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Various suggestions brought up at Singapore Perspectives Conference
Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 6 minutes ago
SINGAPORE : With Singapore’s Budget 2009 just three days away, more suggestions are being brought up to bring costs down and to improve the well—being of Singaporean workers.
Suggestions include getting the government to provide direct loans and using leading indicators to anticipate what lies ahead.
Signs of the global economic slowdown came as early as May 2007.
Speaking at the Singapore Perspectives Conference on Monday, Gallup Singapore’s managing partner Peter Ong said a number of Americans were then already worried about putting food on the table.
These leading indicators were shared with political leaders here.
Mr Ong said with these leading indicators, "multiple ministries and statutory boards can take complex steps and actions way in advance to influence both Singaporeans and Singapore so that a better future can be created".
As for Singapore’s small and medium enterprises, entrepreneur and MP Inderjit Singh said the government may have to do more by providing direct loans, especially when financial institutions have failed.
The MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC said: "This is an excellent opportunity... for us to level up the playing field. The dust has not settled. The corporate changes and problems have just started to happen. We need to watch carefully.
"We want to avoid too many of our local enterprises folding first or folding too quickly, and therefore I think that some form of government support and rescue will be necessary if we want to, in the long—term, create a vibrant economy here, which will be driven by local enterprises as it is in many other countries."
He added that ideas to help tackle the downturn are expected to be discussed during the Budget debate after Thursday’s speech.
Meanwhile, the often—debated subject of can the Singapore government do less and Singaporeans do more was also discussed at the Singapore Perspectives Conference.
One area which the panellists felt that the government does not have a choice is engaging Singaporeans in the feedback process, especially with the advent of technology and various avenues that are available for citizens to express their views.
Philip Jeyaretnam, senior counsel and former Law Society president, said: "I can understand that you do not want Bar Associations from entering politics. The question really is who should be deciding where the boundaries are. Is this a matter for lawmakers and politicians, or is it a matter for society as a whole and can’t you actually leave it to professional associations or other NGOs to decide on the boundaries themselves.
"Maybe there will be some mistakes, but probably most of the time, they will get it right and they will exercise power responsibly. But if you do not even provide that space, then you are actually short changing the potential of the professionals."
Debra Soon, chief editor, MediaCorp News, said: "Singaporeans who are educated and whom you want to keep here to be able to drive and continue with Singapore’s success story will up and leave if they feel they are not being engaged.
"The government in a way has no choice. We are seeing more and more of that happening. Also at the same time, Singaporeans seem to be more willing to be engaged now. But it is only a certain portion of Singaporeans in my view. The majority of Singaporeans are concerned with bread and butter issues." — CNA/ms
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