Committee of Supply – Head I (Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports)

Plans in Event of Economic Slowdown

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Sir, I beg to move,

That the total sum be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100.

Sir, the economic growth for the year ahead has been forecasted to be between 1% and 3%, and with this impending economic slowdown, various issues are certain to surface, not least of which are social issues. Certainly, there are a number of programmes and schemes to provide assistance to our citizens who are already or would be affected by the economic slowdown. The Work Support Programme (WSP), ComCare Transitions (CCT) scheme and the Public Assistance (PA) scheme, are some laudable examples. These programmes have been most useful and are high in demand, especially during times of financial turmoil. Indeed, there were most applications for the WSP and the PA scheme in 2009, about the time when Singapore was most hit by the global financial crisis.

For last year though, the number of applications for WSP and CCT scheme seemed to be on the rise again. Yet, the percentage of rejected applicants remained as high as the other years. The bulk of the rejected applications were due to either the applicants having sufficient income or other resources they could tap on, or that they could not provide the supporting documents and other reasons. Understandably, the financial assistance meted out by these schemes are based on who needs it more, as well as being limited by the amount of resources we have. As much as our Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) are doing their best to help these people, Sir, is there a role, and I am sure there is, for the Ministry to play an even more active part as well?

Page: 2348

Sir, the global uncertainty may lead to workers being retrenched while others will suffer a drop in income. Given our past experience, we have to anticipate that more families will seek help while fundraising efforts from VWOs may get harder. Two quick questions: how is the Ministry intending to help such affected workers and their families, should the economic slowdown happen and when there is this need? Also, how does the Ministry intend to support our CDCs, our FSCs and the other VWOs?

My main concern here is the inequality that we see in Singapore, and this appears to be on the rise. Over the last few days, many Members have raised various suggestions on how to reduce this inequality – some Members proposed a higher tax for those who can afford it; some called for an increase in tax for those with more than one car, others ask for tweaks in the Workfare Income Supplement (WIS) formula and others. I am supportive of such calls to use the tax system to make life a little bit more expensive for the rich, and to channel these monies to the poor. But for today, I want to make a simple proposal, which is to increase the tax deductions for charities. Sir, I want the rich to willingly and compassionately help those causes they believe in, whether it is for children, for education, for nature. In this regard, I ask the Government to consider upping the tax deductions for donations to any charity from the current 2.5 times to three times and to make this a permanent feature.

Sir, aside from the wages made, we need to address inequality through other means. We have given more funds to CDCs and VWOs, but I think manpower is a major constraint as well. Any CDC officer can be handling an average of 70 cases at any one time, and this immense heavy caseload has been the norm since 2007. In our helpline centres like the ComCare Call Centre in Clemenceau Avenue, there are only about 16 staff manning 25 lines, and the helpline, I believe, receives about 2,500 calls on average per month. In 2009, the centre received the highest number of calls at almost 29,000. Although there are plans to add three to five more phone operators in the next six months, I wonder if this would still be enough, given the coming economic slowdown.

Similarly, over at the Family Service Centres (FSCs), our social workers are seeing an average caseload of 50 per person. Although the Acting Minister has recently unveiled plans to build more FSCs and to inject $30 million of funds into the FSCs over the next three years, how else is the Ministry able to offer its support in view of the looming economic slowdown and the projected increase in the number of people that needs this assistance?

Sir, social work is a noble profession. We are also very fortunate to have many, many volunteers helping out in the social service sector, whether it is in VWOs, in various charities and other community organisations. These volunteers are an invaluable resource to our society. The more complex cases certainly need to be handled by other professional social workers who would also need to follow up with active case management. Hours are long, stresses are there. So, I salute the many volunteers that help out and the many others who choose this as a profession. Given the stresses that families and individuals are going through, we can expect that their caseload, the workload of our social workers, will increase and that we do need a lot more Singaporeans to consider doing social work as a profession.

Page: 2349

I support the need to let Singaporeans know what the profession entails and in the process hopefully attract more people to consider joining the sector. On this note, the recent campaign to get more people to become social workers received rather mixed feedback. While it is early days, I would like to ask the Minister to give an update on the progress and the learning points of this campaign.

Sir, as the prospect of an economic slowdown looms, our social and community agencies will be called to respond and to work even harder. The Ministry, on its part, needs to provide the support for these agencies and the people affected by the slowdown and they must be ready to respond on a timely basis when called upon. Mr Chairman, may I move to my next cut?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

5.00 pm

Improve Access and Review Eligibility

Mr Seah Kian Peng: As the economy becomes more volatile, our people are going to be more vulnerable to such forces and as a result, find the stability of their jobs threatened as well. Demographically, Singapore will face trends such as an ageing society, smaller family sizes, sandwiched families and increased family breakdowns.

I would like to ask the Ministry if it is reviewing its various help schemes to respond effectively to these trends. Specifically, what changes is the Ministry planning for ComCare. Are the criteria being reviewed and revised? Are amounts being raised? What can Singaporeans expect?

With the economy expected to slow down, companies would probably be scaling down their operations. Indeed, many CDCs saw a large increase in the number of applications for financial assistance in the last quarter of 2011 as compared to the quarter before that. While CDCs have the flexibility to extend the ComCare scheme to 12 months from six months now when the economy is bad, is this option clearly communicated to the CDCs? Are there clear guidelines too, on when and how to exercise this option?

Furthermore, between 2008 and 2011, an average of 33.9% of applications for ComCare Transitions Scheme were rejected. Thirty-two percent of the rejections were due to reasons such as the applicants not being able to submit supporting documents or the withdrawal of application from them or simply not meeting other criteria.

Sir, having about a third of applicants rejected because of the lack of supporting documents seems to be fairly harsh. Surely, there is more we can do to improve the level of access to these applicants. I ask the Ministry to do more on this front.

Page: 2350

In addition, as our country is changing in terms of demographics, I hope the Ministry will review the eligibility and access of our various assistance schemes as well. Not only is the kind of issues changing, but the profile of applicants is certainly not static as well. My final question to the Ministry is to ask how the Ministry is reaching out to these people, and to review if these approaches are relevant and effective. Very often, the intentions are noble, the schemes are there. But getting these messages and this knowledge across to the people who need it, I think, is something that we need to put more resources in to make sure that those who really need it are able to receive it, know about it and in the different language, even dialects, that they are familiar with.

[Mr Deputy Speaker (Mr Seah Kian Peng) in the Chair]

Malay/Muslim Community of the Future

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2404 for Vernacular Speeches.] The Malay/Muslim community in Singapore is unique in this globalised world. The future needs and aspirations must be approached in a national context, as most issues and challenges faced are similar to the other races.

However, some issues are more prominent in our community, like the number of dysfunctional families, the numbers of low-income families and the unskilled, as well as the high incidence of chronic illnesses.

Moving forward in a progressive manner, as we enter a new phase of development in Singapore, we need to balance the traditional and the modern, continue to build the capacity and enhance the strengths of our community, inculcate an active and resilient people, nurture and develop our youths relevantly to overcome the challenges in the internet and technological era, and engage the hearts and minds of the people.

The 10 desired attributes of a Muslim Community of Excellence, published by MUIS, is a foundation for the future. It contains the worldly and religious characteristics we must possess.

The Community Leaders Forum is also a unique platform to galvanise all segments of the community to collectively generate the energy and strategy for the future. This is important so that we can get the desired outcomes with the cooperation and gotong royong spirit of the community.

What are the other measures to continuously uplift our community and highlight our achievements for the next decade? How do we adopt a positive mindset so that we continue to be relevant and become an exemplary global Malay/Muslim community?

Empowering the Poor, Needy and Low-skilled

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Nee Soon): ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2405 for Vernacular Speeches.] Sir, the "Many Helping Hands" approach has enabled us to continue to develop as an inclusive society. Apart from receiving assistance from the Government in the form of reliefs, rebates and grants, Singaporeans also received assistance from organisations and individuals in Singapore. For example, a needy Malay family with five children in my constituency received an estimated amount of over $5,000 from the Grow and Share package last year. This amount includes the Growth Bonus, the National Service Benefit, the Child Development Credit, U-Save, the Service and Conservancy Charges rebate, the Workfare Special Bonus and the Workfare Income Supplement. In addition, last year that particular family also received assistance of around $2,000 from the local community for the family's basic needs and also for the children's educational needs.

Page: 2351

Sir, MUIS and MENDAKI are two other "Helping Hands" that our community can turn to in order to receive help. The gloomy global economic prospects in the coming months may adversely affect the low-income and low-skilled workers within our community. I would like to ask the Minister, what are the steps that will be taken to help improve the ability to work among these workers, apart from the needy families? I also hope that the Minister can share with the House on the status of the zakat collection for the past few years. How will MUIS use the money to provide more help to needy Malay/Muslim families?

Empowering the Poor, Needy and Low-income

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2406 for Vernacular Speeches.] The Government, MENDAKI and various Malay/Muslim organisations worked together to support and improve the lives of the low-income and less fortunate groups, in order to enhance their social, educational and economic mobility. Many schemes and programmes have been provided and tapped on. Changes can be seen. Improvements are becoming more obvious among those who have come forward and are serious about wanting to improve.

But we have to combine and further strengthen these efforts by working together with various groups. This is because the issues being faced come in many shapes and forms, and require a more intensive effort to bring about greater change.

We must instil and harness these groups' ideals and life objectives, and give them the empowerment and encouragement to take action on what they need to do.

Are there new strategies and methodologies being used to approach this group like the "Wrap Around Care" concept or a comprehensive approach by MENDAKI? Can the Minister provide an update on this programme and the new ways to engage them, especially the groups that we have not been able to approach and have not come forward? Can we combine all groups and ministries who work together on this issue into a taskforce, so that these beneficiaries can receive service under one roof quickly and conveniently, so that they would not fall through the cracks?

Madrasah Education and Training Teachers

( In English ): My second cut, Sir. Our madrasahs are an important institution of the Singapore Muslim Community. The young are educated and nurtured here as they aspire to be future religious leaders and intelligentsia. They help us ensure we have an adequate pool of home grown imams , asatizahs , religious educators and officials, who can deal with socio-religious issues in the context of Singapore.

The qualifications and training of our madrasah teachers are crucial, and we must ensure it is in alignment with training of teachers from the national education sector as well. We must ensure they are adaptable and aligned to the current pedagogy, andragogy and technology.

Page: 2352

What proportion of our madrasah teachers are now professionally trained, including those having NIE Specialist Diploma in Teaching and Learning? How about those identified for the "leadership track", that is, the Heads of Departments, Principals and Vice Principals? Are there formal continuing education programmes and courses they are expected to partake in and how is this being monitored?

Performance of Madrasahs under Joint Madrasah System

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang): ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2407 for Vernacular Speeches.] Last year, the Al-Arabiah Madrasah and Aljunied Madrasah did not meet the PSLE benchmark requirement that was set for them. As both the madrasahs are placed under the Joint Madrasah Scheme (JMS), and do not accept primary level students, the result did not affect them.

Madrasah education has become an important part of our community's life, and many parents are concerned about the quality of education provided. While madrasahs need to provide a good Islamic education, it must also meet the education needs of its students with a holistic education for the sake of their future.

Hence, the management of our madrasahs is not only limited to meeting the educational benchmark, but also to maximise the potential of each of its students. In this regard, are our madrasahs equipped with the ability to provide other choices, for example, additional enrichment classes, to develop the confidence of students, who will become religious leaders in our community in the future?

Can the Minister provide an assessment of the JMS's overall performance, as well as the major developments achieved since the system was launched in 2008?

What is the level of quality of our madrasah education, compared to the curriculum provided by schools ordinarily under the Ministry of Education?

How much is MUIS' involvement in the JMS to ensure the success of madrasahs placed under the JMS, including the two madrasahs mentioned earlier that did not meet the PSLE benchmark requirements?

Tertiary Tuition Subsidy Scheme

Mr Zainudin Nordin: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2408 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, it cannot be denied that the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore has made much progress. Efforts to improve the development and achievements are still carried out together. This collective effort had gone through many changes and improvements. This is possible due to numerous conversations and deep discussions between the community's leaders and a strong partnership. Therefore, I am pained to read an article in Berita Harian dated Saturday, 3 March 2012, titled "The Leaders' Forum must take a bottoms-up approach".

In the article, there were several facts that can create the wrong perceptions about the role played by the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF).

The CLF was set up in 2003 as a platform for our community leaders to meet, discuss and unite our strengths for the benefit of the Malay/Muslim community. We realise that due to limited resources, it was difficult for Malay/Muslim organisations to implement effective measures. Therefore, the CLF became a channel to merge the resources and strengths of these organisations, to create programmes that are attractive and effective.

Page: 2353

If I can use the metaphor "a single twig can be easily broken, but if many twigs are collected and tied together, it will become strong and difficult to break". This is also the objective of the CLF, that is, to strengthen and stabilise our Malay/Muslim bodies by identifying and leveraging on each other's strength, and avoid duplication.

The article also stated that the "direction and decision of the CLF is still being determined and decided by the political leaders, that is, the Malay Members of Parliament". In my opinion, anyone who is guided by a mission to help the community should not feel shackled or weakened or have to bow down to another person who chairs a committee. As a community leader, that person should be guided by the aims and objectives of his job.

The CLF is an open platform and deeply values the contributions and ideas from all members of the community. Due to this openness, the CLF that began almost 10 years ago, currently has almost 100 partners, with 15 programmes coming from its four sectoral networks covering education, youths, family and employment. This is a recognition of the CLF's effectiveness in allowing its partners to run programmes that are effective in helping their respective target groups.

I would also like to refute the statement that the CLF is "top-down". In fact, in 2010, the CLF organised a Forward Planning Exercise (FPE) that targets young Malay/Muslims so that they will also help to plan a more progressive future for the next generation. The outcome of this effort is the concept of "Creating a Caring Society" among these youth leaders, which among others, led to the creation of the CLF Labs.

The CLF Labs is also another channel that can be used by anyone, especially the youths, who have good suggestions that can be used to help our community to progress through the CLF's funding. One of the projects is the "Mobile Hub Community Learning" project, which was implemented as a pilot project in October 2011, in Champions Way in Woodlands.

Yayasan MENDAKI Tuition Scheme

( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2409 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, as I mentioned earlier, there had been many changes and improvements being made in important educational schemes and programmes like the Tertiary Tuition Funding Scheme (TTFS) and the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS), arising from feedback and suggestions received from the leaders and the community.

I hope that Minister can provide an update on the positive effects that can be used by Malay/Muslim students and families arising from the changes made to the TTFS and MTS.

5.15 pm

Page: 2354

Self-help Groups and Minor Marriages

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mr Chairman, the recent Budget announcement had indicated a $10 million dollar apportionment for the self-help groups and CDCs. Though this is a substantial amount, more funds allocated to our self-help groups can help them enhance the programmes they offer and implement new programmes to help different people excel in areas other than academic so as to develop different initiatives of excellence in the community. At this point, please allow me to continue in Malay.

( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2410 for Vernacular Speeches.] In 2010, there were more than 1,600 divorces in the Malay/Muslim community. Although this number seems to have decreased over the previous five years, it is still a large number in relation to the size of the community.

Just based on my personal observations and through interactions with my residents, I have seen how families are torn apart and how children are socially and psychologically affected because of the divorce of the parents. These children usually end up homeless or living apart from their parents and other siblings, or squatting at the homes of relatives and friends.

Some of these divorced couples are very young in age – some as young as in their early 20s. There are those who have remarried and their new family structure is made up of their children from their previous marriage and the current marriage. What makes me very concerned is that there is usually just one breadwinner to support this large and complex family.

Will this single income stream be sufficient for the family? Are there long-term effects, especially on the children, who live and grow up in this complex family structure? Could the Minister provide updates on the efforts to help strengthen Malay/Muslim families and reduce rates of divorces and incidence of minor marriages?

Strengthening Muslim Institutions

Mr Hawazi Daipi: Sir, in 2011, MUIS organised the inaugural seminar Muslimah and the Inaugural Befrienders' Seminar as a lead up to the Mosque Convention held at the end of last year. These were useful platforms for our stakeholders to discuss challenges facing the mosque and how they can be strengthened to guide and help the Muslim community in Singapore. Based on the key findings of these discussions, how do our mosques intend to enhance delivery of services to the congregants as well as to the needy? We have to bear in mind that there is already an extensive network of help schemes for Singaporeans who are in difficulties. So how would the Mosque work with the various agencies to deliver help to members of the Muslim community?

Mosque Management

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2411 for Vernacular Speeches.] The Mosque Executive Chairman scheme was launched by MUIS in 1999 to improve and strengthen the Mosque administration system. At the beginning of the system, the salary of the Mosque Executive is fully funded by the Mosque. But in 2010, MUIS made a change by taking steps to finance 20% of the salary of the Mosque Executive and the balance, that is 80%, is paid by the Mosque.

Page: 2355

On this matter, I have five questions for the Minister. Firstly, what is the total number of Mosque Executive Chairmen now? Secondly, how effective is this scheme? I hope Minister Professor Yaacob could give examples on the comparison between mosques under this scheme and those not under the scheme. Thirdly, it has been said or there is a perception that the salary of a Mosque Executive Chairman is around $8,000 a month. Could Minister Professor Yaacob explain this to avoid misunderstanding among the Muslim community in Singapore on this matter? Fourthly, what has caused MUIS to change its original position of not funding the salary of the Mosque Executive Chairman to financing 20%? And, finally, what is the rationale behind the system of financing the salaries of the Mosque Executive Chairmen, where MUIS pays 20% and the Mosque 80%?

I feel that MUIS should fully finance the salaries because this scheme is owned and started by MUIS, and the appointment is also done by MUIS.

Upgrading of Mosques

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2412 for Vernacular Speeches.] Sir, as a former member of a Mosque Committee in Singapore, I am very proud of the way our mosques are managed, and the mosque community becoming more mature and achieving more progress.

Even though it may come in different forms, many platforms have been created to uplift our community's achievements, for example, the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF). Therefore, I am saddened by the comments made by the Chairman of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Mr Azmoon Ahmad, in a Berita Harian article on 3 March. He said that the CLF works using a top-down approach. I feel that this is an inaccurate statement. During the previous term, as the Co-Chairman of the Family Development Network within the CLF, I, together with Dr Maliki, visited all the Family Service Centres (FSCs), and met with the members of Malay/Muslim organisations, including the AMP, as part of our efforts to be inclusive. Apart from giving encouragement, we also provided avenues for them to work together in our effort to manage Malay/Muslim issues in Singapore.

With Mr Azmoon's involvement as the Chairman of AMP, I hope that he will be more excited and come forward together in our efforts to continue uplifting the Malay community, regardless of the role to be played.

Coming back to the issue of mosque development, with an increasingly ageing population, I would like to urge MUIS to consider mosque improvement works, like barrier-free access and lift improvements to fulfil the current needs of the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.

Mosque Upgrading Programme

Mr Hawazi Daipi: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2413 for Vernacular Speeches.] Since the Mosque Building and MENDAKI Fund was used in 2009 to restore or repair old mosques, a number of mosques have undergone and are earmarked to undergo upgrading under the Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) by MUIS.

I would like to get the latest progress from the Minister on the MUP Programme and whether MUIS has any plan to restore more mosques under the programme. As the programme has been outlined for a number of years, what are the basic facilities that are clearly needed by these mosques?

Page: 2356

Sustainability of Mosque Building and MENDAKI Fund

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2414 for Vernacular Speeches.] The Malay/Muslim community has made use of the Mosque Building and MENDAKI Fund (MBMF) and other contributions to fund part of their programme and projects.

However, the expenditure and requirements of the community are expected to increase in the coming years. MUIS and MENDAKI, both as recipients of the MBMF, have to bear a higher expenditure in order to implement even more projects to uplift the community.

In this regard, have MENDAKI and MUIS taken steps to explore other channels, to obtain long-term funds that can continue to support efforts to help the community?

Sir, the community welcomes steps to liberalise the income criteria for the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) scheme because it can help even more Malay students from needy families. However, as the community can see the importance of education as a foundation for a good life, every parent wants his or her child to study as high as possible. But not all of them can enter tertiary institutions in Singapore. Therefore, there is a group of Malay students that need more support in their effort to undergo tertiary education, including overseas and also through private institutions.

Can the Minister elaborate on the financial status of MENDAKI and MUIS, and if MENDAKI's finances, including its reserves, are sufficient to support the community's aspirations?

Mr Zainal Sapari: Mr Chairman, the building of mosques to meet the religious needs of Muslims in Singapore has been greatly supported by the Mosque Building and MENDAKI Fund (MBMF) since 1975. To date, there are 23 mosques that have been built using these funds, with another one in Punggol being constructed. Indeed, with the growing Muslim population in several areas, could the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs provide an update on the progress of the construction of the mosque in Punggol? Also, could the Minister provide information on the sites for new mosques in Woodlands and Jurong West?

A Progressive Malay/Muslim Community

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2415 for Vernacular Speeches.] Recently, several changes have been made to our Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA). For instance, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) issued a fatwa on the Joint Tenancy issue in 2008 and a fatwa on CPF monies in 2011 to address issues that are faced by Singaporean Muslims in our plural and secular society.

Recently, we also heard of views that the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF) is politicised and has to be carried out through a bottom-up approach. I am somewhat perplexed by such views because the real situation is not like that at all. The CLF is a collaborative platform for welfare organisations from both the Malay/Muslim and wider communities.

Page: 2357

Efforts to move initiatives under the CLF come from the participants themselves, and not from any particular organisation. For instance, the youth development network collaborates with organisations such as the Singapore Children's Society, Clubilya, and others – all with the important and holistic objective of developing and improving achievements in the Malay/Muslim community. The objective of the CLF is neither trivial nor focuses on whether the approach taken is bottom-up or top-down.

Could the Minister share similar efforts by our key Muslim institutions to address evolving social trends and challenges that may affect our Muslim community?

Building Capacity of the Malay Community

Mr Zainal Sapari: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2416 for Vernacular Speeches.] The Community Leaders Forum (CLF) was set up in 2003 to provide a platform for Malay/Muslim bodies, other organisations that work with the Malay/Muslim community, and activists to work hand in hand to overcome many issues and challenges facing the Malay community in Singapore.

So far, the CLF network has focused on the issues of education, employment, youths and families. Various ideas have been generated and numerous projects have been planned. Many groups were involved in the various CLF efforts, including students and academics. As described by MP Mr Zainudin, this network has the structure and processes that provide opportunities to any person or organisation that wishes to focus on issues that concern the community. This network promotes a bottom-up approach and not a top-down approach.

However, with many new challenges that we are facing now, I would like to ask the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs to give his assessment on the CLF's progress so far. Does he feel that the programmes offered by the CLF are sufficient and able to meet the needs of the Malay community here?

Based on feedback received from academics and Malay/Muslim bodies, I would like to ask the Minister to share any new efforts and strategies that will be planned to overcome the challenges brought about by globalisation, like the issues of employment, an uncertain economic outlook, development of the social media and improvements in the educational attainment of Malay/Muslims in Singapore.

5.30 pm

The Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Mr Chairman, Sir, allow me to begin my response in Malay.

( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2417-2418 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore has never been intimidated to face the challenges that lie ahead of them. As a community, we are always working together in the gotong royong spirit to bring about changes to our community. In the 1960s, our community leaders took steps to set up new organisations, such as the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM), and the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board (LBKM), in an effort to overcome the educational challenges. As a further step, they set up the Yayasan MENDAKI in 1982 to carry out more focused and integrated efforts to enhance achievements in education. We also continued to address the problem of drug abuse; not long ago, we also implemented the Wrap Around Care (WAC) Programme to address the issue of dysfunctional families.

Page: 2358

Our institutions also expanded efforts to help the community without being bound by their jurisdictions. For example, ROMM gives counselling to young couples to encourage them to think about delaying their plans to marry. The Syariah Court also implements a counselling programme to help couples facing marital problems to reconsider their decision to divorce.

Our community set up the Community Leaders Forum (CLF) in 2003 because we realised that we need to make greater impact if we were to work together. Today, CLF has more than 130 partners to carry out programmes that are capable of reaching more than 150,000 clients.

The results of our efforts can be seen today. Our students continue to perform well. From 2001 to 2010, our children achieved better passing rates in the PSLE and the GCE "O" and "A" level examinations. The rate of Malay students who are going into post-Secondary education has increased in that period from 74.6% to 86.2%.

Marriages in our community are also becoming stronger, with the divorce rate going down by around 6.4% in the past five years. Marriage and divorce rates involving young couples also dropped in the last 10 years. The number of marriages involving this group declined 55% and divorces by 13% during that period.

I will also give examples of other achievements that portray our community as a community that is able to move ahead and possesses the confidence to manage various challenges. The value of contributions made by the community, whether in cash or in other forms, has also grown. As said by Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the incomes of all groups have increased. We can expect the incomes of individual Malay/Muslims to also increase. With this, the contributions to zakat and MBMF also grew from 3% to 7.9% last year. A total of $23.3 million was collected for zakat last year, an increase of 3% compared to the previous year. With greater resources, our community is able to carry out many more new programmes and added the number of aid recipients. As a result, we have expanded the use of MBMF to upgrade mosques and also for Islamic education. The number of people who come forward to offer voluntary services has also grown.

Our religious life has also demonstrated our transformation into a progressive community. Changes to religious education are going well. More people have expressed satisfaction with the Alive Programme.

For the full-time madrasahs , the Joint Madrasah System (JMS) has carried out changes that will transform our madrasah system. Our religious experts have also proactively studied ways to ensure that we will continue to be able to carry out religious duties in a secular country like ours.

Page: 2359

Mr Chairman, Sir, I have presented a broad view of a community that is united, confident of its vision and mission, committed to improving the lives of its members and work hand-in-hand with its partners and the Government in an effort to achieve the vision of a Community of Excellence. Certainly, our community is in a good stead to enter the next stage of development.

( In English ): Mr Chairman, Sir, let me now address the House in English. In my Malay speech, I have highlighted how we are confident of our vision to be a Community of Excellence. In realising this vision, we work hand in hand with our partners and the Government. Our united commitment in achieving greater progress and success is the hallmark of our community that Dr Fatimah has asked about. It also stands us in good stead to embrace the next phase of development.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman highlighted the theme of building an inclusive society in the Budget Statement. In the same vein, it is important for our community to continue working together to care for our children, our youth and those in need. We have to optimise our resources to help more – enabling our whole community to be confident and progressive, even amidst challenges.

There has been much discussion on improving productivity as the key to ensuring that Singapore stays competitive. It is also the best way for workers to earn higher wages and give their families a better life.

Job training and re-training must continue, especially for the lower-skilled workers that Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim talked about. MENDAKI's "Move Into, Move Across and Move Between" programmes help improve the employability of workers and families in need. The long-term unemployed, low-skilled workers, back-to-work mothers and single parents are among the groups that have benefited from the 12,500 training places offered by these programmes in 2011.

The demand for upskilling among those in the professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) category is also high. Over 4,000 training places in supervisory and diploma courses were taken up by PMETs in the last two years.

Overall, 40% of MENDAKI SENSE's training places are taken up by workers in the east. MENDAKI SENSE has, thus, recently set up a new centre in Tampines to be closer to them – to offer training, career coaching and job matching services.

I am pleased to note that a $20,000 SENSE Scholarship was launched in February 2012 to subsidise workers for courses at Continuing Education and Training (CET) centres across Singapore. I hope our community will continue to embrace the opportunities available to hone or upgrade their skills to secure stable and fulfilling jobs.

Sir, Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim asked about using zakat monies to better help families in need. Just like fellow Singaporeans, our community has seen rising incomes across all income groups. With this, giving has gone up and our zakat collection has been increasing over the past few years. In 2011, a total of $23.3 million was collected, a 3% growth over last year, and 2,210 families received monthly zakat assistance.

MUIS will continue helping existing zakat recipients and, at the same time, gear up for more applications. On top of financial assistance, MUIS' Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS) guides zakat recipients towards self-reliance. Since EPS started in 2004, about 400 out of 600 families have graduated from MUIS' assistance schemes. Some of them even help to mentor other families still on EPS, to share their experiences in achieving self-reliance.

Page: 2360

Sir, I am happy to announce that the existing MUIS' Progress Fund will receive a top-up of $2 million, boosting its total to $2.9 million. The Progress Fund was set up in 2010 primarily for the educational needs of children in zakat -receiving households.

Take, for example, Mdm Rafida's five children, who are now able to attend regularly part-time madrasah at Darul Aman Mosque in Eunos. Thanks to the Progress Fund, their monthly madrasah fees are 85% subsidised and, the miscellaneous fees, fully subsidised. This takes a load off Mdm Rafida, a single parent who earns less than $1,000 a month as a food handling supervisor.

Children's education needs are better met when the adults in the family have stable, meaningful jobs. As such, we will also use the fund to provide job training grants for zakat recipients, so that the adults can stay employed and the children can continue schooling.

Sir, Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef talked about consolidated care for the needy in our community. This is what MENDAKI's Enhanced Wrap Around Care (eWAC) concept is about. A social assistance project based on eWAC was piloted last year in MacPherson.

The key feature of eWAC is the holistic help provided through a project manager, who co-ordinates what each family member needs from different agencies. These agencies include the South East Community Development Council (CDC), MacPherson Moral Family Service Centre and the Sallim Mattar Mosque. Since its pilot in the North East and the South East in 2011, the eWAC project has reached out to 37 families to help them achieve a certain level of healthy functioning.

The desire to improve is strong in these households. Parents with schooling children recognise the need for tuition, as they themselves are unable to coach them academically.

Mdm Juhana, a divorcee with six young children, is one such forward-looking eWAC beneficiary. To give her children a good head start in education, she has recently registered them for child care and student care. This will also help her secure permanent employment and build a more conducive home environment for her children. It is encouraging to see Mdm Juhana putting her heart into the two key ingredients for success in Singapore – education and jobs.

Sir, the community's improvement in education over the years is testament to the importance we place on education for our children. MOE's statistics show that the performance of Malay students in PSLE as well as GCE "O" and "A" Levels has improved over the past 10 years, between 2001 and 2010. Proportionally, the percentage of Malay students admitted to post-secondary institutions has also increased from 74.6% to 86.2%. Our community must seize the opportunities that come along with the increasing diversity and choice in the education landscape.

Page: 2361

The Minister for Education, Mr Heng Swee Keat, had earlier highlighted the important role that madrasahs play in our community. Indeed, our six full-time madrasahs not only aim to nurture asatizahs or religious teachers for our community, but also to ensure that students are equipped to join the mainstream education system if they choose to do so.

Our efforts to upgrade our madrasahs have attracted attention beyond our shores. I have just returned from Indonesia where I witnessed the signing of an MOU between a 96-year-old Indonesian institution called Matha'ul Anwar and our local Madrasah Al Irsyad. They value our efforts at integrating secular subjects, such as Mathematics and Science, into the religious curriculum and teaching these subjects in English. We have benefitted from the progressive outlook of our leaders who decided many years ago, even before compulsory education was introduced, to teach madrasah students core academic subjects so that they grow up to be contributing citizens, comfortable in this modern world.

Sir, I wish to assure Mr Zainal and Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap that MUIS ensures financial support for all students in full-time madrasahs , which operate as private schools. Close to $1 million has been allocated for the madrasah PSLE student grant since 2007. All Primary 5 and 6 students receive this, which can be used for supplementary learning activities. Students from needy families also receive up to $1,700 per student worth of assistance funded by MUIS, for school fees, text books, allowances and remedial programmes. Last year, over 260 madrasah students benefitted from the Madrasah Financial Assistance Scheme, which is one of the programmes under the MUIS' Progress Fund.

Besides the students, MUIS also ensures that the madrasahs receive support. Such support includes top-up allowances for our teachers' salaries, grants based on student numbers and funding for various expenditures for facilities or events. Teacher training is a key plank of MUIS' support. Since 2003, MUIS has invested $2.6 million in fully-sponsored training for madrasah teachers, Heads of Departments (HODs) and principals. To address Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef's query, MUIS is well on track to raise the professionalism of our madrasah teachers. By the end of next year, all madrasah teachers would have acquired professional teaching qualification under the National Institute of Education (NIE).

Sir, Mr Zaqy asked about the Joint Madrasah System (JMS). I am pleased to highlight that the JMS has seen much improvement in the areas of madrasah pedagogy, curriculum and leadership. MUIS is reviewing the JMS to ensure that our madrasahs remain relevant to the needs of our community within the context of our society and the changing global environment. It is important that the madrasah curriculum is integrated, inter-disciplinary, age-appropriate and tailored to our local context. For a start, Madrasah Aljunied is piloting a Globalisation module to expose our students to different perspectives on contemporary issues.

The enhancements to the JMS will be a significant investment of MUIS' time, effort and resources, and it requires careful planning. MUIS will announce details later this year, and I am confident that the enhanced JMS will offer more options to cater to the differentiated abilities and interests of our madrasah students.

Sir, the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) Scheme was reviewed last year, a welcome move to benefit more Malay students. The eligibility criterion is now based on per capita income (PCI), rather than just household income, to enable families with more children to qualify. Mr Zainudin asked about the number of applications. The new criteria are applicable from academic year 2012, and Mendaki expects about 7,000 applications from new and existing students to apply by July. Sir, I wish to assure the House that we will continue to review the TTFS eligibility criteria from time to time, to ensure that at least two-thirds of the Malay households in Singapore benefit from the scheme. Mendaki will also continue to exercise flexibility to assist families in unique circumstances, such as those with more than one child in tertiary institutions.

Page: 2362

5.45 pm

For students who do not qualify for TTFS or are not eligible for a full subsidy, MENDAKI's Supplementary Assistance Scheme (SAS) is an interest-free loan that they could consider. Let me cite an example – Dr Noorul Fatha As'art is one such beneficiary. She pursued her undergraduate medical degree at the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine with MENDAKI's interest-free loan. Dr Noorul is an Advanced Specialist Trainee in Public Health. Despite her busy schedule, she still finds time to volunteer at MENDAKI. In addition to working hard, she gives thanks by contributing to the community and, more importantly, serving as a role model.

MENDAKI provides affordable and quality tuition for Primary 1 to Secondary 5 students each year under the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS), which Mr Zainudin had asked about. Sir, MENDAKI enhanced MTS at the beginning of this year, and we saw an overwhelming surge in applications. The student enrolment is now about 8,500, compared to about 6,000 before the enhancements.

First, the tutor-student ratio for upper primary classes has been reduced from 1:12 to 1:8. Second, MTS students are given materials designed according to their differentiated learning abilities. Pupils are thus better able to learn and progress at a pace suitable for them. Thirdly, Sir, the home-school-community partnership has been strengthened to encourage more students to enrol in the MTS, particularly those weaker in English, Mathematics or Science. I urge parents to tap on the quality and affordability of the MTS to benefit their children.

Sir, strong, stable families are fundamental for a resilient community. To strengthen our families, institutions such as our Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and Syariah Court have stepped forward to provide services beyond what they are expected to. For a whole range of issues from minor couples to couples considering divorce, there are concerted community efforts by ROMM and Syariah Court and relevant agencies to provide support and assistance.

More couples are attending the Bersama Mu Marriage Preparation Course (MPC) to understand the transitions and the challenges of married life. This is a first step to nurturing a strong family. To ensure continued relevance, MCYS has embarked on a review of the course. We welcome constructive suggestions in the coming public consultation exercise.

Sir, minor Muslim couples continue to seek premarital guidance at our INSPIRASI Hubs operated with the help of AMP and PPIS. Almost 300 couples attended premarital counselling in 2011, of whom 40% decided to either delay or call off their marriage plans. Sir, I am glad that some minor couples who eventually married continue to participate in INSPIRASI's post-marriage activities in order to strengthen their families.

Page: 2363

As INSPIRASI celebrates its fifth anniversary this year, we will review the programmes to ensure that they are more deeply integrated into the community.

Sir, marriage can be challenging at times, but divorce should not be seen as the quick solution. Even as parties consider a divorce, we do not give up. The Syariah Court pays much attention to saving marriages. On average, over the last six years, between 2005 and 2011, the Syariah Court's Marriage Counselling Programme (MCP) has successfully persuaded 44% of clients each year not to proceed with divorce.

The Syariah Court also offers a customised pre-divorce briefing in collaboration with PPIS As-Salaam Family Support Centre to help couples reconsider their decision, or pursue an amicable divorce if reconciliation is not possible. Importantly, the briefing serves to minimise the impact of divorce on young children. And this initiative has resulted in 17.5% of the participants not proceeding with divorce.

Sir, as a result of these collective efforts, divorce rates and minor marriages have gone down, which Dr Intan has raised concerns about. Overall, Muslim divorces have gone down by 6.4% from about 1,750 to 1,640 over the last five years. This suggests that Muslim marriages are generally showing stronger resilience. Muslim marriages involving minors have also steadily decreased by 37% from about 410 to 260 over the last five years (2007 to 2011). Likewise, Sir, on the flip side, divorces involving minors have also gone down by 26%.

Sir, the figures I have just shared show results in terms of reducing the rates of divorces and minor marriages. It is timely for us to look deeper at marriage and divorce trends, so that our programmes can be even more targeted in addressing vulnerabilities and blind spots.

Sir, mosques are important pillars of our religious needs. I agree with Mr Hawazi that our mosques should continue to enhance their service delivery, especially to our needy. 2011 saw the inaugural Muslimah Seminar, or seminar for our women, the inaugural Befrienders' Seminar and the Mosque Convention to share best practices, shape the character of our mosques and pave the way for our better future.

At the Mosque Convention, more than 700 mosque leaders supported the move for mosques to become a more active node in the national grid by partnering community and national agencies for a greater outreach. The mosques in MUIS' three Enhanced Mosque Clusters (EMCs) are already leveraging on existing assistance schemes to render help at the neighbourhood level.

Such outreach efforts would not be possible without our dedicated befrienders. I am heartened by the 283 new befrienders who have volunteered their services after the Befrienders' Seminar, joining ranks with the existing pool of over 350 trained befrienders.

I am also heartened to see more women contributing to mosque programmes and activities. And we now have about 3,000 active women volunteers in mosques. The inaugural Muslimah Seminar, or women's seminar, last year showcased their hard work, including volunteers, mosque staff and representatives of our Mosque Management Boards. So, on this auspicious day, I wish all of them a happy International Women's Day.

Page: 2364

Sir, our mosques are not only a place of worship, but have become an important community space offering a wide range of socio-religious services. Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap asked about the Mosque Executive Chairman (MEC). He had five questions. I shall endeavour to answer all of them. MUIS introduced the MEC Scheme in 2001 to provide leadership to run our mosques and there are currently 11 MECs. With the support of the Mosque Management Boards (MMBs), mosques led by the MEC have proven to be effective in ensuring the quality of their programmes and services, including community outreach and, equally important, inter-faith engagement. The MEC work primarily for their mosque and the congregants, and are therefore accountable to their MMB. Hence, it is right that the mosques contribute to their wages.

At the same time, the MEC also serves the function of helping MUIS, as the overall authority for mosques, and to achieve its strategic plans for the mosque sector. As a show of support to the mosques, MUIS thus bears 20% of an MEC's salary, which is pegged to that of a Senior Manager in the social services sector. I do not think it is right for us to discuss the salaries of public officers in the House, I am sure the hon. Member would know how much they actually earn because he is from the social service sector.

Sir, our Mosque Building Fund (MBF) started out in 1975 to consolidate the community's spirit of self-help to help build new-generation mosques. Renamed in 1984 as the Mosque Building and MENDAKI Fund (MBMF), it was expanded to include educational and social programmes. Since contribution rates were revised upwards in 2009, the annual MBMF collection has gone up steadily from $14.8 million to $16.5 million in 2010. In 2010, half was allocated to Mendaki and religious education, while the remaining half went to mosque building.

Sir, with the increased contributions in 2009, MBMF's uses were expanded to include upgrading works for mosques. MBF and non-MBF mosques have benefited from upgrading to provide more conducive environments for our congregants, especially our elderly and the disabled. Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim commended our mosque upgrading programmes and Mr Hawazi Daipi asked about our future plans.

Sir, in 2009, five mosques were selected for the MUIS Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) Phase 1, which is expected to complete in 2013. Muhajirin Mosque in Toa Payoh and Hajjah Rahimabi Kebun Limau Mosque in Whampoa have been rejuvenated with barrier-free features, among other improvements. The remaining three mosques – An-Nur in Woodlands, Al-Ansar in Bedok and Alkaff Upper Serangoon Mosques in Upper Serangoon – are still undergoing or soon undergo upgrading works. Additionally, Kampong Siglap Mosque, down in Marine Parade, was also included under MUP Phase 1 due to damage caused by a fire in October 2009.

Sir, with the increase in collection, I am pleased to announce that the MBMF is in a healthy state. We are thus able to bring forward the MUP Phase 2 to this year, instead of 2014. We have identified 15 mosques for MUP Phase 2 based on their urgency for upgrading or expansion. From expanded prayer areas to barrier-free accessibility features such as lifts, these mosques will be spruced up according to their needs.

Page: 2365

Apart from revitalising existing mosques, mosque building is another important aspect to better serve our congregants' needs, and we are building three new mosques, as Mr Zainal Sapari has noted. The Punggol Mosque – it is just a working name – is expected to be ready in 2014. Residents in the area can look forward to an eco-friendly mosque conveniently located near the Punggol Public Transport Centre (PTC). While construction is funded by MBMF, I hope our community can donate generously to raise funds for its interior furnishing.

Sir, for the other two new mosques in Jurong West and Woodlands, MUIS is working with the relevant Government agencies to seek the necessary approvals to start building. We are planning for the Jurong West Mosque to be located at the junction of Jalan Bahar and Jurong West Avenue 2, as shown on the map. It is expected to be ready in 2015. And the proposed site for the new mosque in Woodlands is along the future extension of Woodlands Drive 17. It is expected to be ready in 2016. The two new mosques will cater to the demand for prayer space in their respective areas.

Sir, as Mr Zaqy Mohamad noted, some of our key programmes are financed by MBMF monies and generous donations. As needs become more complex and costs increase, we should plan ahead.

Over the last two centuries, our pioneer philanthropists have created wakaf , or Muslim endowment. The annual income from these wakaf supports the funding of religious and charitable programmes in perpetuity. Last year, a total of $3.08 million was disbursed to three main beneficiaries – mosques, madrasahs and the poor and needy. W aka f is typically in the form of immovable properties and this is the case for our existing 99 wakaf properties. Since 1993, no such wakaf has been created.

We should find an appropriate way to promote this important Islamic institution and adapt it to the modern context. The giving landscape has changed and we expect many well-to-do Muslims would like to contribute to the community. The good news is that wakaf may also be in the form of cash for investment in low-risk or capital-guaranteed instruments.

So, for a start, MUIS will be creating a new wakaf fund through consecrating and pooling together shares of Muslim estates which will otherwise form part of the Baitulmal or General Fund. Beginning with a capital sum of $3 million, this wakaf will be for the benefit of Islamic education broadly. The Wakaf Disbursement Committee will allocate the disbursements based on the priorities and the needs for the year.

A recent positive trend is that more Muslims are doing financial planning and drawing up wills in accordance with Islamic inheritance law. As a form of "planned giving", Muslims can pledge up to one-third of their estates for the wakaf fund. The public may also contribute directly to the fund. Sir, MUIS will announce further details later.

Sir, I would also like to highlight that the Khalid Mosque in Joo Chiat is creating new wakaf through the purchase of two properties at Joo Chiat Road and Onan Road. This is a good example of how income from wakaf properties could be channelled to sustain the operations of a mosque.

I am confident that MUIS' move to create new wakaf will pave the way to revive the philanthropic spirit in our community. It is a progressive move to keep pace with evolving giving trends and the growing complexity of our financial environment. Just as our forefathers had worked hard and selflessly created wakaf for the greater good, I hope our community will also contribute generously to the new wakaf .

Page: 2366

Mr Chairman, Sir, Muslims in Singapore are able to fulfil our religious obligations in the context of our secular and plural society. This privilege, Sir, should not be taken for granted but should instead spur us on to thrive as a progressive community.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar pointed out, the release of fatwas , or religious guidance on joint tenancy and CPF nomination in the past few years, was in response to emerging issues facing our community. Indeed, the MUIS Fatwa Legal Committee has been actively reviewing and formulating fatwas to guide our community on areas such as Muslim inheritance law. MUIS is also translating these fatwas into English for publication.

Such documentation is important as a common reference for the community. I am pleased to note that our Syariah Court intends to publish a five-volume Singapore Syariah Appeals Report (SSAR) series, which consolidates significant Appeal Board decisions in both Syariah Court and ROMM cases. Sir, this body of law will chart how the practice and the development of Muslim personal law have progressed over the years.

In addition to institutionalised efforts to help our community thrive progressively, community-driven initiatives are also critical. One key example, mentioned by many speakers today, is the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF). Sir, the CLF Secretariat has been developing the four key networks, namely Education, Youth, Family and Employability. Mr Zainal Sapari recommended that the community leverage on the CLF to build capacity to face future challenges.

6.00 pm

Sir, this is indeed timely. By all accounts, the future is paved with many uncertainties and challenges but also opportunities. While education remains an important concern for our community, we should also be collectively thinking what education will be like for our community in the years to come. And as the world gets more connected and learning and the sharing of knowledge and expertise are no longer confined to the classroom, how should our community leverage on new interactive technologies to accelerate the pace of learning within our community? Sir, all these point to developing new skills needed in our community in order to navigate the future confidently. As such, Sir, I have asked the CLF Secretariat to put forth some suggestions for our community leaders to deliberate and consider the possibility of starting a fifth network to drive this process.

Sir, in closing, I would like to thank all Members for their questions. The Malay/Muslim community has come far from humble beginnings. Our current successes are all due to efforts put in bit by bit over many years, encouraged by the Government to continue to do well in everything that we do. We must continue to build on the successes together as a community and nation, and not get distracted. The CLF Convention in November this year will be an apt platform for us to reflect, review and explore paradigms to further build capacity as a community to face future challenges and as a Community of Excellence.

Page: 2367

The Chairman: I would now allow some clarifications for Minister Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim to address. But as we are running behind schedule, I would set aside about 10 minutes. I would ask Members to keep their clarifications short so that we can take in as many clarifications as possible.

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Sir, I would like to thank the Minister for his answers to my question. Sir, I am happy that 400 out of the 600 participants of the EPS have graduated and become self-reliant. I think this is very good news. I would like to know more about those 200 participants which are still in the programme. What is the profile like and how is MUIS helping them to facilitate the process of graduation?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I do not have the exact details of what the profile are like for the 200 participants, but based on the briefing that I have been given by MUIS, most of the families face certain difficulties that will require a lot more intervention. But I think the most important point is that efforts are in place by MUIS and our partners to help the remaining 200 families graduate. Some of them may be families comprising older members and therefore it may be difficult, but the important point is that we will continue to endeavour to uplift them and move them out of the zakat scheme so that they can become self-reliant.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: I thank the Minister for sharing the progress of our Malay community and I think much of the progress can also be attributed to many of our Malay organisations. Many do run very good programmes, but many of these programmes also use public funds, for example, MBMF. In the spirit of transparency and accountability, does the Minister think that the Malay organisations and CLF should put up a report card on an annual basis to show the progress as well as account for the public funds that are being used? The second point is that I do agree that we should have our programmes coming from ground up but I also think that organisations like MENDAKI and AMP especially, they should put up their report card also on an annual basis, to let the community know what is being done, the progress that is being made for the community and how they have contributed as well.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I thank the Member for the two questions. I agree with him entirely that the funds that we use for the CLF and even other projects are all public funds and they must be accounted for. I have asked my staff to check and, in fact, the CLF is subjected to monitoring by the Commissioner of Charities because these are public funds and also by the Institutions of Public Character framework as we also received donations. And as such, we have put in place a system by which we monitor the progress of each programme. We evaluate to see whether they are effective and those who have not met any of the KPIs – and the KPIs are the KPIs in which we agree with our partners – the programme will have to be reviewed or even stopped. And we have done so for some of the projects in the past.

More importantly, every year, we have a convention where a report is put up to all our partners and so the partners have a copy of the report that will detail every project, the funding that was spent, the targets of whether they have achieved or not. In the name of transparency, this is what we do and we have given it to all our partners. They are free to share with their beneficiaries and their clients. I am confident that they are aware of what needs to be done in order to strengthen their CLF further, in terms of their commitment.

Page: 2368

On the report card by the various organisations – I cannot speak for other organisations but on behalf of Mendaki, we are subjected to an annual meeting where our members query us and we have to submit our report actually to the Registrar because we are a registered society. Rest assured that at every AGM, we detail our progress over the year, and this is then published in our annual report which is made public, which anybody can access. So, I agree with the Member that it is important that organisations that use public funds continue to build trust within the community by sharing successes, or otherwise, of their programmes and how they have used public funds.

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: Sir, I know the CLF offers a very good platform for all of us to empower individuals as well as VWOs and MMOs to come together, working with our community leaders. I am asking this question for the Minister to consider whether we need a bit of expansion of the CLF where we can have something under health and also management of the elderly. Because this is a significant and important issue in the community especially when we know that, say, for example, under dementia, we have the highest rate of dementia amongst all the different racial groups. There are certain unique ways of managing certain health-related problems in the community, and it might help if we could, for example, have a sub-committee under "network of family" to look into such issues like healthcare and ageing population.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I certainly think that is a good suggestion. I will put it to the CLF network chairperson to consider because this is really an important issue not only facing the community but also the nation.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Thank you, Sir. I just want to seek a clarification. I believe that some of the Members gave their comments regarding Mr Azmoon, AMP's Chairman, and his remark on the top-down approach taken by CLF. I would like to hear from the Minister himself, what does he think about Mr Azmoon's comment about CLF's top-down approach?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the CLF was conceived in 2003 after extensive deliberations internally by Mendaki and consultations with the community leaders. Since the formation of CLF in 2003, the partnership has grown from strength to strength, therefore reflecting that it is a platform which is conducive for people to come in and do projects. Top-down, bottoms-up, it depends on how you look at the glass. As far as we are concerned, it is an effective platform because today, as I mentioned in my reply, we have 130 partners, including many non-Muslim organisations, who have decided that coming together on the CLF will help their Malay beneficiaries in terms of getting out of the dysfunctionalities that they may face.

I think the more important point is, let us work together on this platform that we have created. Sometimes we should not confuse between chairing the network and ownership of the CLF. The CLF is owned by the community because the leaders decided in 2003 to form the CLF. That is why, every year, we have a convention to present to the community leaders our report. Before the convention, the CLF Secretariat, which is housed in MENDAKI, meets the community leaders to update them on the progress of each programme and even if there are new emerging trends that need to be discussed, we have presented them to our leaders. So really the process is consultative and thus far I have not received any major complaints about how the structure of the CLF has inhibited anybody from coming in.

Page: 2369

Mr Zainal Sapari: May I ask the Minister, apart from the interest-free loans given to the Malay students who are keen on getting their university education abroad, will he consider offering bursaries to these students equivalent to what we would have given to the Malay students studying in the local tertiary institutions?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, it would be difficult for us to replicate the kinds of schemes that are available out there because our funds are limited. What we do every year is that based on the TTFS – and I want to remind the House that we are just managers of the TTFS because the policy is decided by the Government, in close consultation with MENDAKI – based on the savings, we basically re-channel the savings back to the loan scheme. I cited the example of a girl who is studying locally in a medical school, who could not get the TTFS because at that time, based on the income level and her family background, she could not avail of the TTFS but she took the interest-free loans and she managed to graduate with a degree in medicine.

The most important point is that, are there schemes out there to help? What we have been doing over the last few years is reviewing our loan schemes so that they are more targeted. For example, we have moved a lot more resource to help some of the Polytechnic upgraders who, for one reason or another, despite excellent results, could not get a place in local Universities. They have to travel to Australia, Canada or the US to get a degree and we decided to help them through interest-free loans. They have accepted these and they are given a six-month period after they graduated before they start repaying the loans. So, really, we do not see this as a constraint. But our funds are limited. And because the loans are interest-free – and it is a revolving fund because we have to depend on the past recipients to return the money so that I can loan it to future recipients – given the time value of money, you will actually have an amount which is decreasing over time because of inflation.

But it has served the community well. The more important point is that if we need to really send our kids overseas, we need to plan ahead – buy an insurance policy and do other things that we can do to help our children secure better future if they have to go overseas. This is something which is being encouraged even by the Government. But at the same time, what we have done in MENDAKI is, any Malay or non-Malay but as long as they are Muslim students who walk through the doors of MENDAKI and need assistance, we will do our best. We do two things – one, we explore what we have internally and if we cannot satisfy the students' needs, we will then explore externally. We have written on behalf of the students to foundations like the Lee Foundation, Tan Kah Kee Foundation, even other generous bodies to see whether they could offer some kind of support. So far, it has been quite successful. I have to thank the many partners that we have outside the community in assisting us in this endeavour.

The Chairman: I will allow one final clarification. Mr Zaqy Mohamad.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: ( In Malay ): [Please refer to Pg 2419 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, last year, there was the issue related to the haj visa. Can the Minister give the latest update on the situation this year and the efforts taken by MUIS to ensure a smooth administration of the haj pilgrimage for this year and in the coming years?

Page: 2370

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: With the permission of the Member, may I reply in English? Mr Zaqy Mohamad asked about the challenges we faced in the haj visa that were encountered by the community last year. I would like to assure the House as I have done in November last year in a reply to a parliamentary question (PQ) that we have briefed all parties including the Association of Muslim Travel Agents, the travel agencies who are involved in the haj business that those special visas will not be entertained anymore because there were problems created by them. Having said that, we will continue to work together with all the stakeholders to make sure that those who are entitled will get the necessary visas to perform the haj .

Our problem is that we are a small country and our quota is very small. In fact, in about three weeks' time, I will be going to my annual haj meeting to appeal again to the Saudi Government for an increase in quota, which has not changed for many, many years. But we are grateful because the Saudi Government has always relented in giving us additional quota. Even the additional quota is not sufficient because the demand is quite huge. But we will continue to work together. The most important thing is that there is a registration system that MUIS has put in place to allow would-be pilgrims to plan ahead, whether it is this year or next year. You can put in and join the queue and for MUIS to process this together with the agencies – the travel agencies and the Association – to make sure that the pilgrims who are going overseas to perform their haj are well-taken care of. So from this year onwards, we will not entertain any of these special visas which was the source of the problem last year. Having said that, when I attend the meeting at the end of March, I hope to be able to appeal to my counterpart in Saudi Arabia to see whether they can grant us even higher quotas.

The Chairman: On that note, let us move to the next cut. Ms Denise Phua.

Social Safety Net/Social Service Sector

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, let me first thank the MCYS Minister and his team for the strong support of the latest Enabling Masterplan for the Disabled. I seek a status update on how the team might track and report on the plan's progress in the future. Next, the need for a Masterplan. The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports has allocated a budget of $2.1 billion; small compared to MINDEF's budget of $12 billion. I believe that MCYS is in fact the best defence for Singapore with its mission to build a cohesive and resilient society. However, in budgetary terms, many of us are not certain if Singapore's cohesion and resilience reflects a position of break even, surplus or deficit.

Sir, I urge the Ministry to take reference from the recently completed Enabling Master Plan for the Disabled, which it facilitated. For that plan, the committee revisited the vision for the disabled; identified critical success factors; identified the gaps for key focus areas; and engaged other Government Ministries and key stakeholders to implement the plan.

6.15 pm

I urge MCYS to discover, for Singapore society cohesion and resilience, what the "state of the union" is, and engage other Ministries and key stakeholder groups to formulate a Master Plan to Build a Cohesive and Resilient Singapore Society. It should then develop a Responsibility Matrix so that everyone, including the rest of Singapore, can co-own and share in this construction effort.

Page: 2371

Next, on strengthening the social safety net. Sir, with this year's budgetary increase in social spending, our social safety net is cast wider but is it stronger? Much will depend on how well the gap between planning and execution is monitored and closed. I wish to highlight just three gaps which I urge MCYS to address. First, many helping hands. The strengthening of the "Many Helping Hands" model to more effectively help those in need was highlighted by Minister of State Mdm Halimah Yacob herself when she was a backbencher. We are all aware that some people get multiple or overlapping help; some are under-served and yet there are those who fall through the social safety net.

We often speak of the need to be client-centric but the many helping hands such as the Community Development Council (CDC), the Family Service Centre, the grassroots, MPS volunteers, and other helping hands do not seem to be very much to confirm the strategies and division of duties to help, especially the families with chronic need. There is a strong need for a systems integrator approach to manage help more effectively. Strengthening the many helping hands and funding the use of tools such as case-management templates, social eco-maps and residents' databases must be a priority, and I urge MCYS to look into it.

Next, on a more rigorous search for leadership talents and partners. Sir, the author of "Good to Great", Jim Collins, highlighted the need to get the "right people on the bus" for any organisation to be great. The social service sector is no different. More than money, the sector needs more proven, available innovative leadership talents. The appeal of taking the path of least resistance – getting safe and familiar partners who ironically could have contributed to some current poor outcomes for the clients – should be resisted. I urge MCYS to embark on a more robust, rigorous and systematic search for the right leadership talents and VWO partners to help fulfil its mission.

Lastly, on innovation. Sir, the social service sector has often been given a badge of compassion. We need to complement this with the badge of innovation to see even better outcomes. One example is the recent campaign to recruit social workers to staff the many new future-proof Family Service Centres which are the bedrock of the Ministry's social service delivery system. I watched with dismay the same strategies of advertising and paying more to hire more. This is the same strategy that is adopted by other Ministries in their race to compete for staff. Sir, MCYS should help cultivate a more innovate culture in the social service sector. In addition, I suggest MCYS set up an attractive Productivity and Innovation Scheme to support organisations and individuals who can contribute ideas and execute service models that are scalable and effective.

Inclusive Society

Dr Lily Neo (Tanjong Pagar): Sir, we receive reassurance from the Finance Minister to do everything we can to keep up social mobility in each generation, and prevent a permanent underclass from forming in our society. The realisation of this intention will depend on how well MCYS puts concrete plans into practice, the success of which will benefit the vulnerable groups as well as the State. It is an important task, the success of which will also determine the social fabric of today and tomorrow.

May I suggest setting up a permanent system approach for a comprehensive community social mobility strategy; a system to facilitate identifying children of low-income and disadvantaged families, tailoring the assistance to individual family's needs, monitoring progress and following-up on long-term basis for their children, through hands-on intervention and follow-up?

Page: 2372

Social workers can be assigned to each family to look into the varying needs such as the children's educational needs, financial assistance, parenting support, nurturing home environment, student care, and job training and skill upgrading for both parents. Could MCYS also work hand in hand with grassroots leaders to identify such families in need and facilitate and synergise with grassroots organisations, which want to set up schemes to help this group at their constituency level? May I also ask MCYS on the availability of social workers for these expanded areas of coverage that require their expertise? What are the measures in place now to increase this pool?

Sir, my main concern for the lowest income group is that they are not earning enough to cope with rising costs. They are stuck in poverty and struggling, and thus if left on their own, they will deteriorate further. According to the Singapore Workforce 2010 Report, 20% of the resident workforce, some 400,000 workers who earn $1,200 or less a month, based on Average Monthly Household Expenditure (AMHE) cannot cover their expenditure and they are in financial hardship.

May I ask whether MCYS is monitoring if Singaporeans are living in poverty despite having employment and how many such families are there? Does MCYS have any plan to relieve their predicament? Apart from measures taken by MCYS to assist this group living in poverty, would MCYS also recommend tweaking WIS to make it truly meaningful assistance for low-wage workers?

On another issue, could MCYS synergise with MOT on providing affordable specialised transport services for the handicapped and the elderly? Transport mode that provides assistance in getting in and out of vehicles, accommodating wheelchairs and with pick-up and drop-off arrangement, in our pursuit of an inclusive society. Could MCYS give more transport subsidies to the handicapped and the elderly that face financial hardship?

Current community support for people with mental illnesses is not adequate. I am most concerned for those in the lowest income families. Can MCYS synergise with MOH to give special attention and care to this vulnerable group? Due to the poor home environment, such patients will have deficient support that will make their conditions worse. These patients will also cause negative impact to the family members who are already struggling themselves. I feel we need a holistic approach in discharging psychiatric patients to the community. We need to give tailored assistance individually in the areas of financial assistance, family and home support. Could MCYS consider long-term financial assistance eligibility for such patients as well as public assistance, as it is hard for these patients to find employment? MCYS can play a bigger role in the provision of community care for mental patients.

I would like to raise the issue of community-based services for our senior citizens. One of the most desirable outcomes for senior citizens is to ensure sufficient opportunities for healthy senior citizens to remain socially, physically and mentally active to ensure their well-being. Indeed, I have been advocating this and have spoken on many occasions in Parliament. Sir, this is the basis of "live long and live well" for the elderly and that is to facilitate them to remain active and healthy. It is better to strive for excellence in this area for prevention purpose so that we do not need to cater excessively to take care of the sick and disabled elderly. I would like to urge MCYS to look into the establishment of "multi-service centres", integrating social, health and other services under one roof for senior citizens. Could MCYS synergise with MOH to see if we can have co-location of eldercare services such as activity centres, day-care, day-rehabilitation, and so on. I would like to urge MCYS to help set up these "multi-service centres" as soon as possible and it will be ideal to have at least one such centre in each constituency in the future.

Page: 2373

May I ask MCYS whether it can be more flexible on Public Assistance's (PA's) eligibility with regard to elderly poor with children who cannot support them due to meagre income? Is there consideration on the per capita income of the children, for such parents to qualify for PA? Could MCYS be more sympathetic and not automatically turning elderly away as soon as finding out that the elderly have children, but try to ascertain the merit of each case?

Lastly, may I ask MCYS on the status of Home Ownership Plus Education (HOPE) Scheme? How many low-income families is this scheme intended for? What is the take-up rate so far? Does MCYS intend to expand this scheme further by relaxing its criteria of eligibility? Can the present restriction of one to two children of HOPE Scheme be increased to three children from one marriage? I feel that it is the children of the low-income families and disadvantaged families from failed marriages that need even more attention and assistance. Would MCYS consider increasing the household income criteria? Many of such families have problem in purchasing HDB flats due to the lack of deposit for their flats. Can HOPE's cash grant be allowed to use for deposit albeit with stricter criteria on resale of such flats subsequently?

Social Issues and Challenges

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Nee Soon): Sir, this year's Budget has seen an increase in the social assistance rendered to low-income families, especially in terms of education subsidies. My deep concern goes for a particular segment of the community, those who are divorced, they can be either men or women, and in some cases, they fend for themselves and having to look after and single-handedly raise their young children and oftentimes more than a child. I met a resident who was recently divorced, as her husband abandoned her for another woman and went overseas. She had two very young children. She had nowhere to go and no savings and thus had to live with her mother-in-law. They did not get along well and she was treated harshly. She had to bite the bullet and endure the emotional torture. This is but one example. Can we provide more support systems both from a policy and programme level for this vulnerable group in view of the increasing demands of raising children and ever-increasing costs of living?

In a similar vein, we have cases of women and children being abused and are victims of family violence. And I mean beating from spouse and also cases of ill-treatment by in-laws. There are also cases where the entire family – husband, wife and young kids – being tormented by their parents-in-law, both physically and emotionally. There is a limit which the various NGOs, religious and self-help groups can sustain and I foresee the imperative for Government intervention in the set-up of more temporary shelters for wives, husbands, children and even entire families for them to rebuild their lives. This will also help to combat juvenile delinquency and keep the children off the streets.

Page: 2374

On a separate note, with an ageing population and more homes for the aged, how can we better integrate overall healthcare for the residents residing in these homes as they are sometimes suffering from depression and mental illness. Is there scope for greater synergy and collaboration between MOH and MCYS in the care and management of the residents in such homes?

The Chairman: Mr Vikram Nair is not present. Mr Hawazi Daipi.

Mr Hawazi Daipi: Sir, this year's Budget is aiming for an inclusive society that cares for our vulnerable group in society is most uplifting. The various Government programmes among other things would help the most vulnerable group in our society. Taking care of the low-income, the elderly sick and looking after the general well-being of Singaporeans have been the central focus of the Government all these years, but this year's Budget is special.

We would continue to do so and has some success in encouraging the rest of the society to chip in through the "many helping hands" approach. We have the many self-help groups successfully helping the needy in their respective community. We have also the Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund ensuring that school children are not deprived. We have the Community Chest, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), the Kidney Dialysis Foundation (KDF) and many other organisations that look after the most vulnerable in our society.

Many foreign visitors often marvel at our lack of vagrancy on the streets but this is only because the Government takes care of those who are not able to look after themselves. Yet, in spite of all that we have done and the many measures put in place, there may still be those who fall through the cracks.

Sir, the study by MCYS in 2011 of 2,000 families is telling. To begin, we must rejoice when Singaporeans in need are down but not out and are happy and very proud to look after themselves and want to get out of their problems. But I fear that some may have problems looking after themselves and may not know where to get help from. The MCYS study also found that one out of ten in the bottom fifth of income ladder is getting help. We have currently about 100,000 families with an earned income of $1,400, that is, one person in the family working, earning about $1,400. We have ComCare to assist families in need, to get back on their feet. Comparatively, as of last year, 20,300 families had received help from ComCare against a background of 100,000 families earning $1,400 or less. I hope the rest can cope and are receiving some forms of help from somewhere, but I still fear that many may fall through the cracks.

6.30 pm

Sir, we have put in place many schemes to help and ensure that Singaporeans who may be down but not out, proud and able to look after themselves and get out of their problems. But we should find some better coordination in helping them because some way, somehow, they may still need help. We have schemes to ensure that if the parents misbehave and are absentee parents, the children do not suffer. Hence, Sir, it would be a travesty and a letdown if after all that we have done, there are still many deserving help but are not getting help. I look forward to hearing from MCYS on how they intend to reach out to those vulnerable groups deserving help but for whatever reasons are not coming forward to seek help.

Page: 2375

Equally important is what can be done to enhance the early monitoring system, especially of the potentially vulnerable families and coordination among the many helping hands, to better improve our social safety net.

Accessibility and Integration of Schemes

Mdm Foo Mee Har (West Coast): Mr Chairman, our Government has consistently strengthened and widened our social safety net over the years. This Budget is no exception and many Singaporeans cheer the slew of measures that will provide more support to the elderly, low-income and disabled. To date, we have a significant number of social support programmes in place, reportedly 100 of them offered by MCYS, various social agencies, foundations and private organisations.

Despite this, I continue to meet many residents who have difficulty getting by in life, whether in finding a job or meeting medical expenses, dealing with a dysfunctional family, paying for their children's education, or simple putting food on the table. Sir, the saddest part is that many of them can actually avail themselves to schemes that are already available and in place. But they are not aware that these schemes exist, let alone how to go about applying for them.

Much has been said about the lack of coordination among the many helping hands whose well-intentioned efforts to help the community are undermined by the disparate procedures, duplication and piecemeal approaches. Some of the most helpful schemes end up being best-kept secrets due to poor public awareness. Consequently, we see low take-up rate for well-designed schemes and not reaching those who could truly benefit from these schemes.

I would like to ask the Minister on how we can become more client-centric in our approach to providing support and improve the accessibility of these schemes as listed in the 88 pages of the "Assistance Schemes for Individuals and Families and Social and Financial Need", as compiled by the National Council of Social Service. How can we align the roles of Community Development Councils, Family Service Centres and voluntary welfare groups to make it easier for people to seek help? Could we consider a localised help centre for each constituency as a one-stop shop to advise and administer to residents the myriad schemes we have and to also work in partnership with the local community and grassroots to proactively reach out to those at risk?

A localised model is likely to be much more effective in outreach as the local community will be in a best position to identify those in need. As community centres are well-known points of congregation for the community in the neighbourhood, I would like to ask the Minister if we could leverage this existing infrastructure to provide space for localised help centres.

Sir, those in need commonly require assistance in a number of different areas. Residents often share that they struggle, having to go through multiple locations and multiple application processes. When I speak to them, apart from feeling that the process is very cumbersome, I can sense that it is also very demoralising for an applicant to have to tell the same sad story repeatedly. Could MCYS enable integration of the application process for the available schemes via one single database? So, we only ask once.

Page: 2376

Last but not least, for assistance programmes targeted at large numbers of Singaporeans, such as the Community Health Assist Scheme targeted to reach 710,000 Singaporeans, how could we make this scheme more readily available? Perhaps, pre-approved, rather than wait for each one to apply. In the spirit of the over-arching theme of this year's Budget, let us work towards greater efficiency and productivity in our community service as well.

SPH's School Pocket Money Fund

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, SPH's School Pocket Money Fund (SPMF) has done good work, providing children from low-income families with pocket money to attend school. Over the years, we have heard many happenings, stories of how needy children benefited from the SPMF. However, I would like to suggest a few improvements in the administration of the fund so that SPMF can better achieve its objective of alleviating the financial burden for children from low-income families.

Firstly, the SPMF acceptance criteria currently state that it is compulsory for clients to undergo casework and counselling with a social worker in order to receive assistance. In many cases, however, clients do not require these counselling services as they do not face any other social or family issues. Take client A for example, she is a homemaker with three school-going children. The husband is the sole breadwinner, drawing a take-home pay of about $1,500. The children do well academically since our client is able to supervise the children's studies at home. The family also has minimal arrears because they budget their expenses carefully. Yet, they could use some assistance to ease their financial burden especially since a substantial portion of the family's household income goes to the children's school and daily expenses.

Sir, making casework and counselling a compulsory criterion in SPMF applications could potentially deter people like client A from applying for financial assistance under the SPMF as they might find it a hassle to go through the casework and counselling process when they do not have any issues to work on. Yet, the financial assistance could make a huge difference in enhancing the family's quality of life, thereby allowing the children to better focus on their studies. From an administrative perspective, we should also free up our social workers from having to conduct casework and counselling for clients who do not really require the service, so that our social workers can focus their efforts on more urgent and complicated cases instead. I would therefore like to suggest that the casework and counselling should only be required for SPMF applicants, only when the social workers assess that there is a real need for it.

Standardised Definition of Low-income

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Pasir Ris-Punggol): ( In Mandarin ): [Please refer to Pg 2420 for Vernacular Speeches.] Mr Chairman, the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at the Singapore Management University released a report last year titled "Unmet Social Needs in Singapore". The report highlighted the confusion, I quote, "arising from the myriad of aid schemes − and along with it, varying qualifying criteria − that are around to help the vulnerable individual €¦ The NCSS has compiled a list of at least 100 of such schemes, offered by MCYS and various social agencies, foundations and corporations." Hence, I would like to ask the Ministry if it would consider standardising the definition of "low-income" to simplify the application for and administration of financial and social assistance.

Page: 2377

Enabling Social Services

Mr Alex Yam: Mr Chairman, there was once a legend long time ago of a great fire that broke out in the forest. People and animals started to run, trying to escape from the fire. The owl was flying away when he noticed a little bird hurrying back and forth between the nearest river and the fire. He headed to this little bird. He noticed that it was a small sparrow flying to the river, picking up small droplets of water in its beak and then returning to the fire to put out the flame. The owl approached the sparrow and yelled at him: "What are you doing? Are you stupid? You are not going to achieve anything by doing this. What are you trying to do? You must run for your life." The little sparrow stopped for a moment, looked at the owl and answered: "I am doing the best I can, with what I have."

Just like that little sparrow, our social workers similarly face challenges of resources in the face of the heat of growing caseloads. Yet, like that little sparrow, they continue to do what they can for the people that they serve. Social work has very much been in the news lately. The recent headlines also splashed "Wanted – 200 more social workers".

Mr Chairman, Sir, with this greater focus on community care amidst a crowded social services landscape, the apparent lack of social workers will pose a greater challenge in the years ahead. Our population is ageing rapidly, our family structures seemingly have become less strongly-bonded than in the past, all perhaps part of a globalised society.

The recent infomercials by MCYS provide a little insight into the little seen world of social work. But how would the Ministry look at actual strengthening of the sector and what are the strategies to better equip the social service sector beyond what has already been announced? I applaud the announcement by the Minister that the pay gap for social workers will be narrowed over the next two years. However, it is beyond that, that drives them. Passion drives them largely. Yet, at the same time, resources will still be needed, and I ask the Ministry to look into this.

The Chairman: Mr Vikram Nair, you can take your two earlier cuts as well.

Mr Vikram Nair (Sembawang): Thank you, Mr Chairman, Sir. Let me start with the cut on the social safety net. Budget 2012 has helped to improve and strengthen Singapore's social safety nets in many ways, but I think one of the fundamental principles underlying this is still the many helping hands approach. And this means that there are a great many different agencies involved – there are too many acronyms here for me to name − but these include HEPAS, CEPAF, CCFA, ICCP, HSP, HOPE, SCFA, CCT, ComCare, PAWIS. There are a lot of acronyms there. I was hoping for two things in particular: one, it would be nice if these many helping hands could be a little more integrated; and, second, I was hoping that this more integrated approach can be implemented on a more localised level. Because I think it is only at the local levels that we know very clearly what each household needs. So, I hope that MCYS can take these points into account.

Page: 2378

Elderly

The second cut I will deal with is on the elderly. Budget 2012 is an inclusive Budget. There are many initiatives focusing on the elderly. I think this is very good. But one of the things that many people get very emotive and upset about is when they see the elderly working in menial jobs such as cleaning, and so on. And I think there is a sense of outrage that, perhaps, these people should be treated better. This leads to a couple of very specific questions. The first question is, what kind of support is there to ensure that the elderly have the option not to work if they are unable to, and what support can be given to them. Second, it is not just about giving support to the elderly but also in trying to build communities. So, what type of communities can we build for the elderly? There has been a lot of unhappiness in the news about elderly day care centres being built in various neighbourhoods. What can we do to overcome this resistance to create activity centres for the elderly? Of course, the final point is, not all elderly do not want to work; some of them do want to work. Are there any steps in place to help them perhaps get better skills or to avoid discrimination if they so choose to work?

Social Service Sector

The final cut I have is on the social service sector. The social service sector is one that underlies much of the implementation of the social safety net. Some of the earlier speakers have said that the lack of social workers is probably going to be a rising concern. There are a couple of things that can be done. One of the reasons that we might have a shortage of social workers is probably because of the wages of social workers. Obviously, if we provide higher wages, hopefully, more people will come into it. The second, of course, is to get a recruitment campaign which, I think, MCYS is doing right now. But I am not sure if that is enough to meet the shortfall. We understand from MCYS' press release in The Straits Times , just recently on 21 February, the expected shortfall of 200 social workers and there are only 800 registered practitioners. So this seems like we need to increase the numbers by at least 25%, which is quite substantial. So, I would like to know what steps are in place to attract more people to this profession.

6.45 pm

Social Workers and Caregivers

Mrs Lina Chiam: Sir, the work of a social worker is a notable job that requires great sacrifices but, unfortunately, the social service sector in Singapore is facing a shortfall of about 200 social workers as revealed recently by the Minister.

Perhaps, this is where we need creative solutions to alleviate the burden on the 800 dedicated people who are registered social workers in Singapore. MCYS could consider engaging more part-time volunteers as well as to give back to society. Many who wish to volunteer their services usually do not know in what capacity they can serve others.

The Ministry could provide hotlines or recruitment centres that help volunteers best match their abilities and time with the appropriate kind of voluntary work. Their website could be further improved, too, to facilitate this.

MCYS could consider an award system to support social workers to incentivise a spirit of corporate social responsibility among companies. Dedicated individuals must be recognised for their contributions.

Page: 2379

Parents should encourage their children to view social work as their responsibility to society. As a concrete way of inculcating this, community programmes could be organised for parents to spend a day or an afternoon with their children volunteering their combined services at the various voluntary welfare organisations.

However, we may have overlooked the most important group of these people – the caregivers who are often the over-burdened family members and loved ones of the patients. Their plight as caregivers has been largely overlooked until recently when the media and public took notice. I hope that the Government will take them into account in this inclusive society that we want to build.

The task of taking care of a loved one with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder is especially difficult and painful as those illnesses are unpredictable and require round-the-clock supervision. Mr Raymond Anthony Fernando, an activist on mental health issues, has been for almost 40 years the sole caregiver to his wife who has suffered from schizophrenia. The journey has been painful to him, but he has not given up on his loved one.

There is currently not much support for people like Mr Fernando. Our mental healthcare system does not sufficiently take the caregiver into account, leaving the more vulnerable ones to develop mental illnesses themselves. Caregivers are at increased risk of depression and other health problems as a result of the stress of being a caregiver.

Sir, I propose that the Ministry helps to subsidise respite care for caregivers. MCYS could also initiate the setting up of a support group for caregivers with the help of social workers and counsellors who understand the challenges of the task and help them better manage their loved ones, in terms of basic nursing and palliative care, food and nutrition.

We also learn of those who are the only child, who are single, and who have the sole burden of taking care of their aged parents while being the family's breadwinner. Could the Government help out in such situations, in terms of subsidies or instituting time-off from work? The health and well-being of social workers and caregivers is very important as they need to give full-time care to the patient. Their physical and overall state of mind must be in tip-top condition.

The Chairman: Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, you can take your two cuts together.

Workload of Voluntary Welfare Organisations and Social Workers

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, it is good that the Ministry is finally addressing the problem of social workers' caseload. I sincerely support the Acting Minister in seeking to reduce social workers' caseload by 20%. We need to empower social workers and other helping professionals such as counsellors, who are actually on the ground forging the inclusive society. If you overload them with work without adequate support, we cannot expect them to deliver the quality of service that our vulnerable need in order to stand back on their feet.

The Ministry has announced its aim to increase funding for VWOs to reduce the average number of cases per social worker from 50 to 40 from October 2012 onwards. I would like to make three points on this matter.

Page: 2380

Firstly, in the answer to my Parliamentary Question a few weeks back, the Acting Minister reported that the average active monthly cases in Family Service Centres (FSCs) for social workers have dropped from 49 in 2007 to 43 in 2011. This is good news as the FSC is our frontline unit helping the vulnerable. However, this means that we need to aim higher in reducing social worker caseload by 20%. There is also no clear timeframe set by the Ministry for the target. Would the Acting Minister consider setting a target of 35 average active monthly cases for FSC social workers, which is 20% lower than 43, to be achieved by 2015?

Secondly, in the longer term, we need to reduce caseloads further to match international best practices. In Hong Kong, 30 cases due to rising caseload in the past decade are considered excessive. The Child Welfare League of America, which deals with similar welfare issues as the FSCs, recommends 17 active ongoing cases per social worker. Would the Acting Minister consider setting a target of the ratio 1:25 for FSC social worker's caseload to be achieved by 2020?

In addition, studies should be done to ascertain a caseload matrix to determine the optimum caseload for each social welfare sector. Each sector presents different kinds of demands on social workers. Medical social workers would have different optimum caseload compared to FSC social workers or CDC ComCare officers. We could learn from the US National Association of Social Workers who recently proposed such a caseload matrix. Perhaps, the NUS Social Work Department can be commissioned to do such a study.

Thirdly, we need to also consider workload as distinguished from caseload. Workload is the amount of time required to perform specific tasks. When asked recently whether the 20% reduction in caseload is sufficient, Care Corner, Singapore FSC's Chief Operating Officer, Mr Daniel Chien said, "It all depends on the intensity of the cases we handle." Other than case work, social workers have to do many other tasks such as outreach activities, attend to emergencies, appear in Court, work with community groups, write up administrative reports, and so on. Would the Acting Minister consider the measurement and tracking of workload, in addition to caseload, with a view of reducing it to an optimal level, and also with a view to reducing the administrative workload that is taking the social worker away from case work?

Voluntary Welfare Organisations' and Family Service Centres' Funding

Sir, Family Service Centres have to fulfil specific KPIs set by the National Council of Social Services in order to receive funding for their operational costs as well as for the administration of specific programmes. There is no doubt that the Family Service Centres need to be accountable for the usage of public funds and checks need to be in place to ensure that these funds are used to achieve the intended objectives.

However, the current KPIs are typically too broad or general to accurately measure and reflect the actual work done and the results achieved by the VWOs. As a result, FSCs are caught in a dilemma of devoting resources to achieve the KPIs to secure funding rather than to devote such resources to work which may not contribute directly to the KPIs, but to provide more substantial and meaningful assistance to their clients. For example, the funding of the number of social workers employed at the FSCs is tied to the number of clients they serve every quarter. This indicator fails to take into account the variations and the complexities of cases and the amount of resources required to manage these different cases. This is one example cited by the social workers which I have spoken to. As such, it is my recommendation that the Ministry conduct a comprehensive review of the KPIs which have been tied to the funding provided to FSCs and, more importantly, to seek feedback of the social workers in this exercise to make it as fruitful as possible. The assessment of FSCs' contribution should not be based on just quantitative indicators but also through regular interactions between the Ministry and the FSCs to see what is actually happening on the ground.

Page: 2381

On a broader level, I would also like to call for the Ministry to reassess its relationship with the FSCs to be a more collaborative and consultative one, instead of the highly transactional nature of the relationship today, where FSCs are treated like outsourced partners to the Ministries.

The Chairman: Miss Penny Low, you can take your three cuts together.

Productivity via ICT in the Social Sector

Miss Penny Low: Sir, Singapore is on a productivity drive to increase wages by at least 30% in the next 10 years. The social sector and Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) have long suffered from low image and low wages. With rising social deficits, this sector has much to do. Lest it be too little and too late, I urge the Government to urgently and massively invest into uplifting the image and productivity of this sector. One good and easy way forward is through Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

Sir, we say that the social sector is high touch-low tech, and so allow it to lag far behind the private and even public sector in the understanding and deployment of ICT. But this idea is flawed. It should be high touch and high tech. Whether it is to manage volunteers, staff, donors, clients or day-to-day operations, information and system integration, real-time demand and business processes, ICT is a key productivity driver. Social media like Facebook can do wonders in building interest groups and support networks. Twitter can be used to crowd-source ideas, transmit information and foster closer relationships between NPOs and the people they serve. They are available free, but few know how to maximise the mileage.

A Hong Kong survey of NPOs found that 65% of NPOs said, "the lack of capital and talent or knowledge" are among the major challenges the social welfare sector faces in developing IT. Close to 40% of them said cloud computing can solve all or part of their IT challenges. The study also shows that with changing demand and greater mobility, the evolving NPO service model requires ICT systems that will be able to dynamically address its service needs, so they can focus on lifting service levels. Could we do a similar survey to understand our ICT concerns and needs?

Sir, we have been at best half hearted. Available schemes are ad hoc , disjointed and ill-fitted for NPOs. What is needed is a concerted industry approach, no less than that of the e-Government or SPRING for private sector investments to educate NPOs, provide funds and appropriate ICT solutions to increase productivity and improve the image and wages of the social sector. Let us get real and serious in using ICT to uplift the image and wages of the sector. It will better the lives of those who serve and those who are served.

Page: 2382

Building Social Capital

Sir, my second cut on building social capital. A stronger Singapore can only be achieved if everyone plays a part to strengthen our social capital. So, what is social capital? Mr L J Hanifan, one of the first to use this term in 1916, refers it to "social cohesion and personal investment in the community". In a small kampung , people know their neighbours well, close ties are forged, mutual trust and care and share is expected. Naturally, the sense of security and common destiny boost the sense of well-being making better people, better society.

In building our social capital, we can take a leaf from the organisation, National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA), which is a UK body set up to allow the public to contribute ideas to solving daunting challenges faced by the UK public services. One example is the "Strategies with Kids, Information for Parents" scheme where it is a social platform that forces positive relationship between parents and children. Parents come together to share parenting tips and organise events for family days. Young children are interviewed on how they would like to be treated and what makes them happy. These have inspired parents to think about what really matters. Sir, the foundation of society lies in the strength of the family units, so fostering family ties is the first step to building social capital.

In my constituency, technology has also been used to foster community empowerment – www.punggol.org is set up and managed completely by Punggol residents. It draws a whopping three million views per month. The platform provides opportunities for people to meet their future neighbours, share renovation tips and reduce living costs by bulk purchase. Recently, one group even went on a holiday to Batam before their flat is even built. These activities strengthen bonding and build social capital.

To catalyse the growth of social capital, I advocate the setting up of three-way collaboration hubs, where the 3Ps can meet, collaborate and kick-start or scale up activities. Open innovation methods and dedicated funds would be pivotal to building this stronger Singapore.

Social Innovation Value Chain

My third cut – social innovation value chain. Sir, in the face of demographic and urban city challenges, we need to adopt a systematic approach to meet these national challenges. Much of these can be done through 3Ps and cross-sector collaborations. So, here are my specific recommendations:

(1) Commission a study of the local value chains in social innovation, with the objective of building a stronger ecosystem to build social capital and reduce social deficits and fiscal demands. The study should understand the landscape and identify the linking pins, uncover the champions, the supply and demand chain, the manpower and ICT needs and the interdependency and roles of the 3Ps.

(2) Have a physical venue. Invest in a serious social innovation hub where social entrepreneurs and innovators can gather to share ideas and learn − the same way that we have developed our Biopolis and Fusionopolis.

Page: 2383

(3) Invest in creating ICT and community platforms that raise productivity of this sector.

(4) Incentivise multiple accesses to finance; build social banks that lend to and invest in social businesses; match social venture capital; and increase tax advantages for companies and individuals who invest into social enterprises and social businesses.

(5) Fund research and development of technologies that fundamentally addresses social deficits.

(6) Encourage procurement of products and services from socially responsible and social businesses; and

(7) Generously fund bottom-up initiatives that address national challenges and community issues.

Sir, those are the seven "wonder" suggestions.

7.00 pm

Maturing Our Civil Society

Mr Laurence Lien: Mr Chairman, let me first declare that the agencies I head – NVPC and the Community Foundation of Singapore – are substantially funded by MCYS. If I am harsh, it is in the spirit of making improvements. If I am gentle, it should not be construed as currying favour with the Minister.

Sir, I have argued during the Budget debate that civil society needs to step up and do much more to help meet the increasingly complex needs of the Singaporean community. I argue this for three reasons.

First, civil society is able to do things that the Government cannot do, like catering to diverse and holistic needs. Secondly, the non-profit sector is able to do some things better, like taking risks and experimenting. Thirdly, the State should not do everything, and must let community take more ownership of social issues.

In Singapore, we have the "Many Helping Hands" approach. Unfortunately, non-profit organisations (NPOs) have often become the subcontractors of Government, delivering many services on behalf of Government. The brains and heart of social intervention remain with the State.

Sir, how can we change this? Let me suggest a few ways.

First, we need to review the "Many Helping Hands" approach. NPOs need to drive social change and not be driven by it. They need to innovate and tackle root causes. Government needs to lead by stepping back. In its funding approach, charities are often tasked with raising funds for part of a Government-funded programme. I would suggest that if it is a case of Government outsourcing to the sector, that Government funds the specific programme fully, and let the charities raise and apply funds raised from the public to working on experimental and non-standard programmes.

Page: 2384

A calibrated approach is to treat charities in a differentiated way. There could be two or three tracks, such that those which are more independent and autonomous, and have shown a successful track record of innovating are treated differently from others that are still doing a good job but who prefer to focus on running standard programmes. And we can experiment with more funding for the former, and less active guidance and more co-creation with the Government.

Secondly, there is a need to avoid the over-professionalisation of services. With the foreign labour restrictions and ever increasing social needs, the supply of labour cannot possibly keep up with its demand, even if you pay more. This is where I believe volunteerism needs to play a much stronger role. In fact, too many charities cast their mission too narrowly and miss out on many potential volunteer opportunities. This is sometimes the result of over-professionalisation of the services they provide. Yet, numerous human services would not be as effective if they were merely professionally provided, as the compassion provided by the volunteers can be an integral part of making that service effective. Charities must recognise the benefits of engaging the community in their efforts and invest in better volunteer management.

Finally, I would like to talk about community development and empowerment. When I visited the US two years ago on the Eisenhower Fellowship, my biggest take-away was learning about the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) model of community organising.

The ABCD approach focuses on the half full, not half empty glass, that is, the assets in the community. It looks at how people from various levels of the community can step up to be active contributors. It counteracts the predominant needs-based approach to development, which presents a one-sided negative view that often compromises community capacity building and social inclusion. And it rests on the principle that the recognition of strengths, gifts, and assets of individuals and communities is much more likely to inspire positive action for change than an exclusive focus on needs and problems. The key to the ABCD is in the power of local associations to drive the community development process, identify community assets and then connect them to multiply their power and effectiveness.

The NVPC is experimenting with this approach. Let me just give Members an example. We introduced this concept to the committee of the Children's Village in Bukit Timah where they were trying to build a cohesive village concept to replace childcare centres. And the core committee engaged parents of pre-schoolers by holding a Parents' Night, a meeting where the organisers prepared no agenda and the agenda was entirely decided by parents and volunteers. This experiment worked very well with many enthusiastic parents contributing ideas and executing the ideas, like storytelling sessions, family outing days, and this went well beyond the committee's preconceived plans.

NVPC has since tried to introduce the ABCD concept to other communities. But we observe a few difficulties. Agencies on the ground do not know how to lead by stepping back; they often see it as a separate programme and they are reluctant to shift mindsets. And they fear the lack of structure and fluidity of the ground-up initiatives.

Page: 2385

Moving on, NVPC will still continue to persevere on this because we believe it is a very constructive approach. We welcome open and willing grassroots partners and advisers to adopt the approach and develop demonstration projects. Just let me know and we will work with you.

Perceptions of Seniors and Active Ageing

Mr David Ong (Jurong): Sir, if I were to ask hon Members present in this House if they feel younger than their age, I am sure most, if not all, of them will raise their hands in agreement. In fact, it is good and natural that all of us should feel younger than our true age.

Some studies have proven that how a person perceives ageing can actually affect how long they will live. It is therefore important that we encourage our seniors to have a positive attitude about ageing. If they have a positive mindset, they can develop and strengthen their mental, physical and spiritual resilience. Their will to live will be increased and they will be more resilient to illness. They will also develop a greater zest for life!

More and more of us, the seniors, soon to be seniors and the young are embracing the idea of healthy ageing, staying fit and looking good for as long as possible. Indeed, how we perceive ageing can affect how we age.

Sir, the study on Public Perception and Attitudes Towards Ageing and Seniors Survey revealed that 80% of the interviewees felt that seniors can play an active role in society. I do like to urge the Ministry to do more to shape positive attitudes for both our young and older Singaporeans towards our seniors and ageing. What can the Ministry do to honour our seniors and celebrate ageing? How elderly are perceived can have implications on how they are treated in our society. So, whether it is about building or locating elderly care centre or Studio Apartment, taking our trains and buses or at our workplaces, we need to shape positive perception and discourage stereotypical views of our seniors.

The incoming tide of the baby boomers generation will change the landscape of ageing. Our seniors are now healthier, better educated, more technology savvy, and more affluent than their counterparts 10 years ago.

I applaud the roll out of the People's Association Wellness Programme to promote active ageing among our seniors. To date, I believe PA has reached out to over 140,000 seniors in various constituencies.

Increasingly, we do need to go further upstream to have our younger generation embrace active ageing early. We must get them actively and proactively pursuing their interests, connect with more friends, eat right and have a healthier lifestyle. In fact, to age well, we have to start now.

We hear of many inspiring real life examples of our senior citizens challenge their boundaries and our perception. Even in today's Straits Times , we have a story on Mdm Tan Soh Yah. I do not think Members can see this [ A newspaper cutting was shown to hon Members ]. She is aged 65 and still goes to the gymnasium to do weightlifting every weekday.

Page: 2386

Will MCYS devote more resources to promote and enhance the existing Wellness Programme? And what can MCYS do to encourage more stakeholders outside of grassroots to take up Wellness Programme to engage our seniors? What other plans does the Ministry have that will allow for our new seniors to actively "age in place", and that they can continue to contribute meaningfully to their families and communities?

Can the Ministry help to look at providing access to more community spaces and facilities so that residents can have a place nearer to their homes for them to lead a healthier and active ageing lifestyle? With a changing ageing profile, are there plans to enable our seniors to pursue continuing education at our local tertiary institutions where they can pursue subjects that interest them?

Indeed, the well-being of an individual will contribute to the overall wellness of the community. The benefits of a healthy population, particularly a healthier ageing population, cannot be underestimated. It will have a tremendous bearing on productivity and will reap social dividends over time.

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman mentioned in this year's Budget a fair and inclusive society. This will require the collective will and effort of all sectors – the public, private and people, to realise our goal of helping our seniors not only adding years to their lives but adding life to their years! Sir, in closing, I would like to share with Members a quote from George Bernard Shaw.

The Chairman: Make it quick.

Mr David Ong: "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing".

Mr Desmond Lee (Jurong): Sir, over the past few days, various Ministries have outlined plans to prepare for an ageing population. The MND announced the EASE programme, to make homes elder friendly. The Ministry of Health rolled out comprehensive plans to ramp up medical infrastructure, particularly home care, and intermediate and long-term care.

At a Budget dialogue in Jurong last night, a grassroots leader commended the Government for these plans, but said that it would be far better to emphasise healthy living, so that Singaporeans, including our seniors, can live well, live long and have peace of mind. I agree.

Indeed, Sir, the vast majority of our seniors are in good health and great shape. The seniors in Jurong Spring, for instance, can line-dance for hours on end, and out walk many younger people. In their golden years, many remain closely connected to their friends and family.

Last Sunday, during a grassroots brisk walk at Botanic Gardens, I listened as a group of elderly ladies animatedly discussed cooking recipes as they passed through the spice garden.

Page: 2387

Every Tuesday morning, without fail, a busload of senior citizens from the Community Centre (CC) visits a nearby old folks home to perform for the residents and keep them company. Younger grassroots leaders and I rely on the wisdom and experience of our more senior community leaders.

Sir, if most of our seniors are able to keep fit and healthy, and remain actively engaged in the community, then we need not fear a Silver Tsunami. Instead, we will enter a Silver Summer and enjoy the warmth and wisdom of our parents and grandparents for many years to come.

I would therefore like to ask the Minister what further plans MCYS has to engage our seniors to stay healthy and active, and continue to contribute to society. How can we strengthen and increase the outreach of the Wellness Programme? I believe the programme reaches out to many more elderly ladies than elderly gentlemen. How can we change the ratio? How can we tap on the wisdom of our seniors to build an inclusive society through activism in community service?

Purpose-driven Ageing

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng: Sir, a scrutiny of the active ageing events organised on the ground reflects mostly social activities. The perception of many people, including volunteers, is that seniors should be taken care of, sometimes fed and served even if they can do things for themselves.

Sir, there are just that many line dancing lessons, hong bao dinners and social outings that one can indulge in. The element of serving, serving others and some vocational work, even if it is simply work therapy, should be formally incorporated in active ageing plans and activity calendars.

I propose that a Quality of Life framework that develops the whole person be developed and publicised to educate seniors, so that they can think beyond their own physical and social wellness and age with a purpose and continue to play a meaningful role in society.

I also propose the deployment of resources to create a database and a clearing house of either paid or volunteer vocational work that is suitable for seniors, so that they can age with a purpose.

Home-based Care, Children and the Family

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mr Chairman, the recent Budget announcements by the Ministry of Health have spelt good news for families in terms of assistance and relief for childcare and elderly care and people with disabilities. All these have been generous. More support can be extended especially to home-based caregivers. To elaborate, there are those who choose to take care of their children, elderly parents or family members with special needs or who are disabled, instead of putting them in a care centre or nursing home. These Singaporeans, including their spouses, should be able to enjoy higher personal tax reliefs, more financial assistance schemes and the flexibility to draw from the Medisave for medical expenses incurred by a family member whom they are caring for.

For children, I am particularly concerned about the spate of cases in recent years involving the abuse of young children. I believe more paediatric social workers working closely with the Residents' Committees (RCs), Community Development Councils (CDCs) and Family Service Centres (FSCs) are needed. In addition, after school care centres can help to support working or absent parents and provide a safe and nurturing environment for children potentially at risk of abuse. These centres can also provide opportunities for older Singaporeans to be re-employed and take up positions as after school caregivers. This may be a way of re-employing older Singaporeans while, at the same time, encouraging the transmission of values and sharing of life experiences from senior citizens to our young.

Page: 2388

Similarly, grandparents who choose to take care of their grandchildren should be recognised for their efforts in taking care of the future generation and in parting family values. Such senior citizens can be given more financial assistance such as further property tax reliefs and enhanced medical subsidies. I hope the Minister can consider these proposed measures.

7.15 pm

The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, I think you have the honour of making the longest cut in this year's COS.

Caregivers and Our Aged

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir): Sir, in fact, I have devoted most of my allotted time for this MCYS cut because many Potong Pasir residents have asked me to raise this issue of growing old and, more importantly, how to look after our elderly. Sir, as many of us may know Potong Pasir is a mature estate and we are very fortunate to have living amongst us many old folks and people above the age of 50. In fact, about half of our residents there are above the age of 50. On our part, my grassroots and I will look after our residents as well as we can. But I think we can do more and certainly we need more help. Sir, the reality is this, we will all grow old and at some point in our life, we will fall sick and at some point in our life, we will need caregivers to look after. That day must come.

Sir, the issue of ageing is not an isolated concern. This is an issue that cuts across our Ministries. A holistic approach is needed. MCYS cannot work in isolation from MOH, whilst the latter cannot work in isolation from MOM or MOF. Ageing and the care of our elderly is not the concern of one household alone, but that of a community. It is not an issue that can be sealed off within the walls of a nursing home. It is most definitely not a concern faced only by the less well-to-do.

We in Singapore are lucky as we have numerous schemes put in place to assist with the day-to-day care of our aged. In Potong Pasir, for example, our Citizens' Consultative Committee has implemented the Community Health Engagement Programme in collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital. This is a scheme which empowers the elderly and in this case, those above the age of 50, to take charge of their own health. The programme aims to equip them with the skills that are essential for them to lead an independent and healthy life through education, training and participation in various programmes. This programme also creates a sense of comradeship amidst the older members of our community as they spend time together and share experiences.

Page: 2389

Sir, ageing cannot be reversed. It is inevitable. It thus cannot be an easy process for many. Our Potong Pasir programmes try to enable the older members of our community to age with grace and, more importantly, with care and company. They know and can be assured that they are not "alone in the boat".

For the very old, sick or infirm, this period, the very late winter of their lives, where practically all the leaves have fallen and all seems dark, it can be bleak and endless. It is here that caregivers play an essential and often irreplaceable role.

In Singapore at present, caregivers come in three forms: (i) institutional care, be it in the form of nursing homes or hospices; (ii) foreign domestic helpers; and (iii) family members. It remains the case that nursing homes are an option of the minority, especially for the more infirm who require round the clock professional care. Even so, the demand for nursing homes far outstrips the supply. Some of the chief constraints are the price of land and manpower.

Whilst it remains in the forefront of our Asian psyche to care for our elderly within the family as much as possible, we cannot run away from the realities of our society. Families are faced with heart wrenching choices. More must be done to assist them in finding alternative professional care for their infirm elderly. Where they cannot manage or cope, it is our role to step in and assist.

On the other hand, it is disconcerting and somewhat disturbing when we encounter Singaporeans who do not want a hospice or nursing home in their neighbourhood. When asked why, some fear that the prices of their homes would be affected whilst others just do not care for it. Of course, they are thankfully, but a very small minority in our society.

Sir, an alternative, if I may suggest, is a community for the aged. Granny flats or small exclusive housing developments where only the elderly can live, where all the facilities that they require are within their reach and things are built to cater only to their needs, where they can mix and live with others who like them seek solace and company in their old age, where professional healthcare workers can assist them on a day-to-day basis so that they can go by their lives with as much dignity and independence as they can hope for. I do not know if it will work in our society, but it is food for thought. One can see the attraction.

The next group of caregivers are whom I would refer to as "under-the-radar caregivers". In fact, it is they who probably provide most of the physical care for our elderly. For families who can afford a domestic foreign helper, the latter plays a very important role in the day-to-day care of the elderly family member. In fact, she is entrusted with their care on a daily basis – from their physical needs to their meals, providing them with their medicines, taking them to the hospital for check-ups and patiently walking beside them as they take a slow stroll in the evenings.

The role of our foreign domestic helpers cannot be underestimated. In our society, they also help to relieve the demand for institutional care and allow our elderly to continue to live in the comforts of their own homes in the eve of their days. However, many helpers who are plunged into the world of caring for the sick and elderly cannot perform all the major Activities of Daily Living (ADL). They are often untrained and ill-prepared.

Page: 2390

It was thus timely that The Straits Times on 23 February this year reported that providers of care giving training were gearing up for a busier year ahead in light of care giving training being made compulsory for families seeking to receive a grant to offset the costs of hiring a domestic helper.

It is nevertheless encouraging to see that more training providers are available. However, it would be useful to equip domestic helpers at an early stage with the basic skills required to look after older members of a family. As the demand for such care within one's home rises, it may be more cost effective to provide such training at an early stage as part of the criteria for domestic work employment.

Sir, needless to say, family members play the most important role in providing care for the elderly. Hence, I saved the best for the last. There is nothing like family. However, many family members find themselves unequipped to deal with the challenges of caring for an aged family member. As illness and age make the older person more dependent, and at times temperamental, the family may find itself under severe strain in more ways than one. It is not because family members do not want to care for their elderly family member but it is because they do not know how to.

We run cooking classes, tai-chi classes, line-dancing classes, etc, in our Community Clubs. Perhaps, the People's Association can also work with MOH and MCYS and private healthcare providers to run classes for people who provide daily care for elderly family members. These classes can also deal with simple issues such as assisting family members in recognising the problems of ageing and the onset of problems such as dementia, incontinence, diminished mobility, etc.

Many people are afraid to provide care because they do not know what it entails. We must provide the necessary support systems to our families so they have the confidence to care for their elderly family members.

Sir, the importance of care giving for our elderly cannot be emphasised more. It is only going to grow in importance in the coming years. We must work hand in hand, on a cross-Ministry basis, to ensure that we provide the best safety nets for the older members of our society. Lastly, Sir, I think I still have some available time, please allow me to end with an interesting thought from an anonymous elderly person:

"God grant me the serenity to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into those that I do and the eyesight to tell the difference."

The Chairman: May that quote stay anonymous.