Hello.
Parliament approved Singapore’s S$131.4 billion Budget on Thursday (Mar 7) after nine days of debate. Besides CPF changes, SkillsFuture upgrades and major moves announced earlier, which other announcements caught your attention?
Perhaps it’s the S$300 Climate Vouchers, or the stepwise raising of retirement and re-employment ages. Or how about the new public hospital in non-mature estate Tengah?
Budget 2024 was noted for being the first instalment of the Forward Singapore roadmap, as Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong prepares to take over as the prime minister this year. Being consultative is a challenging tightrope to walk, says former veteran newspaper editor Han Fook Kwang.
Last week saw businessman Philip Chan become the first person designated as a “politically significant person” under a law to counter foreign interference. This has caught the attention of business leaders, says RSIS’ Benjamin Ang.
Today is International Women’s Day. It’s important not to celebrate their achievements nor recognise their challenges for just one day, but find ways to uplift women systemically, such as addressing the women’s health gap. Helping working mothers is also important, but it’s telling no one calls the dads “working fathers”, says mother-of-two Yong Qiao Qing.
We hope you enjoy our selection of commentaries this week.
Charlene Tan
Senior Editor, Commentary
