Leadership Development at Malay/Muslim Institutions

Madam, from 7 August 2013, Haji Abdul Razak bin Hassan Maricar is the new Chief Executive (CE) of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, or MUIS. When the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) was amended in 2005 to create the CE post, I had explained in Parliament that this was to strengthen MUIS' executive leadership and align its governance practices to other statutory boards where there is a clear separation of board responsibilities and executive functions. This change took some time to plan and execute, because changes in the leadership of this key Malay/Muslim institution must be carefully undertaken.

With this, the MUIS Council will be chaired by a non-executive President, with a CE reporting to the Council. This separation of functions will enable experienced and qualified Muslim public officers to be appointed as the CE. The position of the non-executive President can then be filled by a person with stature and standing in the community, who does not have to run MUIS on a day-to-day basis at the same time. So, I am grateful that the previous President Haji Mohammad Alami Musa has agreed to remain as the non-executive President. This will ensure continuity and stability in MUIS before a successor is appointed later in the term.

Leadership renewal is critical to maintaining the effectiveness of our key Muslim institutions and Malay/Muslim organisations in a continuously changing landscape. We will continue to identify capable persons to lead our key Muslim institutions. Indeed, there are challenges finding top-calibre officers to fill echelon positions, as is the case with all other organisations. One strategy that I am keen for MUIS to push further is the cross-posting of high potential Muslim officers between MUIS and the wider public service. This will enable MUIS officers to pick up broader public service capabilities, and allow other

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officers to be groomed for future positions in MUIS.

Continuity and innovation are two prongs of what the community can expect from these leadership changes. MUIS will continue to carry out its statutory functions, such as regulating haj and halal matters.

Earlier this year, MUIS unveiled its fourth three-year plan after extensive consultation with the community and stakeholders. For the next three years, MUIS will focus on (i) developing asatizahs; (ii) increasing its outreach to our young; and (iii) strengthening madrasah education. Building resilience in zakat receiving families and strengthening our mosques as important socio-religious nodes to serve the community are two other areas in which MUIS will carry on in its fourth three-year plan. Madam, I am confident that the new CE, who has been part of the MUIS' senior management team since 2007, will ably lead MUIS in implementing its vision as laid out in the fourth three-year plan.

Supplementary question, Madam. I would like to ask the Minister: are there mid-term or long-term plans or strategy that the Ministry is thinking about to further enhance beyond the institution? There are other Malay/Muslim organisations that are quite important in the community, be it in the area of leadership or even management.

Madam, I think it is an important point for us to think together as a community. As I mentioned in my reply, leadership positions not only within key Muslim institutions, such as MUIS or MENDAKI, but also for the Malay/Muslim organisations are a point worthy of our reflection and consideration.

Having said that, we do not have authority over the MMOs but, clearly, we understand that there is a need to continue to renew and upgrade the leadership. In line with that aspiration, with the recent funding increase from the Government for the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund, the plan is for us to set aside part of the funds towards capability development programme for the Malay/Muslim organisations and we hope that the MMOs can tap on this funding to not only improve governance but also training for their senior management because we believe that by providing resources and opportunities for the leadership within the Malay/Muslim organisations to be groomed and to be trained, they will be able to better run their programmes and provide relevant programmes for the community.

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Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]  Mdm Speaker, allow me to speak in Malay since we are celebrating Malay Language Month this month. I would like to ask the Minister what MUIS' plans are to enable the Muslim community in Singapore to face the challenges of the Islamic world in an inclusive manner, since the Islamic world today is facing rapid changes. Secondly, would the Minister also explain how MUIS' organisation can be fine-tuned to study the long-term issues for the Muslim community in Singapore?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]  Thank you, Mdm Speaker. That is certainly one important issue because we know that MUIS, as a key institution in our community, is responsible for providing guidance to the community. Just as there are challenges all over the world today, we acknowledge that MUIS has an important role. One way is for us to strengthen the religious leadership within MUIS, where, together with the Mufti's Office, we conducted programmes for our religious elites both in Singapore and overseas.

For example, we recently conducted a joint programme with the Mufti's Office in Cairo, Egypt, where 30 religious teachers or asatizahs received training on how the fatwas were issued in Cairo. This allowed our religious teachers to understand the process on how the scholars of Cairo, Egypt, went through in arriving at a fatwa. Our hope is that with this training, our religious teachers can help to provide answers and guidance to those who seek it. Secondly, what MUIS has done is to monitor what is happening, not just in Singapore, but around the region, so that we understand the new trends, and the implications of such trends on our community, so that we can provide guidance to our community.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As part of the Government's philosophy, we are a secular Government where religious programmes are not funded by the Government. This is a policy that we have accepted, not only for the Malay community, but also other communities. But at the same time, we know that the programmes conducted by the Malay bodies are important and necessary for our community. Therefore, in this regard, MUIS has distributed zakat funds and other funds belonging to us, to Malay bodies that conduct religious programmes. So, I feel that there is no lack of funds. What is important is for us to ensure that the programmes that we conduct are relevant and are also directed to those in need. If there is more detailed feedback, I can discuss it with Mr Faisal Manap.