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SINGAPORE – More opportunities will be created for Singaporeans to help shape policies and plans as the Government seeks to deepen citizen participation, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Community and Youth Goh Hanyan. <\/p>\n
This includes the Government piloting different ways to engage citizens as part of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programmes (NRP)\u00a0<\/b>in Boon Lay and Canberra, she added. <\/p>\n
Speaking in Parliament on May 5, Ms Goh outlined two other ways that the Government is shifting towards shaping the future with citizens \u2013 by strengthening the volunteering ecosystem to make it easier for Singaporeans to step forward; and enabling citizen-led initiatives through schemes like\u00a0the $50 million SG Partnerships Fund,<\/span><\/a> which supports ground-up efforts. <\/p>\n She was responding to Mr Foo Cexiang\u2019s (Tanjong Pagar GRC) speech at the end of the sitting titled Building A Democracy Of Deeds. The term refers to active citizenry working with the Government to solve problems. <\/p>\n The Straits Times has asked the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of National Development for more details of the pilots in Boon Lay and Canberra. <\/p>\n Citing his experience with several citizen-led projects in his Tanjong Pagar-Tiong Bahru ward, Mr Foo said the Government should place citizen engagement at the heart of its planning approach as it shapes communities and neighbourhoods. <\/p>\n He gave three suggestions to do so. On state properties, he proposed that the Government invite ground-up proposals, and award such sites based solely on potential social impact. The selected proposals are then awarded the use of the property or site for a given tenure for free. <\/p>\n The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) currently tenders out state properties using the \u201cPrice-Quality\u201d system. <\/p>\n Mr Foo said the proposals could entail a community hub for youth, or a heritage living space, and become what he dubbed \u201cCommunity Regeneration Stations\u201d. <\/p>\n Noting that there are more than 2,600 state properties in Singapore, he said: \u201cImagine the energy that will be brought to our neighbourhoods if just a segment of them are converted to such Community Regeneration Stations.\u201d <\/p>\n Secondly, he said the HDB can consider enhancing NRP to include a component for participatory budgeting, on top of the base layer of improvements under the programme. <\/p>\n He cited the participatory budgeting trial in Spottiswoode Park estate in his ward, where residents can propose ideas and vote on neighbourhood improvements with a $200,000 budget. <\/p>\n Thirdly, he suggested letting each estate develop and implement its own tailored system for recycling or to dispose of food waste, with support from the Government. <\/p>\n In response, Ms Goh called \u201cdemocracy of deeds\u201d a simple yet powerful idea. She added that there is an ongoing shift from \u201cgovernment for the people\u201d to \u201cgovernment with the people\u201d. <\/p>\n