Talking in Parliament, Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Defence, called on the government to engage with unhappy Singaporeans more.
He was referring to online critics and explained that in order to built mutual trust, concerned citizens need to be engaged before they are judged.
He was concerned that if the unhappiness and criticisms spread on social media are left unchecked, it could be detrimental to society. He also acknowledged netizens as genuinely concerned citizens rather than as "trolls" as some other PAP leaders have labelled them.
"I would like to believe that behind many of the grouses and criticisms lie concerned people. Many of them, and I would like to think the majority of them, are well-intentioned. Perhaps they want to do something, they want to advocate, but they don’t know how best to do so.” he had commented.
He said that when the government engages with the people, they can often change their perspectives and make them understand. He shared how his engagement with one of his residents had turned him from a "huge critic" to an active volunteer with the PAP Grassroots.
Pointing to this example, he urged the government to engage with concerned Singaporeans so that differences can be closed instead of entrenched.