It’s good to give feedback: PAP’s Ong Ye Kung
As part of Yahoo! Singapore's coverage of the 2011 General Elections, we speak to new faces to look out for in the coming weeks. In the second of a four-part series, LIYANA LOW speaks to Ong Ye Kung of the People's Action Party.
To new People's Action Party (PAP) candidate Ong Ye Kung, it's okay to engage in many Singaporeans' favourite past time: complaining.
Speaking to Yahoo! Singapore, the 41-year-old assistant secretary- general of the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) explained that complaining showed that people cared about what is going on around them, meaning that they see themselves as a stakeholder in the matter.
"Before I was a union leader, I worked in the civil service and as a civil servant, one of our jobs is to deal with complaints." He added that complaints can lead to changes in policy.
He cited the controversial foreign workers policy, which many were unhappy about, as a good example. He said that because people voiced their opinions, the government over time has adjusted the policy. Last year, levies were introduced to slow down the influx rate of foreign workers into Singapore.
However, he added that Singapore cannot turn away all foreigners, particularly the more highly skilled ones.
"If we do that, then we are actually sending a signal to foreign investors, saying don't send your best talents here. It's not a zero-sum game," he said, explaining that these talents bring along important investments that also help create jobs for Singaporeans.
The married father of two daughters, nine and 11, left his post as the principal private secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in 2005 to work as the chief executive of the Workforce Development Agency, making him one of the youngest civil servants to helm a statutory board at the age of 35.
During his time in the union for the past two and a half years, his discourse with various people has helped him understand their concerns, particularly the rising cost of living.
"I know that even a 10 cent rise in the price of coffee is significant to some. Talk to taxi drivers, and you know that the rise in diesel cost means less pay to take home."
"So these are serious issues, and the strength of the PAP is that we look into these bread and butter issues," he said.
However, he feels that issues concerning younger Singaporeans are different, particularly for the new batch of voters who will be going to the polls for the first time.
Mr Ong explained that this particular group of young people experienced a fairly rosy five years, in a boom period when Singapore started hosting the F1 race and also opened up two integrated resorts.
He feels that it is important for most young voters to be able to find opportunities here to fulfil their aspirations.
"If you want to work in Lucasfilms, now you can to go to an institute like CG Protege, where you can learn and build up a portfolio and you can apply for a job in Lucasfilms."
"I think Singapore 10 years ago and now, it's very different because today we present a lot more opportunities available for these young people."
Watch an excerpt of Yahoo! Singapore's interview with Mr Ong Ye Kung here.
