1. In your opinion, how can the spirit of volunteerism be encouraged in Singapore?

Explain your
answer using two strategies.

One strategy to encourage the spirit of volunteerism in Singapore is through the education system.
Efforts in education to inculcate values in our students so that they become active contributors of
our society can result in increased volunteerism rate among the youths in Singapore. Through the
education system, youths can be made more aware of societal needs and the importance of
contributing back to the community. For example, the initiative to introduce Values-In-Action (VIA)
in schools so that students will be exposed to the community and implement services that benefit
them has helped develop a spirit of volunteerism among the young here and can later on inspire
continued volunteerism and contribution as they graduate from schools. Hence, through the
education system, the spirit of volunteerism can be inculcated in Singaporeans since young as they
are become conscious of societal needs and accustomed to regularly volunteering their services and
contributing back to the society. Good habits instilled from a young age will remain with them for life
so using the education system as a platform to encourage the spirit of volunteerism will likely cause
it to become a regular and lifelong habit that will continue even after they graduate from schools.
Thus, the spirit of volunteerism in Singapore can be encouraged through the education system.

Another strategy to encourage the spirit of volunteerism in Singapore is through increased publicity/
creating awareness on the importance of volunteerism on the social media platforms. Social media
has proven to be a popular and influential tool that can inspire people to become socially involved.
Organisations or individuals can thus harness the potential of social media to publicise their
campaigns, causes and projects in order to raise awareness about the different societal needs and
recruit volunteers. For example, housewife Elisa Ng’s 2013 ‘A litter at a time’ campaign on Facebook
to encourage Singaporeans to pick up one piece of litter a day in their neighbourhoods has garnered
a lot of attention and support among Singaporeans who joined in the litter-picking drive. Similarly,
the sharing of stories by Singapore Kindness Movement on social media has gained attention and
spurred people to become more involved in carrying out goodwill actions for society. Hence, through
the use of the various social media platforms that are popularly used by the citizens, Singaporeans
can be made more aware of the different societal needs as well as the existing social causes and
campaigns in the country. They will also be able to read about other volunteers’ experiences and
how they benefitted from being involved in the campaigns or causes. This will hopefully persuade
more Singaporeans to step forward to volunteer their time and effort to address these societal
needs. Thus, the spirit of volunteerism in Singapore can be encouraged through increased publicity
on various social media platforms.

2. In your opinion, how can Singapore continue to preserve our hawker food culture? Explain your
answer using two ways.
One way that Singapore can continue to preserve our hawker food culture is to promote Singapore’s
unique hawker food culture. [P] Singapore can generate greater interest in local hawker food culture
by organising events such as the “Hawker Food Festival” at Singapore’s iconic landmarks such as
Marina Bay Sands or Sentosa. It can be organised like a night market for the entire month. Local
hawker stalls offering a variety of authentic local dishes like char kway teow, prata, satay, chicken
rice and chilli crab. The “Hawker Food Festival” allows locals and tourists to explore our diverse and
vibrant hawker food culture. There is also a section that explains the history of our hawker food
culture and highlights some of the local hawker scene. [E] As a result, Singaporeans are reminded of
our distinctive hawker food culture and they would better appreciate and support our local hawker
food culture. Tourists will be able to try these authentic local food and soak in the unique Singapore
hawker food culture. The Hawker Food Festival is held at iconic landmarks would allow locals and
tourist to visit and appreciate these historic places. Singaporeans could also educate their children
about the preservation of our hawker food culture and promote this iconic cultural food heritage to
foreigners. In the long term, our hawker culture can be preserved with greater interest and
appreciation. [E] Therefore, one way that Singapore can continue to preserve our hawker food
culture is to promote Singapore’s unique hawker food culture. [L]

Another way that Singapore can continue to preserve our hawker food culture is to provide support
to our hawker businesses. [P] The survival of local hawker food culture can be ensured by
encouraging younger Singaporeans to learn the skill and be a part of the hawker scene. It can be
done through a six-month mentorship programme where we impart skills to the younger generation.
For example, Timbre Group was appointed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) as Yishun
Park hawker Centre’s managing agent and the hawker centre will be managed on a not-for-profit
basis. Timbre+ Hawkers is expanding its Hawkerprenuers Incubation Programme at Yishun Park
Hawker Centre to provide more support for hawkerprenuers. This programme offers a low startup
investment with $1,300 all-inclusive monthly rental for Singaporeans who are 35 years and below
and has aspirations in food and beverages business. [E] As a result, hawker enthusiasts who are
interested in starting a business are able to experience it with a reduced operating cost and
mentorship. This would attract passionate young hawkers to work in the hawker industries and
continue this hawker food culture. It would also ease them into the hawker businesses, especially
with direct competition from bigger and more established food chain. The survival and sustainability
of these hawker businesses is essential in preserving the hawker food culture in Singapore. [E]
Therefore, another way that Singapore can continue to preserve our hawker food culture is to
provide support to our hawker businesses. [L]
3. In your opinion, how can members of the public provide feedback to the government and
influence its decisions? Explain your answer using two ways.

One way that the members of the public can provide feedback to the government is through social
media. [P] There are many people using social media such as Facebook and Twitter especially youths
who are more tech-savvy. Feedback can be provided by messaging the government online or leaving
comments. Members of the public can also “like” or “share” posts to express their opinions towards
government policies. For example, people can express their displeasure on Facebook against
legalising gambling. [El] As a result, with the feedback provided by the public on social media
platforms, actions taken by the government can be fast due to the instantaneous nature of social
media. Social media also allows for the public to feel that they are able to influence the decisions of
the government through the online feedback they provide. [Ex] Hence, the citizens can provide
feedback via social media. [L]

Another way that members of the public can provide feedback to the government is to write to the
Forum section of The Straits Times. [P] In their emails or letters to the editor of this section,
members of the public can explain why they feel a particular government policy or law needs to be
improved on or refined. For example, should they be unhappy with the building of a crematorium in
their residential estate, they could explain the reasons for their unhappiness and provide
suggestions on a more suitable site for the columbarium to be located at. [El] As a result, through
the feedback provided by members of the public, the government would have a better
understanding of the sentiments of the people on the ground and shape policies and pass laws that
are really meet their needs. Getting frequent and constructive feedback is also crucial for the
government to ensure that government policies and the laws passed remain relevant to the needs of
the country and its people. [Ex] Hence, the citizens can provide feedback via the Straits Times forum
section. [L]

3. In your opinion, why do you think the government uses social media as a tool to engage its
citizens? Explain your answer, using two reasons.

One reason the government uses social media to engage citizens because it enables the government
to connect with its citizens in real time compared to traditional platforms of obtaining feedback
which are much slower. [P] There many people in Singapore who use social media platforms such as
Facebook and Twitter and more people are also spending time online accessing such websites. It is
estimated that around 66 per cent of the population in Singapore use social media, according to
2015 statistics from global social media agency. [El] Hence, social media allows the government to
reach out to greater numbers of people, and hence have a higher chance of obtaining a greater
variety of feedback. The government could use these platforms to allow citizens to receive
immediate news on policies and programmes. It allows citizens to provide their feedback on these
policies and programmes. In doing so, they can engage citizens and encourage them to participate in
decision-making for the country in a time-efficient manner. [Ex] Hence, the government uses social
media to engage citizens. [L]
Another reason why the government uses social media to engage citizens is that the use of social
media encourages a sense of interactivity and accessibility between the government and the
citizens. [P] The interactive nature of social media allows for new avenues of engagement that were
not possible via “old” media, such as the newspapers, television and traditional websites. The
interactive features also allows users to express their opinions in a variety of ways – from “liking”
and “sharing” posts to raising their disagreement and unhappiness with certain governmental
decisions. [El] This is effective in engaging citizens because it connects the government and its
people, providing a casual avenue for citizens to share their opinions/feedback. As a result, the
government and the citizens can now converse in the present about issues, rather than after
decisions have been made. This could then help legitimize government decisions, promote a co-
sharing of the ownership for shaping policies and increase citizens’ trust in the government. [Ex]
Hence the government uses social media to engage citizens. [L]