Contributions to Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap asked the Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (a) for each of the years from 2009 to 2013, what is the number of donors who have opted out from contributing to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF); (b) what are the reasons given for opting out; and (c) what is the annual number of reinstated donors for the period.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Under Section 78 of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA), all Muslim employees, including Muslim Singapore citizens, permanent residents and foreigners, contribute to the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF). MBMF contribution is deducted from employees’ salaries through a CPF check off scheme, on an opt-out basis. Muslim employees are also encouraged to make voluntary contributions beyond the check off scheme to MBMF. A Muslim employee who does not wish to make this contribution can do so by submitting an application to MUIS.

Out of more than 200,000 Muslim employees, an average of 481 employees per year or about 0.2% have opted out from contributing to the MBMF from 2009 to 2013. A significant number of these employees are migrant workers on Work Permit, most of whom are new to Singapore and may be less familiar with the purpose of the MBMF. Other reasons for opting out include donors’ preference for making direct donations to mosques. MUIS does not actively track the number of reinstated donors each year.