Amid calls for more diversity, Emerging Stronger Taskforce says it will seek feedback from outside the group

SINGAPORE — In the face of criticism that its members are not diverse enough, a task force that was set up to navigate Singapore’s post-pandemic economic future said it intends to seek participation, feedback and comments from people outside the group.

“Given the fluid nature of the global Covid-19 situation and the speed of change in the global economy, we kept the Emerging Stronger Taskforce (EST) membership relatively small in order to move nimbly,” said Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee in a letter on Thursday (June 18) addressed to Ms Tok Xinying.

Ms Tok, the co-founder of environmental group Climate Conversations, had written an open letter to the task force on Monday, saying that the 17-member group did not include enough women, minorities or representatives from the social sector.

The open letter was signed by representatives from 36 not-for-profit organisations, social enterprises and arts groups, as well as some individuals such as Nominated Members of Parliament Anthea Ong, Walter Theseira and Yip Pin Xiu.

In his reply, Mr Lee said: “We fully recognise the value of diversity and have every intention of seeking participation, feedback and comments beyond the EST. This will allow us to tap on insights beyond our membership and help guide the issues that are pertinent to every Singaporean.”

TODAY has asked Mr Lee whether this means that the EST will not be adding more diverse members to its task force.

Mr Lee also said in his reply that the task force has started conversations with a number of Singaporeans to share their Covid-19 experience and aspirations for a more caring and resilient Singapore.

“There will not only be many more such conversations, but more opportunities for Singaporeans to come together, to make a difference to the lives of people around us,” he wrote.

“We will be involving and engaging a wide range of Singaporeans and stakeholders in this effort and will announce details of these plans soon. I encourage all Singaporeans to actively participate in these efforts to build a better Singapore for all, and for our future generations.”

He noted, too, that the task force comes under the Future Economy Council and works closely with the council and its six sub-committees, which have diverse representation across the private and public sectors, unions and business segments.

RESPONSE DID NOT ADDRESS CONCERN

However, Ms Tok said in a statement to the media on Thursday that Mr Lee’s response did not address the signatories’ concerns.

Particularly, Mr Lee’s response did not address the issue that a change in the EST’s membership is required to address the pain felt by under-represented groups, which is expected to exacerbate in future crises, she said.

The open letter had called for the task force to be expanded to include at least one representative from the social sector, who would be supported with a council that will allow a consolidation of views from different issue areas.

The letter also called for more vulnerable economic players, such as social enterprises and the self-employed, to be represented, and added that at least 30 per cent of the task force members should be women.

Furthermore, it said the task force should have more minority representation, including that of Malays, youths, active elders and persons with disabilities.

In her response to Mr Lee’s reply, Ms Tok said: “Integrating social and environmental health with economic health is already a key topic of discussion even at the World Economic Forum. If we don’t take steps in the same direction, our people will be left behind.”

She added: “Greater clarity on how the different stakeholders we suggested will be systematically and meaningfully consulted would be helpful.”

TASK FORCE CRITICISED FOR LACK OF DIVERSITY

In its current make-up, the task force is heavily skewed towards male captains of industry and includes three ethnic minorities: Mr Piyush Gupta, the chief executive officer of DBS Group, Mr Caesar Sengupta, the vice president of product management at Google, and Mr Sunny Verghese, group chief executive officer of agri-food company Olam International.

Others on the task force include Raffles Medical Group executive chairman Loo Choon Yong, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific chairman Gan Seow Kee, ST Engineering president Vincent Chong and CapitaLand group chief executive officer Lee Chee Koon.

Ms Tok’s open letter was not the first time that the task force was criticised for its lack of diversity.

Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) Sylvia Lim said in Parliament on June 4 that there were too few women — just two — on the task force. They are Ms Kwee Wei-Lin, the president of the Singapore Hotel Association, and Ms Dilys Boey, a partner at professional services firm EY.

Ms Lim, who is the MP for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, questioned if the task force could adequately address the impact of Covid-19 on women, whom she noted have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

For example, she pointed out that there has been significant loss in employment for women globally as they hold the majority of insecure, informal and lower-paying jobs. There is also evidence to suggest that female academics are publishing less than their male counterparts as they have to bear the brunt of household responsibilities, she said.

“In order to build future resilience for the next crisis, there is a need to study gender-aggregated data in all fields from public health to economics to communications,” said Ms Lim, who added that the task force could benefit from having more women, especially those who understand gender issues.

Also in Parliament the next day, Ms Anthea Ong noted that the task force members hail from traditional sectors that have long been seen as pillars of Singapore’s current economic structure, but that other industries such as those committed to a sustainable future were not represented.

She called for changes to be made to the membership of the task force, as well as formal plans to consult a range of stakeholders, including smaller businesses.

A press release from the Ministry of Trade and Industry on May 6 said that the members had been selected for their “wealth of experience and expertise, broad perspectives on the global economy, and strong business networks”.