“We’ve seen what happens in other countries when the broad middle falls behind,” Wong said. “The center does not hold. Societies begin to fracture and collapse.”
Lawrence Wong used his first major policy speech since becoming Singapore’s prime minister to dish out new social benefits for citizens, while pledging to simplify compliance and regulatory processes to trim business costs.
The new measures include added paternity benefits and a new training allowance of up to $3,000 per month if Singaporeans take time off from work to study full-time, he said in a National Day Rally address on Sunday, They also include temporary unemployment support of up to $6,000 over a period of up to six months.
