Religion, race & rights

26 Jul 2021

Measures to Improve Non-Discrimination in Employment by Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) emphasized its firm stance against workplace discrimination through education, advisory services, and enforcement, including recent stiffer penalties to deter discriminatory behavior.
TAFEP supports employers by helping correct HR process gaps and providing resources to adopt fair employment practices, aligned with the Tripartite Guidelines.
MOM and tripartite partners are studying further options to strengthen anti-discrimination efforts, as outlined in the 2021 Ministerial Statement.

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26 Jul 2021

Ratification of International Labour Organization Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No 111)

Raeesah Khan asked whether the Government has considered ratifying ILO Convention 111 and, if not, the reasons and future considerations.
Minister Tan See Leng stated that Singapore only ratifies ILO Conventions when it can fully comply in law and practice, and noted that non-ratification does not imply misalignment with the Convention's spirit.
The Government supports the Convention's intent and enforces fair employment through the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices, with penalties stiffened in 2020.
Efforts to tackle discrimination include education and outreach, and MOM is studying options to strengthen enforcement against discriminatory employers.
Singapore continually reviews how to better address workplace discrimination in line with the Convention's objectives.

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26 Jul 2021

Ethnic Breakdown for All HDB Neighbourhoods in Percentage Terms on Annual Basis at 31 December Each Year Since 1989

Pritam Singh requested detailed annual ethnic breakdowns for all HDB neighbourhoods since 1989, the number of blocks exceeding EIP limits each year, and the count of HDB flat purchases affected by EIP since 1989.
Desmond Lee explained the EIP mechanism, noting that when a limit is reached, sellers from unaffected groups cannot sell to affected groups, while affected-group sellers can sell to any group.
Due to the large scale and long timeframe, the Ministry provided aggregated five-yearly statistics on affected neighbourhoods and blocks instead of the requested annual data.
HDB accepted voluntary flat surrenders without tracking EIP reasons until 2000, after which it stopped accepting surrenders for flats eligible for open market resale.

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26 Jul 2021

Rationale for National Service-component in Starting Salaries of Public Service Employees

Carrie Tan questioned whether National Service completion is factored into Public Service starting salaries and the rationale for doing so, as well as efforts to equalize salaries between genders over time.
Chan Chun Sing responded that the Civil Service acknowledges National Service by providing salary increments for male Singaporeans at their first appointment to align them with peers of the same age who did not serve.
He emphasized that after entry, salary and career progression in the Civil Service are based solely on individual merit and performance, not gender differentiation.
The response did not specify the number of positions affected but confirmed the practice applies to male officers entering the Civil Service following National Service.
Efforts to address gender salary equality were implied to be ongoing through merit-based progression, though no detailed measures were outlined.

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26 Jul 2021

Data on HDB Flat Transactions Affected by Ethnic Integration Policy and Help for Flat Sellers or Buyers Impacted by Policy

Members of Parliament raised questions about the financial impact of the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) on HDB flat sellers, particularly minorities, and suggested measures like discounts on resale levies, subsidies to attract buyers, and risk-pooling mechanisms to mitigate losses from selling below market value due to EIP constraints.
The Minister explained that while the EIP aims to maintain racial diversity, it can reduce the buyer pool for some sellers, potentially leading to lower prices or longer sale periods, though the exact financial impact is difficult to quantify due to other market factors.
The government is reviewing suggestions to help affected sellers, emphasizing that any measures must apply to all races and address unintended EIP effects, while also exercising flexibility on a case-by-case basis, such as granting more time to sell or waiving EIP limits in exceptional circumstances.

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26 Jul 2021

Strengthening the Singaporean Core

Patrick Tay highlighted that Singaporean PMEs, especially mature workers, face unfair competition and discriminatory hiring practices, proposing stronger enforcement, stiffer penalties, and an enhanced Employment Pass application process with a point system to prioritize local hiring and knowledge transfer.
Saktiandi Supaat and Louis Ng called for legislating the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices to address discrimination based on race, age, nationality, gender, and marital status, with Ng specifically emphasizing the need to stop discriminatory questions about marital status and children in job applications.
The Minister for Manpower acknowledged concerns about workplace discrimination and Singaporean job security, outlining existing efforts like SkillsFuture and Jobs Growth Incentive, while announcing a Tripartite Committee to study whether legislation is the best approach to strengthen fair employment practices.

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6 Jul 2021

Extending SG Enable's Taxi Scheme to Individuals under Special Circumstances with Monthly per Capita Household Income above $2,800

Ms Raeesah Khan asked whether SG Enable’s Taxi Subsidy Scheme can be extended to individuals with monthly per capita household income above $2,800 due to special circumstances, how many such cases exist and their reasons, and if subsidies could cover trips beyond home-work/school and private hire options for wheelchair users.
Masagos Zulkifli B M M explained the scheme supports persons with disabilities attending school, work, or training who meet means-test criteria and cannot use public transport, with the income threshold raised to $2,800 in January 2020, and no current recipients exceed this limit, though appeals are assessed case-by-case.
The Ministry also subsidizes transport for government-funded programmes via the Voluntary Welfare Organisation Transport Subsidy Scheme and medical trips through the Agency for Integrated Care’s Medical Escort and Transport service, and will continue reviewing schemes for relevance and affordability.

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6 Jul 2021

Race-related Incidents Investigated Annually over Last 10 Years

Over the past 10 years, the Police investigated race-related incidents annually under Sections 298 and 298A of the Penal Code, with the exact yearly numbers provided in a table appended to the reply.
Cases that resulted in stern warnings, charges, or convictions each year are detailed in the table, excluding ongoing investigations or cases with no further action.
The figures cover the period from 2011 to 2020, focusing on acts that wound racial feelings or promote enmity between racial groups.
The response clarifies that warnings and charges do not include cases still under investigation at the time of the reply.

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6 Jul 2021

Clarification on Property at No 5 Lorong 9 Geylang

Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap questioned how the wakaf land originally intended for a madrasah at No 5 Lorong 9 Geylang was used as a temple, who holds its reversionary interest, and whether the donor’s family was consulted on the 199-year lease decision.
Masagos Zulkifli explained that MUIS, under AMLA, manages wakaf properties to ensure viability and, after the property fell into disuse and disrepair, migrated it to a commercial property at 11 Beach Road to generate income for madrasah education.
The original Geylang property was sold on a 199-year leasehold basis, with proceeds reinvested to support the wakaf’s long-term growth, while the donor’s intent to benefit madrasahs is upheld through the yields from the new property.

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6 Jul 2021

Interactions between Residents in Private Properties and Individuals of Varied Socio-economic and Ethnic Backgrounds

The Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth has implemented shared infrastructure, community programming, and Residents’ Networks to encourage interaction among residents from public and private housing estates.
These initiatives include common spaces, virtual and in-person activities, and outreach to new immigrants, aiming to foster neighbourliness and social mixing across different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds.
The government acknowledges the need to better publicise these opportunities to private estate residents and encourages active participation to reduce isolation.

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6 Jul 2021

Specific Action Plans following Findings in Census of Population 2020

The Minister highlighted that the Malay community has made significant educational progress, with post-secondary qualifications rising from 60% to 80% and university qualifications doubling from 10% to 20% among those aged 25–34 between 2010 and 2020.
Malay students are entering publicly-funded degree programmes at Autonomous Universities in increasing numbers, rising from about 600 in 2011 to over 1,000 in 2020, while compulsory education compliance is near universal with only one Malay student per cohort failing to progress to secondary school over the last five years.
The government is scaling up support through KidSTART, quality preschool education, learning support programmes, after-school care, SkillsFuture upskilling, and community initiatives like UPLIFT and the M3 network to ensure all students, including Malays, can maximise their potential.

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6 Jul 2021

Support for Married Women and Mothers during Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic

The study found mothers' marital satisfaction dropped during the circuit breaker due to unequal household responsibilities, a theme echoed in the Conversations on Singapore Women's Development sessions.
The government has enhanced paternal leave schemes and partnered with family organizations to promote shared parenting and provide online counseling support during the pandemic.
Efforts are being made to encourage flexible work arrangements and recognize women's contributions, with a focus on equitable family roles to strengthen marriages.

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6 Jul 2021

Educational Programmes to Deal with Allegations and Incidents of Sexual Harrassment

The Ministry of Social and Family Development detailed that madrasahs incorporate sexuality education into their curriculum for students aged 13 to 16, covering topics like relationships and gender, and also offer youth engagement programmes and holiday programmes for younger students.
Madrasah staff receive training through talks and programs, including partnerships with organizations like Club HEAL, to handle allegations of sexual harassment and support students, with each madrasah having at least one trained teacher and roving counsellors available.
The Ministry of Islamic Religious Affairs works with mosques to implement anti-harassment policies and reporting procedures, with revised policies expected to be fully implemented later this year to support victims.
The Ministry emphasized that Islam teaches the equal worth of men and women, and this is reflected in madrasahs and mosques through female leadership roles and equal opportunities for both genders to serve in various appointments.
The Ministry is committed to ensuring madrasahs and mosques remain inclusive spaces where all Muslims can develop their full potential and contribute to society.

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6 Jul 2021

Reports of Sexually-explicit Online Posts Made to MUIS and MUIS' Response

Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap questioned MUIS on the timeline and response to complaints about an online poll targeting female Islamic religious teachers, the number of similar cases reported, counseling measures for suspects, and a timeline for revising moral education programs.
Masagos Zulkifli B M M stated that MUIS received complaints on 26 May 2021, offered support to victims, and lodged a police report, with investigations ongoing and no further comments until completion.
From January 2019 to June 2021, MUIS received 12 complaints of sexual harassment involving members of the asatizah fraternity as perpetrators and two reports of asatizah as victims, with no similar cases reported since the online poll.
MUIS regularly reviews the Islamic education curriculum for programs like Kids aLIVE and Teens aLIVE to address emerging issues affecting Muslim children and youths.

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6 Jul 2021

Investigation into Online Poll Ranking of Female Muslim Religious Teachers for Sexual Attractiveness

MUIS reported an online poll sexualizing female Muslim religious teachers to the Police in May 2021, with investigations ongoing, and has offered support to victims while receiving 12 complaints of sexual harassment by asatizah and two reports of asatizah as victims over three years.
MUIS has established processes for reporting harassment confidentially, including immediate support, investigations, and disciplinary actions by a senior committee, with Police reports made for criminal acts.
Training and initiatives include internal workshops with NTUC and TAFEP, anti-harassment policies in mosques and madrasahs, talks by Club HEAL, and certified courses for teachers to address psychological and emotional needs.

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6 Jul 2021

Options for Teens Kicked Out of Their Homes for Issues Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

The Minister outlined that teens facing family conflict or abuse can seek help from Family Service Centres, Family Violence and Child Protection services, or Transitional Shelters, with support accessible regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
The government does not condone abuse against any person and provides alternative care arrangements for those facing violence, while assessing suitability for communal living.
The T Project offers temporary shelter for homeless individuals, including many from the LGBTQ+ community, and the government will consider funding programmes addressing significant social needs, including those run by community partners.
Community partner shelters complement government-funded services, though not all receive government funding, and the focus is on meeting community needs through accessible support options.

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6 Jul 2021

Incident of Rainbow Flag being Thrown at Staff at a Lau Pa Sat Stall

Police concluded their investigation into a man who threw a rainbow flag at SMOL salad bar staff at Lau Pa Sat, issuing him a 24-month conditional warning for causing harassment under POHA, given no injuries, his mental health history, and the short duration of the incident.
The Government affirmed that harassment and abuse of any person, including LGBTQ individuals, are not condoned, with laws like POHA providing civil and criminal protection for all.
Minister K Shanmugam highlighted existing legal measures, including the Penal Code for hurt or incitement of violence, and amendments to the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act to address religious-based incitement.

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6 Jul 2021

Sexuality Education in Schools as First Line of Defence Against Sexual Violence

Raeesah Khan highlighted alarming statistics on sexual assault, stressing that many victims are minors and emphasizing the need for comprehensive sexuality education to build a culture of consent, starting from preschool and extending to higher education, while addressing gaps in current curricula on consent, power dynamics, and tech-enabled offenses.
The government, through Minister Sun Xueling, affirmed its commitment to sexuality education as part of a whole-of-society approach, detailing ongoing curriculum reviews, age-appropriate lessons from Primary 1, and initiatives in Institutes of Higher Learning to teach respect, boundaries, and reporting channels.
Both speakers agreed on the urgency of reforming sexuality education to prevent sexual violence, with calls for enhanced teacher training, standardized preschool programs, and societal collaboration involving parents, tech companies, and media to support youth in navigating relationships safely.

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Measures to Improve Non-Discrimination in Employment by Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices

Ratification of International Labour Organization Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention, 1958 (No 111)

Ethnic Breakdown for All HDB Neighbourhoods in Percentage Terms on Annual Basis at 31 December Each Year Since 1989

Rationale for National Service-component in Starting Salaries of Public Service Employees

Data on HDB Flat Transactions Affected by Ethnic Integration Policy and Help for Flat Sellers or Buyers Impacted by Policy

Strengthening the Singaporean Core

Extending SG Enable's Taxi Scheme to Individuals under Special Circumstances with Monthly per Capita Household Income above $2,800

Race-related Incidents Investigated Annually over Last 10 Years

Clarification on Property at No 5 Lorong 9 Geylang

Interactions between Residents in Private Properties and Individuals of Varied Socio-economic and Ethnic Backgrounds

Specific Action Plans following Findings in Census of Population 2020

Support for Married Women and Mothers during Prolonged COVID-19 Pandemic

Educational Programmes to Deal with Allegations and Incidents of Sexual Harrassment

Reports of Sexually-explicit Online Posts Made to MUIS and MUIS' Response

Investigation into Online Poll Ranking of Female Muslim Religious Teachers for Sexual Attractiveness

Options for Teens Kicked Out of Their Homes for Issues Related to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity

Incident of Rainbow Flag being Thrown at Staff at a Lau Pa Sat Stall

Sexuality Education in Schools as First Line of Defence Against Sexual Violence

Declaration of Mental Health Conditions in Pre-employment Medical Examination

Gender Breakdown of Workfare Income Supplement Recipients in Last Three Years