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After a shaky start to 2013, the Govt seized the initiative and is now primed for actionSINGAPORE POLITICSTHINK of 2013 as a race, and an important one at that, because its finish line marks the mid-point of this Government's five- year term of office.迷你倉將軍澳In this race, the Government got off to a rocky start.Shortly after the gun went off in January, the People's Action Party lost the Punggol East by-election, its second such loss in eight months after Hougang in May last year.Barely weeks later, the Government's Population White Paper got a decidedly negative reception over a single number that dominated headlines as it unveiled its population projections for the coming decades - 6.9 million people on this island by 2030.The Government later explained that 6.9 million was the figure around which it would build infrastructure, and not a target it wished to hit. But by then, many Singaporeans bearing the brunt of the daily peak-hour crush on trains and buses, and anxious about a shortfall in affordable housing, were up in arms.Over the next few months, there were loan curbs for car and home purchases, even as at the supply end, the Housing Board continued to ramp up its building of public housing.By August, with the property market stabilising and public transport slowly getting back on track, the Government was ready to chart a new way forward.This was the thrust and title of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's most important speech of the year - the National Day Rally (NDR).It was "not the usual NDR", Mr Lee said, as Singapore was at a turning point.He and his Cabinet colleagues had pondered the problems caused by global change and income inequality and taken in valuable input from the Our Singapore Conversation process.They had decided on a new balance between individuals, community and the Government because those who are vulnerable can no longer make it through individual effort alone. "We must shift the balance. The community and the Government will have to do more to support individuals," he said.It was his 10th rally speech, and some said it was his best yet.He sought to impart hope for the future and give reassurance for the present. He spoke especially to the pioneer generation of Singaporeans who built the country but now worry about health care and other retirement costs; to younger folk anxious that their incomes have not kept pace with housing prices; and to families who wonder if the opportunities for their children to move up are narrowing.He spoke from a position of strength, as the leader of a government with the means to boost help for all these groups.And so it was that as the year entered its final quarter, the Government hit its stride.But the single hardest part of taking Singapore down this new road is dealing with the pushback from those who benefit from the current status quo.They have ge迷你倉尖沙咀red themselves and their families to take full advantage of the networks, rankings and reward systems in place today.They have worked hard and strategised to succeed in the competitive meritocracy that has been in place for decades.For them, the shift towards an open and compassionate meritocracy may well prove unsettling, as changes to settled structures upset their cherished plans for the future.The move is one towards a more fair and just society but its beneficiaries are mainly those at risk of being left behind in today's Singapore.And so the Government's big challenge in the year ahead is to actually put its words into action, and persuade a broad swathe of society, especially the higher income and more privileged, to come on board.In education, for example, the coming change in the scoring of the Primary School Leaving Examination will open up debate on secondary school admissions.Several ministers have signalled that the goal is to have more students from diverse backgrounds in sought-after, brand-name schools. But changes to realise that goal are likely to also result in a less transparent system where admission is not based purely on objective exam scores, but where school administrators and educators exercise discretion on the final mix of students to be admitted.The onus will be on the Government to explain, argue for and defend the criteria and method it decides on, as an important way to ensure opportunities to move up remain open to all.Another facet of a fair and just society is taking care of the pioneer generation, without whom there would be no modern Singapore. They had fewer chances to further their education and, for much of their lives, earned lower wages than the cohorts that followed. The Government has plans for a Pioneer Generation Package of measures that should be ready by the time it announces its Budget for next year.These measures will complement the biggest reform in decades of the national health-care insurance scheme, Medi- Shield, so as to extend its coverage to every citizen for life.Here again, the challenge will be managing expectations of how the costs and benefits are spread out, with the state and the working population having to foot the lion's share of the bill for improved coverage.There are many challenges ahead as the Government continues shifting the balance in social support, in favour of the weak and vulnerable.But in demarcating this new way forward, Mr Lee and his government have seized back the initiative after a shaky start to the year, when they were put on the defensive by their own miscalculations at the ballot box and in policy planning.Many unknowns remain, including how the economy and property market will fare next year. But for now, the Government is leading from the front and is primed to set the agenda for action in the new year.lydia@sph.com.sg倉