Debated in Parliament on 14 Mar 2013.
Mr Chairman, Sir, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100".
Our newly-minted Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth has one of the most diverse portfolios, overseeing areas of arts, heritage, sports, community, volunteerism, national identity and youth. Its background is equally interesting, starting with our first Ministry of Culture in 1959, which was dissolved 26 years later, only to be resurrected in its present form another 27 years on. The reason for placing all these disparate fields under its wings is understandably functional – to achieve its stated objectives of "Building Social
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Capital, Inspiring the Singapore Spirit, Together Making Singapore Home".
This holistic approach to building and nurturing our "heartware" is both heartening and heartwarming. Nonetheless, I seek reassurance from the Minister that artistic, sports and even charitable endeavours with merit will continue to receive support even if they may not fall clearly within the revised, more patriotic parameters.
Sir, we need to continue to encourage and support our artists to break boundaries in their artistic pursuits, and shine at international arts festivals and platforms to remind the world that Singapore is not a cultural desert. At the same time, platforms, such as the Singapore Arts Festival, should be set up and positioned with a clearer vision to put Singapore in the international circuit for artists around the world as well as a platform for local practitioners.
Sir, now that the censorship function is at a different Ministry, I would also like MCCY to be a champion for freedom of artistic expression. We must learn to accept and manage differences to the conventional and sometimes conservative views as our society becomes more pluralistic.
Sir, while sports is missing in the name of the Ministry, it should not be missing in its priorities. We cannot let the years of effort by the sports fraternity to go to waste. YOG has come and gone. Our focus in nurturing young athletes cannot be like an event with the spotlight on it for just two weeks. We have to continue to invest in them so that they can bring glory to our nation, and Team Singapore will rally people in coming together, whether to cheer a win or mourn a loss.
Sir, with corporate and individual giving at an all-time high, we must continue to encourage people with the resources, whether money, time or expertise, to help those in need. With the widening income gap, quicker pace of life and economic restructuring, we must do more. Just like our fingers which are of different lengths and strengths, the various segments of the society can only come together when the Government is the palm providing the platform and common ground so that we can smack a high five as a nation.
With MCCY, the prominence given to culture points to a renewed emphasis on the intangibles of shared values, attitudes and social behaviours, which contribute to a distinct national identity and common purpose. Building social capital requires calibrated state support and freedom for natural organic developments to flourish. Hence, I am interested to know how the Ministry
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intends to measure its performance. What yardsticks will be used to judge the effectiveness of the Ministry's policies?
I would like to suggest that we develop a comprehensive annual national identity and social cohesion index. I acknowledge that it is difficult to measure fully how Singaporean we are -- matters of the heart are difficult to quantify – but I believe we should attempt to do so.
I suggest that we look at three groups of indicators. The first group can focus on knowledge, such as understanding of our history and culture; the second, participation in voluntary work, sports and community events; the third, can focus on relationships, such as the number of close friends from different ethnicities, social income groups and nationalities. This composite index will allow us to have a dynamic view of how cohesive our society is and assist the Ministry in making policy adjustments.
Sir, while people appreciate the hard work and contributions of foreign-born athletes, there is a special place in our hearts for athletes who have grown up with us in our neighbourhoods and attended the same local schools. That is why people are still rooting for Fandi Ahmad to be our national soccer coach and for his sons to play in the Lions.
When our paddlers achieved the highest victories at the last two Olympics, the jubilance and celebration were, unfortunately, diluted and undermined by negative sentiments towards athletes who were brought in to be citizens just because they had the potential to win us medals. I know other countries are also doing the same thing. Why can we not be different?
A medal or a trophy is always hard earned and respected, but we must pay equal if not more attention to whether this has helped build a strong sporting culture, or how a sporting culture could be built even without international wins. For example, Sir, running has become a massive hobby in Singapore now. There are so many running events and marathons all year round. People take part not to win the race. They do so for self-motivation, corporate team building, to raise funds, or to support a cause. At the StanChart Marathon, even though foreigners routinely sweep the top prizes, not many people are getting hot and bothered over this.
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I had the honour of flagging off the Singapore City Race two weeks ago. It was structured like an amazing race around the country. I am sure the 4,000 participants who ran through Marina Bay, Fort Canning and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve would see for themselves what Singapore has done beautifully in our urban planning. This is a strong visual reminder that no amount of parliamentary debate or glossy brochures can achieve.
At the race, I also met a voluntary group Running Hour which devotes time weekly to accompany and help visually-challenged people run. The passion for running has brought together people and the community to care for the less fortunate.
Sir, People's Association is the main agency in charge of promoting racial harmony and social cohesion. Should its work be measured by the number of events it organises or the number of participants? How do you measure the quality and depth of engagement? It may be difficult to measure, but just because they are difficult to measure, it does not mean that it is the only thing we measure because this would change the behaviour and we may lose the direction. I hope MCCY does not go after such statistics to justify its existence, nor be forced to report such numbers to fill nice annexes. Let other Ministries report on the number of flats, length of MRT lines, GDP growth, falling crime rate and, hopefully, rising fertility rates.
Sir, MCCY is different. Let us give our heartware a special place. Social capital will not be counted in dollars and cents. The Singapore Spirit shall not be contained in a table and chart.
Sir, in Malay, please.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, the Malay community has an increasing number of youths and an expanding middle-class group. Both these groups are assets to our community.
They possess better education, resources and skills compared to youths and professionals in the past. Many of them have benefited from Singapore's prosperity and many have also benefited from the efforts of the Government,
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MENDAKI and Malay/Muslim organisations in Singapore.
We should provide them with the opportunity to develop further so that they can become the driving force to achieve the vision of a Community of Excellence. In addition, we must increase our engagement so that these groups will be empowered to achieve their respective aspirations and also contribute to our community. I hope that the Minister can provide details of any plans that will be done to develop the talents of our youths and our professionals.
Sir, in Malay.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS) provides affordable tuition for students from low-income households in key subjects, including English, Mathematics and Science. We understand that MENDAKI will welcome a bigger intake of students for the recently enhanced MTS. What are some of the initiatives by MENDAKI to cope with the increase in the number of students in MTS? What are the improvements and methods that will be used to help our students strengthen their abilities in order to keep up with the latest curriculum in school?
Sir, I hope that the Government will provide assistance to community organisations and work with them to help dysfunctional families break this vicious cycle through education. I think that this is important; where the parents who are unable to fulfil the aspirations of their children or help them to aim higher will be able to do so, so that their children will succeed in school, they will work harder and they will want to upgrade their skills and abilities for a brighter future for their children. We have to work closely with the parents, teachers, schools and community leaders to make sure that every child has the opportunity to fulfil his or her potential through education.
I would like to ask, does the Government intend to provide more help and more resources to self-help groups like MENDAKI and others in this year's Budget?
Sir, in Malay.
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(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, I would like to put forward two suggestions on the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS). Firstly, Minister Yaacob, in replying to my parliamentary question, said that the funds from the TTFS that are not disbursed are channelled to the MENDAKI Education Development Fund, whereby this fund is used in educational assistance schemes and educational programmes run by MENDAKI.
Here, I would like to suggest that some of the balance of the TTFS fund be set aside and used to form a Post-Graduate Scholarship. The scholarship can be reserved for specialised fields of study, such as Economics and Sociology, that can produce experts who will bring benefits to the Malay community in Singapore.
Minister Yaacob previously spoke in an interview with radio station Warna in April 2010 that the Malay community lacks experts who can solve social issues faced by our community. He also said that more Malay experts are needed to solve the issue of dysfunctional families and the drug menace. I feel that such a scholarship can help to motivate and assist individuals to further their studies to a higher level in these specialised fields, so that we can produce experts who are needed to manage social issues among the Malay community in Singapore.
Sir, I hope the Government can consider allowing individuals of mixed parentage, like the Indian Muslims, to be given opportunities to benefit from TTFS. I totally understand that TTFS is provided for the Malay community only. However, as we all know, some in the Indian Muslim community and others of mixed marriage parentage in Singapore lead a way of life similar to the Malays. They use mainly the Malay language and also practise Malay culture. In fact, many of them look like Malays. Only their identity cards state that they are Indian Muslims and others because it depends on their father's race.
For this issue, I suggest the formation of a Committee, where the Committee's role is similar to the role of the Malay Community Committee that decides whether an individual is eligible to stand for an election in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) as a Malay minority candidate. The group I mentioned earlier can apply to this committee and, if necessary, undergo an interview to ascertain whether he is eligible for the TTFS.
Sir, looking ahead, I feel that the formation of such a Committee makes sense, especially since there is an increasing trend of inter-racial marriages, as
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well as marriages between Singapore Malays and foreign citizens.
Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Joint Madrasah System was implemented in 2008. The Aljunied Madrasah, Irsyad Madrasah and Al-Arabiah Madrasah are three of our full-time madrasahs that participated in this system. How did our madrasah students perform under this system, especially in the national and international examinations? What are the opportunities for further studies and job opportunities for madrasah students?
Recently, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs announced the enhancements to the JMS system. Among others, there is the addition of the International Baccalaureate Diploma (or IBDP). I think that this is a positive step that provides more educational and job opportunities in the future for our madrasah students. It will also put them on par with other students from mainstream schools, at the global level.
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Nee Soon): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, part-time religious education plays an important role to inculcate life values and religious values among the Muslim community in Singapore. The aLIVE programme managed by MUIS receives positive feedback in terms of the effectiveness and relevance of the programme in the daily lives of our children.
I have personally attended several graduation ceremonies and annual concerts, and I have found that the students benefited from the experience and knowledge from the aLIVE programme. Presently, the aLIVE programme is run specifically for children and teenagers. I would like to ask the Minister if MUIS has plans to extend this part-time programme to adults.
Mr Hawazi Daipi, you can take all your three cuts together.
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Mr Hawazi Daipi (Sembawang) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, I would like to ask the Minister about the second phase of the Mosque Upgrading Programme in Singapore which began in 2012 and has been accelerated. Can the Minister provide the latest update on the plan and how the plan can fulfil the needs of residents in the area where the mosques are being upgraded or rebuilt?
Can I also get an update from the Minister on the new mosques being built in Punggol, Jurong West and Woodlands? This is the third time I have spoken about the development of a new mosque in Woodlands, and I hope the Minister could provide the information on the specific location where the mosque is being built, while the An-Nur Mosque, currently undergoing restoration, will be ready soon.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The second point I would like to raise is on Haj. Last year, the Saudi government gave a much lower number of visas based on the official quota for Singapore. Singapore was given 680 visas, far lower than the number required or desired by the local Muslim community. How is MUIS planning to fulfil the desire of the Muslim community to perform the Haj? Is MUIS going to review or re-evaluate how it will carry out the registration of Malay-Muslims who plan to perform the Haj?
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The third point is on the Kurban. Based on the problems faced by the Muslim community in the past year relating to the provision of livestock to be used in the Kurban; MUIS, MCYS and the Singapore Mosques Kurban Committee, together with AVA, have carried out studies on the provision of livestock for Kurban in Singapore.
What is the result of the joint assessment by these bodies? Can MUIS, for example, use the wakaf fund that belongs to the community in Singapore to work with regional companies to set up a livestock company, where the animals can be supplied to Singapore, not just for the purposes of Kurban, but also to supply meat to Singapore in general?
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Mr Zainal Sapari (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In August 2012, the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim announced the formation of an independent committee, Suara Musyawarah, or Voice of Consensus. The Committee was asked to organise dialogue sessions to solicit feedback and views from the Malay/Muslim community on their aspirations and issues of concern about the future of the Malay/Muslim community and Singapore in general.
What are the efforts conducted so far? Could the Minister provide an update on the progress of the Committee so far? What is the outcome of the discussion sessions and can the Minister provide examples of the issues that came to light?
The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence and Minister for National Development (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We often hear about issues related to divorce, the head of the family being incarcerated, reconstituted families and their effects on a child's development. My concern is not just the social problems faced by these families, but also whether they are able to adapt to the rapid developments of the community and nation. I am concerned because there are heads of families in their 30s who have been heads of families for more than a decade, but are still unable to provide stability to their families. The problem is that they not only have to worry about today's challenges but also their future challenges.
Today, we see they have problems in meeting their family's needs – not just financially but also in providing guidance to their children to overcome challenges in school and development. Their children hope that their parents can be the role models, always ready to assist and to guide them. These children want a stable surrounding and environment. We must provide comprehensive assistance by empowering these parents so that they can provide this stable environment. The future of their children is the future of our community.
We must also encourage parents to make use of economic progress to stabilise their families' sources of income for the present and future. I am
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concerned because many are still staying away from upgrading programmes provided by the Government to help them adapt to the country's evolving economy.
Last year, the Ministry announced the Enhanced Wrap Around Care (eWAC) project which provides comprehensive assistance to at-risk families in MacPherson. I would like to ask about the effectiveness of this programme and whether there are plans to expand this project to other estates.
As we help these families overcome present challenges, I hope we can also help them prepare themselves for the challenges of the future. I hope this comprehensive assistance can ensure that these families are aware of the importance of having a long-term perspective, prepare themselves for their retirement years. Otherwise, they will still be beleaguered with problems when they reach their golden years.
PAPERCUTS