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Ministry of Digital Development and Information
Speeches

Closing Remarks by Parl Sec Rahayu Mahzam at DBS Judiciary MCI Hackathon for a Better World 2021

7 October 2021

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Words of Appreciation and Introduction

  1. Thank you to all the teams for the ideas you have presented today. It has been my privilege to be a part of the judging panel hearing your pitches. A lot of hard and heart work has been put into this. It is clear that you have thought long and hard about how to design actionable and meaningful solutions.

  2. I’m heartened by all of your efforts in going the extra mile to research for data and the use of behavioural insights to support your projects. How can we take a multi-pronged and multi-sectoral effort in tackling online harms? Many of you checked data, analysis, and what is available out there, in the hopes of strengthening and enhancing efforts.

  3. Many of you are new to the concept of design thinking and I’m glad that Mark and team have helped you kickstart this journey of applying it to tackle online harms.  Some of you are experts from various fields who bring to the table your expertise and helped to finesse and enhance the ideas of others. You came together and proposed solutions to the different aspects of a very difficult problem.

  4. Your pitches today have shown us what is possible when individuals take personal responsibility of the digital space and apply creativity through design.

Importance of Partnerships and Our Collective Action

  1. All of us have unique roles to play in making our common online space a safer space for all and I am glad to see all of you coming together to tackle this difficult issue.

  2. I am heartened by the entities and agencies that have come together to address online harms for everyone. As SMS Sim Ann said in her opening remarks, there is a widespread acknowledgement in Singapore of the seriousness of online harms and we need to close this digital gap.

  3. The Sunlight AfA brings together individuals with diverse views and fields of expertise to take action in the spirit of the Singapore Together movement. This hackathon is the first of those partnerships in action.

  4. I hope we can continue to build on this effort and many more ground-up initiatives will spring forth. As more parties step forward and take action, we can strengthen our collective responsibility to co-create a safer, more responsible and more respectful Internet for everyone. I hope to see Sunlight AfA illuminate the way towards a brighter digital future.

Call to Action

  1. For the hackathon teams, I hope you will continue to keep in the spirit of finding solutions and thinking about how to help close the digital safety gap regardless of the outcomes at the Awards Day later in October.

  2. Partner us in Government and come onboard the Digital for Life movement with your ideas and projects. You will be able to find more like-minded partners to take collective action and catalyse change.

  3. I wish all the teams the very best at the Awards Day later this month. Thank you for having me with you today.

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