Last August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong sketched out elements of an old age support scheme in his National Day Rally speech. The Silver Support Scheme, as he named it, aims to top up the incomes of older Singaporeans (aged 65 or above) who have not accumulated sufficient retirement savings during their working life. It […]

“I don’t usually apply makeup… I did so only on my wedding day, when I was a bride,” chuckled the older lady gleefully. This remark was from an elderly resident in the Dakota Crescent area in Singapore, where my friend Jo had organised a makeover photography session for seniors over the age of 60 from […]

Singapore is moving towards state pensions for the needy elderly, to complement any personal savings and family help they may receive for their daily and medical expenses. This initiative, announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong during his 2014 National Day Rally speech, is a most welcome strengthening of the country’s social safety net.   […]

Singaporeans are not replacing themselves. This has led to concerns over workforce shrinkage and the impact of an ageing population on the economy. While liberal immigration policies were previously employed – and to a lesser extent, a more concerted approach than before to engage overseas Singaporeans through highlighting the merits of relocating back home – […]

The MediShield Life Review Committee’s (MLRC) recommendations have been submitted to the Government, and the committee’s seven-month long engagement and deliberation efforts are now seemingly complete. It has achieved much, having been tasked in November last year to consider the design parameters for the MediShield Life scheme to ensure adequate insurance coverage for all Singaporeans […]

The Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) unveiled in this year’s Budget, together with other existing and enhanced schemes such as the Community Health Assist Scheme or CHAS, Medisave top-ups, etc., are a set of policies that provide a comprehensive solution for many acute and primary healthcare needs of older Singaporeans, subject to the finalisation of the […]

The Nordic welfare states have often been mooted as models that Singaporean policymakers should consider when dealing with income inequality, poverty and improving citizen well-being. It is important, when considering those models, not only to discuss the financial and policy aspects of these models, but also their social underpinnings. At the heart of the Nordic […]

A historic milestone was reached when the Prime Minister first introduced the Pioneer Generation Package.  This Package was also accorded much prominence in Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam’s Budget Statement 2014. This is most significant, coming at the start of the SG50 celebrations for the 50th Anniversary of the founding of modern […]

This reflective report is based on the parallel session titled “The Future Legislative Landscape relating to Civil Society in Singapore,” which was held at the IPS Conference on Civil Society 2013, 11 November, Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel. Speaker Dr Kevin Tan Immediate Past President Singapore Heritage Society Chairperson Mr Nicholas Fang Executive Director Singapore Institute […]

Doing The Right Thing: Singapore Pioneers Outreach and Recognition Endowment (Spore) By Devadas Krishnadas 2015 will be the 50th anniversary of the independence of Singapore. It is by all measures a significant milestone. We once were a people with almost total dependency on the colonial power for our direction and sustenance. In the beginning our economic […]

By Lee Puay Ling and Dr Jeremy Lim The elderly Singaporean is increasingly hard pressed when it comes to healthcare. Our Singapore healthcare financing model emphasizes, in addition to government subsidies, employment, 3Ms and family. The latter three may no longer be sturdy pillars… Singapore prides herself as a traditional society, where there is a strong sense of […]