OUR PARTY spent January deepening Singapore’s wellspring of trust.
One major step was then-Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s engagement with the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) during their 75th anniversary celebrations (23 Jan).
“Just one lapse, just one mistake, just one careless word can easily undermine many years of hard work,” said DPM Wong to the various religious leaders gathered at the celebrations.
“We want to expand the common ground we share together through a spirit of dialogue and fellowship, so that regardless of race or religion, we will always stand together as Singaporeans, and keep moving closer to this ideal of one united people.”
Source: Lawrence Wong / Facebook
This expanded common ground of trust will strengthen Singapore as the nation goes forward. The world is in an era of great power rivalry between America and China. Wars rage in Europe and the Middle East. These challenges can compete for the loyalties of Singaporeans, and pull at the nation’s tightly-knit social fabric.
A Singapore where diverse communities trust each other and stand united against these challenges, however, will mean a nation able to withstand the difficult times ahead — and thrive despite them.
“One of my key priorities as leader is to keep our society together,” emphasised DPM Wong at the January celebrations to the assembled multifaith religious leaders. “That is my task, but my view is that it is also your task. It is our collective mission, to build on what we have today, keep it going for as long as we can, and ensure our little red dot remains an oasis in a troubled world.”
Permanently defraying the GST for everyday Singaporeans
The $131.4 billion Budget 2024 that was launched on 16 February further showcased the PAP government’s planning for the shared future of Singaporeans.
“In this Budget, I will do more to support households and further enhance [the] Assurance Package,” said DPM Wong, who is also Minister for Finance. “We have designed this package so that lower-income families get more support. We have also ensured that larger households, particularly those with seniors and children, get more support.”
Source: Lawrence Wong / Facebook
As such, the further enhancements to the Assurance Package for everyday Singaporeans included an extra $600 in CDC vouchers and a Cost-of-Living Special Payment of up to $400.
There were also up to $950 of U-Save rebates (equal to about four months of utility bills for those living in 3- and 4-room HDB flats) and a Service and Conservancy Charges rebate for HDB flat households.
“Beyond the Assurance Package, I will top up the GST Voucher Fund by $6 billion. This delivers on our commitment to permanently defray GST expenses for lower- and middle-income households, through the GST Voucher scheme,” added DPM Wong.
Budget 2024 also included ways to secure Singapore’s long-term financial prosperity. There were multi-billion dollar top-ups to the Financial Sector Development Fund ($2 billion), the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 plan ($3 billion) and the National Productivity Fund ($2 billion), among others.
“This year’s Budget is the first step in advancing our Forward Singapore agenda,” summed up DPM Wong about Budget 2024. “We want to refresh our social compact to keep our society strong and united in this troubled world. We want to build a better Singapore – not just for a few, but for all Singaporeans.”
