Singapore needs broader definition of merit in meritocracy: Lawrence Wong

Senior Minister of State for Education Lawrence Wong has said Singapore needs a broader sense of what "merit" means in "meritocracy". 

He was addressing a group of young Singaporeans at a dialogue about social change yesterday evening. 

"Merit is not just about academic abilities. But merit is about excellence doing whatever we want to do, whatever we're passionate about. And so I think if we take that broader sense of what meritocracy means, and we embrace different definitions of success in society, but we still try to provide as much (many) opportunities as possible, to individuals to every individual whatever their station in life. Then I hope we can be a better society for it."

Participants came from different community groups, including the Eurasian, and Young Sikh Associations. 

The topic of the evening was how young people can work as change agents. 

Over two hours, they discussed a wide range of issues, from education to volunteerism. 

Their suggestions included a call for youth representation in Parliament, and also, a future Singapore without "kiasu-ism", or the fear of losing out. 

"Kiasu-ism is very prominent in Singapore. What we actually hope to see, is more expression of different individuals, more culture elements, to basically cultivate a sense of belonging." 

"We'd like to see some youth representation at all levels, whether it's at the grassroots, in terms of community self-help groups, or even in Parliament, where we can actually talk about what we strongly believe in, and the kind of values we bring to the table."