SINGAPORE — Trotting out examples of young and old Singaporeans who have responded to the drive to transform Singapore into a smart nation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong stressed that the Government is “making every effort to bring everyone along”.

Many Singaporeans have already been using information technology (IT) to create jobs or solve social problems, he said at the National Day Rally yesterday.

With delivery services such as UberEats in the market, for example, 70-year-old Teo Yoke Lan “seized the opportunities that IT presents”, Mr Lee said during his Mandarin speech. She delivers meals on an e-bike for UberEats around the Central Business District area, is able to make a living and keep fit at the same time, he added. “If Mdm Teo can do it, people younger than her can do it, too.”

The Prime Minister also mentioned Mr Tariam Singh, a 70-year-old volunteer who teaches fellow seniors to use social media and messaging applications in order to stay in touch with family and friends.

“This is how we will become a smart nation: By taking the initiative to improve ourselves, by helping others ... and making Singapore a happening place where people love to live.”

During the segment of his speech on the Smart Nation push, Mr Lee sought to give a fuller picture of what this mammoth undertaking means.

“Some think it is about each person owning two handphones or learning to play Pokemon Go, or having the fastest Internet connection,” he said.

Others believe it is about e-commerce, self-driving cars and artificial intelligence, among other things.

These are just parts of the whole. Being a smart nation means taking full advantage of IT and using it to increase productivity and bring more convenience to people, he added. “We have a natural advantage,” Mr Lee said. “We’re compact and highly connected. Our people are digitally literate. Our schools are teaching students basic computing and robotics.”

However, the country would have to catch up with other cities on several fronts, including digital payment solutions and using IT for public safety.

Engineers, programmers, data analysts and technicians are needed to execute projects under the Smart Nation banner. Given the worldwide shortage of people with such skills sets, Mr Lee said that Singapore has to build up its talent pool urgently, and the Government is stepping in to provide engineering scholarships and sponsorships, along with the SkillsFuture movement and the Professional Conversion Programmes, to help the workforce pick up new skills.

“This is one direct way a smart nation will create new jobs and opportunities for our people,” he said.

Over the past week, the Government had also announced plans to move towards a cashless public transport system by 2020, and to conduct a trial next year for on-demand public buses that are hailed through a mobile application. These upcoming advancements have raised concerns among the public, who asked if older Singaporeans would end up being left behind.

Addressing this in his speech, Mr Lee emphasised that a smart nation is for “all of us, young and old”. Everybody would be included, through schools, the People’s Association and SkillsFuture, he said.