Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong engaged key leaders of the Labour Movement in a dialogue session held on 20 March 2013. The session organised by the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute was a platform for leaders to share their concerns and discuss hot button issues while gaining better insight on the way forward for Singapore.
The dialogue session was facilitated by NTUC President Diana Chia and NTUC Secretary- General Lim Swee Say. Mr Wong, who is also Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, opened the session by sharing some of the key challenges of communications in this new environment and the strategies that need to be adopted. The strategies include building up more third-party voices to encourage healthier debates with constructive views on issues. This he said would involve encouraging different views and perspectives to solve issues.
He added that every ministry should cultivate and build their network of friends and people who would contribute to a diversity of views. That will enrich the dialogue on a whole-of-society level towards making Singapore a stronger and more resilient society.
Minister Wong also said that there was a need for the Government to explain policies in "simpler ways" for better understanding. He added that in developing new policies, there was also a need for a “change in mindsets” to respond to the needs of Singaporeans better.
On social media, he shared on the importance for Government agencies to use social media as a two-way communication to better engage the young. NTUC’s leaders also engaged in passionate conversation with the Minister on effective ways to better reach out to the public through the use of social media.
Mr Wong also addressed concerns raised at the dialogue on policies such as healthcare. He said that the Government was committed to spending more and was prepared to discuss issues with regards to healthcare in order to benefit the right groups of people.
Speaking on the importance of tripartism, Mr Wong shared that he believes in the cause of the Labour Movement and called the bond between the PAP and NTUC one that is "vital”.
"It's crucial to how we've arrived at wherewe are today and we must continue to keep it strong,” he added.
