Stronger partnership between the community and the Government to co-create the future

1. Madam, please allow me now to speak as the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs.
   

2. With the opening of the 13th Parliament, it is timely for the Malay/Muslim community to ask what future we want for ourselves and for our children. What sort of community and society do we wish to have? How can our community be adaptive and ready for the future? How can the Government and the community build upon our past efforts and co-create solutions to meet new challenges? Please allow me to share three challenges ahead for the Malay/Muslim community and how we can work together to chart the way forward.
   

Riding the tide together

3. The first challenge comes from a rapidly evolving and volatile modern economy. The restructuring of the economy and increasing competition mean that our businesses and workers need be more productive, adaptive, and committed to continual upgrading. Organisations such as the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and Mendaki SENSE have stepped up to partner national agencies like WDA and Spring Singapore to bring the full range of SkillsFuture support for training and skills mastery. Mendaki is also starting a Future Ready unit to explore more opportunities for the community to tap on SkillsFuture.

4. But all these efforts will only succeed if members of our community step forward with the desire to learn and equip themselves, and if companies actively support and invest in developing their workforce. Without this commitment, the consequences will be grave. We may have a pool of well-meaning, hard-working workers, but they lack the skill sets to compete and do well in the new economy.

5. The second challenge is that of diversity. In truth, diversity is nothing new. The “Malay/Muslim” community has always consisted of various ethnicities and schools of Islamic thought. Our community's religious life has always been shaped by the basic principles of moderation, respect for differences, the promotion of inclusiveness, and openness to diversity. These are values that our community cherishes. We know very well that we cannot afford to be divided by narrow views or the selfish agendas of a few individuals or groups. Yet in recent times, we have started to see some quarters in society, and not just in the Malay/Muslim community, holding stronger, if not intractable, views on a range of complex issues. Harsh judgements and pejorative labels have been unnecessarily passed. Online media trends, migration changes, and regional and global influences, including developments in the Middle East, threaten to accentuate our differences and bring culture wars that are taking place half the world away to our door step.

6. Faced with these challenges, our community needs to continue to stand together to foster an environment of mutual respect and understanding. The Government will continue to serve as a community arbiter. However, this will be an increasingly difficult job as we try to balance competing views and interests, and as our usual approach of negotiating sensitive matters carefully and discreetly is being challenged. If we should be intolerant of anything at all, it would be against the intolerant, particularly those who sow discord, spark disunity, and incite hatred.

7. This brings me to the third challenge, which is that of extremism. The Government has been able to work with a proactive community, led by organisations such as MUIS, PERGAS and the Religious Rehabilitation Group, to build our resilience against extremist forces. But the risk of radicalisation remains, because of the sheer accessibility and spread of information on the Internet. Just as we rose strongly against the challenge of the Jemaah Islamiyah threat more than 10 years ago, we must press on to reach out to every segment of the community, and speak with one rational, moderate voice against exclusivist and extremist doctrines. Such a time also calls for extra vigilance to keep our country safe and secure, whether against radical ideologies, errant preachers, or of any suspicious activities around us. We must stand as one united people and not let the radical actions of a few spread fear and suspicion among the different communities in Singapore.
   

Achieving our goals together

8. The challenges that we face as a community are not insurmountable. We have faced difficult challenges in the past, but together with the Government, we have been able to tackle them.

9. The positive state-community relationship has been steadily built over the last 50 years, thanks to the support and patience of the community. With that trust and confidence, the Government went beyond national initiatives such as public housing, education, and healthcare, to also make inroads in areas key to the community's progress and socio-religious life. This started with the passing of the Administration of Muslim Law Act in 1968, to set up MUIS and to regularise the Syariah Court and the Registry of Muslim Marriages. In 1975, the Government facilitated the introduction of the Mosque Building Fund, to allow Muslim workers to contribute to the construction, and later also upgrading, of our mosques. In 1982, we partnered the community to form Yayasan MENDAKI, to address the under-achievement of our Malay/Muslim students.

10. This link between the state and the community has strengthened over the years, and allowed the community to thrive. Through consultation and engagement with the community, the Government introduced several initiatives to better support our madrasahs, including MOE's Edusave Fund for enrichment programmes, and the waiver of national examination fees for secular subjects. In his National Day Rally speech last year, PM Lee announced that the Government will work with MUIS to provide financial support to help teachers who are teaching secular subjects upgrade themselves. There will also be awards for students who achieve academic excellence in secular subjects in our full-time madrasahs. All of these efforts are a result of our shared focus to raise the quality of education in our madrasahs, so that they can develop into progressive, all-rounded institutions for the benefit of our students.

11. Such state-community engagement on sensitive matters or issues of interest is not unique to the Malay/Muslim community. It has been the Government's approach for other communities as well. Earlier this weekend, our Hindu friends welcomed live music during the Thaipusam procession event, something that had been banned previously but was just relaxed this year. There was some measure of give-and-take during the discussions, with both sides eventually coming to an agreement on the three live music points and seven music-transmission points along the route. Importantly, there was an openness and appreciation of needs and constraints as state and community worked together to arrive at the best possible solution.

12. However, Madam, state-community relations are not static. It will evolve with the external environment, and as the community progresses. Also, the perspectives of Government and communities may not always be aligned because we view issues with different concerns. For example, the Government may be wary of how rising religiosity could lead to deeper divides, but some followers from the different faiths may see religiosity as a positive development that could translate into a more spirited and engaged community.

13. We want to work with the community to realise multiple possibilities, and to dabble less in narrow binaries. A transactional “winner takes all” relationship between the Government and the community is one-sided and will not be helpful for all parties. It cannot be as optimal as a relational approach, where both sides are co-creating “win-win” solutions. The Suara Musyawarah dialogues in 2013, the KITAx youth envisioning exercises in 2015, and the current SGFuture discussions, all show that we have moved from simple consultation exercises to discussions focused on generating ideas, proposals, and collaborations with fellow Singaporeans. These are good initiatives, but we must continue to build on these to develop stronger processes of mutual engagement between state and community that can be sustained for the next 50 years. Differences of views have and will continue to emerge between the two sides. It is how we manage those differences to allow for a greater plurality of views and ideas, and yet not pull the society apart. It is always easier to dismiss differences for its perceived potential divisive effects. But it is far more enlightened and progressive to look for ways to accommodate some of the differences in order to enlarge the common ground.

14. This is the best way, and the only way forward for the Government, as we shape our future together. It is an approach of honesty and mutual understanding, as together we will weigh the concerns, weigh the constraints, and options for both the Government and the community. Most importantly, it is an approach to work through our differences and enlarge our common ground, as we seek to reach the best solutions possible together.
    

Conclusion

15. To conclude Madam, some of the challenges we are facing are indeed unlike any we have faced before. But as the President said, “the future of Singapore is what we make of it … [and] everyone plays a part in building our nation”. I have every faith that we will overcome our challenges by standing together. We are already starting from a much better place than ever before. Our foundations are strong, our institutions are sound, and our people are motivated. That Singaporeans have given the new Government a strong mandate only inspires us to keep giving our best for our people. I am convinced that an even stronger partnership between the community and the Government is, and must be, the way forward to co-create the future.

16. For the community, let us continue to stay united, to inspire success in one another, and to step forward to lead this community to even greater heights. Singapore is our home, and together we will build this nation for our children and for many more generations to come.

17. Madam Speaker, allow me to conclude my speech in Malay.

18. Puan Speaker, sepanjang 50 tahun lalu, masyarakat Melayu/Islam Singapura telah mencatatkan kemajuan yang sangat membanggakan. Kami telah membuat sumbangan besar kepada negara sebagai rakan kongsi yang genting dalam memperkukuhkan masyarakat berbilang bangsa dan agama Singapura. Penggal Parlimen yang baru ini, adalah satu titik tolak yang memberi kami peluang baik untuk menilai semula apakah corak masyarakat Melayu/Islam yang kami inginkan seterusnya bagi anak-cucu kami. Bagaimanakah masyarakat Melayu/Islam boleh mempersiapkan diri untuk mengharungi cabaran masa depan?

19. Pada dasarnya, kami mahu memperkukuhkan kerjasama di antara Pemerintah dan masyarakat Melayu/Islam kerana inilah tunggak kemajuan kami selama ini. Gandingan positif ini adalah berkat sokongan padu dan kesabaran masyarakat Melayu/Islam yang memberi Pemerintah kepercayaan dan keyakinan mereka. Dengan itu, Pemerintah telah berupaya memperkenalkan dasar-dasar tambahan khas untuk menyumbang kepada kemajuan dan kesejahteraan kehidupan sosio-agama masyarakat Melayu/Islam. Contohnya, Akta Pentadbiran Hukum Islam (AMLA) yang diluluskan pada tahun 1968 dan telah membawa kepada lahirnya Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (MUIS), Mahkamah Syariah serta Pejabat Pernikahan Orang-Orang Islam (ROMM). Pada 1975 pula, Pemerintah membantu dalam pembentukan Dana Pembinaan Masjid (MBF) yang menerima sumbangan dari setiap pekerja Melayu/Islam melalui Tabung Simpanan Pekerja (CPF) mereka. Tujuh tahun kemudian, Pemerintah bekerjasama dengan masyarakat untuk membentuk Yayasan MENDAKI demi memajukan taraf pendidikan anak-anak Melayu.

20. Gandingan positif antara Pemerintah dan masyarakat ini terus diperkukuh tahun demi tahun. Usaha Pemerintah untuk sering berunding dan melibatkan masyarakat secara rapat dalam menangani isu-isu ternyata terus membuahkan hasil. Misalnya, Pemerintah berjaya memperkenalkan beberapa inisiatif untuk menyokong madrasah sepenuh masa. Ini termasuk Dana Edusave dari Kementerian Pendidikan dan bantuan kewangan bagi para guru subjek sekular di madrasah untuk mempertingkatkan diri serta anugerah bagi murid-murid yang cemerlang dalam subjek sekular.

21. Yang jelas, Pemerintah mahu terus bekerjasama dengan semua rakyat Singapura termasuk masyarakat Melayu/Islam untuk meraih hasil yang saling menguntungkan melalui proses rundingan, pengumpulan maklumat dan idea serta bekerjasama dengan rakyat bagi mencipta huraian yang terbaik.

22. Puan Speaker, seperti Singapura, masyarakat Melayu/Islam berdepan dengan cabaran-cabaran yang semakin rumit. Sungguhpun berat, dengan semangat juang kami yang kuat, saya yakin masyarakat Melayu/Islam mampu mengatasi cabaran-cabaran ini seperti yang telah kami lakukan dengan jayanya sebelum ini. Malah hari ini, kami berada di landasan yang lebih baik - asas kami kukuh, institusi kami mantap dan anggota masyarakat kami lebih matang, berkelayakan dan berkeyakinan. Kami memiliki cita-cita murni untuk membina sebuah Masyarakat Cemerlang yang sehaluan dengan aspirasi anak watan Singapura yang lain. Kami komited untuk terus menyumbang bersama-sama kaum lain demi membina masa depan Singapura yang lebih cerah untuk kita semua.

23. Terima kasih.