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Singapore vows to create 'social safety nets'

Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong makes a speech in New Delhi on July 11 during an official visit. Singapore will create a new culture ministry in a bid to "focus on building a cohesive and vibrant society" amid simmering discontent over immigration and income gaps, Lee said Tuesday

Singapore will create a new culture ministry in a bid to "focus on building a cohesive and vibrant society" amid simmering discontent over immigration and income gaps, the prime minister said Tuesday. Lee Hsien Loong restructured his cabinet and vowed to boost "social safety nets" as he announced in a statement the creation of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. One of the new portfolio's tasks will be to promote "harmonious communal relations", said the statement, which comes as tensions mount between native-born Singaporeans and foreigners, mostly mainland Chinese. More than 37 percent of the 5.2 million people living in Singapore are foreigners, many of whom have taken up citizenship and employment in the city-state in recent years. The government has tightened visa and citizenship rules following complaints that jobs have been taken away from Singaporeans and a strain put on transport, health care and other public services. As part of the cabinet reshuffle an existing ministry will now focus on social and family development. "We need to strengthen our families and enhance our social safety nets to help those in need," Lee said. The ruling People's Action Party (PAP) suffered its worst electoral performance in May 2011 when nearly 40 percent of Singaporeans voted for the opposition, after a heated campaign heavily influenced by social media. The PAP managed to hold on to 81 of the 87 seats in parliament thanks to a controversial system of block voting, but it was shaken by an outpouring of scorn against the government via Facebook, Twitter and independent websites. Lee did not give details on what social safety nets he intends to boost, but government critics have been demanding greater attention to the fate of low-income Singaporeans, especially the elderly. Young couples have also complained about a lack of public housing and childcare facilities despite a government campaign for them to produce more babies in order to reverse the decline of the native-born population. Acknowledging the newfound power of social media, Lee said in his statement that "we have to improve public communication and engagement, so as to reach out more effectively to our increasingly diverse society". The 60-year-old leader posted a less formal announcement about the cabinet changes on his Facebook page, set up last April along with a Twitter account. "Reshuffled the Cabinet today," he wrote. "These changes will help us to serve Singaporeans better. I hope that all Singaporeans will give my team your full support, and work with us to build a better Singapore for all." Lee is the son of Singapore's founding leader Lee Kuan Yew, 88, who retired from the cabinet after last year's polls to give way to younger ministers.