DPM Teo to Singapore youth: You have to work hard to make Singapore ‘better’
Posted by temasektimes on May 30, 2012
Fresh from his blistering exchange with WP Chief Low Thia Kiang in the aftermath of the Hougang by-election, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean now finds time to give a lecture to Singapore youth during this year’s pre-university seminar.
During his lecture, DPM Teo reminded students the need for a well-founded ‘optimism’ in Singapore’s future.
A poll conducted in the session revealed that about 80 per cent of participants also indicated they were optimistic or very optimistic about their future in general, a result which DPM Teo was happy about:
“The message I was trying to have the students discover for themselves is that life is not an escalator, you actually have to work to make your country better, you have to work hard to make your life better. And when I say work it also means making a contribution to your community, to society, not just yourself.”
DPM Teo also expressed optimism that Singaporeans can overcome the challenges faced by the nation together:
“I’m quite cheered by that because it means that the students don’t have a blind optimism. They understand that there are challenges, but those challenges can be overcome and if we do put in that effort together, we can do that.”
The five-day seminar is being attended by students from polytechnics, junior colleges, centralised institutes and integrated programme schools which allows an opportunity for the youth to engage with political, community and industry leaders and discuss issues of importance to Singapore.
THE TEMASEK TIMES 
Daft Peasants said
YES SIR!!!
We the peasants have to work hard to live better in $inkapore…..
And the Pappies have to work VERY HARD to win Hougang and Aljunied……not forgetting East Coast GRC and Joo Chiat SMC for the next erection where WP may contested in…..
Lim said
How long can one be in denial? Hougang not represenative of Spore? 80% of youths optimistic or very optimistic about SG’s future?
SINYoobi said
The flawed government policies are preventing Singapore youths to make Singapore better. The government must review flawed policies to place Singaporeans first in education, employment, accommodation, and etc.
Raymond said
Life is not an escalator. In fact, it is far tougher than that! Especially, when you have your own government trying to screw you every single day
drumdem said
that is why it is ‘Pay And Pay’
Karias said
I do agree that we have to work hard to make Singapore a better place, but then again, isn’t the government working on gathering foreign talent since most of us Singaporeans don’t want to do it?
Jaded said
Life is an escalator… going downwards thanks to the pappies!
x12831 said
5-day of brain washing! Attended one years ago. Good luck to the students; hopefully majority could spot the lies told to them. 😉
Yuri Seng said
In the govt sector management u work the least compared to private sector so his statement contradicts. Govt job at most 9-6pm and for higher management u don’t need to adhere this rule, i’ve seen people coming in at 12 and leaving at 4. Why minister cant do this when the work already settled for the day? Don’t kid yourself, the private sector is the one working hard around the clock and paying tax. The govt in Singapore benefits the slavery in priv sector due to the policies.
Good Day said
the people you have seen coming in at 12 and leaving at 4 is not representative of all the govt sector jobs. “govt job at most 9-6pm”, what are these “most”? when you think about govt sector, did you actually consider the SAF, the SPF, Civil Defence, etc? If yes, did you know they worked long and hard hours, and even at hours when people are sleeping, when people are enjoying their holidays, while people are watching NDP? did you know that?
and before you say that its these people’s choice to work at these sectors, yes, it might be their choice, and it might be some people’s choice to just pay tax to claim that they pay tax, and they deserve to be served, then think about if everyone decides not to do these hard work and just pay taxes, where do you find people to protect, to enforce security, to save people in need?
i am sure you are probably one of the good people who worked hard as well and despise the people who like take the easy way out, but surely we do not want to label everyone from the same group as behaving the same just because a few does, or worse, even more.
let’s just agree that overall, everyone does work hard, regardless of private or govt sector, or at least, people do try to work hard for what they have to do.
in this world, nothing is perfect, if you want perfect world, go to Mars. since nothing is perfect, we have to agree, as a baseline, there are blacksheeps around in any private or govt sector. do not let “some people who go in at 12 and leave at 4” to represent the “WHOLE” govt sector.
Teo is rear admirer with no guts said
What big nose Teo says is true except that he omitted the most important fact, i.e
Spore youths have to work harder at convincing the 60% to put the PAP out of business in 2016 so as to make spore a better place for ordinary sporeans.
J said
We can emulate them by working as “hard” as PAP right ?
Btw I don’t see the escalator, all I see are stairs.
Cancer said
My parents used to tell us to work hard to have a better future. Now I tell my children no need to work so hard but need to work smart. No matter how hard we strive, our jobs are taken over my FTs (tons of them are coming in as per our govt). How to work hard when our salary is meagre & suppressed? Where is the motivation? Work hard to be hawkers?
Plan for your children said
As a parent, I will still tell my children to work hard when they are still young but I will give them a 2nd option, an Aust PR visa so that they can have an alternative in case S’pore really cannot make it in future.
Thanks to PAP, me and my whole family got our Aust PR visa recently.
SINYoobi said
Agreed with your comments. Government must STOP foreign immigrants.
Leo said
wats wrong with being a hawker? It is a decent job.
loo said
So, where is the message of working hard yet maintaining a balanced lifestyle with elders in the family to build an enviroment for the well being on the upbringing to children so that this momentum can be carried on to the next generations to gradually improve the brith rate target that our nation intends to maintain and achieve. Working hard alone could mean alot of things. Both couples working hard but not nurturing family values so that the children will grow up understanding that family bonding is important and why chldren bring joy to the home. At the accelerated pace things are going, its probably the reason why young couples are not having children. So i feel working hard statement isnt the suitable term to use actually. Maybe the message should be we need to work to achive our goals in life. But we must not forget family values and help build a nation together. Children is the pillar for Singapore’s future……….. you know something like that I thought would sound better. So maybe the problem is there is insufficient coordination. Perhaps the thought of baby issue is not under his umbrella so not mentioned.
corruptpapies said
Yes Sir ! Work hard to feed all the retarded miw ?
Ni Hong said
you also must have connection. to be and MP
Aiyoh...Aiyoh. said
Quoted “A poll conducted in the session revealed that about 80 per cent of participants also indicated they were optimistic or very optimistic about their future in general, a result which DPM Teo was happy about”.
My foot, out of this 80%, how many are foreign students in there? As it was reported in the news, the students were from many other countries (like Indonesia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Vietnam, New Zealand etc) and probably lesser students from Singapore. Also China was not mentioned…very funny! So in my mind, do you think the 80% are true blue Singapore students who are optimistic or very optimistic…..
Please think about who’re the students that are really optimistic or very optimistic. What I don’t like is that they lump them altogther as students without mentioning the numbers of students from different countries that feel optimistic or very optimistic. I’m very sure many of them are foreign students.
DingDong said
After ganna hammered jialuck jialuck by Hougang nang, now he can only try to bluff the school kids!
骗小孩啊！
Leo said
DPM Teo, Have you ever made any contribution to our nation before?
Chia Vincent said
I thought I’ve seen in the papers recently that like 80% of the people feels that Singapore is not a happy country to live in….. How come they can reverse the quota anyway they like?? Should Lianhe Zaobao and Straights Times apolagise in tml’s papers to say they have made a mistake?????
Crook said
This big-nose TCH is now working very hard in brain-washing the kids since he knows most mature adults have already seen through all his lies.
Angry citizen said
Singaporeans are indeed working very hard but the Pappies are reaping the results of their hard work. Instead of looking after the people they are self serving and pay themselves sinful salaries. Then the Pappies punish Singaporeans for their hard work with high sinful taxes both direct and indirect viz ridiculous GSTs, COEs, ERPs and high cost of medical services and housing. Then being too free they gamble with Singaporeans reserves in awful disastrous investments in untrustworthy US and European business concerns and toxic financial assets resulting in annually losing hundred of billions of dollars of Singaporeans hard earned money. As a result of such colossal losses the Pappies resort to holding the workers CPF as hostage to ransom. In addition it has to resort to more higher taxes with higher COEs bidding and more irrelevant ERP gangtries with extended time of charges both morning, afternoon and night. They also bring in foreign workers to boost the GDP because every incoming foreign worker has to pay hundreds of dollars of easy money to Singapolre Government. This money does not filter down for the benefit of Singaporeans but for the valid reason of uplifting Pappies sinful salaries and may be as a back up to support failed investments.
azharnisah said
Be worry downsizing on your next election,Pappies. Double confirm.
Teo Chee Bye said
>>>DPM Teo to Singapore youth: You have to work hard to make Singapore ‘better’<<<
Yeah right. Singapore youths have to work their asses off so that you can get a multi-million salary just by playing golf and getting blow jobs from your secretary everyday. What the fuck did you ever do to make Singapore better?