Government and civil society are redefining citizen participation in Singapore

During the Meet the People’s panel session at GovInsider's Festival of Innovation recently, changemakers shared how citizen-led initiatives are reshaping the landscape of public services in Singapore.  

SingHealth’s Patient Advocacy Network's (SPAN) Co-Chair, Josie Liow, opened the session by sharing her advocacy journey as a patient caregiver and volunteer.  

"The days where we say ‘doctors know best’ are gone. Today is about co-creation, collaboration and partnership," she said.  

Through SPAN, Liow works with healthcare professionals to ensure the patient's voice is not only heard but also embedded in service design.

One of her contributions in the space was to tackle complex health terms so that patients and their families can clearly understand their medical conditions. 

Liow recounted a moment of confusion in the intensive care unit (ICU) when a doctor mentioned “MSW” - which she momentarily interpreted as “Mao Shan Wang,” a popular durian variety in Southeast Asia.  

The acronym, in fact, referred to the “Medical Social Worker”.  

"That's when I realised that patients and their families grapple with a lot of medical acronyms," she said, adding that she co-created a guide titled 150 Health Terms in Plain English Glossary to bridge the communication gap between patients and medical professionals.  

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Citizen-led public solutions  

Open Government Products' (OGP) Manager for Citizen Engagement, Jael Teh, urged the audience to rethink the conventions of citizen participation, as citizens are now looking to contribute more. 

"We are used to the traditional way of government asking for insights from citizens-through polls or roadshows.

“What if we shift: Citizens who were previously the ones who provided their insights and voices, become active parties in deciding what problems they want to address and work on?" she asked. 

At OGP, Teh helps run Build for Good, a citizen-focused hackathon designed to change the narrative on citizen-state dynamics.

Since its inception in 2023, Build for Good has attracted more than 1,600 participants from non-tech backgrounds and produced 53 prototypes.

According to Teh, some of those prototypes have already been developed, including a medicine donation platform designed by a nurse, a doctor who wanted to tackle medical waste, and a Care Navigator app created by a caregiver to help other caregivers of patients with dementia. 

"It's heartwarming for me to see individuals who have these experiences come together and make a difference," she said.  

Physical space still matters in a digital world  

Playces Co-Founder, Gena Soh, highlighted how physical space remains an important and often overlooked element of civic life.

In a world increasingly dominated by screens, Soh believes that physical spaces provide the human connections necessary for more meaningful civic engagement. 

"The fundamentals of civic engagement are friendships and people coming together," said Soh.

Playces is a grassroots initiative that offers free space to social groups and community events with the aim of rebuilding social networks through friendship. 

She likened the space to a school that allows people to interact and form relationships simply by being present for a common cause.  

Overcoming challenges with collaboration 

During the session, GovInsider's Head of Conference, Jonathan Cheetham asked how the speakers navigated the challenge of balancing valuable insights from citizens with the necessary authority and professional expertise.   

Liow explained that a challenge she faced was how to build credibility that this collaboration could bring mutual benefits – not just for patients and families, but for the healthcare sector. 

“We want to get away from the idea that patients and health professionals are on different sides. We are all on the same side-as partners." 

One of the achievements of this collaboration was creating the SingHealth Patients and Healthcare Team Care Pledge, which includes shared commitments such as maintaining safety, communicating, respecting, providing information, partnering and trusting each other.   

OGP’s Teh encouraged the spirit of bottom-up innovation, recognising that not all good solutions need to involve government intervention. Some ideas will be more effective if partnered with citizens. 

"Citizens are the key drivers of change ... and we need to create the conditions and spaces-both physical and policy for citizen ideas to grow," she noted. 

Playces’ Soh gave a perspective of field challenges on how community-based solutions are often misunderstood by placing them into the logic of formal institutions.   

"In the civic layer, many things that seem impossible in government or business are actually very possible," she said, giving examples as simple as “this room is free because we like your community” or “this room can be used as long as we borrow your printer”. 

According to her, these informal and intangible things can build communities because they work on trust and a sense of mutual aid. This was different from formal structures that prioritise contracts, deliverables and targets. 

"In partnering with community groups, it was important to recognise the unique strengths of this layer," she added. 

You can watch the FOI panel recording on demand here.