Committee of Supply – Head X (Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth)

The Chairman: Head X, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.

A Strong, Caring and Inclusive Singapore

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir): Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100."

Sir, MCCY shoulders the heavy responsibility of safeguarding the social compact that we have assiduously built in Singapore over the years – the unwavering belief and determination to work together to build towards a collective future regardless of race, language, culture or religion.

This social compact among Singaporeans forms the bedrock that has enabled us to overcome many challenges faced in nation-building over the years. Our unity and strength in diversity is a unique part of our social fabric that is vital to the survival and progress of Singapore.

Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic crisis brought out the very best of our Singapore community. We have seen the bravery and sacrifices of our frontline teams and heard of anecdotal stories of neighbours and friends within communities caring for and reaching out to one another in these challenging times.

But, Sir, on the other hand, as a result of the pandemic, we have also observed the polarisation of some societies along the lines of socio-economic status, race and nationality. Despite our strong social compact, Singapore has not been spared.

We have seen racist incidents, vocal discussions on the treatment of low-wage workers and attitudes towards foreigners. Some of the incidents gained widespread publicity, amplified through social media and other online platforms. Such issues are highly emotive in nature and can easily serve to divide us, if not carefully managed. It is a timely reminder that we cannot take social harmony in Singapore for granted.

Sir, I do believe, however, that the current discourse over race and religion as well as foreigners and jobs, can be useful if discussed in a constructive and respectful manner. It can also prompt a deeper reflection about our values and what it means to be Singaporean.

We must, however, exercise ample deliberation in managing the discourse. We must remember that we did not build the social compact we have where we enjoy racial and religious harmony overnight and it, certainly, did not happen by chance. It took generations of effort, understanding, compromise and reaching out to grow the common spaces we share in order to attain what we have. It is a precious commodity that we must not freely give up.

Sir, as we move towards the future, we can expect these issues to continue to be discussed. In the TODAY Youth Survey published in November last year, it is clear that our youths are progressively seized with and are inclined to speak their minds on issues such as race and religion.

Our demographic is also slowly moving in a different direction. Over the past 10 years, approximately one in five marriages has been between couples with different ethnicity and/or race. With this trend, it will mean that there will be a whole segment of the next generation of Singaporeans born of these marriages who will also join in the discussions of race and religion but from a wholly different perspective.

We are, therefore, likely to grow into a more diverse society in the future. And while that will mean that more voices will need to be heard, it will, hopefully, make us a more robust, culturally richer and enduring society.

I, therefore, invite the Minister to share MCCY's strategies to ensure that Singapore remains a caring and inclusive society where we care for one another, where everyone's voices are heard and where our shared beliefs unite and drive us as a nation in the years to come.

Question proposed.

The Chairman: Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin. You can take your three cuts together.

Project DIAN@M³

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Chairman.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Since the M³ network was established some years ago, we are now in a better position to understand how our outreach efforts can be coordinated to enhance our community. Organisations and agencies have adopted a collaborative attitude to achieve better outcomes for the people. However, there are still residents in rental units facing multigenerational issues, and this hinders their aspirations to achieve a better life.

Last year, the Government launched Project DIAN@M³ in Geylang Serai, Bedok and Jalan Besar.

What are the best practices learnt in terms of volunteer engagement and data sharing that have led to better collaboration among agencies in helping families living in rental units? How can we coordinate and work more closely with Malay/Muslim organisations that are actively helping the residents in order to avoid duplication of efforts? What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) for Project DIAN@M³ in reaching out to our community over the next decade?

FITRAH – Supporting Families of Offenders

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In Cheng San-Seletar, my team of volunteers run a research project to better understand the needs of families which have an incarcerated family member. More often than not, these offenders are the sole breadwinner, like the father, husband or son.

Incarceration is something that can impact the institution of family. Although the offender was the one being incarcerated, his family members are also affected. Usually, the assistance or support given to the offender's family only comes at the beginning or the end of the offender's sentence.

If we look at it, usually at the beginning of the offender's sentence, the offender's family may not feel desperate for daily needs. However, as time goes by, the offenders' families may feel trapped and depressed. If we are not careful, other family members can be affected, too. Efforts, such as reintegration support for offenders and families should be stepped up. I would like to ask how many families have been helped by FITRAH.

Can FITRAH monitor and identify any multigenerational problems in the family, and how does FITRAH help those families? Are there plans to coordinate efforts and assistance for the family, not only at the beginning or the end of the prison sentence, but also for the entire incarceration period, so that the families of the offenders are not neglected? More families are facing complex issues such as mental health and teenage pregnancies, and there is a need for FITRAH to mobilise volunteers to help these families. So, how can the FITRAH structure be strengthened for the long term so that this effort can continue?

1.30 pm

Encouraging Young Talent

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] When I was given the opportunity to serve in MENDAKI's Committee on The Future Economy, we surveyed our students to understand how we can support their aspirations and ensure that they have a place and role in the future economy. When asked where they received career advice, students from madrasahs and secular schools shared that they usually asked their parents and relatives, although schools now have education and career counsellors.

While family advice is important, our young people in this generation are growing up in a different era and economy where job and education opportunities are very much different, compared to 20 years ago.

I would like to ask whether the Government employs a strategic approach to support the students' capability and development and increase opportunities for them to obtain scholarships to enhance their skills in new growth areas. Apart from preparing students with skills even while they are still school, how can MENDAKI work with companies and industries to support the transition to new growth areas?

The Chairman: Ms Mariam Jaafar. You can take both cuts together.

M³ Mentoring

Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Boosting social mobility and uplifting the success of our community do not come from policy changes alone. It requires a lot of hard work to build a supportive culture – providing access to networks, advisors or mentors and peer support to help our young people make the right choices in life. We must have that in our community.

Can the Government give an update on the M³ youth mentoring programmes and the value derived from these programmes in the eyes of the mentees? What is the demand for these mentoring programmes and how much of the demand is being fulfilled? How quickly can the programmes be extended to ITE and Polytechnic students?

Supporting Malay/Muslim Non-homeowners

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The number of Malay families living in rental housing cited in the latest population survey is something that has been noted. At the same time, we know that many families in public rental flats aspire to become homeowners.

Can M³ provide an update on the KPIs for Project DIAN@M³, what has been achieved to date and how the Government can also extend more support to other vulnerable families which do not own a home, but do not reside in rental flats, for example, renting a room/unit in the open market, staying temporarily with friends or family, or are homeless?

1.45 pm

Progress of Malay/Muslim Community

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, over the past decade, the Malay/Muslim community has achieved much progress in both secular and religious fields. We should be proud that the Malay community, through its awareness, determination, drive, effort and hard work, has managed to excel. During this period, we have seen many more young Malay/Muslims excelling in higher education.

However, to achieve further success, we have to look at the gaps and challenges before us and try to find solutions for each one. The Malay community is known for its "gotong royong" spirit. They are good at uniting their efforts. Nonetheless, as the world is changing rapidly, we also need to learn from others to gain new knowledge and skills to overcome the current challenges. As the Malay proverb goes, whenever it floods, the shoreline changes shape, that is, when a major change takes place, everything else will change, too. So, while many people may be happy to just swim in a small pond, the Malay community now aspires to swim in the ocean. However, there is also another proverb cautioning us that if our fishing line is short, do not test the ocean, that is, if we do not have the capacity, do not attempt something beyond our capabilities.

A rapidly changing world has impacted on our stability and traditional sources of income. Careers that used to provide stable employment are now facing challenges and becoming scarce. These careers have been replaced by new forms of jobs that change quickly and this requires us to be nimble and adaptable to ensure a stable income. Our workforce is challenged by stiff competition from foreign workers flooding into our country, hungry for job opportunities that are increasingly becoming scarce in their own countries.

Mr Chairman, in terms of monthly income, the Malay community is lagging behind. The 2020 Population Census showed that the average monthly household income from work was $6,851 in 2020 and the median level was $5,704 which is the lowest, compared to the Chinese, Indian and other communities, and, furthermore, 37.1% of Malays are living in 3-room, 2-room and 1-room flats.

Sir, although I would like to touch on a number of things in this speech, due to time constraints, I will focus on one basic and important aspect in achieving progress and development in any society, which is education.

Organisations tasked to address this challenge must ensure that they have made appropriate and sufficient preparations. Hence, improvements must take a two-pronged approach. First, by identifying jobs that will provide the most opportunities for our community right now and in the future. Second, by identifying the community's inclinations and strengths, so that any necessary preparations and adaptations can take place now in order to prepare us for a work environment that has changed and will change in the future.

All this will certainly influence the focus of our education in the future. A focus on education that prepares our children in navigating future challenges must be emphasised. Forward-thinking education should be the basis of their curriculum and any exposure that they have to undergo should be future-realistic.

We also need to find new ways to help Malay students excel in innovation and creativity, in Islamic finance which is being increasingly accepted in the global market including fintech, pharmaceuticals, robotics with its sophisticated use of nanotechnology and green technology, which are the bases of the new and future economy.

For these new fields, we also need the expertise of religious scholars to enlighten the community on matters that require our involvement. As such, I would like to ask the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs the following questions.

Firstly, what are the Government's plans to enable more young Malays to enter these new fields by 2025? I hope that the Minister and MENDAKI will share these plans, so that the Malay community knows the direction they need to take in this rapidly-changing world.

I would also like to ask what are MUIS' plans to equip our asatizahs with the knowledge and expertise in the areas of fintech, pharmaceuticals, robotics and green technology? The community needs to know if there are any asatizahs in leadership who are knowledgeable in these fields and, at the same time, able to delve deeper into Islamic jurisprudence and syariah issues. I would also like to know how the Malay community can learn from the current asatizahs who are experts on these issues.

Mr Chairman, our young Malays are increasingly getting excellent results in the "O" and "A" Level examinations, as well as in their studies at the local Universities. These include madrasah students who obtained distinctions despite being burdened with a much higher number of subjects compared to their peers in secular schools. This shows that there are young Malays with huge potential who need to be given the full attention, assistance and support.

Besides the increase in the number of Malay students in local Universities, there is also a growing number of young Malays who are furthering their studies at the Bachelor's degree or postgraduate level in foreign universities. In future, with the world changing rapidly and new fields of knowledge being created, there will be more Malay students who may want to gain knowledge and experience in institutions of higher learning overseas. I hope MENDAKI can enhance its overseas study loan scheme in terms of the loan quantum and also by including many more new fields. This is to ensure that our Malay students' ambitions and aspirations are not hindered due to financial matters.

In this regard, I have some questions for the Minister. Over the past 10 years, firstly, how many Malay students have received assistance through the overseas Study Loan Scheme provided by MENDAKI every year? Second, how many of these students who received assistance had their loan scheme converted into scholarships due to their excellent results? Third, what is the average loan amount given out by MENDAKI every year? Fourth, how many postgraduate students did MENDAKI assist over the last 10 years so that they can take their Master's and PhD in overseas universities? And, finally, what is the average loan amount channelled to overseas graduate students every year?

Going forward, the Malay community would like to know clearly whether there is a masterplan by MENDAKI to propel the Malay community forward, in line with the demands of IR 4.0.

Sir, at the beginning of my speech, I spoke about achieving progress in both religious and secular fields. I shared my views on how we can further strengthen efforts to continue our progress by expanding educational fields and knowledge to keep up with the changing times. Before I end my speech, I would like to touch on current developments that we must pay attention to, especially by Muslims in Singapore.

Sir, the Muslim community's progress does not depend solely on the development and improvements in education. It also depends on efforts to do good and, at the same time, endeavours to help Muslims follow Islamic values more closely.

Last January, the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) issued a statement via social media platforms Facebook and Instagram that they will form a task force on the issue of LGBT, or Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders in Singapore. Some of the plans made by PERGAS include a dialogue with members of the LGBT community who are Muslims, and efforts to help and guide Muslims in Singapore in facing and addressing the LGBT issue together.

Sir, in this regard, I would like to state that I am fully appreciative of this effort by PERGAS, and I will certainly support any effort that takes a positive and enlightened approach in discussing and navigating the LGBT issue.

The Chairman: Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, please take your two cuts together, please.

Support for Young Families

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, in last year's Committee of Supply debates, I asked about the KelasMateMatika, or KMM, programme and I was pleased that KMM had successfully prepared students for primary school.

I am also excited about the School Readiness Class (KSS) programme announced last year. KMM and KSS are effective because they are not only meant for our children, but their parents as well.

A KMM participant in Chua Chu Kang told me that the programme gives her confidence when teaching Mathematics to her child.

This is encouraging because many parents participating in the programme come from low-income families and may not be highly educated.

What is the latest update on the achievements of the KSS and KMM programmes and to what extent has the ECDA-led KidStart programme been able to complement the KSS and KMM programmes for Malay/Muslim families?

Educational assistance is not just for children, but also for parents in their lifelong learning. So, what are the efforts to improve lifelong learning for young couples and workers in our community?

Wakaf and Estate Planning

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Singapore Community Wakaf (WMS) was announced in 2020 to generate a sustainable income to support the long-term needs of our community which includes religious institutions, asatizah development and community programmes. An Advisory Panel has been set up to review the necessary steps for the wakaf.

In March last year, following my Parliamentary Question on WMS, we were informed that the Advisory Panel has submitted its recommendations and Minister Masagos Zulkifli also explained that, apart from the submitted recommendations, the Government also needs to study various other aspects to refine the general approach on wakaf. And this includes considering proposed amendments to existing laws.

The last wakaf was made more than 40 years ago – in 1978.

Here, I agree that we need to restore the spirit and culture of endowing property for the benefit of society and nation, as those before us had done in the past, which helped established many of our religious institutions and welfare bodies through wakaf.

To achieve this objective, I had proposed in my previous Parliamentary speech that we need to establish a holistic ecosystem, including a more comprehensive dispute resolution framework and a public awareness campaign, on estate planning. Our community needs to be prepared for a rainy day. I hope WMS can trigger a positive change in our community.

Therefore, can the Minister provide an update on the establishment of WMS and its plans, moving forward, to further encourage the practice of wakaf in Singapore?

Can the Government also consider setting up a dedicated department in the Syariah Court or MUIS to hear any disputes related to the issue of Muslim inheritance, including wakaf?

The Chairman: Dr Shahira Abdullah. You may take your three cuts together.

Wakaf Management

Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Wakaf is a voluntary charitable endowment made in the form of cash or property. It is made by Muslims for religious purposes and allows the perpetual use of the asset for charity. It is an important source of funds to supplement how the community can fulfil and support its community and religious needs.

Recently, a descendent of Haji Pitchay Meerah Hussain claimed mismanagement of his grandfather's wakaf land. MUIS later explained that wakif's wishes are being respected, and that the broader intention has been fulfilled.

As such, I would also like to know what MUIS' efforts are in educating the public regarding wakaf and whether input is being sought from the community on how the wakaf assets are being used. This is because I believe that, by doing so, it would put the Muslim community's mind at ease and may encourage the community to contribute further to the fund. Likewise, may I know what are MUIS' plans to grow and invest the fund?

Would the Minister also consider introducing a similar concept for the rest of society to consider endowing their assets to charitable perpetual uses?

Malay/Muslim Organisations

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] It can be difficult for families in need to navigate the social support systems to get timely and holistic help or to gain access to national initiatives that may benefit them. Malay/Muslim Organisations can also play a part in helping to complement and support these initiatives. For example, MENDAKI had loaned out laptops to students who were awaiting approval for new ones under the NEU-PC Plus Programme when students had to suddenly pivot to home-based learning (HBL).

The Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud (LBKM), which has many institutional MMO members, could also galvanise community efforts in relation to education upliftment.

Likewise, the Malay Heritage Foundation has championed cultural heritage and preservation and engaged in active dialogue to recognise some of Singapore's cultural stalwarts, like the late Mr Sarkasi Said.

How can the Malay/Muslim organisations synergise, support and complement other national initiatives?

Career Pathways for Asatizahs

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] On 24 February 2020, the Committee of Future Asatizah (COFA) released its recommendations to help asatizahs take their place as leaders and professionals, able to contexualise their religious knowledge to tackle issues and guiding the Muslim community here.

One of the programmes introduced was RLTD. May I ask what the programme is doing to groom the asatizahs to fill the different leadership positions not just in religious institutions but in the adjacent sectors as well? The religious knowledge asatizahs have is important in providing expertise and guidance in non-religious sectors as well, benefiting not just the Muslim community but the wider community, too.

I would also like to know the progress into the common salary guidelines in religious institutions. I hope, with the important, sincere work that they do, they are renumerated appropriately to attract as well as to retain talent.

How are the salaries benchmarked against relevant sectors and what is the pay progression like as they upskill and upgrade? At the same time, how are we galvanising the community to support this pay progression as well?

Lastly, the COVID-19 pandemic saw the need for our religious teachers to quickly pivot and adapt to ensure that religious classes and programmes could still be carried out to benefit the Muslim community. I would like to commend them for their efforts. It also raises the issue that, in addition to the continual need to upgrade religious knowledge, non-typical skills upgrading is also needed to keep up with changes that happen in society. May I know the updates and how ARS is doing this on their CPE platform to better address and respond to these changing needs?

Update on International Conference on Communities of Success

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In a discourse written by Mufti Dr Naziruddin Nasir, which was published by Berita Harian last year, he wrote about the early days of the COVID-19 crisis, when we grappled with confusion and uncertainty on how to balance religious obligations and public safety. However, our religious and community leaders did not let the confusion hamper us and proceeded to guide the Muslim community in Singapore. Indeed, contemporary issues bring new challenges. As a minority Muslim community, we often face unique and multiple challenges to thrive in a non-Muslim majority society.

The International Conference on Communities of Success (ICCOS), which is being planned, is a meaningful platform for the minority Muslim community in Singapore to learn about the efforts of other communities in navigating contemporary issues. MUIS organised two pre-conference sessions last year. We must ensure that ICCOS can benefit the Singapore Muslim community and help other efforts in the religious sector. Can MUIS give details of the key objectives and expected outcomes from ICCOS?

Malay/Muslim Students in Secular Schools and Madrasahs

Mr Abdul Samad (Nominated Member): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, I am very heartened that many in our community have progressed and excelled in education over the past years, whether via the secular or madrasah route. On this point, has there been a study on this success journey and how can we continue this success rate? Not forgetting the success rate, how can we put plans to improve those who may have missed out?

I would like to ask the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs if he could share the progress rate of our community in education over the past decade or past five years and how many people within our community have graduated from ITEs, polytechnics and universities? Does the Government also monitor how many from this cohort of ITE and diploma holders have progressed and attained a degree or higher? What are the sectors that have the least participation from our community and how do we, as a community, raise interest in those sectors so that we can seize the available opportunities?

Another group that is of concern to me is the madrasah cohort. How do we track the number of students that have graduated from religious universities across different parts of the Middle East? How has this group of graduates integrated with our multi-racial society? Could the Minister also share how does the salary package for our religious teachers or scholars compare with those teaching in secular schools? How are they benchmarked and how often are they being reviewed for their compensation?

I always believe that our asatizahs have to be paid competitively, or even higher, in view of the knowledge they impart and the guidance they provide to our community for this world and the hereafter. I call on all my fellow Muslims to come forward and contribute, if a fund is needed to further develop and enhance the performance of our asatizahs and religious scholars. I believe that our religious teachers always have a strong aspiration to be intellectuals and scholars who that are able to innovate and shape policies in our multiracial and multi-cultural society based on Islamic principles that respect each different faith, value and culture.

2.00 pm

The Chairman: Dr Wan Rizal, take your two cuts, please.

Nurturing Asatizah Talent

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our religious teachers play an important role in guiding and shaping our community with the skillsets, character and citizenship so that we become a Community of Success. This exists because we have an efficient madrasah education system. I am grateful and proud that we can see progress in our students.

Over the last five years, the percentage of madrasah students pursuing secondary school education has increased. More than 98% of madrasah students who took PSLE in 2021 qualified for secondary school.

Recently, Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah students obtained excellent results in their IB diploma examination. The best student achieved a perfect score and all students who went through the programme have passed, with an average score higher than the global average. Congratulations to the Principal and teachers as well as the students on your success!

With the good performance of madrasah students in last year's examination, as well as in previous years, can the Minister share his plans to continue nurturing young talents in the religious sector to ensure that there is a pipeline of the next generation of religious leaders?

Developing Bodies of Religious Knowledge

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Muslim minority communities around the world are faced with various unique challenges that are different from the challenges faced by those living in the Muslim majority societies.

Actions and solutions to issues relevant to our society should be carefully resolved with an understanding of the context, especially in formulating knowledge, so as to help the minority Muslim community address new and complex challenges.

MUIS has organised two pre-conference seminars in 2021 ahead of the main event.

What are the main objectives and findings that we wish to achieve through the International Conference on Communities of Success (ICCOS) and how can ICCOS benefit the Muslim community of Singapore and complement other efforts in the religious sector?

Progress of MUIS' RLTD Programme

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, during his annual Hari Raya get-together last year, Minister Masagos Zulkifli stressed the importance of our asatizahs being well-equipped to provide sound and relevant religious guidance for the community, especially in these times of uncertainty. I echo Minister Masagos Zulkifli's sentiments and am heartened to note that efforts to nurture and develop competent and future-ready asatizahs here are underway. Such programmes includes MUIS' Asatizah Workforce Development Plan, which works to enhance career pathways and opportunities for asatizahs once they have entered the workforce, as well as the Religious Leadership and Talent Development Programme (RLTD), which seeks to develop Singapore's next generation of religious teachers.

Given the need to mould our asatizahs to face complex challenges, can the Minister expound on the effectiveness of the leadership programmes under the RLTD? How many asatizahs have benefited from these programmes? Has MUIS received any feedback on these programmes?

As we chart our way forward, our asatizahs will require additional support. Could the Minister, thus, also share his plans to improve the leadership potential and capabilities of asatizahs for pinnacle appointments?

Progress of MENDAKI's ITE Empowerment Programme

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As we navigate through this pandemic, our youths will require more support with strengthening their competencies for the future economy. The uncertainties brought forth by the pandemic would mean that we need to support our youths within and beyond the classroom. I am heartened to note that some programmes are already in place to assist your youths and the community, such as MENDAKI's Empowerment Programmes.

These programmes provide our youths with opportunities to acquire life skills, build confidence and connect students to opportunities to grow their potential. Both programmes entail competency workshops, team-bonding activities, sharing sessions and matching students to befrienders who will guide them in goal setting and motivate them to achieve their aspirations.

As such, can the Minister elaborate on the participation rate of the ITE Empowerment Programmes in previous years? Moreover, how effective has the existing programme been in empowering our youths to achieve their education and career aspirations?

Moving forward, our youths will need additional support due to the dynamic and ever-evolving job market.

Hence, it will have a greater role in tailoring existing mentorship approaches to meet our youths' needs.

Could the Minister elaborate on its future plans for the ITE Empowerment Programmes and whether it will be adjusted to meet the dynamic needs of our youths?

Investing in Early Education

Dr Wan Rizal: Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In the recent Budget debate, I supported the plan to expand the KidSTART and UPLIFT programmes to more children across Singapore.

It underlines the Government's strong commitment to address inequality as early as possible.

In Singapore, no one will be left behind especially our children. Early childhood education and good support will give them a strong foundation and a good start in their educational journey.

Since its inception, M³ agencies have been very supportive of all efforts to strengthen the family and education institutions.

As such, I would like to ask the Minister how M³ agencies and their volunteers can work more closely with the Government to ensure that children in rental housing get early help, so that they are not left behind when they enter primary school.

The Chairman: Mr Sharael Taha.

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Chairman, permission to take both my cuts together, please.

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Mentoring

Mr Sharael Taha: (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, volunteers at M³@Pasir Ris-Punggol have made considerable efforts in bringing digital skills to our community through events held at Pasir Ris East CC.

At our M³ Goes Digital event, students learnt to assemble a jet engine using augmented reality (AR) and how to use 3D printers.

Parents also found out more about safe digital practices while seniors learnt to use digital tools from our volunteers.

We also held our inaugural 3D Makers Workshop where mentors, such as young engineers Mr Sufi Abdullah and Mr Amir Zakaria; Mdm Azizah Sapari, a technical consultant with SMRT; and Mr Ibnur Rasad, an entrepreneur and Industry 4.0 trainer, guided students on the use of computer aided design and 3D printing to create holders for their finger helicopters.

This workshop saw student participation from across our Malay/Muslim community and one of the winners of the challenge was a team from Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah.

We must provide opportunities for our youths to acquire the skills required in growth industries, so that they can aspire and gain the confidence to pursue careers in new industries.

What can MENDAKI do to provide platforms for our youths who wish to pursue a career in these growth industries?

Youths also benefit from a mentor as someone who they can turn to for advice. Having a support system can inspire and motivate youths.

Can MENDAKI provide an update on the progress of our youth mentoring programmes?

How can we work with Malay/Muslim professionals and industry partners who can help our youths better plan for their future careers?

Employability of Mature Workers

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, we have seen immense changes to the economy these past two years. The global economy has grown more competitive. New technologies are disrupting the market. Digitalisation is at the core of many businesses. Concern for environmental sustainability has become a key consideration for many industries. Employment opportunities continuously evolve and work from home or other flexible work arrangements are becoming the norm in some industries.

In December 2021, MOM reported that manpower demand in growth sectors pushed job vacancies to an all-time high of 98,700 in September 2021.

MENDAKI has conducted several career fairs to help job seekers upskill and find employment in new and growth industries. How do we increase the employability of our workforce and provide platforms for our community to explore new opportunities?

How can MENDAKI streamline its efforts with national agencies and corporate partners to ensure that our Malay/Muslim community is future-ready and poised to benefit from new employment opportunities?

How can MENDAKI encourage mid-career workers to move to growth industries and take part in programmes such as the SkillsFuture Career Transition Programme, TeSA (Tech Skills Accelerator Programme) or SGUnited Mid-Career Pathways Programme?

Finally, how can we encourage back-to-work mothers and those with care-giving responsibilities to explore employment opportunities in the new, more flexible employment market?

Build Future-ready Competent Malay/Muslim Workforce

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, our community has many achievements, but we only have about 6% Malay workers in the PMET categories. This category usually gets a better salary. Statistics also show that a large number of Malay/Muslim women who are married or had married previously are not economically active and are an untapped labour group. We also have a shortage of Malay workers in certain sectors such as tech financing, green financing, banking, as well as in the developing sectors.

So, our goal must not only be to get more people within our community into permanent jobs and to ensure that they can be upskilled to get better jobs with higher wages and job security, but to work in the developing sectors in future.

Various initiatives are already underway to build a competent and future-ready workforce among the Malay/Muslim community.

One example is the agreement which was signed by NTUC and Yayasan MENDAKI on 24 February 2022. Another example is M³, which leads many initiatives, including organising career fairs and providing training and career advice.

What is the Government's thinking on streamlining our efforts to build a competent, future-ready workforce in the Malay/Muslim community? Are there specific detailed efforts to reallocate and concentrate more Malay/Muslim talent, both young and mature, in emerging growth sectors, such as through permanent internship opportunities and sectoral level scholarships with various corporations? We must have sectoral focus and have a deeper collaboration with the private sector.

2.15 pm

(In English): We will also need to focus on cultivating a culture of learning and upskilling within the Malay/Muslim community. While the take-up rate is increasing, only 8.4% of Malay workers had utilised the SkillsFuture Credit scheme between 2015 and 2020.

I have a few suggestions on that front.

First, we can tie up career sharing programmes with other initiatives. I recently had the opportunity to visit a clinic where Lawyers@M³ executed Lasting Power of Attorney for my residents. We could perhaps wrap in a sharing on mid-career switch to lawyering, which can reach the applicants, as well as their children who accompanied them.

Second, we can encourage our Malay/Muslim workers, especially the younger ones, to be adaptable and to try new things. Our workers should be encouraged to venture abroad, through overseas secondments and training opportunities.

Third, we can facilitate interaction and cross-pollination of ideas between the Malay/Muslim workforce and the rest of the workforce, among Chinese, Indian and Malay Chambers and with corporates. There are areas where the community has subject matter expertise, for example, Islamic finance, which some of my Chinese and European colleagues are also interested to learn more. By teaching, one can reinforce his or her understanding and expertise in a particular area as well.

No matter the specific initiatives we implement, we ought to have a coordinated approach to help our Malay/Muslim workers develop into a competent, future-ready workforce.

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Chairman, I would like to thank the Members for their cuts. My speech in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] When Singapore became independent in 1965, many had thought that we would not survive. But we were not deterred. To ensure our survival, the Government's priority was to ensure access to affordable education, housing and healthcare. This became the bedrock for us to build strong families and caring communities.

Even after more than five decades, our Singapore story continues to centre around a shared vision of a society that provides opportunities for all, regardless of race, language or religion. We were united and worked as one to uplift the lives of Singaporeans, including our Malay/Muslim community.

The Census of Population 2020 has shown significant progress in education and household income for the Malay community when compared with 10 years ago. More Malay workers were also employed in fast-growing sectors such as information and communications, as well as financial and insurance services. I am heartened by this as it reflects the good progress of our education and employment outcomes over the decades.

In the past few years, I have spoken about the three "C"s that make us a Community of Success – character, competence and citizenry. This year, I will focus on the development of our competencies, even as we build on our achievements to propel the community towards further success. This will be done through three key strategies.

Firstly, reinforcing the network of care through M³; second, partnering the community and industry in building a competent workforce; and third, shaping a competent religious sector.

While our economic progress has benefited many Singaporeans, it has also given rise to new challenges, particularly towards the vulnerable. Rising social inequality has become a common concern for many advanced economies. Such situations make it easy for new fault lines to emerge between different segments of society and threaten our social cohesion. In Singapore, we can avoid such a situation if we continue to ensure that social mobility remains alive.

Therefore, for the vulnerable segments of our community, the Government and the community must continue to work hand-in-hand to ensure that they are well supported through the different life milestones. For example, the Government has rolled out several initiatives, such as support measures for early childhood education, to better prepare our young for the future – this is the best way to ensure social mobility. For our community, these have been further amplified with community initiatives by the M³ agencies – namely, MUIS, MENDAKI and MESRA – as well as those undertaken by other Malay/Muslim organisations, to further amplify support for those in need. Minister Mohamad Maliki will share our plans on how M³ reinforces our network of care for our community and families, as we empower and engage this segment of our community to achieve their aspirations.

This year, Yayasan MENDAKI is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Some of us would have remembered then-Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's speech at the opening of the MENDAKI Congress at the Singapore Conference Hall in 1982, where he called for MENDAKI to raise the educational levels and thus the living standards of the community.

I am pleased that MENDAKI had applied his advice over the past 40 years. In working closely with its partners, MENDAKI had contributed to the very encouraging progress shown by the Malay/Muslim community.

Over the past four decades, the proportion of Malay University graduates had increased multifold – from only four graduates in 1980 to almost 110 graduates in 2020, for every 1,000 Malays.

Better education outcomes have also led to better career opportunities. The proportion of Malay PMETs has increased, from 7.2% in 1980 to 39% in 2020. This is more than five times! Congratulations!

But we cannot be satisfied now and end our journey here, especially when we are faced with stiffer global competition and even more rapid changes in technology. Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad will elaborate on MENDAKI's efforts to expand support beyond the classroom to offer more strategic programmes, in fulfilling the evolving needs of our community. These efforts stress the need to imbue a culture of lifelong learning in our community, especially through upskilling, so that we remain relevant in the new economy.

(In English): Chairman, as we speak of building relevant competencies for the new economy, we will also nurture future-ready asatizahs, our religious leaders, who are capable and confident in providing sound religious guidance in an ever-changing global landscape contextualised to Singapore's multi-religious, multiracial society. I will elaborate on MUIS' plans to shape a credible and resilient religious sector in the final speech of this segment.

The Chairman: Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman.

The Minister, Prime Minister's Office (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman): Mr Chairman, our community has done well. Over the last few decades, we have seen generations of Malay families do well and move up in life. At the same time, we still have some who still face challenges and need help as they progress.

The Census 2020 found that home ownership in the Malay community remained high at 85.6%. Yet, the proportion of Malay households in public rental flats has doubled in the last decade. Member of Parliament Faisal Manap raised this issue during the Budget debate recently, saying that the community has regressed and families in rental flats are living in cramped conditions. It is sad to hear how Mr Faisal Manap had portrayed the plight of these families.

First, the increase in number of households in rental flats is in tandem with the higher supply of 1- and 3-room public rental flats in the past decade provided by HDB. Second, the public rental households include young families who need temporary accommodation while they stabilise their income and savings. Another group are flat owners who were not able to purchase another flat after selling their previous flats for various reasons, including divorce. Prior to moving into their rental flats, many would be living with extended family members in a crowded environment, far less conducive than what they have now. For these families, public rental flats provide improved living conditions, as the much-needed shelter for them, as they work through their various socio-economic challenges and aspire to be home owners.

As a community, we are determined to uplift the vulnerable families, especially those with young children, to secure a brighter future. We set up Project DIAN@M³ last year to support families in our public rental flats to achieve greater social mobility. We will reinforce our network of care for the community through M³ in three ways.

First, upstream. We intend and we will invest early in our children's education, so that we can create a strong foundation for life for them.

Second, we will provide comprehensive support. We will empower families to achieve their aspirations to be home owners.

Third, we will galvanise resources. We will enhance community capabilities to strengthen support for families. Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, allow me to share some of the challenges that families staying in public rental flats face. Recently, I met Ahmad, not his real name, and his wife. They live in a 2-room public rental flat. Both are 26 years old and have three young children between two and six years old. Ahmad works as a food delivery driver. His wife is unemployed. The young family is faced with financial difficulty and other challenges. Both grew up without stable home environments nor guidance from other family members. Ahmad's parents and his elder siblings are divorced. They also reside in public rental flats. As for Ahmad's wife, her mother passed away when she was two years old, while her father was mostly absent. They have to raise three children at such a young age, without guidance from their elders.

The story of Ahmad's family reflects the situation faced by young families in rental flats. They are who we call, first-timer households – families who have neither purchased nor owned a flat but certainly have the potential to do so and do well in life. They feel overwhelmed by their circumstances as they lack the necessary skills and social support networks. We can strengthen the support network for these families and guide them to the resources and support available.

This group will be our focus. We will take an upstream approach to support them. First, we will help them stabilise and increase their incomes. Today, among first-timer households in rental flats with young children, more than 90% have either one or no breadwinner. About one-third are single-parent families while the rest are married couples. We will help them overcome whatever barriers they face, including supporting them to upgrade their skills through training and upskilling, as well as childcare issues.

Through this upstream approach, we will focus on their children. There are about 2,300 first-time Malay households living in rental flats with at least one child aged six and below. In total, there are about 3,800 Malay children aged six and below living in public rental flats whose parents are first timers. About 60% of them have at least one child aged three and younger.

The early years in a child's life are crucial in laying a strong foundation. This goes beyond preparing our young children academically, but also for them to develop well physically, mentally and socially. As the Malay saying goes, "bend the bamboo while it is still a shoot" – which means to mould a person while one is still young. In the past, most children attended school only at Primary 1 as preschool was not viewed seriously. In fact, it was called "sekolah makan" and many did not attend preschool. Today, around nine in 10 children in Singapore attend preschool by the age of four.

International research tells us that attending quality preschool early, from around age three, can boost children's confidence and social skills and help prepare them for school. So, we will endeavour to convince and urge these parents to send their children to preschool early, so that their children have at least three years of education before they enter Primary 1.

I share Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim's view that more families can benefit from KidSTART. KidSTART is a programme that empowers parents and caregivers to provide infant care and childcare. Through home visits by KIDSTART facilitators, they will also be given appropriate learning tools as well as opportunities to practise effective parent-child interaction techniques. KIDSTART facilitators will also guide them on the appropriate nutritional needs of their children and ways to stimulate their children's brain development to harness their growth potential. These parents will also be assisted in enrolling their children in preschool. Regular screening of the child's development and maternal well-being are also conducted from the antenatal stage to when the child is three years old, so that timely interventions can be introduced should issues arise.

Dr Wan Rizal asked about M³'s efforts to ensure that young children in public rental flats receive early intervention. Through Project DIAN@M³, our M³ volunteers will work closely with KidSTART to strengthen support for Malay families living in public rental flats with young children. We will start with the three blocks under the Project DIAN@M³ pilot. Our volunteers will work closely with KidSTART officers, visit them regularly, support their child's development and befriend these families. As I mentioned earlier, there are about 3,800 children today aged six and below from Malay families living in public rental flats. I know that many are concerned about the future of these children, and I urge them to step forward to volunteer with us. Your acts of service and compassion have the ability to change the future of these children.

For children entering the formal school environment, we also want to improve their performance. We will provide tools and resources through M³ programmes, such as the KelasMateMatika@CC (KMM) and KelasSiapSekolah (KSS), so that they can succeed in school.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked about the success of KMM and KSS. KMM has successfully engaged close to 1,700 parents and more than 1,800 children last year. In 2021, 83% of KMM participants came from low-income families. KMM has shown promising results. More than 80% of students who attended KMM felt that they are more prepared for Primary 1 and did not require further assistance through the Learning Support for Mathematics in their respective schools. The KSS has also enrolled 98% of the target of 100 students last year. Parents have also benefited from KSS, with 90% of them reporting that they will use the approaches shared to guide their children.

MENDAKI is also going upstream to strengthen support to children in Mathematics in the early primary school years, instead of at Primary 6 currently. For Primary 1 to Primary 3 children who have been identified as needing additional support, MENDAKI will bring coaches to their homes to provide one-on-one Mathematics lessons. This will mean a more intensive approach which will require more resources. We are prepared to allocate the necessary resources. The coaches will guide these children at their own pace of learning, recognising that each person has their own strengths. We are confident that the coaches' presence in the homes will inspire and empower the parents to be more involved in their children's education.

These upstream steps may be small but are crucial towards developing our children's competencies in their early years and building their confidence and resilience. In the long run, efforts in early childhood education will help achieve greater inter-generational mobility for these families.

Mr Chairman, Project DIAN@M³ also aims to help households in rental flats improve their incomes and work towards home ownership. This is their aspiration. And we want to help them make their dream a reality.

I am pleased to share with Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin and Ms Mariam Jaafar that since last December, Project DIAN@M³ has reached out to almost 65% of all Malay households in the three rental blocks during the first phase at M³@Bedok, M³@Geylang Serai and M³@Jalan Besar. We strengthen wrap-around support for families in rental flats by linking up these families with community and national programmes, including MSF's Community Link, MOE's UPLIFT and ECDA's KidSTART, to complement the Government's effort with an approach that aligns with the Malay community's culture and values. To facilitate this, we have formed the Project DIAN Steering Committee, comprising senior officers from the relevant Government and community agencies, to coordinate efforts among Government agencies and community partners.

For more efficient service delivery, we have formed an Operations Group at the local level in each of the three pilot blocks. This local Operations Group comprises officers from the same Government agencies and community partners as the Project DIAN Steering Committee. Through this group, we will further understand each family's circumstances and needs, and work together to provide comprehensive support for them.

We acknowledge the important role of volunteers in the journey with these families and in guiding them every step of the way – from supporting their children's early education, to equipping parents with skillsets to secure good jobs and stable incomes to buy their own flat. Over the past few years, volunteers from MESRA and the Malay Activity Executive Committees (MAECs) have expanded their roles beyond just organising cultural events. Today, they work together with volunteers from the mosques and professional groups to engage and conduct needs assessment of Malay households in public rental units using similar forms as the MSF's ComLink programme. This will streamline efforts and thus allows us to provide customised services that meet the unique needs of each family.

Ms Mariam Jaafar and Ms Nadia Admad Samdin also asked about the success indicators and long-term outcomes of Project DIAN@M³. Our aim is to strengthen the children's early childhood education to help them secure a brighter future, and for families to achieve stability, so that they can be self-reliant and eventually have social mobility. We will track each family's progress in meeting their goal to own their homes. We are confident that these efforts will pay off. But we all know that this process will take time.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked for an update on the Family and Inmates Throughcare Assistance Haven, or FITRAH programme. Since 2019, FITRAH has supported about 2,600 families and 530 offenders. Seventy-five percent of these supported offenders are male. Uplifting the vulnerable requires a whole-of-community effort. Therefore, I am happy to see many Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMOs) coming forward to support us in this effort, such as through FITRAH's MMO Alliance Network. I look forward to more MMOs partnering M³ to uplift our community.

(In English): Mr Chairman, without the support of the community, the reach and impact of our programmes in uplifting the vulnerable will be limited. Our volunteers play an important role in reaching out to families to understand their concerns, conducting needs assessment and befriending them. Many of our volunteers have displayed empathy, patience and resilience. I thank all our M³ volunteers, who have dedicated timeless support for the families. They have been tirelessly helping these families work and walk the journey to achieve their aspirations.

To expand our network of care, especially to the families with children aged six and below living in public rental flats, we need more volunteers to come forward to support us in this effort. We need volunteers who can inspire hope in families, engage them regularly over an extended period of time, thereby building rapport and trust with them. I encourage more from the community to step forward and contribute in whatever way they can. We will ensure that all M³ volunteers are equipped with the right knowledge and skillset to meaningfully engage families through the Volunteers Capability Building Framework. So far, more than 150 volunteers have attended our onboarding programme last year and about 120 volunteers have attended the basic house visit workshops.

Despite restrictions during COVID-19, our M³@Towns have done well serving the community. A total of 77 initiatives were conducted by 11 M³@Towns last year, benefiting more than 53,000 residents. Our M³@Towns also supported residents through ground-up initiatives, such as the "Jom Surf!" – "Jom", Melayu word for "Come" – which equips our seniors with digital literacy. With guidance from our young volunteers, seniors built their confidence in using technology by learning how to use WhatsApp, Singpass and TraceTogether app. I attended one of these sessions recently and was heartened to see the enthusiasm of both our young volunteers and our senior learners. We bridge the digital gap and the generational gap at the same time.

We will be organising another edition of the M³ Forum in the first half of next year after the last session in 2020, to bring together volunteers across various towns and programmes to network and share ideas and best practices.

Mr Chairman, we will continue our efforts to strengthen our programmes and outreach to targeted segments – our children, our families and the community – to build up their competencies and empower them to achieve their aspirations. This spirit of caring for one another binds us together and we will leave no one behind as we build our Community of Success. [Applause.]

2.45 pm

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad.

The Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Chairman, Singapore's progress is built upon a shared purpose and a sense of togetherness. The Malay/Muslim community aspires to be a Community of Success – to contribute to the growth of our nation and create opportunities to uplift our families and those around us.

Skilling, reskilling and upskilling are vital to succeed in the future, especially in this economy, as we look beyond COVID-19. The Government, in partnership with industry and the community, is ramping up its efforts to better position our Malay community for employment in growth sectors while inculcating lifelong learning into our DNA. We will focus on upstream support by strengthening mentoring and early career guidance for youths in schools. This year, we have several new initiatives for our students in the ITEs. We will also enhance scholarship opportunities and financial support to help students pursue their aspirations. For those who have entered the workforce, we will partner industries to provide upskilling and direct emplacement opportunities for workers, especially in growth sectors.

Mr Chairman, each child deserves an opportunity in life to actualise their potential. However, there may be times when they face challenges which weigh heavy on them, causing some to lose motivation and hope. Thus, having a support system is critical to motivate them to stay resilient and keep on the right path to fulfil their aspirations as well as their potential.

This is why MENDAKI is investing and strengthening its mentoring programmes. We believe that our youths can benefit from a mentor outside the classroom – a role model whom they can turn to for advice, look up to and learn from to realise their aspirations. At the same time, we want to provide opportunities for those who have succeeded to give back to the community.

Ms Mariam Jaafar and Mr Sharael Taha asked for an update on MENDAKI's mentoring programmes. I am happy to report that, as of last year, the M³ Youth Mentoring Office (YMO) has matched over 1,000 mentors to more than 4,000 mentees across various mentoring programmes. The YMO will continue to expand the mentoring ecosystem and will be engaging a further 600 mentors and 2,000 mentees this year.

We are also glad to share that 10 community partners from the Community Leaders Forum (CLF), including the Majulah Community, Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM), AMP Singapore and Singapore Tenkasi, have come on board to conduct mentoring programmes for their own beneficiaries.

With the YMO, we are now making mentoring more accessible for all. I call on more from the community to step forward as mentors to help our youths thrive as successful adults.

To address Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin's query, mentoring programmes from MENDAKI and M³ Focus Area 3 partners are open to all Malay/Muslim students, including madrasah students. In fact, these programmes aim to expand the social circle and promote bonding among students from the various backgrounds. We have been taking this inclusive approach for other MENDAKI programmes, too, such as the Future Ready initiatives and career programmes, which are designed to prepare our youths for meaningful careers, no matter their background.

Mr Abdul Samad asked about the students in our Institutes of Higher Learning. In 2021, there were 5,000 Malay graduates from ITE, 3,200 from the Polytechnics and 800 from the Autonomous Universities (AUs). On average, about 30 Malay graduates from each ITE cohort progressed to the Autonomous Universities. You can imagine the pathways and I think it is quite commendable.

According to the latest Graduate Employment Survey, among economically-active Malay graduates, about nine in 10 graduates from the Autonomous Universities and Polytechnics, and eight in 10 graduates from ITE were employed within six months of graduation. Their employment outcomes are broadly comparable to their peers from other ethnic groups.

Chairman, this year, we will provide more support for our youths in ITE to complement the Government's efforts to enhance applied education in Singapore. Piloted in 2019, MENDAKI’s Empowerment Programme at ITE seeks to build support systems and help students acquire life skills, develop confidence and grow their potential.

To Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman's question, the Empowerment Programme has benefited more than 2,000 mentees since its inception. Through the programme, MENDAKI has managed to enrol one in every five Malay/Muslim NITEC students in 2021. The programme has proven to be successful. Ninety-six percent of participants from the Empowerment Programme in 2021 remained in school and progressed to their second year.

One student who benefited from the ITE Empowerment Programme is Muhammad Roth Isaac from ITE College West. Isaac took on a part-time job to help his family of four after his father's income was affected by the pandemic. Even though Isaac is just a teenager, he had to deal with the pressure and responsibility of juggling school and supporting his family. Fortunately, he had a caring mentor, Mr Sandeep Krishna, who constantly checked on his well-being and helped him with his studies. Mr Sandeep currently works as a Network Engineer. Despite his heavy work commitment, he sets aside time for mentoring. Mr Sandeep recalls the challenges he faced as a student not too long ago and, hence, he believes in the value of guiding youths towards their potential. Mr Sandeep befriended Isaac and motivated him to remain in school. Isaac remained focused and managed to achieve a 3.7 GPA in his first year of NITEC. So, well done, Isaac, and thank you, Mr Sandeep! We need more like them.

We need to help more students like Isaac to do well – not only for themselves, but for their families and the community. The ITE Empowerment Programme will be refreshed to the #amPowered@ITE programme, which will retain key elements of its predecessor, but enhanced to include a tiered mentoring approach where mentees will be assigned to programmes based on their unique needs. This means tailoring the mentoring approach for each mentee to achieve specific objectives, depending on their circumstances. The #amPowered programme will also be progressively made available under the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS) and at our M³ Towns.

We agree with Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman and Mr Sharael Taha that our students can benefit from structured career guidance, especially to growth sectors, such as information and communications, financial and insurance services, and professional services. Growth sectors. Thus, to complement the mentoring programmes, MENDAKI will deploy Care Advisors at each of the YouthSpaces in the three ITE Colleges. Their role is to guide students on possible education pathways and connect them to skilling or emplacement opportunities. Care Advisors can also be found at MENDAKI's satellite centres to serve the Malay/Muslim community at large.

Mr Chairman, over the years, MENDAKI has provided bursaries, study loans and subsidies, so that financial circumstances do not impede our students from achieving success. Moving forward, MENDAKI will focus on providing targeted financial support for the developmental needs of our students and broaden the opportunities for them to build career aspirations.

Mr Faisal Manap may be pleased to note that MENDAKI has been actively growing its industry partnerships to provide scholarships for our students to position them into growth sectors. This year, I am pleased to announce the launch of the GIC-MENDAKI Scholarship.

Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, GIC, in collaboration with MENDAKI, will introduce a new undergraduate scholarship for Singaporean Malay students who are keen to pursue a career in the finance industry. The scholarship is in partnership with three local Universities – NUS, NTU and SMU – and will cover the undergraduate tuition fees for most degree programmes in these Universities. GIC will provide structured internships, job rotations, networking and mentorship for the scholarship recipients. So, they can expect an exciting and purposeful career with GIC upon their graduation.

The GIC-MENDAKI Scholarship is the latest effort by MENDAKI to collaborate with the industry to provide a springboard for our youths into careers in fast-growing industries. This follows other scholarships, such as the MENDAKI-MiRXES scholarship formed last year in Life and Biomedical Sciences, and the SIA-MENDAKI scholarship. These scholarships provide students with priority internship opportunities and secure employment upon their graduation. MENDAKI will continue to expand these opportunities and I urge all Malay/Muslim students to work hard and seize them.

The generosity of our corporate partners and community has enabled us to provide more support to deserving students. Since we set up the Education Trust Fund (ETF) in 2003, MENDAKI has disbursed over $30 million in financial assistance donated by the community to over 130,000 Muslim students.

Last year, over $1 million of ETF bursaries was established, including the ETF-Gafoor PropNex Bursary and Math Coaching Fund. On top of school necessities, this bursary would directly pay for students' development programmes in Mathematics. I hope this targeted approach will be the way forward for MENDAKI to better support the immediate needs of our students and their growth.

I have explained how we intend to prepare our youths for the future. So, let me now elaborate on our plans to provide more directed and targeted support to emplace our Malay/Muslim workers into growth industries. Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, I have explained how we intend to strengthen upstream mentoring and career guidance efforts to help our youths achieve their dreams.

MENDAKI will also enhance financial support and scholarship opportunities to help students pursue their aspirations to succeed. For those in the workforce, we will build up their competencies, so that they stay relevant for new and growing industries.

Last year, MENDAKI conducted 15 career fairs, participated by over 700 job seekers. Out of these, more than 300 workers were placed in jobs.

As part of MENDAKI's transformation efforts, we will expand our partnerships with national training agencies to emplace our Malay/Muslim workers in growth industries, such as in technology and the green economy. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Mr Sharael Taha also asked how these efforts will benefit our new job seekers and mid-career workers. Mr Saktiandi Supaat also gave a few suggestions which we will study further. Do allow me to explain the Government's approach in more detail.

MENDAKI will build on our partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) to promote capability development programmes to the community. We will augment national efforts by mobilising MENDAKI's Care Advisors at our five satellite centres. These Care Advisors will also be deployed at SSG career fairs held at the various M³@Towns. The aim is to increase awareness within the community about the activities and services offered by SSG, as well as share information on Future Ready programmes. The community can look out for our Care Advisors at the employment fairs, to get the necessary advice.

MENDAKI will also join forces with NTUC to help our Malay workers secure job placements in emerging and growth sectors. Besides offering various job development programmes, NTUC will link our workers to job opportunities and training at the workplace to enable them to reskill and upskill themselves into hiring industries.

The Government will continue our efforts to support Malay/Muslim workers to build up their competencies and enhance their employability. This includes strengthening the leadership core of our Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMO) through the Tunas Bersama M³ programme launched last year, and this will further enhance our collective efforts to ensure our community's continued progress. More details on the Tunas Bersama M³ programme will be shared in the near future.

(In English): Mr Chairman, the community has shown good progress in employment in the last 10 years and we aim to do even better in the years to come.

As MENDAKI celebrates its 40th anniversary, it remains invested in the community's success by looking at more strategic programmes to support our youths to pursue their aspirations and for our workers to strengthen their competencies in a dynamic workforce. Our growth has only been possible with the strong support of our community and our partners. So, let us all work together as one, keeping the community at the heart of what we are doing so that they, too, can do well for themselves and contribute back to society.

This continuous cycle of support would go a long way in strengthening the competencies of our Community of Success. [Applause.]

3.00 pm

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our asatizahs are well-regarded within the community for their important role. In fact, there had been prominent religious scholars in Singapore, such as Ustaz Syed Ahmad Semait, Ustaz Syed Abdillah al-Jufri and Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji. They have made significant contributions to the Islamic religious discourse in Singapore. The religious texts they produced are still being read and used as reference today. Many of my peers grew up with Ustaz Ahmad Sonhadji's foundation text – Mari Sembahyang, or "Let's Pray".

We are fortunate to have our own local madrasahs that ensure a steady pipeline of asatizah talents. They are also familiar with our way of life within Singapore's context. Since the curriculum review implemented over 20 years ago, madrasah students now are capable of pursuing either Islamic Studies at the higher education level or take up secular education.

Mr Abdul Samad asked about the retention rate of students in the madrasah system. Every year, the madrasahs collectively enrol about 380 students at Primary 1. Within each cohort, about 50 students leave to join the national schools, either within the six years of primary school education, or after the PSLE. Among those who remain, about half will pursue post-secondary education in secular institutions. Today, about one in every four students who started their education in the madrasah graduate from the religious track and become asatizahs. One in every four students. Based on the Asatizah Manpower Planning Study, this is almost sufficient. Indeed, we should be proud that our madrasah students have no problems switching to secular education. However, it should be emphasised that the main goal of madrasah education here is to produce new asatizahs who can guide the Singapore Muslim community and expand our asatizah sector, in addition to contributing to broader sectors should they wish to do so.

For students who eventually become asatizahs, they need to be able to provide sound religious advice. They need to understand the lived realities of the community here and be sensitive to the cultural nuances to guide the Muslim community in navigating new and complex challenges. In line with this year's focus on enhancing competencies within our community, we will support the asatizah sector to acquire impactful competencies. This will be done through three strategies.

First, we want to develop critical bodies of knowledge for the asatizahs, so that they can be exposed to broader perspectives and worldviews.

Second, we will enhance the career pathways for the religious sector, to ensure that this profession remains appealing and relevant.

Third, we want to mobilise community resources to sustain the development of our religious sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic has illustrated the need for our asatizahs to be prepared to address complex issues in a contemporary society and unprecedented global challenges. In addition to acquiring a deep knowledge of our religious traditions and having a strong character, our asatizahs must also possess the competency to contextualise religious teachings to Singapore. This requires them to form a strong connection with our multiracial society, in order to better understand our experience of living in a country full of diversity. This is especially so, because our experience as a Muslim-minority community is different from those of Muslim-majority societies.

Therefore, I agree with Dr Wan Rizal that we need to develop bodies of knowledge that can guide Muslim-minority communities living in multi-religious societies to navigate contemporary socio-religious issues more confidently, while enabling them to practise their faith with ease. On this front, we have rolled out several initiatives like the ISEAS-MUIS Masters Scholarship, the Research Programme in the Study of Muslim Communities of Success, as well as the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS).

Mr Abdul Samad asked about efforts to help returning Islamic Studies graduates contextualise their knowledge for the local community. This is the aim of the PCICS, which provides returning students with the framework to apply their knowledge to the local context. One of the graduates who benefited from the PCICS programme is Ustazah Sarah El Rani. She found the programme useful in deepening her understanding of Islamic traditions, such as the use of Maqasid Shariah in Islamic Jurisprudence to address new challenges faced by societies. This allowed her to better understand its application in the Singapore context, such as the adjustments made to religious practices as part of COVID-19 preventive measures.

To address Dr Shahira Abdullah's query on support given to returning Islamic Studies graduates, our key focus is to ensure that these graduates contribute back to the Muslim religious sector in Singapore. The PCICS equips them with the knowledge to provide progressive religious guidance, while exposing them to critical skills and competencies that can also be applied in relevant non-religious sectors.

MUIS will be organising the International Conference on Communities of Success (ICCOS) later this year. Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Dr Wan Rizal asked about the key objectives of this conference and how it will benefit the Singapore Muslim community. Building on the two pre-conference seminars held last year, the upcoming conference will bring together religious scholars to develop critical bodies of knowledge that can guide Muslim-minority communities in multicultural societies. With the theme "Contributing Citizens, Dynamic Institutions", it will focus on how enlightened and contextualised religious guidance, coupled with institutional support, can empower Muslims to live as dignified citizens and contribute to the nation's development. Delegates from various nations will be invited to share and learn from one another.

For students who have done well in the madrasahs, I hope more of you will go into the religious sector and see the asatizah profession not merely as an employment opportunity, but as a meaningful and attractive calling. This is my hope for students who have done well in the "A" Levels, the IB Diploma, as well as the Aliyah programmes. They are excellent candidates for the next generation of our future asatizahs. We will continue to support these students in their education, including providing prestigious scholarships for the talented ones to further their studies. This is how we can ensure strong leadership renewal in our religious institutions.

For those that show potential, MUIS offers the Religious Leadership and Talent Development Programme, or RLTD. Presently, around 120 asatizahs have benefited from the various initiatives within this programme. It provides participants opportunities to have fireside chats with community and religious figures and benefit from mentoring programmes. Most participants have found the programmes useful as part of their career development in the religious sector. This addresses the questions from Dr Wan Rizal and Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman about plans to develop and groom asatizah leadership in Singapore.

Under the RLTD as well, MUIS is introducing the Leadership Milestone Programme which provides formal training for asatizahs with good potential. The objective is to further develop and groom them for future leadership roles. This comprises two key tracks.

First is the general leadership track, where asatizahs will benefit from a wide range of courses offered by various public and private institutions, to hone their competencies before they lead an organisation. This includes courses in financial management, strategy formulation and human capital management.

Second is the religious leadership track. This seeks to deepen the asatizah's knowledge and appreciation of our religious traditions and its application in the Singapore context. Under this track, the Leadership Executive Programme will provide a platform for asatizahs to have discussions on the religious life of the Singapore Muslim community and gain a deeper understanding of policy issues.

These initiatives will expose our asatizahs to a wide range of issues, to help nurture their leadership potential and hone their critical thinking, especially on religious issues impacting our Muslim community. Ultimately, our aim is to prepare the younger generation of asatizahs to be ready to serve when called to higher office, including helming our key religious institutions, such as the Mufti, the President of the Syariah Court and the Kadi at ROMM.

Therefore, we need to structure clear and meaningful career pathways for the asatizah. This includes remuneration for the asatizahs, as asked by Mr Abdul Samad and Dr Shahira Abdullah. MUIS is reviewing the salary guidelines for the religious sector, especially for those working in the formal religious sector like mosques and madrasahs. We will need to ensure the sector is equally attractive as competing sectors. Details will be provided when the review is completed.

We will also need to fund the long-term needs of our religious sector. This is why there are plans to encourage the wakaf culture within our community, as asked by Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim and Dr Shahira Abdullah. Since the launch of Singapore Community Wakaf, an Advisory Panel has been formed to get feedback from key stakeholders and put forth recommendations on how to galvanise community support in the implementation of this wakaf.

This year, MUIS formed working groups, comprising MUIS officers and industry experts, to implement detailed action plans for the Singapore Community Wakaf. It will take into consideration the recommendations of the Advisory Panel Report that was submitted last year. This includes plans like engaging our institutions like the wakaf and mosques to pool our assets together and invest their reserves to grow the corpus fund; and second, encouraging the community's participation through public education initiatives on wakaf, particularly on wealth and legacy planning.

Mr Chairman, in English, please.

(In English): Chairman, to further support the development of our young asatizahs, MUIS is dedicating a campus for the PCICS programme, to be housed within the Wakaf Bencoolen complex. The new campus will include various learning facilities, including its own library, and is expected to be completed by the end of this year.

Initiatives, such as the RLTD, PCICS and the International Conference on Communities of Success (ICCOS), are key enablers to propel the asatizah sector forward and we will need the community's support to achieve its desired outcomes. The Singapore Community Wakaf will thus be crucial in catering for the long-term needs of the Muslim community.

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Chairman, in conclusion, my colleagues and I have spoken on three strategies to strengthen our competencies as a Community of Success. Underpinning these strategies are strong and resilient families who provide a conducive environment for children to grow and achieve their fullest potential.

Here, our community partners and institutions play an important role. Our Naib Kadis, for example, are key partners in supporting the work of building strong and resilient Muslim families, especially through the Bersamamu programme. In this regard, the M³ agencies will also partner MSF to commemorate the "Year of Celebrating SG Families" this year.

Through these efforts, we will keep social mobility alive in Singapore, so that every Singaporean has a fair chance to succeed in life and contribute back to the society. In this regard, we will journey with our community every step of the way to propel them towards success. [Applause.]

Mr Speaker: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Chairman, I would like to thank Minister Masagos Zulkifli, Second Minister Mohamad Maliki and Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad for answering my questions. I have two clarifications. First is in regard to the GIC-MENDAKI scholarship for Singaporean students, I really welcome the announcement. It is a good step in that direction. I need to seek further details on the scholarship.

One, when will it be offered? How many recipients will be awarded the scholarship? What are the eligibility criteria? And would there be further expansion to possibly postgraduate scholarships because I mentioned that the SkillsFuture credit take-up is quite low. So, the lifelong learning efforts in the community can be enhanced even further through postgraduate scholarships as well.

My second clarification is with regard to the question in my cut. What are our plans for a sectoral-based approach to enhance our PMET representations in sectors which are growing as well as sectors that are growth industries as it is now? What are our plans for corporate scholarships and partnerships because of the points that I raised earlier about low PMET numbers and the low take-up of SkillsFuture credits?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Sir, I thank the Member for his clarification and for acknowledging the hard work that MENDAKI has put in, to put some of our industry scholarships together. So, I am pleased that the GIC-MENDAKI scholarship has come about and we will announce more details in due course. Do keep watch for this because I am quite sure it will excite quite a number of prospective young graduates who are keen to join the financial sector.

On postgraduate scholarships, generally, as a basis, if you look at where the Government is putting its resources today, we have made a lot of push with SkillsFuture to support individuals, regardless of where they are, to gain mastery of skills and master lifelong learning. It is not just about going for a Master's or postgraduate degree, but there are also other skills training and certificates you can go for postgraduate studies.

But even today, there are schemes like the SkillsFuture Mid-career Enhanced subsidy and the SkillsFuture Work-Study degree. You can also go for the Work-Study degree that is open to all eligible Singaporeans, including the Malay/Muslim community. These are already available scholarships that are provided across nationally. Where MENDAKI comes in is, really, to augment the suite of existing financial assistance.

But our intent, as Mr Saktiandi may note, is that we have already started with SIA, followed by MiRXES and now GIC. There is a certain trend that we are going to work towards to look for more like-minded corporate partners who could support the move of our Malay community. One, to enhance and to provide them with a pathway into growth sectors, but also more importantly for them, it also helps to build diversity and a strong Singaporean Core for PMETs in the various companies.

We hope to announce more in future, but it is going to be hard work in the next coming months and years to make sure that we can expand this programme further.

The Chairman: Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: Thank you, Chairman. I thank the Minister for the announcement on the update on the Singapore Community Wakaf. I think the bigger issue will be the general estate planning, future planning and retirement security of our community. So, I agree that public awareness is key.

If I may ask, with the workgroup, will there be other efforts to be made to approach the community and engage the community through the community partners, preferably through M³ and other Malay/Muslim organisations to tailor-make the message, for example, just like "Dadah Itu Haram" campaign that is quite effective for the community.

Secondly, what would be the framework of support that we would encourage the take-up of such strategies to plan for estate planning and wealth planning, including the recruitment of Wakaf and also the Lasting Power of Attorney. This could also include legislative amendments and the proposals that I suggested in terms of the Syariah court and MUIS' recommendations.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: I would like to thank the Member for the clarification. For Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura (WMS), like the Member has pointed out, the last one was given almost 40 years ago. In fact, more than 40 years ago. This culture of bequeathing your property to benefit yourself for your religious needs – but more importantly, to benefit society for the long term – is a culture that we have had for 1,400 years and we have had it in Singapore when Muslim Singaporeans had become wealthy during the early days of our colonisation. And in bequeathing these properties and, actually, in enhancing these properties alone, we have managed to accumulate something like almost $800 billion worth of assets. That is wonderful.

Unfortunately, I would say there are some constraints on how the benefits of such bequeathed properties and trusts should be distributed. Sometimes, we have problems finding the village in a country that does not exist anymore or people whom we do not know whether they are still around to benefit from these assets and trusts. And, therefore, going forward, we have to look at how these problems do not get encountered again by us and future generations.

I also want to point out that in formulating WMS, it is beyond just calling the community to bequeath their assets; it is also calling them to prepare their children to be well-endowed through education, career and also to build their own wealth, so that they do not rely on their parents' wealth to live on in their life. And that their parents also do not feel guilty in giving away that wealth for the sake of the community, for the future of the community.

We are in a good place and time right now, because, as Members have heard from many of our speeches just now, the community is at that inflexion point of being better and acquiring wealth for themselves. And I am calling them: it is great that you are benefiting yourself and your children; just think about benefiting the community and for the future.

The Chairman: Dr Shahira Abdullah.

Dr Shahira Abdullah: Thank you, Chairman. I have a few clarifications. I note that we are going to have a salary review of the asatizahs and I also realised that it was announced somewhere in early 2020. May I know what is the rough timeline and when we can expect the results of the review since it was announced in 2020?

Secondly, I would like to say that the PCICS is a wonderful initiative. From what I see from the news recently, they were given a salary incentive of $100, but it was only offered to those working in mosques and madrasahs. May I know whether it will be extended or expanded to other asatizahs and whether this $100 is benchmarked against other sectors?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: For MUIS, we can only be in control of the sectors under our care and that have to do with our madrasahs and mosques. I am very thankful that the mosque community, the madrasah community have responded without us making it compulsory or mandated through MUIS' instructions. I call upon the other sectors to do the same – recognise our asatizahs, give them a meaningful salary scale, salary level, let them live a dignified life like everybody else, like the ones that we want for our own children.

I believe our community is very, very generous. We have not pulled ourselves back whenever we call for support for our friends in Palestine when some calamity has befallen them. In fact, in many circumstances, through the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation (RLAF), when disasters happened around our area, we have been able to collect donations to help victims who are not Muslims, who do not live in Muslim countries. So, we have also given, regardless of race, language or religion.

Therefore, for our asatizahs, we should be more generous and not hold back this amount. There is no benchmark for this, but, over the long term, we hope that the review on the salaries will tell us exactly where we are, what the gaps are, and, more importantly, how to get the funds to fund this gap, and here is where we will need to rely on the wealth and generosity of our own community to fund our own religious needs.

The Chairman: Ms Nadia Samdin.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: I would like to thank Minister Masagos Zulkifli and Second Minister Mohamad Maliki Osman. In Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to come back to my two questions on FITRAH, that is, if M³ will collaborate with the Malay/Muslim organisations, ComLink and other agencies. Are there plans to offer and coordinate support to the family of offenders, not just at the beginning or the end of their incarceration period, but throughout the sentence so that the offender's family can emerge stronger?

Second, as the FITRAH programme requires the commitment and support from a rather large number of volunteers, how will the FITRAH structure be strengthened for the long term?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Sir, I thank Ms Nadia Samdin for the supplementary question. She is absolutely right. When we work with families, like those under FITRAH, it is very complex. The structure of the families is very complex. Sometimes, you do have the father in prison, single mothers having to deal with very young children. Sometimes, you have both parents who are in prison, incarcerated and the children are under the care of grandparents, making it very complex.

When we started FITRAH, it was really looking at many different dimensions. One is to ensure that the needs of the children are supported primarily by family members who are outside, because it is the stability of the children, while the parents are incarcerated, that is very critical. And stability comes in the form of ensuring that they continue to be able to go to school, they are able to get support for their socio-emotional development and everything around that concept. And that is the first part of looking after the children – to understand their socio-emotional needs, and even their economic needs.

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At the same time, we ensure that work with the inmates continue. That is very important. And the reason why we put the framework in place is to give a very strong message to the inmates that it is a time for reflection and rehabilitation for you, too, so that when you do come out and get released, that you do make every attempt to turn over a new leaf.

And this is very important because, sometimes, we do come across inmates who repeat the offences and they go back in and we want to make sure that FITRAH provides comprehensive support to prevent relapses among the inmates.

On collaboration and coordination of different programmes, I assure Ms Nadia Samdin that we continue to do so. Part of the effort of helping FITRAH families will be the effort of UPLIFT, part of the effort will be under ComLink. So, the coordination effort is being worked on and, certainly, we agree that it is not just while the inmate is incarcerated, support must continue to be given even after they have been released so that they see stabilisation has been achieved while they are incarcerated. Yet, at the same time, we work towards independence and self-reliance moving forward for the incarcerated individual and their families.

Community Harmony and Norms

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson): Chairman, community harmony is important to engender a sense of collective and shared destiny. But this can be undermined at times by misunderstandings and disputes. During our constituency work, we would have come across a range of community disputes – noise from neighbours, noise from groups playing at the basketball court downstairs, cigarette smell, incessant high-rise littering, irresponsible feeding, encroachment of common space and the list goes on. In these disputes, one party may be puzzled about why does the other party not understand or comply with the implicit and explicit "rules"; the other party may think that there was nothing wrong with the behaviour and wonder why the complainant is making life difficult.

Small disagreements, if left unresolved, can fester into ill-feelings and anti-social behaviours with long-lasting effects. Our community is diverse, with people of different backgrounds. The idea of co-existence is important, though a delicate balance to strike. Community norms, therefore, play a critical role in keeping a certain order and harmony in the community.

As time passes or as environment changes, norms could shift. The pandemic has forced us to stay home more. We face one another more and things that used to not bother us can become difficult to bear. So, we need to review, re-establish and/or revise the norms needed in the community. To do so, we need more dialogues and engagements but, most importantly, is that the community must come to a common understanding on the priorities and acceptable behaviours within the community.

To this end, the Community Dispute Resolution Framework has been a useful and complementary tool to improve community dispute management. Therefore, I would like to ask how MCCY will continue to enhance the framework to effectively manage community disputes and relations, while partnering Singaporeans to co-create and establish community norms in their own neighbourhoods.

Improving Community Dispute Resolution

Mr Derrick Goh (Nee Soon): Mr Chairman, one major lifestyle change arising from COVID-19 has been about more residents working or learning from home.

Along with this trend, we are seeing a rise in the number of disputes within the community. For example, last year, HDB reported around 38,400 cases of noise-related feedback, a 25% increase from 2020, while the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT) also saw higher applications.

When community disputes arise, grassroots volunteers and on-the-ground agencies, such as HDB, Town Council or Police, are often the first responders to help engage the parties. Those of us who have helped to mediate a dispute will know that they are never easy. With the number of conflicts between neighbours on the rise, our first responders will be strained with more cases.

Given this, can the Minister share if MCCY will dedicate more resources, such as improving training for our first responders, to help our communities be more effective in managing such conflicts?

The Community Mediation Centre (CMC) also plays an integral role in resolving neighbour disputes. Mediation at the CMC is an informal and voluntary process, conducted by professionally-trained mediators who are volunteers from all walks of life. Cases referred to the CMC have seen relative success. Can the Minister share more on CMC's effectiveness and will the Government consider mandating mediation for community disputes?

Lastly, a legal avenue for resolving disputes is the CDRT. My constituents gave feedback that those who have engaged with the CDRT have not found it to be easy, as they faced long battles which are often adversarial in nature, usually as a result of counter parties raising evidence or allegations haphazardly during proceedings. The process may, therefore, result in more friction and deteriorate relationships further. Therefore, it is important to ensure that parties engaging in the legal process will be able to ensure quick and effective justice at a lower cost.

[Deputy Speaker (Ms Jessica Tan Soon Neo) in the Chair]

Experts and businesses have said that this hybrid model of working and learning from home is here to stay, even if the pandemic ends. I look forward to the Minister's plans on how the Government can strengthen existing solutions to counter the growth in community disputes, so as to preserve our social cohesion and harmony.

Community Disputes Resolution Framework

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song (Aljunied): I would like to seek the Minister's update on the review of the community dispute management framework, which commenced before last year's Committee of Supply. Can the Minister share who the members of the interagency committee conducting this review are and when the review will be completed? How many mediators does the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) currently have and is this sufficient to manage their workload?

I have met residents who have a vexing dispute with their neighbours but are unwilling to let me refer them for mediation because they know their neighbour will not turn up for the session. Of the average of 735 cases per year registered at the CMC, 70% did not progress to mediation, mainly because one or both parties declined or did not respond to the invitation to mediate. To improve the take-up rate of mediation, could the Ministry consider these suggestions?

First, once the CMC assesses a case to be suitable for mediation, can attendance of both parties be made compulsory? Second, if the dispute eventually goes to the Community Dispute Resolution Tribunal (CDRT), can the Tribunal be allowed to draw an adverse inference from their non-attendance? This potential penalty should be made clear to respondents when the invitation to the CMC is served.

Next, I have received feedback from residents about the difficulty they face in filing CDRT evidence. For example, they need to save their audio or video recordings on a CD-ROM or DVD. Most people nowadays do not have a CD-ROM burner in their home. Can the CDRT update its processes to allow evidence to be uploaded on the web portal instead and to make the whole process more user-friendly for the layman?

Dedicated Service for Neighbour Disputes

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): Madam, disputes among neighbours are becoming increasingly common. Unfortunately, a significant number take a long time to resolve due to the uncooperative neighbours, some of whom are openly and persistently flouting the law. These cases include harassment, obstruction of passageways, dangerous placement of objects, fire hazard and noise pollution. Would the Ministry consider setting up a dedicated team for mediation and enforcement and a hotline for residents to contact for issues relating to neighbour disputes?

Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (Pioneer): Madam, I wish to ask MCCY how many Community Disputes Resolution Tribunal (CDRT) cases have been filed, heard, mediated and adjudicated on annually in the past five years.

Also, what actions, if any, have our Courts or complainants taken when offending parties, even after the tribunal order, still continue to perpetrate and breach the order?

I wish to also ask MCCY to share if there are plans to better ensure the more effective and efficient resolution of CDRT complaints as there are more situations of work from home and resulting in more neighbourly disputes and some of these disputes cannot be resolved via the voluntary mediation route via community mediation and whether such mediation, moving forward, can be made compulsory?

The Chairman: Ms Joan Pereira. Please take your two cuts together.

Strengthen Community in Neighbourhoods

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Madam, the COVID-19 pandemic ignited a spirit of "gotong-royong" in my division when the Bukit Merah View Market and Hawker Centre became a COVID-19 cluster last year. Many residents, community partners, religious organisations, private companies and strangers reached out to me and my community to volunteer and offer various forms of help, especially to the hawkers and the vulnerable in my division. It was very heartwarming and the community became even more closely-knit and resilient. With the pandemic placing restrictions on community events, which we used to organise in the past, we need to reorganise how we connect and strengthen ties among our neighbours. Building friendship and trust among our neighbours must still continue to be the focus.

However, we know that disputes still occur. What we observe sometimes is that relationships become so bad that neighbours do not talk to each other and, in some cases, even dragging in other neighbours into the dispute, creating a non-harmonious living environment. I hope that MCCY can empower our grassroots volunteers and staff with relevant skillsets to mediate disputes between neighbours. It is best when things can be settled and nipped in the bud at the local level without further straining relationships. How will MCCY empower our grassroots leaders and staff to build on this spirit of care and continue to strengthen community life at the local neighbourhood level?

Strengthen Racial and Religious Harmony

The mission of our Inter-racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) is ever more important today as we face sharper fault lines and greater challenges to our racial and religious harmony. When there is conflict, especially when it involves potentially sensitive racial or religious issues, we must quickly seek to resolve and nip the problem in the bud. We should not ignore it and hope for it to blow over, thereby allowing the problem to fester and blow up into a bigger problem.

The best way, really, is through mediation, with trained personnel who have the necessary knowledge and skillsets for the problem at hand. With a mediator, whom all stakeholders can acknowledge and respect, the chances of resolving the problem is much higher. Would the Ministry elaborate on how it will bring disputing parties together to resolve such issues?

We must also educate our people about the customs of different races and religions, so that we can be more mindful and avoid potentially offensive behaviour. We must be respectful of one another's differences and widen the common space. There are often complaints of noise disturbances or certain practices of religious or cultural events and festivities. As we approach the 20th anniversary of IRCCs in 2022, what are MCCY's plans to ensure that our IRCCs remain relevant and effective in maintaining racial and religious harmony and strengthening our social cohesion?

A Cohesive Singapore

Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Madam, over the past two years, we have weathered the challenges brought on by COVID-19, hand-in-hand, both the Government and people. As a result, we are in a much stronger position today even as we ride out the current Omicron wave and look forward to a better future.

I was reminded of it recently during the Tampines East Edusave Ceremony when this lady said "Hi Miss Cheng, we finally meet". It turns out that she is the chairlady of her company's CSR and she had mobilised the team to help out in our mask-making during the circuit breaker. We had only corresponded via emails and phone. I remembered then, Standard Chartered Bank also listed my email on their CSR portal and I would get dozens of emails daily asking "How can I help?" The logistics company, taxi driver and fabric supplier who helped, all declined payment. It was their way of contributing to fight the pandemic.

Many would have also heard of neighbours helping one another with grocery purchase, mask and sanitiser collection, especially for their elderly neighbours. Our cohesiveness as a nation has strengthened over the pandemic years.

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Chairman, this cohesiveness among our people and the trust in the Government that we have in Singapore are precious. In many other parts of the world, we have seen how the pandemic had aggravated existing fault lines and even created tensions between the government and people, with anti-vaccination and anti-mask protests. These tensions made it more challenging to deal with the pandemic.

Can the Ministry share how we can continue to build upon this spirit of care and strengthen community cohesiveness in Singapore? How can we make volunteerism and care a part of our lives and match like-minded people to the causes that they are interested in?

Madam, religious and racial harmony is an important part of our social fabric. We are all aware of how racial riots rocked Singapore in the 1960s. Although many years have gone by, that period holds important lessons for us. From time to time, racist incidents happen and we are reminded that building a multiracial and multi-religious society is, indeed, a work in progress.

Take, for example, last year, there was a viral video showing a confrontation between a man and an inter-racial couple. We may not have the full facts of what happened, but many of us were rightly disturbed and worried after watching it.

We must never waver in our commitment to promote harmony among our people. Therefore, the role of our IRCCs is even more important. When I was a young volunteer, I remember IRCCs organising excursions to Hindu temples, churches and we had buka puasa over nasi dulang in mosques and got to know one another's religion better. Unfortunately, IRCCs stopped having these programmes years ago.

What are MCCY's plans to ensure the relevance of IRCCs and its role in strengthening our social cohesion?

The Chairman: Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman. Please take your two cuts together.

Building a Cohesive Society Together

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman: Yes, Madam. In 2020, MHA spotted a spike in race and religion-related Police cases. Last year, we heard about anecdotes where racial remarks were made against Singaporeans. For instance, an ex-Ngee Ann Polytechnic lecturer made unwelcomed remarks about an interracial couple last year, triggering a slew of responses from the public. The occurrence of such incidents has thus reminded us of the need to show the greatest tolerance and respect for one another.

MCCY has also stepped up its efforts to tackle racism and racial discrimination in Singapore. In response to several Parliamentary Questions raised last year, MCCY mentioned it adopts a multi-pronged approach in combating racism and racial discrimination.

MCCY's approach mainly constitutes enforcement and legal framework, encouraging respectful online behaviour, encouraging conversations on the topics of race and religion as well as enlarging the common spaces. These four elements of MCCY's approach would be essential in ensuring that Singapore society remains resilient and cohesive as we transition to a post-pandemic future.

Given MCCY's efforts in promoting social harmony in Singapore, can it provide an update on efforts to continue rallying Singaporeans to step up on integration efforts and build a more cohesive society? Moreover, can MCCY elaborate on its upcoming plans to step up on our social cohesion efforts and partner Singaporeans to bridge existing societal fault lines?

Providing More Volunteerism Opportunity

The findings of the Individual Giving Survey by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in 2021 showed that regular volunteerism took a hit mainly due to the measures implemented to curb the spread of COVID-19, with nearly half of the volunteers saying that they have volunteered less since DORSCON Orange was alerted on 7 February 2020.

NVPC polled more than 2,000 people between 8 April and 17 September 2021 for the study. They noted that 48% of volunteers volunteered less since DORSCON Orange was declared on 7 February 2020. On the other hand, the survey also showed that online giving rose during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite an overall decline in volunteerism.

Notably, online volunteering sign-ups in Singapore saw a 29% increase and online donation rose 37%, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

In light of these findings, could MCCY share how it plans to leverage the growth of online volunteerism and provide more opportunities for Singaporeans to step forward? Moreover, could MCCY also elaborate on its efforts to reframe the public's impression of volunteerism, often associated with labour-intensive work and perceived as separate from one's social or professional lives. Are there online efforts to make volunteerism and care a part of the Singaporean way of life?

Could MCCY also share its plans to provide opportunities for Singaporeans to serve others using their skills and talent and galvanise like-minded people to work together on social and community causes that interest them?

Finally, what is being done to better promote and match volunteers to the needs on the ground?

Youth and Civic Participation

Prof Koh Lian Pin (Nominated Member): Madam, our youths are our future. We should engage and encourage them to participate and contribute actively to matters of national concern that will impact our society in the long run.

Over the years, MCCY has announced numerous initiatives, such as the Youth Action Challenge and digital engagements, to engage our youth and seek their views. Could the Ministry share its plans to provide even more opportunities for the civic participation of our youths from diverse backgrounds on topics of national interest, such as the review of our nationally determined contributions and other sustainability goals?

Additionally, what are the Government's plans to support our youths in taking ground-up actions on social and environmental causes they are passionate about?

The Chairman: Mr Mark Chay, please take your two cuts together.

Towards a Caring, Just and Equal Society

Mr Mark Chay (Nominated Member): Mdm Chairman, I am aware that MCCY has been engaging citizens through different platforms, such as the Emerging Stronger Conversations, which was launched as part of the Singapore Together Movement in June 2020. There are also Conversations on Singapore Women's Development and OnePeople.sg.

Creating these platforms is commendable and well-intentioned, with the goal of bringing Singaporeans to work with one another for a better future. Feedback is critical for growth and I would like to request that MCCY provide an update on the progress of these conversations.

I am aware that these discussions typically span a wide range of topics, such as national identity, care for the elderly, technology, governance and so on. The impact of these dialogues would provide reliable insights into the state and progress of our nation in different areas.

It is, therefore, important that MCCY answers the following questions. How have these conversations translated into concrete and measurable action? How will MCCY continue to provide Singaporeans with opportunities to contribute ideas and work towards our vision of a caring, just and equal society?

The Future of Entertainment

The world is changing in so many ways. What we do for entertainment today will be replaced by emerging ideas and innovations.

The future of entertainment is firmly rooted in digitisation and technology. Netflix, for instance, has revolutionised the entertainment industry by giving customers original and high-quality on-demand content available to people regardless of location. Other platforms, such as Twitch and YouTube, take live content to hundreds of millions of viewers around the world.

On the future of entertainment, I would like to discuss two points: first, the need for enabling technology and the metaverse; and second, the importance of adapting to hybrid and digital events.

Mdm Chairman, entertainment platforms and opportunities will almost be exclusive to the Metaverse in the not-too-distant future. This will serve as the future for many things we are currently doing today. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), e-commerce and the integration of collectibles give the audience ownership of their fan experience. These will enhance interactions between users and their favourite teams.

It would be highly beneficial to Singapore if the Ministry could encourage digital content and technologies to facilitate interaction between the real and virtual worlds. I would like the Ministry to consider a gaming, technology and digital content hub. This hub can bring Singapore significant economic opportunities, be an incubator for human capital development and, most importantly, a gateway to youths and community engagement.

I am now moving on to my next point, the need to adapt to hybrid and digital events.

As Singapore opens post-COVID-19, rather than making digital versions of traditional physical experiences, events need to leverage digital and hybrid extensions to engage audiences better. Singapore needs to encourage the arts and sports sectors to adapt.

In the sports and arts industry, COVID-19 testing and safe management measures (SMMs) will remain for the foreseeable future. I want to encourage the Ministry to work together with event organisers and venues to ensure the safety of participants and spectators. We must also keep in mind the viability and sustainability of such events to create practical SMMs that make sense to everyone involved.

Inclusivity and accessibility must be at the forefront of these experiences. Inclusion cannot be a fringe initiative. We must be proactive in designing and producing content that recognises and considers essential demographics. Gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, language, religion, physical and mental abilities and socio-economic status are important parameters that we must not neglect.

Singapore is our home. We want a future filled with opportunities and security for our families. Sports and the arts are, arguably, the two most universal and influential languages we have. I seek clarity on how the Ministry intends to encourage and promote diverse participation in sports and the arts. I would like to ask the Ministry how it can empower the underrepresented and marginalised populations to feel included via sports and the arts.

Inclusive Arts and Culture

Ms Janet Ang (Nominated Member): Mdm Chairman, our arts and culture scene in Singapore plays an essential role in bringing people together from diverse backgrounds and generations. Here, in Singapore, we are very fortunate to enjoy widespread access to arts and heritage facilities.

Pre-COVID-19, we were able to enjoy creative offerings by both local and international artists. As we emerge from COVID-19, I believe we need to redouble our efforts in bringing back arts and culture into our community and not undermine the many aspects of what it can offer, of which I will discuss two.

One: a challenge for society in recent years is that with online and social media, we risk taking out bigotry into the virtual space and echo chambers get formed very quickly. COVID-19 has probably made things worse. Society is becoming more polarised, more divisive. I believe that arts can offer a safe space for difficult issues to be discussed, but also a space where differences can be better understood.

One example is A Tapestry of Sacred Music, which is a month-long festival at the Esplanade taking place, in fact, this month.

How precious it is that music from different faiths, traditions and communities can coexist? This is also very much a part of what it means to be Singaporean – our ability to appreciate and celebrate our diversity.

Two: another challenge coming out of COVID-19 is that the most vulnerable in society as well as our young have had that quality of human interaction greatly diminished. The arts and cultural spaces are ways for us to safely rebuild that sense of community.

Tough issues, for example, bullying, which is an increasing challenge our young people face today can be more comfortably discussed by kids, parents and teachers when presented in art form. In fact, the annual March On festival is back at the Esplanade with many activities for the young, but also a theatre production and workshops about bullying.

For the young, in particular, art can help kids open up, offer a way for them to learn about themselves and the world more holistically, to develop empathy, imagination but also an appreciation of Singapore in the world.

I have two quick questions. May I ask how MCCY will continue to develop vibrant and inclusive arts and cultural spaces to provide opportunities for diverse communities, especially those who are underserved and vulnerable?

My second question is that the Arts and Culture Resilience Package was much appreciated by our community. Going forward, to ensure a vibrant, resilient ecosystem for the arts and culture sector, how will MCCY plan to build back this community to co-create new innovative and sustainable models together with actors across the value chain, in this sector?

Arts and culture have and can play an important part to bolster our fraternity, solidarity and mettle. Let me close with a quote by Howard Schultz of Starbucks, "When you are surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible."

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The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin. Please take your four cuts together.

Supporting Our Arts and Culture Sectors

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Mdm Chairman, in every country, arts and heritage play a pivotal role in connecting communities and instilling pride and optimism towards the future. It is an essential part of nation building. We are very proud of how far our artists and cultural institutions have come over the years. We must, therefore, ensure that we do our utmost in continuing to support them in the best way possible.

The COVID-19 pandemic, as we know, put the hard brakes on the positive development in the arts. The cancellation of productions, the drastic drop in tourist numbers and reduced audience size severely affected the arts sector.

MCCY has been cognisant of this and, in an effort to uplift the sector through the pandemic, introduced the Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) to protect livelihoods and build capabilities. The ACRP was enhanced with $20 million in March 2021, bringing it to a total of $75 million over two years.

At the Committee of Supply last year, MCCY had shared that the first tranche of the ACRP created over 13,000 work and training opportunities, of which, 5,000 were for self-employed practitioners. It also supported over 1,400 digitalisation projects.

I, therefore, invite the Minister to share with this House an update on the impact of the ACRP and the support provided to cultural organisations and self-employed persons.

Given that we are in a much better position now to resume more and more arts and culture activities progressively in line with what the national health situation allows, I also invite the Minister to share MCCY's strategies to revitalise the arts sector as we move forward into the new normal, so as to ensure that our arts groups and practitioners are well-positioned to thrive in the years ahead.

The Cultural Matching Fund

Having adequate funding is a key component for any project or programme to achieve the goals set. The arts, culture and heritage sectors are no different.

Beyond Government funding, the private and people sectors are key partners of the arts and culture community. Philanthropy has, traditionally, been an important source of funding for the arts groups and practitioners.

The Cultural Matching Fund (CMF) supports the endeavour to attract private cash donations as it provides dollar-for-dollar matching grants to registered charities in the arts, culture and heritage sectors.

Over the years, this has boosted private sector giving significantly and is also well-received by arts groups. I note that MCCY had shared at the Comittee of Supply 2021 that a review of the CMF would be conducted, with a view towards an additional top-up of the fund. This top-up was announced by Finance Minister Lawrence Wong in his Budget 2022 Statement.

I, therefore, invite the Minister to provide an update on the outcome of the review and to share with us MCCY's strategies to ensure a sustainable arts, culture and heritage ecosystem where Singaporeans can contribute and play a part in.

Charting Course for Arts and Culture

The National Arts Council (NAC) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) had previously launched the SG Arts and Heritage Plans which identified the priorities for Singapore's arts and heritage development for 2018 to 2022.

Both Plans set out bold visions to champion and cultivate the appreciation and development of the arts and our heritage. We are now at the tail end of both plans. I understand that NAC and NHB have started engagements for the next iterations of both plans.

I, therefore, invite the Minister to share with this House an update on the progress of the plans, whether MCCY is of the view that both plans managed to succeed in what they had set out to achieve and an elaboration, if any, on the development of the next five-year plans for these sectors.

Madam, I would also like to add that we must recognise that we have many talented artists and cultural practitioners in Singapore who can make important contributions to the future economy of Singapore. It is, therefore, important as we look ahead that the Government considers the development of the culture and creative economy.

One way that we can do so is to enable our cultural organisations and practitioners to capture new opportunities, such as those in adjacent sectors within the creative economy and those brought about by digital technology.

Seen in these perspectives, I invite the Minister to share MCCY's strategies to bring our arts and culture to new and further heights in the future.

Safeguarding Singapore's Heritage

Our heritage plays an important role in understanding who we are as a nation. It represents a part of our shared history. As a multiracial and multicultural society, it is pivotal that we preserve and promote our heritage, as it is a core ingredient in building our national identity and sense of belonging as a people.

We must, therefore, always remain committed to safeguarding our heritage for future generations of Singaporeans.

One example is the successful inscription of our Hawker Culture on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity. Hawker culture is part and parcel of the everyday life of Singaporeans. It is a place where we come together to enjoy a meal together. From traditional favourites, such as chicken rice, nasi lemak or mee goreng, to new fusion options, such as chicken chop laksa spaghetti or smoked salmon and lala congee, our hawker food culture has evolved and grown into something that is distinctly Singaporean. And we should all be very proud of it.

I, therefore, invite the Minister to share MCCY's plans to further safeguard and celebrate our shared heritage and how we can continue to engage the community to sustain interest in, and deepen our appreciation for our cultural heritage.

Support Local Arts and Culture

Ms Tin Pei Ling: (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Arts and culture can help cultivate one's mind, preserve our history and values, and deepen Singapore's influence abroad. The cultures and arts of different races have their own position and development in Singapore, thereby giving rise to our unique arts and culture.

Arts and culture require human interactions and space for expression. However, COVID-19 has impeded human interactions. Most Singaporeans in this industry are self-employed and have no organisational support. It is inevitable that they were hit harder during the pandemic.

The Government launched the ACRP earlier. How is the progress so far and how is the Government helping arts and cultural workers to hone their craft while sustaining their livelihood? With the rapid advancement of digital technology, how do we help these workers use digital platforms to create creative products and enter new markets? How will the Government revitalise the diverse cultural and arts scenes in Singapore and ensure that Singapore continues to have our unique position in the world?

The Chairman: Mr Darryl David. Please take your four cuts together.

Revitalising Our Arts and Culture

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mdm Chairman, the cultural and creative sectors of our economy are crucial in their own right in terms of their economic footprint and the employment opportunities that they offer across the board. At the same time, we cannot underestimate the innovation that the arts and culture sectors spur across the economy. With wellness and inclusion as key focuses, the arts and culture also offer channels for positive social impact. They encourage education about Singapore's identity, as well as revitalise our city life.

Yet, the arts and culture sector has been hard hit by the pandemic and has been severely disrupted by it. In addition to short-term support for artists and firms, which comes from both the public and private sectors, policies can also leverage the economic and social impacts of culture in their broader recovery packages and efforts to transform our economy.

With COVID-19, digital presentations have provided a lifeline, allowing audiences a new experience in the consumption of the arts. The digital space has provided both opportunities and challenges for local arts groups as they overcome the safe distancing measures and cross into a digital space that is not limited by physical boundaries. Yet, there is also a need to reimagine the business models used in the arts and culture sector, so that they are sustainable. Offering free programmes worked for the short run but the arts also need to be monetised. Effort needs to be placed on the protection of intellectual property in the digital space. Manpower planning and growth are also crucial as the arts groups rethink how to increase capabilities to augment the production quality of digital works.

Additionally, talent needs to be boosted through the exploration of new ways of blending digital formats with real-life arts and culture offerings. Training programmes for freelancers and collaborations with the private sector players are some of the ways to further talent growth to ensure sustained development of the arts and culture sectors. What are MCCY's strategies to revitalise the arts and culture sectors and ensure that our organisations and freelancers are well-positioned to thrive in the new normal?

Can MCCY provide an update on the impact of ACRP and the support provided to organisations and freelancers? Can MCCY elaborate on its plans to further strengthen the socio-economic nexus of our arts and culture sector, including manpower development and plans for digitalisation, to ensure that our artists are well-positioned to thrive in the new normal?

Bringing Sports Participation Back

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on sports participation on many levels, including the cancelling or scaling down of mass participation events. Safe distancing measures, as well as concerns about the danger of large clusters forming, have had an impact on sports participation. At the same time, there are new developments in sports aimed at coping with the limitations of safe distancing measures.

Capacity constraints in sporting venues and the limitations on the way team sport can be engaged have resulted in innovations. An example of innovative approaches to physical space are emerging, such as the use of small box gyms that offer physical fitness enthusiasts a new and different lease of life.

Yet, sports and the communal nature of many sporting activities have a huge role to play in the psycho-social aspects of life. These benefits include cooperation, coping with confidence and shyness issues, dealing with stress and coping with aggression and violence. Sports can help curb social isolation and serve as a catharsis or outlet for those dealing with emotional issues.

Sports also play a critical and important role in bringing Singaporeans together. Sports, whether it is through participation or spectatorship, foster a sense of pride and build a confident nation, through interaction with athletes or sports fan bases.

To paraphrase Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, "The important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well." So, in this regard, sports can be used to develop an individual's resilience as well.

Can MCCY share its strategies to bring sports participation back into the new normal? Can MCCY also share its strategies to restore and reinvigorate national sports participation, increase access to sports facilities and reintroduce mass sports events in a safe manner?

Inclusive Opportunities through Sports

Sports have the ability to reinforce the idea of the importance of equality. For the fourth Paralympics in a row, Singapore's para-athletes have come back with a haul of medals, in spite of the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletes, such as Yip Pin Xiu and Paraglider Jessica Goh, have gunned for gold, winning the hearts of Singaporeans. Other para-athletes, such as archer Nur Syahidah Alim, cyclists Steve Tee and competition partner Ang Kee Meng, have shown how sports can build an inclusive society through opportunities for talent to shine.

In October last year, it was reported that Yip Pin Xiu will receive $800,000 for the two gold medals she won at the Tokyo Paralympic Games in August 2021. It is, indeed, commendable that sponsors, such as DBS and the Tote Board, have stepped in with the cash awards to help the athletes and reward them for their sacrifice. The work of the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC), which focuses on enabling our elite para-athletes to participate in major games, such as the ASEAN Para Games, Asian Para Games, Asian Youth Para Games, Commonwealth Games and Paralympic Games, has also been crucial as the SNPC has undertaken collaborations to enable our para-athletes to soar.

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It is important to leverage the international success of these para-athletes to encourage more sports participation at all levels. So, what is MCCY doing to provide more inclusive opportunities through sports? In line with MCCY's commitment in the Parliament Motion last year to honour our athletes, what is MCCY doing to support para-athletes and provide more opportunities for our aspiring para-athletes, especially for those who wish to pursue sports at a competitive level to represent Singapore in the international arena?

Can MCCY also elaborate on its strategies to provide more inclusiveness through sports in the next phase of the Disability Sports Master Plan?

Support for Major Games

In sports, "it is not the will to win that matters but the will to prepare to win", according to Paul "Bear" Bryant, the late American football coach. At some of the major games such as the Southeast Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Olympic Games, major games preparation is an important ingredient in the athletes' preparation to enhance performance and recovery.

Madam, these games and the results achieved can only be reinforced through advance planning and real-time involvement and investment in scientific methods. Effort also needs to be placed on minimising the distractions and stress faced by athletes during games time, enabling them to focus on their performance.

There is also much behind-the scenes work by organisations, such as Sports Singapore and the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), that have collaborated to prepare for major games to deliver preparation plans, games preparation workshops, performance analysis. Enhanced sports medicine, as well as sports science, are being employed to support athletes in their games preparations. There is also the need to invest time and funds in coaching and providing the best in terms of infrastructure, programmes and sports facilities, so that our athletes can thrive stress-free and focused on delivering an optimum performance.

Mdm Chairman, given the pressures that they face, athletes' mental health is just as crucial, so that they can deal with the pressure that intense competition brings. All these preparation and investment are only meaningful and possible if there is psychological support for the athletes and their efforts.

Can MCCY provide an update on how Team Singapore athletes are progressing in their preparation for the major games in 2022 and beyond? What efforts are underway to rally Singaporeans to support Team Singapore? Sports have the potential to galvanise and inspire the nation. Can MCCY share its efforts to rally Singaporeans to show their support for Team Singapore and also to provide platforms for Team Singapore athletes to connect with and inspire Singaporeans?

Sports

Miss Cheng Li Hui: Mdm Chairman, in December 2021, it was reported that about 85,000 fans turned out at our National Stadium to watch the 16 Suzuki Cup football matches. That was the biggest mass sports event in Singapore since the pandemic. It brought together many Singaporeans from all walks of life to cheer on the Lions.

For some of us, the matches certainly brought back the fond memories of the Kallang Roar at the old National Stadium. Many of us who grew up watching Malaysia Cup will fondly remember Fandi, Sundramoorthy and super-sub Steven Tan. Actually, my family really scream every time Steven Tan comes on.

Those were the days, but Mdm Chairman, the recent Suzuki cup is a good first step to revive our national sports scenes and to reignite interest in sports. Such sporting events unite Singaporeans and foster a strong sense of pride.

I would like to ask the Ministry for an update on the "Unleash the Roar" project and its vision to unite Singaporeans of all ages, races and gender through football.

Madam, since the pandemic hit us in 2020, the various measures put in place meant that we had no choice but to reduce our participation in sporting events and matches. National sports participation has also been severely disrupted and the facilities bookings limited.

What are the Ministry's plans to restore national sports participation and reintroduce mass sports events in a safe manner?

Madam, before the pandemic, we used to hold free bowling clinics in Tampines East during school holidays for children from lower-income families. We would reserve two lanes for differently-abled children and engage a coach from the Bowling Association for Disabled (Singapore) to guide them. Subsequently, Our Tampines Hub also held a once-off beginner cycling session for differently-abled children. These programmes were very welcomed by their parents. These children require special guidance and there is a lack of suitable programmes for them. It would be wonderful if they can join their families for cycling or bowling events after this training.

On the national stage, many Singaporeans also cheered on Yip Pin Xiu and our Paralympic team in the Tokyo Paralympics last year.

Can the Ministry elaborate on its strategies to provide more inclusive opportunities through sports in our Disability Sports Master Plan? How can we provide more opportunities for our aspiring para-athletes to pursue sports at a competitive level?

The Chairman: Minister Edwin Tong.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Mdm Chairperson, this pandemic has affected our daily lives in almost every respect. As Mr Sitoh Yih Pin points out, this crisis of a generation has tested the very core of our resilience as a society.

MCCY and our stakeholders have felt this very keenly. We are a people-oriented, people-focused and community-building Ministry.

Community and camaraderie are the bedrock of cohesion. This, however, requires the coming together of people, which is something that we have not been able to do quite so easily.

Arts, culture, heritage, religion and sport, to name a few, are critical pieces in our country's path towards development and progress. They give us our unique sense of identity, instil pride in us as the people of Singapore and foster a collectively stronger, more cohesive community.

These are the foundational cornerstones of our society.

The pandemic has underscored just how important those pieces are. Hence, when Singaporeans interact less, when our young people stop playing sports with one another, when Singaporeans do not come together to enjoy cultural and community events together, the bonds that bind us will gradually weaken. The long-term effects, if not addressed, may erode our sense of "us" in years to come. And we will suffer a deficit in social trust.

So, in these unprecedentedly difficult times, we will redouble our efforts to replenish and fortify the connections that bring us together. Our arts, heritage and sports sectors are that critical social "glue" that binds us together, instils pride and gives us a warm sense of belonging to our Singapore.

To strengthen the threads of our social fabric, we must deepen the partnership among Singaporeans and with the Government. This is the spirit of Singapore Together, where Singaporeans shared their post-COVID-19 aspirations for society during the Emerging Stronger Conversations (ESC) conversations that were concluded last year.

Mr Mark Chay asked about the progress of the ESCs. We have been working with Singaporeans to translate these aspirations into reality. Conversation must, therefore, become action. In this vein, 31 Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfAs), involving over 34,000 individuals from the people, private and public sectors were formed to address key themes, for example, the AfA on Lower-Wage Workers, which spearheaded eight ground-up projects to uplift lower-wage workers.

The ESCs and AfAs were convened in spite of COVID-19, because Singaporeans wanted to come together to rebuild our Singapore together. We will do more to harness this spirit and to work collaboratively with the public.

Our arts and culture practitioners were put through a difficult period. We navigated it, with financial support and targeted support. But we know that, ultimately, audiences are the life blood of the arts. Therefore, the resumption of arts and culture activities in a safe manner has been a priority for us.

Over the past year, we have allowed more activities to resume safely as we continued to simplify and streamline safe management measures (SMMs). We increased the number of audiences and participants who can enjoy these activities. We simplified SMMs for performers and crew, so that larger productions can be staged, especially international productions, and we provided support to preserve core capabilities and ensure a smooth resumption of activities.

Whilst the situation remains dynamic, MCCY and our agencies will continue to advocate on behalf of the arts and culture, and the sports sectors, for a safe reopening. We remain committed to supporting our sectors through this recovery.

The Government will introduce the Small Business Recovery Grant (SBRG) and will also extend the COVID-19 Recovery Grant (CRG) to end-2022. This will help support small organisations, as well as lower- to middle-income workers and self-employed persons (SEPs) affected by the COVID-19 restrictions, including those in the arts and culture sector, and the sports sector.

Mr Darryl David, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked about the impact of the $75 million Arts, Culture and Resilience Package (ACRP), which was introduced in April 2020. The ACRP demonstrated the Government's clear commitment towards supporting the arts, culture and heritage sectors since the pandemic started. This support was critical, safeguarding jobs and livelihoods, and also protecting talent in the sector.

The ACRP and broad-based support schemes supported over 900 arts and culture organisations. Of these, 241 organisations were supported under the ACRP Operating Grant, to sustain operations and make for more nimble adjustments in response to the pandemic.

We understood how SMMs and venue capacity limits weighed painfully on the sector, with lower revenues arising from reduced audiences or visitor capacities.

To support our arts groups, we introduced the Venue Hire Subsidy (VHS) to defray performance costs. This encouraged the resumption of activities and also brought back vibrancy to our arts and cultural scene, with more than 1,700 live performances and other cultural events supported in 2020 and 2021.

For example, the re:SOUND collective made use of the VHS to hold a concert, Tapestry with Jeremy Monteiro. This was held at the Singapore Conference Hall. Likewise, groups like Pangdemonium and The Singapore Ballet also utilised the VHS. I was present at Tapestry some weeks ago. I was present at the Singapore Ballet a few nights ago and I will be present at Pangdemonium's performance this Saturday at the Victoria Theatre. I hope that Members will also support the arts in the same way.

We also used the ACRP to provide opportunities through digitalisation and transformation to meet future challenges.

Over 1,500 digitalisation projects were supported under the ACRP through the Digitalisation Fund, including the Digital Presentation Grant (DPG). This allowed the sector to obtain invaluable experience innovating in these new frontiers.

Together with the Capability Development Scheme for the Arts (CDSA), we created close to 15,000 work and training opportunities for the sector in 2020.

On the back of these gains, we took a longer-term view in 2021 – when we understood the pandemic a little more and we understood the sectors a little better. We wanted to look beyond the pandemic and position the sector for a strong recovery post-COVID-19 and in the mid- to longer-term. With the second tranche of the ACRP, we supported transformation efforts that encouraged even greater collaboration within the sector to explore opportunities, share best practices and come together to tackle common issues.

More than 100 transformation projects by over 190 organisations were supported by the Organisation Transformation Grant (OTG).

Self-employed persons (SEPs) and organisations also came together to develop projects supported by the SEP Grant (SEPG), creating over 5,000 work and training opportunities for our SEPs.

We will fully utilise the $75 million for the ACRP by the end of this Financial Year (FY). To build on the gains that we have made, we will provide an additional $12 million in FY2022 in continued support of our arts and culture practitioners.

The VHS will also be extended. Last year, we incorporated the CDSA and DPG into NAC and NHB's ongoing grants and, this year, we will also incorporate the OTG and SEPG.

Ms Janet Ang asked how we will continue to provide vibrant arts and culture spaces, and about our plans to co-create new models for the sector. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Mr Darryl David and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked about our efforts to revitalise the sector.

Madam, they are right. We must act proactively to protect and sustain a thriving and innovative arts and culture sector. If arts and culture become unintended casualties of the pandemic, we will lose a sense of who we are as a nation and what makes us special as a people.

Therefore, we will work with the community to ensure that the sector remains vibrant, innovative, and more importantly, forward-looking, and continues to provide good and meaningful jobs. That the landscape continues to reflect our shared values, our ethos and our social mores, inspires and uplifts us and forges a strong sense of national identity.

Our key focus areas are:

First, digitalisation as a key enabler for the sector to engage new and existing audiences and complement existing revenue streams. To encourage more widespread digital adoption, we worked closely with stakeholders and tech partners to develop the Arts and Culture Digital Roadmap which was launched in February this year.

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Second, enhancing conditions for our SEPs. Our arts and culture landscape depends heavily on the rich talent of our freelancers. They are creative and talented and are a source of spontaneity and innovation. We value them and want to help them to continue to thrive and contribute. Therefore, we will work with partners to help SEPs build up their skills, improve working conditions, explore new ways for them to create value in the arts sector and also in the wider creative economy.

Third, developing vibrant and inclusive arts and culture spaces to keep up with the emerging trends and better meet practitioners' needs. One example is 45 Armenian Street (45AS). We have asked leaders in the arts community to help envision the space and how it can best be operated and managed. I thank the Chair of Art Outreach Mae Anderson, the Vice Chair of Wild Rice Janice Koh, and co-artistic director of Independent Archive Shaiful Risan, as well as other members of the 45AS Resource Panel for so generously sharing their time, expertise and experience with us and also engaging with the wider community, to collaborate with NAC.

To ensure that 45AS remains a safe space for artistic experimentation, one that supports the work of our young, emerging practitioners and is always inclusive, multidisciplinary as an arts space. My colleague, Minister of State Low Yen Ling will elaborate further on our focus areas to strengthen the sector.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked for an update on the Cultural Matching Fund (CMF). The CMF was set up in 2013 to encourage cultural philanthropy, to push arts and heritage charities to also diversify their income streams via fundraising, with dollar-for-dollar matching of private cash donations to arts and heritage charities. This enhances the resilience of our arts and heritage charities, and there has been an encouragingly strong response to this.

Arts and heritage charities received over $300 million in CMF grants, reflecting donations catalysed by the CMF since its inception. To date, a total of 111 arts and heritage charities applied to CMF at least once. These 111 represent over two-thirds of the total number of arts and heritage charities in Singapore.

Many charities have also embarked on their own fundraising for the first time to diversify their revenue streams. We want to sustain the momentum of giving and to encourage charities to keep up fundraising efforts and forge and develop stronger relationships with their own ecosystem of donors. There will, therefore, be a top-up of $150 million into the CMF. The top-up will encourage cultural philanthropy and enhance the sustainability of the arts and heritage sectors. The CMF will complement existing initiatives to provide stronger support to smaller charities to develop their own governance and fundraising capabilities.

Our cultural heritage plays an important role in growing a strong, confident society by anchoring our own unique Singaporean identity and telling stories that are our own and that define and inspire us as a country.

The Padang, for example, has borne witness to many significant national events. The site is an instantly recognisable enduring testament to our history as a people and as a country. NHB is working towards the gazetting of the Padang as a National Monument on National Day later this year.

Madam, even as we safeguard our tangible heritage, we will continue to preserve and celebrate our intangible heritage. We were very proud some time ago when our hawker culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) list. We are now looking at a second UNESCO ICH nomination. There are some exciting possibilities. I will not share them here yet. We have sought views on them and we will think about them a bit more, think about how else and what are the possible nominations and will continue to engage with our relevant stakeholders, as well as the public, before reaching a decision.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked for an update on our long-term vision for the arts and culture sector. Madam, it is a good question. Even as we work on the here and now, and Members will see that we have many initiatives on the here and now, we have kept a clear eye on the future. Since mid-2021, we have been actively engaging stakeholders in the sector to develop a vision for the next Arts and Heritage Plans and will further engage stakeholders this year.

The Arts and Heritage Plans 2.0 will continue to build upon the vital role played by the arts and heritage in deepening our national identity. Again, Minister of State Low Yen Ling will give more details on the Arts and Heritage Plans 2.0.

Madam, let me now turn to sports. Mr Darryl David and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about strategies to bring sports participation back, and Mr Mark Chay asked a series of questions about sports entertainment and, in particular, digital content, to promote Singapore's culture and identity. Miss Cheng, in particular, spoke with such passion about the National Stadium. I think she showed her vintage naming those players, but I would suggest that we look forward as well. Irfan Fandi, Gabriel Quak, Jacob Mahler are some names of the future.

We have been supporting the sports and fitness industry to enhance their value proposition through digitalisation, to transform the way they present and, in turn, the way we consume and experience activities and sporting content.

The ActiveSG Circle has partnered stakeholders to develop more than 3,000 hours of digital content since 2020 and, to date, has accumulated a viewership of 67 million, with five million unique visitors. This is very encouraging and we will continue with this effort.

SportSG also closely supports the sports and fitness industry in expanding their blended digital and physical offerings, including events and competitions, like the Arena Games Triathlon to be held in May this year, which will blend live and virtual reality experiences for a truly immersive experience.

We have also been nudging digital production and innovation through the Sports Resilience Package (SRP), which was enhanced to a total of $75 million last year. To date, more than 600 businesses were supported by the SRP. The SRP will sustain the momentum of innovation, such as through the Enterprise Innovation and Capabilities Development Grant (InnoGrant), which supports businesses in applying technology and innovative solutions.

Through these, some sports businesses are fundamentally transforming the way we experience sports. For example, SportSG's "Blended" initiative supports businesses through areas, such as data analytics and fan engagement, so that they can better develop hybrid experiences which better connect with the audience. With Blended's support, 18 hybrid events reached over 90,000 participants. One such event is RIDEnjoySG, an innovative campaign that encourages participants to cycle safely on bike paths and park connectors whilst, at the same time, enjoying real-world rewards via location-based challenges and augmented reality.

Madam, 2021 was a thoroughly exciting year for sports, despite the many uncertainties and challenges. We progressively resumed sporting activities and also hosted several international events.

In 2022, we want to step it up. Like arts, sports are a social "glue" that brings us together, as we cheer on our athletes fighting hard for Singapore, or as we develop friendships by simply engaging in a game or two on the field or on the court.

We will commit $20 million to our Bring Sport Back programme in 2022. This is designed to reinvigorate Singapore sports, bring people back to play and enjoy sports together and, through sports, reconnect with one another. Bring Sport Back will focus on three key elements.

First, we will safely reintroduce mass participation events for all, through more community events and sports festivals. To facilitate this, SportSG will be opening a grant call to fund mass participation events at up to $50,000 per award under the Blended Events Grant – Bring Sport Back edition.

Second, we will ramp up community participation in sports through enhanced programming and more group activities. Currently, more than 170 facilities have already resumed "5 against 5" team sports. We are working on resuming larger team sports capacities across more facilities around Singapore, bringing it back to full capacity in several phases. We will roll out more leagues and competitions for people of all ages under the ActiveSG umbrella. These include the ActiveSG Cup launch and ActiveSG Leagues for Athletics, Badminton and Canoeing.

ActiveSG Academies and Clubs will ramp up the capacity of high-quality programmes, to strengthen sport development, social integration, health and wellness and inculcate strong values of resilience and determination, values that one can get through sport participation. They will also offer additional pathways for youth development at the elite level.

We have also picked up growing interest in pickleball – I think some Members may be familiar with that sport – an increasingly popular sport, particularly among our seniors. We will continue to keep our ears to the ground and will, in this case, for pickleball, increase the frequency of this and any other popular activities that will bring people back to sports.

Third, we will optimise facilities and spaces to encourage people to return and to play together. These spaces will be community-driven, serving the unique needs of our different neighbourhoods. These include repurposing spaces for a range of sports and converting underused spaces into outdoor gyms. We hope that these measures will encourage Singaporeans to resume sporting and wellness activities safely.

Madam, as we raise our ambitions in sports, we also want to emphasise the values that unite and promote an inclusive "Sense of Us" – of who we are as fellow Singaporeans.

One of the values that Singaporeans hold dear is inclusivity. We must build a society where everyone, regardless of their own circumstances in life, can take part and can flourish.

I appreciate very much Miss Cheng Li Hui's and Mr Darryl David's questions on inclusive sports. There are several aspects to this, for which we have a few broad initiatives. First, SportSG will introduce the Para Sport Academy, under ActiveSG's Academies and Clubs, to create more opportunities for persons with disabilities to pursue their sporting ambition at a competitive level.

I spoke during my earlier Parliamentary Motion last year about the unique ability of sports to enhance an individual's own self-confidence and to transform community attitudes towards a person with disabilities.

Sports are one arena where we can, and, indeed, we should, level everyone up. Through sports, we can empower persons with disabilities in deeply profound ways to help them realise their full potential and raise their visibility and prominence in society.

For many para-athletes, their stories attest to the value of sports in Singapore, playing a pivotal part in building an inclusive society. The Para Sport Academy will bring us one step closer, one step further along this journey, ensuring our para-athletes will have an equal platform and as much opportunity as any other to scale the pinnacle of sporting excellence.

Second, sports can uplift and motivate. In that spirit, SportCares will be collaborating with ComLink to offer programmes to vulnerable youths, families and seniors. SportCares will also roll out a mentoring programme and will also offer bursaries, scholarships and internships for youths from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Both of these initiatives will provide enhanced opportunities for those with disabilities or from less privileged backgrounds to achieve their hopes and dreams and use sports to uplift themselves.

My colleague, Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua, will share more details on these two initiatives, as well as other sports developments to look forward to.

As Ms Joan Pereira said, this year marks the 20th anniversary of our Inter-racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs). Many Members, in fact, know that our IRCCs have been instrumental in shaping our interfaith harmony over the years. Their mission to strengthen our social cohesion remains as important today as it was 20 years ago, when we first set it up.

IRCC was first formed in 2002, at a time when the world was reeling in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks and Singapore had also just uncovered the Jemaah Islamiyah plot to attack embassies on our own soil. We now have IRCCs in every constituency, with over 1,500 members comprising key leaders from various religious organisations, grassroots, community leaders and other stakeholders.

The IRCCs have, over the years, been a critical bridge between the different community groups, building bridges, building trust and friendships and just doing day-to-day things, so that the lived experience enhances those bonds. On average, the IRCCs organise over 250 activities each year, including dialogues on different faiths, practices and festivals, and joint collaborations to support one another in times of need. We agree with Ms Joan Pereira that we should do more to open the common spaces, to listen and learn about other faiths, religions and practices, without prejudice. The IRCCs also act as a conduit between the Government and community by highlighting issues emerging on the ground, providing insights and ideas.

Mr Fahmi Bin Aliman asked how we plan to step up social cohesion efforts. Ms Joan Pereira and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked how we plan to keep IRCCs effective and relevant and promote a more inclusive nation.

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Madam, as a basic requirement, we must ensure that our IRCCs will continue to foster mutual trust on the ground. They are bridges and connectors on the ground across communities.

At the same time, we are also operating and very quickly moving into a rapidly-changing landscape. We will, therefore, have to refresh our IRCCs, so that they stand ready to respond to future challenges, such as evolving societal attitudes, increasing fault lines and the pervasive impact of social media on race and religious relations, like some Members have highlighted earlier.

We must also anticipate the challenges in the next bound.

To this end, we have formed a Workgroup to review how we can refresh our IRCCs to continue strengthening our racial and religious harmony. The Workgroup comprises members who are experienced IRCC leaders, representatives from religious organisations, civil society leaders and groups and community partners as well as youth leaders who play an integral and instrumental part in shaping what we want to be doing in the future to promote racial and religious harmony.

Over the next few months, the Workgroup will consult widely with a range of community stakeholders, identify the strengths and challenges faced by the IRCCs, look at some of the issues, look at how we can tackle them and put forward their recommendations. I look forward to the Workgroup presenting its recommendations later on this year and I will share them with Members of this House.

Next, Madam, Ms Joan Pereira asked how we can continue to strengthen community life at the neighbourhood level and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked how we can increase care and cohesiveness in Singapore.

At the heart of our communities and neighbourhoods are the Residents Committees (RC) and Residents' Networks (RN) centres. The way to increase care, cohesiveness, bonds on the ground, is not necessarily to come up with special projects or special events to bring people together, but to share as part of our daily lived experiences. When you step out of your home, when you go down to the common areas in the community, how can we foster that bond?

Last October, I had announced that five centres would pilot the smart RC/RN concept, where these centres would be more accessible and better equipped, for example, with smart access control systems, so that residents can access them at a time of their choice.

The pilot centres allowed for enhanced use, fostered a greater sense of coming together and community and belonging for the neighbourhoods involved. We will progressively roll out the pilot across more RC centres in the second half of 2022 to take advantage of some of the gains we have seen from the pilot.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman and Miss Cheng Li Hui also asked how MCCY plans to make volunteerism and care a greater part of our lives.

To do so, the SG Cares movement and People's Association (PA) will generate multiple pathways for volunteerism so that everyone can play a part for the common good.

There are several initiatives and I will just highlight one that the PA is studying and will implement shortly. That is, to broaden opportunities for volunteerism on the ground where, as far as possible, we can do it on a fluid, informal and flexible basis. Let me explain that.

First, working with the community to support volunteers, formal and informal, who wish to work on specific causes. We will support volunteers in causes that they care about.

Second, we want to partner already existing networks on the ground to encourage community involvement and to reach out to potential networks of volunteers.

Third, we will support these community volunteers in their projects through grants, cross-sharing of volunteering opportunities and also providing resources, together with other agencies.

The PA's efforts also complement ongoing SG Cares' efforts to expand the base of volunteers through working with community partners.

Madam, let me now touch on the prevalence of neighbourly disputes. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Mr Derrick Goh, Mr Gerald Giam, Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Gan Thiam Poh all asked about our processes to deal with such disputes and how we can enhance the use of mediation.

Members will be aware that in 2014, the Community Dispute Management Framework (CDMF) was introduced. The framework was aimed at facilitating effective resolution of common neighbourly disputes to seek to foster a more harmonious living environment.

An interagency workgroup has been reviewing this framework. Mr Gerald Giam asked who was involved. MinLaw, MCCY, MND and MHA are involved in this review.

As I also mentioned in my MinLaw COS speech, our agencies are exploring a range of enhancements to the framework. These cover both upstream measures to promote prosocial norms and downstream measures to enhance our response to disputes, addressing situations where disputes would benefit from mediation and possibly dispute resolution at the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals (CDRT).

Madam, we recognise that some disagreements, such as neighbour-generated nuisances, noise, and local and neighbour disamenities may not always meet the threshold for intervention by Government agencies. Oftentimes, they are also best suited for mediation, which provides not just a quick, friendly, informal process to deal with, but also one which, as far as possible, preserves the existing relationship between the two neighbours – one that is amicable and conciliatory in nature.

However, at present, as some Members have pointed out, the mediation take-up rate remains low despite this being a proven effective means to resolve disputes. We are, therefore, considering three broad areas of enhancements to better manage such disagreements.

First, we will collaborate with residents to strengthen the spirit of neighbourliness and graciousness through shared norms.

In her MND COS speech, my colleague, Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, spoke about forming a Community Advisory Panel (CAP) on Neighbourhood Noise. This panel will seek to build consensus through community norms that can be a useful guide for determining acceptable behaviours among neighbours and also serve as a useful reference point for agencies in advising residents to be considerate neighbours.

Second, we are considering ways to improve our dispute resolution mechanisms, both in mediation and in the CDRT.

For mediation, we intend to increase the take-up rate for mediation, both formal and informal. The Community Mediation Centre (CMC) has a high settlement rate – I mentioned this previously and I will mention it again. For every 10 cases that go before the CMC, 8.8 of them are resolved. That is a very high number. This shows that when parties avail themselves of this process, formal mediation is very effective and should be the preferred mechanism for resolving neighbourly tensions.

We are looking into increasing awareness on the benefits of mediation. The CMC has been using social media to promote its services and has also been reaching out to frontline officers to promote the benefits of mediation and the referral process. We are exploring more varied modes of mediation to increase accessibility, for example, doing online virtual mediation.

Additionally, we are also studying the feasibility of mandating mediation in appropriate circumstances and in those cases, requiring disputing neighbours to undergo mediation before filing a claim with CDRT. This is so that neighbours may resolve differences amicably as far as possible, without first going through the CDRT process, which is adjudicatory and often zero-sum in nature.

We are also considering possible consequences for parties who fail to attend mediation and, yet, want to pursue a claim at CDRT.

Mr Gerald Giam suggested that we allow adverse inferences to be drawn and we will consider that. We will also consider the other suggestions by Mr Gerald Giam, which were good suggestions, on how to effectively promote mediation in such situations.

We are also studying possible mechanisms for a CMC settlement agreement to be registered as an order of Court. This will then make it easier for the CMC to have its settlement agreements enforced as an order of Court.

Madam, beyond these, grassroots and other community leaders also play an important role in preserving positive neighbourly relations and often partner frontline agencies in resolving such disputes. We will work on programmes to better equip our community leaders with the skills to informally mediate between residents. Very often, they are also a neighbour themselves and can be the best first responder to the situation to understand the context, the lay of the land and, quite possibly, be the respected person that both neighbours can look up to. These are the ingredients for a successful mediation.

Mr Patrick Tay asked about the CDRT's caseload. In the past five years, 721 claims have been filed with CDRT, with 138 cases ordered to undergo mediation at CMC or CDRC, and 656 cases being disposed of by CDRT.

We are studying process changes to alleviate the difficulties which some parties face in navigating the CDRT process and to ensure greater effectiveness of CDRT among the parties involved. These changes could include empowering CDRT to obtain expedited relief, akin to an interim injunction, in egregious cases and introducing measures to deter non-compliance with CDRT orders more effectively. In cases where respondents breach the orders granted by CDRT, claimants have gone on to apply for Special Directions, Compliance Bonds and Exclusion Orders from CDRT.

Mr Gerald Giam raised a point about uploading of evidence.

The current requirement for audio and video recordings, which often are the most direct way in which you can show and substantiate your position to the CDRT, these are usually submitted using CD or DVD due to the need to preserve data integrity and security.

Nonetheless, the Courts are continually reviewing their processes and will take into account Mr Giam's point and assess the viability of alternatives to submit evidence in Court. In the meantime, Court users who require assistance to submit audio or video recordings to the CDRT can approach the CDRT Registry for assistance.

Third and, finally, we are looking to enhance processes and resources for a targeted response that can better assess the nature and scope of a complaint and attend to them quickly.

One possibility could be a team of ground responders empowered to collect and share evidence or reports with the CDRT to alleviate the evidential burden for parties involved. More details will be announced as we continue with this review and the findings are firmed up.

Madam, the various initiatives I have spoken about today signals our commitment to ensure that we emerge from this pandemic not just stronger, but also more cohesive and innovative as a society.

Let me round up my response this afternoon by returning to sports and our sportsmen and sportswomen, all of whom exemplify the values and qualities we all aspire to as a people.

Mr Darryl David asked for an update on TeamSG's preparations for the major games in 2022.

Let me just recap 2021. We had a successful 2021.

Last year, all of us cheered our Olympians and Paralympians as they flew the Singapore flag high and proud in Tokyo. We celebrated the achievements of Loh Kean Yew and Aloysius Yapp who reached the pinnacles of their respective sports last year, in badminton and in cue sports. Shayna Ng and Yip Pin Xiu, names which I am sure all of you recognise, continued to inspire us through world-class performances in bowling and swimming.

Our youth athletes did extremely well, too. Colin Soon won four Gold medals at the Asian Youth Para Games for swimming; Maximilian Maeder won the Under-19 World Championships for kite foiling; and Izaac Quek, who is competing at the World Table Tennis (WTT) Singapore Smash, won the Under-15 Singles title for table tennis.

We will have a busy sporting calendar in 2022. We will have the Hanoi SEA Games in May, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July and August, the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Hangzhou Para Games in September and October, respectively.

I am confident that our TeamSG athletes will continue to fly our flag high and inspire us with their resilience, fortitude and solidarity, the very same qualities that will enable Singapore to progress and develop on multiple fronts.

I have spoken at length in Parliament earlier this year and last year on the Government's support for high performance sports and our TeamSG athletes. We will continue to do so and enable each of our athletes to put their best foot forward in these competitions. We encourage all to support our TeamSG athletes.

Mdm Chairman, our transition out of the pandemic will not be without bumps and hurdles. Much of the impact that COVID-19 has on the sectors we care for is intangible and often latent. They are hidden. We have to ensure that we do not suffer a deficit in social resilience in our society, even as we strive to protect lives and livelihoods in this pandemic.

Madam, sports, culture, heritage – they hold a mirror to our society.

They show us who we are, how far we have come and what we cherish, value and aspire to. Resilience in defeat and grace in victory – these are qualities that are like a microcosm of our society. As our athletes and artists succeed, so does our nation.

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More importantly, in sports, art, culture and heritage, we see that our diversity in race, colour and creed is, in fact, our strength. These distinctions do not divide us; they enable us, they make us stronger. Whether it is on the playing field or under the stage lights, our athletes and artists show us that what matters are what we bring to the table – our unique gifts, talents and experiences – and our shared dreams.

The qualities we see on the stage or on the pitch – grace under pressure, commitment to excellence, dedication to one another, to our team mates – are the very same ones we hold dear in society, that inspire in us pride, unity and courage, and the ability to dream even bigger together. They speak to the heart of Singapore.

On that note, Mdm Chairman, MCCY will ensure our arts, heritage and sports sectors will emerge from this pandemic stronger, better, faster and more vibrant, innovative and resilient. They will continue to inspire, unite and move us, as we continue to strengthen the heart of Singapore towards an even more caring, gracious and truly inclusive society. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Minister of State Low Yen Ling.

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Low Yen Ling): Mdm Chairman, in the last two years, MCCY, the National Arts Council (NAC) and the National Heritage Board (NHB) have rolled out wide-ranging measures to safeguard livelihoods, build capabilities and position our arts and culture sector for a strong recovery in the new normal. Kudos to our arts and culture organisations and practitioners – they have responded boldly and creatively to the challenges brought on by the pandemic. Through their craft and artistic contributions, they have provided soothing balm and comfort to us all in a difficult time like this. We are grateful for their resilience and perseverance.

Looking ahead, for the year 2022, we will continue to work closely with our arts and culture community to chart our path towards recovery. We will enlarge our longer-term plans with the aims to foster in Singapore a resilient, sustainable and future-ready arts and culture ecosystem that: one, enriches and inspires lives; two, unites us as a nation, with pride in our shared heritage; and three, enhances Singapore's shine as a global city.

Today, we look forward to our arts and culture sector recovering even stronger than before from the pandemic. Our practitioners have reached new audiences, created new experiences and enhanced existing capabilities while developing new ones in areas like digital showcases. This is the result of our collective resolve over the last two years as the arts and culture community collaborate and support one another.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Darryl David will be pleased to know that we will do even more to sustain the momentum and enable the sector to build on these gains. As shared earlier by Minister Edwin Tong, we will be injecting an additional $12 million to sustain good practices and learning points from COVID-19 after the end of the Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP). Let me elaborate.

As we continue to adapt and move towards a new normal, we will extend the Venue Hire Subsidy (VHS) for another three months from 1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022, at a stepped-down rate of 30%. This will continue to defray venue hire costs for our practitioners, as we progressively resume activities and welcome back larger audiences.

Introduced last year as part of the ACRP, the Organisation Transformation Grant (OTG) has attracted keen interest from arts and culture organisations and practitioners.

To sustain support for transformation, NHB will incorporate the OTG into its existing grants, such as the Heritage Research Grant, as well as the Minor and Major Project Grant. Heritage businesses and organisations will be able to benefit from an increased grant amount of up to $40,000, from $30,000 previously, to cater to larger-scale and longer-term projects. The grants will also be open to Business Associations to encourage transformation efforts in our historic districts.

Similarly, NAC will launch a new Sector Transformation Fund (STF) to promote and sustain the transformation efforts of our arts and culture community. Projects previously supported under the ACRP OTG that have longer-term potential for further development, can tap on the STF to push ahead and transform.

Let me now share how we will boost the sustainability of the arts and culture sector for diverse communities to enjoy, a point passionately highlighted by Ms Janet Ang. We will empower the sector to leverage digital technologies to pursue new artistic, cultural and business opportunities. Through digitalisation, the sector can enhance their existing revenue streams, as well as improve productivity and organisational effectiveness.

We recently launched the Arts and Culture Digital Roadmap on 28 February to equip and enhance the digital journey of our arts and culture organisations and practitioners. They can use the Digital Roadmap, which has a self-assessment checklist, to gauge their level of digital readiness and learn about the range of digital solutions and funding schemes available to businesses, charities and individuals that can support such efforts.

As Mr Mark Chay pointed out, we can showcase our unique culture to local, as well as overseas audiences by using more digital content. For instance, Ding Yi Music Company brought their triennial international composition festival called "Composium" online last year, which led to its musicians and the compositions of local composers, such as Cultural Medallion recipients Eric Watson and Law Wai Lun, reaching international audiences. In the coming months, MCCY, NAC and NHB will be engaging our arts and culture organisations and practitioners through roadshows and workshops to promote awareness of the Digital Roadmap. We will also provide tailored support to those who require assistance to digitalise. Details of these efforts will be made available on the websites of all three organisations, once they are ready.

Madam, through the Self-Employed Person Grant (SEPG) introduced under the ACRP, Self-employed Persons (SEPs) have engaged in new collaborations. For instance, an independent producer, Ms Nurhafezhah Maznan, created a structured programme for eight young theatre directors to learn from 17 artists and other creatives on how to direct works in Malay and Tamil.

We will continue to deepen our support for SEPs by incorporating the SEPG into NAC's existing Presentation and Participation (P&P) and Capability Development (CD) grants. Ms Tin Pei Ling will be glad to know that, through this move, priority will be given to grant applications initiated by or targeted at SEPs.

In addition, we are committed to creating conditions in the arts and culture sector for livelihoods to thrive, with targeted support for SEPs.

First, we will increase opportunities for capacity development for SEPs. To this end, NAC will raise greater awareness of the skills and competencies that our SEPs need to help them make informed choices for their career progression. NAC will also work with partners to mount training courses in new and emerging areas, such as e-pedagogy and digital arts education programme development, for arts instructors.

Second, NAC will work with industry partners to ensure better protection and working conditions for our SEPs. NAC will promote the adoption of best practices among organisations which engage SEPs – from the signing of formal contracts to improving contractual obligations between the parties and recognising our SEPs for their skills and contributions. For example, our national cultural institutions have adopted the Tripartite Standards on Contracting with SEPs since 2018.

Third, NAC will pilot new ways for SEPs to create value in the arts sector and beyond. NAC has observed some enterprising SEPs, especially in the last two years, developing artist-business partnership and testing new ways to work with enterprises working on sustainability solutions. NAC will support SEPs to push boundaries and contribute to the broader creative economy, as well as to collaborate with one another and new partners – such as local businesses – from other sectors in new and innovative ways.

We encourage our SEPs to make full use of the available grants to sustain their practices, collaborate on new initiatives and develop new capabilities. We look forward to our SEPs' continued contribution to Singapore's arts and culture.

Madam, besides developing our people, MCCY is also working closely with the sector to strengthen our cultural infrastructure for artists and creatives to incubate, to experiment and to collaborate.

One of the newest additions to this growing pool is the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) at Tanjong Pagar Distripark (TPD). I visited SAM at TPD just two months ago with Minister Edwin Tong in January for the 10th edition of the Singapore Art Week (SAW) 2022 and we saw for ourselves how a former industrial warehouse was turned into a fascinating location for experimental exhibitions and programmes. The TPD welcomed more than 17,000 visitors during SAW 2022 and its unique large space allowed the public to be immersed in various arts and culture experiences in a very engaging manner.

Another exciting development is also taking place at Kampong Java. NAC is partnering the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) to refurbish and pilot arts and culture sandbox spaces at 52 to 56 Kampong Java. These venues that I have mentioned will offer our artists of various disciplines an affordable space to focus on their experimental and creative process. NAC will seek views from the arts community on the use of these spaces in the first half of this year.

Madam, many of these cultural spaces are located at sites with a long history. Our built heritage connects us to the nation's past, like what Mr Sitoh Yih Pin mentioned, and forms a part of our cultural identity. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin will be glad to know that MCCY is continuing to safeguard and celebrate Singapore's shared heritage. One important aspect of this work involves the heritage impact assessment (HIA) framework, which Minister for National Development Mr Desmond Lee had shared earlier at MND's COS. MCCY and NHB will continue to support MND and URA in implementing the HIA framework. The framework further strengthens how public agencies must thoroughly evaluate the heritage significance of a site as an important consideration in the early stage of planning for development projects.

Our rich heritage is also a source of national pride. All Singaporeans celebrated when our hawker culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in December 2020.

Last year, at the COS, I shared that we would embark on consultations to identify possible elements for Singapore's second UNESCO intangible cultural heritage nomination. Between June 2021 and January 2022, NHB held Focus Group Discussions with approximately 170 participants, comprising intangible cultural heritage practitioners, heritage business owners, academics and youths, to hear their views and their thoughts and suggestions. Through these conversations, we heard a clear preference for our second nomination to be multicultural in nature and relatable to Singaporeans. A total of 10 possible elements have been suggested through these consultations. For example, our Chingay Parade, the Making and Sharing of Kueh, Peranakan Beadwork and Embroidery, Orchid Cultivation and Yusheng, just to name a few. NHB will broaden its consultations over the course of the coming months to engage more stakeholders, as well as the general public, before a final decision is made on the element to be nominated.

Mdm Chairman, our museums showcase our valuable heritage and I am glad to update that, come this December, families and young children can look forward to a dynamic and engaging experience at the new Children's Museum Singapore (CMSG), in what used to be the Singapore Philatelic Museum.

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Ms Janet Ang spoke passionately about the importance of arts and culture for the young, and we agree with her. The CMSG will feature a range of topics, including Singapore's history and biodiversity, and help foster a stronger awareness of our shared values and national identity in our young children.

In another development, following extensive consultations with the community, the Peranakan Museum will reopen in 2023, with an expanded curatorial focus on the rich cross-cultural traditions and distinctive arts of the Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia.

Besides looking forward to the CMSG and Peranakan Museum, Singaporeans can all play a part in shaping an important reflection of our heritage – the Founders' Memorial. Next month, NHB will launch the Founders' Memorial "Share Your Story, Shape Our Memorial" Travelling Exhibition. Besides an update on the Memorial's architectural design, the travelling exhibition will provide the public a chance to share artefacts and stories related to key national policies or milestones, or their encounters with our founding leaders.

For example, Mr Timothy de Souza is keen to share his personal mementoes as one of Singapore's first fighter pilots. We look forward to rich and interesting contributions from all Singaporeans.

Madam, looking ahead, MCCY will build upon the foundation and progress made by Our SG Arts Plan in 2018. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin would be glad to know that, today, our arts sector includes diverse talents who collaborate and create new arts experiences for audiences in Singapore and beyond, including the under-reached groups mentioned by Ms Janet Ang and Mr Mark Chay. Through signature arts festival platforms, such as SAW, which I mentioned earlier, Singapore International Festival of Arts and the Singapore Writers Festival, we have brought together diverse players in the local arts ecosystem, grown a strong audience base and profiled Singapore arts globally.

Community partnerships have been forged across 20 Arts and Culture nodes, bringing people of different backgrounds together through the arts.

Arts education has also been enhanced with experiential, cohort-based learning programmes to museums and concert halls, as well as digital content. Arts offerings are more inclusive than before, with support for quality arts experiences for our preschoolers, as well as students with special needs.

Since July 2021, NAC has held conversations with around 400 stakeholders in one-on-one interviews and also focus group discussions on the future of the arts for Singapore. Building on these insights, we are developing Our SG Arts Plan 2.0 to set the stage for the next phase of our arts development.

First, we will strengthen the role of the arts in the wider local and global creative economy; second, we will develop further ways for the arts to contribute to deepening our national identity, social cohesion and inclusivity; third, make the arts a distinctive factor that adds to Singapore's attractiveness as a global city.

NAC welcomes feedback and ideas from the sector to refine Our SG Arts Plan 2.0. A public consultation will be conducted in the second part of this year.

Let me now turn to Our SG Heritage Plan which has, since 2018, enabled Singaporeans to rediscover and affirm our shared values and identity through diverse offerings and multiple touchpoints. Our museums are now more accessible through digital initiatives and offerings that reach out to a larger audience. Seniors can now enjoy age-friendly programmes under the Silver Hubs initiative, while programmes under HeritageCares also reach out to lower-income families, persons with disabilities, children with special needs as well as youths-at-risk.

Heritage is being infused into everyday spaces around us through the Street Corner Heritage Galleries scheme. Our Tampines Gallery, Kreta Ayer Heritage Gallery and Geylang Serai Heritage Gallery have all enlivened local communities.

Following NHB's consultations with a diverse range of stakeholders that include insights from our museum community, youth, creatives, heritage societies and heritage business owners, NHB is drawing up plans for Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0.

Firstly, we will support the heritage sector's digital adoption and develop capabilities to transform their operations and efforts in connecting Singaporeans to our heritage; second, we will also showcase Singapore's rich multicultural heritage beyond our shores to grow new audiences and markets for our heritage sector, while, at the same time, learning from the best in the world to develop our home talents; thirdly, we will work closely with our local communities as well as heritage enthusiasts and partners in the tech and creative industries to celebrate our unique local histories.

We invite all Singaporeans to share your views and feedback for Our SG Heritage Plan 2.0 when NHB launches the public call in the middle of this year. Mdm Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Developing our local arts and heritage sectors enhances Singapore's vibrancy and attractiveness as a global city. Further, art pieces and heritage assets that resonate with Singaporeans will also strengthen our sense of belonging and help build a more cohesive and inclusive society. MCCY will strive to achieve these goals by continuing with our SG Arts and Heritage Plans.

Since the launch of Our SG Arts Plan in 2018, we have profiled Singapore arts through signature arts platforms, forged community partnerships and brought arts across 20 arts and cultural nodes. This strengthens community involvement, including preschoolers, students with special needs and the elderly, ensuring that our arts scene becomes more inclusive and benefits more people.

On the other hand, Our SG Heritage Plan, which was launched in 2018, has also allowed Singaporeans to rediscover and affirm their shared heritage. Preservation of more national monuments and the successful inscription of our hawker culture on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage have also engendered greater public recognition of the value of heritage in our everyday lives.

As the next step, NAC and NHB will broaden their consultations this year and continue their conversations with Singaporeans and partners from various fields as we co-create the next editions of Our SG Arts and Heritage Plans, so as to contribute to the creative economy and safeguard and promote Singapore's multicultural heritage.

(In English): Mdm Chairman, MCCY and our agencies remain committed to working with the arts and culture community to revitalise our arts and culture sector and chart its future directions. As we build on the gains that we have made together over the past two years, we will carve an exciting journey ahead towards a thriving and sustainable arts and culture ecosystem – one that enriches livelihoods, unites our people and enlivens our city. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Order. I propose to take the break now.

Thereupon Mdm Deputy Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

Mdm Deputy Speaker: Order. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 5.45 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 5.24 pm until 5.45 pm.

Sitting resumed at 5.45 pm.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Debate in Committee of Supply resumed.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Head X (cont) –

Unleash the Roar

Mr Darryl David: Chairman, many of us remember fondly the Kallang Roar, although I agree with Minister Edwin Tong when he said earlier that while it is great to revel in nostalgia, we should also look forward to the future of the bright talents that we have coming up through the Singapore football pipeline.

Last year, MCCY announced its strategic plan to revitalise our football ecosystem and improve the standards of football at all levels through its Unleash the Roar project, which of course, was mooted to bring back that Kallang Roar. The project relates to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) goal for the national team to qualify for the 2034 FIFA World Cup – a noble and aspirational goal, indeed. The project is a worthy one as it helps our youths undertake intensive and structured high-quality football training to play football professionally.

Can MCCY provide an update on the progress of the Unleash the Roar project and its vision to unite Singaporeans of all ages, races and gender through football?

Singapore Soccer and Kallang Roar

Mr Abdul Samad: Chairman, soccer has always been a sport that unites our community since our national team participated in Malaysia Cup. Aside from the Malaysia Cup matches back then, we used to host competitive international friendly tournaments, such as the Merlion Cup, which attracts participation from renowned international teams like South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

At the last AFF Suzuki Cup between Singapore and Indonesia, where I was extremely fortunate to be physically inside the stadium with my family members and friends, we witnessed not just a match but a strong Singapore fighting spirit from our players, coupled with a multiracial crowd of all ages cheering the team on. The crowd support for the team on that night was one of passion and certainly brings back memories of the past glory days. In fact, the closure for that was when the crowd stood up and sang our national anthem to show appreciation for the players. They may have lost the match, but they have certainly reignited the spirit of the Kallang Roar.

Chairman, the last time our local soccer created a large interest in soccer was when we won the Malaysia Cup in 2015, even if the mood was less happening compared to 1994 when we won the Malaysian Cup League and Cup double. Sadly, after every success in the Malaysia Cup for the last two occasions, we exited – either we exit by choice or Malaysia asked us to exit.

I would like to appeal to MCCY and FAS to analyse and review on how we can bring back such moods in our local soccer to where it was at one time. How can we have more support for our local S League team, just like Lion City Sailors? I would also call on big organisations to play a pivotal role by being the main sponsor for all the S League clubs. Only with good sponsorships can clubs bring in quality foreign players that complement our local players for more entertaining games that can also improve our local soccer standards.

Singapore must develop more players with calibre of not just Quah Kim Song, but also like Harriss Harun, Faris Ramli, Jacob Mahler and Shahdan Sulaiman, for the future of our local soccer team that is not just of talent, but inclusive of all races that reflect Singapore as a multiracial society. We hope, by doing this, we do not just bring back the Kallang Roar, but we can even uplift the roar beyond Kallang and the Sports Hub!

Singapore Football

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, in December last year, our Singapore Lions men's football team put up a brave fight, in the semi-final of the AFF Suzuki Cup. Although they were down to eight men, they put up a proud fight until the final whistle and could hold their heads up high despite the defeat. The team's run in the tournament sparked a reinvigoration in local sentiments about our footballing scene.

Twelve years ago, another team bearing Singapore colours sparked the imagination of local football fans – the Singapore Youth Olympic Games (YOG) football team. The players from that tournament were dubbed a "Golden Generation" not only for achieving a milestone bronze medal at the inaugural event, but also for their exciting style of play. And yet, a review of their fortunes a decade later told a story of a lost generation of footballers.

While it is true that youth footballing success is no guarantee of future achievement, we must also be mindful of other factors, such as failures in the training and development systems and the lack of quality in mentoring, coaching and grooming of young talents. Sir, it is my hope that those involved in the "Unleash the Roar" (UTR) project announced in March 2021 bear in mind the lessons learnt from the past and continually engage stakeholders, such as coaches, club management, fans, but, most of all – the players.

Just over the weekend, a feature on CNA asked the question, "What does Singapore football need to raise its game?" The feature struck a cautious, yet, optimistic note for the future of Singapore football. I welcome the small steps that have been taken under the UTR project, such as the setting up of School Football Academies and partnerships with global leaders in football, such as clubs from the Spanish premier La Liga.

However, it is disappointing that following the resignation of Mr Tatsuma Yoshida after the Suzuki Cup tournament, a replacement has yet to be announced. Sir, we must move fast or be left behind.

The Chairman: Mr Mark Chay, please take your two cuts together.

Additional Support for National Teams

Mr Mark Chay: Chairman, I would like to raise three points for MCCY to consider.

One, additional funds for national teams. As Team Singapore takes the stage multiple times this year, I would like to ask for additional funds to be allocated to enable our Team Singapore athletes a fair shot at preparing, qualifying and competing at these major international competitions.

Two, additional resources to build our capabilities for sport science and administration. I would like to ask if there are sufficient sports science resources and personnel to support our athletes. If not, what is the plan to ramp up in time for the games?

Three, greater support for Team Singapore athletes serving their National Service.

Many of our Team Singapore athletes are National Servicemen. I would, therefore, like to ask if provisions have been made to enable and support our National Servicemen who have qualified for the games, for instance, allowing them time out to train and compete.

Empowering the Coaching Profession

At the outset, I would like to declare the I am a coach with the Singapore Disability Sports Council. I would like to raise three points in this regard. I will first speak on empowering coaches with the requisite knowledge and skills.

As Singapore moves to be more inclusive in the sporting arena, it becomes all the more timely to ensure that coaches are equipped with the necessary skills to handle differently-abled athletes. I would like to suggest CoachSG work together with the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) to develop and run courses. On coaching education in the broader sense, I am happy to note that CoachSG is working with experts at Leeds Beckett University to develop a coaching competency framework that would impact and shape our coaching development and education pathway in Singapore.

I would like to ask how this study will manifest in the CoachSG courses, and, just as importantly, how the study and the competency framework would result in greater recognition of coaches and their true value proposition, in terms of remuneration.

Chairman, I will move to my second point – recognising coaches and their accomplishments.

In my Budget 2022 Debate speech, I listed five Singaporean athletes who have emerged on top of the world in their respective disciplines. Can we name all their coaches who helped them achieve this feat? Do we know that these coaches were all local Singaporeans? And when was the last time we recognised a coach for a National Day Award?

The achievements of coaches have not enjoyed the same level of recognition as our national athletes do, and this should not be the case. They are with our athletes every step of the way, and these coaches not only ensure the physical performance of our athletes, they also play important roles in developing the athletes in imparting values and ethics.

I would, therefore, reason that their jobs are as important and deserving of recognition as those teachers at our MOE schools. I would like to propose that coaches be recognised for their contributions to inspire more Singaporeans to take on the mantle of coach and groom generations of world champions to come.

I now move to my final point – improving coaching standards and regulations.

If we were to celebrate our coaches, we should also consider strengthening the regulatory framework which governs coaches, and sports for that matter. The SafeSport Unified Code was launched last year and this was a huge step forward in ensuring the safety of our participants in sports. However, there is a lacuna in its ambit. It only affects NROC-registered coaches. What happens if the alleged offender is, for instance, an unregistered coach, a team manager or a volunteer?

To plug this gap, I have two suggestions for the Ministry. One, develop a framework for licensing and compulsory registration for all sports coaches and instructors; and two, extend the registration to administrators and volunteers.

I believe these measures would ensure a consistent standard and accountability for all persons who undertake the coaching role, which will then form a sturdy foundation for the sports scene in Singapore to thrive.

Sports and Sustainability

Prof Koh Lian Pin: Chairman, at first glance, sports and sustainability may seem to be two very different arenas. However, there may be opportunities for collaboration between the two sectors and communities for mutual benefit and the benefit of all Singaporeans. For example, in July last year, ActiveSG launched the permanent programme to collect and recycle used sports shoes into construction material for jogging tracks and fitness corners.

Could the Ministry share what additional initiatives are being considered to promote sustainability in sports?

The Chairman: Mr Xie Yao Quan, you may take your two cuts together.

Uplifting Society through Sports

Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong): Chairman, I would like to speak briefly about sports today – the role of sports in our lives and in our community. And I would like to start by recalling Minister Edwin Tong's response to one of my Parliamentary Questions recently.

In his response, the Minister laid out very comprehensively the overall framework – of our sporting system, sporting programmes and sporting infrastructure – and at various levels, from sports in the community, to sporting performance at the highest level. And his response reminded me then that sports are a little bit like clean air in our lives; we tend to forget that it is there, until it is no longer there.

But I think, through years of effort, we have built up a framework that has allowed sports to become so integral a part of our lives and our community here in Singapore.

It is in this spirit that I raise two questions, around what more we can do to strengthen the role of sports in our lives and our community.

First, on inclusive sports. Sports have the power to uplift and empower individuals. It uplifts the spirit, it allows for the display and expression of talent and flair, it can help a person discover himself or herself. By extension, sports have the power to uplift and empower whole segments in society – more vulnerable children, youths at risk, persons with disabilities, seniors. It can transform lives.

The Delta League by the Home Team is a good example. And SportSG has also launched the SportCares programme. So, can MCCY share its future plans on its SportCares programme, so that we can continue to grow a movement of inclusive sports to transform lives in Singapore?

One Team Singapore Fund

Chairman, second, on high-performance sports. As Singaporeans, we cheer our national athletes on when they compete, we celebrate with them when they win and partake in their disappointment when they do not.

But, I think, we will reach the next level in our high-performance sporting culture here in Singapore when we can go beyond spectatorship, transcend spectatorship, to be an active part of the system and an active part of the movement.

6.00 pm

In this respect, MCCY has created a One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF), where individuals and corporates can make donations with dollar-for-dollar matching by the Government.

Can MCCY share its future plans for this Fund, so that we can continue to encourage a spirit of giving towards high-performance sports in Singapore?

The Chairman: Ms Rahayu Mahzam, you can take your two cuts together.

Sports for the Differently Abled

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: In 2021, our para-athletes shone on the world stage. For the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Team Singapore fielded 10 athletes across six sports to compete with the world's best and represent Singapore at the highest sporting showcase. In October last year, this House resolved in a Motion to congratulate Team Singapore Olympians and Paralympians for their achievements. For the Bahrain Asian Youth Para Games, Singapore sent 13 athletes and the amazing team made the nation proud by bringing back five gold, three silver and two bronze medals.

Our para-athletes have been an inspiration to us all. They show us what it means to defy the odds and what is possible when you are not defined or constrained by physical limitations. We can, and should, draw from their example to encourage more participation in sports in Singapore, especially among persons with disabilities (PWDs).

I am happy to hear about the Para Sport Academy but beyond the high-performance sporting participation, we should look at how we can facilitate regular participation in sports activities by improving access and creating more opportunities for PWDs to be involved. There are many good reasons for this.

For one, sports activities are a good way to keep healthy. We heard yesterday at the MOH COS debate about preventive health, and physical activity is an important component of a healthy lifestyle. Sports activities not only help with physical wellness, but also mental well-being as participants interact with others and build relationships through their interactions.

Secondly, sports can be so empowering for PWDs. With facilitation and proper guidance, PWDs can acquire useful social skills and build up their confidence as they participate in sports activities that they enjoy.

Thirdly, there is so much potential to promote inclusiveness through sports. Sports are a social leveller that does not distinguish between educational levels, socio-economic status, race or religion. It helps bring together people from all walks of life. We can support and cheer for one another and use common facilities together. This would help normalise different abilities and open doors to a better appreciation and understanding of differences.

I note that there have been efforts on this front. There is a Disability Sports Master Plan in place setting the roadmap for various initiatives. There are inclusive gyms and several disability sports programmes and also efforts by SportSG. I also understand that various stakeholders like Singapore Disability Sports Council and MOE, work with SportSG to enable talent development in disability sports and strengthen capabilities in the ecosystem.

I would like to understand if we have been tracking our progress. Have there been developments on inclusive physical exercise and disability sports programmes? Are knowledge and expertise in tailoring sports activities for PWDs and organising inclusive sports programmes sufficiently widespread?

I hope the Ministry can share its plans to leverage sports to make Singapore a more inclusive society.

Mentoring and Supporting Youths

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about much disruption and challenges to all, including our youths. Our young people had to contend with significant changes in their educational journey and there was a particularly specific impact for those who were in certain courses of study or at the tail end of their formal education. They had to quickly adjust to learning online, with less interaction with teachers and other students. It was especially challenging for those in technical courses where hands-on learning is important. Internship programmes had to be adjusted as firms implemented work-from-home arrangements. Those who had planned to study overseas or go for an exchange programme had their plans disrupted. Prospects for some industries appeared bleak as the economy pivoted and some wondered about their choice of study and career prospects.

This caused much anxiety and uncertainty. Some young people I spoke to expressed how the pandemic has robbed them of their opportunities and youth. The impact on their mental well-being was, indeed, significant.

According to the NYC Youth Statistics in Brief 2020, the youth labour force participation rates for the year 2019 was 61% for ages 20 to 24; 90.1% for ages 25 to 29; 92.3% for ages 30 to 34. According to the MOM report in June 2021, the youth unemployment rate climbed in 2020. Annual average resident youth unemployment rate hit 10.6%, 1.8% higher than during the 2009 global financial crisis and 1.3% higher than during the 2003 SARS pandemic.

While the situation is challenging for those transiting from school to work, I feel that our youths have shown a lot of resilience in overcoming their situation. There may be industries affected, but there are many opportunities and new growth areas. It is important, therefore, to strategically look at how we can support our youths to seize the opportunities and provide them with the relevant insights, so that they are motivated and have the necessary information to make decisions for their future.

Mentors, especially in growth sectors, can play a meaningful role in this effort. I am a strong believer in mentoring. I support the efforts of Mentoring Alliance Singapore and oversee the youth empowerment and mentoring programmes under M³. I do not think I need to extol the virtues of mentoring to this House. We all know the value of having that someone in your life to give guidance and motivation as you venture into new unknown and challenging areas.

I would like though to emphasise the importance of mentoring in opening world views and nudging young people to explore possibilities. This is especially significant for families of certain economic status, where their children do not benefit from the social capital of those who are more well-to-do or well-connected. Their world view may be circumscribed by what they see their parents do. Even if they get inspired by someone they read or hear about in the news, they do not know how to get there, how to achieve the same things. Given the current evolution of the economy post-pandemic, it is timely, in fact, more urgent now, to train people from various growing industries to become mentors.

Further, not everyone is as fortunate to meet a mentor who can guide her along. We need to make sure that every young person has access to the support she needs. There are a lot more programmes and opportunities now, compared to the time when I was in school. We could continue to improve on this by creating an ecosystem and culture of mentoring in Singapore. That way, every young person will have access to mentors and, when they grow older, may be mentors themselves.

Aside from educational development and career prospects, it is important to also look into the emotional development and resilience of youths. There is a lot of awareness now about mental well-being and its impact on the holistic development of an individual. We should garner the insights and build that in as part of the training of mentors or mentoring programmes.

I, therefore, hope that MCCY can look at efforts to develop a more strategic and current mentoring framework for our youths. I believe with these efforts, we can continue to encourage our youths to be resilient and hopeful for the future.

The Chairman: Ms Hany Soh, you can take both cuts, please.

Sports Green Plan

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Chairman, as part of the Government's overall efforts to secure a sustainable future for Singapore, can MCCY elaborate on its plans to ensure a greener and more sustainable sports ecosystem?

In my previous green, sustainability-related Parliamentary speeches, I have shared my firm belief that community involvement plays a vital role in our overall nation's efforts towards SG Green Plan 2030 through our collective efforts and embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle and greenify the environment. In order to achieve that, the Government needs to set up the right hardware and co-create the green software.

Active SG Woodlands Sports Centre situated in our Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC is one such example. A community farm was actually set up right next to its swimming pool and is being cared for by a team of passionate Team Nila Volunteers, as well as members of the public living around the vicinity of Marsiling and Woodgrove.

The ground-up recycling effort at this community farm is commendable. Most of the fittings there are actually recycled items contributed and creatively put together by residents and ActiveSG staff. They have also exhibited their innovativeness by harvesting rainwater to irrigate the greens. These green farming activities not only keep the members active and fit but also build a strong kampong spirit as they routinely contribute the harvest to the vulnerable groups in our community, along with sharing their green tips to other community gardens within the neighbourhood.

Are there any other plans for Sport SG to roll out similar green concepts to other sports centres across Singapore? How else does MCCY intend to involve the sports community, Singaporeans and partners from the private sectors to co-create solutions for sustainability and play a part in these efforts?

Support for Youths

Minister Edwin Tong has previously shared his views that our young people are a crucial segment of our society. The youths of today are the leaders of tomorrow. I agree wholeheartedly with the Minister. Our youths are the people who must have a say in the kind of society they want to be in and should play an active role in shaping Singapore's future.

Youths today, however, faced many uncertainties, magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic and other global issues. Many of them are also in transition through different life stages. These have placed a significant amount of stress on our young people, especially in areas, such as job prospects, finances and mental well-being. Despite these challenges, we have witnessed many of them tirelessly volunteering their time and effort in serving the vulnerable groups in our community during this eventful period.

I am particularly grateful to the youths in our Woodgrove community. Despite facing their own challenges, they have organised mental wellness talks to motivate others to stay positive, distributed "Return to School" care packs to low-income group children, hosted upcycling "Go Green" workshops and planned many clean-up estate initiatives to raise empathy for our cleaners.

Can MCCY share what is done to support youths' concerns and needs in their key priority areas? How does the whole Government intend to work together to support youths in navigating their various life stages and transitions? What has also been done to provide opportunities and support to our youths of different cultures and backgrounds to continue contributing to the community and mold the future of our Singapore, despite the present challenges that each of them may be facing now?

The Chairman: Ms Tin Pei Ling.

Supporting Youth Mental Well-being

Ms Tin Pei Ling: Chairman, a young resident of mine, only 23 years old, committed suicide in June last year. He was a good boy who was always giving, always there to support his peers, to counsel and encourage them to not take their lives. But he himself struggled.

He studied in an Arts school and did not take a conventional path. His graduation coincided with the pandemic. His enlistment was affected as the date for enlistment was unclear back then; he could not plan his life and did not know what he could do. He applied for jobs, but could not secure any, partly due to his specialisation and partly due to the uncertainty of when he had to start serving NS. The future felt bleak to him. Finally, he jumped from the block. I saw him not too long before he took his life, as I had only just given out an Edusave award to his sibling. I was at his wake, saw his mother and spoke with his friends who all missed him very dearly. It was absolutely heartbreaking. Imagine the pain the mummy was feeling.

So, youths today face many uncertainties and pressures – ranging from body image to grades, to relationships and to whether they have a future. These are exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many youths are also in transition through different life stages. Arguably, if even adults having a few hard knocks in life already struggle when hit with a crisis, what more for youths?

Mental well-being has now come to the fore. It used to be a topic brushed away and shunned by many. I spoke on this for years in Parliament and when I was an undergraduate. People hardly wanted to talk about it. But now, we are forced to come face-to-face with it as we endure the pandemic but, thankfully, there is now a general public will to address it.

I know stress is not something one can legislate away. But the Government can direct resources through the right channels in a timely manner to help our youths through difficult times, to help build their resilience. Some of the stress could be mitigated by guiding them in the right direction, such as proactive career counselling and matching, and timely intervention to stop physical or online bullying. But, often times, it is also about letting them know that they are not alone, that there is someone or groups of people whom they can turn to for a listening ear, for positive affirmation, for advice and to nudge them to embrace a growth mindset. That someone may not always be a family member and that is okay. The school and community must be ready. And we must also be mindful to avoid coming across as patronising, but are sincere in wanting to help.

So, I would like to ask how is the Government supporting our youths in overcoming the challenges they face and achieving their aspirations? Our youths are our future. They must not feel hopeless and helpless. How will the whole-of-Government, therefore, work together to be present in their lives, to give and show support to our youths as they transition from one stage to the next?

6.15 pm

The Chairman: Minister of State Alvin Tan.

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Alvin Tan): Mr Chairman, Minister Edwin Tong spoke about our transition out of the pandemic – to build towards a strong, caring and inclusive Singapore.

Our national monuments embody our foundational values and where we come from. Elgin Bridge, located just next to this House, is one of them. It quietly symbolises our openness to the world, our strength in diversity, our adaptability for the future. It symbolically connected Singapore and the world, through facilitating trade for our city's growth. It connected the culturally different towns of our Indian and Chinese migrants living on South Bridge Road, to the Malay and European community living across on North Bridge Road. The Elgin Bridge that we walk on today is a result of four major reconstructions over two centuries, adapting to the times of our society. Elgin Bridge continues to bear witness to our Singapore story – where we build connections with the world, re-invent ourselves for the future, bridge our differences and forge a shared identity amid our diversity.

Mr Chairman, I will first touch on our youths, who will realise our future. Together with them, we will continue to build bridges to the world, towards our shared future vision of Singapore and with one another.

I chat regularly with our youths, and two issues that they deeply care about are the future of work and mental well-being. I will focus on both.

Ms Hany Soh asked how we can better support our youths, especially in their jobs, finances and mental well-being. Our youths know they need to prepare themselves for their future careers and desire three things: (a) opportunities to learn, (b) concrete skills to offer, and (c) guidance along the way.

That is why we are building bridges to our region and beyond, to help them to seize new opportunities. For example, we are building bridges all the way with Latin America – a region with immense growth potential, to help Singapore startups enter.

Singapore established a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Colombia, and a partnership with venture capital (VC) firm, Latin Leap, to promote closer collaboration with companies in Latin America, especially in areas of artificial intelligence, fintech and sustainability.

Our youths who are setting their sights beyond Singapore can, therefore, look forward to more global opportunities.

During the Budget Debates, Mr Desmond Choo referred to our youths as "Generation COVID-19" – coming-of-age during the pandemic, in an era of many opportunities, but also, unique challenges. Our youths need the confidence to seize opportunities by acquiring concrete skills and knowledge, and we have developed three initiatives on this.

First, our Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP) helps bridge our youths to the region. Through online content and physical trips when possible, we are developing our youths' cross-cultural skills for opportunities in Asia.

Our AEP recently collaborated with the Ministry of Trade and Industry Academy on a webinar programme titled "Regional Economies and Trade", to equip our youths with insights on market economies, like ASEAN, China and India.

Our youths learnt first-hand from industry leaders in Asia, from companies like Quest Ventures, a top VC fund in Asia; YCH Group, a leading regional supply chain management partner; and Riverwalk Holdings, an India-focused VC fund, on what it is like to work abroad and what skills you need to succeed in the region.

Second, we are creating opportunities to bridge our youths to local organisations, in the community and social sectors.

At the height of COVID-19, we rolled out our Youth Corps Internship Scheme, which provided more than 700 youths with internship experiences since September 2020. We will build on this as we recover from the pandemic. Through the Youth Corps Community Internship (YCCI), MCCY and NYC will partner social and community organisations to offer internships, with priority given to ITE and the Polytechnics. Our youths can pick up skills like event and project management, marketing and community engagement.

Third, we will build and strengthen bridges for our youths, with mentors, as they navigate life's many milestones.

Ms. Rahayu Mahzam's question about mentoring opportunities to support our youths emotionally is thus key. Mentoring will play a key part in the upstream.

That is why we launched our Mentoring Alliance for Action (AfA) last year, to build a stronger mentoring culture in Singapore, especially for youths undergoing life's many transitions, be it from school-to-work, or when switching careers.

So, to any youth looking for a mentor, the Mentoring AfA has established WeConnect, Singapore's first dedicated online mentoring platform, where you can find programmes, ranging from mentoring opportunities to community groups, for your personal life-stages. Through WeConnect, you can connect with a pool of over 1,000 volunteer mentors, which is growing, coming from companies like P&G, Unilever and Meta. You can learn from mentors who have traversed career journeys across industries like tech, logistics, media. By the end of this month, you can register on WeConnect. And I highly encourage you to do so.

Next, building bridges of mutual support. Ms Tin Pei Ling asked how we are supporting youths struggling with mental health. During the Budget debates, Dr Shahira Abdullah and Ms Nadia Samdin stressed the importance of stronger mental health support in Singapore. I agree with them.

Even as the pandemic wanes, mental health issues will not just disappear with it. We need to reinforce support for our youths. We want our youths to know that it is okay to reach out and share about their mental health and well-being without fear of judgement.

To build supportive communities, we will expand peer support networks across various settings, be it in schools, workplaces, online and in the community. MCCY and NYC are partnering our Youth Sector Organisations, like Campus Psy and Young NTUC, to run peer support network programmes. We are also encouraging trained peer supporters from ITE, Polytechnics and Universities to continue serving the community after graduation, by joining our Youth Corps Singapore.

And our youths are leading the way on mental health awareness. The Happiness Initiative, Calm Collective and Limitless, are just three of the many ground-up initiatives they are spearheading. And to bring together these efforts, the Government started our Youth Mental Well-being Network (YMWBN) in 2020. Since then, more than 1,500 individuals, comprising youths, parents, caregivers, mental health professionals, have started more than 20 ground-up projects to support youths' mental well-being.

But mental health issues do not only affect our youths. So, to achieve even greater impact, we will expand the efforts of the YMWBN to a broader network, which will tackle mental health issues across a broader range of population segments, as mentioned by Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary in his speech.

This wider network will be a platform for those who can deliver mental health and well-being outcomes, like Campus Psy and Calm Collective, to come together and spearhead initiatives, with funding support.

For those who would benefit from these initiatives, the Network could help you find useful services and initiatives more easily. So, whether you are an organisation, a student, a middle-age PMET, or senior looking for mental well-being support, we welcome you to be part of this effort. MCCY will support this network, which will be advised by the Interagency Taskforce for Mental Health and Well-being.

I feel privileged to chair this network with the support of my colleagues Minister of State Sun Xueling and Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam. We will announce more details later this year.

We have learnt a lot from the YMWBN and we will build upon the learnings and networks to build a more inclusive Singapore that prioritises our mental well-being.

Next, we must look ahead, or construct new bridges to our desired future, with our youths. At MCCY, we have already begun the work and are now seeing the early fruits of our labour through the Youth Action Challenge (YAC) and the Somerset Belt.

Through the YAC, any youth with an idea and a desire to tackle the problems of our day, can pitch their innovative project idea and receive grants to realise these solutions. Since 2019, we have worked with over 700 youths, who have formed more than 170 project teams, to tackle societal issues, ranging from environment and sustainability, to support for vulnerable groups. Many of their projects have made tangible impact.

Take, for example, the team Skilio, founded by our youths Felix, Dody and Zhi Hui, with a simple but ambitious vision: creating a society where we are recognised for our unique strengths – not defined by the schools we go to, or the letters on our report cards. Skilio puts these ideals into a tangible product – a digital portfolio that helps youths document any soft skills picked up along their educational journey, to pursue their dream careers.

With YAC's support, Skilio has expanded its offerings, giving our youths free access to build these portfolios, and connects them to companies based on their unique qualities and skillsets. Thus far, over 5,000 students across 11 different schools and organisations have joined Skilio, with the potential to scale. This reflects how our youths' ideas can and have made an impact, and, indeed, a difference to many.

We are also offering our youths a dedicated physical space to prototype their ideas and implement ground-up programmes for social causes through our Somerset Belt. Since 2019, Somerset Belt has supported more than 20 ground-up projects, reaching more than 20,000 youths on causes like arts, environment and more. In the year ahead, we will partner institutes like Singapore Polytechnic and Singapore University of Technology and Design to translate ideas from classrooms and studios into real life. We will also refresh and enhance the spaces within Somerset Belt in the coming years. Thus far, we have sought ideas from over 240 youths on how they envision or want to use this space. Some envision the Belt to be a Creative Hub, with experimental retail spaces. We will continue to grow and make our youth-initiated ideas come alive through funding support. We will announce more details on the refresh works on the Somerset Belt later this year.

Mr Chairman, we have already seen early fruits from the YAC and the Somerset Belt. In time, especially with the upcoming YAC Season 4 starting October, we will see even more youths coming forward to make their impact, and, in fact, I welcome youths to come and join our YAC Season 4. Mr Chairman, I would like to speak in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Prof Koh Lian Pin asked about other plans for youths to take action on social causes.

We will continue to empower our youths to make a difference, starting from where they live. We will expand and provide 1,500 locale-based volunteering opportunities through Youth Corp Singapore (YCS)'s partnership with SG Cares Volunteer Centres, SSO ComLink and other social service agencies.

We will match our youths to neighbours in need, to support underprivileged families, senior citizens and more.

Combined with locale-based offerings, YCS offers a total of 7,500 opportunities where any youth with a heart to serve can step forward to bridge gaps in our society.

(In English): I will next talk about building our youths' civic capacity for constructive discourse with one another.

Today, with tech and social media as the frontiers for social discourse, we need to strengthen mutual understanding, especially on key and contentious societal issues. While we see more open discussions on social media, we also see growing polarisation, echo chambers and the rise of cancel culture.

When I spoke with youths at the launch of the Inter-University Network last month, they shared with me their wish to discuss difficult and controversial issues frankly. They want to work with us to build what they call safe spaces and also guardrails to do so. That is why Prof Koh Lian Pin's question about opportunities for youth participation on topics of national interest is key, relevant and timely.

We will work with our youths to create safe platforms for them to explore and engage in a diversity of views and help them build empathy towards those who hold different views.

6.30 pm

From April to September this year, the National Youth Council will partner Mediacorp to launch a digital engagement campaign called "Civic Conversations". We will highlight important norms and values that should guide our conversations and create spaces for respectful and deep dialogue. We will address key topics like race and religion, local-foreigner relations and intergenerational bonding.

Our youths can participate in a variety of online platforms like Instagram Live! sessions with expert panels and access the content through a microsite. They will pick up useful tips on how to engage in difficult conversations and converse constructively on complex issues.

Mr Chairman, we must consciously strengthen the bridges that connect us, not just across the diversity of our perspectives but also across our different racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman asked about our integration efforts to build a cohesive society and bridge societal fault lines.

In addition to the work of our Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) as covered by Minister Edwin Tong, our National Integration Council and Singapore Citizenship Journey are important platforms for this. Both platforms help us to strengthen the bridges between locals and newcomers to Singapore. We must never forget that Singapore's story has always been one of an immigrant nation embracing diversity and being open to the world.

As part of our Emerging Stronger Conversations, members of the National Integration Council (NIC) candidly discussed challenges around local-foreigner relations, particularly arising from COVID-19. We developed three key themes that the NIC's Alliance for Action and its projects will focus on.

First, to create more shared experiences and interactions through a community orientation programme and volunteering opportunities where newcomers and locals can have meaningful interactions. Second, to share positive stories that inspire us to embrace the vibrancy of our diverse backgrounds and common aspirations. Third, to empower and equip more to speak up on sensitive issues relating to diversity and inclusion by developing workshops and programmes.

Together, 20 representatives from 15 different community groups, corporations and grassroot organisations will co-create and drive these projects. Everyone can play a part in this effort.

The efforts of the IRCCs and the NIC emphasise our shared Singaporean identity. But what does it mean to be Singaporean and to live in Singapore?

Through our Citizens' Workgroup for Singapore Citizenship Journey (SCJ) in 2020, Singaporeans answered this question. They reflected that it is our shared languages and experience. It is how we order kopi with our uniquely Singaporean language, whether it is "kopi-o" or "kopi-c" or "kopi peng". It is our community spirit and shared values where we believe it is our responsibility to care for one another and to leave no one behind.

Thanks to our citizens' contributions, we have included refreshed content in our e-Journey and new e-Book, such as our arts and culture and aspirations for Singapore's future. You can experience the e-Journey now through the Singapore Journey website and look forward to the launch of the e-Book next month, titled "Welcome to Singapore". I hope these resources remind us about the heart of being a Singaporean. Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, our IRCCs, NIC and SCJ strengthen the ties between our different ethnic and religious communities. The solidarity they foster is our nation's source of strength, which we must not take for granted.

Walking across Elgin Bridge towards South Bridge Road, we can see how our diversity exists in harmony. Along this one road, we have the Masjid Jamae Chulia, Sri Mariamman Temple, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Fairfield Methodist Church.

This is the diversity that our forefathers built our nation on. By building stronger bridges across communities, our diversity will continue to be our defining strength.

(In English): Mr Chairman, Minister Edwin Tong reminded us that our transition out of the pandemic will not be without obstacles. Great cities, including strong bridges, were not built in a day nor by a single person or group. This mirrors the words that our former President, Mr Yusof Ishak said more than 50 years ago, "In every brick, stone, stool that makes up Singapore, there is contained the effort and energies of generations of men, starting with the early immigrants. The whole fabric of Singapore society is woven out of the thread of human effort, labour and purpose."

As we embark on the next arc of our Singapore story, it is now our time, our turn, to build on these foundations and create new bridges to the world, towards our shared future and with one another. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Mr Eric Chua.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Eric Chua): Chairman, COVID-19 has changed the way we live, work and play. These past two-plus years, we have had to fight the pandemic together, yet acutely apart. This long fight has been draining. But like other crises we have weathered before, we can overcome COVID-19. But to do so, we must strengthen the sense of "us".

I will now outline how MCCY will build a more caring, inclusive and united society through volunteerism and sports. Ms Hany Soh and Prof Koh Lian Pin asked about efforts to build a more sustainable sports ecosystem. We are doing so in three ways.

First, we are greening our sport infrastructure like the upcoming Punggol Regional Sport Centre in 2024 and the Kallang Alive Precinct into a sports and recreational Green Mark District.

Second, we are partnering the sports industry to reduce, recondition and recycle sports equipment. SportSG will ensure that all its supported events attain green certification by 2023.

Third, we will rally our National Sports Associations (NSAs), Team Nila volunteers and ActiveSG Sport Centres to amplify our sustainability efforts. We have brought community gardens like the one Ms Hany Soh described to other ActiveSG Sport Centres to cultivate community ties through green initiatives.

Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about opportunities for Singaporeans to volunteer and to care for others.

Through the SG Cares movement, MCCY will work with community partners to make volunteerism our way of life.

First, SG Cares is partnering professional bodies, such as the Law Society Pro Bono Services, to champion skills-based volunteerism. We aim to grow regular volunteers and deepen our culture of care and service to the community within these professional bodies.

Second, in every town, the SG Cares Volunteer Centres (VCs) and SG Cares Community Networks are fostering collaborations with partners, such as schools, corporates, ground-up movements and Social Service Agencies (SSAs), to channel volunteers to areas of need.

Third, we will continue to enhance our charities' capabilities. As shared by the Finance Minister, we will extend the Charities Capability Fund from FY2022 to FY2026. Charities and Institutions of a Public Character will continue to receive funding support to strengthen their governance and management capabilities.

Lastly, we have made volunteering even more accessible through the SSAs and SG Cares VCs, which have pivoted to virtual volunteering opportunities, such as online storytelling and exercise sessions, that engage diverse age groups.

Mr Xie Yao Quan rightly pointed out that sports have the power to uplift underserved communities and change lives. Indeed, sports are a powerful force for good and a great social leveller.

SportSG's SportCares will partner MSF's ComLink to offer programmes like its flagship "Saturday Night Lights", a structured football programme, to families with children and youths living in rental housing. This will be launched to all 21 ComLink towns, but starting with five this year. We hope to reach out to 28,000 children and youths across about 300 public rental housing blocks by 2027.

Sports also play a critical developmental role for youths. It shapes character, teaches resilience and teamwork and builds communities. SportCares will launch two initiatives.

First, a mentorship programme. I agree with Ms Rahayu Mahzam. Having mentored ITE students myself for many years, I strongly believe that every youth has potential, regardless of what their starting point in life is.

In addition to WeConnect that Minister of State Alvin Tan mentioned earlier, SportCares has launched a mentoring programme to support 100 disadvantaged young people over the next two years.

Second, we will support our youths through internships, scholarships and bursaries.

From July, SportCares will offer industry attachments within SportSG and industry partners. SportCares has also committed $400,000 towards the SportCares Scholarship. Up to 20 SportCares youths will be supported to pursue either a NITEC, tertiary or undergraduate course in a locally recognised institution. Up to 1,400 children, youths and persons with disabilities (PwDs) from low-income backgrounds will benefit from the SportCares Bursary Scheme, which covers the fees to any ActiveSG Academies and Clubs programme for at least a season of 10 weeks.

Mr Darryl David, Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about efforts to provide more inclusive opportunities through sports.

In my MSF speech earlier, I spoke about the Enabling Masterplan 2030 and our whole-of-society efforts to make Singapore more inclusive. To that end, disability sports play an important role.

Since the launch of the Disability Sports Masterplan (DSMP) in 2016, we have made good progress. We widened the base of disability sports participation. The number of PwDs participating in sports has grown from one in three in 2016 to one in two today. We will make our sports facilities more accessible and will make all ActiveSG Gyms inclusive by 2026. We have also promoted inclusion through sharing sporting experiences.

Mr Mark Chay raised the importance of empowering coaches to better support PwDs. Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked if expertise in this area is sufficiently widespread.

Today, CoachSG runs curated coaching courses under the Special Olympics Singapore and Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC). About 2,800 coaches, educators, volunteers, staff and students have been trained in inclusive sports programmes. To equip more coaches with disability sports coaching competencies, CoachSG will incorporate this into the National Registry of Coaches' (NROC) SG-Coach Level Two curriculum this year.

In summary, the DSMP has benefited more than 18,000 persons with disabilities to date. We will continue to do this and more.

This year, SportSG will introduce 10 sports programmes under the new Para Sport Academy, starting with Cerebral Palsy Football, Para-canoe and Athletics. The Para Sport Academy will drive the integration of disability and mainstream sports in our ActiveSG Academies and Clubs. They will also provide aspiring para-athletes a clear pathway from recreational participation to high-performance sports. We hope that the Para Sport Academy will be an enabling platform through which more persons with disabilities can build their self-confidence and reach their fullest potential. It is also our ambition to grow a new generation of para-athletes who will go on to represent Singapore.

To better ensure that the Para Sport Academy serves the needs of para-athletes, SportSG has established an advisory panel comprising prominent members of the disability sports community. With their extensive experience in and contributions to para sports, the panel will be well-placed to co-design and grow the Para Sport Academy.

6.45 pm

Mr Mark Chay spoke about raising coaching standards and recognising coaches. On raising coaching standards and regulations, SportSG is working on creating a larger national registry to include coaches and fitness instructors.

Under the Safe Coach Programme that is being rolled out, all sports participants in member organisations, including administrators and volunteers will be bound by the Safe Sport Unified Code.

Mr Mark Chay also asked about the Coaching Competency Framework that CoachSG is developing with Leeds Beckett University. This will inform our formal coach education curriculum. When recognised as part of the sport sector Industry Transformation Map, coaches can use the framework to compare the competencies and remuneration of coaching against jobs in adjacent sectors, thereby promoting greater occupational mobility. With established recommended rates, coaches will be remunerated fairly and it is our hope that the coaching profession will become more attractive.

On recognising our coaches, today there are various awards, such as the Coach of the Year Award by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and SDSC, as well as CoachSG's Singapore Coach Medallion.

I thank Mr Mark Chay on his interest on various issues and welcome him to continue working closely with us.

Chairman, 2022 will be yet another busy year for our Team Singapore athletes, as they represent Singapore at the Hanoi SEA Games, the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, the Surakarta ASEAN Para Games and the Hangzhou Asian and Asian Para Games. Keeping in top form will be of utmost importance and Mr Mark Chay will be reassured to know that we are supporting our athletes as best as we can.

Our support for national athletes is comprehensive and takes both financial and non-financial forms. Each year, the Government spends more than $70 million in high-performance sports, over and above the $90 million on sports infrastructure. Funding support for major games is also planned in advance and accounted for within the NSA's multi-year sports plan.

We also continually invest resources to enhance the Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) and the National Youth Sport Institute (NYSI). Today, both have quality infrastructure to provide sports science and medicine support to our national athletes. Whether it is access to funding, sports science or medicine, the support rendered to each athlete is customised based on individual needs, and specific demands of their sport.

On National Service, the priority of full-time National Servicemen is their military duties. We are working with MINDEF to support our Team Singapore athletes to address their sports training needs while fulfilling military duties. Provisions like short-term deferment, leave and time-off to train and compete are available, subject to the SAF's operational needs.

Corporates and Singaporeans can also contribute to our athletes' journeys. Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) and efforts to encourage a spirit of giving to sports. Mr Darryl David asked about efforts to rally Singaporeans to support Team Singapore.

As previously announced by the Finance Minister, we are extending the $50 million OTSF Matching Grant for an additional five years until FY2026 and to cover more areas of high-performance sports support. The OTSF offers one-to-one matching for donations and has matched almost $15 million since its inception in 2017. Your donations and matching grant will benefit our athletes.

We will also establish Team Singapore Cares, a platform for Team Singapore athletes to serve and give back. Team Singapore athletes will be able to tap on the Active Citizen Grant to spearhead initiatives. SportSG will also support them to connect them with Corporate Partners who can help to co-fund these projects.

Finally, football. I thank Miss Cheng Li Hui, Mr Darryl David, Mr Abdul Samad and Mr Faisal Manap for their passion in Singapore football. Allow me to provide an update on the progress on "Unleash the Roar!", our national project to uplift Singapore football.

This year, we started 10 School Football Academies (SFAs) in secondary schools. We want to provide a nurturing environment for students to hone their football skills while supporting them academically. Almost 400 students have enrolled in our SFAs. Our ambition is to grow them to full capacity over the next few years with a total of 16 SFAs for boys across all secondary levels. And we also plan to establish SFAs for girls as well.

A key factor in the SFAs' success is quality coaching. To give our students the best training environment, each SFA will feature a dedicated Head Coach, assistant coaches and zonal specialist coaches.

To go far, we must work with the right partners. We are working with LaLiga to bring in nine Head Coaches who have experience developing young, high-performance footballers to lead our SFAs. These coaches will join us in April. We are also partnering Borussia Dortmund, a top professional football club in the Bundesliga, famed for its focus on youth talent development.

We are also grooming our local coaches. We have begun recruiting local assistant coaches. Five have started coaching since mid-January, and we will onboard 12 more by April. To ensure high-quality football coaching, more than 300 coaches and MOE teachers have also been trained to adopt our National Football Curriculum.

"Unleash the Roar!" is a project committed to levelling up Singapore football for the long haul. Beyond youth and coach development, we will set into motion other plans.

First, we will launch the "Unleash the Roar!" scholarship to nurture young talents later this year. The scholarship will provide financial support to talented and committed footballers to immerse themselves in a high-performance football environment abroad while pursuing their studies. We also plan to support more young talents to go overseas on stints to broaden their exposure.

Second, we will do more for women's football here in Singapore. We will grow the participation base by introducing more programmes for girls under the ActiveSG Football Academy. We will provide our women footballers greater support by way of training facilities, coaching and sports science.

Third, beyond the resumption of the Singapore Premier League (SPL), MCCY and SportSG have been working with partners, such as the Football Association of Singapore (FAS), on opportunities for our football teams to compete with international teams on home ground. Singaporeans can look forward to supporting the Lions at the upcoming football triangular series against the Philippines and Malaysia.

I am sure some Members of the House also fondly recall the Lion City Cup. Pandemic restrictions aside, we hope to bring our young competitors from the region into Singapore, so that our youths can compete at a high level and, at the same time, generate excitement about youth football.

Finally, we are in discussions with FAS to transform the SPL by increasing professional standards and strengthening private sponsorship. We look forward to sharing more when these plans are firmed up.

Mr Faisal Manap asked about the replacement of our national coach. I understand the FAS' recruitment process for this position has been set in motion and we will be hearing from them in due course.

Sir, "Unleash the Roar!" is a mammoth undertaking. Many have asked me how I felt, leading the charge on this front. I would be lying if I said I do not have butterflies in my stomach. But today, I am hopeful. Why? Because of the many passionate individuals I had spent hours talking to about this project. Because they believe in Singapore football. And because of our Lions, the way they fought their Indonesian rivals at the Suzuki Cup semi-finals last year on Christmas Day! And most of all, because of how Singaporeans reacted to them.

What we witnessed that night has got to be one of the most, if not the most gripping, Singapore football performance in recent history. We all rallied behind our Lions. And the immense sense of pride that we felt when Majulah Singapura filled the National Stadium – never mind that there were only 10,000 of us that evening! That experience was simply priceless.

That, Members of this Chamber, is the power of sports, the power of football, and that is why we must believe in Singapore football and we must believe that we can Unleash the Roar!

Sir, I began by talking about the importance of strengthening our collective sense of "us". I would like to end by saying that we are laying the foundations for a better future today.

Across our different sectors – community, arts, sports, youth – we all have a role to play in shaping a Singapore that is caring, cohesive and confident. It is our strength in unity and collective fortitude that will enable us to overcome the pandemic and build a brighter tomorrow, and a stronger Singapore Together. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Clarifications, please. Ms Hany Soh.

Ms Hany Soh: Thank you, Chairman. This clarification is in relation to Youth Corp Community Internship (YCCI), which Minister of State Alvin Tan had shared with us earlier on the internship opportunities for youths in the social and community sectors in Singapore. I wish to enquire whether we can consider extending it to overseas opportunities in this aspect as well.

One example is the youth exchange programme organised previously by the Central CDC under its High 5 Youth initiative many years ago, which I personally benefited as a student leader. Awardees participate in the exchange programme in countries, such as Australia and Xiamen, China, to better understand the local community's good practices on matters, such as intergenerational bonding, and put them into practice when they return to Singapore.

Mr Alvin Tan: I thank the Member for her clarification. The YCCI programme is one of many different programmes and it is starting in the second quarter of this year. But I wanted to let the Member know that we have other programmes and one of the most appropriate ones is called the Youth Expedition Project (YEP), which is run by Youth Corp Singapore for youths to, in fact, do what exactly the Member mentioned – to serve other communities overseas.

Pre-COVID-19, we sent about four to five thousand youths every year for two-week community service stints with overseas youth organisations. The YEP programme usually spans about four to six months if you factor in preparation, planning as well as post-trip reflections. We intend to restart YEP. We have it online now; so, it is YEP Go Online. This is not as ideal as we would love to, because nothing beats being there physically, but we plan to restart it very soon, hopefully, when travel resumes.

The other programme is the Asia Exposure Ready Programme (AEP), which will expand support to travel-based programmes, when it is possible, for a more experiential and more community-based experience for youths overseas. So, we have these programmes in place and we hope to restart these programmes when travel resumes.

The Chairman: Mr Mark Chay.

Mr Mark Chay: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would just like to make two clarifications. One is to ask the Minister about the establishment of gaming, digital content and technology hub and the second is on the Para Sports Academy. How many athletes will it impact? At what level will it impact? And what are the tangible goals to understand what the success of this Para Sports Academy will look like?

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: I thank the Member Mr Chay for his questions. To deal with his first point, Mr Chay might be pleased to know that we have been working with partners, such as the Global Sport Innovation Centre (GSIC), and just a few months back in December last year, GSIC launched the Asia Pacific HQ in Singapore.

Having partners like GSIC in Singapore means that we will aggregate the thought leadership in Singapore.

7.00 pm

As Members know, with gaming, technology and innovation, there is a natural synergy, a confluence of various aspects of this gaming and fitness industry. And we will have a place in Singapore where we will have content and game developers coalesce, we will have hardware developers as well, and, of course, those who are involved in technology, including things like wearables, which are gaining prevalence in the way in which we do fitness. So, all of that will be in Singapore and we intend to work with them to develop this ecosystem and strengthen Singapore's position for sport-tech solutions.

In relation to the para sports academies, we intend to work with several sports first, as a start. In the first instance, we will probably use the existing framework and infrastructure and work with the Disabilities Sports Council to see how we can move the para-athletes into the system in this way. I think that is the fastest way to scale up.

Over time, I appreciate that each sport may be different and the way in which we train, nurture and develop our para-athletes may be different sport to sport, and may also be different between a para-athlete and an able-bodied athlete. But, as we develop the base and infrastructure, we will begin to scale up with the expertise so that more of them can enter the system in this way.

As to Mr Mark Chay's point about what are the potential pathways, we intend to put them on the same platform as the able-bodied athletes. If the able-bodied athletes have a certain pathway opportunity, we intend to make sure that we put the para-athletes on the same track, on the same path, so that there is equality, if not in terms of outcomes, certainly, in terms of where the starting point should be.

The Chairman: Mr Darryl David.

Mr Darryl David: Chairman, I just have one clarification. It is very heartening to hear the plans shared by Minister of State Low Yen Ling and Minister Edwin Tong about how they intend to support, invigorate and promote the arts industry in Singapore.

Minister Edwin Tong talked about having safe spaces for the arts, for expression and development. He talked about 45 Armenian Street. I would just like to ask the Minister if he could perhaps expound a bit more on whether there will be more of such spaces that will be provided for our arts community and also what are some of the resources and facilities that could perhaps be put in place in these spaces.

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Thank you, Mr Darryl David. When it comes to arts spaces, our objective is really, one. Given Singapore's land scarcity, we want to ensure optimal usage and efficiency in usage; second, we want to ensure that there is fair access because we have new and younger groups coming through and we want to ensure that, for the space, there is sufficient turnover, so that they can also occupy the spaces and there are opportunities for these new growing groups to incubate and experiment; and, finally, we want these spaces to continue to remain relevant. In some cases, we update the spaces, so that old spaces can be used for new purposes.

Over time, I think we have had the opportunity to grow the spaces available. If you take just the real estate purposes, over the last 10 years, we have grown it by about 35% in terms of absolute real estate space dedicated to arts users. And we continually look at how we can refresh the existing spaces. I will just give you some examples, some of which my colleagues have touched on earlier.

We have the Tanjong Pagar Distripark (TPD). We all know that it used to be a place where container cranes and so on occupy those spaces. It is an unlikely space. But if you think about it, it is actually quite intuitive to use it as an arts space – high ceilings, large walls – you can have displays there that you cannot otherwise do in our current settings or spaces. So, we are using this as an experiment to develop this into a new hub for arts spaces.

The Member spoke about 45 Armenian Street as well – 45 Armenian Street is a place with lots of history. Many of our arts practitioners know the place as a young experimental place with buzz where you come in, you incubate, you spend some time learning from each other as well. So, we wanted to develop this with the same kind of feeling and ethos. And it is in that respect that we invited practitioners, leaders of the arts community – Mae Anderson, Janice Koh, and I mentioned some names earlier – to come and share their experience with us and think in terms of how to envision this space for future use.

Kampong Java is another space that we looked at. All of you probably drive past it each day and not realise that it is there. It used to be used terrace houses that are now disused. So, we worked with SLA to take advantage of the fact that it has not been used and see how we could repurpose it. It used to be terrace properties, so, a little bit grungy, a little bit rundown, but quite perfect and ideal for arts spaces. So, we reimagined the space, thought about how these can become independent affordable spaces for, again, experimental and incubatory arts companies. And we are working with the arts industry also to get ideas as to how this can be managed and operated.

These are some examples of the thinking in terms of how we can expand on existing spaces, old spaces, to bring them into new ones. And also, ultimately, use the spaces fairly and efficiently and ensuring that, as and when we have new companies, new ideas, new forms of art coming through, they will also have their space in the sun and be able to develop.

The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I would like to thank Minister Edwin Tong, his entire MCCY team, as well as all the Members who have spoken. With that, Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

The Chairman: Is the hon Member given leave to withdraw his amendment?

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $2,034,131,400 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $404,319,100 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.