Who are ‘we’? Why some Singaporeans bristle at ‘we first’ inclusive society call

Recent comments by Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong about an inclusive “we first” society potentially involving foreigners have drawn the ire of some locals, with experts noting that a cultural shift and greater cooperation are necessary to attain the goal.The “we first” society call was first raised by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his National Day Rally last year, when he stressed that Singaporeans had to band together to write the next chapter of their story.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.