SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said giving
Singaporeans a stake in the country goes beyond the issue of home
ownership.
He said it also involves giving the people a voice
in and outside Parliament.
Mr Goh said that's where channels like REACH, which
is the official feedback channel for citizens to air their views
and give suggestions on government policies and national issues,
come into play.
He said when he became deputy prime minister in 1985, he decided to
start the feedback unit to foster participatory democracy and
consultative government.
Mr Goh said he found the process useful.
This has now become a two-way process, with ministers taking part
in forums with citizens to address the challenges that the country
faces.
Mr Goh made these comments at the annual Reach Contributors Forum
on Saturday.
-CNA/wk
Government should hire independent organisation to do opinion poll
to gauage public sentiment on their policies.
Almost all democratic countries have opinion poll.
