If we don't want the 5Cs, what's the new Singapore dream? | Heart of the Matter podcast

According to the Forward SG report, people want more than just material success in life. Has the idea of a good life evolved? What impact will that have on the way the country is governed? Steven Chia gets answers from June Yong, Lead, Insights at Focus on the Family and mother of three, Dr Mathew Mathews, head of IPS social lab and Ho Ching Wee, a 25-year-old software developer.
00:00 Intro
01:58 Shift in how success is measured
04:43 Can parents be less focused on their children's grades?
09:19 Young people want "meaning" in their lives
13:56 Will Singaporeans be less competitive?
16:03 What policy changes should the government consider?
17:34 The new Singapore dream - what does it look like?
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[@knockitdown20]

Surely this topic deserves longer than 23 minutes for a proper discussion.. how about consider an episode 2? There can be so many perspectives from different family backgrounds

[@Garnishes]

it's not about focus on grades or not. the root issue is security for their children. if the system provides real viable diverse pathways apart from grades at such an early age for the same level of financial security in future, u will see people truly letting go of the over-focus on grades at early age. this is because they will feel more assured and secured that their children will be able to thrive just as much in different paths. also -- grades are not the problem -- is *what* they are grading. are other forms of learning styles, intelligence and skills being taught and graded? or is it only a narrow band of competencies that are being graded? can we expand that further? then 'grades' won't really be the enemy anymore.

[@leewn2319]

New Cs probably should be : (1) Compassion Considerate & Caring (2) Commitment to relationships & goals (3) Creativity in getting things done (4) Conscientious (5) Carefree Retirement

[@deschan2246]

None of what u mentioned Singapore has it. Thats the joke !!!😂 typical ghost commenter commenting brainlessly

[@kengleetan63]

Sorry lah, the new gen of young locals only can dream, unless they themselves or their parents also earn like PAP elites and their connected cronies ,then these youngsters can not only have 5C but 7Cs too! Hey, that new condo launch looks nice , lets go buy 2 units today!😆😆😆😆

[@leexianlong6855]

Cs are still relevant today. They are means to an end. People need it to have utility. The question is what the individual wants versus what the PAP wants for you. The people want Crypto because no one trusts the PAP to not debase the Singapore dollar. The people want Cheaper HBD to home ownership. The people want more Competition in Parliament to get representation. The people want Constitutional rights to free expression, association, and belief. Today, people's Cs are more diverse. However, the PAP has its own agenda and may not want the same Cs for the people. The PAP wants control, compliance, COE, CPF, covid jabs, and communism. All of which are in conflict with the People's aspirations. Thus, to be happy is to pursue your individual goals and removing any potential obstacle in your way. Single party rule by the PAP is a huge obstacle and Singaporeans must strive to remove them. Do not trust PAP. Do not vote PAP.

[@radensuki]

how is it singapore if over 50% are foreigners?

[@Hs5687]

How about Whistleblower Legislation 😊… To deal with Rampant Spike in financial Waste , Fraud, Abuses, Corruption, Money Laundering etc …. Whistleblower Legislation must not only include Protection But also Monetary Rewards… Then Watch Heads Roll 😊

[@sepam82]

Making a living is always important. Every country leadership must always bear this in mind. Only when the economies are doing well can one talk about gracious lifestyles, carefree retirements with good health cares. Nations risk going to war if the economies are not well managed. Good managements include identifying the type of products and jobs of the future as well as the present. Preparing for all these and training the future generations on moral responsilities as citizens of society are very important....

[@susanchoo879]

Nowadays it's not a matter of having 5C or not, it is a matter of whether you can wake up in the morning or not.Life is so fragile and unpredictable nowadays

[@SGBOI]

The new value should be 1.Embracing individuality 2.Follow your passion 3.Contribute the way you are meant to 4.Achieve mental peace and wealth

[@gweejiahan9336]

The 5C goals: Credit card -> everyone achieve easily so can disregard. Condo -> is representative of any private property which is something a lot of people still aim for. Car -> guess people are realising that this is a lower priority C since its an depreciating asset. Country Club -> Seems like a old fashion desire and lower priority C now and can replace with "country hopping" which is a more desired C now. Cash -> is still a goal but now Its not in the form of physical cash, nowadays Its the "Passive Income - F.I.R.E." Dream

[@franklee663]

I have a daughter who had just finished Sec 4, she had the option of joining JC or Poly and I explained the choices she had, so the first keyword is CHOICE, she decided what she wanted, and I told her that since she has chosen, she must have the COURAGE to follow through, it is a CAREER path that she has chosen, so I told her, it is not what she knows but it is important for her to develop CHANNELS, be in touch with the industry. The last item that I told her that whatever she does, she has to be CONSCIENTIOUS. As long as she follows the rest of the materialistic 5Cs will follow.

[@jameswilliam26]

I think one of the most critical things to be cognizant of is that Singapore is not a country, but a city, and there is a whole wide world out there. It doesn't mean that if the people dont work, or work less, the Singapore economy will collapse, especially in an economy where the value of international trade is three times that of the domestic economy. People should re-orient their lives towards entrepreneurship and business to make use of Singapore's trade networks.

[@cookie12986]

Could you elaborate more on how such trade networks are commonly leveraged?

[@jameswilliam26]

@@cookie12986, I am still in the process of figuring out exactly how, but I guess in a myriad of ways. In essence, I think because Singapore is better connected to many parts of the world, it is easier to send things over to Singapore and then send them off to other places less well connected. This way, Singapore residents can be the connectors or middlemen for people at opposite ends of the supply chain.

[@Kfcmpp01]

I dont hear specific dreams but rather wishes from the particpants for a good life. Dreams should have goals, timeline, courage to strive and enjoying while pursuing.

[@ssangyongA230]

Think many dreams cannot be materialized as the high costs of living including aspirations of younger Singaporeans, they are giving up. They feel they are treated like robots working in a way just to make ends meet. How to think of aspirations and more holistic aims ? 😢

[@user-wn5oj7qc4i]

Sounds suspiciously like common prosperity. Vague unarticulated unmeasurable goals. It has to be materialism plus. Without financial security nothing else matters.

[@theadventurer1602]

Poverty is always a curse, and this goes down to family's level as well. While certainly it is a good thing that as humans, we now begin to go in pursuit of higher goals apart from extreme materialism and consumerism, at the basic level, the heads of the households must continue to ensure they are armed with the financial capabilities to provide sufficient amount of bread and butter for the family as well as building a conducive environment for family members to live comfortably (not talking about excessive indulgence but whatever that is appropriate for their mental and physical sustainment) that would cater to the healthy development of all aspects of their well-being.

[@johnji3537]

I would like to know how many Singaporeans don't have 2C(Cash & Condo) and living in poverty?

[@xxpurpletunic8050]

Switzerland model and Austria model are another benchmarking for city to repositioning next generations.

[@xxpurpletunic8050]

The Important of Termasek and GIC , Gov linked Corp to bring city to next level , like Dubai gov and Qatar gov. 35 hours per week like France economical power is benchmarking for the city to move to next power.

[@Kimmi7581]

Good that we finally realised we have turned into a toxic society and glad that DPM has the heart and foresight to better the society. I work in a govt agency and worked into burnt out. This have to be a top down approach like every other policies. Like better pay for social workers etc. Social workers need to eat and pay bills too. Govt should set examples.

[@Ange-kt8jl]

Blending different generations of thinking together requires more effort than one think. It’s getting more apparent as you start to see them in the workforce. I’m a millennial and can hardly stomach the traditional leadership styles that we are still seeing. And the next generation that I work with are struggling to understand why the organisation behaves in a certain way.

[@exploringapis4495]

those with 5Cs continue to own the 5Cs, those without it will be much harder to own them as they are getting so expensive.

[@lecherhao86]

Firstly, increase the number of places for locals in NTU, NUS, SMU. Some people might not be early boomers in life but they can flourish in university. Right now, the competition to enter local uni just perpetuate the stress faced by our students and the parents. And secondly, reduce the pay difference between the different industries. Why do we have people going to finance, petrol and gas, tech, property industries after they grad with other degrees? Because that's where the money is. Why are nursing, social work, early education, special education industries less attractive in comparison? Because they are paid peanuts.

[@crispusallen3865]

Sry this is not bolehland. Here it's meitocracy only!

[@jamesl2590]

Already increase alot liao compared to 10 years ago. Just go take a walk in uni. You will notice a big difference in demographics versus a decade ago. Due to aging population, there is also difficulty in getting enough locals. But there is still a minimum enrolment standard to adhere to la. Universities can't be accepting students who do badly in their fundamental subjects that correspond to their applied courses. The bar has been dropping over the years.

[@anglo-saxonconnor817]

The singapore policy and promise have fail thats why its asking Singaporeans to give up the 5c dream for a new one.

[@cookie12986]

The Singapore Dream is no longer the 5Cs. The Singapore Dream is, quite simply, dead.

[@VioletCandyz]

Working is a thing which separates me from poverty. There is no company in the world which truly cares about the welfare of people EOD. The best SG dream is be rid of debt slavery which is plaguing the entire population cause of massive inflation , greedy corporations and pathetic salary payouts.

[@AlanTan-mo2jf]

I often go to an event and there is this couple with 3 kids. I was thinking wow, how are they coping esp on the financial side, the father is a normal 9-5 employee. End up, I discovered that he came from a well to do family. Life is not always fair.

[@bkng9616]

For all the talks on greater good and returning back to society, it's still very much a bread and butter issue for most Singaporeans as overhead cost drives higher costs of living in this city. That's the fundamental issue that government needs to look into, when we compared ourselves to countries with better work life balance and whose population enjoy more graceful aging and comfortable retirement.

[@Randomchicken911]

They do not have a solution. It’s a structural problem. We are an island with no natural resources and they can’t bring the cost down. Prices keep going up and their solution is to tell the population “to be contented with less.” Literally. If everyone can buy a condo and car EASILY, then there’s no need to have this very typical PR reframing of thought and diversionary tactic. Whether they have this conversation or not. The fact today is that they are SUCCESSFUL lowly educated workers in Singapore. Whether a banker looks down on the job of a plumber is related to upbringing. As much as you can’t buy class, you can’t do a top down reframing and forcibly change thoughts. I for one respect low educated folks who are millionaires. They took the less trodden path and still find success. Corporate and white collar is BS jobs. I’m a white collar and I do not know what’s so glamorous or great about it, I’m just taking it because it pays and get on with my life. That’s a fact. There’s always religion for those who wants to find more meaning in life. Just don’t dig too deep, you’ll start to be very disappointed as the truth will only leave you with more questions.

[@Banayaga]

Steven should do a series on whether women do actually have a lesser chance of becoming pregnant and having a healthy baby after their 30s. There are so many scares out there to make women and men who wants to have children feel pressured to have them early even when they are not financially capable. There have been videos to say that these are all myths and outdated wise old tales that no longer apply to our current society too.

[@diva555sg]

The govt should have a plan to have no poverty, homelessness, family/child abuse/violence, happiness index. Just as we have a health report since childhood they can also develop a career & personal development report so you will know what is your strength & maximise the potential. In time to come it will be a resilent society & community if you have CCA to built virtue, give back to community, 3R & recycle instead of 1 time use. Grow your own crop, awareness of forever chemical & how to remedy it, remove big pharma & bring in big health. Medical is for brokenbones not synthetic crude oil based medication.

[@anghockseng5686]

Rich people has more Choice

[@jacksonwong90]

What happened to swiss standard ??? Gst tac profiteering regularly but not swiss standard

[@stephenlim2852]

If you think education pressure is unbearable in Singapore, you have not seen the China and Korean's academic scene.

[@jamesl2590]

Exactly. Seriously perplexed by the frequent comments about education pressure in Singapore. I think the issue with Singapore education lies more with the teaching materials and knowledge transfer rather than difficulty of scoring (it's frankly easy to achieve an average score to get into one of the 5 public unis). Think of this: Parents are pouring money to send kids for tuition. Many have seen significant improvement in academic scores. Why is that so? Apart from the socialising aspect, it seems that the classroom time spent in school is pretty much redundant.

[@stephenlim955]

Govt need to have more family friendly policies -- flexibility in working hours, paid parental leaves and discourage outsourcing of child and family cares to maids from poor developing countries. Parents should not abdicate their responsibilities to a continuous stream of maids. Govt need to have social policies to encourage all the above aims.

[@andyhoo5358]

To each their own. Some people dont value material wealth, some people value giving back, i believe we can all coexist to work towards individual goals.

[@NewmaticKe]

Viewing this entitled discussion from Africa

[@cstan8165]

This entire socio-economic phenomena is death oriented, implicating momentum towards global suicide. Meanwhile we find significance in our own seeming lives with recycled or reused meaning, purpose, perspectives and whatnot. Even our names and birthdays are recycled products which are never truly uniquely ours, the ongoing insistence of “I”, “Me”, “Mine” persists life after life, with the same belief that “I am the exception”, “This is my name”, “This is my birthday”, “This is my life”, being oblivious of one’s true nature, and this goes on era after era. For those who sees and makes it out of this loop, I’m happy for you. For only a handful have done so as far as history is concerned, whilst living and moving amongst the rest, peacefully in silent joy.

[@LonganLee]

My Singapore Dream : 1. 200k COE. 2. $1.5 million BTO

[@yengkoontan7184]

People nowadays want fteedom to live the life they want and importantly financial freedom

[@Humorousguy64]

Good and nice topic

[@Humorousguy64]

As Singaporean..i think our lives whether good or bad depends on ourselves and our mind ..be rightful in doing things ...and if government keeps helping low income ppl below 3k per month like me frequently throughout the year using our own hardearned cpf money would really make us a little stressfree ....they should feel and look how we low income ppl stress all year long ..

[@leexianlong6855]

Cs are still relevant today. They are means to an end. People need it to have utility. The question is what the individual wants versus what the PAP wants for you. The people want Crypto because no one trusts the PAP to not debase the Singapore dollar. The people want Cheaper HBD to home ownership. The people want more Competition in Parliament to get representation. The people want Constitutional rights to free expression, association, and belief. Today, people's Cs are more diverse. However, the PAP has its own agenda and may not want the same Cs for the people. The PAP wants control, compliance, COE, CPF, covid jabs, and communism. All of which are in conflict with the People's aspirations. Thus, to be happy is to pursue your individual goals and removing any potential obstacle in your way. Single party rule by the PAP is a huge obstacle and Singaporeans must strive to remove them. Do not trust PAP. Do not vote PAP.

[@jameslohtaikan8796]

I suppose Maslow's hierarchy of needs ever still applies.

[@nuggetsss2526]

Work life balance

[@MaySim]

While making a living is a concern for all except the wealthiest of people, the majority of Singaporeans are actually NOT living hand-to-mouth (just look at the kind of credit card bills racked up by the average person), so the concept of a paycut for a meaningful career is completely viable, and it is not true that a paycut = survival problems. If Singaporeans genuinely wish for meaning and purpose in life, then we have to be authentic about our priorities. We don't have the right to complain about 'grind' jobs when we cannot let go of the self-indulgence of 3 overseas vacations per year.

[@jamesl2590]

If your child think Singapore's academic curriculum is difficult, wait till he or she go to the workforce, where results and rewards are even more uncertain and cruel. Why worry if you think your child is smart enough for his future career and the education system here is undeserving of his talents? Just ignore the grades and participate minimally in school la.

[@ocswoodlands]

8:30 Tennis is an expensive sport that the lower SES students can't access...

[@johnnyappleseed6823]

The girl mentioned "like" 546 times

[@Raul_Menendez]

They're so out of touch. The new 5Cs for the common Singaporean today is 1S, Survive. We can't even afford a home a proper home for our family and how do you expect us to make more babies for the population? Even if you account for inflation, OUR TIME IS MUCH MUCH WORSE THAN THE PREVIOUS GENERATION!

[@libiskit]

100% agree... cost of housing gotten ridiculous

[@crispusallen3865]

If you are poor here, you're to be blamed.

[@space4495]

Work harder. Follow the footsteps of the founder of Sheng Shiong supermarket chain, an ordinary citizen who is now a billionaire and owns a bungalow.

[@teokahyok9827]

These days the gen z not only wants more than the 5Cs especially cash is what they are more interested today with it you won't be able to do lots of things but what they want wants is how enjoy life at the same time earn enough for what they want and indulged in good foods and entertainment

[@anghockseng5686]

Like president wife can Do social work because she is financial independ and She has compassion for the prisoner

[@panamood7455]

To all of you who complain and complain… you dont realize how lucky you are to be singaporean. Please dont become entitled american style brats. Work hard, Enjoy family and live a healthy life. Happiness comes by itself, trust me. Have a good day !

[@jamesl2590]

Americans don't give a f about results btw. In most places, peeps are not stigmatized by low-salary professions. Our problems arise from Chinese mentality where success has to be about money and academic. Is it wrong? No. It's a matter of choice and trade-offs, but most importantly, the circumstances of Singapore demands that for survival. But you are right. We should feel lucky to be born in Singapore.

[@linaang9992]

More free flow of $ support for all class of people...rich or poor, young or old.

[@woffydo]

my new Singapore dream is to get out of Singapore, it has become a nation lacking in empathy, paranoid by the slightest thing, night life is dead, over-pressured by too many unnecessary laws, lacking in joy and laughter from the 80's and 90/s.

[@flowertowerrr]

Unfortunately, most who feel like this never successfully do it. 😔

[@space4495]

Good luck. Like they say the grass is always greener on the other side. At least making SG less packed.

[@sleepy_dobe]

Are we trying to do/achieve too much, with too little resources and too little time? The rat race, in work and in life, as it is right now will only serve to subject our people to super intense pressure and stress. But the solution also cannot be to abandon the rat race and not run it at all. Afterall, this rat race involves not just Singapore, but the world as well. If we jump off the revolving wheel or slow down, as a small island state with no natural resources, Singapore will very quickly be left behind and lose relevance in the world. That would be disastrous for everyone, rich and poor, young and old, highly educated and not. Perhaps, the key is to redesign it, or run it in a different manner.

[@SK-lt1so]

They just can't say "political freedom", can they?

[@cookie12986]

This is CNA, what do you expect? 😂

[@StevenSmith-mv4ge]

The new Singapore dream is to just survive.

[@unideath32]

We are all down to one C. Hopefully we get to spent our CPF if the time comes😅😅

[@lfc1981]

new dream? it is for family monthly income of $10k - $15k at least, and its not even talking about condo / car! family with kids, savings, insurance, food, gas, electricity, education, transport , taking care of sick/ elderly at home, or giving mthly allowances to parents & their miscellaneous expenses. how to ever have enough ? the definition of "work life balance" nowadays is just younger age groups wanting to enjoy life without working hard enough.

[@marktn9851]

New dream? What was the old one again? Loans, loans n more loans^^

[@johnnyang2472]

Dreams getting further and further away😂😂😂😂

[@scl2866]

Second guest : like..like..like, like .......like , like...like. Maybe that's all the vocabulary required for an overpaid job like software developer.

[@billytan7871]

If it really care for the community, why would the healthcare turnover be high again, only crisis then we are one after crisis over you are back to square one. Salary back to square one, thing getting exexex.

[@cklee804]

The best is to fall back to the Chinese ancient desires and what they want in life To look forward into the future ..all Chinese as well as others too share these feelings 1. When old to have a roof over the head .(.so shelter is important ..the government to act ) 2. Good health 3. Reasonable amount of money to spend 4. A good companion 5. Friends to socialise . These are the 5 needs and the government should work on these ...

[@akinchung6997]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 eventually u will Realize that whatever u Wants is not what u wants n ended up Enough Eat Enough Spend is the Hardest goal to achieve in your lifestyle(s)😊

[@nshon7]

Chen YuFei seems to be the only opponent who can consistently beat An S.Y

[@richtan6081]

To live is to make $$$ and live life.. Past is History, Future is a mystery/blind.. Present is a Gift..so enjoy like no 2moro..

[@vivianoosthuizen8990]

To move to Australia and or buy real estate in Australia

[@fern8580]

Singapore dream ? = GST 3G in 2002 ( Gst 3%) 4G in 2003 ( Gst 4%) 5G in 2007 ( Gst 5%) 7G in 2008 8G in 2022 9G in 2024 10G in 2025

[@hatchegg80]

there's some so called CONVERSATION every few years, Heng SK also did one before this, what's different? Why all the talk and head scratching

[@leexianlong6855]

Cs are still relevant today. They are means to an end. People need it to have utility. The question is what the individual wants versus what the PAP wants for you. The people want Crypto because no one trusts the PAP to not debase the Singapore dollar. The people want Cheaper HBD to home ownership. The people want more Competition in Parliament to get representation. The people want Constitutional rights to free expression, association, and belief. Today, people's Cs are more diverse. However, the PAP has its own agenda and may not want the same Cs for the people. The PAP wants control, compliance, COE, CPF, covid jabs, and communism. All of which are in conflict with the People's aspirations. Thus, to be happy is to pursue your individual goals and removing any potential obstacle in your way. Single party rule by the PAP is a huge obstacle and Singaporeans must strive to remove them. Do not trust PAP. Do not vote PAP.

[@Tony-nr8dp]

5 Cs mean different things for Singaporeans . For the poor , lonely , depressed , sick , all the Cs mean only one thing . I ,E , DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE (c in hokkien )

[@seandaniel3994]

Dont need overnight richers ....if you can something that can get you out of the rat race why not

[@MrBoliao98]

When you use the word dream, it is very unSingaporean, I want a reality. If I want a teh tarikh one kosong prata and one telur prata at 3am for $5, I get it. If the MRT train run at 5.30am, it better run at 5.30am. If the government push affordable housing, no one should be borrowing 30-40k to get a fresh 99 year lease 3 room flat. Children grades, I mean if you last time can study, your child won't do bad, if you can study of course your kid is predispose to study well or at least not fail exam.

[@deschan2246]

The biggest joke is, Singaporeans dont know Singapore is a developing country !!!😂

[@tzechean]

getting 8 Like in 1mins really annoying lol

[@powong1]

The reality is 5C +++++, if got government bungalow so much better to suit the greed.

[@deschan2246]

Is deterioration n declining dream? 😂🤣😂🤣

[@silverchairsg]

I guess the New Singapore Dream is to attain financial independence so you don't have to work a job you like, and then you can go sip bubble tea and travel to Japan for holiday 12x a year.

[@user-ug3rz4cu4s]

A Chinese free Singapura is everyone's dream

[@johnnichols2739]

Hallo❤

[@Kratos863]

Sgrean dream of living out of sg thats what they want lol