As Parliament begins on Sept 5, Petir speaks with several chairpersons and deputy chairpersons of the Government Parliamentary Committees to understand their key priorities for the upcoming term.
Xie Yao Quan, Chairperson of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Social and Family Development, outlined three key priorities for the new term of Parliament. They are: championing issues equally, representing professionals’ interests, and engaging widely with stakeholders.
In an interview with Petir, Mr Xie said that he is honoured and excited about his role as GPC Chair. He also serves as Member of Parliament for Jurong Central SMC.
Given the GPC’s broad scope, he said his first priority is to ensure equal attention to all issues while supporting diverse groups within the community.
“Whether it is supporting lower-income households to do better for themselves, enhancing social mobility for children from these households, supporting persons with disabilities and those who need rehabilitative services or care, or strengthening families as the bedrock of our society, we want to ensure the GPC lends its voice equally to all these areas,” he said.
The GPC’s second priority, according to Mr Xie, is to advocate for social service practitioners and professionals, and elevate the entire sector.
“A key challenge [facing] our sector is manpower. We want to be a voice for professionals, whether it is their professional development, salaries, caring for them as they care for others, or preventing burnout,” he said. “As a profession and society, how can we better care for social service sector professionals?”
The GPC’s third priority is to engage widely with various stakeholders in the sector, Mr Xie said. Their focus will be on listening to diverse perspectives, understanding key issues, and bringing these voices to Parliament.
“Since there may be differing views, it’s important to bring people together to listen and understand each other’s perspectives, while finding consensus and common ground,” Mr Xie explained. “Our role is to engage with the sector and stakeholders, serving as a bridge between them and Parliament.”
As chairperson, Mr Xie said that while he will not focus on specific issues to champion, he appreciates that members within the group advocate for specific causes.
“Denise has been a champion for disability issues. Deputy Chair Rachel has run Trybe. She can bring her perspectives about rehabilitative services,” he said. “We have a good mix of MPs in the GPC who address various issues.”
Denise Phua has long advocated in Parliament for more support for people with disabilities and special needs, while Rachel Ong has served as patron of Trybe, a registered charity aimed at helping youths.
Although Mr Xie is new to the GPC, he said he brings relevant experience to tackling issues relating to social and family development. As the Chief Executive Officer of QuantEdge Foundation (Singapore), a philanthropic organisation focused on social mobility in Singapore, he noted “synergies” between his professional work and his GPC role.
In his capacity as an MP, Mr Xie and his team support rental families with young children in the constituency. The team has implemented local mentorship programmes for children from lower-income families.
Mr Xie shared that his team also actively supports residents with disabilities, those who need full-time care, and their caregivers. This includes addressing situations where disability-related behaviours may affect neighbors and finding solutions to minimise disamenities.
“For residents with behavioural issues, shouting at night and in the day, [they] can create disamenities, and some neighbours may give feedback. We speak to both sides, and try to broach a better understanding… It’s putting a human face to this. Trying to create a more understanding and more accommodative community,” he said.
Mr Xie believes in adopting a human-centric approach and promoting better understanding within the community.
Society can come together to help tackle social and family issues: Xie Yao Quan
Mr Xie acknowledged that while the government has increased its efforts in the sector, more work can be done relating to the various areas.
“Importantly, more can be done with society – not just the government doing its part, but everyone coming together to work on the issues together,” he emphasised, noting that this starts with community engagement.
“How do we galvanise and activate society to come forward and do more for each other? Whether for people with disabilities, those with lower income, or individuals who need care and rehabilitative services. There’s a lot more that society can come together and do together. So, I think that’s a key challenge.”
Separately, as Deputy Chairperson of the GPC for National Development, Mr Xie said that he will be pushing for the government to ensure sustainable prices for resale flats and implementing measures to control prices better.
“I think it’s a major concern. The pace of increase, whether they’re sustainable, affordability of the flats in Singapore is a major concern.”
As social issues affect everyone in society, Mr Xie is looking forward to working with both sector partners and the broader community as Singapore charts its way forward.
“I look forward to working with all of you to create a fairer, more just, and more compassionate society for everyone,” he said.
