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PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT Under the provisions of clause 2(d) of Article 46 of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, the following Members have been granted permission to be or to remain absent from sittings of Parliament (or any Committee of Parliament to which they have been appointed) for the periods stated: Name From (2010) To (2010) Mdm Halimah Yacob 15 Mar 20 Mar Dr Lee Boon Yang 15 Mar 21 Mar Mr Inderjit Singh 16 Mar 17 Mar
PERMISSION TO MEMBERS TO BE ABSENT ABDULLAH TARMUGI Speaker Parliament of Singapore
BILLS - CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (AMENDMENT) BILL "to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore (1999 Reprint)",
BILLS - CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE (AMENDMENT) BILL presented by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Wong Kan Seng); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.
BILLS - PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL "amend the Parliamentary Elections Act (Chapter 218 of the 2007 Revised Edition)",
BILLS - PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL presented by the Minister for Law (Mr K Shanmugam); read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.
BILLS - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL "amend the Presidential Elections Act (Chapter 240A of the 2007 Revised Edition)",
BILLS - PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS (AMENDMENT) BILL presented by the Mr Shanmugam; read the First time; to be read a Second time on the next available sitting of Parliament, and to be printed.
BUDGET - ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR 1ST APRIL, 2010 TO 31ST MARCH, 2011 - Paper Cmd. 1 of 2010 Order read for consideration in Committee of Supply [6th Alloted Day].
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Head I – Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (cont.)
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Resumption of Debate on Question [10th March, 2010],
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS "That the total sum to be allocated for Head I of the Estimates be reduced by $100. – [Mr Seah Kian Peng].
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Question again proposed.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Challenges for Malay/Muslim community
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Mr Chairman, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to speak on the MCYS cut on challenges for the Malay/Muslim community.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the Koran said that "God will not change the people's faith if the people themselves do not want to change." If I may, I would also like to quote Michelangelo who once said, "The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS In Singapore, Sir, we aim high. At times, we start small, but even when we start small, we think big. We know there are already Singaporeans who lament why we should always aim too high and wanting to be number one in this and that and that it would stress our people. The danger is that if we were to start aiming low, then we will sooner than later get ourselves stressed for having to try to keep up with others and, worse, losing out in this highly competitive world. Well, Singapore has set our sights high and will continue to aspire to scaling greater heights all the time, as we can see from the Budget too.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS What about the Malay/Muslim community? For a community that has been lagging in many areas, are the challenges the same? Are the aspirations in sync with national goals? I would like to ask the Minister how he sees the challenges facing the Malay/Muslim community, especially in the context of raising productivity and achieving inclusive growth for all Singaporeans. Are Singapore Malays well-equipped to benefit from the national programmes planned?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS No doubt, there has been credible progress made, but does it commensurate with the efforts put in both at the national level and through self-help programmes? What are the measures used to measure this progress or lack of progress? Is the progress/achievement gap between the Malay community and the others, particularly the Chinese majority, widening? Are there fears among the community that they could be marginalised as the knowledge/technology/income gap widens?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Allow me to elaborate, Sir. Having worked with the community for the last 50 years – from the day I prepared free Unicef milk for my poor schoolmates in Primary 3 to serving Yayasan Rakyat (People's Foundation) in the late 1960s aimed at running a cooperative and to run pre-school education, serving on the Prophet Muhammad Scholarship Fund Board (LBKM), working for more than 20 years with Berita Harian, and later as CEO of MENDAKI and President of MUIS, and now as MP – I can dare say that the Malay community can be proud of their efforts at self-help and self-upliftment. I do not think there is any other Malay or Muslim community in the world that can match that.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS In fact, I remember attending a rural development course in the Philippines, together with some MPA (communist sympathisers), you will never guess we went there to learn to grow mushrooms. At that time, Singapore was importing $3 million worth of mushrooms for tourists and we thought that the Malays should be taught that skill to be self-reliant. I also attended the conferences with Yasser Arafat, Nur Misuari of the Southern Phlippines fame. Freedom fighters they were, but I learn that, in fact, freedom fighting is different from managing and developing your own people.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, back home, we know that the Malay community's efforts at self-help did not start with MENDAKI. Whether through Zainal Abidin Ahmad, or Pendita Zaaba, a well-respected reformer, or Munshi Abdullah, Sir Stamford Raffles' special assistant and scribe, or the Malay media and Malay NGOs then, reform for the Malay mind and calls for self upliftment had been there since mid last century. But it was through MENDAKI that both the Government, Malay MPs and non-Government Malay/Muslim organisations were able to work together on a scale never seen before for this worthy cause.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Progress, however, was slow at first. As more resources were put to bear, the community managed a steady but credible progress. The community started from a low base in education and economic terms. Education, rightfully, was and is still the focus. I would like to ask the Minister's assessment of the community's progress in education and whether the community is, in fact, facing a plateau when it came to performances in certain areas like passes in Mathematics, Science and English. Is the Minister happy with the progress made by the community in terms of the spread of areas of studies/disciplines in the polytechnics and universities? What about the level of skills and expertise acquired? Does the Malay community feel that they are given ample opportunities to benefit from the growing economy especially in the new fields of technology, creative works and the service industry? Are those looking for jobs still troubled by employers asking for knowledge of working Mandarin?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS While thinking about this cut, I asked my Facebook friends what they thought were the challenges facing the community. I was happy to note that a few of them said that it boils down to the mindset of the people. One Ismail Sa'ad used religion to remind that "God will not change the fate of a community if that community does not want to change it". A Mohammad Roslan said that the community need to be instilled with a healthy outlook to life, especially a spirit for lifelong learning. A Mdm Zaiton calls on the leaders to lead more forcefully, recognising that leaders do play an important role, especially in hand-holding the lower-income group, while yet another Facebook friend, a Bob Ahmad, who is knowledgeable about the history of the rise and fall of Muslims in Spanish Andalusia and also a keen observer about current Malay issues, cautioned that it is about time that the community learns to uplift on its own efforts. A Yeti Aziz, interestingly spoke of her teacher's advice. She said "kalau hati suka, badan mau, pokok duri pun boleh panjat ", or when the heart is willing, body wants to, one can even climb a tree full of thorns. This is my favourite area where, in fact, the Malay teachers used to instil a lot of sense of responsibility and wanting to give back to the community.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, one area that has been receiving much attention lately is the dysfunctional families. It is a complex issue for sure. Minister Yaacob was also reported by the media as being very concerned about them. The murder of two young innocent children from broken homes must have evoked strong emotions in the community and in Singapore, and many are asking as to what is really happening in that group of Malays. Some feel as though this group of Malays have formed a sub-culture quite different from the growing number of Malays who are becoming more self-motivated towards upliftment and progress. It is as if the former group has given up or even wanting to compete in society, let along progress. I think the top half of the society has internalised the need to progress and to work hard to pull up, but how can the rest move along? How can the rest of the community help the members of the dysfunctional families out of this sense of dejection? Are there programmes either at the national level or through the ring of the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF) activities which are targeted to help them back mainstream?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS One more area which I think will be critical towards achieving inclusive growth and development of Singapore in the context of our multi-racial and multi-religious society is how the community see the role of Islam in their life. Islamphobia is still a problem in many parts of the world, but I am glad that it is not here. This is because the Malay/Muslim Singaporeans generally take a middle of the path route and have moderate views about living in a secular and multi-religious environment.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, what does the Minister see as key challenges facing madrasah education, which will provide the basic education of our future religious teachers? What are some of the enrichment programmes which MUIS will conduct to help religious leaders play their role effectively?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, allow me to speak in Malay now.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS (In Malay): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A*. ]Sir, the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore can be proud of its achievements. However, as Singapore enters a more competitive stage, questions will emerge as to whether our Malay community will be able to compete as well.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Although there are achievements shown by individuals who are excellent in many areas and levels, there are now questions as to whether the achievements in school will reach a plateau. Are there signs that such an outcome is beginning to appear, and what can be done to overcome it?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS In my opinion, the measures and programmes to achieve progress are quite visible and numerous. The Community Leaders’ Forum network continues to develop. What else should be given attention to, especially in relation to dysfunctional families and divorce cases?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Apart from programmes to improve the performance and progress of the Malay community, what other programmes will be implemented to help the Malay community understand the challenges that are faced by a society living in the context of a multi-religious country?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Finally, what is important is that the success of the Malay/Muslim community depends on its own mindset. The spirit of standing on one's own feet and an identity that emphasises responsibility, honesty, trustworthiness and cooperation must be given importance.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS *Cols. 4161-4162.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Keeping cohesiveness in Malay community
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Mr Chairman, the Malay/Muslim community has made much progress over the years and, to the community's credit, on their own merit and self-help spirit.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS The social problems that we are tackling are complex and there is no overnight solution. Many in the community have shared their concerns about these social problems, including dysfunctional families. The Minister has spoken about the possibility of the growing Malay/Muslim middle-class that may, over time, become detached from the community and its problems. It would be a pity if this trend happens. All our successes in the past had been derived from "gotong royong" spirit. No matter how much funding and resources the Government is prepared to allocate, the support of everyone in the community is vital.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS I would therefore ask the Minister what are the strategies to engage the very successful, middle-class Malay professionals to help in this drive.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS (In Malay ): [For vernacular speech, please refer to Appendix A *.] The Malay/Muslim community has undeniably achieved much success that we should be proud of, and what is encouraging is that this achievement was attained based on merit and the spirit of self-reliance. Many Malay/Muslim organisations are working to solve our community's social issues, but the question is what is the level of their capability, and how can we strengthen that capability and coordinate the duties so that it will become a concerted effort?
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS I also feel that this effort do not just lie with the Malay bodies and leadership as well as the national infrastructure and resources. Each individual, especially those who are successful including the middle income, must also pitch in and continue our gotong-royong spirit. The question is: how? What is our strategy to make use of every resource within our community so that we can together bring forward the community.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS *Cols. 4163-4164
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Mr Chairman, Sir, I would like to thank all Members who spoke and made some relevant suggestions.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS 12.15 pm
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, like fellow Singaporeans, the Malay/Muslim community continues to grow in confidence and show greater resilience in the face of challenges from within and beyond our shores. We are witnessing an emerging middle class with a wider range of professionals – from traditional areas such as medicine and engineering to new ones such as multimedia and the life sciences. The community produces a good crop of top students who do their schools and nation proud as we see from the number of Anugerah Mendaki recipients which has grown from a handful to a few hundreds. These developments show that our community is responding and adapting well to improve our academic performance and upgrade continuously, thereby seizing the opportunities created by the growing economy.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS And it is to the upward-bound middle class that we look towards to set the tone and marshal the responses of our community to face the challenges of globalisation as raised by Mr Zainul Abidin. The able and bright must step forward to help the community respond to challenges and to be intimately involved in the community's relentless desire to give the best in whatever that we do. With a strong Government looking ahead and setting the direction, and with community organisations working hand-in-hand with national agencies to reach out and ensure everyone is on board, we can move closer towards achieving our vision of a Community of Excellence.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Excellence, Sir, involves consistent effort. So we need to constantly improve our education, increase our knowledge and upgrade our skills. When more of our students increase their competency in subjects like English, Mathematics and Science, and when our workers constantly upgrade their know-how and skills, and when our professionals gear themselves up for an ever changing economic landscape, the community will be in a stronger position not just to face up to adversities but also to overcome them.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Self-help group MENDAKI and our many Malay/Muslim organisations including the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) have put in tremendous energy and resources towards ensuring the community's progress. This, Sir, is a long-haul effort for which there can be no let up. We must ensure that the good work of senior community leaders is continued so that the next generation can also stand tall with fellow Singaporeans and contribute significantly to Singapore's continued well-being and growth.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Like fellow communities in Singapore and in cities elsewhere, we will also feel the impact of the income divide. Mr Zaqy Mohamad has raised a similar concern of keeping the cohesiveness in our community, especially with respect to engaging the middle class and our professionals. The concern of whether an emerging middle class might disassociate itself over time from the larger base is a valid concern observed by minority communities elsewhere. We must avoid this trap. The rising middle class must draw upon our traditions of community cohesiveness and the spirit of unity and reach out to infuse a more progressive outlook in our community.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS By all accounts, Sir, our able and bright have responded well to this call. Over the last few months after this subject was raised, several of my parliamentary colleagues and I received unsolicited responses from many professionals wanting to do something for our community. The strong feedback from the young and upwardly mobile in our community shows that our efforts to engage them are bearing fruit.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the Community Leaders' Forum (CLF) is currently engaging young professionals under a Consultative-Participatory Forward Planning Exercise to have them study the issues, learn from the experiences of older leaders, take ownership of the challenges and present their recommendations at CLF 2010. With this experience, continuous involvement and dedication, over time, our young will be ready to assume leadership positions. Ninety-three young Malay/Muslim professionals from diverse backgrounds are actively engaged in this exercise, including several members from various Malay/Muslim organisations (MMOs), such as 4PM and Young AMP.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, while we are proud of our achievements, we remain keenly aware of the challenges facing our community. Indeed, the issue of low-income families trapped in multiple problems received a disproportionate amount of public airing late last year. However, Sir, this is not a new issue and we are certainly not wringing our hands in despair. Community leaders are aware of this, understand the complexities, and together we launched the Action Plan to Strengthen the Malay/Muslim Families in 2007. This plan is a comprehensive strategy that leverages on both national and community resources to help such families move towards normal functioning.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS MENDAKI is implementing this plan together with several CLF partners. And let me assure Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad, Dr Mohamad Maliki, Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohammad Faishal and Dr Fatimah Lateef that our focus has not wavered from strengthening Malay/Muslim families, especially during the economic downturn.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS The issues of such low-income families are complex and varied. This is why our key institutions in the community work closely with one another and collaborate with Government agencies as well as MMOs and VWOs as part of a whole-of-community approach. The CLF has been critical in mobilising this effort. Mendaki, as secretariat for CLF, provides strong foundation support for our CLF partners to serve the many needs of our families, enabling us to offer comprehensive and integrated programmes.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS For example, the CLF formed a working committee comprising practitioners and experts from MMOs to develop a core parenting skills manual and to deliver a core parenting skills workshop. The CLF also launched the Strengthening Families Series (SFS) in November last year as part of the Core Parenting Skills Programme aimed at enhancing family resilience. These modules help families to strengthen communication and bond among members and help establish a sense of ambition and aspiration for the family.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS In our efforts to assist such families, we also recognise the need to pay special attention to vulnerable groups like those who married as minors and also reconstituted families. Both Dr Fatimah Lateef and Assoc. Prof. Dr Mohammad Faishal had asked for an update and our efforts for these families.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, on 17th November 2008, the House had passed the amendment to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) to raise the legal age of marriage for Muslim couples from 16 to 18 years of age. From 1st March 2009, anyone who is below 18 and wants to get married is required to obtain a Special Marriage Licence (SML). Applicants are referred by the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) to our INSPIRASI hubs for premarital counselling and assessment of the couple's preparedness for marriage. Twenty-four out of 32 applications for these licenses were approved last year after review involving both the couple and their parents.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Run by PPIS-Jurong Family Service Centre and the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP), the INSPIRASI hubs are dedicated to provide intensive support to marriages involving minor couples. In 2009, a total of 323 minor couples attended premarital counselling. And of these, 138 (43%) couples changed their minds about marrying. Even if they proceed with marriage, these couples will be supported in their first five years of married life under Club INSPIRASI, a structured programme for minor couples that provides mentoring support, development activities, and other skills that will help in a successful marriage.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad had asked about the Muslim Marriage Preparatory Course (MPC). This Course had undergone a major review and revamp in 2008. Now known as "Bersama Mu" or "With You", it places greater emphasis on topics such as couple communication and financial management. Feedback from couples, operators and the community has been positive. As an extension to "Bersama Mu", customised marriage enrichment programmes focusing on enhancing relationships within the family will be rolled out in the first quarter of 2010.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, with these upstream efforts, we have made good progress. There has been a steady decline in the number of Muslim minor marriages. The number of solemnisations involving minors dropped by 18% from 360 in 2008 to 295 in 2009. This was a drop of 45% since 2005. Divorces involving persons who had been minors at the point of marriage have also fallen by 4% from 452 in 2008 to 433 in 2009. Minor divorces have fallen by 32% when compared to the highest record in 2003 when there were 633 minor divorces. Hence, Sir, at the macro level, the leading indicators of potential dysfunctionalities such as divorce rates and minor marriages are all coming down steadily. As a community we must be proud of this achievement.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the Syariah Court also goes beyond its role towards a holistic approach of strengthening families. The Marriage Counselling Programme provided by the Court has helped to prevent the breakup of an average 871 marriages per year, which is about 52% of total Syariah Court cases every year.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Children are most hurt when parents divorce. And taking note of this, the Syariah Court has partnered with As-Salaam Family Support Centre to implement a customised programme for children whose parents are undergoing divorce. The programme helps children manage their anxiety. And children who are in need of further intervention are referred to relevant agencies for further support.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS In collaboration with the Family Development Network of the CLF and As-Salaam PPIS Family Support Centre, and with the strong support from MCYS, the interim centre of Vista Sakinah was set up last year to provide support to reconstituted families. The actual premises for the centre, targeted for completion in the third quarter of 2010, will offer counselling and family enrichment programmes and it aims to reach out to at least 450 step-families by end of 2011. We are focusing on step-families because our data shows that there is also problems within step-families. MCYS is also in the process of setting up a database as part of efforts to track data on reconstituted families on a longitudinal basis and this is expected to be completed by May 2010.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the community would be please to know that PPIS will be running a new Family Service Centre (FSC) in the Bedok-Chai Chee area to reach out and provide help to the families there. This new FSC is expected to commence operations in the second quarter of 2010 and is a welcome addition to our overall support system for our families. As noted by Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, a key initiative being piloted in FSCs is the Intensive Case Management framework which aims to provide a structured, intensive and family-centric approach to help dysfunctional families. These families will receive intensive casework support from dedicated social workers. PPIS-Jurong FSC is currently one of six FSCs involved in this pilot project. This Intensive Case Management framework will be evaluated after two years.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, new voluntary groups have also emerged to assist the vulnerable in our community. A case in point is Casa Raudha Women's Home, a newly set up voluntary welfare organisation with plans to run a crisis shelter for women with young children. Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad would be pleased to know that MCYS, is assisting Casa Raudha to establish the shelter. A site in the western part of Singapore has been identified which will co-locate Casa Raudha with the Gift of Love Home. The shelter is expected to commence operations in December 2010.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the term "Casa Raudha" also reflects the deep desire to project what was once a period of harmonious co-existence between Christians, Jews and Muslims about 13 centuries ago at the Iberian Peninsula. "Casa" is a Spanish word for home and "Raudha" refers to the heavens in Arabic. This fusion, Sir, reflects a tradition within Islam of accommodating local cultures into its mores and norms. It is the same desire which the late Sheik Tantawi of Al-Azhar carried with him all his life. He was principled in Islam and a keen advocate of the dialogue between civilisations. He encouraged peaceful and vibrant co-existence of the various faith communities. At the time when religion is being distorted by some quarters to justify and fan violence, it is, to the spirit of the Prophet, the tradition of peaceful Spain and the actions of contemporary scholars such as Tantawi that Muslims continue to look to as our guide on the journey to peaceful co-existence.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad also raised the idea of a campaign to showcase positive profiles of families who were able to overcome their dysfunctional factors. This is, indeed, a good suggestion. In fact, various Ministries and Government agencies have also positively profiled people and families who have become self-reliant in their public messaging efforts. An example, of course, is the Yellow Ribbon Project by MHA.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the economic downturn last year tested the community's resilience and our ability to come together to help one another. Like the rest of Singapore society, the Malay/Muslim community has responded well to this crisis. However, Sir, some vulnerable families were adversely affected by the recession and they needed extra help.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Mdm Halimah Yacob asked about our efforts to help families affected by the economic downturn. Sir, I am glad to say that there was an increase of $1.3 million in the Zakat collection in 2009 to $21.3 million. Out of this, a total of $5.7 million went towards helping the poor and the needy. This is an increase of $1.1 million compared to 2008. This means, Sir, that the community has continued to give and help those in need even during difficult times. One hundred and seventy-two out of 210 families under MUIS' Zakat Empowerment Partnership Scheme (EPS) were empowered and no longer need assistance.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, we have also helped our workers to become re-employed. MENDAKI's Job Ready and Job Steady programme reached out to many retrenched workers, including professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs), to enhance their chances of securing employment or to remain employable. Over 10,000 workers received re-training and 5,000 workers were assisted in re-employment. A new centre was also set up by MENDAKI SENSE in Woodlands in July 2009 to provide training to those affected by retrenchment.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS 12.30 pm
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS Sir, the education of our children must remain our top priority. Therefore, we focused on providing continued education assistance. Over the past year, MENDAKI's Education Trust Fund (ETF) has disbursed $800,000 to 3,780 pre-school, primary and secondary students. This is an increase of $220,000 over the previous year. The disbursement of these funds is pegged to the families' attendance at Programme "Bijak Belanja", which empowers families to be more financially savvy.
BUDGET - HEAD I - MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS MENDAKI has also provided fee waivers and tuition subsidies amounting to $380,000 to more than 2,000 students. Sir, we intend to continue to expand the scope of the ETF and our education programmes. This year, Sir, the ETF aims to assist at least 1,200 ITE students. In addition to financial aid, a pilot-run programme will identify 60 students to be provided with academic coaching and peer guidance under the "Academic and Lifeskills Coaching Programme". MENDAKI will also continue to expand the reach and scope of its educational programmes including the Tiga M programme and the "Success in PSLE Mathematics" workshop. Sir, let me now turn to our religious institutions – both our mosques and madrasahs. The challenge is for our religious education to remain up-to-date and relevant to the needs of the community within a changing global landscape. Both Mr Zainudin Nordin and Dr Ahmad Mohd Magad asked about our plans to further develop our Asatizah or our religious people and improve the Madrasah system. MUIS has invested $2.5 million over the last two years to provide fully-sponsored training for all Madrasah teachers and staff including those not in the Joint Madrasah System (JMS). As a result, 75% of 248 Madrasah teachers have obtained teaching qualifications through MUIS funding. Another group of 30 teachers is expected to begin their training this year. All Madrasah teachers are expected to obtain teaching qualifications by 2011.