Who are ‘we’? Why some Singaporeans bristle at ‘we first’ inclusive society call
Several ministers have spoken about a “we first” society, prompting some Singaporeans to question whether it benefits foreigners more
On Monday, Gan was asked by a polytechnic student during a dialogue at the Institute of Policy Studies’ (IPS) 2026 Singapore Perspectives conference about how speeches evoking a “we first” society might be perceived as referring to Singaporeans while excluding foreigners, or the government being in favour of foreigners over citizens.
Gan responded that “we first” did not mean “we first, you later” but “we before I”. “The difference is it’s not about me and myself alone, but about us, together collectively… There are different ways of looking at it, but the key message really is, rather than focusing on ourselves, focus on the collective. And the ‘we’ could include foreigners,” said Gan, who is also the trade minister.
He noted that Singaporeans had a responsibility to help foreigners, such as migrant domestic workers. “It’s not a divisive approach, more a collective and inclusive approach to look at ‘we first’, rather than ‘I first’.”
At the same conference, Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth David Neo also stressed that building a “we first” society in Singapore would be a challenge, not due to a lack of resources or laws, but because it required a shift in how people related to one another.