GPC to table motion on long-term transport strategy to boost Singapore’s global connectivity
The motion is the first private member’s motion to be tabled by a Government Parliamentary Committee since the 2025 General Election.
Maritime vessels seen anchored on the waters south of Singapore. (File photo: AFP/Roslan Rahman)
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SINGAPORE: The Transport Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) will table a motion on Tuesday (Jul 7) urging Singapore to strengthen its long-term transport strategy to stay globally competitive.
It will be the first private member’s motion tabled by a GPC since the 2025 General Election.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the sitting, GPC chairperson Tin Pei Ling said the motion aims to position connectivity as a critical driver of Singapore’s long-term economic competitiveness.
The debate would focus on global connectivity rather than day-to-day public transport issues, she said, although the latter remains a GPC priority.
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The issues being discussed “may not be politically sexy” but are important at the “national strategic level”, Ms Tin said.
She will lead the motion with deputy chairperson Mr Edward Chia. Months in the making, it is intended to set the agenda for transport discussions for the rest of the parliamentary term.
The MPs also hope Singapore can use its Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chairmanship in 2027 to strengthen regional transport cooperation amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
“As an open economy, as a small country, all the more so it is important for us to ensure that we have robust connectivity to the region and to the rest of the world,” Ms Tin said.
Work on the motion began before the recent conflict in the Middle East, though Ms Tin said the crisis reinforced its urgency.
AI’S IMPACT ON TRANSPORT
The motion will span four areas meant to strengthen Singapore’s resilience: international cooperation, frontier technologies, integrated physical and digital infrastructure, and creating good jobs for Singaporeans.
On technology, Ms Tin said Singapore should focus less on competing in foundational artificial intelligence models and more on applying AI within transport.
She and Mr Chia said AI could better integrate transport systems across land, sea and air, optimising flows and improving efficiency across platforms. The MPs also intend to call for greater investment in AI research and development, alongside infrastructure that better integrates physical and digital systems.
The motion will also look at how Singapore can prepare workers for changes brought by AI and other emerging technologies in the transport sector, with the goal of anchoring higher-value jobs while helping workers build the skills needed for future roles, Ms Tin said.
Mr Chia said discussions with the GPC’s transport resource panel found that employers were more concerned about filling vacancies than job displacement, particularly in aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul, and in the maritime sector.
This may stem from the challenging nature of the work or a lack of awareness of and interest in these careers, the MPs said.
“It’s not about job losses, it’s about how we can train, upskill Singaporeans, make greater awareness of the career opportunities in the transport sector,” Mr Chia said.
The MPs also plan to propose stronger partnerships between large companies, small- and medium-sized firms and startups to accelerate Singapore’s transport strategy.
REGIONAL CONNECTIVITY
Strengthening regional connectivity, particularly within ASEAN, is another key pillar of the motion. Mr Chia said Singapore should deepen cooperation with regional economies to improve productivity.
“We have already made some progress in the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone. Can we extend that to Singapore-Johor-Batam-Bintan?” he said.
The Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone agreement was signed in January last year, and discussions have since expanded to explore extending cooperation to Indonesia as part of broader regional economic integration.
“Batam is actually already doing a lot in terms of dry dock, ship maintenance and shipbuilding. They obviously have more space than us,” Mr Chia said. “But how can we, as a regional ecosystem, leverage complementary sharing to forge practical win-win outcomes and secure our regional resilience at the same time?”
Ms Tin also cited the ASEAN Power Grid as an example of sharing power across regions, though she noted that geopolitical risks remain a key challenge as the grid passes through multiple jurisdictions.
When land routes are disrupted, Singapore could explore alternative ways of transporting green energy, such as converting it into a form that can be moved by sea or air, she said – an example, she added, of why Singapore needs resilient connectivity across land, sea and air.
The GPC’s six other members are also expected to address various aspects of transport in their speeches, covering innovation, jobs, logistics and sustainability.
Source: CNA/wt(cy)
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