Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) led by veteran opposition leader, Dr Chee Soon Juan, has shared a picture suggesting that Mr Khaw Boon Wan, Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure and the Minister for Transport, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, are sending conflicting, contradicting messages regarding graduate employment.
SDP’s picture on its Facebook has now been shared over 500 times.
SDPSpeaking to 160 students and young adults in an Our Singapore Conversation dialogue in 2013 Mr Khaw had said that Singaporeans do not need to be university graduates to be successful.
Dr Vivian on the other hand, at a recent meeting with his Indonesian counterparts had referred to the graduates of their institutions of higher learning as ‘talent’, and that Singaporean companies are looking for such talented workers.
In another post, SDP had also taken issue with with what the Finance Minister, Mr Heng Swee Keat, had said at the Singapore Business Federation’s recent conference.
Mr Heng had said at the conference that:
“Companies are the building blocks of our economy – these are the basic units that organise the resources to produce goods and services. A value-creating economy is hence built on a network of innovative, entrepreneurial companies that can continually create value that exceeds the cost of its inputs. In turn, innovative companies are built by outstanding leaders who make the right strategic choices, execute rigorously and create opportunities for their people to be at their best.”
SDP commenting on the news that Mr Heng said businesses here need to develop entrepreneurial, innovative and collaborative spirit, said:
“Finance Minister Mr Heng Swee Keat said that businesses in Singapore need to develop their entrepreneurial, innovative and collaborative spirit — three qualities that will help them overcome the challenges of the small domestic market.
An economy in today’s world that needs the government to tell the business community to be entrepreneurial and innovate is in real trouble. The question is: How did we come to this state in the first place?”

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