New partnerships office lets S'poreans share ideas, work with Govt

It will connect people and groups, and direct them to funding sources

A new office was launched on Jan 19 for those who have ideas and want to work together with the Government, amid a push to broaden and deepen partnerships between the Government and the people.

The Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO), which will serve as a first stop for such partnerships, will help connect people and groups, direct them to funding sources, and work with government agencies to identify more opportunities for collaboration.

The aim of the office is to make partnering the Government more seamless and accessible.

In the next bound of nation-building, the Government and people working more closely together will help Singapore achieve more, said Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong.

Broadening and deepening such partnerships is a key plank of the social compact set out in Forward Singapore, he noted, referring to the exercise helmed by him and his fourth-generation leadership team. He said the Government was "putting partnerships first on its agenda".

"I believe we can do more to harness the expertise, the experience, the passions of Singaporeans, towards our shared goals and towards the Singapore that we all want for the future," he said on Jan 19 at a ceremony held at Tang Plaza to launch the office.

"The bottom line is that we can achieve much more when we work together as partners." While there are already various platforms for government agencies to partner with community groups, it can be difficult for people to figure out which agency to approach, said DPM Wong.