MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Having satisfied our basic material needs, we can look forward to a better quality of life. MCD will concentrate on promoting family and community cohesion, enriching our cultural life, and improving community facilities and services.

Helping Families to Help Themselves

The Government will work with voluntary welfare organizations to help the elderly, the distressed and the disadvantaged to be as economically and socially independent as possible.

Our senior citizens programmes will focus on keeping senior citizens physically, socially and mentally active. We need more community-based services for the aged, so that they can stay with their families for as long as possible.

We will inculcate in Singaporeans a caring and sharing attitude towards the less fortunate amongst us. Working with voluntary welfare organizations, we will help the needy to look after themselves and become more self-reliant.

We will encourage voluntary welfare groups to play a greater role in providing welfare services to the needy, and set up pilot Family Service Centres to render community-based support services to families needing assistance.

We will encourage more private organizations to set up child-care centres in housing estates and work places so that mothers can continue working. We will also train more child-care staff so that high standards are maintained.

Promoting a Community Spirit

Citizens' Consultative Committees, Residents' Committees and other grassroots organizations will organize more and family-based community activities to promote family life and strengthen family ties, and hold more discussions and joint activities to reach out to residents of private estates and condominiums.

We will continue to promote social cohesiveness in our multi-racial, multi-religious society. Our community relations programme will encourage people to interact with one another and build closer ties. Now that more Singaporeans of all races are taking part in community activities, we will encourage even more, especially from the minority communities, to come forward and join them.

The Feedback Unit will continue to involve Singaporeans in building a consensus on issues which affect our lives. It will use Teleview to be a more effective and responsible channel for dialogue between the Government and the people.

Enriching Our Cultural Life

Over the next five years, we will promote a wider range of cultural activities. There will be more Singaporean items. The biennial Arts Festival will become an annual event in the 1990s.

Every Singaporean will have the opportunity to enjoy the arts. We will create more opportunities for cultural organizations and artistes to excel in the arts, and make cultural events more accessible to the public. We will commission more creative works to foster the development of a Singapore repertory, and display more art works in parks and buildings.

Raising The Quality of Facilities And Services

We will build an Arts Complex, and remodel three historical buildings to house a Fine Arts Museum, a Children's Museum and a History of Singapore Museum. We will also build a modern National Library and four new branch libraries in Yishun, Tampines, Hougang and Woodlands.

Over the next five years, we will continue to promote sports for all, and provide enough facilities for our people. These include the Indoor Stadium, four swimming complexes, seven stadia and one sports hall. Talented sportsmen will have opportunities to excel and to realise their potential.

The People's Association will phase out the smaller and older community centres and build more modern centres in housing estates to cater to the social and recreational needs of residents.

Advisory Councils

The Government has set up six Advisory Councils to draw up social and community programmes. They cover:-

• Culture and the Arts

• Sports and Recreation

• The Disabled

• The Aged

• Family and Community Life

• Youth Their reports will guide our social and community development for the next decade.

Malay/Muslim Matters

The Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) will improve the management of pilgrimage matters, coordinate and regulate Islamic educational institutions, and contribute to the poor and needy. Over the next five years, five more mosques will be built.

The Government, working with Malay/Muslim organizations, will continue with its efforts to help the Malay/Muslim community improve their educational, economic, and socio-cultural achievements. However, Government support, though important, is not the fundamental factor. Malay/Muslim community support, commitment and determination are. Without these, progress will be minimal.

WONG KAN SENG Minister for Community Development