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Gen Y Speaks: Helping youths relate to the Budget

“Did you watch the Budget speech?”

The author (extreme right), an intern reporter with TODAY, says he is somewhat concerned how little of the Budget registers or resonates with millennials.

The author (extreme right), an intern reporter with TODAY, says he is somewhat concerned how little of the Budget registers or resonates with millennials.

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“Did you watch the Budget speech?”

Nobody has ever asked me this question since I was born 24 years ago. Yet, that was the question I posed to my friends on Tuesday, a day after I watched the entire Budget speech “live” for the first time.

“No, what’s that? Is that the one where PM Lee talks about national policies?” a friend replied, obviously mistaking Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally for the Budget speech by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat.

And that perhaps is the sad reality – few, if any, around my age watch the Budget or follow the announcements. 

Truth be told, had I not been interning as a reporter, I would most certainly not have followed Mr Heng’s two-hour speech.

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It was exciting to witness a national event, at least for the better part of the first half hour where Mr Heng spoke about the new forces shaping the global environment and keeping Singapore safe and secure.

But soon, I found myself struggling to keep my heavy eyelids from shutting, as the Minister outlined how Singapore can strengthen her economic competitiveness, build “deep enterprise capabilities” and help workers “seize opportunities” and “embrace upskilling and reskilling”.

It was heavy-going, especially for a communications and new media undergraduate who does not quite understand these terms.

I perked up a little bit when Mr Heng began talking about building “a caring and inclusive society” as well as a “global city and home for all”, as topics such as education and sustainability were closer to my heart.

What struck me most in this second half of his speech was how the various government social and healthcare schemes were alien to me - from MediShield Life to MediFund, MediSave, ElderFund, ElderShield, WIS, Chas, ComCare and the new CareShield Life. I realised why the Budget is seen as boring by millennials - we simply do not understand the schemes being talked about.

Yes, it behoves us to put some effort into understanding them ourselves, but perhaps more could be done to facilitate the learning.

In the days leading to the Budget, perhaps the Government could publish a primer of sorts on its key schemes and initiatives.

This would help us better relate to them on Budget day.

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I eventually spent an hour or so after Mr Heng’s speech to find out online more about the various schemes.

I am glad I now know what the difference between MediShield Life and CareShield Life is, as well as who qualifies for the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund.

But I wonder: Is the average Singaporean even aware of the multitude of support systems in place?

For youths, if we do not understand the key policies covered in the Budget, it may breed a mentality where we focus only on things that we understand or affect us directly.

Indeed, among all the announcements that Mr Heng made, friends around my age mostly knew only about one – returning travellers having to pay more Goods and Service Tax for their purchases overseas and enjoying duty-free concession on a lower amount of liquor products.

I cannot help but feel somewhat concerned how little of the Budget registers or resonates with millennials.  

Is there any other way the Budget speech can be made easier to watch and more relatable, especially for the younger generation?

How about breaking it up into two parts?

One of the numerous times that Mr Heng stopped his speech to drink water could have been an opportune moment for a break.

“As you can see, it is a long speech. I have two files,” he had quipped.

The National Day Rally, which is also about two hours long, has a break lasting about 45 minutes, with the Malay and Chinese speeches in Part 1 and the English speech in Part 2.

The Budget, too, could have a break of 30 or 45 minutes to separate the economic and business-related bits from the social-political ones.

This would help viewers digest the information and allow analysts to chime in on their first thoughts on the changes.

In terms of presentation, with the Budget held in Parliament, the use of slideshows and videos like in the National Day Rally may not be feasible or appropriate. 

This is where post-Budget dialogue and communication can help to better engage millennials.

Last year, in the lead-up to the Budget, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) hired more than 50 “online micro-influencers” to drum up publicity on Instagram for the Budget and to “encourage youth participation in the Budget process”.

The intention was good, but the campaign failed because millennials, in general, follow influencers more for lifestyle issues than on weighty ones like the Budget.

And the way the influencers tried to present superficial information about the Budget came across as contrived.

I am glad MOF did not go down this route again this year, but that does not mean it cannot try other ways of using Instagram - arguably the most popular social media platform for millennials.

For one, MOF puts out infographics on its Budget website that explain the changes in policies.

But I don’t see them on Instagram, which is a pity.

Using these visual explainers more on social media platforms, coupled with road shows and town hall events at tertiary education institutions, could help promote further understanding and dialogue among youths.

All in, I am glad that my maiden Budget speech experience has helped me learn more about my country.                                                             

As a first-time voter, Budget 2019 has extra meaning for me in light of talk that the General Election due by April 2021 could be held as early as this year.

With Mr Heng primed to succeed Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in the next few years and delivering his first Budget speech since becoming the People’s Action Party first assistant secretary-general, I was looking out for hints on any new vision and direction the 4G leadership has for the future of the nation.

I was delighted to hear that the government is committed to tackling climate change, with the launch of the Zero Waste Masterplan and the implementation of the previously announced carbon tax this year.

These are announcements that my friends, some of whom are much stronger proponents of sustainable living, will be interested in.

Hopefully next year, they will be the ones asking me if I had watched the Budget speech.

 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Daryl Choo, a third-year arts and social science student at the National University of Singapore, is an intern reporter at TODAY covering local news.

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