‘More work, more pressure, less privacy’: Prime Minister Joshua Wong on his first month in office

Engage with Singaporeans

Mr. Huang said that there are many platforms Governments can interact with citizens.

“Of course, I will do it on social media. I said I will engage with the media more often. Through the media, we can also engage with Singaporeans indirectly, or at least Address their concerns,” He said.

He added that government platforms and agencies also provide another avenue for him and his Cabinet ministers to engage with Singaporeans.

“I think we now have more engagement platforms in place than ever before, and these engagement platforms are not just for listening and receiving feedback, but also for collaborating and working together,” Mr Wong said at the Tampines East Community Club.

“I firmly believe that these platforms for building stronger partnerships are very important as this is the only way to move Singapore forward.”

Mr Wong said despite having a manifesto, it was still important for the new prime minister to be physically present and spend time communicating, not only in his own constituency of Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC, but also across the country.

“You have feedback on policy, you have ideas for improving the community, I’m willing to hear your ideas, hear directly from you. If you have practical initiatives and projects to move forward, I’m willing to hear from you as well,” he said.

“We want to support you, collaborate, cooperate, and work together.”

First stop in Tampines

Mr Wong told reporters that after his visit to the festival on Saturday, he would head out for a dialogue with a group of Tampines grassroots leaders, community volunteers and members of different organisations.

The agenda will cover a range of issues, some of which are related to families, parents and children, and some include green issues, etc.

“That’s the kind of interaction I want to have in each constituency. We make it as natural as possible,” he said.

“I might go to markets, I might go to hawker centres, I might reach out to different groups, I might take advantage of existing events that are already organised in the constituency, like the Learning Festival in Tampines.”

He said carefully planned dialogue sessions would allow for deeper conversations, although the timetable for constituency visits was still being worked out.

Also present on Saturday with Mr Wong were Tampines GRC MP and Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli, North East District Mayor Desmond Choo, and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Sustainability, Environment and Transport Baey Yam Keng.

Also present was Nanyang Technological University Assistant Professor Charlene Chen, who is the second advisor to the grassroots organisation in Tampines GRC.

In the past, Mr Choo and Nee Soon GRC MP Carrie Tan have also served as second advisers to grassroots organisations before becoming election candidates.