry consolidation and churn; a rebalance between efficiency and resilience in supply chains and production; accelerating digital transformation and innovation; changes in consumer preferences; and an increased focus on sustainability.
"Businesses are likely to consolidate in response to Covid-19's economic and financial implications. Covid-19 could reinforce the market dominance of large private companies in certain sectors, especially those that have done well to capture opportunities during the pandemic, and those with available capital to acquire distressed assets," the report explained.
"While new players could face difficulty growing in the current climate, this will test the transformative and innovative capabilities of our companies who aspire to become global champions."
Addressing changes in consumer behaviour, it said that in the near term, dampened travel demand will spur alternatives such as hybrid business conferencing formats, or staycations for leisure.
"Consumers will demand higher standards of safety, health and hygiene. They may also be more conscious about environmentally friendly products and business practices."
Doing things differently under Alliances for Action
The task force acknowledged the need to do things differently from previous review committees on the economy, and "pivot towards action".This meant identifying areas of opportunity for Singapore to invest in, and setting off pathfinders to pilot and test-bed new, creative ideas. Views were sought from around 2,000 individuals across 900 organisations.
Some of the ideas were explored under nine Alliances for Action (AfAs), involving task force members, business leaders, industry stakeholders, institutes of higher learning, the labour movement, non-government organisations, and government agencies.
Seven AfAs were formed in June last year, with another two launched last November. They cover supply chain digitalisation, sustainability, digitalising the built environment, smart commerce, robotics, safe and innovative visitor experiences, edutech, medtech and agritech.
The AfAs quickly developed, prototyped and executed minimum viable products or pilots which can be subsequently scaled up if successful.
They also worked with government agencies and stakeholders to stretch the medium- to long-term ambition for Singapore in each opportunity area identified.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who co-chairs the task force with PSA International group chief executive Tan Chong Meng, said that given the unprecedented challenge brought about by Covid-19, the task force decided right from the start that it could not stop at just setting out recommendations, but should also establish a tangible agenda for Singapore to emerge stronger together.
"The AfAs have been a hallmark of this orientation towards action. The spirit of partnership that has allowed the private and public sectors to pilot new concepts and ideas within a short span of time can potentially be a critical differentiating factor for Singapore in the years ahead," said Mr Lee.
They serve as "proof points" for longer-term ambitions, with some at a more mature stage of development than others, he added.
The task force has recommended that this approach be institutionalised under the FEC, and that future economic AfAs be established primarily under the council.
Said Mr Lee: "The AfA approach is valuable in tackling challenges across not just the economic realm, but also in the social space... this collaborative approach also makes for more sustainable and more impactful actions and outcomes."
Mr Heng also said the FEC will incorporate the recommendations of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce into its current update of the Industry Transformation Maps, or ITM 2025.
It will scale up the AfAs as a more agile and nimble way to undertake industry transformation.
Nine areas for action
The report outlines nine areas that Singapore can invest in, as part of an agenda for action for a more connected and sustainable future.For example, the alliance on robotics developed solutions to address manpower issues and boost productivity in the transport and cleaning sectors.
It conducted commercial trials of on-demand private bus services at Singapore Science Park 2 and Jurong Island, to test the commercial viability and public acceptance of autonomous vehicle solutions.
These were done with a view for companies here to export solutions and eventually become global champions, said PSA's Mr Tan. "The use of autonomous solutions in robotics is not foreign in the industrial environment, but in urban spaces and social contexts, many of them are still in the development phases."
The sustainability AfA identified the voluntary carbon market as an opportunity that Singapore is well placed to pursue, and aims to build a marketplace to trade high-quality carbon credits.
The report said this is due to Singapore's position in Asia which is a key source of nature-based solutions offsets, Singapore's reputation for trust and integrity, and its strengths in professional and financial services and commodity trading.
"This growing demand for a green economy presents the chance for Singapore to capture first-mover advantage," said Mr Lee.
Another AfA on enabling safe and innovative visitor experiences piloted prototypes at TravelRevive in November last year, the first regional hybrid travel trade show during Covid-19.
The lessons learnt were incorporated into an updated hybrid event prototype for Geo Connect Asia in March, which hosted over 1,000 participants from 55 countries.
The report noted that scaling up these prototypes, and developing solutions to address broader opportunity areas identified by the AfAs, will require continued collaboration and sustained effort by industry stakeholders and the Government.
It also acknowledged the possibility of failure, and said that key criteria should be set for commissioning and closing AfAs.
"In the spirit of entrepreneurship, and in line with the AfAs' 'start-up' approach, we should be prepared that not every AfA will succeed in the traditional sense of delivering the outcomes it had set out to achieve at the start," it said, adding that AfAs could "graduate" in different ways.
It added that the FEC, as the proposed custodian of the AfAs in the economic domain, should continue to refine the AfA model by learning from its successes and failures.
"The trust built by the partners in the process remains," said Mr Tan. "The EST wants to call upon all Singaporeans to band together and strive towards establishing a Singapore with limitless opportunities for all to live, to grow and to prosper, and we believe that we can do so even as we deal with this ongoing Covid-19."
Heng Swee Keat
4 hours ago
Today, we launched the report of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce or EST.
Even in the midst of a crisis, we never cease to plan ahead and invest for the future. This is why I set up the EST in May last year, in the thick of battling COVID-19, as the pandemic is changing the global economy at an unprecedented speed and scale.
A year on, I joined EST co-chairs Desmond Lee and Tan Chong Meng to share the recommendations of the Taskforce. They had earlier presented their findings to the Future Economy Council, which I chair, and Council members fully endorsed their recommendations.
This is a visionary and path-breaking report — the EST went beyond developing new strategies, they also put their ideas into action quickly through the Alliances for Action. Nine Alliances have been convened so far, and these public-private partnerships have made remarkably good progress.
I am excited by the unlimited possibilities that the EST has put forward, and the new way of partnerships through the Alliances. I thank Desmond, Chong Meng, all our EST members and Alliances partners for their hard work and commitment.
COVID-19 might have thrown us a curveball, but it has also opened new doors. The skies are still stormy. But when the rainbow emerges after the storm, we will be ready to ride the rainbow and discover the new opportunities in the post-COVID-19 world.
You can read my remarks (https://go.gov.sg/estpressconf-17may) and the full report here https://emergingstronger.sg/get-inspired#our-achievements.
#EmergingStrongerTogether
4 hours ago
Today, we launched the report of the Emerging Stronger Taskforce or EST.
Even in the midst of a crisis, we never cease to plan ahead and invest for the future. This is why I set up the EST in May last year, in the thick of battling COVID-19, as the pandemic is changing the global economy at an unprecedented speed and scale.
A year on, I joined EST co-chairs Desmond Lee and Tan Chong Meng to share the recommendations of the Taskforce. They had earlier presented their findings to the Future Economy Council, which I chair, and Council members fully endorsed their recommendations.
This is a visionary and path-breaking report — the EST went beyond developing new strategies, they also put their ideas into action quickly through the Alliances for Action. Nine Alliances have been convened so far, and these public-private partnerships have made remarkably good progress.
I am excited by the unlimited possibilities that the EST has put forward, and the new way of partnerships through the Alliances. I thank Desmond, Chong Meng, all our EST members and Alliances partners for their hard work and commitment.
COVID-19 might have thrown us a curveball, but it has also opened new doors. The skies are still stormy. But when the rainbow emerges after the storm, we will be ready to ride the rainbow and discover the new opportunities in the post-COVID-19 world.
You can read my remarks (https://go.gov.sg/estpressconf-17may) and the full report here https://emergingstronger.sg/get-inspired#our-achievements.
#EmergingStrongerTogether
from straitstimes.com:
SINGAPORE - A common mantra in the start-up scene is that failure is not to be dreaded - as long as one fails fast and fails forward.
This is a mindset the Emerging Stronger Taskforce hopes to cultivate by institutionalising the Alliances for Action (AfAs) model, which was mooted last year to rapidly prototype solutions for the country's economic recovery.
"When entrepreneurs succeed in commercialising new innovations, they revolutionise markets or create entirely new value chains," the task force noted in a new report setting out recommendations on economic strategies for Singapore.
"But even when entrepreneurs fail, they still challenge the status quo and may provide the spark for industries to evolve."
Institutionalising the AfAs model could help Singapore's business culture become less risk-averse and transform the country's attitude towards failure, it added in the report released on Monday (May 17).
The report's authors suggested that upcoming AfAs be primarily set up under the Future Economy Council (FEC). The council's seven clusters, representing various industries, will be best placed to identify areas that could benefit from a fresh approach, they said.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who co-chairs the task force along with PSA International group chief executive Tan Chong Meng, said his hope is that this public-private-people partnership can be "part of Singapore's forward gear, our modus operandi, to have a competitive advantage over other competitors".
Unlike other partnerships between the public and private sectors, AfAs are designed to be agile and focus on delivering concrete initiatives within short timelines.
They are best suited to tackling “complex, ecosystem-type situations” where there is value in bringing together a multitude of different players, Mr Tan said.
“It is not for all situations, but where there are suitable and apt situations, it’s been a very effective mechanism to bring together collaboration, as well as good alignment on executive outcomes.”
Key to their success was how industry leaders acted with the greater good in mind, applying their operational know-how to identify issues faced by the whole sector, the report said.
At the same time, the Government played a more active role than that of a hands-off regulator, working with the private sector on common goals.
The report identified three factors that contributed to the success of AfAs.
First, the private and public sectors were aligned on goals that could be achieved within three to six months.
Next, private sector leaders were committed to steering the AfAs and devoting resources to pilot programmes.
Lastly, senior representatives from government agencies provided policy and regulatory support.
These formed the backbone of its suggestions for the criteria that future AfAs should fulfil before they are set up.
They should have clearly defined goals that transform the economy and jobs. Senior leaders from the public and private sectors should be willing to participate actively - with their commitment to providing resources serving as a litmus test for whether an AfA should go ahead.
In addition, the metrics determining whether or not an AfA should close or continue should be drawn up from the start.
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat said at a virtual press conference that the FEC will not be "too restrictive" about what constitutes an AfA.
"If there is strong interest among a group of people to come together, we're quite happy to facilitate that and to see how we can take it further," said Mr Heng, who chairs the FEC.
The report's authors noted that Singapore must be open to the expectation that AfAs will "graduate" in different ways.
Some will not work out and must be shut down. Others will provide lessons that can be applied to different initiatives, and yet others will be scaled up.
"Can Singapore increasingly evolve its business culture into one that is less risk-averse, more resilient, and able to constantly bring failed entrepreneurs back into the fold, for them to bounce back and constructively apply their experience to try again?" they asked.
The FEC's role will be to continue to refine the AfA model "by distilling the ingredients for success, and the insights from challenges and failures", they added.
Emerging Stronger Taskforce: S'pore should set up industry-led partnerships that are not afraid to 'fail fast and fail forward'
SINGAPORE - A common mantra in the start-up scene is that failure is not to be dreaded - as long as one fails fast and fails forward.
This is a mindset the Emerging Stronger Taskforce hopes to cultivate by institutionalising the Alliances for Action (AfAs) model, which was mooted last year to rapidly prototype solutions for the country's economic recovery.
"When entrepreneurs succeed in commercialising new innovations, they revolutionise markets or create entirely new value chains," the task force noted in a new report setting out recommendations on economic strategies for Singapore.
"But even when entrepreneurs fail, they still challenge the status quo and may provide the spark for industries to evolve."
Institutionalising the AfAs model could help Singapore's business culture become less risk-averse and transform the country's attitude towards failure, it added in the report released on Monday (May 17).
The report's authors suggested that upcoming AfAs be primarily set up under the Future Economy Council (FEC). The council's seven clusters, representing various industries, will be best placed to identify areas that could benefit from a fresh approach, they said.
National Development Minister Desmond Lee, who co-chairs the task force along with PSA International group chief executive Tan Chong Meng, said his hope is that this public-private-people partnership can be "part of Singapore's forward gear, our modus operandi, to have a competitive advantage over other competitors".
Unlike other partnerships between the public and private sectors, AfAs are designed to be agile and focus on delivering concrete initiatives within short timelines.
They are best suited to tackling “complex, ecosystem-type situations” where there is value in bringing together a multitude of different players, Mr Tan said.
“It is not for all situations, but where there are suitable and apt situations, it’s been a very effective mechanism to bring together collaboration, as well as good alignment on executive outcomes.”
Key to their success was how industry leaders acted with the greater good in mind, applying their operational know-how to identify issues faced by the whole sector, the report said.
At the same time, the Government played a more active role than that of a hands-off regulator, working with the private sector on common goals.
The report identified three factors that contributed to the success of AfAs.
First, the private and public sectors were aligned on goals that could be achieved within three to six months.
Next, private sector leaders were committed to steering the AfAs and devoting resources to pilot programmes.
Lastly, senior representatives from government agencies provided policy and regulatory support.
These formed the backbone of its suggestions for the criteria that future AfAs should fulfil before they are set up.
They should have clearly defined goals that transform the economy and jobs. Senior leaders from the public and private sectors should be willing to participate actively - with their commitment to providing resources serving as a litmus test for whether an AfA should go ahead.
In addition, the metrics determining whether or not an AfA should close or continue should be drawn up from the start.
Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat said at a virtual press conference that the FEC will not be "too restrictive" about what constitutes an AfA.
"If there is strong interest among a group of people to come together, we're quite happy to facilitate that and to see how we can take it further," said Mr Heng, who chairs the FEC.
The report's authors noted that Singapore must be open to the expectation that AfAs will "graduate" in different ways.
Some will not work out and must be shut down. Others will provide lessons that can be applied to different initiatives, and yet others will be scaled up.
"Can Singapore increasingly evolve its business culture into one that is less risk-averse, more resilient, and able to constantly bring failed entrepreneurs back into the fold, for them to bounce back and constructively apply their experience to try again?" they asked.
The FEC's role will be to continue to refine the AfA model "by distilling the ingredients for success, and the insights from challenges and failures", they added.
from straitstimes.com:
SINGAPORE - Even as businesses transform themselves to adapt to the changing nature of work, their workers will also need the right skills to take on new or redesigned job roles.
Besides businesses, there is room for training providers, institutes of higher learning and unions to play a "bigger and more sustained role" in upskilling and creating career progression pathways for workers, according to a report released by the Emerging Stronger Taskforce on Monday (May 17).
At the same time, Singapore must remain open to talent from abroad to boost the local workforce.
Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who co-chairs the task force to guide Singapore's economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, said there is a need to help workers here bridge skills gaps and prepare for an uncertain future.
"We'll support Singaporeans in this journey, provide the assistance as well as the resources that they need to take on new and better jobs in a post-Covid-19 world," he added.
To ensure workers stay ahead of the curve, the task force urged businesses to work with intermediaries and unions to identify job disruption and training needs early on, and chart suitable upskilling plans.
In addition, industry leaders, or "queen bees", can chip in to help with the training needs of not just their own staff but also those from other firms. Already, some queen bee entities, such as SMRT and Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, are lending their expertise and leveraging their extensive commercial networks to support smaller firms.
In its recommendations for businesses and workers, the task force also called on the Government to grow a pool of large local enterprises that "cannot be easily displaced in global value chains". It suggested ways - such as innovation, internationalisation, mergers and acquisitions, and talent development - to help these firms scale up.
But Singapore's corporate ecosystem has to be made conducive for a broad base of firms to excel globally, including small and medium-sized enterprises, noted the report. It highlighted the Republic's industry transformation maps - blueprints for how 23 key industries should transform themselves for the future - as an example.
This will in turn create good jobs for Singaporeans, strengthen our Singapore core, and produce the next generation of successful enterprises, said the report.
The task force recommended the use of different tools to help promising high-growth enterprises create new products and access new markets. Some of the ways include equity financing and encouraging technology and capability transfer.
Companies should be given opportunities to test their products here before expanding to overseas markets.
Even as Singapore develops its local workers, the task force stressed that it must remain open to skills from abroad. This comes as future opportunities require new capabilities it may not currently have.
"We will need to continue bringing in global talent to complement Singaporeans so that businesses have access to the skills they need to grow, with a view to ultimately helping Singaporeans build up and refresh their skills to move into better jobs," it said.
The task force pointed out that workforce challenges will be more pronounced as Singapore faces an ageing population and a low resident total fertility rate.
The workforce will require new skills in areas such as digitalisation and cyber security, it added.
"A highly skilled workforce with good quality jobs is both the enabler and the goal of our economic transformation. Singapore will only be as competitive as the talent we have."
Some task force members noted that even as Singapore transforms its workers into Worker 4.0 - a term for the next generation of workers who are equipped with in-demand skills - employers must ensure the work environment embraces such changes.
Mr Amos Leong, president and chief executive of Univac Group, called for a "Manager 4.0" mindset, adding that workforce development begins at the top.
"We can keep sending workers for training but when they come back, we must have the processes and expanded job scope to fit them," he said.
Ms Jessie Yeo, executive secretary of the Singapore Port Workers Union and human resource director at the National Trades Union Congress, said such a move would ensure that workers who have upgraded themselves can put their new skills to use, instead of returning to "the old ways of working".
Emerging Stronger Taskforce: As S'pore businesses transform, they must equip workers with skills for new roles
SINGAPORE - Even as businesses transform themselves to adapt to the changing nature of work, their workers will also need the right skills to take on new or redesigned job roles.
Besides businesses, there is room for training providers, institutes of higher learning and unions to play a "bigger and more sustained role" in upskilling and creating career progression pathways for workers, according to a report released by the Emerging Stronger Taskforce on Monday (May 17).
At the same time, Singapore must remain open to talent from abroad to boost the local workforce.
Minister for National Development Desmond Lee, who co-chairs the task force to guide Singapore's economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic, said there is a need to help workers here bridge skills gaps and prepare for an uncertain future.
"We'll support Singaporeans in this journey, provide the assistance as well as the resources that they need to take on new and better jobs in a post-Covid-19 world," he added.
To ensure workers stay ahead of the curve, the task force urged businesses to work with intermediaries and unions to identify job disruption and training needs early on, and chart suitable upskilling plans.
In addition, industry leaders, or "queen bees", can chip in to help with the training needs of not just their own staff but also those from other firms. Already, some queen bee entities, such as SMRT and Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, are lending their expertise and leveraging their extensive commercial networks to support smaller firms.
In its recommendations for businesses and workers, the task force also called on the Government to grow a pool of large local enterprises that "cannot be easily displaced in global value chains". It suggested ways - such as innovation, internationalisation, mergers and acquisitions, and talent development - to help these firms scale up.
But Singapore's corporate ecosystem has to be made conducive for a broad base of firms to excel globally, including small and medium-sized enterprises, noted the report. It highlighted the Republic's industry transformation maps - blueprints for how 23 key industries should transform themselves for the future - as an example.
This will in turn create good jobs for Singaporeans, strengthen our Singapore core, and produce the next generation of successful enterprises, said the report.
The task force recommended the use of different tools to help promising high-growth enterprises create new products and access new markets. Some of the ways include equity financing and encouraging technology and capability transfer.
Companies should be given opportunities to test their products here before expanding to overseas markets.
Even as Singapore develops its local workers, the task force stressed that it must remain open to skills from abroad. This comes as future opportunities require new capabilities it may not currently have.
"We will need to continue bringing in global talent to complement Singaporeans so that businesses have access to the skills they need to grow, with a view to ultimately helping Singaporeans build up and refresh their skills to move into better jobs," it said.
The task force pointed out that workforce challenges will be more pronounced as Singapore faces an ageing population and a low resident total fertility rate.
The workforce will require new skills in areas such as digitalisation and cyber security, it added.
"A highly skilled workforce with good quality jobs is both the enabler and the goal of our economic transformation. Singapore will only be as competitive as the talent we have."
Some task force members noted that even as Singapore transforms its workers into Worker 4.0 - a term for the next generation of workers who are equipped with in-demand skills - employers must ensure the work environment embraces such changes.
Mr Amos Leong, president and chief executive of Univac Group, called for a "Manager 4.0" mindset, adding that workforce development begins at the top.
"We can keep sending workers for training but when they come back, we must have the processes and expanded job scope to fit them," he said.
Ms Jessie Yeo, executive secretary of the Singapore Port Workers Union and human resource director at the National Trades Union Congress, said such a move would ensure that workers who have upgraded themselves can put their new skills to use, instead of returning to "the old ways of working".
Let's get serious: other than yet another new name for the proposals, do you feel that you
have read all these before? Anything which made you sit up and say, WOW, now THAT is
a good idea that I have not heard before?
have read all these before? Anything which made you sit up and say, WOW, now THAT is
a good idea that I have not heard before?
LHL and HSK have to pretend that he is doing important things until it is safe for him to retire officially.
LHL and HSK have to pretend that he is doing important things until it is safe for him to retire officially.
They are also pretending to be on good terms.
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