At a panel discussion of a conference on population issues, organised by the Behavioural Sciences Institute (BSI) at SMU, BSI Director and Professor of Psychology David Chan, who was the moderator of the discussion, pointed out: “I think in every country I know of, the political leadership and civil service is not a random representative sample of the population.” He agreed that political leaders must be able to connect with the people. Former Fortis Colorectal Hospital Chief Executive Jeremy Lim, a prominent commentator on healthcare policies, had reiterated that “diverse voices” are needed when it comes to complex issues. Another panellist, Ms Debra Soon, Managing Director of Channel NewsAsia, had also alluded to the need for greater plurality in views in policymaking when she cited her concern that top decision-makers could increasingly come from the same socio-economic background and mix with the same group of people “from school all the way to your professional career”. “This is a gap in terms of understanding what the masses (including) not-so-well-off Singaporeans are thinking. That’s how you get a disconnect,” she said.