SINGAPORE: The state of the economy and jobs are what people are most concerned about at this time, said Communications and Information Minister S Iswaran on Sunday (Jul 5).
Mr Iswaran, who was on a walkabout at West Coast Food Centre, said that he and his West Coast GRC team members from the People’s Action Party (PAP) have been to every division in the GRC over the last few days of campaigning and got a “good sense of what is uppermost on people’s mind at this time”.
“The most significant thing that our people are concerned about is the economy and jobs and what we can do to help them,” he said.
“As the PAP team for West Coast GRC, we are already working on initiatives at the local level. This is something that is not about an election, but it’s about meeting the needs of our residents,” he added.
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Mr Iswaran, who was with Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee, Ms Foo Mee Har, Mr Ang Wei Nang and first-time candidate Ms Rachel Ong, said that the team is doing its best to bring job opportunities to people’s doorsteps.
The People’s Action Party’s candidate for West Coast GRC, Desmond Lee, interacting with residents during a walkabout at Blk 726 West Coast Food Centre on Jul 5, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Mr Lee said that residents have also told the team that they are concerned about the “great uncertainty” that the future holds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Many people, both young and old, have not experienced a challenge of this scale: One in which not just Singapore but the whole world’s enveloped in a critical crisis, one where you’re caught between a rock and a hard place,” he said.
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“It’s really ensuring that Government and people work closely together hand in hand, with the common understanding that unity will allow us to steer this very narrow middle path through this critical crisis,” he said.
After the walkabout, Mr Iswaran went to the nearby West Coast Community Centre to launch a Job Station, where residents looking for jobs can go to seek help and career services.
Minister for Communications and Information S Iswaran, at the launch of a Job Station at the West Coast Community Centre on Jul 5, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Ms Foo said that about2,000 jobs in various industries were available, and eight companies have come on board to provide these jobs to residents. Thirty per cent of the jobs are for professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) while 70 per cent are “rank-and-file” jobs, she said.
“Yes, we have people looking for jobs but there are actually 2,000 jobs out there waiting for people, and employers are on board, eight of them, to provide those jobs, from security to F&B to PMET jobs,” she added.
At the Jobs and Skills Discovery @ West Coast Community Centre launch, more than 100 volunteers who will be guiding job seekers were also certified as Volunteer Career Navigators. Job Stations are being set up at five community centres, said the West Coast Constituency Office.
The People’s Action Party’s candidate for West Coast GRC, S Iswaran, taking photos with residents during a walkabout at Blk 726 West Coast Food Centre on Jul 5, 2020. (Photo: Hanidah Amin)
Mr Iswaran said that such initiatives are “essential services” that require the mobilisation of resources with the private sector, in the community, as well as with government agencies.
“(It’s) the kind of role elected representatives must play, over and above representation in Parliament, over and above running a town council,” he said.
“This is an example of what we mean when we say that we have got the experience in government, in Parliament and in the private and social sectors in the way we can serve,” he added.
Since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Government has pushed out a slew of initiatives to help workers and job seekers, including subsidising Singaporeans’ wages, forming a National Jobs Council and promising to create 100,000 job and training opportunities. Safeguarding jobs is also a key part of the PAP’s manifesto.
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However, opposition parties have questioned if there are gaps in these support schemes, and Workers’ Party chief Pritam Singh said on Saturday that he has heard questions on whether many of these jobs are “low hanging fruit”.
In response, Mr Iswaran said the Government understands people’s concerns, but the economy is under “significant stress” and firms and industries are being cautious in the current economic environment.
“I think fruit, whether it’s low hanging or not, is good, isn’t it? The way we should look at it is: We’re in a difficult environment (and) our objective is to create jobs, full-time jobs. But if they’re not available, then part-time jobs, or … traineeships and other kinds of training programmes,” he said.
“I think we should not be getting into this ratings exercise and the kinds of jobs that are being created. I think most of the people that we talk to welcomed the fact that opportunities are being created,” he added.
“They understand that some accommodation and adjustment may be needed on our part, at least in the short term … but they also understand that what we are doing now is also an investment for the long term.”
The PAP team contesting in West Coast GRC is facing a team from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), comprising Dr Tan Cheng Bock, Mr Jeffrey Khoo, Ms Hazel Poa, Mr Leong Mun Wai and Mr Nadarajah Loganathan.
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