Honorable Co-Chair Her Excellency Foreign Minister Dipu Moni
Excellencies
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
1 I am delighted to have the opportunity to represent Singapore at the Fourth Bali Democracy Forum.
2 I join the other delegates in thanking our Indonesian host His Excellency President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for initiating and keeping up the momentum of this Forum, and His Excellency Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa for his stewardship of this session. The BDF has steadily carved out a reputation as an important platform for the exchange of ideas and perspectives on democracy. I believe Indonesia has much to share in this regard. Its transition into a vibrant democracy is remarkable not just as an exemplar to the world that change can bring about stability, but is remarkable also for the speed at which it has taken place.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
3 While each country has its own unique form of democracy, I believe there are some principles of democracy that are universal. In any democracy, those elected must be empowered to make decisions for the common good. At the same time, they have to be in tune with the aspirations of the people who elected them. There must be constant two-way communication and feedback. However, being responsive does not mean that governments must be populist. Rather, it means that we have to better explain policies that may be necessary for society's common benefit over the longer term, especially particularly unpopular ones. It is important to provide avenues for feedback, and demonstrate that this feedback is being seriously taken into consideration. Policies and precedents should be re-examined if they have not had their intended impact. Fundamentally, it is about building and preserving trust between those elected and their constituents.
4 In multi-racial and multi-religious Singapore, we have long recognised the need to provide avenues for the Government and all segments of society to engage each other. However, the advent of social media against the backdrop of an increasingly inter-connected world has changed the playing field and increased the intensity of engagement. Increasingly, more voices want to be heard. The younger generation, for example, wants more opportunities to fulfil their diverse aspirations. The older generation in turn is worried that they may not be sufficiently prepared to maintain their standard of living in an open and globalised environment. We have heard these voices and are refining our approaches for public engagement. We want to create a feedback cycle of continuous consultation and exchange. This will help the Government identify and address the public's areas of concern as early as possible.
5 Allow me to share two existing tools which form an integral part of the Singapore Government's outreach efforts. The first is the Meet-the-People Sessions, which are held regularly by each Member of Parliament (MP), including our Ministers. I myself meet my constituents every Monday. These sessions give the public opportunities to meet their MPs personally, to give feedback and to raise concerns. This is one of the most direct channels through which we learn about the issues that Singaporeans are facing today. Many of our constituents also contact us directly through email and Facebook. The social media is therefore a powerful tool that we can use to engage the public, particularly today's youth. We are intensifying such engagements to strengthen the bonds of trust between our MPs and their constituents.
6 A second important tool leverages the Internet. This is through REACH, which stands for Reaching Everyone for Active Citizenry @ Home. This online platform was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2006. While we already had a Feedback Unit in place, REACH represented a restructuring of the feedback process to move beyond simply gathering feedback to engaging citizens. REACH is a one-stop platform for the public to offer ideas, suggestions or feedback to the relevant agency and develop ideas from the public into concrete proposals for the Government to consider. While not all proposals may eventually be feasible, REACH ensures at the very least that a reply is sent to every person giving feedback. This helps in making every citizen a direct stakeholder in the policy-making process. Sustained public engagement is simply not possible if people do not feel that they can make a difference.
7 Through REACH and other feedback channels we have had many success stories of ideas turned into reality. Let me share one example. An uncertain economic climate since 2008, combined with speculation in the market, resulted in rising property prices that left many Singaporeans concerned about the availability and affordability of housing. Some Singaporeans gave feedback to the Government that we should find a way to weed out the speculators who were seen to be responsible for driving up property prices. This feedback was forwarded to the Ministry of National Development, and after much consideration, the Government has now pledged to tighten ownership conditions to ensure that genuine homebuyers have priority access to housing. While the Government is constantly monitoring and reviewing such policies, this example highlights that constructive feedback will always have its place in effecting policy changes. In this manner, the Government can also tap on the ideas of the people they serve, and keep pace with evolving public demands.
Ladies and Gentlemen
8 Governments, whether in developed or in developing countries, must constantly strive to communicate and engage the people better. We must never forget that the very definition of democracy is to represent the people, and that representation is impossible without engagement.
9 While the specific issues that we are working on are unique to Singapore, democracies all over the world are facing the same broader phenomenon of increasingly high expectations. In this context, Singapore greatly appreciates the topic of discussions for this year's Forum. We look forward to learning from the experiences of the many democracies represented here today.
10 Thank you.
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