Healthcare costs, education stress: Incoming Minister of State Shawn Loh on adopting ‘listening approach’

Mr Loh, who takes office as Minister of State for Education and Health on Jan 1, 2027, tells CNA he will not shy away from difficult decisions if he believes they are right for Singapore.

Mr Shawn Loh, who takes office as Minister of State for Education and Health on Jan 1, 2027, speaking to CNA. (Image: CNA)

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SINGAPORE: Healthcare costs for seniors and unnecessary stress in the education system are among the concerns incoming Minister of State Shawn Loh has heard from residents as he prepares to take on his new portfolios in health and education.

The MP for Jalan Besar GRC, who will assume his new appointment in January, is holding back from setting out firm priorities before taking office.

Instead, Mr Loh said he wants to first listen to a range of stakeholders, including those beyond his constituency, before forming his views and subsequently contributing to policymaking.

“I'm deliberately suspending judgment, and deliberately not trying to prescribe what I think are my ideas without first listening,” he told CNA.

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Mr Loh said both ministries affect the lives of virtually all Singaporeans, and that his listening approach would also extend to those working in both sectors.

“I'm mindful that both for education as well as health, these are large ministries. The policies are delivered by a large group of highly dedicated professionals, whether it's education officers, nurses, doctors, and I want to hear their views as well."

CONCERNS FROM SENIORS AND PARENTS

As a first-term MP, Mr Loh has already gained a window into some concerns that intersect with his incoming portfolios.

The Whampoa ward where he serves has both an ageing population and young families moving into new Build-to-Order flats.

Among seniors he has interacted with, healthcare costs remain an issue.

“Some have outlived their savings, some have outlived what they provisioned for, for their healthcare, and there's a lot of uncertainty because they don't know how much more they have to pay for healthcare.”

He also spoke of parents concerned about stress in the education system.

While some stress is necessary for children to grow and move beyond their comfort zones, he said too much unnecessary stress “destroys the joy of learning for many of our children”.

“In an age where knowledge is so easily available, especially with AI, you don't want our children to graduate by having the joy of learning beaten out of them.”

Maintaining curiosity throughout life is particularly important, he added, and is an area he hopes to better understand.

Over the past year, he has raised issues in parliament ranging from the Silver Support Scheme for seniors to childcare, infant care and student care for families.

He believes these are concerns he can bring into discussions in his new role.

A PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE

Mr Loh’s family life gives him another perspective on both portfolios.

A father of four, he has one child in secondary school, two in primary school and one in childcare.

"We interact with both the education system and the healthcare system quite regularly. It allows me to have a first-hand feel, even before I joined politics, of the journey that many Singaporeans go through.”

He also has ageing parents, giving him an understanding of the caregiving pressures people in his age group face.

“I also understand that many in my age group are feeling the stresses or are anticipating the stresses of caregiving, and that's also an issue that I think many Singaporeans continue to think about.”

STARTING HIS ROLE LATER

Mr Loh had earlier said on social media that he had asked Prime Minister Lawrence Wong for a later start date to give him time to oversee a smooth leadership transition at homegrown conglomerate Commonwealth Capital Group, where he is group managing director.

Before taking office, he said he will be wrapping up his current corporate responsibilities and getting up to speed on both ministries, while continuing his work as a new MP.

He said his experience as a civil servant across agencies including the Ministry of Finance, the Economic Development Board and the Prime Minister’s Office, along with his time in the private sector and as an MP, has given him a more holistic perspective on how policies are made and implemented, and their impact on businesses, workers and individuals.

LISTEN FIRST, BUT WILLING TO TAKE RISKS

Ultimately, Mr Loh said he hopes to make decisions that improve Singaporeans’ lives.

“If I can make a meaningful contribution in office, if I can at the end of the day feel that there is a big difference in the lives of Singaporeans, before and after, that would be by far the most impactful part of that journey,” he said.

He added that he is willing to take some risks when making decisions.

“I want to be able to say that yes, we may not always have all the information, we have a certain sense of the direction, and we're willing to take the risk, explore with Singaporeans because we are also convicted that just staying put in the status quo is just not the way to go.”

Asked what kind of minister of state Singaporeans could expect him to be, Mr Loh returned to his emphasis on listening.

“Singaporeans can expect me to be a minister of state who always does his best first to listen, understand concerns, is not afraid to make difficult decisions and trade-offs, but always endeavours to explain the thinking and the reasons why, with the best of intentions.”

Even if Singaporeans disagree with some of the decisions he makes or supports, Mr Loh said he is prepared to “respectfully disagree” and explain the reasoning behind them.

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将于 2027 年 1 月 1 日就任教育部兼卫生部政务部长的罗先生告诉亚洲新闻台，如果他认为某些艰难的决定对新加坡有利，他不会回避这些决定。

将于2027年1月1日就任教育部兼卫生部政务部长的罗绍文先生接受亚洲新闻台采访时表示。（图片：亚洲新闻台）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：即将上任的卫生和教育部政务部长罗绍文在准备就任新职之际，听到居民们反映，老年人的医疗保健费用和教育系统不必要的压力是他们关注的问题之一。

惹兰勿刹集选区议员将于明年一月就任新职，但他在正式上任前并未明确列出具体的工作重点。

罗先生表示，他希望先听取包括选区以外人士在内的各方利益相关者的意见，然后再形成自己的观点，并为政策制定做出贡献。

“我刻意不去评判，刻意不去在不先倾听的情况下就强加我认为的想法，”他告诉CNA。

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罗先生表示，这两个部门都影响着几乎所有新加坡人的生活，他的倾听方式也将延伸到这两个部门的工作人员。

“我意识到，教育和卫生都是规模庞大的部门。政策的制定和执行都离不开众多高度敬业的专业人士，包括教育官员、护士和医生，我也想听听他们的意见。”

来自老年人和家长的担忧

作为一名新任国会议员，罗先生已经对一些与他即将负责的事务相关的问题有了初步了解。

他所服务的黄埔区既有老龄人口，也有搬进新建预购组屋的年轻家庭。

在他接触过的老年人中，医疗保健费用仍然是一个问题。

“有些人已经花光了积蓄，有些人已经花光了为医疗保健所做的准备，而且由于他们不知道还要支付多少医疗保健费用，所以存在很多不确定性。”

他还谈到了家长们对教育体系压力的担忧。

他表示，虽然一定的压力对于孩子的成长和走出舒适区是必要的，但过多的不必要压力“会摧毁许多孩子学习的乐趣”。

“在知识唾手可得的时代，尤其是在人工智能时代，我们不希望我们的孩子在毕业时就被剥夺了学习的乐趣。”

他补充说，保持终生好奇心尤为重要，这也是他希望更好地了解的领域。

过去一年，他在议会提出了一系列问题，包括老年人的银发援助计划、儿童保育、婴儿保育以及家庭学生照护等。

他认为这些都是他可以在新职位上提出并讨论的问题。

父母的视角

罗先生的家庭生活让他对这两个领域都有了不同的视角。

他育有四个孩子，其中一个在上中学，两个在上小学，还有一个在托儿所。

“我们与教育系统和医疗系统都有相当频繁的互动。这让我甚至在我步入政坛之前，就能亲身感受到许多新加坡人所经历的历程。”

他也有年迈的父母需要照顾，这使他能够理解他这个年龄段的人所面临的照护压力。

“我也了解到，很多和我同龄的人都感受到了照顾他人的压力，或者正在预见到照顾他人的压力，我认为这也是很多新加坡人一直在思考的问题。”

他的角色开始得较晚

罗先生早前在社交媒体上表示，他已请求总理黄循财推迟就职日期，以便有时间监督本土企业集团联邦资本集团的平稳领导层过渡，他是该集团的董事总经理。

他表示，在正式就职之前，他将完成目前在公司承担的各项职责，并尽快熟悉两个部门的工作，同时继续履行新议员的职责。

他表示，自己曾在财政部、经济发展委员会和总理办公室等多个机构担任公务员，加上在私营部门的工作经历以及担任国会议员的经历，使他对政策的制定和实施，以及这些政策对企业、工人和个人的影响，有了更全面的认识。

先听后想，但愿意承担风险

罗先生表示，他最终希望做出能够改善新加坡人民生活的决定。

“如果我能在任期内做出有意义的贡献，如果我最终能感受到新加坡人的生活前后发生了巨大的变化，那将是这段旅程中最有意义的部分，”他说。

他还补充说，他在做决定时愿意承担一些风险。

“我想说的是，虽然我们可能并不总是掌握所有信息，但我们对方向有一定的把握，我们愿意承担风险，与新加坡人一起探索，因为我们也坚信，仅仅维持现状是行不通的。”

当被问及新加坡人可以期待他成为怎样的国务部长时，罗先生再次强调了倾听的重要性。

“新加坡人民可以期待我是一位始终尽力倾听、理解民意的国务部长，我敢于做出艰难的决定和权衡，但始终努力解释我的想法和原因，并且始终秉持着最好的意愿。”

即使新加坡人不同意他做出或支持的某些决定，罗先生表示，他准备“以尊重的态度表达不同意见”，并解释其背后的理由。

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