Every individual in S’pore matters and must be valued: PM Lee

SINGAPORE – Every individual here matters and must be valued, regardless of who he is or what he was born with or without, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said today (Nov 27) as he reiterated the Government’s aim of building a fair and just society.

Mr Lee said: “Every society will have its problems and its people who are disadvantaged, disabled or need help. What matters is not whether there are such people, but how we as a society take care of them, embrace them and how (they) can contribute to and participate in the society. .... Long ago, Mr S Rajaratnam said this… He said: Are we a democracy of deeds, or a democracy of words?”

To achieve the goal, he added that the country must be guided by basic questions pertaining to how its society values the disadvantaged and the disabled: “Are people with special needs just there to be helped? Or should they not be people who matter in our society, who are enabled to contribute to our society in full measure?”

Mr Lee was speaking at the 50th anniversary gala dinner for SPD - a social service provider and advocate for the disability community - which was held at the Fullerton Hotel.

Reiterating that the Government is building a more inclusive society, Mr Lee cited recent initiatives by the Government including the Enabling Masterplan - a blueprint on policies and programmes for persons with disabilities - and providing transport subsidies and improving physical access for this group. “Everyone deserves to lead a dignified and a confident life... Singapore is home for all of us,” Mr Lee said.