MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

MR WONG KAN SENG Minister for Community Development

MCD will continue to foster a cohesive, robust and compassionate society, with maximum community participation. We will provide new opportunities for community and voluntary work and encourage greater voluntarism.

Building Community Cohesion

Individuals, families, grassroots and community organisations must play active roles in strengthening community cohesion. We will encourage formation of Family Clubs, to foster a sense of belonging and community spirit among residents.

Public education programmes will promote core values such as racial harmony and religious tolerance. Through the concept of "One nation, many races", we will encourage ethnic communities to preserve their cultural identities while fostering a greater sense of being Singaporean amongst all races.

We will continue to encourage greater public participation in policy-making through the Feedback Unit.

Helping the Family

We will work with community and voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) to help those in need. Over the next 5 years, we will give grants of up to $92 million on a 50-50 cost sharing basis to VWOs to provide direct welfare services to the aged, the disabled and low-income families who need assistance.

We will counsel and provide information and referral services to women who need help. Four pilot Family Service Centres will be set up at Bukit Gombak, Tampines, Telok Blangah, and Tiong Bahru with Government assistance to provide counselling, family life education and social support services to families.

We will continue to encourage private organisations to set up child care centres. Training of child care personnel will be stepped up. We will encourage more Before-and-After-School Care (BASC) programmes to help working parents to care for school-going children.

Helping Low-Income Families

The Rent and Utilities Assistance Scheme, a short-term relief for low-income families, was started in October 90 to help families in rent arrears become self-reliant.

We will counsel and provide skills training to employable persons in low-income families, to help them to secure better paying jobs.

The 25th Anniversary Charity Fund closed on 31 December 90 after collecting $88 million. With dollar for dollar matching from the Government, the Fund totalled $176 million. The Fund has been distributed to the Community Chest of Singapore and other charities. A 25th Anniversary Endowment Fund has also been set up to fund programmes to assist destitute and low-income families.

Helping our Senior Citizens

The elderly, aged 60 years and above, will increase from the present 8% of the population to 11% in 2000, and 26% in 2030. We should enable the elderly to be active and live purposeful and meaningful lives. We will inculcate positive attitudes towards ageing and the aged through public education programmes and activities. We are setting up Senior Activity Centres in some Community Centres as a pilot project.

For the frail but ambulant aged, we will encourage community and VWOs to provide quality community-based, day-care, respite and residential care facilities.

A Fit and Rugged Society

Sport encourages people of diverse cultures and backgrounds to interact, and helps to promote unity. We will encourage every fit and healthy Singaporean to play at least one sport actively.

We will also emphasise sport excellence and nurture our sporting talents.

We will spend $24.2 million to redevelop the Outward Bound School (OBS). When the project is completed in 1994, our youth will have a modern adventure centre to develop ruggedness.

Malay/Muslim Matters

The Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS) will continue to work closely with the community and other Malay/Muslim organisations to strengthen the religious values of Muslims in Singapore. The Government will, together with Yayasan Mendaki, work to improve the educational, economic and socio-cultural status of the Malay/Muslim community.