Government Reaches Out To Public Through Multiple Channels
- Berita Harian, 10 April 2010
We would like to thank Mr Mohd Ikhlash Abdullah for his feedback on the Government's outreach in explaining various schemes to help Singaporeans ('Cara bantuan perlu sentiasa disemak', Berita Harian, Mar 31)
2. The Government uses multiple channels of communication to reach different segments of the population.
3. For major assistance schemes, wide and sustained publicity is done through the mass media (including radio and TV programmes) and government websites, supplemented by posters and banners at prominent places such as void decks, community centres and hawker centres. In addition, mailers and personalised letters are sent to individual households. Hotlines are available for the public to call in if clarifications are needed.
4. We complement these with a targeted approach to reach out to more vulnerable Singaporeans. Roadshows and briefings are organised for grassroots leaders and resident groups, who will in turn make house visits and help the help low-income and elderly Singaporeans in their neighbourhood sign up for their GST Credits/Senior Citizens' Bonus. Similarly, for the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS), roadshows were organised at community centres and heartland locations to better reach out to residents and help them sign up. This outreach is also extended to other vulnerable groups such as residents in welfare, disability, sheltered and nursing homes, as well as prison inmates.
5. To ensure that low wage workers have access to training and upgrading opportunities, the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) reaches out to them as well as their employers through different publicity channels, including the mass media, advertisements at HDB estates and brochures distributed through branches of the National Library. WDA also works with the Community Development Councils, unions and employer groups, including organizing outreach activities such as training and job fairs to bring opportunities to the door-step of our workers.
6. For those who do not know where to go to for help, they can approach their nearest Community Development Council (CDC), Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) or a Family Service Centre (FSC). They can also call the toll-free 24-hour ComCare Call line on 1800-222-0000. The ComCare Call is a call service that aims to connect needy individuals and families to the appropriate social assistance agencies. The ComCare Call number is on posters put up at HDB void decks and banners placed in community centres and schools. Periodic publicity of this number is also done through radio talks.
7. We would like to assure Mr Ikhlash that the Government is committed to enhancing our outreach efforts and will continue to work with the grassroots in making information on Government schemes easily accessible, especially to those in greatest need.
Ways of Providing Help Needs to be Constantly Reviewed
- Berita Harian, 31 March 2010
The Government has allocated $5.5 billion which includes tax rebates, grants and training subsidies for Singaporeans in the recent National Budget which was tabled by the Minister of Finance, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam. The aim is to increase workers' productivity through various training schemes and jobs to develop an inclusive Singapore society. The approach and the investment in every Singaporean are necessary for the country's survival and in line with the global competition to ensure that no Singaporean is left behind.
The Government does not also forget to allocate $1.8 billion to support families especially the low-income and middle-income groups to ensure a fair development of every Singaporean. To put it simply, the Government provides an allocation of funds to be distributed. However, the middle and high-class groups are often the only groups which followed the development of such assistance.
In other words, information on such schemes often fail to be understood, taken advantage or communicated to the targeted group such as low-income and lowly educated families, such as the elderly who live alone, those who are handicapped or those who are illiterate. As a result, this group will continue being handicapped and is unable to participate together with others or they will miss the opportunities provided to upgrade themselves and their families.
So, what is the solution?
To overcome this problem, we should be concerned about or identify the group at risk. This needs the approach of various quarters including the Government, voluntary welfare organisations, grassroots bodies and neighbours.
This is so that whatever gap there is between the assistance schemes provider and the prospective recipients could be narrowed. After identifying the group at risk, explanations on the assistance and self-upgrading schemes available could be made. And the way to do this is not by merely issuing pamphlets but actually reaching out to this target group so that its members will understand the opportunities, channels and avenues open for them to upgrade themselves. Such efforts are necessary so that nobody is left behind.
If there are still some people left behind, perhaps the approaches by the Government and non-governmental bodies should be reviewed and adjustments made so that the benefits of the national budget could be felt by all levels of society, especially the low-income group.