Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong believes that the young voters and first-time voters of today are concerned about Covid-19.

Beyond that, he feels that such voters also care about bread-and-butter issues like jobs and livelihoods, and big-picture issues like sustainability and climate change.

PM Lee was responding to a question from Mothership during the June 29 Ang Mo Kio GRC press conference, about what he believes are the policies that will appeal the most to the youth, as the upcoming general election will see a new generation of voters.

Covid-19 worries

Much like in the People's Action Party (PAP) manifesto, PM Lee's first thought was of the looming threat of Covid-19.

Even if young people could recover more quickly from an infection, it still posed a threat to their older relatives.

He said, "I think everybody is concerned with Covid, because it concerns the health of all of us, and all of us can get sick. And even if the young people may get Covid more lightly, generally speaking, they will have parents, they will have old folks at home, and I think everyone is worried about that."

Jobs and employment

PM Lee addressed the issue of jobs, another key part of the PAP manifesto. While older workers are at risk of retrenchments due to Covid-19 and other pressures, he pointed out that youths and first-time workers were under threat too.

"I think that jobs policies are of concern to them too, because those who are newly graduating and entering the job market, they will be concerned whether in such a year they will be able to find a good job to get started in life.

Because if you can't get started in life, that is not just a loss for them, six months or one year. But you are permanently at a one-year deficit throughout your working career. And I think that's very bad."

He said the PAP government therefore prioritised job creation through traineeships and temporary jobs, and incentivised employers to take on new hires, even in the current unfavourable environment.

Sustainability

But besides such pocketbook concerns, PM Lee said that the youths would also be concerned with "long-term aspects", because they might live long enough to experience the long-term impact of such policies.

"Some people who are born now, in fact some people who are voting now, will be alive in the year 2100, 80 years from now," he said.

He said that when it comes to global warming, sustainability, and green issues, there are many young people who are passionate about that.

"And we have to take their interests very much at heart when we set policies for Singapore," he added, although looking after seniors and the elderly was important too.

Among the batch of new PAP candidates, a few of them have indicated an interest in championing environmental issues and sustainability.

They include Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Hany Soh, Poh Li San, and Alvin Tan.

Lee also said, quoting his late father, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, "But as Mr Lee Kuan Yew used to say, our deepest responsibility is to the future."

PM Lee added:

"And we must make sure that we govern Singapore well, we take care of ourselves to be able to see through the troubles, that we prepare ourselves for very long-term challenges, like climate change, and we give our children, hand over to our children Singapore in a good shape, and say 'Here you are, please take care of it very carefully, look after it well, it's very fragile, it's precious. It's yours to look after and one day to give to your children. May you succeed.'"

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Top image from PAP.