Prime Minister Lawrence Wong recently spoke about the government’s strong commitment to supporting families in Singapore.
He was speaking at the PAP Community Foundation (PCF) Family Day in Yew Tee on July 13. PM Wong emphasised that families are truly the foundation of our society, saying, “Families have been at the heart of our nation-building journey since the very beginning.”
He noted that in recent times, the government has introduced various ways to help young parents and larger families. This includes giving financial support and allowing for more parental leave. These are new initiatives that have come into play just in the past year, showing a continuous effort to adapt to the needs of modern families.
PM Wong also highlighted a significant shift in how we think about family support. With Singapore’s population getting older and people living longer lives, the focus now also includes supporting our seniors and those who care for them. He explained this evolution in support, stating,
“Singaporeans are getting older, we are leading longer lives as well And so as our population gets older, as we have more seniors around us, when we talk about family support these days, we also have to pay attention to supporting our seniors, as well as their caregivers.”
This means that national initiatives like Healthier SG and Age Well SG are becoming increasingly important. These programs are designed to help seniors stay healthy, active, and involved in their communities. The government is also working on strengthening care services, which include providing more long-term residential facilities and community care options to meet the needs of our elderly.
The PAP Community Foundation (PCF), which is already the biggest operator of pre-schools in Singapore, is playing a crucial role in this evolving support system. PCF is expanding its ability to serve even more seniors.
“PCF is already expanding its capacity to serve more seniors. In the time to come, we can expect PCF also to have more Active Ageing centres and Senior Care centres in communities across the island,” added PM Wong.
He believes that PCF is in a unique position to connect different generations because it runs both kindergartens/childcare centres and senior care centres.
PM Wong explained that “PCF can play a unique role… it will open new opportunities for PCF as an operator to bridge generations – to bring young and old together, and to foster greater inter-generational understanding.” This idea of bringing young and old together helps foster a better understanding between generations.
Beyond its direct services, PCF also actively works to raise funds. These funds are used to support various causes and work with different partners in the community. PM Wong clarified that “It is not just about PCF doing the work ourselves, but we also want to help others, support other organisations, uplift our community so that together we can support the vulnerable and less privileged members of our society.”
PM Wong acknowledged that Singapore is entering a new phase of nation-building, one that will bring new and more complex challenges. However, he expressed confidence in the nation’s ability to face this head-on.
He stated, “In this new phase, we will face new and more complex challenges. But I am confident that we can weather these challenges, and we can emerge stronger together.” He also noted that a lot of this important work has just begun and there is still “much, much more to do,” with more plans to be shared when they are ready.
