Daily Lessons from Life 12 Junuary 2014 - S'pore cannot be "winner takes all" society: PM Lee

"S'pore cannot be "winner takes all" society: PM Lee - CNA 12 January 2014

SINGAPORE: Singapore cannot be a society where the winner takes all, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

He was speaking to students receiving Edusave awards at his Teck Ghee ward in Ang Mo Kio GRC on Saturday.

Mr Lee said they may have worked hard for their success, but since they also received help from the people around them, they have a responsibility to help others and to care for them.

Giving out the awards, Mr Lee said he hopes these awards can encourage students to do better.

He said: "In Singapore, it doesn't matter what your starting point in life is. If you work hard, if you have the ability, you can rise. And we hope that our young people will work hard and study and do well. Of course, you shouldn't just work hard for awards or for academic grades. Ultimately, we hope you'll grow into good people and into responsible citizens and caring Singaporeans."

Mr Lee also commended students who have done well both academically and in their co-curricular activities, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
He said it takes courage to overcome difficult situations, but resilience makes this possible, and this determination to succeed is important for both the individual and the country.
Primary 6 student Ong Yong Jie has been receiving Edusave Awards, but this is his biggest haul with three awards - the Edusave Scholarship, Good Character Award and PCF Book Prize.
Yong Jie, who studies at Townsville Primary School, said: "My mother is very busy every day, and she has to take care of a lot more admin stuff, so I will help her do household chores like wiping the table after eating, washing the dishes and having to sweep the floor.”
Mr Lee commended students like Yong Jie for their resilience and urged them to care for those around them.
Mr Lee added that the government will be introducing new policies to grow Singapore's economy while improving its social system.
The objective, he said, is to help young Singaporeans find good jobs with good opportunities in future."

Lessons for me are:

1. NO country, NOT just Singapore can be a 'winners take all' society IF it is to be sustainable! History has shown that when CORRUPTED regime grew too greedy and creating hardship and negative impact to the lives of the majority, it will be THROWN OUT! So, for the PM to emphasise that Singapore CANNOT be a 'winners take all' society is JUST a reminder of the laws of nature!;

2. it is wonderful to see the kids from the non-branded schools getting these Edusave awards as they had shown that they CAN be as good as any student in Singapore! That their resilience to overcome obstacles and the hardwork they put in yielded results and gained proper recognition. At the same time, the PM is stating the obvious again: that our students grow up to become GOOD PEOPLE!

The story of young Yong Jie bears repeating: He helps with the household chores! Something the older generation took for granted as par for being a son or daughter at home! We MUST get our kids to start doing these more at home REGARDLESS of the excuses 'there are too many homeworks or/& enrichment classes to go to!';

3. Interestingly the PM mentioned Singapore is finding new way to give the young people good jobs in the future. I wonder what these 'new ways' will be. It is not easy now and it is getting even harder to create good jobs for Singaporean Singaporeans! We await with great anticipation!