Speech by Minister Desmond Lee at the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan Spring Cultural Showcase 2022
Feb 13, 2022
大家中午好！首先让我祝愿大家虎年好运连连、万事如意！
非常感谢福建会馆邀请我出席今天的新春艺汇。冠病疫情严重打乱了我们的生活，拉远了人与人之间的距离。今天可以和大家齐聚一堂，实在是非常难得。
冠病疫情过去两年来，也带来了种种挑战。不少国人的生计受到影响，生活增加了很多不确定性，因而承受了很大压力。在此，我要感谢福建会馆挺身而出，为国家抗疫出了很大一份力；除了协助淡马锡基金会在多过10所联络所分发口罩和搓手液，还在各项活动上鼓励年长国人接种疫苗。在庆贺新春之际，我希望大家能够继续携手抗疫，克服目前的Omicron变种病毒疫情，向着“与病毒共存”的目标前进。
除了疫情，国人还有其他生活焦虑和担忧。例如，担心房价上涨，以及建筑工程延误造成的影响。对此，我想重申一点。政府致力于确保国人能够有高质量、价格合理，以及符合他们生活需求的住房。
让我来说一说政府在这方面为不同群组所作的努力。首先，我们要帮助年轻人拥有自己的房子，让他们能够成家、组织家庭。我们正在和建筑业者合作，让预购组屋的建造工程 按照原定工期进行，尽可能减少延误。同时，我们推出了一系列措施来为房地产市场降温。我们也计划在接下来的五年内，推出多达10万个新组屋单位，协助国人拥有自己的房子。
至于那些正在等待组屋完工，但是手头比较紧，在公开市场上租房子有些困难的夫妇，我们也会给予他们协助。通过“育儿短期住屋计划”(PPHS)，我们增加获津贴的租赁组屋单位，让这些新婚夫妇能够早日展开婚后生活。
政府也没有忘记年长的国人。除了安居，我们还要协助长辈们过着有意义、以及活跃的社区生活。我们早前推出了一种新型组屋，叫做“社区关爱组屋”(CCA)。它结合了看护服务、公共活动空间，以及专为年长者策划的活动。这样一来年长者能够在具有活力的社区里独立生活，同时可以获得日常生活中所需的护理和援助。
我们也打造适合年长者安居的“组屋综合项目” (Integrated public development)，结合了医疗、商业和社区设施，让居民能够就地解决生活所需。第一个“组屋综合项目”设在海军部地铁站旁边，名为“海军部村庄”。希望大家有机会能够去参观一下。接下来，我们会在油池区建造另一个“组屋综合项目”。
除了年轻夫妇和年长国人，政府也致力于帮助低收入家庭，协助他们改善生活，让孩子们有良好的成长环境。低收入家庭往往面对不少生活上的挑战，包括住房、健康、就业、在校学习等等，而它们通常是环环相扣的。政府为此设立“社区联系站”，英文简称ComLink，为居住在租赁组屋里、并且有孩子的家庭，提供援助。
“社区联系站”在了解个别家庭的需求和生活目标之后，会协调相关的政府部门和有关单位，为他们提供生活上各方面的援助。比如，建屋局会照顾他们的住房问题、家庭服务中心会提供家庭辅导、教育部提供学校津贴，以及卫生部照顾医疗需求等等。这样的安排能够为每个家庭提供有序的支援，通过360度全方位的协助方式，让这些家庭不必分头向不同的政府部门和单位求助，反复提供相同的个人信息。
“社区联系站”计划将向全岛1万4000个低收入家庭伸出援手，因此需要各方的全力支持。我希望在座以及线上的各位朋友们能够成为这项计划的后盾，不论是提供经济支援，又或者是成为志愿者。
大部分的国人居住在政府组屋区里，因此，我们组屋邻里也扮演着加强社区凝聚力，以及保留文化和传统的重要角色。我们的许多组屋邻里商店，包括福建人开设的华人店铺，带着浓厚的历史，多年来为居民提供价格合理的商品和便利的服务；像是中药行、传统糕饼店，和香烛店。这些店铺也是居民日常碰面和结交朋友的地方，无形中培育出坚固的社区精神。
因此，我们必须保留邻里商店的传统和社区价值。同时为它们注入新活力，让它们跟上时代的脚步，继续为后代国人提供服务。为此，我们展开了一项公众调查，并且会向邻里店家和客户展开咨询，收集大家的意见。我鼓励大家积极参与调查和咨询活动，以及和我们合力向年轻一代 推广我们的文化及传统。
过去两年，我们一路走来不易。纵然面前的道路 充满挑战，但对于未来，我们能保持乐观的态度。包括福建会馆在内的合作伙伴们，请继续和我们并肩前行，推动新加坡的未来发展。
感谢大家一路来的支持。让我们继续携手合作，让新加坡再创高峰。我谨此祝愿各位虎年吉祥、身体健康！谢谢。
English Translation
Good afternoon. Let me first start by wishing everyone a happy Lunar New Year.
Thank you for inviting me to the Singapore Hokkien Huay Kuan’s (SHHK) Spring Cultural Showcase 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted many of our lives and restricted physical interactions between people. As such, it is my privilege to meet everyone here today to celebrate the festivities.
Fight Against COVID-19
The last 2 years have been challenging due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Singaporeans had their livelihoods impacted, and went through periods of stress and uncertainty. So I would like to thank the SHHK for contributing to the nation’s fight against COVID-19; from supporting the distribution of masks and hand sanitiser with the Temasek Foundation across more than 10 Community Centres to engaging seniors and encouraging them to get vaccinated through various events.
As we start a new year, let’s keep working together, to tide through the current Omicron wave and continue on the path to endemicity.
Addressing Singaporeans’ Housing Concerns
Beyond the COVID situation, we understand that Singaporeans have other concerns too. For example, many Singaporeans are concerned about rising housing costs and construction delays.
We are committed to ensuring that Singaporeans have quality and affordable housing that meets their needs. Let me share some of the efforts that we have been working on, for different groups of Singaporeans.
First, for young people, we want to help them secure their own home, so that they can start their families. We are working closely with our construction partners to keep our BTO projects on track and minimise delays.
At the same time, we have rolled out measures to cool the property market, and we are prepared to launch up to 100,000 flats over the next five years, to help Singaporeans access housing more easily.
For couples who are waiting for their flats to be completed, but who cannot easily afford renting a flat on the market, we are also increasing the supply of subsidised rental flats under the Parenthood Provisional Housing Scheme, so that they can start their married lives together sooner.
Second, for our seniors, we want to help them live comfortably and meaningfully, and to stay engaged in their local communities. We are piloting a new typology of flats, called the Community Care Apartments, which integrate senior-friendly housing with care services, and communal spaces and programmes. This allows seniors to live independently in a vibrant community, while getting the care that they need with their daily activities as they age.
We also have integrated developments like Kampung Admiralty and an upcoming one in Yew Tew, which bring together housing, medical, commercial, and community facilities, so that seniors can meet their different needs easily.
Third, for our lower-income families, we want to help them uplift their lives, and provide a good environment for their children. Often, these families face a web of interconnected challenges, beyond housing – medical conditions, problems securing employment, difficulties in school and so on.
So we have launched Community Link, or ComLink, for families with children living in public rental housing. ComLink will take a family-centric approach.
We will reach out to each family, understand their specific needs and aspirations, and then bring in the relevant agencies and community groups to support their different needs in a coordinated way – HDB for housing, Family Service Centres for family counselling, MOE for school subsidies, MOH for healthcare, and so on.
So that we provide each family with the support that they need, in the right sequence – and families don’t need to approach different agencies for their different needs, and provide the same information multiple times. We are rolling out this programme to all 14,000 such families across Singapore, and we need all the help we can get. I hope that you will consider contributing in your own ways, whether financially or as volunteers.
HDB Heartland Shops
Besides providing housing, our HDB neighbourhoods also play an important role in promoting community bonding and preserving our culture and heritage.
Many of our heartland shops bring with them rich history, including those with Chinese and Hokkien backgrounds, and have always provided affordable and convenient choices for Singaporeans – from traditional Chinese pharmacies, to bakeries selling traditional pastries and treats, and other shops selling items that are used in various customs and rituals. They are also places where neighbours can gather, make friends, and build up a strong community spirit.
We want to preserve the heritage and community value of our heartland shops, while updating them to keep them vibrant and relevant for future generations of Singaporeans. So we have started a public survey, and will also engage with key stakeholders like patrons and shop owners of heartland shops, to gather ideas. I hope you will participate in these engagements, and partner us in cultivate greater interest in our heritage and traditions, among the younger generations.
Conclusion
To conclude, the journey ahead is a challenging, but hopeful one. Partners like SHHK continue to play an important role in our country’s progress.
Thank you again for all your support thus far, and let’s continue to work together to bring Singapore forward. Wishing everyone good health, joy, and success in the Year of the Tiger. Thank you.