Speaking during the debate on the President's Address on Sept. 1, Workers' Party MP Raeesah Khan emphasised the need for more opportunities for young Singaporeans in her maiden parliamentary speech.

"There is a deep sense prevailing in this country that even in 2020, one's socio-economic background is still too tightly linked to the accessibility of opportunities one enjoys," said Raeesah.

Need for equal opportunities

She cited an example of having received a plea for help from a resident who shared that one of his daughters, a graduate from a local polytechnic, wanted to pursue further studies at a university.

However, she was unable to secure a loan or financial aid, although she had secured a place at a private university.

In light of this example, Raeesah stressed the need for equal opportunities in Singapore, and said that the pursuit of meritocracy has "left many behind, shortchanged, and sadly, made to believe that they deserve their stations because they are simply not good enough".

Here are some suggestions Raeesah proposed:

At school

• Support students from young by training teachers to provide holistic support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds and not just academic guidance.
• Review whether recent reforms in grading, streaming and testing are working through "open, honest conversations".
• Reform teaching and learning to support learners with different skill sets.
• Assess and track the accessibility of opportunities at every phase of education.

At work

• Make jobs in the public service and civil service more accessible to candidates from a wider range of academic backgrounds, which will help improve the diversity of skills, perspectives and talents that can be tapped on.
• Introduce schemes to improve workers' accessibility to opportunities, such as a national minimum wage and redundancy insurance.
• Look for opportunities to create jobs for young Singaporeans, for example, setting up an independent body for the arts to oversee licensing and funding, and reforming the media landscape.
• Support the creation of "green jobs" in various industries.

Need for legislation against employment discrimination

Raeesah also pointed out that "job discrimination is a real problem that has real consequences for Singaporeans".

Calling for legislation against such discrimination, she said:

"Workers looking to make an honest living to support their families should not have to face employment discrimination in the job market because of their age, gender or race, and certainly should not be discriminated because they wear a hijab."

 Lower voting age to 18

Raeesah suggested that the voting age should be lowered to 18 to give young Singaporeans a say in Singapore's future.

She also added that this would compel the young to follow politics and legislation more closely and include their voices in the process.

She said that young people were "more than willing" to be involved in contributing their ideas, and added:

"We see it in young people who organise rallies and beach cleanups, who want to see Singapore do its part to tackle climate change. We see it in young people who time and time again have stood up to speak out against sexual harassment."

"I believe that this is what young people envision for our country. We may be young in age and less experience in life, but it does not mean we do not understand the important issues that the country faces."

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Top photo via Raeesah Khan on Facebook