The Suara Musyawarah Committee`s Report

Transcription

SUARA
MUSYAWARAH
Conversations with the
Community
Committee Report July 2013
Copyright © Suara Musyawarah Committee, 2013
Printed in July 2013
Copyright © 2013. All rights reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced, published or transmitted in
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notice on such copy. All information is correct at the time of publishing and printing, and is subject to change
without prior notice.
1
Contents
1
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
04
2
INTRODUCTION
08
The Committee
The Report
The Work and Engagement Process
3
OUR FINDINGS
09
10
11
13
Theme 1: Sense of Belonging
Theme 2: Breaking the Cycle
Theme 3: Social Consciousness
14
22
43
4
MOVING FORWARD
51
5
ANNEXES
53
Terms of Reference
List of Focus Group Discussions
List of Issues Raised in the Focus Group Discussions
State of the Community
6
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
54
55
57
60
68
2
1 Executive
Summary
3
Executive Summary
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1.
The Suara Musyawarah Committee engaged with members of the Malay/Muslim
community from a broad range of backgrounds. During the engagement process, the
issues raised and discussed were as diverse as the people we met and heard from.
The Committee takes each view seriously and with respect, but for the purposes of
this report, we focused on matters that were repeatedly raised during our
engagement sessions and those which the Committee considers critical to the
community’s development. The findings were summarised into three broad themes (i)
Sense of Belonging, (ii) Breaking the Cycle and (iii) Social Consciousness and where
possible, recommendations were made, fully recognising that these were very much
directional in nature and would require further deliberation.
2.
It is clear that the Malay/Muslim community1 has a strong sense of belonging to
Singapore. For some, this is due to a sense of history and heritage. For others,
especially the young, this is a given — they have grown up in this country, and many
of their experiences, from school to national service, are shared with other
Singaporeans. However, there is a sense that stereotypes, generalisations and
certain negative perceptions about the community persist and these sometimes
manifest into what could be perceived as
discrimination. While the Committee accepts that
this is part and parcel of living in a diverse, multiracial society, we believe that it is an important
issue for the community and that more attention
could be given to this — so that everyone can feel
equally Singaporean, regardless of race,
language or religion.
3.
The community has made significant progress in all aspects of life — in educational
achievement, standard of living, as well as social and spiritual development. Statistics
show this progress and the community acknowledges and understands that this has
been due to the concerted efforts of many — past and present. However, progress
has not been even across the board. Challenges still exist when compared to other
communities and some segments in the community remain vulnerable.
1 For all intents and purposes in the context of this report, the Malay/Muslim Community refers to Singapore Muslims of
all ethnicities.
4
Executive Summary
4.
The Committee made efforts to reach out to these groups and is heartened to note
that there is a desire to progress, a common understanding that educational
achievement is important and a realisation that the inculcation of strong values from
young is required. The Committee also met participants who have prevailed despite
encountering adversities and is pleasantly surprised that these participants spoke up
in our focus group discussions to encourage others that it is possible to do the same.
The Committee thus feels positive that the community can continue to progress
further and tackle underlying issues. We believe that the focus should be on the most
vulnerable, particularly in reaching out to them and removing real or perceived
obstacles to development — from early childhood intervention in vulnerable families
to ensuring that workers continue to upgrade and remain relevant to the demands of
the economy. The Committee also notes that some of the issues faced by these
groups are not unique to the community.
Some issues may be structural in nature
given the development of the economy and
educational system and thus may require
more in-depth thinking and adjustments at a
national level. Concerted efforts from national
agencies may be needed. Nevertheless, as a
community we should continue to do
whatever we can to enable everyone in the
community to achieve their full potential.
5.
The community clearly cares. There is a strong sense of social consciousness
manifested by the numerous organisations set up to help the community, block
committees and grounds-up, sometimes spontaneous self-help initiatives. One
participant attributed this to the Islamic concept of Fardhu Kifayah — where members
of the community are religiously obliged to help others in the community. The
Committee believes that this spirit should continue to be nurtured. Even while
building on existing efforts and encouraging bottoms-up and community-driven
initiatives, community leaders could also take a more strategic view to ensure that
efforts are aligned, resources are optimised and support is provided where they are
most required and where they could make the most impact. It is within this context
that the Committee has made several recommendations. While existing efforts are
important, as a community we have to continue to look forward, anticipate future
challenges and opportunities and make the necessary changes to prepare ourselves
for the future.
5
Executive Summary
6.
The Committee also notes that in addition to the observations above, the importance
of youth and mainstream media came up in many discussions. The community is in a
unique position demographically – it has the largest youth base among all the
communities in Singapore. As such, it is important that this potential asset be fully
realised. The Committee therefore believes that in both developmental as well as
preventive or intervention initiatives, the younger generation should be given
deliberate and special focus. Mainstream media — especially radio, TV and the
newspapers— have significant potential not only to support but also drive the
development agenda of the community. While the Committee acknowledges the need
to balance commercial considerations with social ones, we echo the sentiments of
some of the people we met that more attention and thought could be given on how
mainstream media can play a larger role in community development.
7.
In summary, the Committee believes that while the community will inevitably continue
to face challenges, the sense of belonging and commitment, the desire to continually
do better and that the community cares and is willing to help those in need augurs
well for the community.
6
2 Introduction
1
The Committee
2
The Report
3
The Work and Engagement
Process
7
The Committee
THE COMMITTEE
8.
In his Hari Raya Aidilfitri speech on 31 August 2012, Minister for Communications and
Information, and Minister in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, announced
the setting up of an independent, non-partisan committee (“the Committee”). The
mandate of the Committee is to engage the Malay/Muslim community and gather
feedback on the community's thoughts, concerns and aspirations. The agenda for
discussion would be set by the people. The Committee’s main role is to tap on the
collective wisdom and experience of the community and form a broad consensus on
the issues in order to chart a course for our collective future.
9.
Haji Sallim Abdul Kadir was invited to be the Chairperson of the Committee together
with Haji Alwi Abdul Hafiz and Ms Saleemah Ismail as Vice Chairpersons. A
Committee was formed, bringing together members of the community from diverse
backgrounds and a mix of youth and experience. The diversity helped the Committee
to reach out to a wider range of participants, provide greater insight and generate a
broader discussion on the issues raised. The composition of the Committee is listed
below.
Mr Amrin Amin
Mr Ahmad Firdaus Daud
Ustazah Harinah Abdul Latiff
LTC Kadir Maideen Mohamed
Mr Mohd Sa’at Abdul Rahman
Dr Noorul Fatha As’art
Mr Mohd Nizam Ismail
Mr Raja Mohamad Bin Maiden @
(Member up to 24 April 2013)
Raj Mohamad
Mdm Rostinah Mohamad Said
Mdm Zakiah Halim
Mr Zuraimi Jumaat
10. The terms of reference for the Committee are at Annex A. On 5 October 2012, the
Committee was officially launched with the name “Suara Musyawarah” that translates
into “voice of lively discussions and fruitful sharing of ideas”.
8
The Report
THE REPORT
What This Report Is
11. This report is the culmination of the Committee’s findings of the Malay/Muslim
community’s main areas of interest and concerns today and hopes and aspirations
for the future. The Committee hopes to highlight the general consensus that we have
gathered from all our discussion groups and to sound the call to action.
12. The Committee is focused on the specific needs, concerns and aspirations of our
community and community-centric institutions. The Committee notes that there are
many overlapping concerns with national issues such as the increasing cost of living,
housing, transportation and employment stresses. While the community should
leverage on existing national initiatives to tackle these issues, the Committee
recognises that community-centric efforts play a complementary and religiouslynuanced role to plug our community into the national framework. This report is
focused on what we as a community as well as in our individual capacity can do to
make a difference for the community and the nation.
What This Report Is Not
13. This report will not and cannot include and address all the issues and challenges our
community is or will be facing. The issues raised and discussed during the FGDs are
as diverse as the participants themselves. The Committee takes each view seriously
and with respect, but for the purposes of the report, the Committee focused on the
key common grounds and matters that are critical to community’s development. The
Committee sought to engage a broad cross-section of the community, but recognises
that the engagement is and could not be exhaustive.
14. This report is not a prescriptive guide on the way forward. The Committee’s aim is
more modest. The passionate conversations on how to move our community forward
pre-date the establishment of the Committee and should continue well into the future.
9
COMMITTEE’S WORK AND ENGAGEMENT PROCESS
Focus Group Discussions (FGDs)
15. From November 2012 to May 2013, the Committee met over 500 individuals as well
as representatives of groups and organisations from the Malay/Muslim community
over 35 sessions of focus group
discussions (FGDs) conducted in
English, Malay and Tamil. The
Committee attempted to meet
Muslims from all walks of life.
The discussions were conducted
in small-group settings to
facilitate an intimate, frank and
open discussion. The list of
FGDs is listed at Annex B.
Online Discussions
16. The Committee maintained a public facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/
Suara.Musyawarah) that published summaries of FGDs and encourages the public
to post their comments.
Media Outreach
17. The Committee reached out to the public through various media channels to
encourage the public to provide feedback through attending public dialogue sessions,
via its social media platform and through email at [email protected].
The media outreach efforts started in August 2012, which include interviews on Detik,
Akhir Kata, Berita on Suria, Warna, Ria, 93.8 Live, Channel News Asia and Channel
5, as well as news coverage on Berita Harian, Berita Minggu and The Straits Times.
18. The Committee also collaborated with 4PM (Malay Youth Literary Association) at the
Inter-Tertiary Debate Final on 14 June 2013, which was broadcasted on Suria. The
Committee contributed a debate motion for the finals “The Singapore Malay/Muslim
community has not gained much from globalisation.”
10
Perspective Session with Invited Speakers
19. The Committee held a perspective session with invited speakers, including Dr Lai Ah
Eng, Senior Research Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of
Singapore, Mr Manu Bhaskaran, Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at the Institute of
Policy Studies, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and Mr Devadas Krishnadas,
Founder and Director of Future-Moves.
20. In addition, there were also
perspective sessions with the
Health Promotion Board and key
Malay/Muslim institutions, including
MUIS, Mendaki, the Registry of
Muslim Marriages, Syariah Court
and the Strengthening Malay
Families Unit in the Ministry of
Social and Family Development
(MSF).
Analysis Support
21. The Committee was able to gain much insight from analysis support from Vector
Scorecard (Asia-Pacific) Pte Ltd (“VSC”). VSC processed and analysed data from the
FGDs, summarised and identified key areas of issues and concerns raised by the
participants.
11
3 Our Findings
3 Themes
1
Sense of Belonging
2
Breaking the Cycle
3
Social Consciousness
12
Mega mendung berarak k e u tara
Langit g elap kekelabuan pekat
Dalam musyawarah k ita bersuara
Mendengar r asa, bicara m asyarakat
13
Sense of Belonging
14
Sense of Belonging
Key Highlight 1: Strong National, Religious and Cultural Identity
22. The Malay/Muslim community in Singapore identifies itself as part of and belonging to
the broader Singapore community. The Malay/Muslim community clearly shows a
strong sense of belonging to Singapore. For some, this is due to a sense of history
and heritage and for others, especially the young, this is a given —they have grown
up in this country, and many of their experiences — from school to national service —
are shared with other Singaporeans. There is a desire to thrive alongside other
communities. The community accepts and embraces the multi-racial and multireligious character of Singapore society, share many basic values and have similar
concerns as other communities.
23. At the same time, the community maintains a strong sense of identity — most in the
community strongly identify with their respective traditions and cultures, reflecting the
diverse heritage of the community. There is a broad desire to further strengthen
traditional values and deepen understanding of the community’s rich heritage.
However, there were concerns about the declining use and conversance of the
mother tongue among youth and some segments of the community, particularly
professionals or the “more educated”. As an increasing number of Malays and Indian
Muslims use English as their primary language at work, school and even at home, the
mother tongue is increasingly seen as an academic subject to be learnt in school.
Some fears were expressed that these English-speaking segments of the community
may eventually drift away or subtly dissociate themselves from the community.
24. Islam remains central to our community’s identity. The recognition of its importance in
guiding individual and community lives seems to cut across different segments. This
is evident from Malay/Muslim parents who expressed that they would like their
children to have some form of religious education (including character development
and values) to complement secular, mainstream education. Islam is not only
important to parents as youth groups also express a strong interest in the faith. Our
community also embraces progressive initiatives, such as the availability of Khutbah
texts and videos online, tailoring the form and substance of religious education to the
needs and expectations of today’s youths and active steps in inter-faith engagement.
Some expressed a desire to ensure that Islamic education remains relevant and
directly applicable to the social context of Singapore.
15
Sense of Belonging
25. Many participants are convinced that if members of the community truly understood
Islamic teachings and values and embraced the faith as a way of life, then many of
the social challenges which affect the community — for example drug abuse,
dysfunctional families and educational underachievement — would be significantly
reduced. They also pointed out that the concept of Fardhu Kifayah makes it an
obligation for members of the community who are able, to help contribute to the
development of the community and the country at large. Consequently the shared
faith of the community has the potential to make the community an asset to the
country.
26. Concerns were expressed by some that religious values or practices were
diminishing among certain segments of our community, for example the more socially
vulnerable groups. Interestingly, in our interactions with members from these
segments of the community we found that this view was not entirely accurate – most
participants expressed a desire to send their children to religious classes, but cited
costs and the lack of accessibility as obstacles for them to do so. For example, while
it was appreciated that more formal and structured classes were being organised and
held in mosques and madrasahs, concerns were raised that these have raised the
costs of religious education because of added costs for uniforms, books and fees
when compared to less informal religious or Quran-reading classes (kelas mengaji)
conducted in the past. Some vulnerable families cannot even afford the transport cost
of sending their children to the mosque-run programmes. Perhaps it is possible to
identify these clusters and organise volunteer asatizahs to teach groups of these
children at their homes.
Recommendation 1: Strengthening the Cultural and Moral Foundations of the
Community
27. The Committee recommends that
key institutions like MUIS, Mendaki,
“I am very proud to be Malay. Personally,
I feel the responsibility to set the community
right.” - FGD with youths at SCAPE
AMP and other MMOs should
continue to strengthen outreach and
engagement strategies to reach the large youth base, as well as the more
economically and socially vulnerable segments of the community. These could be
part of a more structured effort to map out the different segments of the community,
understand their respective needs and mindsets, so as to formulate the appropriate
strategies, garner the resources and implement targeted programmes for each
segment.
16
Sense of Belonging
28. The Committee notes that the community recognises that MUIS has spent significant
time and effort in actively revamping the structure and content of formal and informal
religious education in Singapore. The Committee believes that this important
endeavour should continue. An important focus area for this initiative is to maximise
participation, by continuing to take into account the context of Singapore society and
ensuring that programmes are appealing and easily fit into the daily lives of the target
segments. In addition, inter-faith and community awareness initiatives that present a
more accurate perspective of Islam and Muslims should be continued and enhanced.
This would help dispel possibly negative stereotypes or perceptions, which
unfortunately do exist today.
29. The Report by the Malay Programmes Advisory Committee 2010/2012 highlighted
the need for media to ensure the proper use of the Malay language2. In line with this,
the Committee also recommends that the relevant Malay organisations look into more
engaging programmes and activities that will help keep the Malay language alive,
especially among the younger generation and segments of the community that use
English as their primary language. One possibility is to produce interesting and
engaging content from literature and history books to programmes on various media
platforms such as TV, radio, webcast, video and podcast. The Committee notes that
in 2011, the Ministry of Education (MOE) would be providing additional funds to the
Malay Language Learning Promotion Committee (MLLPC) over 5 years to support
the MLLPC’s efforts to create environments conducive for learning and using the
Malay Language3. Perhaps, organisations can gain access to more funding sources
to implement strategies to keep the Malay language important and relevant.
30. While the above recommendations
may strengthen the moral and
cultural foundations of the
community, this should always be
“We need our children to be aware of their
Indian-Muslim identity so that it is not lost.” FGD with Indian-Muslim Organisations and
Indian-Muslim Mosques at Sultan Mosque
done in the context of being a valued
member of the larger Singapore community, ensuring that the diversity becomes a
source of strength for the nation and not otherwise.
2 Report by the Malay Programmes Advisory Committee 2010 / 2012, http://www.mda.gov.sg/Public/Consultation/
Documents/MPAC%20Report%202010-2012.pdf
3 Additional Funding to Promote Teaching and Use of Malay Language, http://www.moe.gov.sg/media/press/2011/03/
additional-funding-to-promote-teaching-and-use-of-malay-language.php
17
Sense of Belonging
Key Highlight 2: Perception of Unequal Opportunities
31. While the Malay/Muslim community demonstrates a strong sense of belonging and
sees itself as part of the multi-ethnic society which is Singapore, some participants
raised concerns that community is not fully accepted as an equal and integral part of
society and that certain stereotypes, generalisations and negative perceptions of the
community lead to what is perceived as discrimination. While there was some
understanding that some extent of this was to be expected in any society, and that
minority groups generally were more vulnerable, there was naturally a strong desire
to be accepted and treated equally. As expected, the issue of Malay/Muslims being
left out of certain parts of the armed forces was raised. While there is
acknowledgement and appreciation that the government has been making efforts in
allaying these concerns and even as there were some participants who urged the
community not to be bogged down by this and to focus on other more constructive
issues, there is common agreement that
such policies or practices call into
question the loyalty of the Malays to the
country. This perception is unhealthy and
may have spill-over effects, including a
deeper divide among ethnic communities.
Many expressed the hope that the core
issue of trust in the loyalty of the
community can be expeditiously resolved.
32. The Committee also heard several personal accounts suggesting that employment
discrimination is not uncommon. The personal accounts include employers who
expressed a preference for non-Malay employees, and female Muslims who are
denied consideration or explicitly told that they are not allowed to wear the tudung
(headscarf). Interestingly, some participants shared that nurses in government
hospitals are not allowed to wear the tudung while most private hospitals appeared to
allow the practice. In addition, concerns were raised that competition from foreigners
in recent years has aggravated the issue of discrimination and made it more difficult
for Singaporean Malay/Muslims to secure jobs.
18
Sense of Belonging
33. On the other hand, some participants recognised that there has been some progress
in mitigating discrimination, with initiatives such as the Tripartite Alliance for Fair
Employment Practices (TAFEP). However, they felt that such measures are not very
effective as they are voluntary with no penalty for non-compliance. The Committee
notes that discrimination is a complex issue and what is perceived as discrimination
in employment could stem from a genuine need for a particular profile of employee or
simply the applicant’s refusal to acknowledge his or her shortcomings for the role.
However, there appears to be enough examples to indicate that discriminatory
employment practices are a concern for the community. At the same time, the
Committee commends schools — where early attitudes are shaped — and all
exemplary employers who promote a diverse environment that encourage talents and
leaders to emerge from all ethnic communities.
Recommendation 2: In-depth Study of the Occurrence of Discriminatory Practices
and the State and Large Employers to take the Lead to Ensure Inclusive
Employment Practices
34. The Committee holds the view that it is wrong for any workplace policy or regulation
to exclude anyone for his or her religious or racial identity when this has no bearing
on job performance. This runs counter to the meritocratic system in Singapore. The
Committee also notes that this issue is
not unique to the community and there “Malays still face difficulty in getting jobs.
has been significant debate on the Discrimination still happens, preference for
subject at the national level.
Mandarin speaking candidate.” - FGD
with Perpaduan, Amal dan Ibadah (PADI)
35. The Committee thus welcomes a
recent remark from the Acting Minister
of Manpower (MOM) Tan Chuan-Jin, who acknowledged the issue and recognised
that anti-discrimination legislation is one possible way ahead to tackle discriminatory
workplace practices, besides the current approach of moral suasion4. However, the
Committee also accepts that anti-discrimination legislation is not the panacea to
addressing discrimination as discriminatory intent may not be easy to prove and can
be disguised on other grounds. An overly restrictive legal framework could also
complicate or hinder well-intentioned policies to benefit disadvantaged groups. Closer
scrutiny and study is required to find the best way to address employment
discrimination.
4 Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin had spoken about this at a tripartite annual conference on fair employment
practices on 20 May 2013. (Source: http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/govt-not-ruling-out-anti-discrimination-lawsworkplaces)
19
Sense of Belonging
36. As such, the Committee recommends that in-depth studies on the discriminatory
practices in Singapore and its impact be done at the national level and by MMOs with
research capability. The Committee also
encourages the Malay/Muslim community to
actively participate in the national discourse
on this subject.
37. The Committee also recommends for the
state and larger companies in the private
sector to reaffirm that their employment
practices are non-discriminatory. For
example, frank discussions can be held about possible negative perceptions of
Malay/Muslim employees so that these perceptions could either be dismissed or
those which have some basis could be addressed by the community itself. Feedback
could be collected from aggrieved parties, reviewed and if justified, investigated and
acted upon. Where there are genuine concerns, employment policies or practices
should be changed. We believe that this approach could remove real or perceived
obstacles for certain groups which are currently under-employed — Malay/Muslim
women for example — to be mobilised in the context of a tight labour market. For the
Malay/Muslim community, the benefit could be significant. Besides being perceived
as a strong signal of inclusiveness coming from the state, which could have flowthrough effects, there could also be economic benefits which would help many
segments of the community.
38. In the same vein, while the Committee understands the geo-political context and
rationale previously stated by the government regarding Malay representation in the
armed forces, the Committee would like to highlight that participants in our discussion
groups had expressed a strong commitment to Singapore. This commitment is
apparent even while sharing the same ethnicity and religion with the majority of the
population in neighbouring countries, with many having family ties in these countries.
While the Committee acknowledges that more Malay/Muslim recruits are deployed
across a wider section of our uniformed services today, we hope that policies in
relation to security and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) could be continually
reviewed, so that the Malay/Muslim community is viewed in the same light as any
other community and would have no reason to feel that their loyalty is questioned.
20
Burung p ungguk d uduk t ermenung
Memandang k e l angit t iada c ahaya
Bersuara h arapan s eribu g unung
Membina u mmah b erfikiran waja
21
Breaking the Cycle
22
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 1: Obstacles and Challenges to Social Mobility
39. Many participants cited high costs of living and income security as their main
concerns in sustaining their family needs. In particular, low-income families,
especially those at the bottom-fifth percentile, have to adopt a “day-to-day” outlook as
a way of life due to persistent joblessness, financial stress and uncomfortable living
conditions. This in turn creates a climate of uncertainty that acts as a barrier to
making investments for the future — an important factor in social mobility. The lowincome families appear to be trapped in a vicious cycle. This exacerbates the
community’s achievement gaps, particularly in education and income levels.
40. Studies have shown that children who grow up in poverty are at a higher risk of living
in poverty when they are adults. They are less likely to go on to post-secondary
education. They are more likely to rely on social assistance as adults and more likely
to have children before they are able to support them. Many low-income children in
our community are not school-ready for the expectations of the first year of basic
education. English oral communication practice, which many of them lack, is vital,
without which a deficit would result in Primary 1 leading to a lack of confidence in
English communication. This in turn impacts the learning of English, Mathematics and
Science in later years.
41. While there is no official poverty line in Singapore, a study titled the “Bottom Fifth in
Singapore”5 highlighted that a family of four would need around S$1,700 per month to
cover basic household expenditure and $2,500 to $3,000 to meet a “social inclusion”
level of income. Furthermore, these households are relatively larger and thus feel the
pressures of the rising cost of living more acutely. Even families who have access to
social welfare services are still barely making ends meet. These families tend to be
occupied with day-to-day, immediate or short-term needs (e.g. food, utilities), and as
a result, find it difficult to invest in improving livelihoods through continuing education
for example and the next generation through early childhood programmes.
42. Some participants opined that lower-cost migrant workers have taken over jobs that
they used to do. Examples are jobs in the service and hospitality industries and lowskilled jobs such as cleaners and delivery men. For example, one participant shared
his experience that a migrant worker is willing to accept a salary of $450 per month
working an 18-hour shift per day. The participants shared that they, however, were
not able to work under such terms as they have family commitments.
5 Jacqueline, Loh (2011) Bottom Fifth in Singapore. Social Spaces, Lien Centre for Social Innovation
23
Breaking the Cycle
43. The Committee found that the vulnerable
families whom we met were not looking for
hand-outs but hands-up. This means that
they would prefer to be given the tools and
opportunities to be self-reliant and to achieve
upward social mobility. For instance, groups
of parents living in rental housing expressed
their aspirations to see their children doing
well, which in turn spur them on to ensure financial stability for their children’s
educational needs. Some school drop-outs also shared that given the second
chance, they were willing to work hard to achieve their dreams and support their
families.
44. It is also imperative to look at the important role women play in heading households.
Based on the 2005 General Household Survey, 67% of single-parent households are
headed by women. In such households, the family situations become more
challenging when the women have to run their homes on less disposable income and
with less time for care-giving. The situation becomes more acute when the single
persons who head households are not holding a regular job or depend on
maintenance from ex-spouses who are unable or unwilling to provide the payout.
45. Most in the community recognise that it is vital for every individual to have good
education, get a good job and succeed in life. However, the community seems to
have a relatively high proportion of vulnerable families who are facing obstacles to
achieve this success. Participants opined that these groups would benefit from
greater support. The Committee believes that there is a need to identify these groups
and reach out to them proactively as these families need more intervention and
guidance to break out of the vicious cycle.
46. The individuals and families are potential talents that are under-developed and
untapped. They could be social investments whose benefits will come in the long
term. They need to be shown compassion, provided with timely and targeted
interventions with concerted efforts by national agencies and given greater
community support. As a community we should continue to do whatever we can to
ensure that everyone in the community achieves their full potential. The Committee
believes that vulnerable families in our community can rise above adversity and
increase its upward social mobility.
24
Breaking the Cycle
Recommendation 1: Scaled-up Holistic Support for Vulnerable Families
47. The Committee acknowledges that the concept of holistic support for vulnerable
families is not new and is already well recognised within the community. MUIS,
Mendaki, AMP and some MMOs have existing programmes6 that successfully provide
support for different vulnerable segments.
However, we understand that the
programmes are not easily scalable due to a lack of trained resources and funding7.
The Committee believes that it is vital to expand these programmes with added
government support. One suggestion would be to train para-counsellors or parasocial workers to help staff these programmes. The Committee is of the view that
such an initiative could involve retirees, housewives and other groups as added
resources. Another suggestion would be to mobilise and train MUIS’ Mosque
Befrienders to act as mentors and to assist in such programmes.
48. The Committee recommends enhanced support for early childhood intervention
programme for vulnerable families with children who are five years old and below.
The Committee urges upstream interventions to break the vicious cycle. This will also
provide the opportunity to inculcate moral or Islamic values towards character building
at a young age that is acknowledged as essential towards reducing future social
problems. The Committee proposes the re-introduction by Mendaki, of early
childhood intervention programmes for vulnerable families. One such programmes is
the home-based ‘reading out loud’ programmes for these families with children under
five years old (including infants and toddlers). Evidence has shown that such
programmes facilitate the cognitive development of a child in terms of information
processing and language learning from the time he or she is an infant. Following this
stage, it is equally vital that vulnerable families are given support to ensure their
children attend pre-school regularly and is Primary 1 ‘school-ready’ as English oral
communication practice in the pre-school curriculum and regular attendance at preschool level will aid in the building of English oral communication skills.
6 These programmes include MUIS’ Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS), Mendaki’s Enhanced Wrap-Around-Care
(eWAC) and AMP’s Adopt a Family and Youth Scheme (AFYS).
7 The Committee notes PM Lee Hsien Loong had assured the government’s commitment to increase funding for MMOs. For
example at AMP’s 3rd National Convention of Singapore Muslim Professionals on 30 June 2012, PM Lee had mentioned that,
“the government will continue to support the MMOs in these areas and back them up with national programmes. Funds are
not the main constraint. We are providing funding to support the efforts and if necessary we can find more money.” Similarly,
at Mendaki’s 30th Anniversary Dinner on 9 November 2012, PM Lee remarked that, “funding must not be the main
constraint. If MMOs can use up fully the matching contributions and you can come up with worthwhile projects and more of
them, the government will be happy to increase the amount of matching grants. So that's an offer, but at the same time, that's
a small challenge. Do it.”
25
Breaking the Cycle
49. The Committee welcomes the recent initiatives introduced by the Early Childhood
Development Agency (ECDA)8. We believe that it is important that the community
takes full advantage of these initiatives. MMOs could take the lead to reach out to
families who may not be aware of the importance or existence of these facilities in
order to ensure that they utilise them.
50. The Committee also recommends
i n c r e a s e d e ff o r t b y g o v e r n m e n t
agencies to engage and encourage the
private sector to embrace flexi-work and
also to appeal to the Malay/Muslim
business community to do the same.
The Committee found that women
“All this talk about children who
‘hanyut’ (don’t do well) is because they
never received opportunities or second
chances to get back to school, actually
we want to.” - FGD with families in rental
housing in Whampoa
primary-care givers would find it easier to be gainfully employed if they were provided
flexi-work opportunities, thereby helping them contribute to the household income.
This arrangement may also assist to reduce the non-participation rate of this group of
women in the labour market. Perhaps the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (SMCCI), through its members, could capitalise on this as a resource for
commercial activity.
8 Some of these initiatives include greater help for lower and middle-income families as well as for larger families. In
particular, families with a gross monthly income of $7,500 and below will receive more support in the form of an Additional
Subsidy. Eligible families using full-day programmes will see an increase in their current child and infant care subsidies of at
least $100 and $200 respectively, with lower income families receiving more. For larger families whose incomes exceed
$7,500 may still qualify for the Additional Subsidy if their Per Capita Income (PCI) is $1,875 or less.
26
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 2: Difficulties in Seeking Help
51. Many FGD participants were not aware of existing programmes and services
available to the Malay/Muslim community. Also, those most in need of assistance
often are the ones who do not have access to information, despite the information
being made available on numerous channels such as the internet, mosques, MMOs,
Community Development Councils (CDCs), and Family Service Centres (FSCs).
52. Even when they do seek help, they sometimes find the process formidable.
Participants cited countless forms to fill out and documents to furnish, only to be told
they were ineligible for assistance after all the hassle. There were also cases where
they felt that frontline staff displayed a condescending or judgemental attitude which
made them reluctant to seek help as they felt looked down upon. They questioned
whether this has got to do with their mode of dressing or appearance as they do not
seem to face the same treatment when seeking help from non-Muslim organisations.
53. Social workers with whom the Committee has spoken with also highlighted the gap in
understanding between social service agencies and vulnerable families, who are
sometimes unable to explain their
“When I ask for help from MUIS and CDC,
situation well and end up receiving
insufficient assistance. This calls for a
review of the customer service skills
and knowledge of social services
agencies’ front-line staff, to facilitate
greater understanding of the clients’
these agencies say they want to help, but
they ask for all kinds of letters and
documents. And then after all that, they
don’t give anything.” - FGD with families in
rental housing in Whampoa
needs.
Recommendation 2A: Improving Outreach and Services
54. The Committee notes that MMOs and relevant government agencies like ROMM,
MUIS, CDCs, Syariah Court and mosques are seen as the first point of contact when
members of the community are seeking some form of assistance. Equally, the
community also receives assistance from non-Malay/Muslim organisations. The
Committee is of the view that there is much potential in strengthening outreach and
streamlining processes to make it easier for people to get help.
27
Breaking the Cycle
55. The Committee recommends that MMOs and mosques improve outreach by
identifying families or individuals within their area in need of assistance particularly for
low-income and vulnerable families. For instance, it is note-worthy that some of the
social workers at Beyond Social Services take it upon themselves to go door-to-door,
just to make sure that the residents in rental housing are doing fine. The Committee
understands that similar strategies have been adopted by some MMOs and we feel
that this should be scaled up and better organised. For example, the existing Mosque
Befriender scheme could be tapped on. Furthermore, MMOs and mosques could be
in touch with other providers who provide
assistance to the community to educate these
providers where they could turn to for advice
on issues unique to the members of the
community. The Committee recommends that
MUIS reach out to the non-MMOs to inform
them of the services and assistance that
mosques can offer to Malay/Muslim families
in need of assistance.
56. Frontline staff is the touch point of any organisation. In the social service context,
empathy, respect and the ability to make people feel comfortable are critical.
Therefore, it is important that organisations staff these positions carefully and ensure
that they have the knowledge and appropriate training to handle their clients. MMOs
should seek out and utilise national or other agencies’ schemes to fulfil this.
57. The Committee is heartened that the community generally embraces the spirit of
volunteerism, be it at the mosques or MMOs. The Committee notes that there has
been increasing support for Befriender schemes. However, it remains difficult to get
Malay/Muslim volunteers who are able to provide counselling and legal advice, as
well as recruit full-time social workers. Although there are more than 1,400 social
workers and social service practitioners registered with the National Council of Social
Service (NCSS), it is unclear how many are from the Malay/Muslim community9. With
MUIS’ Volunteer Management System (VMS) and Mendaki’s Volunteer Development
Frame (VDF) in place to track volunteer/befriender training and development, the
Committee is of the view that there is room for collaboration and enhancements to
plug existing gaps in the volunteering and social work landscape.
9 Zul Othman, “Harder to Get Malay/Muslim Volunteers Now,” The New Paper, 13 May 2013.
28
Breaking the Cycle
Recommendation 2B: No “Wrong Door” Policy
58. The Committee understands that MUIS’ Enhanced Mosque Clusters (EMC) and
satellite units of Mendaki, PPIS, Jamiyah and other FSCs are designed to bring social
services closer to the homes of the needy. These initiatives have had some success
in decentralising the administration of assistance schemes, but do not adequately
mitigate the tedious process that clients are put through to determine their eligibility
for aid. Non-Malay/Muslim voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) are also often
unaware of the types of assistance provided by MMOs and vice-versa. The
Committee is aware of MSF’s initiative to set up 4 Social Service Offices to
strengthen its delivery of services by the end of this year with more planned in the
next two to three years10.
59. The Committee recommends streamlining the processes of obtaining assistance
and guidance, through a one-stop, hassle-free service as well as increase the pace of
strengthening the delivery. There could be a single-window website or mobile
application that offers key information on all national- and community-level assistance
schemes at a glance which can be used by service providers and also individuals
seeking assistance. Brochures with the same contents could also be disseminated to
households and designated social service agencies that are in touch with the families
that they help.
10 The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will set up about 20 Social Service Offices island-wide over the
next 2-3 years to serve needy residents in HDB towns. These Offices will build on the existing network of help touch points
and enable the ministry to meet future needs. The move will strengthen service delivery as social assistance and services will
be more accessible and coordinated in each locality.
29
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 3: Lack of Planning for the Future and Financial Literacy
60. Some participants shared that they are thrown into hardship (especially financial) due
to the misdemeanours of their children or extended family members, who, for
example, run away with their money or are incarcerated. Often, imprudent household
financial management, which results in families living beyond their means and even
in debt, leads to break-down of families. Yet, many Malay/Muslim families do not
seem to see planning (especially financial planning) as a priority.
61. It is necessary that Malay Muslim families develop and become “resilient families”,
which can be generally defined as the ability of a family to respond positively to an
adverse situation and emerge from the situation feeling strengthened, more
resourceful and more confident than its prior state. This could be a result of health
coping in the family, which includes stress management, emotion regulation skills,
collaborative goal-setting and problem-solving.
Recommendation 3: Building Resilient Families through Planning for the Future
62. The Committee would like to highlight that planning for the future is a key factor that
builds resilient families. For example, sound financial planning and management
would help minimise household arrears and increase wealth accumulation, translating
into less dependency on external financial assistance.
63. The Committee thus recommends that a planning for future and financial literacy
mentoring programme, similar to those provided by Aidha, Wings and Tsao
Foundation be made widely available to Malay/Muslim families, possibly making it a
mandatory part of the Marriage Preparation course. This would complement existing
financial literacy programmes such as Mendaki’s Programme Bijak Belanja,
investment courses by SMCCI, Bersama Mu Marriage Preparation Course and
Inspirasi@AMP.
64. The Committee notes a wide variety of advertisements that encourage spending
beyond one’s means, including those related to pawnshops, hire purchase, credit
cards and easy credit. While it may be a tall order to request limiting such
advertisements, the Committee recommends that the Malay media could balance it
by promoting a "consume less, save more" attitude as an important virtue, as well as
emphasising the importance of financial literacy and planning.
30
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 4: Education as Conduit for Upward Social Mobility
65. Participants acknowledged that the Malay/Muslim community has made progress in
education, and recognised that it remains crucial for upward social mobility. However,
they were concerned that Malays still form a relatively high proportion in lower
academic streams. A relatively large number of Malay students also require learning
support in English Language and Mathematics, counselling and mentoring in schools,
as early as primary one.
66. Some parents highlighted that they are unable to guide their children in their
schoolwork, as they do not have the necessary knowledge and skills. The Committee
was informed that among Malay/Muslim students from low-income households, there
is also frequent but sporadic absenteeism without good reasons. Further, latch-key
students who are unsupervised after school or during school holidays are unable to
make meaningful use of their free time.
67. Some participants felt that there is too much emphasis on academic performance in
our education system, where streaming and PSLE early on become stumbling blocks
for late bloomers. It was also mentioned at
one FGD that there are students for whom
ITE was the only option although they
preferred to have a post-secondary academic
education.
Recommendation 4A: Enhancing Support for
Mainstream Education from Early Childhood to
Tertiary
68. The Committee believes that targeted academic support has to be provided at all
levels of education. Existing community resources such as the Mendaki Tuition
Scheme (MTS), student care centres and youth-oriented MMOs should be leveraged
on to provide wrap-around support for students in need. This would minimise school
drop-out rates and improve the academic performance and attainment of the
community in the long term.
69. As mentioned earlier, it is critical to ensure that Malay/Muslim children have access to
quality pre-school education to ensure that they have the necessary foundation when
they start Primary 1.
31
Breaking the Cycle
70. Because of the link between socio-economic conditions and academic performance,
schools, MMOs and even grassroots organisations should pay particular attention to
students from low-income households or vulnerable families to ensure that they
continue their education. Presently, they could link students who are frequently
absent from schools with voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) who carry out
MSF’s Enhanced Step Up-Programme11. The Committee understands that Ain
Society and 4PM are approved Enhanced STEP-UP agencies. In the same light, the
Committee strongly recommends that other MMOs provide such attention and
effort as early as pre-school. Once these children are in Primary One, MMOs could
complement national schools’ focus on catering to the needs of students who require
greater learning support.
71. The Committee notes the important role of Malay/Muslim teachers in schools as they
are most in contact with our students. We acknowledge that in many cases, these
teachers act beyond their teaching role and proactively look out for Malay students.
Many students, in particular those with weak family support, may look upon them as
role models, guides and counsellors. The Committee believes and recommends
that this dual role should be recognised and that these teachers should be provided
with the necessary support. Support could be in terms of time and resources so that
they can continue to play this dual role effectively without encroaching on their
professional development as well as personal lives. Support for these teachers could
also include a Liaison Officer who has easy access to MMOs dealing with services
targeted at low-income and vulnerable families. This will be in line with streamlining
the processes of obtaining assistance and guidance.
72. The Committee is of the view that it is important to increase the core of graduates
within the community as quickly as possible. One way of achieving this is extending
the Tertiary Tuition Fee Scheme (TTFS) to Malay students who intend to pursue
tertiary education in an approved list of local private institutions and overseas
institutions. The Committee recognises that there are a large number of Malay
students in the Polytechnics, who should be encouraged to further their studies by
providing guidance and possibly financial assistance. For example, there could be as
scheme where the TTFS may be made available to this group of students. The
Committee acknowledges that TTFS is reviewed periodically and the challenges
involved. However, the Committee hopes the recommendation can be considered.
11 Enhanced STEP-UP is a school social work programme catered to youth who require additional support and
encouragement to remain in school, and youth who have already dropped out of the schools. The programme is carried out by
participating VWOs. The programme includes individualised casework, intervention work with the youths’ families, and
group activities that aim to support the youth in bringing about positive changes.
32
Breaking the Cycle
Recommendation 4B: Deepening Understanding of Educational Pathways and
Outcomes
73. The Committee is concerned that although various educational pathways are
available to the community, parents and students alike might be unaware of the
outcomes and potential careers that come with each option. Further, educational
pathways are narrowly defined and geared towards institutions of higher learning
(IHLs) in Singapore. Consequently, students could end up in pathways that are less
optimal for them. This is undesirable, considering that education is a key conduit for
social mobility and every talent in every field matters in increasing upward social
mobility.
74. The Committee thus recommends a targeted public awareness programme on
educational and career pathways, which could ride on existing educational and talent
development programme in MMOs12. This would facilitate parents and their children
to make informed decisions at various milestones such as entry into pre-school,
primary school, secondary school and tertiary institutions, and minimise the gaps in
educational outcomes. Fundamentally, there has to be a mindset shift about ITE and
polytechnic graduates, as these groups of students possess hands-on and
specialised skills that are much sought after in some sectors. As a source of
inspiration, the public
“It could be the Malay mentality where parents awareness programme
who are not well-off, ask their children to start could feature stories of role
working as soon as they can to contribute back to models in the Malay/
the family and not encourage them to pursue
further education.” - FGD with MMOs at MUIS
Muslim community who
graduated from different
educational pathways.
75. The Committee holds the view that attention should also be given to track students
who do well at the PSLE exams and provide them with sufficient assistance,
guidance and mentorship, given their potential for continued success to tertiary
education and beyond.
12 These include Mendaki’s Project Protégé programme, the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund
Board (LBKM) bursary awards, 4PM Bestari ITE and Bestari Outstanding Student Award), as well as the Mendaki Tuition
Scheme.
33
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 5: Madrasah Education
76. There were concerns that madrasahs are not given sufficient support and funding
from the government. For example, full-time madrasah students are unable to utilise
Edusave. As such, there were calls for MOE to find some ways to provide support for
religious schools.
77. There are strong calls across the
various groups the Committee
met for the government to
provide greater support for the
six full-time madrasahs.
Notwithstanding that madrasahs
are Islamic religious schools that
operate as private schools
registered with MOE, madrasah
students are required to sit for
the PSLE since 200813. Further,
the Joint Madrasah System
“It would be good if we could tap on Edusave
for our Madrasah children. Since Madrasahs
are under the Joint Madrasah System (JMS)
under MUIS, we can be considered under the
government schools right? So we are entitled
to Edusave, Edusave funds can help in
funding overseas trips, excursions, school fees
and enrichment programmes for our
Children’s O-level preparations.” - FGD with
representatives from Madrasah Aljunied
(JMS) has made much progress in terms of reviewing the madrasah curriculum to be
more in line with national education. These efforts go to show that madrasahs offer
secular education components that are aligned to the national curriculum, on top of
offering Islamic religious education. They also reflect the madrasahs’ efforts to ensure
that the quality of madrasah education and that madrasah graduates are equipped
with similar knowledge alongside their peers who go to national schools.
Recommendation 5: Enhancing Support for Madrasah Education
78. The Committee acknowledges that madrasahs are classified as private institutions
and that enrolment in full-time madrasahs is a personal choice. Although the
madrasah student population is relatively small, they are part of the community and
should be developed to their full potential. Therefore they should be given sufficient
educational support and resources as their peers in national schools.
13 Students in the existing six madrasahs are exempted from Compulsory Education but would have to take the Primary
School Leaving Examination (PSLE) at P6. From 2008 onwards, madrasahs would need to meet a minimum PSLE
benchmark at least twice in every three-year block, to be able to take in P1 students in subsequent years.
34
Breaking the Cycle
79. Since the JMS initiative has aligned the Madrasah system closer to the national
education system, the Committee recommends that MOE consider extending the
Edusave scheme14 to madrasah students.
80. At the same time, it would be beneficial to extend National Education (NE) to the
madrasahs, so as to foster a deeper sense of community responsibility and national
identity among madrasah students. It is acknowledged that it is important to ensure
that if such initiatives are introduced they should continue to allow the madrasahs to
keep and maintain their individual identities and take pride in their traditions as this
adds character to the madrasahs just as in the National schools.
81. It is important that madrasah students are also exposed to our multi-cultural society
during their formative years in school. Equally important is for Malay/ Muslim students
in secular schools to have greater interaction with madrasah students, to foster
greater cohesiveness amongst Malay/
Muslim youths. The Committee hopes
that the Ministry of Education (MOE)
would be supportive of initiatives with
madrasahs such as twinning
programmes 15 . Besides enabling
better integration, such programmes
could also make resources like
sporting facilities and laboratories
available to madrasah students.
14 The Edusave Scheme started in 1993 to maximise opportunities for all Singaporean children. The Scheme rewards
students who perform well or who make good progress in their academic and non-academic work, and provides students and
schools with funds to pay for enrichment programmes or to purchase additional resources. Currently, MOE’s policy is that
the Edusave is for Singaporean students in national, mainstream schools (i.e. Government schools, Government-aided
schools, independent schools, junior colleges, centralised institute, Institute of Technical Education, specialised school, or
special education school).
15 The Committee notes that Madrasah Aljunied has a cross-border programme with schools in Japan, Indonesia and
Malaysia whereby their students attended madrasah classes for a week to experience school life in the madrasah and in
Singapore. In addition, students from Nanyang Primary School visit the madrasah primary school students during the annual
festive season.
35
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 6: The Potential of Youths
82. In comparison with the other ethnic groups, the Malay community is the youngest,
with youths below 35 years old making up 40.5% of the Malay/Muslim community.
This makes our youths an important asset, particularly so in the context of
Singapore’s greying population. Our youths therefore represent the hope of taking
our community to a higher level. However, if a significant proportion of our youths
under-achieve, it would potentially compound social and economic issues faced by
the community today. As such, it is critical to ensure that youths remain a key focus
group in all our developmental initiatives.
83. The engagement and buy-in of youths are important components of the process to
ensure continuity of values that the community embraces. For example, participants
felt the strong gotong royong spirit and strong family ties are among some of the
healthy attributes of our community which should continue to be passed on to the
succeeding generations.
84. At the same time, the Committee notes that out-of-school and at-risk youths remain
an important concern. The chief reasons cited by participants for youths falling out of
school are negative peer influence, the lack of basic support such as emotional
support from parents and a conducive study environment. These factors are often
compounded by their poor academic performance, perceived biasness from teachers
and an overwhelming sentiment that they do not fit in well at school. These youths
usually turn to their immediate group of friends to escape from the reality of being
looked down on. They see their peers as role models and may start to dabble in
wayward activities, including joining gangs and engaging in unhealthy relationships.
85. The participants are concerned that society does not seem to give a second chance
to youths who fail and go astray early in life. Of note is that at-risk youths whom the
Committee talked to showed a desire to improve their lives, especially those under
the guidance of mentors whom they trust and respect.
86. Participants also highlighted that in some cases youths who are keen to pursue
further studies are asked by other family members to start working as soon as
possible to support the family. As a result, they are resigned to low-skilled or lowwage occupations. It is thus apparent that this segment requires greater attention, to
help them continue their education or skills training as far as possible and earn a
decent living at the same time.
36
Breaking the Cycle
Recommendation 6A: Youth Mentoring Programmes
87. The Committee recognises that it is important to quickly identify and reach out to
potential at-risk youths. There is a direct correlation between the rate of school dropouts and the rate of youth offenders. However, as intervention is often perceived as a
last-mile barrier, there are difficulties in reaching out to out-of-school and at-risk
youths. For instance, although Mendaki’s Integrated Programme for Teenagers
(NUR) offers a free hotline (9777 7687) and five drop-in centres for troubled
teenagers, a review in 2012 revealed that there is a substantial decline in the use of
these services over the years due to, among other reasons, a lack of awareness of
the helpline and the presence of full-time counsellors in schools as the first point of
contact.
88. The Committee recommends, for a start, a nation-wide messaging campaign that
support is available for such youths, with a view to get interested youths to take the
first step to seek help and to promote a resilient youth culture. Possible channels of
dissemination are the social media, which are popular among youth, and religious
institutions. Interestingly, contrary to the perception that at-risk youth may not be
receptive to religious approaches, some at-risk youths whom the Committee spoke to
are, in fact, proponents of religious values.
89. The Committee notes that there are many mentoring programmes available for these
youths — those who have managed to stay in school16, for out-of-school youths and
at-risk youths to be reinstated to schools17. Pertinently, to ensure successful
mentoring programmes, these youths need trusting figures or mentors that they can
confide in and relate to. The Committee thus recommends a single point of contact,
possibly a coordination body or preferably an existing MMO, that promotes and
supports more of such mentoring programmes and groups. Ideally, this body should
be able to galvanise the better informed youths (e.g. Malay/Muslim undergraduates)
to avail themselves and help other youths who need guidance. They can engage
interest groups within the community such as theatre and sports groups, and link
them up with schools or other youth organizations to promote mingling and mentoring
relationships. The body can also coordinate sessions in social spaces, for example
skate parks, where domain experts or influential personalities impart positive values
to the youths.
16 Examples include Mendaki’s Youth-in-Action, Empowerment Programme for Girls (EPG) and Engagement Programme
for Boys (EPB).
17 Examples include Mendaki’s Max-Out Programme in partnership with Jamiyah Business School and Clubilya, Ain
Society’s BBE Gen-Y Youth Hub.
37
Breaking the Cycle
90. The Committee notes that some mosques have taken the bold and creative step to
meet such youths outside of the mosque vicinity i.e. where the youths are
comfortable. Such novel ideas should be shared with all. In the same regard there is
also a need to find a bridge for the religious organisations to work with schools so
that Malay/Muslim youths who are at risk could be referred expediently.
Recommendation 6B: Broadening Definition of Success
91. While there should be a continued tendency to celebrate the academic achievements
of the outstanding Malay/Muslim youths, it is also necessary to promote community
role models who have done well in other areas such as entrepreneurship, arts and
sports, especially those who have thrived amidst adversity. Grooming youths who are
strong in these areas can be done by providing community interest platforms that
allows experts in the fields to interact with
these youths and encourage their
development. Mendaki’s Project Protégé is
one such platform that aims to provide the
much needed guidance and support. The
Committee feels that there a broader
definition of success should be embraced
by the community.
92. Broadening the definition of success
would entail the engagement of multiple
platforms such as TV dramas and Friday
sermons to disseminate message that the
pursuit of excellence in all that we do is
an Islamic virtue. In particular, the media
can play an influential role in fuelling the
aspirations of the community. It is
noteworthy that the media has increased
its focus on and coverage of success stories, each and every one of which counts
towards uplifting the community.
38
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 7: Workers and PMEs as the Engines for Growth
93. The Committee recognises that there are challenges for the Malay/Muslim community
to stay competitive in the workforce. The inability or reluctance to upgrade is
commonly attributed to the monetary and opportunity cost involved, family
commitment and possible disruptions to current careers. From the engagements, the
Committee noticed that there seems to be a self-limiting belief among some, brought
about by negative perceptions and experiences by themselves and peers. For
example, there were participants who related reluctance to upgrade because of the
failure to secure meaningful advancement after previous attempts by themselves and
others in their social circle. Other participants reiterated their inability to upgrade due
to perceived unequal opportunities in employment.
94. At the same time, there is a need to increase the community’s representation in the
Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) category to uplift the entire
community. PMEs themselves need to continuously upgrade themselves or develop
new competencies to ensure sustained
marketability and careers.
Recommendation 7: Changing Mindsets,
Skills Upgrading and Learning
95. The Committee acknowledges that the
importance of continuous skill upgrading
is widely recognised within the community
and that there are various initiatives for
workers as well as PMEs are already in place. This should continue but perhaps
there should be increased emphasis on addressing the mindset of the groups which
may be less receptive.
96. As per an earlier recommendation from the Committee, in-depth studies on the
discriminatory practices in Singapore and its impact can be done at the national level
and by MMOs with research capability.
39
Breaking the Cycle
Key Highlight 8: Lack of Health Consciousness
97. Muslim health professionals that we spoke to described that many within the
community fail to see that health, if left unchecked, can cause complications and
chronic illnesses, thereby adding an increased burden to themselves and their family.
Coupled with this, many still are not conscious of making healthy food choices and
are less likely to engage in physical activities. Instead, some choose to purchase
expensive food supplements that may not have been proven to be effective. Taken
together, these factors exacerbate the health of our community, as evident from the
National Health Survey 2010 data. This underscores an urgent need for the
community to focus their attention on health issues.
98. Some participants highlighted that the
cost of medical expenses as the main
barrier for not going for medical check-ups
and health screenings. Some also cited
reasons such as feeling afraid, shy and
having the idea that “tak sakit, buat apa
nak makan ubat” (I’m not sick, why bother
eating medicine?). In addition, medical
insurance do not appear to be a priority,
especially among the lower-income group as they are more likely to allocate
expenses to other daily needs. It is also surprising to note that the high proportion of
smokers in the community. These choices exact not only a toll on health but also
affect individuals and families financially.
Recommendation 8: Health Awareness and Outreach
99. The Committee recognises that families with members who have chronic illnesses
are burdened with high medical and hospitalisation expenses and could hamper their
ability to provide adequately for their family. It is therefore imperative to increase
awareness among the community in health management before it is too late.
40
Breaking the Cycle
100. The Committee recommends a two-pronged strategy to tackle this issue. The first
would be key media engagement through sustained dissemination of information. By
harnessing the value of community role models, TV, radio and print media could
engage more celebrities, personalities or icons to be champions of key health
messages such as (i) exercising, (ii) actively going for medical screenings, (iii)
cooking healthy food for the family, (iv) avoiding unhealthy habits like smoking and (v)
taking up medical insurance. The message that taking care of one’s health is also a
religious imperative that should be emphasised. For example, MUIS could collaborate
with the medical fraternity to spread health messages in khutbahs, including
alleviating concerns and misconceptions of chronic illnesses and developing healthy
management habits. In addition, the campaign messaging on quitting the smoking
habit could also highlight the financial loss and opportunity cost to an individual’s or
family income particularly for youth and low-income families.
101. The second is to help families who are
burdened with rising medical costs.
Despite subsidised medical costs, MMOs
or informal groups made up of healthcare
professionals could do active outreach by
offering cheap or pro-bono services such
as mobile clinics and health screening
and help disseminate information on
available medical assistance.
41
Sabung menyabung k ilat petir
Langit berkabus kelabu pekat
Sambil b erjalan sambil memikir
Mencari d asar p emantap m asyarakat
42
43
Key Highlight 1: Political Leadership
102. Some participants expressed the desire that the Malay political leadership adopts a
more bottoms-up, consultative style of leadership. There is a perception that
decisions regarding the community are usually made without adequate consultation
with the community. The desire for a more consultative leadership style is possibly
fuelled by the increasing number of educated Malays who are articulate in airing their
concerns and would like to participate in matters concerning their areas of interest.
This appears to be in line with the prevailing national trend. Many acknowledged the
efforts made to assist the community but they are unsure of the strategic direction.
103. Some participants were also concerned that the Malay/Muslim community is the only
community with a Minister-in-charge and whether this signals that the community
requires special attention. Others opined that this gives the community a direct line of
communication to the government. Participants also shared their views that Malay
Members of Parliament (MPs) are expected to represent and help the Malays. This
expectation also puts the MPs into an
unenviable position of not only
representing their constituents but also the
Malay/Muslim community at large.
Recommendation 1: Visible Leadership and
Articulated Strategic Direction for Malay/
Muslim Community
104. The Committee recognises that there are
already current consultations and discussions aimed at garnering feedback on issues
concerning the community. What needs to be addressed is the perception that the
community is not consulted, engaged or involved in decisions affecting their
community.
105. The Committee recommends the setting-up of a Malay/Muslim affairs portal that
communicates overarching strategic directions for the community, provides all
relevant information on community leadership and importantly, also acts as a
medium for engagement and dialogue on community issues. The Committee also
notes that there may be those in the community who may not be ‘plugged-in’
electronically and hence other media platforms may be engaged in disseminating
such messages.
44
Key Highlight 2: MMO Leadership
106. Insofar as the self-help model for the respective ethnic communities is concerned, our
MMOs value-add with their understanding of socio-religious nuances pertinent to the
Malay/Muslim community and play a complementary role by dovetailing their
programmes and services with those at the national level. Over the years, MMOs
such as Mendaki, the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), Jamiyah,
Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS), 4PM Malay Youth Literary Society,
PERGAS, Singapore Kadayanallur Muslim League (SKML) and many others have
been serving different segments of the community tirelessly. They also possess a
long history in the Malay/Muslim socio-religious landscape and are household names
to many.
107. New youth-based voluntary organisations have also sprung up to complement
existing MMO efforts, such as Aspire and Achieve through Mentorship (AAM) and Ace
PSLE Exams (APEX) that are aimed at
“Maybe there should be a centralized
helping students in Madrasah Aljunied
and consolidated portal for public to
and Madrasah Al-Irsyad.
access to find out the services
provided by the MMOs.” - FGD with
MTS parents at Teck Whye Primary
108. Representatives from MMOs whom the
C o m m i t t e e s p o k e t o , h o w e v e r,
highlighted that their programmes often
suffer from a lack of resources such as professional expertise, manpower and
funding.
109. Participants affirmed that MMOs have contributed significantly to the community and
have helped many lives. Even so, there is a perception that MMOs duplicate
programmes, and lack coordination and co-operation in that they may not be aware
of what others do and therefore are unable to direct those in need to the relevant
MMOs or other organisations. Some participants shared that MMOs also appear to
have a “single-minded focus” on their respective programmes, without the big picture
view, thereby preventing the optimisation of the limited resources in the community.
The Committee also received feedback, particularly from the younger group, that
MMOs should pay attention to leadership renewal. Furthermore, there were
participants who appreciated the intent of the MMOs but questioned the overall
impact these MMOs had to the development of community over the years.
45
Recommendation 2: Optimising Community Resources and Professionalising MMOs
as Part of Continuous Improvement
110. The Committee recommends that
an urgent exercise to first identify the
gaps in the programmes and services
provided by MMOs vis-à-vis the
needs of the various segments of the
“It all boils down to the quality of
MMOs leadership. There are two
main problems: funding issues and offbranching of leadership when MMOs
become successful.” - FGD at RIMA
community needs to be carried out.
This would then pave the way for MMOs to review their programmes and hence
optimise community resources.
111. In order to increase the effectiveness of the MMOs and to demonstrate its impact to
the community, the Committee recommends that MMOs undertake initiatives to adopt
best practices. This could be part of an overall effort to professionalise the social
service sector within the community in line with similar initiatives nationally. For
example, they could explore obtaining international accreditation which is being
promoted by National Council of Social Services. This would ensure continuous
improvement, help improve governance including succession planning, thereby
safeguarding organisational assets, promote transparency and potentially promote
more giving and participation from the public.
112. The Committee understands that MMOs are largely volunteer-based. To optimise its
resources and to allow them to focus on core services, MMOs could outsource or
share non-core services and infrastructure like auditing, accounting and IT services.
113. A higher level of professionalism and better access to and use of resources could
attract more volunteers, including youths and professionals, to join the MMOs.
46
Key Highlight 3: CLF Support for Current Efforts to Uplift Community
114. The Community Leaders Forum (CLF)18 was cited as a holistic community-centric
platform, given its focus on the community’s key concerns — education, youth, family
and employability. Surprisingly, many participants expressed that they were not sure
about the role of the CLF. Some believed that the CLF took an active leadership role
among MMOs, while others understood the CLF to be a passive secretariat that
supports programmes. The Committee heard specific feedback on elements of CLF
which was deemed to be working well, for example CLF Labs and as a source of
funding for community programmes. However, there were sentiments that it is
conceptually a powerful platform which has not been fully realised.
115. The Committee acknowledges that CLF attempts to introduce and create
collaboration amongst the MMOs to serve the needs of the community. Given that
MMOs face constraints in implementing their programmes due to lack of funding,
relevant experience and manpower, the CLF is a useful platform for MMOs to tap on,
using economies of scale to pool the
limited resources of various community
“There is a lack of support for each
groups and channelling them to bring
about a multiplier effect. CLF provides
a common platform for MMOs to learn
about the best practices of other MMOs
and pilot programmes to test their
effectiveness.
MMO. The CLF was mooted to get all
the MMOs to work together but there
is still a lack of coordination between
MMOs despite CLF. Perhaps CLF does
not have enough staff strength to
properly lead the CLF..” - Participant
from FGD with MMOs at MUIS
116. The Committee also welcomes the
CLF’s recent move to convene the
cross-sector Advisory Committee (AC)
to chart the future progress of the Malay/Muslim community in line with the national
agenda.
18 Currently, the CLF includes a Steering Committee led by Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, a
Resource Panel for the four CLF networks represented by PAP Malay Members of Parliament, an Advisory Committee led
by Speaker of Parliament Mdm Halimah Yacob, as well as a Review Committee led by MENDAKI CEO Mdm Moliah
Hashim.
47
Recommendation 3: Creating an Eco-System
117. With the introduction of the AC, the Committee recommends the CLF take a leap
further to evolve into an eco-system for the Malay/Muslim community. The role of the
CLF could be significantly enhanced by considering some changes to its mandate
and structure. It could drive the evolution of this eco-system which would allow
various groups to collaborate in a more holistic manner — from strategy formulation,
through programme implementation to outreach, given the community’s limited
resources and also to bring about a multiplier effect to the organisations’ initiatives.
The eco-system should include strong linkages to relevant key Malay/Muslim
institutions, mosques, government agencies, non-Malay/Muslim organisations,
political leadership and respected elders of the community as well as the Malay
media. The media should be plugged into this as it is a powerful tool to help deliver
the key messages.
118. The CLF-driven eco-system should be the catalyst to help set clear development
targets for the community through informed discussions with key stakeholders.
Initiatives can then be formulated towards these targets and its implementation
tracked. The outcomes of these initiatives will be part of the report card or scorecard
of the Malay/Muslim community for the CLF to track its progress against agreed
targets. Singapore’s 50th anniversary of its independence could be seen as the
milestone for the Malay/Muslim community to set up and implement the eco-system
as the key driver of the community towards a better future.
119. It is not suggested
that the CLF takes
responsibility for the
MMOs, nor to
interfere in the
running of MMOs.
“I personally think that there is a lot of potential in CLF.
I find that the platform is awesome, but we have to
see how we can improve the implementation and the
operationalization of the principle behind the CLF.
Otherwise, it is going to be another machinery that is
not working..” - FGD with MMOs at MUIS
Instead, it should
ensure that MMOs see tangible benefits of working within this eco-system. For
example, CLF could raise funds centrally for the MMOs, provide advisory support,
provide linkages to national agencies and other organisations, and create a central
database to allow easy access to information. These would motivate MMOs to join
the CLF eco-system while retaining their distinct identity.
48
Key Highlight 4: Strong Community Spirit
120. Participants generally raised the point that the Malay/Muslim community prides itself
in its strong gotong royong spirit. This is a sense of social consciousness and
responsibility where those who have done well lend a helping hand to those lagging
behind. This keen sense of social consciousness is evident among others from the
practice of giving zakat donations, and the active support of the Mosque Building and
Mendaki Fund (MBMF).
121. At the ground-up level, this strong sense of social consciousness is evident from the
myriad of formal and informal organisations that have sprung up. They range from
MMOs, mosque groups, informal jawantankuasa blok or khairat (block committee) at
our HDB blocks, to informal interest or self-help groups like RidersAid, which
champions social causes, and informal support groups like “SuperMummies”, which
is made up of a group of mothers in rental housing who actively arrange sports
activities for their children to prevent them from indulging in deviant activities. Such
initiatives strengthen the sense of community cohesiveness among the residents.
However, participants felt that the true energy and potential of the various groups and
passion to make a meaningful difference have not been fully tapped and realised and
there is scope for more encouragement and support of such initiatives.
Recommendation 4: Encouraging Constructive Community-driven Initiatives and
Engagement of These Groups by Established MMOs
122. The Committee believes that there is much potential in harnessing higher community
participation and involvement through such groups, in areas close to the community’s
heart. Established institutions such as MUIS, Mendaki, AMP and MMOs can
potentially play supportive roles in engaging these groups and possibly collaborate in
community-based projects. They could proactively identify and engage individuals to
set up informal groups to help spread these positive traits to their fellow peers,
neighbours and family members. Funding support could be provided for such groups,
which could be a model worth exploring to spur a positive mindset change towards
self-help. These groups could become important sources of not only emotional
support, but also to spread information on jobs or financial assistance schemes to
those who need them. Equally important, such activities could involve the other
communities as a means to spread the message of community spirit, which is part of
our heritage.
49
4 Moving
Forward
50
Moving Forward
MOVING FORWARD
123. The objective of the Suara Musyawarah Committee was to engage members of the
Malay/Muslim community from a broad range of backgrounds. Through focus group
discussions that were often open and frank, the Committee was given the opportunity
to listen the various voices on the issues that matter to them and their hopes and
aspirations for the community.
124. This report is the Committee’s attempt to capture the thoughts and feelings of the
people we met, our analysis of what is most important to them and where possible,
offer some recommendations. The passionate conversations on how to move our
community forward pre-date the establishment of the Committee and should continue
well into the future. This report can be a
conversation starter and an invitation for a
deeper consideration of the issues that
have been raised.
125. The Committee notes that the community
has heightened expectations for Malay/
Muslim leaders to engage the community
on these issues. The Musyawarah
provides an avenue for leaders to remain
attuned to the community and ensure that their views are heard. In a similar vein, the
continued participation of the community in such engagements very much depends
on the actions taken on the issues and recommendations raised. The Committee has
conveyed what the participants have willingly shared and hopes that this will be
received in the same spirit by community leaders, national agencies and other
stakeholders.
126. The Committee seeks the understanding that our intention in undertaking this project
is purely to contribute towards the betterment of the community to the best of our
abilities. We humbly acknowledge that any shortcomings are due to our limitations
and apologise if we have directly or indirectly offended any individuals or
organisations in the way we have conducted the project.
51
5 Annexes
A
Terms of References
B
List of Focus Group
Discussions
C
List of Issues Raised in the
Focus Group Discussions
D
State of the Community
52
Annex A: Terms of Reference
Terms of Reference (TOR)
The Committee’s TOR are to:
A. Engage various segments of the Malay/Muslim community (including key
players, stakeholders and opinion shapers/leaders, ordinary citizens) to
gather views on their aspirations for the community and issues and
concerns facing the community;
B. Identify and prioritise key areas of concerns and issues, deliberate and
obtain a broad consensus on the approaches and solutions to tackling
them;
C. Make recommendations to the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs on
areas requiring review or specific measures to address the issues (where
relevant).
53
Annex B: List of Focus Group Discussions
Focus
Group
Discussions
This is a list of all the
different segments of
the community that
the Committee
engaged with.
Nov 12
Dec 12
Jan 13
3
8
11
Association of Muslim
Professionals (AMP)
Representatives
Muslim Young Professionals
Indian/Muslim Graduates
and Professionals
6
15
12
Perpaduan, Amal Dan
Ibadah (PADI)
Educated students, bluecollar workers, and fringe
groups such as the
transvestite community and
social/juvenile outreach
community
Muslim Young Professionals
10
15
19
Jaringan Melayu
SeNusantara (JMS)
Facebook Group
Young Muslim University
Graduates
Young Muslim University
Graduates and Professionals
16
29
26
Malay/Muslim
Organisations including Ain
Society, Lembaga Biasiswa
Kenangan Maulud (LBKM),
Taman Bacaan, Singapore
Malay Teachers’ Union
(KGMS) and Singapore
Malay Teachers’ Cooperative Limited (SGM)
Singaporean Muslims in
New York City
Representatives from
Madrasahs
17
Bicara Bangun Ummah
(BBU) Facebook Group
30
Indian/Muslim
Organizations and Indian/
Muslim Mosques
54
Annex B: List of Focus Group Discussions
Focus
Group
Discussions
No Focus
Group
Discussions
were held in
March 2013
Feb 13
Apr 13
May 13
June 13
2
13
4
19
General Public
Youths in Mendaki’s
Max-Out Programme
Mosque Befrienders
Malay Professionals
in Digital Sector
23
13
6
20
Parents of Children in
the Mendaki Tuition
Scheme (MTS) - 3
Concurrent Sessions
Muslim Healthcare
Professionals
Mosque Leaders and
Staff
Malay/Muslim
Community Leaders
20
10
21
General Working
Professionals
Malay/Muslim
Families in Rental
Housing
Singapore Malay
Chamber of
Commerce & Industry
11
Parents of Children in
Mendaki Tuition
Scheme (MTS) - 3
More Concurrent
Sessions
11
Madrasah Aljunied
Representatives
14
Union Leaders and
PMETs
17 - 29
Malay/Muslim
Families in Rental
Housing - 4 Sessions
55
Annex C: List of All Issues Raised
No.
Issues
1
Career/Employment
Competition from foreigners, discrimination, exploitation, fear of reporting abuse,
foreign workers quota, mentors, MOM, network, protection of contract workers,
skills upgrading, social capital, unemployment, wages
2
Economics
Asset & wealth creation, business network, cost of living, entreprenuers, financial
literacy, halal food industry, income gap, mentors, real estate investment trust
(REIT), role models, small medium entreprise, social capital, syariah compliance
investment, wakaf, zakat
3
Education
After-school care, Asatizah development, aspirations , counselling, educational
pathways, Edusave, financial assistance, language, madrasah education, sex
education, mentors, meritocracy, performance, pre-school, successful individuals.
4
Family
Absent fathers, financial assistance, foreign spouses, incarceration, minor
marriages, remarriages, role models, serial divorces, single-parents, strong family
ties.
5
Housing
Availability, cost of housing, ethnic integration policy, interim rental housing,
overcrowding, ownership, rental housing.
6
Governance
Accountability, professionalism social impact, succession planning, transparency.
56
No.
Issues
7
Government Support
Accessibility, bureaucracy , channels of feedback, eligibility, financial assistance,
gaps in support, information.
8
Health
Chronic illnesses, health screening, lifestyle, medical costs, Medisave, Medishield.
9
Identity
Gotong royong, heritage, indigenous people, Islam, maruah Melayu, nusantara.
10
Integration
Foreign Muslim talent, lack of opportunities, madrasah, Singaporean identity.
11
Leadership
Accessibility, bottom-up / top-down approach, capability, exclusive, performance,
strategic direction, succession planning, training.
12
Media
Government guidelines, social media, thought leadership, too entertainmentfocused.
13
Mindset
Attitudes, broaden career aspirations, crutch mentality, desire to progress,
educational pathways, hands-ups not hand-outs, self-limiting.
57
No.
Issues
14
Platform
Community Leaders Forum, first point of contact, frontline service, government
agencies outreach, Malay/Muslim Organisations, Mendaki, MUIS, social impact,
support, training, Voluntary Welfare Organisations.
15
Politics
Bottom-up/top-down approach, community representation, diversity, leadership,
performance
16
Rights
Adoption Law, discrimination, equal opportunities, inclusive, loyalty, meritocracy,
SAF, Singapore Constitution, tudung.
17
Spirituality
Accessibility to religious education, civil marriage, dedicated Islamic media
channels, inter-faith marriage, mosques, strong belief system.
18
Youth
Career aspirations, community identity, demographics, financial and legal
knowledge, guidance, language, mentoring, networks, role models, second chance
opportunities, support for non-academic areas.
19
Others
Globalisation, harnessing technology, homosexuality, ICA, lack of data, long term
pass, mobile apps, permanent resident status, sexual exploitation, talent in the
science and technology fields.
58
Annex D: State of the Community
In engaging the Malay/Muslim community, the Committee is cognisant of the need to
understand its current landscape and state. The Committee took reference from publicly
available data on key indicators. Unless otherwise stated, Census 2010 was the chief
source of data. The Committee would also like to qualify that due to the nature of these
publicly available data, further distillation of the data by ethnic groups within the Muslim
community was not possible.
The statistics in the following pages will show that while the community has made good
progress in certain areas such as education, the Committee notes that there remain
pertinent concerns facing the community as shown by other socio-economic indicators.
Cost of living was an important issue for the community, followed by employment concerns
and housing affordability, as per findings from the Association of Muslim Professionals
(AMP) perception survey in 2011. One in three respondents did not believe they received
enough external support to help them cope with life in Singapore, particularly in housing
and financial support (Perception Survey on the Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore,
AMP (2011), page 149).
Demographics
Based on Census 2010, Malays make up 13.4% of the Singapore Resident Population, the
second largest ethnic group after the Chinese (74.1%); and 98.7% of Malays in Singapore
are Muslims. Importantly, the Malay community is the youngest, with youths below 35
years old making up 40.5% of the Malay/Muslim community.
59
Education
Between 2000 and 2010, Malay students have performed better in PSLE, and GCE ‘O ‘and
‘A’ levels, based on MOE data. In the same period, the percentage of Malay students
admitted to post-secondary institutions has also increased from 74.6% to 86.2%. In 2010,
5.1% of the Malay population are university graduates (compared to 1.5% in 2005) while
11.6% have diploma and professional qualifications, according to Census 2010. However,
there is a significant and persistent gap between the educational performance of Malay
students and those from the Chinese and Indian communities.
Based on Mendaki’s study on the progress of the community from 1980 to 2005, the
secondary school drop-out rate has significantly reduced from 24 to only 7.3 per 1,000
students between 1990 and 200520. Correspondingly, the perception survey conducted by the
Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) in 2011 highlighted that slightly over half (51%) of
respondents identified education as the main area of improvement among the Malays21.
20 Progress of Singapore’s Malay Community since 1980, Yayasan Mendaki (2011), pg 6
21 Perception Survey on the Malay/Muslim Community in Singapore, Association of Muslim Professionals (2011), pg 147
60
Employment and Income
Based on Census 2010, 8% of (or 9,615 out of 121,378) Malay households have no
working persons, compared to the national average of 10.5%. The percentage of Malay
Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians (PMETs) has increased from 23.3%
to 27.8% from 2000 to 2010.
61
The median Malay household income increased by 1.9% (real average annual growth),
from $2,709 to $3,844 between 2000 and 2010. While household income has increased
over the years, Malays experienced a slower growth in their average and median monthly
household incomes considering that the national median was $5,000 in 2010.
Home Ownership and Types of Dwelling
Between 2000 and 2010, the home ownership of Malay households has dropped from
93.4% to 89.6%. All ethnic groups experienced a decrease in home ownership22. Most
Malay households stay in HDB estates, of which 40% of are residing in 4-room flats and
30% in 5-room or bigger flats. A recent study entitled “The Malay Underclass: An
Exploration of a Uniquely Singaporean Issue” indicated that one in 10 Malays lives in
rented housing23.
22 Census 2010: Overall home ownership rate: 92% in 2000 to 87.2% in 2010; Malays: 93.4% to 89.6%; Chinese: 92.6% to 89.9%
and Indians: 86.1% to 77.3%
23 A Malay Underclass: An Exploration of a Uniquely Singaporean Issue, Nanyang Technological University (2012), pg 8
62
Marriage and Divorce Rates
The numbers of Muslim divorces and minor marriages have generally decreased in the
past ten years. Between 2008 and 2011, Muslim divorces declined by 4.3% from 1,607 to
1,538, and minor marriages dropped by about 28% from 360 to 259.
63
Drug Abuse
Malays constituted about 51% (or 1,760) of the total drug abusers arrested and about 52%
of new abusers detected in 2012, according to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) Drug
Situation 2012 Report. Between 2011 and 2012, the number of Malay drug abusers
increased by about 10%.
64
Health
Based on the findings of the National Health Survey 201024, the top illnesses that affect
the Malay community (aged 30 to 69 years) are
(i)
Hypertension (28.0%)
(ii)
Obesity (24.0%)
(iii)
High Cholesterol (22.6%)
(iv)
Diabetes (16.6%)
(v)
Poor mental health (13.0%)
Some common reasons attributed to the prevalence of these issues is due to a
combination of lifestyle choices, eating habits, high prevalence of smoking and the lack of
physical activity within the community.
24 The study was conducted by the Epidemiology & Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore and the Health
Promotion Board (HPB) http://www.moh.gov.sg/content/dam/moh_web/Publications/Reports/2011/NHS2010%20-%20low%20res.pdf
65
66
6 Acknowledgements
67
Acknowledgements
In preparing this report, the Suara Musyawarah Committee has benefitted from the views
and insights of many individuals and organisations. The Committee is grateful to:
People
Organizations
All the participants in our FGDs
Ain Society
Mr Anuwar Ariffin
Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP)
Mr Devadas Krishnadas
Beyond Social Services
Mr Ibrahim Jamil
Bicara Bangun Ummah
Dr Bibi Jan Ayyub
Darul Arqam
Dr Lai Ah Eng
Jamiyah Singapore
Hj E S Ebrahim Marican
Jaringan Muslim SeNusantara (JMS)
Hj Mohamed Ibrahim s/o Mohamed
Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud
Kassim
(LBKM)
Hj Pasuni Maulan
Madrasah Aljunied
Hj Shafawi Ahmad
Masjid Sultan
Mr Manu Bhaskaran
Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS)
Ms Mastura Manap
Perpaduan, Amal Dan Ibadah (PADI)
Mr Muhammad Suffyan Tumadi
Persatuan Persuratan Pemuda Pemudi
Mr Raman Daud
Melayu (4PM)
Mr Sheik Ahmad Rifa’i Bahashwan
Persatuan Pemudi Islam Singapura (PPIS)
Mr Suryakenchana Omar
Singapore Malay Teachers’ Co-operative
Mr Vivian Sasidharan
Limited
Shaikh Syed Isa Semait
Singapore Malay Teachers’ Union
Taman Bacaan
Yayasan Mendaki
The Committee would like to thank VSC. The Committee understands it is VSC’s long term
strategic intent to provide analytic capabilities to the community organisations to support
and condense decision making process of its leaders and officers for enhanced social
impact.
The Committee is grateful to the members of the secretariat (staff from MCCY and MUIS)
for providing administrative support, making arrangements for our meetings, focus group
discussions, note taking and ensuring updates on the social media platform and website.
We would especially like to thank Mr Rujok Pandi, Mr Fadzli Baharom Azahar, Ms Zheng
Yiling Erene, Ms Nadiah Rahmat, Ms Zarina Safuan, Ms Hanna Taufiq Siraj and Mr
Muhammad Hafeez Piperdy.
68
Conversations with the Community
69
More Conversations @
SuaraMusyawarah.com
fb/suaramusyawarah
This report was designed by Ahmad Firdaus Daud.
70
71

The Suara Musyawarah Committee`s Report

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