SINGAPORE — Prime Minister Lawrence Wong held a press conference on Friday (Aug 23) to discuss his priorities following his first National Day Rally speech last Sunday.

Here are some excerpts from the press conference:

A SINGAPORE CONDUCIVE TO FAMILIES

QUESTION: You announced many policies and initiatives during the rally, such as (encouraging more Singaporeans to have children). However, many of these are about individual choices and mindsets, and some go beyond policies. So, what more can be done to change their mindsets?

PM WONG: Getting married and having children are deeply personal choices, and we understand everyone has their views on such matters. 

I think the Government should focus on, and we are indeed focusing on, how we can create a more family-friendly environment.

It's less about the perhaps older approach, where there were direct incentives for babies. Rather, it's about taking the resources and seeing how to use them to create a more family-friendly environment. 

This means looking at areas of concern for many young parents and families, like preschool and education. It means looking at leave arrangements because many young parents want to spend time with their children, especially when they are infants.

It also means looking at areas like the cost of living because we know that for many parents, especially those with three or more kids, the costs start to add up. It's not just about groceries and daily necessities but also about fetching kids from place to place, and all these costs can add up very quickly.

So, if we focus on these areas and apply resources where they are needed, I hope we can create, over time, a culture and an environment in Singapore that is conducive for families. 

At the end of the day, we must let Singaporeans decide, but hopefully, with that wider environment, more people will be encouraged and motivated to settle down and have kids.

ON COST OF LIVING

QUESTION: You have mentioned the challenges arising from global factors beyond Singapore's control, such as supply chain disruptions and regional conflicts, while you assured Singaporeans that the Government will continue to provide support when necessary.

Some people have expressed concerns about the level of detail provided on future measures. For example, the CDC (Community Development Council) vouchers for 2025 are set at S$300 so far, as compared to S$800 this year.

Given the ongoing inflationary pressures, will the Government be giving more assistance in terms of CDC vouchers, and how do you plan to balance these pressures with the support needed to help Singaporeans manage their living expenses?

Also, common reactions called this National Day Rally "not an election" rally. What are your thoughts on that?

PM WONG: We leave people to say what they want. Somehow, there are these labels attached all the time. This year's Budget, too, I was asked if it was an election Budget. I don't know. I leave it to people with their commentaries. The same goes for the National Day Rally.

On cost of living, and whether or not there will be more help — well, the CDC vouchers for 2025, you said it's less than 2024, but we haven't had the 2025 Budget yet. That's early next year. So, whether or not there will be more CDC vouchers, I think everyone should just wait and see what is in the Budget announcement.

But as I mentioned, there are different kinds of help measures. Some are broad-based. CDC vouchers are broad-based. Every family gets the same amount, and it's very hard for us, through CDC vouchers, to adjust the amount by family, by income, by circumstances, because then it makes the system a lot more complicated.

We also have other types of help besides CDC vouchers. This year, we are giving cost-of-living payouts, cash payouts, for example, targeted at lower to lower-middle income groups. So these are more focused, targeted help and we will continue to review to see whether they are broad-based or targeted measures, how best to provide adequate support for the people who need help.

There is one new group, which we think can benefit from more help: Larger families. Because we think there are circumstances, with more young children, their expenses do add up, and we are prepared to see how we can provide more help to them.

So, we are focused on looking at all these different segments in which we can help address cost of living.

We will also focus on looking at the broader, macro environment. What is our inflation rate going to be like at the end of this year? We already see some signs of moderation, which is helpful.

What do we expect inflation to be next year? What do we expect growth and incomes to be like this year, for example, and what is it going to be next year?

Last year was a difficult year for us because the inflation remained quite high and growth was very weak, about 1 per cent growth, and many Singaporeans experienced negative real wage increases. Their real wage actually came down.

Understandably, there was a lot of pressure, so we will have to look at the data, and then think about how we can put together appropriate help for the different segments in Budget 2025. 

ON WHAT SINGAPOREANS ARE MOST SATISFIED WITH, THEIR CONCERNS

QUESTION: Can you share your sense of what Singaporeans are most satisfied with right now versus what they are most unhappy about? And how are you planning to fix this before the next General Election?

PM WONG: For the most part, many Singaporeans I've engaged with appreciate that what we have in Singapore is unique and special because we are a well-informed people. We can see what's happening around us in many countries where there have been tremendous pressures, and you see societies crumbling. You see trust falling apart. And it's very hard for the centre to hold together, and people can see that. 

People appreciate that what we have in Singapore is something quite special. Singaporeans of diverse backgrounds are able to interact, share common morals with one another, and have a high level of trust as a society.

That's something we should always cherish, and we must never take it for granted. This thing does not just magically sustain itself. It's something very unique. We must all do our part to keep it this way or make it even better.

And then we ask ourselves: "What do we need to do to improve, change policies, change attitudes and mindsets in order for us to keep moving on that trajectory?"

As for concerns, they are the ones that I'm sure all of you are familiar with: Cost of living is one major concern, but if you unpack it, there are different aspects — the day-to-day expenses, groceries, food and daily essentials.

There are also big-ticket items like housing. It's not something you have to do every day, but the people who have to purchase a home may feel that housing prices have gone up, and I've explained why in the rally: Because of Covid-19.

It's getting a bit better now. But still, there's more room for us to look at how to stabilise the market.