 |
| Singapore’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law, Mr K Shanmugam, at a dialogue session with more than 100 participants from the Sikh community on 2 September 2015. Photo: Young Sikh Association (Singapore) |
Thursday, Sep 10, 2015: It is important for Singapore to build resilience within the society and deal with the challenges - be they related to terrorism, social or economic issues. This is the key reason for the need for community resilience, and inter-religious and inter-racial harmony for Singapore.
Minister for Foreign Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said this at a dialogue with more than 100 participants from the Sikh community on Sept 2. The Sixth Ministerial Dialogue was organised by Young Sikh Association (Singapore) or YSA, and was titled "The Future of Singapore".
On key international challenges, Mr Shanmugam stressed that relationships between the big countries - China, US and Japan - is a serious issue and should not be taken lightly. It has implications for Singapore and the space that Singaporeans have enjoyed so far.
On regional developments, Mr Shanmugam said what is happening in Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia can impact Singapore because they are such close neighbours and have such close economic relationships. "And political economic changes or challenges that they face would have a serious impact on us, and that is a second major facet."
Domestically, Mr Shanmugam talked about "our demographic challenge". He said it is a very serious one, because as one of the fastest ageing societies in the world, it is "a very significant challenge". An ageing society will have an impact on the economy, social policies, availability of manpower for a whole variety of things, including medical care."
The event also saw the launch of YSA's 10th anniversary publication, 10 - First Decade. The pictorial presentation represents YSA's humble beginnings and its journey to becoming an important and integral part of the Sikh community and the youth sector in Singapore.