MALAY/MUSLIM VOLUNTARY WELFARE ORGANISATIONS

MALAY/MUSLIM VOLUNTARY WELFARE ORGANISATIONS:

(Adoption of NCSS' code of governance and management): 13.

Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs in view of the recent incidents involving the management of local charities and non-governmental organisations (a) what steps are taken to ensure that Malay/Muslim voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) are keeping up with the guidelines in the National Council of Social Service's code of governance and management; and (b) what is being done to encourage more of these VWOs to voluntarily declare their level of adoption of this code.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the National Council of Social Service' s Code of Governance and Management for Voluntary Welfare Organisations is a set of guidelines that aims to facilitate all local VWOs, including Malay/Muslim VWOs, to benchmark and align their governance practices with international

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standards. The Code sets out recommended governance practices in areas such as conflict of interest, financial and management control, disclosure and transparency as well as fund-raising activities. This Code will be replaced by the Charity Council's Code of Governance for Charities and Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs) by the end of this year.

The National Council of Social Service, or NCSS, has put in place training programmes to encourage and help VWOs to improve their governance and comply with the Code. NCSS' Social Service Training Institute offers training and consultancy services on board governance. MCYS' VWO Capability Funding also provides funding support to VWOs for training, consultancy and projects to upgrade the governance capability of the organisation. Malay/Muslim VWOs are the target and beneficiaries of these initiatives as well.

For greater transparency, the Commissioner of Charities will require charities that are Institutions of a Public Character to self-disclose their level of adoption of the Code of Governance on the online Charity Portal. The Charities Unit and NCSS will also be encouraging VWO charities that are not covered by this requirement to comply with the Code and to declare their compliance. Indeed, it is in the VWO charity's interest to do so, as greater adoption of the Code will give the public confidence that the charity is well governed. And this would help the charity to attract more public support and donation.