HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS

Head I – Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (cont.)

Resumption of Debate on Question [10th March, 2010],

"That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100. – [Mr Seah Kian Peng].

Question again proposed.

Challenges for Malay/Muslim community

The Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs (Mr Zainul Abidin Rasheed): Mr Chairman, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the MCYS cut on challenges for the Malay/Muslim community.

Sir, the Koran said that "God will not change the people's faith if the people themselves do not want to change." If I may, I would also like to quote Michelangelo who once said, "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."

In Singapore, Sir, we aim high. At times, we start small, but even when we start small, we think big. We know there are already Singaporeans who lament why we should always aim too high and wanting to be number one in this and that and that it would stress our people. The danger is that if we were to start aiming low, then we will sooner than later get ourselves stressed for having to try to keep up with others and, worse, losing out in this highly competitive world. Well, Singapore has set our sights high and will continue to aspire to scaling greater heights all the time, as we can see from the Budget too.

What about the Malay/Muslim community? For a community that has been lagging in many areas, are the challenges the same? Are the aspirations in sync with national goals? I would like to ask the Minister how he sees the challenges facing the Malay/Muslim community, especially in the context of raising productivity and achieving inclusive growth for all Singaporeans. Are Singapore Malays well-equipped to benefit from the national programmes planned?

No doubt, there has been credible progress made, but does it commensurate with the efforts put in both at the national level and through self-help programmes? What are the measures used to measure this progress or lack of progress? Is the progress/achievement gap between the Malay community and the others, particularly the Chinese majority, widening? Are there fears among the community that they could be marginalised as the knowledge/technology/income gap widens?

Allow me to elaborate, Sir. Having worked with the community for the last 50 years – from the day I prepared free Unicef milk for my poor schoolmates in Primary 3 to serving Yayasan Rakyat (People's Foundation) in the late 1960s aimed at running a cooperative and to run pre-school education, serving on the Prophet Muhammad Scholarship Fund Board (LBKM), working for more than 20 years with Berita Harian , and later as CEO of MENDAKI and President of MUIS, and now as MP – I can dare say that the Malay community can be proud of their efforts at self-help and self-upliftment. I do not think there is any other Malay or Muslim community in the world that can match that.

In fact, I remember attending a rural development course in the Philippines, together with some MPA (communist sympathisers), you will never guess we went there to learn to grow mushrooms. At that time, Singapore was importing $3 million worth of mushrooms for tourists and we thought that the Malays should be taught that skill to be self-reliant. I also attended the conferences with Yasser Arafat, Nur Misuari of the Southern Phlippines fame. Freedom fighters they were, but I learn that, in fact, freedom fighting is different from managing and developing your own people.

Sir, back home, we know that the Malay community's efforts at self-help did not start with MENDAKI. Whether through Zainal Abidin Ahmad, or Pendita Zaaba, a well-respected reformer, or Munshi Abdullah, Sir Stamford Raffles' special assistant and scribe, or the Malay media and Malay NGOs then, reform for the Malay mind and calls for self upliftment had been there since mid last century. But it was through MENDAKI that both the Government, Malay MPs and non-Government Malay/Muslim organisations were able to work together on a scale never seen before for this worthy cause.

Progress, however, was slow at first. As more resources were put to bear, the community managed a steady but credible progress. The community started from a low base in education and economic terms. Education, rightfully, was and is still the focus. I would like to ask the Minister's assessment of the community's progress in education and whether the community is, in fact, facing a plateau when it came to performances in certain areas like passes in Mathematics, Science and English. Is the Minister happy with the progress made by the community in terms of the spread of areas of studies/disciplines in the polytechnics and universities? What about the level of skills and expertise acquired? Does the Malay community feel that they are given ample opportunities to benefit from the growing economy especially in the new fields of technology, creative works and the service industry? Are those looking for jobs still troubled by employers asking for knowledge of working Mandarin?

While thinking about this cut, I asked my Facebook friends what they thought were the challenges facing the community. I was happy to note that a few of them said that it boils down to the mindset of the people. One Ismail Sa'ad used religion to remind that "God will not change the fate of a community if that community does not want to change it". A Mohammad Roslan said that the community need to be instilled with a healthy outlook to life, especially a spirit for lifelong learning. A Mdm Zaiton calls on the leaders to lead more forcefully, recognising that leaders do play an important role, especially in hand-holding the lower-income group, while yet another Facebook friend, a Bob Ahmad, who is knowledgeable about the history of the rise and fall of Muslims in Spanish Andalusia and also a keen observer about current Malay issues, cautioned that it is about time that the community learns to uplift on its own efforts. A Yeti Aziz, interestingly spoke of her teacher's advice. She said " kalau hati suka, badan mau, pokok duri pun boleh panjat ", or when the heart is willing, body wants to, one can even climb a tree full of thorns. This is my favourite area where, in fact, the Malay teachers used to instil a lot of sense of responsibility and wanting to give back to the community.

Sir, one area that has been receiving much attention lately is the dysfunctional families. It is a complex issue for sure. Minister Yaacob was also reported by the media as being very concerned about them. The murder of two young innocent children from broken homes must have evoked strong emotions in the community and in Singapore, and many are asking as to what is really happening in that group of Malays. Some feel as though this group of Malays have formed a sub-culture quite different from the growing number of Malays who are becoming more self-motivated towards upliftment and progress. It is as if the former group has given up or even wanting to compete in society, let along progress. I think the top half of the society has internalised the need to progress and to work hard to pull up, but how can the rest move along? How can the rest of the community help the members of the dysfunctional families out of this sense of dejection? Are there programmes either at the national level or through the ring of the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF) activities which are targeted to help them back mainstream?

One more area which I think will be critical towards achieving inclusive growth and development of Singapore in the context of our multi-racial and multi-religious society is how the community see the role of Islam in their life. Islamphobia is still a problem in many parts of the world, but I am glad that it is not here. This is because the Malay/Muslim Singaporeans generally take a middle of the path route and have moderate views about living in a secular and multi-religious environment.

Sir, what does the Minister see as key challenges facing madrasah education, which will provide the basic education of our future religious teachers? What are some of the enrichment programmes which MUIS will conduct to help religious leaders play their role effectively?

Sir, allow me to speak in Malay now.

( In Malay ): _[For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A.]_Sir, the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore can be proud of its achievements. However, as Singapore enters a more competitive stage, questions will emerge as to whether our Malay community will be able to compete as well.

Although there are achievements shown by individuals who are excellent in many areas and levels, there are now questions as to whether the achievements in school will reach a plateau. Are there signs that such an outcome is beginning to appear, and what can be done to overcome it?

In my opinion, the measures and programmes to achieve progress are quite visible and numerous. The Community Leaders’ Forum network continues to develop. What else should be given attention to, especially in relation to dysfunctional families and divorce cases?

Apart from programmes to improve the performance and progress of the Malay community, what other programmes will be implemented to help the Malay community understand the challenges that are faced by a society living in the context of a multi-religious country?

Finally, what is important is that the success of the Malay/Muslim community depends on its own mindset. The spirit of standing on one's own feet and an identity that emphasises responsibility, honesty, trustworthiness and cooperation must be given importance.

*Cols. 4161-4162.

Keeping cohesiveness in Malay community

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Hong Kah): Mr Chairman, the Malay/Muslim community has made much progress over the years and, to the community's credit, on their own merit and self-help spirit.

The social problems that we are tackling are complex and there is no overnight solution. Many in the community have shared their concerns about these social problems, including dysfunctional families. The Minister has spoken about the possibility of the growing Malay/Muslim middle-class that may, over time, become detached from the community and its problems. It would be a pity if this trend happens. All our successes in the past had been derived from " gotong royong " spirit. No matter how much funding and resources the Government is prepared to allocate, the support of everyone in the community is vital.

I would therefore ask the Minister what are the strategies to engage the very successful, middle-class Malay professionals to help in this drive.

( In Malay ): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A.] The Malay/Muslim community has undeniably achieved much success that we should be proud of, and what is encouraging is that this achievement was attained based on merit and the spirit of self-reliance. Many Malay/Muslim organisations are working to solve our community's social issues, but the question is what is the level of their capability, and how can we strengthen that capability and coordinate the duties so that it will become a concerted effort?

I also feel that this effort do not just lie with the Malay bodies and leadership as well as the national infrastructure and resources. Each individual, especially those who are successful including the middle income, must also pitch in and continue our gotong-royong spirit. The question is: how? What is our strategy to make use of every resource within our community so that we can together bring forward the community.

*Cols. 4163-4164

The Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim): Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to thank all Members who spoke and made some relevant suggestions.

12.15 pm

Sir, like fellow Singaporeans, the Malay/Muslim community continues to grow in confidence and show greater resilience in the face of challenges from within and beyond our shores. We are witnessing an emerging middle class with a wider range of professionals – from traditional areas such as medicine and engineering to new ones such as multimedia and the life sciences. The community produces a good crop of top students who do their schools and nation proud as we see from the number of Anugerah Mendaki recipients which has grown from a handful to a few hundreds. These developments show that our community is responding and adapting well to improve our academic performance and upgrade continuously, thereby seizing the opportunities created by the growing economy.

And it is to the upward-bound middle class that we look towards to set the tone and marshal the responses of our community to face the challenges of globalisation as raised by Mr Zainul Abidin. The able and bright must step forward to help the community respond to challenges and to be intimately involved in the community's relentless desire to give the best in whatever that we do. With a strong Government looking ahead and setting the direction, and with community organisations working hand-in-hand with national agencies to reach out and ensure everyone is on board, we can move closer towards achieving our vision of a Community of Excellence.

Excellence, Sir, involves consistent effort. So we need to constantly improve our education, increase our knowledge and upgrade our skills. When more of our students increase their competency in subjects like English, Mathematics and Science, and when our workers constantly upgrade their know-how and skills, and when our professionals gear themselves up for an ever changing economic landscape, the community will be in a stronger position not just to face up to adversities but also to overcome them.

Self-help group MENDAKI and our many Malay/Muslim organisations including the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) have put in tremendous energy and resources towards ensuring the community's progress. This, Sir, is a long-haul effort for which there can be no let up. We must ensure that the good work of senior community leaders is continued so that the next generation can also stand tall with fellow Singaporeans and contribute significantly to Singapore's continued well-being and growth.

Like fellow communities in Singapore and in cities elsewhere, we will also feel the impact of the income divide. Mr Zaqy Mohamad has raised a similar concern of keeping the cohesiveness in our community, especially with respect to engaging the middle class and our professionals. The concern of whether an emerging middle class might disassociate itself over time from the larger base is a valid concern observed by minority communities elsewhere. We must avoid this trap. The rising middle class must draw upon our traditions of community cohesiveness and the spirit of unity and reach out to infuse a more progressive outlook in our community.

By all accounts, Sir, our able and bright have responded well to this call. Over the last few months after this subject was raised, several of my parliamentary colleagues and I received unsolicited responses from many professionals wanting to do something for our community. The strong feedback from the young and upwardly mobile in our community shows that our efforts to engage them are bearing fruit.

Sir, the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF) is currently engaging young professionals under a Consultative-Participatory Forward Planning Exercise to have them study the issues, learn from the experiences of older leaders, take ownership of the challenges and present their recommendations at CLF 2010. With this experience, continuous involvement and dedication, over time, our young will be ready to assume leadership positions. Ninety-three young Malay/Muslim professionals from diverse backgrounds are actively engaged in this exercise, including several members from various Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs), such as 4PM and Young AMP.

Sir, while we are proud of our achievements, we remain keenly aware of the challenges facing our community. Indeed, the issue of low-income families trapped in multiple problems received a disproportionate amount of public airing late last year. However, Sir, this is not a new issue and we are certainly not wringing our hands in despair. Community leaders are aware of this, understand the complexities, and together we launched the Action Plan to Strengthen the Malay/Muslim Families in 2007. This plan is a comprehensive strategy that leverages on both national and community resources to help such families move towards normal functioning.

MENDAKI is implementing this plan together with several CLF partners. And let me assure Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad, Dr Mohamad Maliki, Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohammad Faishal and Dr Fatimah Lateef that our focus has not wavered from strengthening Malay/Muslim families, especially during the economic downturn.

The issues of such low-income families are complex and varied. This is why our key institutions in the community work closely with one another and collaborate with Government agencies as well as MMOs and VWOs as part of a whole-of-community approach. The CLF has been critical in mobilising this effort. Mendaki, as secretariat for CLF, provides strong foundation support for our CLF partners to serve the many needs of our families, enabling us to offer comprehensive and integrated programmes.

For example, the CLF formed a working committee comprising practitioners and experts from MMOs to develop a core parenting skills manual and to deliver a core parenting skills workshop. The CLF also launched the Strengthening Families Series (SFS) in November last year as part of the Core Parenting Skills Programme aimed at enhancing family resilience. These modules help families to strengthen communication and bond among members and help establish a sense of ambition and aspiration for the family.

In our efforts to assist such families, we also recognise the need to pay special attention to vulnerable groups like those who married as minors and also reconstituted families. Both Dr Fatimah Lateef and Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohammad Faishal had asked for an update and our efforts for these families.

Sir, on 17th November 2008, the House had passed the amendment to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) to raise the legal age of marriage for Muslim couples from 16 to 18 years of age. From 1st March 2009, anyone who is below 18 and wants to get married is required to obtain a Special Marriage Licence (SML). Applicants are referred by the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) to our INSPIRASI hubs for premarital counselling and assessment of the couple's preparedness for marriage. Twenty-four out of 32 applications for these licenses were approved last year after review involving both the couple and their parents.

Run by PPIS-Jurong Family Service Centre and the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), the INSPIRASI hubs are dedicated to provide intensive support to marriages involving minor couples. In 2009, a total of 323 minor couples attended premarital counselling. And of these, 138 (43%) couples changed their minds about marrying. Even if they proceed with marriage, these couples will be supported in their first five years of married life under Club INSPIRASI, a structured programme for minor couples that provides mentoring support, development activities, and other skills that will help in a successful marriage.

Sir, Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad had asked about the Muslim Marriage Preparatory Course (MPC). This Course had undergone a major review and revamp in 2008. Now known as "Bersama Mu" or "With You", it places greater emphasis on topics such as couple communication and financial management. Feedback from couples, operators and the community has been positive. As an extension to "Bersama Mu", customised marriage enrichment programmes focusing on enhancing relationships within the family will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2010.

Sir, with these upstream efforts, we have made good progress. There has been a steady decline in the number of Muslim minor marriages. The number of solemnisations involving minors dropped by 18% from 360 in 2008 to 295 in 2009. This was a drop of 45% since 2005. Divorces involving persons who had been minors at the point of marriage have also fallen by 4% from 452 in 2008 to 433 in 2009. Minor divorces have fallen by 32% when compared to the highest record in 2003 when there were 633 minor divorces. Hence, Sir, at the macro level, the leading indicators of potential dysfunctionalities such as divorce rates and minor marriages are all coming down steadily. As a community we must be proud of this achievement.

Sir, the Syariah Court also goes beyond its role towards a holistic approach of strengthening families. The Marriage Counselling Programme provided by the Court has helped to prevent the breakup of an average 871 marriages per year, which is about 52% of total Syariah Court cases every year.

Children are most hurt when parents divorce. And taking note of this, the Syariah Court has partnered with As-Salaam Family Support Centre to implement a customised programme for children whose parents are undergoing divorce. The programme helps children manage their anxiety. And children who are in need of further intervention are referred to relevant agencies for further support.

In collaboration with the Family Development Network of the CLF and As-Salaam PPIS Family Support Centre, and with the strong support from MCYS, the interim centre of Vista Sakinah was set up last year to provide support to reconstituted families. The actual premises for the centre, targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2010, will offer counselling and family enrichment programmes and it aims to reach out to at least 450 step-families by end of 2011. We are focusing on step-families because our data shows that there is also problems within step-families. MCYS is also in the process of setting up a database as part of efforts to track data on reconstituted families on a longitudinal basis and this is expected to be completed by May 2010.

Sir, the community would be please to know that PPIS will be running a new Family Service Centre (FSC) in the Bedok-Chai Chee area to reach out and provide help to the families there. This new FSC is expected to commence operations in the second quarter of 2010 and is a welcome addition to our overall support system for our families. As noted by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, a key initiative being piloted in FSCs is the Intensive Case Management framework which aims to provide a structured, intensive and family-centric approach to help dysfunctional families. These families will receive intensive casework support from dedicated social workers. PPIS-Jurong FSC is currently one of six FSCs involved in this pilot project. This Intensive Case Management framework will be evaluated after two years.

Sir, new voluntary groups have also emerged to assist the vulnerable in our community. A case in point is Casa Raudha Women's Home, a newly set up voluntary welfare organisation with plans to run a crisis shelter for women with young children. Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad would be pleased to know that MCYS, is assisting Casa Raudha to establish the shelter. A site in the western part of Singapore has been identified which will co-locate Casa Raudha with the Gift of Love Home. The shelter is expected to commence operations in December 2010.

Sir, the term "Casa Raudha" also reflects the deep desire to project what was once a period of harmonious co-existence between Christians, Jews and Muslims about 13 centuries ago at the Iberian Peninsula. "Casa" is a Spanish word for home and "Raudha" refers to the heavens in Arabic. This fusion, Sir, reflects a tradition within Islam of accommodating local cultures into its mores and norms. It is the same desire which the late Sheik Tantawi of Al-Azhar carried with him all his life. He was principled in Islam and a keen advocate of the dialogue between civilisations. He encouraged peaceful and vibrant co-existence of the various faith communities. At the time when religion is being distorted by some quarters to justify and fan violence, it is, to the spirit of the Prophet, the tradition of peaceful Spain and the actions of contemporary scholars such as Tantawi that Muslims continue to look to as our guide on the journey to peaceful co-existence.

Sir, Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad also raised the idea of a campaign to showcase positive profiles of families who were able to overcome their dysfunctional factors. This is, indeed, a good suggestion. In fact, various Ministries and Government agencies have also positively profiled people and families who have become self-reliant in their public messaging efforts. An example, of course, is the Yellow Ribbon Project by MHA.

Sir, the economic downturn last year tested the community's resilience and our ability to come together to help one another. Like the rest of Singapore society, the Malay/Muslim community has responded well to this crisis. However, Sir, some vulnerable families were adversely affected by the recession and they needed extra help.

Mdm Halimah Yacob asked about our efforts to help families affected by the economic downturn. Sir, I am glad to say that there was an increase of $1.3 million in the Zakat collection in 2009 to $21.3 million. Out of this, a total of $5.7 million went towards helping the poor and the needy. This is an increase of $1.1 million compared to 2008. This means, Sir, that the community has continued to give and help those in need even during difficult times. One hundred and seventy-two out of 210 families under MUIS' Zakat Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS) were empowered and no longer need assistance.

Sir, we have also helped our workers to become re-employed. MENDAKI's Job Ready and Job Steady programme reached out to many retrenched workers, including professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), to enhance their chances of securing employment or to remain employable. Over 10,000 workers received re-training and 5,000 workers were assisted in re-employment. A new centre was also set up by MENDAKI SENSE in Woodlands in July 2009 to provide training to those affected by retrenchment.

12.30 pm

Sir, the education of our children must remain our top priority. Therefore, we focused on providing continued education assistance. Over the past year, MENDAKI's Education Trust Fund (ETF) has disbursed $800,000 to 3,780 pre-school, primary and secondary students. This is an increase of $220,000 over the previous year. The disbursement of these funds is pegged to the families' attendance at Programme "Bijak Belanja", which empowers families to be more financially savvy.

MENDAKI has also provided fee waivers and tuition subsidies amounting to $380,000 to more than 2,000 students. Sir, we intend to continue to expand the scope of the ETF and our education programmes.

This year, Sir, the ETF aims to assist at least 1,200 ITE students. In addition to financial aid, a pilot-run programme will identify 60 students to be provided with academic coaching and peer guidance under the "Academic and Lifeskills Coaching Programme". MENDAKI will also continue to expand the reach and scope of its educational programmes including the Tiga M programme and the "Success in PSLE Mathematics" workshop.

Sir, let me now turn to our religious institutions – both our mosques and madrasahs . The challenge is for our religious education to remain up-to-date and relevant to the needs of the community within a changing global landscape.

Both Mr Zainudin Nordin and Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad asked about our plans to further develop our Asatizah or our religious people and improve the Madrasah system. MUIS has invested $2.5 million over the last two years to provide fully-sponsored training for all Madrasah teachers and staff including those not in the Joint Madrasah System (JMS). As a result, 75% of 248 Madrasah teachers have obtained teaching qualifications through MUIS funding. Another group of 30 teachers is expected to begin their training this year. All Madrasah teachers are expected to obtain teaching qualifications by 2011.

While five out of the six full-time Madrasahs successfully met the PSLE Benchmark last year, there is potential for improvement. MUIS has already begun preparations for this year's PSLE. For example, Madrasah Irsyad has special programmes to identify and address the students' weak areas. These programmes include remedial and enrichment classes with a Teacher Mentor after school hours and, of course, during the school term break. Parents are also involved in target-setting sessions with their children at the beginning of the year and at the mid-year reviews. In addition to motivational workshops, all Primary 6 students also attend coaching sessions by undergraduate mentors.

While MUIS is building capabilities of the Joint Madrasah System (JMS) that now includes Madrasah Irsyad, Madrasah Aljunied, and Madrasah Al-Arabiah, MUIS remains committed to developing and assisting all six full-time madrasahs . MUIS disbursed $500,000 to all madrasahs as part of a special grant to assist them in PSLE preparations. The three madrasahs which are not in JMS also received a total of $400,000 in the form of student capitation grants and $800,000 for teacher allowances from 2007 to 2009. So, Sir, MUIS will continue to give financial assistance and support for teacher development and enrichment programmes for our students to the three madrasahs and continue to welcome them to be a part of the JMS. Madrasahs in the JMS benefit from a consolidated and efficient management structure. Students in the JMS also benefit from a consolidated and streamlined curriculum that is able to offer multiple academic options – namely the religious ( ukhrawi ), the hybrid and academic tracks.

However, Sir, we should bear in mind that our madrasahs are private schools that the community funds to provide for religious scholars and teachers – a need which the secular state cannot fulfil. So, across our madrasahs , students who are heading towards specialised religious qualifications should be our primary focus, and they should receive a greater subsidy so as to better utilise the limited community funds.

Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad asked how JMS madrasahs are planning to engage and serve our community. The priority for the JMS madrasahs is to focus on the education of their students. And some of these students will be future religious leaders who can contribute to our community. Nevertheless, as part of the JMS programme, our students will be encouraged to carry out community involvement, including taking part in charity projects and volunteering as facilitators at youth camps organised by Malay/Muslim organisations. Sir, we will similarly encourage the other non-JMS madrasahs to do likewise.

Mr Zainuddin Nordin asked about our plans to develop our Asatizah and ensure our religious education programmes remain relevant to the community. Besides developing our madrasahs , MUIS has committed up to $400,000 towards the development and the training of our religious leaders. MUIS has established the Asatizah Executive Development Programme (AEDP) to help Asatizahs on the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) develop the skills to perform their roles effectively. Three hundred and thirty Asatizahs have completed the Executive Development programme. In addition, we are heartened by the Asatizahs that have shown continual efforts to upgrade themselves. Thirteen of them are currently pursuing their Master's degree and six of them are pursuing their PhD and Master's programmes.

In 2010, MUIS will also launch the Asatizah Immersion Programme where young religious graduates and mosque religious officers will undergo a six-month attachment at MUIS to broaden their perspective and build up their competencies in research. This is important as our religious leaders should be exposed to multiple disciplines and perspectives.

MUIS has adapted and introduced innovative religious education programmes to reach out to different segments of the community. For example, our part-time religious education programme has moved away from past didactic methods towards more contemporary methods of learning. Re-aligned as age-specific, learner-centered packages known as Kids aLIVE, Tweens aLIVE, Teens aLIVE and Youth aLIVE, the classes help students apply Islam to their daily lives, including coping with school life, relationship with siblings and parents and even boy-girl relationships. The aLIVE curriculum is also being reviewed to incorporate the best features of modern pedagogy. These changes help to ensure that our religious education programmes remain relevant and contextualised to our community. We want our programmes to be engaging, and to be the preferred source of information on Islam. A well-educated community grounded in our identity, traditions and aspirations as Singaporean Muslims will also help us remain resilient against external negative influences.

Mr Hawazi Daipi requested an update on the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund programme as well as the future of our mosque development. Indeed, the development and upgrading of our mosques is a key focus for the strengthening of our religious infrastructure. I am glad to report that the Al-Mawaddah mosque in Sengkang has been completed in the second quarter of 2009. We have also begun to incorporate environmentally-friendly, energy-conserving features in our mosques. But with the Al-Mawaddah mosque, we were able to attain the BCA's Greenmark Certification. And MUIS intends to improve on this record with future mosques.

We amended the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) in 2008 to allow us to expand the use of funds under the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF) for madrasah education and mosque upgrading. The amount collected after the amendments took effect last year was $14.8 million. This was about $ 2 million higher than our projection.

Sir, this speaks well of the spirit of sharing and giving in our community, even in the midst of an economic downturn. Our workers did not think twice about giving to MBMF. I thank them for their generosity and support of this key institution which is a source of pride for the Singapore Muslim Community.

During the second reading of AMLA amendments in 2008, I informed the House that MUIS will work on a plan to upgrade older mosques. Mosques were selected for upgrading based on the urgency of repairs and the need for more prayer space. Given the limited funds available annually, MUIS has carefully prioritised the use of MBMF to co-fund five projects under the Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP) over the five years. Following Muhajirin, the other mosques in the time frame are An-Nur, Al-Ansar, Hajjah Rahimahbi and Alkaff Upper Serangoon mosque. The selection was determined after a full building audit for all Phase 1 and 2 MBF mosques and non-MBF mosques that have not been upgraded since 1990.

Under the Mosque Upgrading Programme, selected projects may be granted funding of up to 80% of the costs of upgrading. MUIS will take into account the mosque's available funds, the ability of the mosque and the community to raise the balance of the costs and the scale of redevelopment works when deciding on the quantum of funding for these projects.

Mr Hawazi Daipi and Dr Mohamad Maliki had also raised the issue of overcrowded mosques. As part of the continuing efforts to better manage the available mosque space, MUIS has clustered the 69 existing mosques into zonal clusters, and will be encouraging congregants of mosques that are more crowded to visit other mosques located nearby. Under the Mosque Upgrading Programme (MUP), MUIS has also identified both MBMF and non-MBMF mosques island-wide that will be progressively upgraded to increase capacity.

Sir, MCYS, together with MND, URA and MUIS, have studied this issue carefully. Based on our assessment, there is particularly high demand for prayer space in Jurong West and Woodlands because they are large towns with a significant Muslim population. In addition, the mosques in these areas also serve Muslim workers from the nearby industrial estates at Tuas and Woodlands as well as students from the nearby tertiary institutions such as Nanyang Technological University and Republic Polytechnic, during Friday prayers. Unfortunately, there are no other mosques nearby which are able to cope with the spill-over demand. Even after upgrading the existing mosques to increase capacity, there will be a shortage of space. Therefore, I am pleased to announce that the Government has decided to reserve land for MUIS to build two additional mosques in Woodlands and Jurong West.

Sir, when the two new mosques are ready, residents in the two estates can expect greater synergy between the existing and new mosques as well as more integrated infrastructure and programmes.

Sir, allow me now address the House in Malay.

(In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A.] Mr Chairman, last year, I touched on the various challenges faced by the Malay/Muslim community to navigate the economic downturn. I have emphasised the importance for our workers to work hard to gain new skills or qualifications, and ensure that our children continue schooling to gain knowledge even though their parents may face financial problems.

In short, the effort to upgrade skills, qualifications and educational levels is the only way to attain a higher level of achievement and, subsequently, to enjoy a better standard of living. We must continue improving ourselves, whether the economy is growing or in a downturn.

Recently, the Government announced some plans to sustain our country's competitiveness and spur the economy to a higher level. One of the strategies identified is the effort to improve workers’ productivity. Malay/Muslim workers, including professionals, cannot avoid taking part in this effort to ensure that their skills and qualifications stay relevant to the country's economic needs.

The major community institutions like the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), MENDAKI, Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and the Syariah Court will continue to implement many programmes to overcome the various challenges that we face, and to improve our achievement – especially in areas like education, social and economy. I am confident that through the cooperation of each member and leader of the Malay/Muslim community, our future generations can attain a higher level of achievement.

Mr Chairman, apart from achievements in areas like education, the Malay/Muslim community is also concerned about their spiritual or religious needs. MUIS, on its part, will continue to monitor the developments and needs of the local Muslim community and strive to ensure that all the needs of the Malay/Muslim community will be fulfilled as best as possible.

The mosque is one of the major institutions of the local Malay/Muslim community. The Mosque Building Programme that was implemented ensures that each housing estate has a mosque. The latest mosque built last year was the Al-Mawaddah Mosque in Sengkang. Another new mosque will also be built in Punggol by 2013.

Mr Chairman, MUIS will also implement a programme to repair and upgrade mosques that are getting dilapidated. This move is expected to meet the long-term needs for a place of worship on certain estates or areas. However, a study indicates that upgrading programmes solely are not sufficient to meet the needs for mosques in two housing estates – Woodlands and Jurong West.

Hence, two new mosques will be built in Woodlands and Jurong West to meet the needs of Muslim residents in both estates. MUIS will announce the details later. When ready, residents can expect integration and synergy from these two new mosques that are located in the same estate. I am confident that this plan will help reduce the congestion that is faced by mosques in Woodlands and Jurong West, especially on Fridays and public holidays.

Mr Chairman, the Malay/Muslim community can be proud of its progressive attitude. We often look for ways to improve our achievements and do not hesitate to manage any issues or challenges. This attitude has helped us to improve our educational standards and overcome the social issues that we faced. Our journey towards a vision of a Community of Excellence may still be far. However, we can be satisfied that we are on the right track or the right path. The Malay/Muslim community can continue its journey towards that vision with full confidence.

*Cols. 4165-4168

12.45 pm

Sir, in conclusion, I would like to thank the MPs for their questions and suggestions. The community continues to progress in many areas – be it in education, skills or the quality of life. We benefit from the Singapore system and complement it with community self-help. However, there are pressing issues that affect the poor and the needy in our community. These issues will require continued focus and it will take time to achieve results. At the same time, our professional class must also lead in preparing for an ever changing economic landscape. The Community Leaders' Forum has given shape and substance to our collective efforts to deal with our issues. And if we can keep our growing middle class engaged and willing to lead the rest, we are assured of a strong community, and the community will continue to rise towards our vision of a Community of Excellence.

The Chairman: We have about 15 minutes for interventions. Dr Maliki.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for National Development (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman): Sir, on behalf of my residents, I want to thank the Minister for the good news that the Government has decided to set aside land to build two new mosques, particularly one in Woodlands. We have been asking for a mosque for many years, and I am very glad that, finally, one will soon be built there. Thank you, Minister.

With regard to the issue of dysfunctional families, the Minister has given us an update on the work done. I think what we have done so far is that we are targeting at the dysfunctional families themselves, and working with divorced families and young couples. I also suggested in my earlier cut that we can move forward and look at other change agents. I think one change agent that we should look forward to work together is really the community, and setting the right frame of mind for them to be able to send the right message to these families and the extended networks. I wonder if the Minister can comment on how we can actually work with the media, for example, because the Malay community and the media are together. The Malay community listen to the media very closely, especially the radio and TV media. How can the media be further enhanced to play a greater role with the community, to encourage the community to play a catalytic role to change mindsets that we have been talking so much about?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I thank Dr Maliki for the question. I agree with him that, as a collective effort, we should try all possible avenues and all platforms to reach out to the community. He suggests that we work with the media and the community, a valid point and, in fact, is being done. As an example, Mendaki has just launched a programme. In Malay, it is called Mesra Matematiks or Mathematics Friendly. It is done through radio. It is done through the print media. And it is done in a very simple manner to relate to the Malay-Muslim community that Mathematics is everywhere in our life – when we go marketing, when we go and bargain for shoes or whatever the case may be. Therefore, it is something which we can instil in our young children not to be afraid of the subject.

Sir, I agree with the Member that we need to work a lot more with the media. At this point in time, both MUIS and Mendaki are engaging the media on various fronts. In terms of MUIS, for example, we regularly update the media on some of our programmes and how the media can help us to disseminate some of this information. It is being rolled out progressively. The impact will take some time, but I agree with him that the media, especially the radio, is very close to the Malay ground, especially the wives and the mothers who are at home in the afternoon and, therefore, it is an ideal platform for us to reach out to them.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Sir, like Dr Maliki, I also want to echo appreciation to the Minister for the announcement that a new mosque will be built in Jurong West. A lot of the residents in Jurong West have been asking for a mosque for many years.

On the issue of community self-help, I notice that if we look at the plans that the Ministry has laid out, it looks like the job scope of MENDAKI and the CLF has widened to employment, dysfunctional families and even trying to help in the traditional area of education. Is the Government relying too much on CLF and Mendaki, in the sense that I know the capacity at that level will be quite challenging, not just resources but in terms of social networks and the resources that we have – social workers and the like? I think that is also a challenging area. Does the Minister see a change in the role of the self-help groups moving forward? Secondly, are we over-relying too much on MENDAKI and CLF to transform and move the community forward?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, I agree with Mr Zaqy that in terms of what MENDAKI was set up to do has expanded beyond its initial raison d'etre , which is education. I think this is inevitable because, as we begin to look at the issues of education, it is intertwined with social and other related issues. So we cannot help it that we have to go into this area. I would like to assure the Member and other Members in the House that even though we seem to be expanding, the key philosophy that we adopt in MENDAKI – and I am sure this is adopted by all the other self-help groups – is to tap on national resources first. Dr Vivian Balakrishnan has announced that the IMC is rolling out six more additional FSCs. The next FSC is actually run by a Malay-Muslim organisation, and this is a good sign that there are resources at the national level that we can tap, and we should tap them first before we tap community resources.

In all of the programmes that we do in MENDAKI, we assess what is available out there, either by NCSS or the various VWOs, before we tap on our own resources. I would like to assure the Member that we have the funds. I think what is lacking in the community – if I can be very candid – is actually expertise, and that is where we need to look beyond the community where we engage non-Muslim professors in the universities and even non-Muslim social workers to help us in some of these problems. I think we cannot be insular. I think we must be inclusive as much as possible, and our non-Malay friends are more than happy to assist us.

I have received a lot of emails when I talked about the middle class last year, not only from Malay-Muslim professionals but also from non-Malay-Muslim professionals who have voiced their concerns of wanting to help the community. I think it shows a very strong Singaporean spirit to see that if part of the Singaporean family is affected, we too have a responsibility to help them. So I would like to assure the Member that we keep an eye on our costs very closely. As Members know, MENDAKI is very trim and lean, and they are overworked, unfortunately. I cannot pay them as much as possible, but they are dedicated to the cause. But the most important thing is that, over the years, we have been able to build a network of volunteers, both Muslims and non-Muslims, who are helping us out. And that is something which we will continue to grow, while we continue to examine what are the available resources at the national level.

The Chairman: Dr Neo, make it brief, please.

Dr Lily Neo (Jalan Besar): Sir, the Finance Minister said in his Budget Statement that global competition will continue to threaten jobs and press down the wages of the lower-skilled workers in the coming years. Therefore, I am discouraged and concerned that MCYS has ignored my plea to give more assistance to the 20% of the bottom low-income families. May I ask Minister Vivian Balakrishnan whether it is correct to say that many low-income families tread very thinly between requiring better paying jobs and financial assistance due to their many social problems to get out of their misery? Therefore, should such families not be given stronger assistance, especially the children, to get them out of the poverty trap and to ensure that they do not get left further behind in our society?

The Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (Dr Vivian Balakrishnan): Mr Chairman, I do not think there is time to give a comprehensive answer except to refer the Member to the entire second half of the speech delivered by the Minister for Finance where he outlined the entire Government's efforts to provide resources, training, opportunities and uplift for the lower income in Singapore.

For dysfunctional families and for children, we spent many hours yesterday explaining what we are doing and I do not think there is time for me to do that now. If the Member wants, she can submit a parliamentary question and we will tabulate everything again. But rest assured that, overall, this House and this Government is fully committed to making sure that every Singaporean will be able to cope, will be able to compete and will be able to stand on their own two feet. Whilst there is a lot more that we can do to make sure that our implementation of these plans and the way we utilise resources can be improved, let there be no doubt about our commitment to help.

The Chairman: Mdm Halimah, a brief clarification please as we only have a few minutes left.

Mdm Halimah Yacob (Jurong): Sir, I am deeply appreciative of that. I just want to say to the Minister for Muslim Affairs that this case-management approach is absolutely critical, because of the intractable problems that this small minority of families face. But I am just wondering whether one additional Malay FSC is sufficient. Second, we do not have enough Malay social workers to be able to take care of their needs. What plans does the Minister have in order to address these issues?

I also want to ask the Minister what can we do to raise the profile of the Malay women. I think there is a lot that the Malay women who are better educated can do to contribute to society. What are his views on that?

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, Mdm Halimah knows that I am pro-women. So I will be more than happy to work with her to promote all the successful Malay women that we have in Singapore. I agree with her that case management is important. First of all, we must bear in mind that the additional FSC that is coming on stream run by PPIS is a national FSC. It is not just meant for the Malay-Muslim community. But because it is operated by a Malay organisation, invariably, it will attract more Malay clients. So that is a wonderful relief for us. But funding by MCYS is basically towards national programmes. Notwithstanding that, the most important thing for our community is to work with the existing 36 FSCs out there run by various bodies - religious or otherwise – and we have been working closely with them. In fact, Dr Maliki and Assoc. Prof. Dr Faishal chair this committee where they have been reaching out to the 36 FSCs. And we ran programmes last year to educate the social workers about Malay culture and the Muslim religion, so that Malay clients feel comfortable approaching the FSC. In fact, the numbers have been increasing. The Malay clients have been to the centres run by Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society, the Trans Centre in Bedok. We must continue to make use of national resources.

The Member's point about social workers is a valid one. In fact, MUIS, together with MCYS, is looking into how we can help some of our Malay-Muslim professionals, be it Asatizahs or otherwise, who may want to convert to social work, we will assist them, because there are programmes available. But, ultimately, it is up to the individual whether he or she wants to be a social worker. As Dr Maliki can tell you, it is a difficult job, and I agree with the Member that we need more but, again, I cannot enforce this. We can guide, we can make it easily available. In fact, at one time, we even had scholarships in MENDAKI for social work but nobody took it up. So there have been efforts in the past. And I hope that with the Member's call and the call by other MPs, more will come forward to serve this cause.

Mr Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade): Sir, on behalf of the GPC, I want to thank the two Ministers, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan and Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, the Minister of State, Mrs Yu-Foo Yee Shoon and the Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Mr Teo Ser Luck for their comprehensive answers and clarifications to the cuts made by various Members. The Ministry under their care covers a very wide and diverse scope, and their work reflects the heart and soul of our society. I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the good and hard work put in by all the staff in the Ministy and also those in the social sector. Finally, I know I speak for all in the House as we wish the Ministry every success in the hosting of the inaugural Youth Olympic Games this August.

On that note, I would like to seek permission to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,825,144,700 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $141,813,400 for Head I ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.