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

The Chairman: Head X, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Partnering Singaporeans – Nation Building

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Mr Chairman, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100." Before I begin, let me wish all the ladies here "Happy Women's Day".

Our Nation, Singapore is a young country. We are celebrating our 54th National day this August. The task of nation building is an endless one. It is one that needs all Singaporeans regardless of race, language or religion to come together, rally together as one united people and one nation. We come together to celebrate every success Singapore achieved, to celebrate our uniquely Singaporean culture, food, arts and sports.

It only seems like not so long ago when young Singaporean were thought to be politically and socially apathetic. Yet today, we have an increasingly mature citizenry with a diverse array of views and hopes for their own future, and for the future of Singapore. These can be attributed to a society with growing literacy and affluence, where they are able to take the focus off from bread and butter issues to other matters and issues that affect their lives. The widespread use of social media certainly helps them and rallies them in expressing their views. And, the Government needs to do more to engage and partner Singaporeans in the next exciting phase of nation building.

Our youths and our older Singaporeans who have found common ground have bandied together and created groups to promote their causes. They participate in forums and focus group discussions. They are vocal on social media, some are more sophisticated with their analyses and feedback, others less so. But it is evident that many Singaporeans would like to have an active role in nation-building and shaping the future. Some expressed their views through arts, music and culture. However, some are unsure of the available avenues, or lack the capability to do so.

MCCY has been taking the lead in ensuring that citizens are actively involved in our nation building, in policy deliberation and design. Online feedback portals, community outreach events, facilitation of networking events for stakeholders and volunteers to come together are some examples of ways in which Singaporeans can engage in nation-building. Nevertheless, majority of the engagement feels top-down, in the sense that citizens provide feedback, and Government works on it. We need to move away from a top down approach to a less paternalistic approach. The Government need to create more space, room and opportunities for Singaporeans to participate. For those who are ready to do more, particularly Singaporeans with leadership qualities, good ethics and are socially well-connected, they should have more opportunities to participate. They could create social projects and lead teams of volunteers.

For those who are not ready, perhaps they lack comprehension of policies, or skills to articulate their aspirations and feedback, and we must help them to grow their capability. This can be done through giving them access to the necessary information, and the skills to participate. Many Singaporeans still find certain policies to be too complex to understand and they do not get why certain policies have to be this way. If the Ministry could come up with more creative means to break down these policies for the layman, that would be helpful. It is prudent that all citizens in Singapore have a stake in nation-building, to ensure equality and for everyone’s interests to be cared for.

Our population has always been and will always be our best resource, and with a more well-informed population, there will be more and better possibilities. As we face more complex issues, we will be able to tap on the collective wisdom and expertise of our citizenry. There is strength in numbers; as we build Singapore together, we can work towards creating the best Singapore that we can, one that all citizens have a stake in. I would like to ask how will the Ministry continue engaging citizens in nation-building? How can we raise the commitment levels towards building a Singaporean society where everyone can continue to be proud of our country and its achievements?

Question proposed.

Enhancing our Madrasahs

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Health and Home Affairs (Mr Amrin Amin): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]: First, I would like to wish a Happy Women's Day and a Blessed Month of Rejab. Madrasah institutions have an illustrious tradition. They are important in equipping generations of azatizahs with a firm foundation in both secular and religious subjects.

These azatizahs are our community assets and we are very proud of them. It is critical that we ensure madrasah students and teachers in Singapore continue to receive ample support and opportunities to fulfil their potential.

What is being done to enhance our madrasahs so that they can continue to produce good quality graduates and continue its illustrious tradition?

Assistance to Madrasah Wak Tanjong

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministers for Education and Minister for Social and Family Development (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, during last year's COS, it was announced that MUIS would be providing a Comprehensive Assistance Package to Madrasah Wak Tanjong. Could the Minister provide an update on MUIS' support for Madrasah Wak Tanjong so that the madrasah will continue to be an apex institution that produces religious scholars and leaders for the community?

MENDAKI, MUIS and MESRA (M³)

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Sir, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, during a media interview in July 2018, Minister Masagos spoke about the collaboration between three key agencies ‒ MENDAKI, MUIS and MESRA ‒ known as M³, as an initiative to further strengthen and uplift the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.

Sir, I would like to ask the Minister a few questions in relation to M³. First, what is the roadmap or strategic plans for M³? Second, what are the mid-term and long-term objectives that have been outlined? Third, what is the difference between M³ and the current collaboration between MUIS, MENDAKI and MESRA before it was named M³, especially in their adopted approach to achieve the objectives that were outlined? Fourth, what are the key values that we wish to inculcate and develop in the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore?

Sir, in relation to the Minister's media interview I mentioned earlier, I was impressed with what the Minister shared as it frequently touched on and placed emphasis on spiritual values in developing a successful community. On several occasions, he quoted current and past renowned religious scholars as role models and sources of reference.

Sir, as a Malay/Muslim Member of Parliament, I support the Minister's efforts to further strengthen and uplift the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore. However, at the same time, it is an obligation or responsibility of every Muslim, especially political and community leaders, to advise or counsel one another for any shortcomings or mistakes in our mission to further strengthen and uplift the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore.

Together, we will strive and pray that the Malay/Muslim community will become a community of excellence, that calls us to perform good deeds and forbids us from doing bad things, as well as a community that provides guidance and leadership, instead of the other way around.

Sir, the traits I mentioned are important if we wish to contribute more positively and constructively towards developing a strong, united Singapore. Thank you, Sir.

M³ Development

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In January this year, I was heartened to note that a joint office for M³, consisting of MENDAKI, the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) and the People's Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (MESRA), was launched in Wisma Geylang Serai. This would enable collaborations between the three organisations to be better coordinated, thus improving support from Government organisations, while streamlining the process for beneficiaries to seek assistance and resources. Even before they came together under this joint office, the three organisations already began their first collaboration in September last year, where they rolled out an enhanced version of MENDAKI's Tiga M Programme, which helps participants improve their Mathematics skills and creativity as well as strengthen family bonds. It is a promising programme which not only seeks to educate children but also parents who want to help their children improve important skills.

Will M³ expand its programmes so that even more can benefit beyond the projected 350 families? What new projects and developments can we expect from M³? Additionally, MENDAKI has some satellite centres around Singapore, including in some of the neighbourhood estates and ITE College campuses. These have enabled MENDAKI to conduct outreach in the heartlands and enabling more timely and accessible assistance. I would like to ask for an update on the programmes and plans at these satellite centres. As residential areas continue to evolve, can we also look forward to more satellite centres?

The Chairman: Mr Mohamed Irshad.

Mr Mohamed Irshad (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, may I take both cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Strengthening Partnerships for M³

Mr Mohamed Irshad: Mr Chairman, allow me to extend the warmest wishes Rajab Shahrullah Mubarak to my Muslim colleagues here. And "Happy Women's Day" to all the female Members in the House.

Mr Chairman, last year, Minister Masagos announced the formation of M³ which includes MUIS, MERSA and MENDAKI. The spirit of M³ is one of working together. In this regard, it is important that our Malay/Muslim and Indian/Muslim community organisations are involved, as well as with other communities. In so doing, we fully tap on the assets in our community.

The M³ institutions have extensive ground networks and community-based programmes, which other communities could participate in and also partner.

Could the Minister share more about how M³ agencies could work with other community groups towards a common social cause?

Support for Overseas Students

A significant of our returning religious graduates take on jobs in the religious sector in Singapore, and form the core of our Asatizah fraternity. It is important to engage them early, even while they are studying abroad, so that they are confident of their skillsets and future opportunities upon their return. Could the Minister provide an update on MUIS support for our overseas students?

Mr Chairman, since I have a bit more time, I would like to thank all the Civil Servants and all the officers who have been working behind the scenes to ensure that this COS proceedings had been going smoothly. Thank you.

University Islamic Education and Asatizahs

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar (Ang Mo Kio): Sir, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to wish everyone a blessed month of Rejab. Mr Chairman, every year, a sizeable number of each cohort of our madrasah students further their studies at the university level in Islamic tertiary institutions overseas like the Al-Azhar University in Egypt and the Jordan University.

Many return to Singapore after graduation to serve in our community as Islamic Teachers or asatizahs. However, we recognise that there are a limited number of places for the employment of asatizahs in our mosques and madrasahs.

How can we ensure that our Islamic studies graduates who return home from overseas can get the jobs they desire, do not miss any employment opportunities, and possess the skills, and are industry-ready even beyond the religious and Islamic education sector?

How can we also ensure that they will continue to be strongly rooted in Singapore’s multiracial and multireligious context, so that their knowledge, teachings and influence remain relevant to our society and effective in guiding our community amidst a more religiously and socially diverse landscape?

I would also like to seek an update on the previously announced plans for a Singapore Islamic College. Where are we now in terms of establishing such an institution?

11.15 am

The Chairman: Prof Fatimah Lateef, you can take both cuts together.

The Singapore Islamic Hub

Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Singapore is increasingly being recognised as having a religious sector and religiosity that are organised and practical, with evidence-based fatwas and religious policies. Our asatizahs and eminent experts on religion also help to support this reputation.

One of the measures implemented recently is the establishment of the Singapore Islamic College and the Singapore Islamic Hub. Many other secular countries with Muslim minorities want to learn about our model. Would the Minister share its progress?

What about the programmes that will be made available, as well as courses that will be held? How will the students’ curriculum be balanced? Where will we acquire the teaching faculty from? Will we accept overseas students?

Committee on the Future Asatizah

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] With over 4,000 asatizahs now registered under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme, it is hoped that they will bring a more visible positive impact to the community.

These asatizahs comprise new graduates as well as those who have spent years in the religious sector and are highly experienced. They can and will have the potential to contribute immensely to the Malay-Muslim community in Singapore and globally.

How will MUIS provide support to them in terms of life-long learning, increasing their knowledge and other activities under this masterplan for asatizahs?

(In English): We need to enhance our asatizahs' functioning capabilities, breadth and spectrum of knowledge in this ever disruptive world, especially with newer issues and challenges cropping up ever so often, for example, global Islamophobia, terrorism and its unfortunate link to the religion, et cetera. How will MUIS continue to support them as they discharge their roles in Singapore, perhaps the region as well, where they may be consulted and called upon.

The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Development Opportunities for Asatizahs

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Sir, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our asatizahs are integral figures in guiding and shaping the beliefs of the Muslim community and, thus far, they have done well in their work.

Asatizahs can and should use their influence to reach out and contribute towards other communities’ needs. Outside of the traditional religious institutions, there are areas where their experience and knowledge will come in useful, such as counselling, rehabilitation of ex-offenders and other forms of social work.

However, professional skills and qualifications are requirements in social work. Hence, asatizahs who are thinking of exploring other opportunities to serve the community will also need to work towards achieving the relevant professional skillsets for such roles.

How will MUIS support asatizahs in these endeavours? What other professional development award schemes that asatizahs can tap on or use to develop their capabilities?

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

Update on MENDAKI School Ready Campaign

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Pre-school education is crucial in preparing our children for Primary school. However, there are still some in our community who are still unaware of its importance. Some may feel that learning to read and write should only begin formally at Primary school, and they do not give due attention to pre-school education and preparing their children to enter Primary 1.

This caused some children in our community to find it hard to follow the Primary school curriculum and end up academically behind their classmates.

MENDAKI has endeavoured to address this gap by providing specialised programmes to prepare parents and their children. Efforts under the key School Ready programme for children under six years old have been in place for several years. Has this effort achieved its outcomes and have we seen any improvement in our young children’s performance?

Recently, issues touching on parents' responsibility in teaching their children were hotly discussed after a Facebook post by an adjunct teacher went viral. I shall not discuss the post, but one important issue that came up was the role of parents in early childhood education and the ongoing efforts to help children in their development. Perhaps some parents need a bit of guidance and help in this.

I welcome MENDAKI's tireless efforts all these years to get parents to be involved in their children’s education. Efforts to raise awareness and also provide skills to parents so that they can support their children’s education and development should continue.

Therefore, I would like an update and details of MENDAKI's school ready campaign. What efforts are made to prepare our young for Primary school and what is the progress of the efforts to prepare parents for this?

I am confident that the continuous efforts by MENDAKI and our community in general will help us to keep improving our children’s performance and capabilities.

Pre-school Outreach to Malay/Muslim Community

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Education is one way for us to transform the life of one generation into a better life. With education, one can acquire knowledge and skills, and also have a better chance to get a meaningful career and a good pay.

We are aware that we have to start education at a young age. If we think about it, families that are more affluent can ensure that the child is well looked after even before being born. The mother consumes nutritious food and this, in turn, ensures the baby is healthy. After birth, the child continues to receive nourishment and begins to be exposed to all kinds of early educational materials. At pre-school level, the child's capability continues to be developed.

If we compare a child that has been exposed to early education and one that has not, there is clearly a difference. It is heart-breaking if a child is unable to receive certain advantages because of family background.

Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of our young have access to early education, regardless of family background or income. In the Malay community, pre-school is informally called makan school. There are those who sometimes do not care whether their children attend pre-school or not. This is worrying.

It is our community's responsibility to raise awareness about the importance of pre-school education. Community organisations, pre-school education specialists and parents can work together on this. We now also have M³. What can be done with the community and Government to increase awareness about these issues and to provide holistic support to help parents enrol their children into pre-schools?

The Chairman: Mr Zainal Sapari.

Update on KelasMateMatika (KMM)

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to wish a blessed month of Rejab to all Muslims and a Happy Women’s Day to all the ladies in Singapore. The KelasMateMatika or KMM programme is the first initiative from the M³ collaboration between MENDAKI, MESRA and MUIS. This programme aims at helping low-income families with pre-school going children to have a good foundation in education, especially in Mathematics.

In September last year, M³ committees in the various towns launched the KelasMatematika programme in Nee Soon, Marsiling and Pasir Ris. Studies on its effectiveness have shown positive outcomes.

What are the plans to expand KMM to benefit more low-income families with pre-school going children?

The Chairman: Mr Amrin Amin.

Update on Youth Empowerment

Mr Amrin Amin: Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]: Many of our young people have achieved success in their professions and made their mark in their careers and contributions to society. Some have even received international accolades.

Their stories of perseverance have been featured in mainstream media and social media. Their peers and others in our community are proud of their achievements and see them as sources of inspiration.

I am pleased that there are also a good number of them that care for others and have a strong desire to give back to the community. We should tap on their energy and life experiences as well as empower them with opportunities and platforms to continue their good work and encourage others.

How can we mobilise these individuals to contribute towards the development of our nation and community?

The Chairman: Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim.

MENDAKI Raikan Ilmu

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Education is a critical aspect in social mobility, as it opens doors to educational and career opportunities.

Yet, educational attainment alone is not enough. Our children should not learn only for the sake of exams, but they must appreciate the purpose of self-development and self-mastery throughout life. To maximise the odds that our children would succeed in life, they must grow to appreciate the value of intellectual curiosity, adaptability and self-motivation. These foundational mindsets need to be imbued from a young age, so that it becomes second nature.

Could the Minister share on how our community organisations such as MENDAKI are supporting our children in inculcating an understanding of the importance of knowledge and the value of self-directed lifelong learning?

The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Mr Chairman, for decades now, MUIS, MENDAKI, MESRA individually have nurtured our community's values, uplifted individuals and families through education and community self-help, and fostered our community’s participation in our larger multi-racial society. Together, and in a structured way, the M³ and with the vast energy of the Malay/Muslim community, we can help each other reach even greater heights.

At the 2018 National Day Rally, Prime Minister said that M³ will work together more closely to fulfil the needs and aspirations of our community. We have made good progress. We have started to organise the ground, by connecting volunteers and programmes across M³@Town. We are laying the foundations for more integrated, citizen-centric last-mile help, starting with the launch of the M³ office at Wisma Geylang Serai, or M³@WGS. We have also launched pilots to make M³ felt on the ground, starting in Tampines and Pasir Ris-Punggol.

In addition to the volunteers and staff of MUIS, MENDAKI and MESRA, M³@Town has also become a network for professionals to contribute in their local neighbourhoods. The KelasMateMatika@CC pilot was our first experiment to learn and get used to working together. This is important because we need to deliver joint M³ community projects which can be bigger. In fact, this programme, KelasMateMatika@CC, was preceded or developed successfully during the leadership of my predecessor, Dr Yaacob, during his leadership at MENDAKI.

Now that the synergy from the model of collaboration in KelasMateMatika@CC has achieved good, initial results, we will scale up the M³ efforts to benefit more in the community. MENDAKI will scale up from 300 KMM beneficiaries last year to 1,500 this year, working with their outreach partners from MESRA and MUIS.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Faisal Manap asked about the progress and plans for M³. In the next phase, M³ seeks to achieve the following:

First, enabling our community, especially our young, to access educational and developmental opportunities.

Second, fostering sound values that undergird our socio-religious life – values that reject extremism and segregation, and nurture an inclusive, confident and progressive mindset of caring for the common good of society.

Third, providing opportunities for our community to bond with others over common causes. When we work with other communities, we become familiar with each other, deepen mutual understanding and trust, and forge friendships.

The M³ comprises circles of excellence in our heartland towns, tapping on assets in the community. These are no other than committed and capable individuals who are willing to contribute time and effort to the community in a structured way and flexibly co-creating services suited to the needs of the areas they serve. The soul of the M³ effort is about stepping forward and giving back. The circle is formed by successful individuals helping others around them to see possible paths ahead and creating opportunities for the next generation. Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay, please.

11.30 am

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] M³ begins as a virtuous circle of excellence. A successful Malay/Muslim community must be anchored on strong local communities, drawing on the rich networks and relationships in our neighbourhoods and workplaces. This is where MESRA will focus its energy. M³@Town will mobilise people and community as well as national assets in our towns, connecting residents to a more efficient and effective last-mile service delivery. Community programmes will be brought closer to residents, to increase residents’ awareness and participation. M³@Town will also create opportunities for people, regardless of background and abilities, to volunteer and serve the people in their neighbourhoods.

Our Malay/Muslim PAP MPs are leading efforts to establish M³@Towns. They have brought the M³ agencies together in their towns and mapped out the needs, assets and community programmes at our CCs, mosques and MENDAKI satellite centres. They have also begun to mobilise volunteers across M³.

The launch of M³@Tampines and Pasir Ris-Punggol was the first step. M³@Town will be rolled out in six more towns this year, in Bedok, Choa Chu Kang, Jurong, Marsiling-Yew Tee, Nee Soon and Woodlands.

The success of M³@Town depends on members of our community who are our assets. We call on them to come forward, in particular, those who hold positions of expertise, leadership and responsibility. You can inspire our young. Regardless of whether you are teachers, Singapore Armed Forces personnel, Home Team officers, lawyers or professionals, including those from the healthcare sector, you have a wealth of experience that can inspire and encourage our young. For example, your stories as "mentors" will inspire them to take the long view of where they wish to go, beyond the twists and turns of the road ahead. The younger generation needs role models whom they can emulate. You have the ability to guide them on how to build professional networks and widen employment opportunities.

M³ has started to work with our community organisations. For example, eight Malay/Muslim organisations, including AMP, LBKM and 4PM, have collaborated to provide a one-stop service centre at Wisma Geylang Serai or Kurnia@WGS. We have heard the concerns from the ground that those in need do not always know where to go. Kurnia@WGS brings together eight of our community's social service organisations under one roof in partnership with M³.

Similarly, the Singapore Malay Teachers’ Union worked with M³ agencies to encourage their members to volunteer. Teachers play a critical role at the M³@Towns, connecting schools to the community and reaching out to students beyond the classroom. A group of successful lawyers have also come forward to organise legal talks called Tipah Tertipu under the SHIOK Series in December 2018 at Woodlands Galaxy Community Club. They educated Malay residents on protecting themselves from scams.

Muhammad Imran Abdul Rahim is a young lawyer who volunteers at M³@Town. He began volunteering in Woodlands in 2016, after realising that many residents faced legal issues but lacked advice. He used his experience and worked with other young lawyers to hold legal talks and pro bono legal clinics for residents and helps out with community events.

I hope that the examples of M³ collaborations across our community organisations and volunteers will give assurance to Mr Mohamed Irshad on the potential of M³ to help achieve common social causes. Just as we call on more to step forward to volunteer, we will continue to work with community partners, such as VWOs, professional groups, and the Malay and Indian Muslim organisations, to tap on strengths and amplify synergies.

Assoc Prof Faishal Ibrahim queried on how our community organisations are nurturing our children. A mind-set of pursuing excellence must be established in our children from young. It starts with nurturing the traits of initiative, resilience and a desire for learning and knowledge.

Our community is familiar with the Malay Language Month and we look forward to celebrating the month of Ramadan. I am pleased to announce that Yayasan MENDAKI will organise the inaugural Raikan Ilmu (Celebrate Knowledge) Month this October. This will be a month dedicated to celebrating knowledge and excellence, because the pursuit of knowledge is highly regarded and a central part of the culture of our Malay community. The Raikan Ilmu Month will start with the launch of a Heritage Gallery to commemorate the community’s journey in pursuing educational excellence. It will also capture MENDAKI’s history, and honour our predecessors who had been involved in the founding of MENDAKI.

In conjunction with Raikan Ilmu, MENDAKI will partner M³ agencies to organise activities as part of this year’s MENDAKI Learning Festival, with activities for all age groups. For instance, Jump Career Fairs by MENDAKI SENSE will cater to workers and professionals keen on career training and skills upgrading, while the Future Ready Marketplace aims to advise youth on careers and professional development. For pre-schoolers and their parents, PlayFest focuses on early childhood education and learning through play. The Learning Festival will also celebrate the achievements of our graduates through the Anugerah MENDAKI Awards ceremony. Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad will share more on MENDAKI's many initiatives.

I would now like to touch on our religious life that has a profound impact on our community's values. Prof Fatimah Lateef and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar respectively asked about plans to prepare our religious teachers, or asatizahs, for a changing world, and an update on the plans to develop an Islamic college in Singapore. Our asatizahs of today and tomorrow are the guardians and guides of our community’s core values. Our aspiration is for them to reach the highest level of religious scholarship and leadership, contributing to our community in Singapore and beyond – especially in building up religious knowledge that is appropriate to guide a Muslim community living in harmony with other communities and the wider society. With their grounding in both Islamic knowledge as well as secular subjects, asatizahs are well-placed to serve in many adjacent fields, such as social work, counselling, Islamic finance and law.

We will start in two areas. First, we will establish a Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA). This committee comprises community and religious leaders, asatizahs and individuals with relevant professional expertise. COFA will co-create our vision of the "Asatizah of the Future" together with the community, and advance the thinking on the skills and competencies that our asatizahs will need to better serve the Singapore Muslim community in the future. With the findings of COFA, we will be able to share more about the long-term plans for developing our asatizahs by the end of the year. Second, in line with the vision of "Asatizah of the Future" we will roll out the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS) for all returning religious graduates in 2020. The PCICS will replace the existing Islam in Context Programme today, and place greater focus on helping participants acquire work-relevant skillsets. These initiatives contribute to our larger effort to prepare for an Islamic college in Singapore. Senior Minister of State Maliki Osman will share more.

Mr Amrin Amin asked about efforts to enhance our madrasahs, and Assoc Prof Faishal asked for an update on MUIS’ support for Madrasah Wak Tanjong. Our madrasahs are key components of a larger blueprint for developing asatizahs of the future. In this regard, we are strengthening our madrasahs holistically. In support of this vision, I am pleased to update that the first batch of 26 students under the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP) has begun their studies in Madrasah Aljunied. This programme aims to develop future asatizahs with a broad set of knowledge and skills, to guide the community. In addition, MUIS has worked closely with Madrasah Wak Tanjong on a Comprehensive Assistance Package to strengthen its administration and education programmes with a new management board who will be able to contribute multiple perspectives to guide the madrasah.

Mr Chairman, allow me to conclude in English, please.

(In English): I shared the story of Muhammad Imran Rahim, an everyday hero who inspires us. He said, “I can’t discount the number of people who helped me to get to where I am today. It’s the least I can do, especially if one has the know-how to help others.”

Each of us can set this circle of excellence into motion: if we work together for a common cause; if we encourage others to persevere; and if we help the next generation. In turn, our community will become stronger. And M³ will provide the networks and resources to leverage the rich relationships and expertise in our community. Come forward and work with M³. Together, we will build a Community of Success.

The Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Defence (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman): Mr Chairman, allow me to join my colleagues in wishing all our women colleagues and women out there a very "Happy International Women's Day", and acknowledge and commend them for all their significant contributions to our families, our society and Singapore.

Let me start my addressing the cuts on efforts at strengthening the core of our religious sector. Mr Chairman, our asatizah anchor our community to values and traditions in a rapidly evolving world. Equally, our community’s social and religious needs are changing, and for our asatizah to serve the community well, they must stay relevant, and possess a strong grounding in religious knowledge and work-relevant skills.

Mr Mohamed Irshad asked about support for our overseas students, and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar asked how we can ensure that their teaching is relevant to our community when they return. Prof Fatimah Lateef and Mr Saktiandi Supaat were concerned about development opportunities for our asatizah. To address all these, MUIS is increasing its support for our asatizah through their journey from being students to asatizah in three ways.

Firstly, MUIS increased their ground support for our overseas students through deploying Student Liaison Officers or SLOs.

Secondly, for returning students and returning graduates, MUIS will enhance its existing programme to better equip them with contextualised knowledge and skills before they embark on their careers.

Thirdly, to guide plans for enhancing asatizah development, I will chair the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) which Minister Masagos announced earlier, to engage the community for views on the desired skills of our asatizah in the future. Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, studying overseas is not easy. Besides adapting to the curriculum, students need to adapt to the local culture and systems. At the same time, we also have to ensure their ties to Singapore remain strong. As such, MUIS' Student Career and Welfare Office (SCWO) has deployed three SLOs, who mentor these students to help them keep abreast of Singapore’s developments and prepare them for future careers. As alumni of the universities in the same regions, these SLOs are familiar with the environment and common issues our students face. MUIS has deployed one SLO based in Cairo and another one in Jeddah and they are supporting over 500 Singaporean students in the Middle East and North Africa. Another SLO based in Singapore is supporting about 300 of our students in Southeast Asia. These three SLOs also support the overseas Singaporean student welfare groups, such as The Singaporean Students Welfare Assembly (PERKEMAS) in Cairo, Singapore Students’ Association in Jordan (SIRAJ), the Association of Singapore Students in Saudi Arabia (IMAM) and Association of Singapore Students in the International Islamic University Malaysia (ASSIIUM) in Malaysia.

The SCWO is ready to engage our students. Before the students leave, SCWO share with them about the extra curriculum opportunities, education and career pathways, and general information, such as finances and personal safety. When these students return to Singapore for their annual summer vacation, the SCWO engages them through various activities, such as workshops on contemporary Islamic thought, skills to improve their employability, internships and career coaching sessions. Upon graduation, the SCWO refers them to the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) Office and MUIS Academy for developmental programmes and further career coaching sessions. What we want is that, with their qualifications, they receive the guidance that they require in order to be successful in their careers.

One of our SLOs is Ustaz Goh Muhammad Redhuan, based in Cairo, Egypt. Redhuan looks after about 300 Singaporean students in the Middle East and North-African region. He has supported them in university administration matters and initiated developmental programmes. For example, in December 2018, Ustaz Redhuan organised a learning journey for 60 students in Cairo to visit two synagogues there. The students had a fruitful discussion with Cairo's Jewish community, learning about the culture and traditions of the Arab Jew community, and dispelling their prior misconceptions. In January this year, he arranged for a visit to the reputed Al-Azhar Observatory for Countering Extremism. With Ustaz Redhuan's support, the students have also organised dialogues on current issues in Singapore and discussed possible ways for them to contribute to the progress of the community and the nation.

Dr Intan asked how we are preparing our returning religious graduates with work-relevant skills and knowledge to serve our community. Since 2017, graduates from overseas Islamic colleges have had to attend a compulsory four-week programme organised by the MUIS Academy, titled “Islam in Context” (ICON) Certificate, before they can be accredited under the ARS. Over the past two years of running ICON, MUIS has received positive feedback from ICON participants that not only has the programme been useful, but that the scope of the programme could be widened to include more work-relevant skillsets. This acknowledges that our asatizahs today serve in many domains beyond the religious sector, including counselling and consultancy services.

Thus, starting in 2020, MUIS will introduce a one-year programme, titled the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies programme (PCICS) for returning graduates. The PCICS programme will replace ICON. The PCICS will offer modules that deepen our returning graduates' understanding of our geo-political and socio-religious context and how Islam can be practised effectively in our multi-racial and multi-religious society. This is important to prepare them for their role in providing religious guidance to the community. The PCICS will also equip participants with work-relevant knowledge and skillsets, such as in social work and counselling, digital literacy as well as entrepreneurship, to open up more opportunities for them. Graduates of the PCICS will also be recognised under the ARS.

Chairman, over the past week, Members of this House had reminded us of the various ways in which the world around us is changing. Geopolitical forces are evolving and shifting, the economy and its demands on Singaporeans are changing. Likewise, our religious landscape and social norms are also evolving. Singaporean Muslims need to move with the times, in their professional and socio-religious lives. The same goes for our asatizahs. This is why we formed the Community on Future Asatizah (COFA). COFA was formed to help us gain a better understanding of the evolving needs of the community, react to the trends that will shape the community's future, and hear ground-up feedback on how we can prepare our next generation of asatizahs.

I will chair the COFA committee. COFA comprises members who have come forward to volunteer their services to the community. They include senior and younger asatizahs, leaders from the madrasah sector, community leaders, Muslim professionals, and individuals and academics with expertise in social work and continuing education and training. Over the course of the next few months, members of COFA will engage the public, and gather feedback from key stakeholders like our religious students and their parents, employers, the asatizah fraternity and the wider community.

Prof Fatimah and Dr Intan asked for an update on the development of a Singapore Islamic College (SIC). The COFA's work is a critical step towards the college, because it will deepen our understanding of what the community desires of our future asatizahs. Through these engagements, MUIS will be able to chart the holistic development of our asatizahs, from the madrasahs to the Universities, and into their employment. MUIS will also be able to map out the skillsets that our asatizahs will require to serve our community effectively, and develop pathways for careers within and beyond the religious sector. These findings will provide us with a strong foundation for establishing the SIC in the future.

Through COFA, we will be able to work more closely with the community to develop three key plans.

First, producing asatizahs who are trained to meet the evolving needs of the Singapore Muslim community and contribute to the wider Singapore society; second, facilitating employment of our religious graduates in good jobs in the religious sector and beyond; and third, cultivating and retaining a strong pipeline of leaders for the religious sector.

Mr Chairman, today, we have over 4,000 asatizah that play a critical role in guiding the Singapore Muslim community. We have a vision of a strong and vibrant religious sector that provides more opportunities for our asatizahs to serve the needs of our community as well as the broader society. Our asatizahs must continue to stay relevant given the complex and ever-changing environment that they are operating in. I am confident that COFA’s engagements with the community will guide MUIS as it embarks on important initiatives to strengthen our religious sector.

(In English): Mr Chairman, today, we have over 4,000 asatizah that play a critical role in guiding the Singapore Muslim community in being part of a cohesive and multi-racial society. Looking to the future, we have a vision of a strong and vibrant religious sector that provides more opportunities for our asatizah to serve the needs of our community as well as the broader society. Our asatizah must continue to stay relevant, given the complex and ever-changing environment that they are operating in. I am confident that COFA's engagements with the community will guide MUIS as it embarks on important initiatives to strengthen our religious sector.

The Minister of State for Manpower and National Development (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Chairman, I wish to wish all our wonderful women Happy International Women's Day and also to all my Muslim friends Salaam Rejab. Mr Chairman, social mobility is a key feature of Singapore society, and education is central to enabling mobility. MENDAKI has uplifted individuals and families through educational support, by supporting their development and mobilising wrap-around support for both parents and children. To enhance school-readiness among our young, MENDAKI is focusing on early childhood education, informed by expert findings, and strengthening networks between parents and pre-school professionals. With M³, it will also provide opportunities for role models in our community to contribute and inspire our young to greater heights of excellence.

Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, research has shown that language acquisition and development are most effective at younger ages. Enrolment and regular attendance at pre-school are hence critical. To Ms Rahayu Mahzam’s question on strengthening pre-school outreach and support, MENDAKI has been appointed by ECDA as a pre-school outreach agency to reach out to Malay children aged between four and six not already enrolled in pre-school. We want to raise awareness among families of the importance of pre-school education and the need for regular attendance, and assist them in enrolling their children into pre-school and related-MENDAKI programmes.

Ms Rahayu also spoke about the central role that parents play in their children’s early development, and we want to help them in their endeavour. At the same time, research has shown that play is important for child development. Hence, under MENDAKI's School Ready Campaign, MENDAKI pioneered PlayFest to encourage and support parents of pre-schoolers from age zero to six in adopting a play-based approach to develop their children’s reasoning skills, and in setting up a stimulating learning environment at home. MENDAKI reached more than 2,000 parents and children through PlayFest and mini PlayFest in 2018.

MENDAKI also introduced PlayKit, to encourage parent-child bonding using household items for craft work. Five hundred PlayKit sets have been distributed to families. In addition, more than 90 members of the MENDAKI Alliance of Pre-school Professionals (MAPP) network had organised training sessions for volunteers. We are encouraged by the parents’ receptivity, and MENDAKI will organise one PlayFest and two mini PlayFests in 2019. We aim to grow this partnership with pre-school professionals for parents to benefit from the latest educational techniques and research findings.

Mr Chairman, under the M³ framework, we are also strengthening programmes to raise our children’s preparedness for Primary 1. Mr Zainal Sapari asked for an update on KelasMateMatika@CC – based on MENDAKI's Tiga M programme – which we launched in Nee Soon, Marsiling and Pasir Ris last September. The past cohorts of Tiga M students have done well. In particular, over 80% of children who attended Tiga M did not need to enrol in the Learning Support Programme for Mathematics at Primary 1. Through this, we see that Tiga M has helped strengthen the foundations for our children’s education.

To build on Tiga M, the M³ agencies collaborated to develop the KMM@CC programme and I am heartened by the results. The pilot batch of KMM@CC supported more than 170 parents and children. For the second phase of KMM@CC, we have seen strong enrolment rates, with more than 300 parents and children indicating their interest to join, especially at Marsiling and Keat Hong where the programme has been over-subscribed by more than double. Support from centres in Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang, Boon Lay and Admiralty is also encouraging.

This is a clear signal that parents see the value of KMM@CC in helping their children develop strong foundations in numeracy skills, and increasing parents' confidence of teaching Maths at home. Mdm Nur Khairunnisa Bte Mohd Rosli is one such example. Last September, she attended KMM@Nee Soon with her daughter. Mdm Khairunnisa found the concepts and resources from KMM@CC useful to motivate and teach her child who has since graduated from the programme and entered Primary 1 this year.

Now that we have established a working model for M³ collaboration on the ground, we can scale up the programme so as to benefit parents and children. This year, we are expanding KMM@CC to five more locations – Admiralty, Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang, Keat Hong and Woodlands. The classes will commence in the first half of 2019, and will benefit more than 1,500 parents and children this year. Beyond KMM@CC, MENDAKI will enrol families into Parent Circles near where they live. These Circles facilitate sharing between parents and educators, which helps enhance their parenting skills and confidence.

Beyond pre-school, we also intend to support children in our schools who need help. Today, MENDAKI oversees a tuition scheme that caters to over 10,000 students. MOE recently provided updates about UPLIFT. We will ensure that M³ will dovetail its efforts with UPLIFT so that, together, we can provide support for disadvantaged students and their families through regular outreach, engagement and referral to community-based programmes.

Mr Chairman, a culture of excellence is important to spur the next generation onward. As they grow older, our young will benefit from advice and mentoring from the right role models. I wish to assure Mr Amrin Amin that MENDAKI will pilot the Empowerment Programme for Boys and Empowerment Programme for Girls in the second quarter of 2019 for Malay/Muslim ITE students at MENDAKI's Youth Spaces at three ITE colleges. This mentoring programme will strengthen critical life skills, provide youths with advice on future education and career pathways. It will also introduce students to role-models they can relate to and who will share on different pathways to success. In time, we hope that beneficiaries from this programme will pay it forward as peer mentors to other youths.

Recognising the different pathways to success, MENDAKI has convened a committee to review the prestigious Anugerah MENDAKI award, which today honours Malay or Muslim students for their academic success. This committee comprises representatives from schools, madrasahs and institutes of higher learning, and seeks to ensure that the benchmarks for excellence remain relevant.

Mr Chairman, it takes a village to raise a child. With our renewed spirit of gotong royong, every new generation will be able to build on the successes of previous generations to reach higher and go further.

The Chairman: Any clarifications, please? Mr Zainal Sapari.

Mr Zainal Sapari: Chairman, my clarification for Minister Masagos. In Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Could Minister explain how the eight towns mentioned earlier were selected by the M³?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: May I reply in Malay, too, Mr Chairman?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We chose these eight towns as these towns have the highest percentage of Malay residents. This would ensure a high degree of effectiveness based on our available resources at this point of time. However, this is just the beginning. We will expand it to other areas later.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: I have two questions for Mr Masagos. We do it in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Minister, my first question is on Madrasah Wak Tanjong. I would like to declare that my child is a student of Madrasah Wak Tanjong. I am aware that, after the financial assistance was given to Madrasah Wak Tanjong by MUIS, the madrasah is now administered by two Chairmen. I would like to ask whether it is necessary to have two Chairmen at the same time.

My second question is related to what Minister said earlier on the involvement of PAP Malay Members of Parliament in the planning for M³ planning. I would like to ask the Minister whether he is open to the involvement of Malay Members of Parliament who are not from the ruling party. Right now there is just me, but, hopefully, there will be more in the future. I ask this question because I feel that Minister might be familiar with the idea of ikhtilaf which means diversity of opinions, whereby the presence of ikhtilaf in the community is considered to be a blessing.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The committee in Madrasah Wak Tanjong is still newly established, so we should allow them to get used to working together, just like the M³, with MUIS ready to assist the madrasah and will be neutral. I think this is important and, with cooperation, we can build a stronger, better and more effective madrasah institution in Madrasah Wak Tanjong. After a few years, we hope we will build more trust. Because the funds allocated comes from the community, and it should be monitored, so that if we are queried, we know where the funds are located and their effectiveness.

Am I open to involving Members from the opposition? I think we could ask the same question whether we could involve Members from the opposition in the duties of the People's Association or community clubs. I think, in principle, perhaps we could. However, in terms of purpose, if the opposition’s purpose is to oppose and disagree with what we are doing, I think it is better for the opposition to focus on what they think is good for the community. And we can still work together in matters where we do not have to disagree.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Thank you, Mr Chairman. Can I ask my clarifications in Malay, please?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to direct my two questions to Senior Minister of State Dr Maliki Osman.

First, how will the Committee of the Future Asatizah (COFA) have an impact on our asatizahs who are already involved in the religious sector? Will they also be included?

Second, may I ask for some details on the Post-Graduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies? Who will confer this certificate? Will it still be the MUIS Academy? And do we have plans to involve lecturers or faculty members beyond the religious sector, as well as other practitioners, in the teaching of this certificate course?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] First, the question on whether we will continue to include asatizahs who are already involved in the religious sector. They will certainly be involved because they are the stakeholders. As I have mentioned in my speech earlier, COFA will engage all of our stakeholders. Since they continue to be involved in this sector, the future of asatizahs is also their future. Hence, we would include them and get their feedback on how they view their own future.

Can we expand the current opportunities in the religious sector to help them in their careers and how can they use the opportunities provided by COFA? COFA would also like to see how we can enhance career opportunities for our asatizahs beyond the religious sector. So, in terms of concept, the COFA would be engaging all levels of society and obtain their feedback. For those who are already in the religious sector, we welcome their cooperation. We would like to give them a new hope as well.

Regarding the details, as I have mentioned earlier, PCICS is an extension of ICON. ICON is a programme for our graduates who recently returned from overseas. We have this programme to ensure that they understand how they can practise and teach religion in the context of a society like Singapore. PCICS is an extension based on their feedback that they require even deeper content. That is why it was called Post-Graduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies. What can we include in PCICS over and above what as in ICON?

First, by working beyond the religious sectors, they will acquire new expertise, such as from the counselling sector, the social work sector, as well as the digital, finance or legal sectors, because many of them graduated from the religious sector or studied religion. So, we want to see how they can be incorporated or work beyond the religious sector.

Second, we are holding discussions with overseas universities on how we can collaborate to enhance the curriculum for PCICS students. Subsequently, these students will be channelled to the MUIS Academy, which provides the accreditation, because once they have undergone PCICS, they will receive the ARS accreditation.

Mr Mohamed Irshad: Mr Chairman, I have three clarifications for Minister. Minister, firstly, M³ is MUIS, MENDAKI and MESRA. In my interactions with people, they have mentioned that it is very Malay-centric. I welcome the move that you mentioned that M³ wants to partner with all organisations, including Indian/Muslim organisations and so on, but how can we have people from the other groups – Chinese/Muslims as well Indian/Muslims feel welcomed to be also part of this initiative?

Secondly, is there a timeline for Singapore Islamic College (SIC); when can we expect it to be up and ready?

Thirdly, recently, I was involved in a talk with the South mosque cluster and during that interactions with the asatizah, they did mention that previously in MUIS, there was to be a function that looks into Youth Development. Now, I understand that there is an Asatizah Youth Network. But can we bring that youth functionality back so that we can have a youth focus in every single mosque that we have in Singapore?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: I thank the Member for the questions. Firstly, when we talk about Malay/Muslim, we also mean Malay and Muslims. Inevitably, the Malays are the larger portion of our community and therefore, inevitably also we have to give them as much focus, in fact, proportionate focus. But it does not mean we will leave anyone else behind. We look forward to Indian Muslim Associations and other associations that are in line with us to support the development of our communities. In fact, I am very happy to hear that the Indian/Muslim community feel a little bit left out, that they think that they are not part of the efforts, but they certainly are.

As for the SIC, I think we do not want to pre-empt the need to understand what we need in the building blocks towards establishing the SIC. We have to engage the asatizah, we have to engage the community and indeed, that is why COFA has been formed. COFA will form the first building block towards the establishment of a SIC but, like the Member and myself, we look forward to the establishment of SIC but we should not hurry.

Lastly, on the youth development, I think it does not really matter in what form it takes in the mosque, organisation or the support for it. We all know how important youths are and we certainly will not neglect them.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Chairman, my question is for Minister of State Zaqy. I am happy to hear of the efforts that MENDKAI is doing in aligning with some of the national programmes. I just want to say that the efforts that we do for the Malay/Muslim community is really with regards to trying to make sure that we succeed with other Singaporeans. The Malay/Muslim is part of the bigger Singapore and I am so happy to hear that you are also aligning with the efforts of UPLIFT. I just wanted to check what are the other ways in which we are ensuring that the MENDAKI's efforts are also being kept in line with national programmes, national KPIs so that we are also on par and also working towards the same goal overall in the country.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Sir, I think the Member for her question. Indeed, many of our programmes are targeted at some of challenges that we face in the community. So, for example, KMM was something we look at. When we look at where MOE is headed, pre-schools have shown to be one area we need to look at because many of our kids end up over-represented when they go into the Learning Support Programme (LSP) and Learning Support Facilitator (LSF). So, KMM kicked in. But after that, we managed to align it together with the other national programmes so that we can also tap on the expertise as well resources at the national level, so it goes both ways.

Among other things that we could potentially look at would be reviewing MENDAKI's tuition schemes to see how they align with the Primary school and Secondary school changes that were just announced by MOE, for example, for the subject-based banding. Another aspect in which we are also helping youths would be, things like Future Ready, to prepare them for the work-life ahead.

So, these are just examples. Apart from that, how we provide holistic care for families are also other areas in which we are working on, but not just on our own but also through M³, the CCs, with MESRA and the wider MUIS and the mosques. So, there is a lot of scope now with M³ in place to leverage on our resources at both the community and national level. So, I think it is not a mutually exclusive thing. It is both ways to address challenges of the community but leveraging on the national resources.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Chairman, I have got a follow-up clarification to either Minister or Minister of State Zaqy. With regards to the satellite centres, those mentioned in my cut, would there be plans to expand even further in terms of satellite centres in Singapore because I think the satellite centres that have been introduced are quite useful for the community and what are the timeline and plans for the satellite centres in the future?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Mr Chairman, allow me to answer in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mendaki currently has eight satellite service centres. Last September, we launched Mendaki@Choa Chu Kang and we served 1,100 beneficiaries in six months. The reception has been encouraging. Therefore, in January this year, MENDAKI and MUIS also launched a one-stop centre, M³@WGS, to further extend the reach of these two organisations to give them a presence in the neighbourhood areas. This office also acts as a hub to create community initiatives.

Hence, I think Mendaki will conduct a needs analysis to add more satellite centres which will be based on the needs of the residents, and MENDAKI will continue to work with the M³ network to further expand and engage families in the neighbourhood areas.

The Chairman: Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Sir, can I take all my five cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Interfaith Harmony and Cohesion

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Mr Chairman, in recent times, around the world we had seen disputes between people from different religions and races which resulted in major riots and conflicts that caused the loss of lives, casualties and much destruction.

Race and religion is one area which is often targeted for exploitation by groups and individuals for their own agenda, sometimes political and at times personal. They promote their fanatical views, stir up emotions and capitalise on those who are ill-informed, gullible, or just to those who are already harbouring ill thoughts against our society. The Singapore Government has done well as various agencies between Ministries work together to address this matter collectively. But this is not something that we can take for granted because the seeds of discontent and the radicalisation of individuals can be carried out in the community through contacts on-line, or face-to-face interaction.

We have an Inter-religious organisation where 10 different faiths come together, interact and engage with one another to promote inter-religious harmony in Singapore since its founding 70 years ago in 1949. There are many visits and events organised for their representatives and members to visit the various places of worship. All these promote better appreciation and understanding between the different religious faiths.

But constantly we are bombarded by divisive elements which would deliberately misinterpret their religious teachings for their own ill intents. We are an open society. We have people with different religious beliefs coming here as visitors, and workers too. May I ask the Ministry what is the Ministry doing to address the challenges we face in today’s context? How do we further strengthen the fabric of our society and promote interfaith harmony and peace in Singapore?

Crisis Preparedness

The news media has continually highlighted events where the lives of the ordinary people are disrupted because of violent acts carried out by terrorist groups in other countries. We have been fortunate to thwart several attempts by radicalised individuals from putting their intentions into action but we must not let down our guard. The main intention of such terrorist acts is to disrupt society, create chaos and distrust among groups in our population.

To address this, I know MCCY has done several engagements and counter terrorism seminars for religious organisations in recent years. May I ask the Minister how prepared are our religious organisations in dealing with terrorist attacks? Are they equipped with the knowledge and resources to handle such contingency? How does MCCY assess their readiness? If they are not ready, what is the MCCY doing to help our religious organisations prepare for such attacks?

Youth Corps and Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)

My next cut on youths and Institutes of Higher Learning. Singaporean youths are passionate about shaping and contributing to social causes. From environment to animal welfare, to welfare for the needy and to the plight of refugees in other countries, our youths have a wide array of interests. Many have created their own community projects to support the causes they believe in, and they are also influencing their peers to do the same. It is good to see our youths being motivated and taking an active stand to make a difference to their community. This ground up approach would ensure that young citizens play a key role in effectively identifying and addressing their concerns, while the Government takes a supportive role.

We must harness this energy to do good and support our youths in their endeavours. We have the platform like Youth Corps to match volunteers with the causes, be it on ad hoc or on a regular basis. May I ask Minister what else is being done to equip youths with the right skills and resources so they can continue to contribute effectively and actively? Some of these projects are undertaken as CCAs at Institutes of Higher Learning (IHL). Can MCCY work further with IHLs to further help and develop students through meaningful projects supporting social causes? How is MCCY supporting our youths in this aspect?

Founders' Memorial

My next cut on Founders' Memorial. Making our past known to our people is important if we are to help our people to understand the present. The interaction between society and the past cannot be delinked because it has an unending relationship. We have many great leaders who have written or shaped the history of this country. The history they wrote would teach us many lessons about our identity, our aspirations and about the warning signs that we have to heed. History, for example, has helped us to heed the warning signs of disharmony. Hence, we are able to navigate ourselves successfully thus far on issues relating to racial and religious harmony having learnt the consequences from past events.

This year we are celebrating our bicentennial year. It is important that we take this opportunity to share our rich history, the struggles, the hardship, the pain and that our forefathers, our grandparents and our parents went through. How did we overcome the challenges of the British pull-out from Singapore which in turn later give rise to the birth of our Armed Forces and National Service. Then how we went from self-government to independence and the signing of the Separation Agreement and the Water Agreement, which is guaranteed by both governments of Malaysia and Singapore. And, how we aspire to safeguard our water security leading to our building of more water catchment areas, the venture into desalination and the birth of NEWater.

I would like to as the Minister give us an update on the Founders’ Memorial development? What is the programme for this year’s bicentennial celebrations? How are we focusing on promoting our values and history and how are we engaging Singaporeans and taking our shared values to the next stage of development?

SG Cares – Volunteer Centres

My next cut on SG Cares – Volunteer Centres.

Today we have SG Cares which is a national movement to promote giving and kindness and encourage a more caring society. This is good and we have seen how through volunteering neighbours get to know one another, friendships are cultivated among strangers from all walks of life, and our society becomes more inclusive. And, also how we are able to muster support from various organisations, both from public as well as private sectors, to be involved in this whole exercise. Many companies now embraced corporate social responsibility as part of their culture.

At the heartland estates, there are more ground-up activities. We see volunteers delivering porridge, free food to needy residents. We see volunteers giving hair cut to seniors. We see volunteers helping to spruce up the homes of elderly and the needy. There are many volunteering opportunities but there is lack of a centre to coordinate all these activities. I would like to propose the formation of volunteer centres at the community level to better coordinate volunteers and resources.

I would like to also ask the Minister for an update on the SG Cares Community Network following its pilot projects in Bedok as well as Jurong East? Will the Minister extend and expand this to form more volunteer centres in HDB township in the coming year?

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Sir, over the years, as Singapore grew more affluent and basic needs are filled, more people have been able to set aside some time and even money to volunteer and do good for the community. The SG Cares movement was launched with the goal of creating a community that is caring and inclusive to all within, and one of the things it does is to match volunteers with causes. I would like to ask what has SG Cares achieved since its launch, and what is MCCY doing to move beyond what we have currently achieved?

I also note that SG Cares Community Network pilots were launched in Bedok and Jurong East, to bring stakeholders and volunteers together, and coordinate efforts to meet the community’s needs. Can MCCY update on the progress of these pilots? Will they be extended to more neighbourhoods?

Internationalisation Efforts

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Mr Chairman, although we are a young country at 54 years old, we are not a cultural desert. We have our own art form from the different ethnic groups and our fusion forms, which we should showcase and promote not only at home but also overseas. Our arts and culture reflects who we are and what we stand for as a nation to the rest of the world. It also brings us pride and recognition, as we showcase our cultural talents and capabilities to the world. The richness of our cultures from all races, is something that we should be able to promote abroad to draw tourists to our country as well. Visitors come here to see modern buildings but also to soak in local arts and culture which is our strategic national resource. We should do more to project Singapore soft power abroad.

I would like to ask Minister what are plans for the Ministry to help boost the work of our artistic community and give our talents some exposure overseas? Can the Minister outline projects where we have made good strides to showcase our talents overseas, raised awareness and give exposure to our people? What has our National Arts Council done to put some global spotlight on Singapore’s arts and culture?

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Sir, in spite of being a small country, we have Singaporean artists who are talented and also passionate in the arts. Their works have unique Singaporean flavours that one will not find anywhere else. The foreign exposure would help them to grow even more, so they can become even better artists on their terms and realise their dreams. To my understanding, the National Arts Council plans "to take Singapore’s art beyond our shores" as part of its plans to position Singapore globally. What plans does NAC have to achieve these goals?

What has MCCY been doing to promote our cultural assets and talents overseas? What are some of the key international initiatives that have been implemented over the years to help our local artists develop in terms of exposure and talent?

Leaders to Lead in Volunteerism

Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching (Nominated Member): Firstly, I would like to thank the men in the House for the well wishes. I always say we are so blessed to be living in Singapore where ladies are well respected and treated fairly. I cannot ask for more.

12.30 pm

Mr Chairman, in a 2018 June article from the Straits Times, Minister Grace Fu said that, "Singapore hopes to double its volunteerism rate from one in three currently to 70 per cent in five years' time". This is a laudable goal to aim for, and I believe it can come to fruition through a combination of various factors.

As citizens of Singapore, we all take responsibility for our lives and actions. The Government does not believe in giving handouts and it is the civic duty of citizens to help the less fortunate in our country.

Currently, the rate of volunteerism in Singapore has grown from 9% in 2000 to 35% in 2016, with the total volunteer hours doubling from 66 million hours in 2014 to 121 million hours in 2016.

As it is, the benefits of volunteerism are manifold. It is a source of significant contribution to the global economy. According to statistics from the Johns Hopkins Centre for Civil Society Studies in 2011, approximately 140 million people in the 37 countries engage in volunteer work in a typical year. It is estimated that volunteers contribute around $400 billion to the global economy annually.

Apart from economic contribution, volunteerism also enhances social connections between different sectors, and builds bridges across Governments, enterprises and employees. It encourages citizens to be more active in civic engagement and mindful of their role in society.

Positive effects on volunteers as individuals includes increases in self-esteem, enhanced emotional skills and capacities, expansion in career paths and an overall healthier physique and mentality.

However, there are various influencing factors at play in Singapore which reduce the take up rate of volunteering. Chiefly among these is the reason that citizens have no time to volunteer. They fail to understand that giving to others does not mean having less time for oneself. As a result, fewer are giving up their time and effort to volunteer for a good cause, even though donations are substantial.

As Singapore faces an ageing population crisis, it is even more crucial that youths are being engaged to volunteer with the elderly population.

With the SG Cares platform, it is possible to match an individual's community work with volunteering opportunities of their choice. It is heartening to see a sixteen-fold increase in youths' participation from 2009 to 2019, with youths making up almost 80% of the volunteers registered on the website.

So, this begs the question: how can we further encourage the increase in number and depth of volunteerism in our nation?

I would like to propose that we attract business and public sector leaders who are retired or close to retirement to volunteer. This draws from a large pool of ageing population with longer life expectancy, who are highly educated, active and financially secure.

They are also proven managers of people, finances and complex programmes, who understand the benefits of meaningful work and are motivated to contribute to society. The knowledge, experience and energy that these leaders bring represent a significant potential resource for the non-profit and charitable sector.

The result is a win-win situation which benefits both the community and retired leaders themselves, as volunteers generally enjoy improved health and wellness in the form of personal accomplishment and lower levels of depression.

To attract these leaders, I would like to propose a two-pronged approach. Firstly, it is necessary to build a pre-retirement awareness of volunteering. An effective way is to locate and extend a personal invitation to leaders who are retired or will be retired in five years' time.

The second approach would be to design suitable volunteer opportunities. We should create awareness of the complete range of volunteer opportunities offered, and then ensure that volunteer opportunities have specific targets and deliverables. Volunteers would be more attracted to activities with clear job descriptions, well defined expectations and timelines.

Short-term volunteer opportunities can also be offered to those with competing interests and limited available time.

Nevertheless, the most important aspect of attracting any form of volunteers will inevitably start with us. We as leaders of the nation are duty-bound to lead by example and be a visible beacon on the frontlines. Only after being volunteers ourselves can we be exemplars and speak with passion about the great joy volunteerism can bring, in order to galvanise fellow citizens to be authentic volunteers.

Personally, I have been a pharmacist volunteer at a local Hospice for the past 20 years. Our volunteer pharmacists take turns every Saturday to visit the institution to sort out medication waste and monitor inventory of medications.

On the days when it is my turn, I will bring along one of my four children to help out. I task them to perform the "first cut" expiry date stock check while I sort out bags of medication waste for appropriate disposal and check on stock levels to trigger ordering. The aim is to attempt to engage them from young to appreciate the spirit of volunteering, though I will still re-check after them.

At the end of our duty, as we walk along the corridor on our way out, I will ask my child to "peek" into a patient's room. I explain to them how the two hours spent earlier has helped to ensure that these terminally ill patients don't run out of essential medications, and are not taking expired drugs which may affect their pain control, vomiting or infection. Ensuring appropriate disposal of these medications also has significant impact on protecting our environment and safety of our residents.

Seeing the patients comfortable in bed during their last days can be especially emotional and underscores the heartfelt importance of the work that we are doing. And this is what has kept me going for the past 20 years as a volunteer.

Volunteerism should be a life-time commitment, not simply a once-off Community Involvement project. It is a calling and must come from the heart. As a community leader and a mother who wants my young children to espouse the values of volunteerism, it also starts with us as leaders to shape the roads for successive generations to follow. The greatest leader is also the most willing servant.

Mr Chairman, I would like to leave you with a quote from MK Gandhi: "The best way to find yourself, is to lose yourself in the service of others."

The Chairman: Assoc Prof Daniel Goh.

Memorial to Our Fallen Soldiers

Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong (Non-Constituency Member): Chairman, earlier last month, the Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen gave the Ministerial Statement on National Service Training Deaths and said the following heartfelt words in conclusion:

"Singapore has lost precious sons. As deep as the hurt, as great the loss, we must not forget why we suffer them. When the founding generation pledged themselves to build a strong SAF, they were fully conscious that a strong military is only possible with fully committed National Servicemen drawn from every family in Singapore. They knew the costs and sacrifice that would be required. Not only in resources that we invest in at every Budget, but much more precious would be the time, the sweat, the tears, even the lives of precious sons."

Sir, the Founders' Memorial will be built to honour Singapore's founding generation of leaders by expressing the ideals and values upon which our nation is built. National Servicemen and regulars who lost their lives in training and on duty paid the ultimate price for these ideals and values. The founding generation of leaders knew these sacrifices would be required to defend these ideals and values.

We must not forget the loss of these precious sons so that we can remember why we suffer the loss. Therefore, we should at least remember the names of these precious sons as long as the Founders' Memorial stands in Bay East Garden. I believe we should build a simple and solemn memorial wall at the Founders' Memorial inscribing the names of Singapore's precious sons lost in service.

Sir, I speak as a Singaporean son. I am still serving as an NSman. In one training course I attended a few years ago, my unit visited the Kranji War Memorial. Though I have been to the Memorial before, it was different visiting it in uniform and reading the Indian, Malay and Chinese names of soldiers who died defending Singapore on the wall of the Memorial. It gave material meaning to our values and stirred in me the resolve to defend our nation.

These were men who died long before our nation was founded. What more would the names of our precious sons who have fallen to defend our nation do to make us stand strong and united as a people.

Raising Diversity and Social Mixing

Mr Mohamed Irshad: Mr Chairman, in 2017, a Study on Social Capital conducted by IPS-NUS and supported by MCCY found that diversity in social networks among Singaporeans strengthens social capital, trust, national identity and national pride.

Raising diversity in social ties is a collective effort. We have to encourage Singaporeans to take up opportunities to interact and make friends with people outside of their usual circles centred on a common race, language, religion, educational and housing background. Government agencies and community leaders can also do more to create the structures and programmes that encourage such mixing.

Could the Minister share what efforts are being taken by the Ministry to facilitate improved mixing, especially between people with different school backgrounds, and between those living in private and public housing. Also how we can incorporate such efforts as part of MCCY's outreach to youth, to build a resilient and harmonious society?

Harmony –Beyond Words

Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Mr Chairman, we live in a pluralistic world, and Singapore perhaps more than any other country defines this measure.

According to the Religious Diversity Index published by the Pew Research Centre, Singapore ranks first out of 232 countries surveyed with the greatest religious diversity.

With diversity comes the vibrancy of our community life – different religious groups celebrating festivals, intermingling of communities and living together in harmony.

With diversity also means that fault lines are never too far from the surface which is why Singapore has always been careful in ensuring that these fault lines do not rupture. This means much hard work.

We must first recognise that when we talk about religious harmony in Singapore, it is not just skin deep. We have not achieved the harmony simply by talking about how similar we are. All religions, after all, aim for the good of Man, and also acknowledging that we do have differences and accepting those differences.

As the society becomes more affluent, correspondingly a sizeable number also turn to greater religious life to find meaning to their lives. We must be careful about how we balance pride and our own faith, and at the same time not denigrate the beliefs of others in the process.

I am therefore heartened by President Halimah's announcement of an International Conference on Social Cohesion in December 2018.

Having been involved in interreligious dialogue, I am proud that Singapore is often cited as an example of how we can be diverse, yet undivided.

Could the Ministry therefore share more details of this conference and what it means for Singapore? How do we promote our way of religious harmony and also learn from the examples of others in challenging the issues of identity politics?

Like many Singaporeans, I go to my place of worship regularly. Every Sunday, in church, I see large crowds of fellow believers gathering throughout the entire day. In our mosques, our Muslim brethren throng for Friday prayers. Temples are packed during key festivals as well.

We often go about our worship without much thought for safety or security. We take it as a given. Yet we only need to look around us in the region to realise how starkly that religious organisations are obvious soft targets for terrorist attacks.

While SGSecure has helped to raise the awareness of the need to be alert and be prepared, are our religious organisations prepared to handle such situations? And who can they turn to seek help to develop or to strengthen their plans.

We must always engage each other in dialogue. But it is in showing and experiencing our care for one another that we can truly harmony.

Integration of National Sports Systems

Ms Yip Pin Xiu (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, I would like to declare my interest as an athlete and take this chance to suggest how we may advance by optimising the resources that have been committed to sports.

Let me start with a little background. When I was five years old, I saw my brothers learning to swim at the pool. Back then, I already had my condition and needed leg braces to assist my gait. But seeing how much fun my brothers were having, I asked my parents if I could join them and learn how to swim. That was in the 1990s. Back then, persons with disabilities in sports was nearly unheard of and it was almost 20 years early for inclusion to become the buzzword it is today.

The Singapore Disability Sports Council, the charity that was tasked to offer a wide range of sport at both elite and non-elite levels, had only then hired its first two staff.

On hindsight, it probably took a lot of guts for my swim coach then to take on a student with disability. But if not for her courage to include me, I may not be here today. We are no longer in the 1990s. We hear about inclusion every other day. But out of close to 100 swim clubs in Singapore today, I can count the number that have opened their doors to persons with disabilities in five seconds. I hear stories from my peers on how they started in swimming, which can almost be considered a national sport for our little island. For able-bodied friends, the opportunities are boundless. Parents are spoilt for choice on whom they can engage to coach their children. But for parents of children with disabilities, it is a different story altogether. Not every child has been as fortunate as me to meet a coach that brave. Not many will be, if we do not set out to make changes.

Public efforts in raising awareness of persons with disabilities have been increasing. Yet, however, target individual transformation – of one to do their part to create a more inclusive society.

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The outcomes, therefore, depend heavily on the individual's own effort to accept this change. We know there are two possible outcomes. One, the individual is convinced; and two, the individual is not. This gives us a 50% probability. Let us take the first scenario where the individual is convinced, and ready to make a change. Are our systems prepared to support such a change?

On the second scenario where the individual had not been convinced, are we ready to let it go, or can we create an environment to motivate that transformation further? If we have neither the systems nor the environment, then the probability of the returns on our investment would likely drop. It is thus rather compelling to look at how we can boost our returns. Can inclusion be scaled up beyond the individual and into the system? How can this change take place?

I will go back to the context of sports with which I am most familiar with. What Sport Singapore has done is commendable. Since the 2000s, SportSG has increasingly opened its doors to support athletes with disabilities. Most schemes like spexCarding, spexScholarship, spexBusiness and campaign funding are now accessible to athletes with disabilities equally as to able-bodied athletes. In the last two years, SportSG has also started to recognise coaches of disability sports.

Yet, while these transformations take place, on the ground, as a swimmer, I am not recognised as an athlete with the national sports association for swimming. Instead, all athletes with disabilities, regardless of their sport, continue to be represented by the Singapore Disability Sports Council, known as the SDSC.

Today, with all the evolution that has taken place in Singapore over the years, all that Sport Singapore and SDSC have done, I am given the chance to be here. So here, I voice my dream of a Singapore where sports is a united front for Singaporeans, not separated into disability or able-bodied sports. It is a dream that already has ground globally, and one that I hope Singapore will join in.

Since 1988, the Olympic and Paralympic Games have been held in the same cities, under a "one bid, one city" partnership between the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. Where the Paralympic Games benefit from the same standards in venues, infrastructure, and planning as the Olympic Games, the Olympics benefit from the added layer of inspiration generated by the Paralympics.

The benefits have also been noticed down the chain. More International Sports Federations have or are beginning on paths of integration, like World Sailing and Union Cycliste Internationale. Further down, countries like the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have also adopted integrated models for their national sports strategies. Coaches and administrators are starting to realise that the spirit is the same amongst athletes, regardless of the number of limbs they have or whether they can speak. A swimmer who is intellectually impaired may need a little more instruction, but they still have to swim the right strokes, be the most efficient and be the fastest to win, similar to someone without intellectual impairment.

In UK, disability sport is part of the National Sporting Associations. For every National Sporting Association that has a disability sport in the Association, more funding is given to support the Association to help develop its para discipline. The results of athletes with disabilities bring glory and funding to the Association equally as athletes without.

Funding benefits aside, integration promotes the sharing of knowledge and expansion of expertise. Athletes have a chance to perform better with deeper expertise, while communities develop greater understanding and respect for each other. The means might be different, but the spirit is the same. In spite of the different events we compete in, we share commonalities.

The sporting scene in Singapore has been growing steadily in the past years. Both able-bodied sports and disability sports have produced results and they continue to inspire the nation. I believe it is now timely to discuss how to use this inspiration to transform our systems, and forge an environment that complements other efforts of inclusion.

Holding up an important pillar of this environment is our National Sports Associations also known as NSA. By representing all athletes with disabilities through the Singapore Disability Sports Council instead of the sports they play, are we not putting the disability before the ability?

If an agency is representing a sport nationally, should it represent the sport to everyone in the nation, or only to those it deems fit?

I believe a systemic transformation will motivate and complete individual transformation. If a NSA is ready to make such a change, let us have our system ready to support it. If a NSA is not ready, then let us see how we can build an environment to better that probability.

The world is catching up to this; attitudes are changing, movements are shifting.

At the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, England, para sports and able bodied teams were fully integrated for the first time. Countries paraded the opening ceremony in their respective contingents, representing one nation and one dream. At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, our Singaporean athlete Toh Wei Soong won a bronze medal in his S7 50M Freestyle event, becoming the second Singaporean athlete to win a medal for swimming at the Commonwealth Games, after Joseph Schooling in 2014. And he told me that the greatest moment of that Games was recognising the universality of the medal he received.

There were no differences: only athletes brought together by a common spirit. And the medal reflected that: if you looked at it, you could not tell if it was given to a para athlete or a able-bodied athlete. You were an athlete, and that was enough.

Local disability sports have started to pilot this transformation over the past few years. Sports that had been created with disability in mind, like Boccia for individuals with severe cerebral palsy and Goalball for individuals with visual impairment, have been promoted to able-bodied individuals as well and were very well-received.

How can we bring this transformation to a larger environment and help NSAs embrace similar changes? For sports like Boccia and Goalball, where there is no able-bodied equivalent, are our systems ready to accept them as NSAs if they meet the same criteria?

I know it will not be easy. Most people are scared of change as a concept, but if we examine it,there are more things in sport that bring us together than separate us, more things to celebrate than to fight over. Let us use these commonalities to move forward, and not let hurdles of small differences, like different technical rules or different equipment, block our view of the finishing line.

If we can make a clean sport commitment, a safe sport commitment, I believe we, too, can make an inclusive sport commitment. How can we help the NSAs to embrace this commitment?

As an athlete, I am very grateful for all the resources that have been committed to sport. As a Singaporean, I hope that we can include the agenda of integration into our investments, so that they can give us not only returns on the individual, but for Singapore as a progressive nation. [Applause.]

Singapore Football

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, I have made a call in one of my previous COS speeches for FAS to commission a study to search for reasons that are hampering our national football team's progression towards excellence. However, Sir, FAS has recently identified and made known to the public these reasons in a way. Allow me to elaborate.

Sir, in early December last year, during a media interview Fandi Ahmad remarked, I quote "The new national coach must be able to understand and adapt to our unique eco-system." Fandi Ahmad's remark has induced some curiosity and sparked discussions amongst Singapore's football fans. A number of football enthusiasts have written Forum letter to the media seeking clarity on what Fandi Ahmad meant by unique eco-system.

Sir, in addressing this issue, FAS' General-Secretary wrote a reply letter stating the following, and I quote, "Much like several other football playing countries with a small population and land constraints, the Football Association of Singapore has had to work around these factors as we develop the sports in Singapore. Our local young footballers, similar to other local athletes, have to juggle their commitments to National Service and priorities on academia, an age group where globally and regionally, football players are full-time professionals."

Based on FAS' explanation, it can be deemed that the factor that is hampering our national team's progression towards excellence is our unique eco-system or, in other words, a systemic issue.

Sir, since the problem has been identified, I would suggest MCCY, SportSG and FAS to form a unique team and work in transforming this uniquely Singapore eco-system into a favourable eco-system that will spur our national team to greater heights. MCCY should spearhead this effort since it is a systemic issue.

To have a good start in this enhancement effort, I suggest the team should study on how the Iceland's national team which is fielding a team from a nation of about 300,000 population and geographically made up of harsh terrain has managed to attain unique achievement in recent years where they played and did well in UEFA-Euro 2016 and became the smallest nation to qualify FIFA World Cup 2018.

Sir, with concerted and determined efforts, I am confident that our national team will one day create a name in the international football scene.

Yishun Sports Hub

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon): Sir, Yishun Town has over 210,000 in the population and new BTOs popping up all the time. But our sports facilities remain the same, or and uninteresting. Yishun Stadium opened in 1992, while Yishun Swimming Complex was opened in 1988, more than 30 years ago. I am constantly hearing feedback from residents about this. We are certainly looking forward to having something like Tampines Hub, Bedok Lifestyle Hub or Bukit Canberra, the new Sembawang sports and community hub that is under construction now.

I had brought this up in this House many times. When I last brought this up, the Ministry said that as other major sports complexes are scheduled, other areas will have to wait till "maybe after 2020". May I ask how long more that we have to wait? I hope the next announcement for a sports hub will be in Yishun.

Next, I would like to bring up another issue but I would like to declare my interest as a past President of STTA.

SPEX scholarships support athletes financially while they develop their skills. However, the scholarship amount is sometimes less than what the athletes are currently earning. Understandably, some athletes reject the scholarship. This is their choice and we respect it.

But under the scholarship, there is also budget for overseas competitions and training. May I suggest, if athletes reject the scholarship, can this part of the budget still be given to NSAs? This will be helpful in grooming the athletes and exposing the athletes to more overseas competitions.

The Chairman: Mr Terence Ho. Not here. Mr Yee Chia Hsing. You can take your four cuts together.

River Hongbao and Other Cultural Events

Mr Yee Chia Hsing (Chua Chu Kang): Chairman, first of all, I would like to congratulate Member of Parliament Mr Ang Wei Neng who is the Chairman of this year's River Hongbao Organising Committee and his committee members for making the eight-day event a great success.

I visited the River Hongbao on one of the evenings and besides tourists, I can see many Singaporeans at the event. Many are taking photographs or selfies with the giant lanterns. Many also gave very good feedback about the fireworks display every night. The River Hongbao has a carnival atmosphere which few other events managed to achieve.

The best part is that admission is free so I supposed the Organising Committee must have worked very hard to source for funding for the event.

MCCY supports the River Hongbao through People's Association (PA), which is one of the organisers of River Hongbao. Given that the River Hongbao is a great showcase of the cultural roots of our Chinese community, can MCCY share how it is helping to ensure that the River Hongbao in future years continues to get the necessary funding? Besides the River Hongbao which is the showcase event for Chinese culture, can the Ministry also share how it is helping other showcase events for Malay and Indian cultures?

SG Cares – Corporate Volunteerism

Chairman, Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, as become an integral component in many organisations. Companies realise that having an active CSR programme not only projects a positive image to customers but also helps with employee satisfaction and retention.

One observation is that many corporates wanting to do CSR would "Adopt a Rental Block" and then raise funds to buy grocery items for the needy residents. While these efforts are admirable, I believe they perpetuate a donor-donee relation and does nothing to elevate the self-esteem of recipients nor do such efforts help the residents learn any positive habits which might help them more in the long term.

As such I would like to the MCCY to share how it is supporting companies in their CSR efforts, especially taking into consideration my comments above.

Active Health

Active Health was launched in late 2017 to encourage Singaporeans to take ownership of their health. Can the Ministry share how many people have been on-boarded to-date? Can the Ministry also share the percentage of participants for which indicators such as the Body Mass Index or BMI), have improved since their on-boarding? There are currently three Active Labs in Singapore, can the Ministry share if there are plans to roll out more Active Health labs across Singapore?

High Performance Sports

Last cut, high performance sports. First of all, I would like to declare that I am the Vice President of the Singapore Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Federation, National Sports Association or NSA.

Following the success of the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia in 2017, how are our Team Singapore athletes and the NSA being supported in their preparations for the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines this year and as well as next year’s Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games? In view of the more competitive sports environment, how is our High Performance Sports eco-system developing to meet the needs and challenges of the future?

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, can I take my two cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

High Performance Sports

Mr Darryl David: The first cut is on high performance sports, Mr Chairman. Over the last decade, Singapore’s athletes have made steady progress on the international sporting scene. Our female table-tennis team did well in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2012 London Olympics. The whole country watched with pride as we attained our first Olympic gold medal in 2016. We have also picked up gold medals at major international games along the way and, indeed, quite a few of those gold medals were won by our Parliamentary colleague Ms Yip Pin Xiu. We have done well in the SEA games, winning 188 medals in 2017 – making it our best performance in a SEA games not held in Singapore.

In 2017, it was announced that the Government will inject up to $50 million into the High Performance Sports System and the One Team Singapore matching grant to realise the Vision 2030 Fund. The purpose of the investment, as I understand it, is to develop top athletes by enhancing their local training environment, providing them with overseas training opportunities, and giving them access to clinics and workshops.

It has been about a couple of years since the matching grant was announced. Can MCCY provide an update on the progress of fund and how the fund has been used to support and develop our athletes?

Also, with two major games on the horizon – the 2019 SEA Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – can MCCY provide an update on Team Singapore’s preparations for these major games, and what our targets are for these two major competitions?

Engaging the Youth

Today's youths are passionate about many important national and international issues, and are strong proponents of cause-based advocacy. They want to have a voice in policy making and aspire to be heard. In Singapore, the Youth Conversation was kicked off last April for youths in Singapore to voice their concerns and aspirations about policies and causes in a safe space.

It has been approximately a year since this initiative was started. Can MCCY give an update on the progress of the Youth Conversations? What are the key themes that have emerged and what are MCCY's plans to deepen engagement with youths who have participated in these conversations?

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry (Nee Soon): Mr Chairman, can I take my three cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Youth Engagement

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: Mr Chairman, we are living through rapid and profound societal changes in how we work, live, communicate, and perceive reality. Traditional hierarchies are being replaced by networks with multiple connections. People now behave more autonomously, shaped by a greater sense of the individuality.

Therefore, it is not surprising that our youth today have aspirations and values that may differ from those of the previous generations.

From what I have observed, our youth take keen interest in not just issues that concern their future from education and employment, to broader issues like climate change and environmental sustainability.

Our youth also want their views to be heard and to be taken into account in policy-making. Some of our more passionate and proactive youths want to be involved, here and now, in coming up with solutions, and perhaps even implementing these solutions for the benefit of our people.

This is a good development. As our youths are our future, we need to tap on their youthful energy and enthusiasm. We must also empower them to shape the future, which is very different from today.

Therefore, MCCY's efforts to encourage youth and engage youth must make sure that they can participate meaningfully. As such, I would like MCCY to provide an update on the Youth Conversations, which informs our youth and help them forge consensus from differing viewpoints, as well as plans to give youths a bigger voice in the design of our policies and programmes.

Arts and Culture Strategic Review (ACSR)

Launched in 2010, the Arts and Culture Strategy Review sets the long-term direction of arts and culture in Singapore.

As we reached the halfway mark, we see many successes: Art and culture has become pervasive. We have established and well-loved icons from the National Gallery of Singapore to the Botanic Gardens. A new generation of musicians represents Singapore on the international stage from Wong Kah Chun for classical music, to Joanna Dong for pop music,

At the same time, both Singapore and the world changed dramatically over the past decade. New tensions and fault-lines have emerge. But so has new possibilities.

Therefore, it is heartening that MCCY meets these challenges head-on through the 2018 Our Singapore Arts Plan, which recognises that art does not just inspire, and express the Singapore spirit, art can also bring diverse communities together and bridge societal fault lines.

Last year, MCCY also launched our first five-year masterplan for heritage. In a world that is increasingly fluid, our arts heritage anchors our national identity, and inspires us to collectively adapt to the changing world. Therefore, can MCCY share on, moving forward, how the insights from the Arts and Culture Strategy Review, as well as how our Arts Plan and our Singapore Heritage Plan, will collectively shape our arts and culture sector?

SportSG Vision 2030 Review

Mr Chairman, sports is important for Singapore, and rightfully so. Sports help Singaporeans be happier and healthier. Through sports, our people learn about character, leadership, and the spirit of winning. And sports bring people and communities together.

Over the past few years, SportsSG launched many exciting developments and introduced new ways of doing things. Our people at ActiveSG evolved from being sports facilities operators to becoming community organisers and coaches for exercises and sports. For example, when I visited SportsSG Woodlands Stadium sometime ago, I realise that they encourage entire families to keep fit every Friday, by ensuring that there was something for everybody – whether it’s yoga, frisbee, running, soccer, gym exercise, swimming, even gardening. Another example are the many more ActiveSG Sports Academies and Clubs, including the new Masters Club for seniors. Major regional sporting facilities have also been introduced at My Tampines Town Hub, as well as new ones planned at Punggol and Sembawang. At the same time, our national atheletes continue to do very well at various games and competitions.

All these are the direct results of SportSG's Vision 2030, our national blueprint for sports launched in 2012, which calls for helping Singaporeans be future-ready through sports, ensuring sports in Singapore is acessible and inclusive and bringing people and community together through sports.

Our plan also calls for evolving our sports eco-system and communities to support these objectives.

Therefore, I would like MCCY to provide a comprehensive update on the plan. What are some of the key achievements in the past seven years? Have Singaporeans become more active over this period? What can the public expect from our sports facilities and programmes going forward?

Vision 2030 Review

Mr Lee Yi Shyan (East Coast): Mr Chairman, in the same evening after he had beaten Lin Dan, the two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion at the Thai Masters on 12 January, Singapore’s shuttler Loh Kean Yew wrote the following text to the younger players in the National Intermediate Squad. With permission, I quote:

“What kept me going was the gentle reminders that I played the game because I loved it. I worked, listened and learnt from all the coaches and experience players. I persevered when the going got tough because I was hungry to reach my dreams. Being in NIS is a privilege that you should cherish. You guys are lucky to have support from different resources to help improve your badminton. Treasure it and don’t waste it. Set a goal, big enough for people to laugh at. They laugh because it’s impossible for them. They’re the weakling, not you. Work hard towards it.

I really must add that the key word is "discipline". It is a word that should be applied in everything that you do, be it training, studies, time management. Discipline is not something that should be reflected in only badminton. Discipline should be applied in every aspect of your life. This truly reflects the character of a true champion".

Mr Chairman, sport inspires, sport unites. Sport builds character. Kean Yew's achievement is an inspiration to all who love sports and their nation. Many of the values personified by this young and intrepid player are the same values we seek to promote and embrace in Vision 2030. Would the Minister update us on the key achievements of Vision 2030 since its launch seven years ago?

Active SG

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Mr Chairman, as one ages, it is more important than ever to be physically active to maintain overall well-being and good health. How will the Ministry help our seniors stay healthy and connected through sports?

The $100 top-up in the Passion Silver card for the Merdeka Generation is a good way to encourage our seniors to use it for sports facilities in CCs and Sports Complexes. However, the funds will soon run out for an active senior. I hope the Ministry will consider making periodic top-ups to assist this group. Some sports cost more than others. Does the Ministry have plans for qualified volunteers to conduct free classes for seniors or link up with venue operators to allow seniors to use their facilities at special rates?

Next, in my constituency in Henderson-Dawson, and I am sure in other constituencies too, there are playgrounds with facilities for both children and elderly. It allows 3G interaction where children play while seniors keep fit with other seniors. It is a lively place, where residents of all ages and races socialise. Such social interaction on a regular basis builds deep bonds and trust amongst neighbours and nurture inter-generational bonding. I would like to request that the Ministry make sports facilities more accessible to all, so that families and friends can exercise together, creating the motivation for seniors to keep exercising, stay active and healthy. In Mandarin, Mr Chairman.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Next, in my constituency in Strathmore Avenue, there is a playground with facilities for both children and the elderly. It allows 3G interaction where children play while seniors keep fit with other seniors. It is a lively place, where residents of all ages and races socialise. Such social interaction on a regular basis builds deep bonds and trust amongst neighbours and nurture inter-generational bonding.

I would like to request that the Ministry make sports facilities more accessible to all, so that families and friends can exercise together, creating the motivation for seniors to keep exercising, and stay active and healthy.

Mr Darryl David: Mr Chairman, can I take my cuts together, please?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Active SG

Mr Darryl David: When we think about diversity and inclusiveness, most of us would associate these two words with workplaces where we encourage companies to embrace differences and to create a conducive work culture where people of different races and creeds, and of different abilities are able to work alongside each other without fear and prejudice.

Creating a diverse and inclusive society require more than fashioning conducive workplaces as people spend a majority of their time away from work. The ideals of inclusiveness must thus be embedded within our social fabric where people of different abilities are able to live, work, and play together.

One aspect inclusiveness that remain under-explore is how we could potentially use our "play" time to foster better understanding among people with different abilities. Can we leverage on sports to build a more inclusive society, especially among those who have limited interactions with others different from themselves?

Our SG Heritage Plan

In March 2018, MCCY announced the creation of a national masterplan to promote tangible and intangible aspects of our culture. These aspects are part of our heritage. They make us what and who we are, shape our society and unite our communities, giving us a unique place in the world. Beyond this, our heritage serves as an anchor when we are beset with challenging issues that may polarise our communities. As our founding Prime Minister observed of Heritage: "It… shapes the ways a people meets new challenges and helps them adapt and to survive."

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It is indeed good that we have entered into conversations with Singaporeans of all ages and backgrounds to discover what to them is significant as our intangible culture, what resonates with them and makes us singular and special as Singapore. Our music, literature, languages, stories, myths and folklore, rituals, customs, beliefs, practices, festivals and, of course, food must be considered, alongside other aspects with our special Singapore stamp and spin.

UNESCO has established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage to ensure better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance. It is indeed heartening to discover that Singaporeans want to see a listing for our hawker culture from the polls conducted by the National Heritage Board.

We know hawker centres as familiar dining rooms for all of us. They are ubiquitous all over Singapore. Hawker centres unite us and enable us to celebrate our love for food. They feature cuisine that are part of our food heritage, food staples that are worth preserving. Additionally, our hawker culture is humble and built on hard work, a part of our immigrant roots. It is a culture that helps to reinforce our sense of national pride. Who among us, for example, has not travelled abroad and craved for our favourite hawker dish?

Last year, MCCY announced plans to nominate Singapore's hawker culture to the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Can MCCY please provide an update on this?

The Chairman: Minister Grace Fu.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Chairman, today being International Women's Day, I would first like to thank our Members before me for your well wishes and also take a moment to acknowledge the achievement and the contributions of Singapore women to our families, to our society and to Singapore. And to all my sisters, Happy International Women's Day. With your permission, my Ministry will display some slides, Chairman.

The Chairman: Yes, please. [Slides were shown to hon Members.]

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Since MCCY was formed six years ago, our cultural, community, sports and youth sectors have grown more vibrant. We are a strong society, built on firm foundations.

But the future is becoming more uncertain. Geopolitics and extremism threaten to unsettle the peace and stability we enjoy. At home, our population is ageing, while our youth have diverse aspirations, different from past generations. There are growing concerns of widening inequality. Business, work and daily life are being disrupted by digital technology. These challenges are real, and can fracture our society if not addressed. In this complex world, we need new ways of working together, partnering with each other to create innovative solutions, and building trust.

In recent years, the Government has been engaging citizens, corporates and communities more deeply and extensively, to consult, co-create and co-deliver, on issues that Singaporeans feel strongly about.

On the economic front, we have seen many fruitful partnerships. Looking ahead, Government will accelerate the upskilling of our workers, by deepening partnerships with employers, unions as well as Trade Associations and Chambers. We will also collaborate with the Federation of Merchants' Association Singapore (FMAS) to reach out to and help transform our heartland enterprises. We will continue to partner investors and corporates to grow more local businesses.

On the environmental front, we are reaching out to citizens and corporates to make a decisive shift towards sustainable lifestyles and practices. We have started building such partnerships via MEWR's 2018 "Year of Climate Action", and will work with citizens and industry to take collective action for 2019's "Year Towards Zero Waste".

On the security front, more Singaporeans are playing their part as we expand the Community First Responders Network, to mobilise and support those with relevant skills to help in emergencies. As the nature of national security evolves, the Government will work with businesses, schools and cybersecurity practitioners to strengthen our sixth pillar of Total Defence – Digital Defence.

On the social front, the Government is partnering VWOs, Family Service Centres and other community bodies, to strengthen support for students from disadvantaged families, and facilitating ground-up movements to grow their strengths and interests. Businesses are stepping forward to provide employment opportunities for marginalised groups.

When we harness the talent and creativity of our citizens to achieve more together, we can build a more inclusive Singapore that is home for everyone – everyone has a place here. And in speaking to Singaporeans, I know many want to contribute to making Singapore our best home.

And this is the heart of MCCY's work – building together with Singaporeans a home that we care about and feel proud of. We build a better home and grow together as a nation by creating community spaces for social interactions, designing programmes that create shared experiences and promote mutual understanding, and encouraging Singaporeans to pursue the common good.

Our spirit of giving continues to grow. Over the last five years, total tax-deductible donations have increased by more than $80 million, to $1.05 billion in 2017. Individual volunteerism rates have almost doubled, and one in two 2 businesses gave back to society in 2017. Meanwhile, digital platforms, like giving.sg and the SG Cares app have helped connect hundreds of thousands of volunteers and donors to more than 500 charities.

2018 was a busy year for our athletes, who once again flew Singapore's flag high at various major games. Team Singapore fielded 323 athletes across the 21st Commonwealth Games and 18th Asian Games, winning a total of 31 medals. This was followed by Team Singapore's best ever away performance at the 3rd Asian Para Games in Jakarta, with a medal tally of three Golds, two Silvers and five Bronzes.

Developments on the cultural front have also been encouraging. In 2017, we saw record highs, with more than 11 million attending non-ticketed arts and culture events, and 5.4 million visiting national museums and heritage institutions. Singaporeans were also able to enjoy over 9,500 performing arts activities throughout the year.

Eight in 10 Singaporeans agree that Singapore is a caring and cohesive society, and are satisfied with race and religious relations. According to our 2018 Sports Index Survey, 64% of Singaporeans developed a stronger bond with people of different backgrounds by watching or participating in sports, an increase over 2017. More than seven in 10 are proud of Singapore's culture and heritage, with over 90% proud to be Singaporean.

Our work does not stop here. Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked about our plans. This year, MCCY will make partnering Singaporeans a focus of our work, and we will do so in the following ways.

First, in caring for the community. Second, in fostering mutual understanding and trust. Third, in providing opportunities for all. Fourth, in celebrating our shared values. And fifth, in realising the benefits of digitalisation.

First, care – enabling caring communities.

As announced during Budget 2019, SG Cares is a major undertaking of my Ministry. SG Cares brings out the spirit of giving inherent in our DNA, making a way of life for all of us. It starts with helping those around you, be it in your neighbourhood, school or workplace.

This year, we will be providing more resources and platforms to facilitate this as we build on our corporate, youth and senior volunteerism initiatives. We can achieve much more by sharing information and resources and leveraging the strengths and experiences of different community and corporate partners.

We will expand our SG Cares Community Network, which connects volunteers, social service organisations and community resources to areas of need. We will identify community-based organisations across Singapore to take on the role of Volunteer Centres (VCs). These VCs will recruit, manage, and develop volunteers on a sustained basis, create volunteering opportunities based on local needs, and build partnerships with stakeholders.

Two VCs have been appointed in Bedok and Jurong East. In Bedok, Filos Community Services will be developing a volunteer engagement toolkit and framework to engage the stakeholders in Bedok to promote active volunteerism in the town. In Jurong East, Loving Heart Multi-Service Centre has kick-started "Neighbour Cares", a programme to mobilise neighbours as volunteers to look out for lonely seniors who need befriending services. We recognise the value in mobilising the strengths of communities. In the long term, we hope to grow "Neighbour Cares" in different neighbourhoods, where residents connect with and look out for one another, with the help of the VCs.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Dr Lim asked if the VC initiative will be extended to more towns. The target is to appoint another five VCs by the end of the year. Thereafter, we will review our progress before expanding our efforts.

Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Last month, I came across a forum letter in Lianhe Zaobao, titled "Do not forget kind deeds just because they are small", written by Mr Zheng Zhaorong. He said that while the large-scale programmes under SG Cares have served the community well, it is important to continue to perform small acts of kindness to each other. I agree with Mr Zheng.

Besides supporting Singaporeans to participate in more volunteer work in order to help the needy groups, we should also pay more attention to people around us. The spirit of care is often shown from being observant and from thoughtful acts of kindness.

In his letter, Mr Zheng thanked a young Singaporean who helped him pick up a coin he had dropped while buying a drink. Such simple acts can have profound effects. As the Mandarin saying goes, "do not do bad deeds just because they are minor, also do not forget kind deeds just because they are small". Acts of kindness come in all forms and sizes, and this is the spirit of "SG Cares". I hope Singaporeans will continue to show this spirit of care as we partner citizens in building a more caring society.

(In English): Dr Lim asked about our support for youths in contributing to social causes. We will partner Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to help students transitioning from Secondary school keep up their community involvement. A new Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) Programme will start this year to develop community service youth leaders in IHLs, bringing together youth from different educational institutions.

We will begin first with our Polytechnics, ITE and Universities, before progressively expanding to all IHLs and some Private Education Institutes in the near future. Participants will go through a camp where they can meet like-minded, passionate youths, access YCS' networks and receive community leadership and skill-based training. These youth leaders will catalyse more volunteer projects as they galvanise their peers to join them. They can tap on the National Youth Fund and Young ChangeMakers Grant for funding support. By supporting their development as community service leaders and helping them build bonds with the communities they serve, we are hopeful that our youths will continue their volunteering journey even after they leave their institutions.

Similarly, we will work with companies to incorporate senior volunteerism into their pre-retirement planning programmes, to encourage more seniors to volunteer. The Government will also take the lead in volunteerism through Public Service Cares, as part of the SG Cares movement. Senior Minister of State will provide more details on this.

Next, cohesion – fostering mutual understanding and trust.

In a diverse society like Singapore, it is important that we continue to build mutual trust and understanding, in pursuit of the common good. We cannot take for granted the harmony we enjoy in Singapore, and the sense of shared future we feel as one people. We need to work constantly at it.

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Our partners contribute to growing a more cohesive society in different and important ways. They bring with them much needed capabilities, for instance, in consensus-building and inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogue. Mr Alex Yam and Dr Lim spoke about inter-faith harmony.

In 2017, we launched BRIDGE, a series of community-driven initiatives, to foster better understanding and appreciation of the diverse religions and cultures in Singapore. To date, we have reached out to more than 10,000 Singaporeans by collaborating with community partners like the Whitehatters and OnePeople.sg. In particular, the "Ask Me Anything" series, which is a platform to learn about different faiths, has seen a high degree of interest, with some 80% attendance from first-timers at each session, while more than 90% of participants indicated that they gained a better understanding of different faiths.

Through this series, we have also seen more people indicating interest to be facilitators of inter-faith and inter-cultural dialogues. We will continue to work with our community partners to expand BRIDGE, as well as involve different segments of society in nurturing racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

Given the important role our partners play, we will help them grow their capabilities where needed. Dr Lim pointed out that we have conducted several counter-terrorism seminars for religious organisations in recent years. We will be launching the SGSecure Community Network Crisis Preparedness Accreditation Scheme for religious organisations (ROs) in the second half of 2019. This will include a checklist and resource guide that will help ROs improve their crisis response capabilities. Mr Alex Yam would be pleased to note that. We urge religious organisations to come on board, as we work hand in hand to ensure Singapore remains safe and united in the face of future crises.

Mr Yam also asked about the international conference on Cohesive Societies. In June, Singapore will be hosting an international conference on Cohesive Societies, organised by the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies with the support of MCCY. The conference will discuss themes on building cohesive societies and interfaith harmony, bringing together international thought leaders across academia, government, religious groups and the civic sector. We can learn from the experiences of others and share best practices with each other. The conference will also include a track for youth leaders in the form of a young leader programme to provide the next generation of leadership a platform to tackle social challenges and find like-minded collaborators.

By partnering youths, we benefit from their ideas and energy. Young Singaporeans want to be heard. They want to have the chance to shape the future, partner with Government, and participate in change. In this Budget, Minister Heng emphasised supporting our youth – by improving our education system; by topping-up the Edusave Account and PSEA; by investing in our economic sector to create more good jobs for our young people; by preparing our youths to take advantage of international business opportunities through mentorship and internship platforms. We recognise that our youths have to navigate the ups and downs of education, work, adulthood and more. To our youth, we hear you and understand your concerns.

We hear you through the Youth Conversations. Since its launch last year, we have engaged over 8,000 youths from different backgrounds and stages of life, both online and face-to-face. We listened to their interests, needs, and aspirations, as they spoke about various topics from mental health to environmental sustainability. About 80% of youths surveyed indicated a better understanding of issues that Singapore faces through Youth Conversations, and close to 90% agreed that they become more aware of different views. To better support our youths and answer their call for greater space for civic participation, we will embark on a major collaboration with our youths. We now want to move from conversation to action, through the SGYouth Action Plan.

The SGYouth Action Plan will define our youths' vision for Singapore, and lay out how youth and Singapore can work together to achieve it. Youth will have the chance to debate and discuss issues, examine policies and initiate change for the future. MCCY will be appointing a panel, comprising youth representatives, to lead this effort. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann, who will be co-leading the panel, will elaborate.

Next, cohesion – providing opportunities for all.

In recent years, our arts and sports scenes have flourished. It is crucial that participation in the arts and sports remains something that all Singaporeans can enjoy and benefit from. It should not be a luxury for a privileged few. To ensure that opportunities remain inclusive and accessible to all, we are undertaking strategic reviews of these sectors, in consultation with citizens. For example, we are encouraged by the outcomes of the Arts & Culture Strategic Review (ACSR) in developing a vibrant and sustainable cultural landscape. But we also recognise the need to update our strategies and measurements to incorporate developments since the ACSR was launched in 2012, so that our arts and culture continue to strengthen our social fabric and unity. Senior Parliamentary Secretary will elaborate later.

An important focus is to ensure our cultural offerings continue to be inclusive, particularly for under-served groups like the elderly, and persons with disabilities.

An accessibility audit will be rolled out across our museums and heritage institutions this year. The first phase of the audit will relate to infrastructure – such as general access, connectivity and wayfinding. We will also consider how we can improve the accessibility of our exhibitions and programmes.

Accessibility at some of our museums and heritage institutions is already being enhanced. The on-going and upcoming revamps at the Changi Chapel & Museum, Reflections at Bukit Chandu, the Peranakan Museum and the Singapore Philatelic Museum will provide Singaporeans with wider passageways, lifts and ramps for wheelchair users, more nursing rooms, as well as accessible vehicle parking lots and washrooms for persons with special needs. In the on-going revamp of the Singapore Art Museum, these considerations will also be key features. For our students, Senior Parliamentary Secretary will share more on how we are expanding access to the arts through our schools, including School of the Arts. Chairman, I will speak in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Besides improving the infrastructure, we also provide new experiences and skills to seniors through a variety of activities. Our heritage institutions, such as Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall, the Indian Heritage Centre and the Malay Heritage Centre, have been designated as Silver Hubs, to develop senior-friendly programmes and serve as community spaces for our elderly to come together.

For example, we recently introduced "Reminiscence Walks", a programme that is both facilitated and attended by seniors to visit the various historical sites in Singapore. Through this programme, senior volunteers can make new friends, hence, reducing the risk of social isolation. In their golden years, seniors can enjoy an enriching life while still learning new knowledge. They can be trained to become a tour guides, allowing them to pick up new skills and benefit others as well.

(In English): Similarly, in the sports sector, we want to ensure access and opportunities for all Singaporeans to live an active and healthy life. Mr Darryl David and Mr Irshad spoke about the importance of social mixing and a more inclusive society. Our sports facilities are key to this – they are important community spaces where Singaporeans can meet, play and connect with each other.

We will roll out accessible play spaces and facilities island-wide, to bring sport closer to all Singaporeans. Mr Henry Kwek asked about our sports facilities and programmes going forward. Like Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, we recognise that new and improved facilities are required to cater to the growing needs of residents and towns.

In 2019, we will continue to develop and upgrade our infrastructure in accordance with the Sports Facilities Master Plan. We can look forward to the opening of 52 new indoor school sports halls and 32 new free-to-play school fields under the Dual-Use Scheme, as well as two new Play Fields in Jurong Lake Gardens and Yan Kit. Another nine Sport-in-Precinct facilities in Buona Vista, Choa Chu Kang, Chong Pang, Mountbatten, Punggol East, Sembawang, Ulu Pandan, Whampoa and Woodlands will be ready by 2021. For Yishun, Sport Singapore has plans to upgrade the existing sports facilities and has engaged local community leaders on the proposed improvements. More details will be shared in due course.

We will rejuvenate existing ActiveSG facilities, like the Bishan Stadium, Former Boon Lay Swimming Complex, Jalan Besar Stadium, Jurong East Stadium, and Kallang Practice Track, with new innovative features by the end of the year. One example is the upcoming installation of LED display score boards and match play highlights, as well as stadium bucket seats to enhance the spectator experience. Singaporeans will also have the chance to play a bigger part in the co-creation of sporting spaces to come, such as the upgraded Choa Chu Kang Sport Centre, which will be ready in phases from 2020.

As with our cultural institutions, we are designing our sporting spaces to cater to all age groups, including our seniors. Like Ms Joan Pereira, we want our seniors to stay healthy and connected through sport. Later this year, an ActiveSG gym will be opened in Ang Mo Kio Community Centre, where seniors can participate in elder-friendly exercise programmes. Over time, we will ensure that all our ActiveSG gyms provide safe and accessible environments that are equipped for our seniors, with qualified staff on-site to provide any assistance required.

Aside from our sports infrastructure, our programmes will enable Singaporeans, young and old, to lead active lives. ActiveSG, our national movement for sport, has gained momentum over the years. In 2018, ActiveSG reached over one million people from diverse backgrounds and demographics, and will continue to expand its programmes through its Academies and Clubs, as well as GetActive! Singapore. These initiatives help Singaporeans embrace an active lifestyle and connect with one another through sports.

This year, two more Academies and Clubs in Canoeing and Gymnastics will be launched, bringing our total offerings to 18, including the ActiveSG Master Club for seniors as well as various individual and team sports for children.

I have seen and heard many positive stories of Singaporeans’ experiences in these Academies and Clubs, and would like to share one example. Earlier this year, I met nine-year old Ethan Loh at a community event. Ethan first joined the ActiveSG Football Academy in 2016 as a beginner. He has since gone on to represent the Academy in local and international football tournaments. Last July, he participated in the Kanga Cup in Perth, where Ethan and his team put in a strong performance, progressing to the semi-finals. I understand that Ethan also represents his school, and just yesterday, they competed in the West Zone semi-finals for the first time ever. Beyond providing a platform for Ethan to hone his footballing skills, his father credits the Academy for helping Ethan develop into a more mature person, a testament to the holistic sporting education that ActiveSG's Academies and Clubs can provide.

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Active Health, launched in 2017, is another important programme that we hope will equip every Singaporean to take ownership of their personal health and wellness. Mr Yee Chia Hsing asked for updates. So far, more than 10,000 individuals have been on-boarded through Active Health lab assessments and workshops, with other programmes, such as Active Health roadshows reaching over 80,000 people. To bring Active Health closer to the community, Active Health Mobile Labs were introduced last July, along with Active Health programming at the Sport-in-Precinct facilities at Jurong Spring.

We are on track to open four Active Health Labs at our sport centres in Bishan, Jurong East, Sengkang and Woodlands this month, in addition to existing ones at Our Tampines Hub and Heartbeat@Bedok. We will also open two new Active Health spaces in partner facilities by May. The first space has already been launched as part of Singapore's flagship Decathlon store in Kallang, with another to follow at Admiralty Medical Centre. Like at the Labs, Singaporeans will be able to undergo free health and fitness assessments at these spaces, and set personal health and wellness targets in consultation with sport scientists. We hope to see more Singaporeans come on board Active Health in the years to come.

Next, confidence – celebrating shared values and achievements in nation-building.

It is vital to our future, to remember our heritage. Only by knowing where we came from, what we stand for, and who we are, can we stride confidently into the future.

Prime Minister Lee announced at last year's National Day Rally that we will be nominating Hawker Culture for inscription on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Hawker Culture reflects an integral part of our way of life. A successful inscription will not only showcase our multicultural heritage to the world, but also our pride in our hawkers and Hawker Culture. Mr Darryl David asked for an update on this. We will be submitting the nomination form for our Hawker Culture to UNESCO by the end of this month, with the outcome expected to be announced around end-2020.

We are taking this opportunity to recognise and show appreciation to our hawkers, who reflect the trade, family spirit and rich cultural life that Singaporeans can be proud of. We will continue to engage them by featuring selected hawkers and their stories as part of the Support Our Hawkers Social Movement. We also hope more Singaporeans will share their own hawker stories on social media with the hashtag #OurHawkerCulture.

I am happy to report that support for the nomination has been encouraging. Following the initial announcement, an online poll was set up for the public to pledge their support. More than 14,000 pledges were received within the first five days of the announcement, and as at 5 March, more than 700,000 pledges had been received online, through our travelling exhibitions and mobile pledging stations.

Our schools have been very supportive. Students from both Pei Chun Public School and First Toa Payoh Primary School have worked on projects related to Hawker Culture. One such project is Fond Memories of Toa Payoh, which saw students of both schools come together to uncover the people and stories behind hawker food in Toa Payoh – a place they proudly call a "hawker food haven.

In addition, many private organisations and civic groups have stepped forward to support the nomination. You may have seen videos publicising our Hawker Culture while travelling in taxis, supported by Moove Media. MCI and National Geographic collaborated to organise the #OurHawkerCulture Photo Contest, which has seen many stunning entries. Food bloggers and influencers have been sharing stories about their favourite hawkers and hawker food, and encouraging Singaporeans to do the same. The Nomination Committee, led by the NHB, NEA, and FMAS will continue to facilitate such ground-up efforts in support of our Hawker Culture, and we hope to see many more Singaporeans rallying behind this.

In 2015, we started the Founders' Memorial project. Through the Founders' Memorial Committee’s engagements with the public from 2015 to 2017, Singaporeans voiced their desire for the memorial to be anchored on the values and ideals exemplified by Singapore's first generation of leaders who played important roles in Singapore's path to independence. Assoc Prof Daniel Goh suggested a memorial for fallen soldiers at the Founders' Memorial. The Founders' Memorial, given its said purpose, would not be suited for this. We honour, in other ways, the memory of those who have given their lives for Singapore, as Mindef mentioned in their response to a related question.

Dr Lim asked about the next phase of development for the Founders' Memorial. An international architectural design competition was recently launched to invite potential designs for the memorial. In May, Singaporeans will be engaged to offer views on the shortlisted designs, before the winning design is selected and showcased through a public exhibition in early 2020. The memorial will be an expression of our identity and belonging to this nation we call home.

As we commemorate our history and culture, we celebrate our shared values and the success of Singaporeans on the international stage. I mentioned achievements of our Team Singapore athletes at last year's major games. The success of our athletes is a result of years of hard work, discipline and resilience. It is also an encouraging sign that our investments in the High Performance Sports (HPS) system are bearing fruit. Senior Parliamentary Secretary will speak more about our plans for the HPS system later.

As raised by Dr Lim, Mr Saktiandi and earlier Mr Terence Ho, our artists also pursue their aspirations internationally, and have done Singapore proud on the world stage. For example, our artists regularly participate in international Biennales, which showcase Singapore to the world, and increase the visibility of our visual artists, curators and technical specialists. This year will mark Singapore's ninth appearance at the Venice Biennale. We will be presenting the work of multi-disciplinary artist Song-Ming Ang and curator Michelle Ho, who use music to explore ideas of public involvement, and the ways people relate to music, both individually and as a society.

Our performing artists are flying the Singapore flag high beyond our shores. In May, our Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO) will perform in South Korea, before embarking on a tour of Europe, covering Germany and Italy, later in the year. We are proud of our 'people’s orchestra", whose performances will feature Singaporean artists, such as acclaimed violinist Kam Ning and percussionist Benjamin Boo.

I would like to tell you a story about Benjamin. He holds a Bachelor of Music from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, and a Master of Performance from the Royal College of Music. Benjamin joined the SCO full-time last year, following in the footsteps of his father, Mr Boo Chin Kiah, a veteran Suona musician. They are the first father-son duo in SCO's history and will be touring together for the first time. Our musicians' talent and dedication to the craft exemplify the Singapore spirit, and show the world what we are capable of achieving.

We hope that showcasing our culture and heritage internationally will help people around the world learn more about Singapore. Later this year, artefacts from the Asian Civilisations Museum's special exhibition, "Raffles in Southeast Asia", will be displayed at The British Museum. This will be the first time Singapore's National Collection will be showcased at this world-famous institution.

Next, digital transformation. I would like to touch on harnessing the power of technology. While much has been said about digital technologies and transformation in the media and business realms, technology is also relevant to our sectors.

First, technology enables closer partnerships. We rolled out volunteer.sg, a one-stop online platform for public agencies to engage and support our volunteers. Through volunteer.sg, volunteers can search for opportunities related to their interests and skills and share them with friends and family on social media. Volunteers can also indicate their availability and choose preferred shifts, mark attendance and with smart phones, track their volunteering hours, and provide feedback to organisers with ease. For our volunteer managers, this integrated system provides a digital solution for better management of volunteer opportunities and engagement of volunteers, thus enabling them to scale up. As we bring more agencies on board the platform to provide a wider range of volunteering opportunities, we hope to see even more Singaporeans come forward and contribute to our culture of care.

Technology can also be an effective tool for engagement and dialogue. Last year, we leveraged digital technology to engage 5,000 youths online, as part of Youth Conversations. Later this year, we will be launching an online site so that youths can participate in conversations with each other and engage with Government on issues close to their hearts. This digital deliberation platform will complement the live Youth Conversations, and Senior Minister of State will elaborate further.

During the Budget debate, Mr Ho gave a thoughtful speech on the application of technology in arts and culture to meet the changing needs and preferences of audiences. We thank him for his thoughtful suggestions. This year, we will roll out the first phase of our plan to digitalise the culture sector, to engage new audiences and make it easier for all Singaporeans to enjoy arts and culture as part of daily life.

Our initiative under this plan is a Cultural Concierge, a one-stop online platform to discover arts and culture activities and content. Users will be able to search for event listings according to individual preferences, using key words such as "nearby", "weekend" or "family-friendly", as well as interact with a chatbot for event and content recommendations. The website will also be integrated with relevant ticketing sites, for a seamless user experience. We will also launch the Cultural Resource Ontology, to enhance online search capabilities for both the public and researchers to access cultural resources more easily.

We will leverage technology to enhance visitor experiences and improve operations at our cultural and sporting spaces. NHB launched the DigiMuse programme last August, and will be holding another edition this year to trial new technology such as Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, chatbots and assistive technology in its galleries.

On the sporting front, we are implementing the Computer Vision Drowning Detection System (CVDDS) at our public swimming complexes. Using a network of overhead infrared cameras, the system enables earlier detection of possible drowning, thus making our pools safer. The system will be installed at pools in Bukit Batok, Jurong West and Our Tampines Hub later this year, with another seven to follow by April 2020.

Mr Chairman, we are living in times where the only constant is change. Change can be unsettling, and may leave some people behind. We need to ride the wave of change together. At MCCY, we will continue to foster a culture of care and trust. We will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute to society and pursue their dreams.

But we cannot do all this alone. Every Singaporean has a part to play, from volunteering, leading ground-up projects, contributing to a cause, empowering our youth, to supporting our artists and athletes. And it is not just in MCCY's domain that Singaporeans can contribute. And we have seen many impactful Government-citizen partnerships in different sectors, and we look forward to many more meaningful engagements and collaborations in the years to come. Together, we can inspire confidence that Singapore will continue to succeed, and be a place we are all proud to call home.

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The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Ms Sim Ann.

The Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Sim Ann): Mr Chairman, our Bicentennial is an excellent opportunity for us to reflect on what makes Singapore. The spirit of sharing and helping others, as encapsulated by the SG Cares movement that started in end 2016, is really one of the oldest strands in our DNA. Many of our forefathers arrived on this island, hungry, tired, but hopeful; often bringing not much more with them than the clothes on their back, their energy and their pluck.

With few of their needs provided for in a fledgling port colony, they learned quickly to self-organise and support each other. Although wealthy philanthropists did emerge, much of the help that our forefathers gave to each other was modest and informal, made all the more meaningful because the givers often did not have much themselves. Over the years we gave names to this sense of fellow-feeling. We called it "gotong royong", or the "kampong spirit".

Other strands, equally old, also exist in our DNA. Almost all trades and professions that our forefathers engaged in depended directly or indirectly on our free-trading port. Livelihoods and fortunes were tied to the world's inclination to buy and sell, and the laws of demand and supply. Such an environment favoured the qualities of ruggedness, self-reliance, and a pragmatic focus on material well-being.

"Gotong royong" and self-reliance – they sound like opposites, but are longstanding and complementary elements of what makes Singapore. They pre-date the emergence of independent nationhood and also pre-date taxes and transfers as a way of redistributing wealth from those who have more, to those with less.

Indeed, as Members of this House know, help for vulnerable members of our society is delivered in no small part through the mechanism of taxes and transfers. We actively debate the merits of these schemes in this House, and will no doubt continue to do so. But relying on taxes and transfers alone to deliver help is not enough. It is not enough to create the social bonds that arise from assistance voluntarily given and warmly received. And many intangible goods that make such a positive difference to our lives do not come in the form of subsidies, vouchers and rebates – intangible goods like companionship, shared experience, and individual autonomy. This is why we should not forget how we came to value both "gotong royong" and the spirit of self-reliance. This is the "why" for SGCares.

Several Members have spoken on the importance of volunteerism, including Ms Irene Quay and Mr Yee Chia Hsing.

My Ministry's approach is to get more people involved in volunteering; to drive volunteerism within our other domain areas like arts, sports and heritage; and to support the giving sector through capacity-building and funding.

Promoting corporate and senior volunteerism are two key strategies in our efforts to get more people involved. Our findings have shown that volunteerism rates dip at two life stages –when youth transit from school to work, and when people approach retirement. The Individual Giving Survey by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre, or NVPC, in 2016 highlighted that volunteerism amongst young working adults, aged 25 to 34, is at 29%, compared to 41% for youths aged 15 to 24. Similarly, the volunteering rate decreases from 43% for those aged 45 to 54, to 20% for those aged 55 and above. We will focus our efforts on connecting more young working adults and seniors with volunteering opportunities.

We recognise that many young adults devote much of their time at work. The workplace is thus a natural touch-point to reconnect with those who have volunteered as students, and reach those who have yet to experience volunteering. Currently, only half of our companies are engaging in Corporate Social Responsibility, or CSR, efforts. We want to encourage more to start, and to help those which already do to expand their efforts and reach.

We agree with Mr Yee that it is important to ensure that CSR efforts are beneficial to both the giver and recipient. Companies that lack the knowledge and expertise to develop meaningful initiatives can tap on informational resources available under the Company of Good programme, created by NVPC.

Starting later this year, NVPC will serve as the first port of call for companies embarking on CSR. Companies can approach NVPC directly to be referred to volunteer opportunities that meet their interests and requirements. NVPC will closely partner key agencies like the National Council of Social Service in this effort.

Businesses currently enjoy a 250% tax deduction through the Business and Institutions of a Public Character Partnerships Scheme (BIPS) when their employees volunteer at IPCs. To encourage more corporates along their volunteering journey, we will simplify the claims process of the existing BIPS. Fixed man-hour rates can now be used in claiming tax deductions on wage expenditures incurred on CSR efforts. We will also engage companies and IPCs more proactively on BIPS through NVPC.

As Singapore's largest employer, the Public Service will set a good example and take the lead by rallying officers to volunteer under the Public Service Cares, or PS Cares, movement. MCCY will partner the Public Service Division and support Government agencies' CSR representatives to develop more varied and impactful giving opportunities. While working in MHA headquarters as a former policy officer, I was introduced to my first volunteering opportunities by my Home Team colleagues. They encouraged me to tutor girls from troubled backgrounds living in a residential facility, and later, inmates studying for the "A" levels in the Prisons School. I will always remain grateful for these opportunities. Without these first steps, I would not have discovered my own interest in ground work, nor have gone on to seek out more volunteering opportunities in the community.

Volunteering also gave me a better appreciation of the wide range of issues and challenges faced by my public sector colleagues. Within the domain of any one public sector agency, there are already good opportunities for its staff to give. With a strong PS Cares movement, these opportunities will multiply, and more good matches can be made between a wider range of needs, and a wider range of skill sets and interests among givers. Not only can more public officers derive personal satisfaction from helping others, they can also gain new insights into domains of public service that they might not otherwise be exposed to.

We can encourage officers to do more, and engender greater impact from the ground-up. Mr Kwok Jia Chuan from the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office for example, co-founded Conjunct Consulting (Conjunct) in 2011. Conjunct is a non-profit social change organisation borne out of Jia Chuan's goal of strengthening the capabilities of the social service sector. Over the past seven years, Jia Chuan has helped create sustainable strategies for many organisations. He also encouraged other professionals and civil servants to mentor and guide student volunteers in Conjunct projects. Conjunct has since worked with 140 non-profit partners across various sectors, while mobilising more than 1,400 student and professional volunteers and creating over $3 million worth of social impact.

I will now talk about senior volunteerism. A growing number of our seniors are educated, skilled, socially active, and keen to contribute impactfully to our society. Many of them are among the Merdeka Generation, and some are even Pioneers. We want to welcome more of them into the ranks of volunteers as volunteering is one of the most rewarding ways to age actively.

MCCY is working with community partners such as RSVP Singapore and Centre for Seniors to engage seniors at their workplaces and raise pre-retirement awareness. To begin, roadshows and lunchtime talks will be held to highlight the many ways seniors in which seniors can volunteer.

For example, "Retire with a Purpose" by RSVP Singapore is one programme that introduces employees 40 and above to volunteering opportunities, equips them with relevant skills, and plugs them into an active and like-minded community. Another platform for seniors to consider is the Mentoring Alliance, a recent ground-up initiative by 11 youth and social service organisations. The Alliance's goal is to deliver 100,000 hours of mentoring and companionship to youths who need guidance and support. This is an ambitious but not impossible goal, because I believe there are many untapped potential mentors out there, especially among our older Singaporeans. Those who are prepared to offer their wisdom and life experiences can make extraordinary impact in shaping the lives of young Singaporeans.

We also agree with Ms Quay that it is important to tap on the skills and expertise of business and public sector leaders. The Centre for Non-Profit Leadership's Board Match Programme reaches out to professionals across industries, to identify candidates who can serve non-profit organisations, or NPOs, in a leadership capacity. Candidates are matched to various leadership roles depending on their skills and seniority, according to the needs of the organisation. Over 500 matches have been made to NPO Boards and Advisory Councils to date. Such matching enables retiring or retired business and public leaders to contribute impactfully, while NPOs benefit from their expertise.

MCCY will continue to develop volunteerism in the other domain areas we oversee – the arts, heritage, and sports.

In the arts, we will sustain current efforts to promote arts access to under-reached communities through ArtReach initiatives. The WeCare Arts Fund has supported over 100 social service organisations in Singapore, and over 12,000 beneficiaries. Our Befrienders Arts Toolkit, created by local artists, has enabled volunteers and staff at care centres to befriend more effectively by introducing hands-on arts activities and new conversation topics with beneficiaries. Since its roll-out last year, 1,200 kits have been distributed to 11 social service organisations.

Since HeritageCares began in 2016, over 3,200 volunteers, including corporates and youth, have been engaged as befrienders or guides for various NHB programmes. Our volunteers go the extra mile to make our museums and heritage institutions inclusive. Last year for example, HeritageCares partnered the Movement for the Intellectually Disabled Singapore (MINDS) and the Cerebral Palsy Alliance (Singapore) School to organise training sessions for volunteers and museum docents. This helps our volunteers provide quality experiences for visitors of all abilities to our museums.

In sport, we seek more sporting opportunities for vulnerable and underserved communities. Since its inception in October 2012, SportCares has engaged over 26,000 individuals through various sport programmes, empowering many of them in the process.

SportCares will develop Communities of Care, an initiative aimed at addressing the needs of the vulnerable and under-served, such as youths-at-risk and isolated seniors. This initiative marks SportCares' shift in focus toward network building and scaling up.

Communities of Care will bring together Family Service Centres, Social Service Organisations and key sports partners within the same neighbourhood, to help identify and reach out to beneficiaries in a more targeted way. Communities of Care will commence in Bedok and Jurong later this year. For example, SportSG will partner Glyph, a social service organisation, to organise weekly SportCares swimming sessions for children from lower income families to build up their resilience and confidence. More details will be shared in due course.

Today, Team Nila comprises a diverse group of 20,000 volunteers spanning all backgrounds, races and ages; united by their passion to give back through sports. They have proven themselves to be a vibrant and energetic volunteer force. We can do more to tap on Team Nila's enthusiasm, skills and networks.

SportSG is helping volunteers to step up and assume larger leadership and organisational roles. Starting this year, SportSG has extended five of its initiatives – Academies and Clubs, Active Health, SportCares, Sport Centres and Sport Events as Team Nila Giving Platforms, so that Team Nila members can spearhead their own initiatives and promote active living in the community.

Over the years, we have put in place various grants and funds to grow our climate of giving. These funds served to encourage contributions by donors, and are an added push to level up sectoral capabilities. In addition, these matching funds are tailored to meet each sector's specific needs and challenges, and promote shared ownership by deepening partnerships within the community.

Over the years, we have put in place various grants and funds to grow our climate of giving. These funds serve to encourage contributions by donors, and are level up sectoral capabilities. In addition, these matching funds are tailored to meet each sector's specific needs and challenges, and promote shared ownership by deepening partnerships within the community. For example, the Cultural Matching Fund seeks to promote cultural philanthropy. We also have the One Team Singapore Fund in support of Team Singapore Athletes.

2.15 pm

Minister Heng earlier also announced that a $200 million Bicentennial Community Fund (BCF) will be introduced this year. The Fund is meant to encourage a spirit of giving in our bicentennial year. The BCF is a one-off boost to our local giving eco-system, channelled through our IPCs. Our IPCs are held to a higher standard of regulatory compliance and governance by the Commissioner of Charities. Today, there are more than 660 IPCs. As more donors start the habit of giving, we expect a ripple effect in the wider giving eco-system, which includes NGOs and ground-up groups.

We are mindful that some charities, especially the smaller ones, may face resource constraints in their governance efforts and in meeting regulatory requirements. To help them, the Commissioner of Charities will streamline and simplify regulatory reporting requirements, particularly for smaller charities. Clearer guidance to charities will be provided via the Charity Portal.

We will also expand various outreach initiatives, such as shared services and training sessions. The Commissioner of Charities has plans to increase the number of shared services, to help smaller charities be more cost-effective. This year, charities will also have access to a wider range of learning opportunities to develop their capabilities for good governance. For instance, we are jointly collaborating with the Singapore Institute of Directors and the Charity Council to kick-start our inaugural series of "In Conversation with the Commissioner of Charities" in April, with the first session focusing on Board Culture, Ethics and Governance.

Mr Chairman, I had begun my speech by referring to "gotong royong" as a very old strand in Singapore's DNA. With the Bicentennial commemoration, we will have opportunities to examine and appreciate many other elements that make Singaporeans who we are, and reflect on our past, present and future.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked how our nation’s shared values will be brought out through the bicentennial programmes. Our values of openness, multiculturalism and self-determination are reflected, first and foremost, in the enthusiasm of community groups to take the lead in commemoration activities. More than half of the nearly 180 Bicentennial-related events are community-led or initiated and MCCY is supporting more than 30 of such efforts.

One of these ground-up projects is "Forge of Nations", a family card game developed by Mr Wan Jun Yan. As village chiefs in 20th century South-East Asia, players have to make decisions on their population and infrastructure to transform into a nation. The game allows an appreciation of the challenges our predecessors faced, and the values that have shaped Singapore over the past 200 years.

Our multicultural heritage will also be commemorated through the Bicentennial. Singaporeans can look forward to the Eurasian Festival in July supported by Our Singapore Fund, as well as special upcoming exhibitions on the lives and contributions of our early migrants. These exhibitions will be featured in the Malay and Indian Heritage Centres, and the Sun Yat Sen Nanyang Memorial Hall.

As we look back at our past and examine the present during our bicentennial year, it is also timely to look ahead and ask "What next?". The exercise of charting our future would be incomplete without engaging our youth.

Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Darryl David asked for an update on the Youth Conversations as well as MCCY's plans to give youths a bigger voice. The younger generation in any given era can always be expected to think, behave and communicate somewhat differently from those who are older. However, the rise of digital technology and social media has now accelerated changes in how youths produce and consume goods, services and information; relate to one another; and derive meaning and identity. This has created more diversity in our midst but also the potential for significant divergence in values and choices between generations. We need to understand these shifts in the youth sector well and to respond to them meaningfully.

Since the launch of Youth Conversations, we have reached out to 8,000 youths through online and face-to-face sessions. They spoke candidly and eloquently on their aspirations and hopes. Many care deeply about their relationships with their parents and families, and want to make them proud and happy. They also care about achieving personal success on their own terms, in the eyes of their peers and society at large, and wonder whether they can do so, all at the same time. They sometimes worry about whether there are gaps between what they love to do, and what others want for them.

They also have a keen desire to help shape a future Singapore that is even better than today – by opening up more pathways to success, doing more for the environment and becoming a more inclusive society. They are interested in understanding more too, about the viewpoints, preferences and choices of those who are older than them. In attending Youth Conversations, I encountered some views I had anticipated, and some that I had not – all of which were intriguing and rewarding. More insights from Youth Conversations will be available in an interim report, to be released later this month.

The Youth Conversations have given us a good sense of youths’ aspirations, needs, and interests. We know the youths want to move these conversations into action. To do so, we will support the creation of the SGYouth Action Plan, to give them a clear say in the Singapore they want to build. I will be co-leading a Panel comprising youth leaders from various sectors and organisations to develop this Action Plan. The Panel will work closely with Government agencies and the National Youth Council to engage youths from all walks of life, and other stakeholders.

The Action Plan will articulate our youths' vision for Singapore in 2025, and identify priority areas. From the Youth Conversations, we know that such issues could range from jobs and employment to mental well-being and environmental sustainability. These engagements will be carried out both online and face-to-face, and details will be announced later this year. The Panel will also identify opportunities for youths to provide recommendations on policies, and create partnership projects with Government, communities, non-profits and businesses, to spearhead the change they hope to see.

Seeds of change are being planted even now. For example, Lee Ying Ying and a fellow Youth Conversations participant co-founded the School of Ability and Recovery (SOAR), following a Youth Conversation on mental well-being. SOAR aims to combat the social stigma associated with mental health issues through community workshops. Other youths from the same Youth Conversation have also stepped up, with some forming a panel of resource persons for the Health Promotion Board (HPB). They have provided feedback for HPB's programmes and collaterals, shared insights into mental health-related issues among young people, and raised awareness of HPB’s initiatives in their own networks.

Within the Action Plan, youths can also get involved in the transformation of the Youth Belt. As part of the larger Orchard Road rejuvenation plan, we want to develop a vibrant youth district at Somerset that supports our youths’ aspirations. Spaces along Somerset Road, such as *SCAPE, The Red Box and Skate Park, have already been serving as congregation points for youths, featuring music and media, entrepreneurship, learning and urban sports. But as Orchard Road renews itself, we have a unique opportunity to re-imagine the Youth Belt. We will be engaging youths through a place-making exercise, with online and face-to-face sessions, so that they can show us how to take this youth precinct to the next level.

The Youth Belt is but one of the many partnerships we hope to engender under the Youth Action Plan. Let us give youths a headstart in leading the way into the future. Let us help them get going on the next chapter of the Singapore Story. Our shared values, as embedded in our DNA, will be an important guiding light as we chart the future of our Singapore. MCCY will continue to actively partner the community in building a caring and inclusive home together.

The Chairman: Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mr Chairman, the arts, heritage and sports are integral to making Singapore a vibrant and liveable city, and for Singaporeans to lead well-rounded and fulfilling lives. They can inspire us, affirm our shared values, and make us proud of what we stand for. They provide opportunities for Singaporeans of all backgrounds to showcase their talents, pursue their dreams, and come together to create shared memories.

Our SG Arts Plan, Our SG Heritage Plan, and Vision 2030 are roadmaps that provide multi-year directions and guide the development of our sectors. I will talk about some key focus areas for this year, beginning with the arts and heritage.

Mr Henry Kwek asked about our Arts & Culture Strategic Review (ACSR). Since 2012, ACSR has led to an injection of over $350 million into the sector to support community engagement, arts education, and capability development. In the same period, our arts and heritage activities have seen increases in number, variety, and attendance. However, we recognise that our strategies and approaches must be updated to address new developments that have taken place since then. These are reflected in Our SG Arts and Heritage Plans, introduced in 2018. They were done in consultation with about 1,500 stakeholders across the public, private, and people sectors.

Our SG Arts Plan comprises three strategic thrusts – inspiring our people, connecting our communities, and positioning Singapore globally. I will touch on the key initiatives that will support each thrust. To inspire audiences, our artists must be able to produce high-quality and impactful work. We will provide capability development platforms for our artists across various art-forms. One example is in the literary arts. The National Arts Council (NAC) will partner Nanyang Technological University to introduce the Asia Creative Writing Programme later this year. Writers, in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, will benefit from masterclasses by international, regional and local talents. Our writers will also benefit from peer-learning and opportunities to build communities across cultures.

To support our artists, we will continue the Community Arts Residency programme, just piloted last year. It aims to reflect the collective stories of our people, by providing artists with spaces in the community to develop arts collaborations with residents. Over four months in 2018, the residency supported visual artist Terence Lin, who organised house-visits, invited residents to his open house, and facilitated art-making sessions with seniors and youths living in and around Taman Jurong. The project culminated in an exhibition of residents’ artworks, items, and audio interviews at the Taman Jurong Community Club. From now to 2022, NAC will support as many as 40 artists in various community settings, from void decks to nursing homes, to engage residents in co-creating artworks and telling their stories.

It is also important that we help arts practitioners, including our arts freelancers, build sustainable careers. NAC consulted over 370 members of our arts community last year to understand the specific needs of freelancers that will enable them to be more self-sufficient and financially independent, not just during their working life, but prepare them for retirement. To address some of the findings, NAC will establish freelance resource hubs, and work with partners to offer shared resources and services. These include insurance coverage, connecting freelancers with relevant service providers, and making available jobs, contracts and projects; as well as a database of talents and expertise. As part of this effort, NAC will launch an online portal in the second half of 2019, with more services and resources to be introduced progressively.

In addition, we would like freelancers to benefit from national schemes such as Skills Future to enhance their employability. Earlier, MOM announced that the Government as a service buyer, will pilot the Contribute-as-You-Earn (CAYE) model early next year. This will allow for smaller but regular contributions to MediSave, instead of bigger lump-sums at year-end. MCCY, NAC, and National Heritage Board (NHB) are looking forward to participating in this pilot, so that our freelancers can better save for their healthcare.

Some people may think that artists create works based on a single moment of inspiration, but in reality, many artworks are based on a deep understanding of the subject matter, presented from a well thought-through perspective. Therefore, NAC will strengthen research support in the arts so that artists can further grow their practice. Research can also help arts groups better understand and develop their audiences. In addition, we want to better understand the long-term value and impact of arts engagement on different population segments. NAC will support more research studies in these areas and publish a monthly e-newsletter to share relevant research with the arts community. NAC is also organising a research symposium next week that brings academics and artists together to discuss the impact of the arts on space, people and communities.

The second thrust of Our SG Arts Plan seeks to connect diverse groups with the arts. One key group is our youths, who are important as arts enthusiasts and practitioners not only of today but for the future. The NAC, National Youth Council, and *SCAPE will create more platforms for our youths to develop and showcase their talents.

Last year, diverse music acts from NAC's Noise Singapore performed at NYC’s YOUTHx, thereby reinforcing our youths’ interests and aspirations in music. NAC and NYC will strengthen the dedicated arts track in YOUTHx from this year. This will elevate the profile of our young artists, and help them grow a larger audience base.

NAC will also work with *SCAPE under its Arts and Culture Nodes network. Our existing nodes enrich and enliven neighbourhoods around Singapore through regular and accessible arts programmes. *SCAPE will be our next node, and showcase more art that resonates with young people, and give our youths more chances to exhibit their works.

For the wider public, our signature showcases, such as the Singapore International Festival of Arts, Singapore Writers Festival, and Singapore Biennale bring art closer to the community. For example, the seventh edition of the Singapore Art Week in January showcased over 100 diverse programmes in venues, such as Singapore Art Museum, Gillman Barracks, Little India and Sim Lim Square.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak, Mr Saktiandi Supaat, and Mr Terence Ho spoke about the importance of promoting Singapore’s cultural talents overseas. We are proud of our arts practitioners who venture overseas. This not only helps artists hone their skills and develop new markets, but also showcases Singapore’s culture internationally and promotes people-to-people links. Over the last five years, MCCY and our agencies have supported the participation of more than 1,000 artists and arts groups in over 300 international platforms.

We will continue to facilitate such efforts by building our overseas networks. For example, our cultural institutions participate in platforms, such as the International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art, Association of Asia Pacific Performing Arts, and the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA). In addition, MCCY signed cultural cooperation agreements with China and Indonesia in 2018 to deepen and broaden cultural exchanges.

In addition, we will emphasise the development of visual arts residencies in Southeast Asia. For example, under NAC’s partnership with the Cemeti Institute for Art and Society, we will begin sending Singaporean artists for residencies in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, starting from September. NAC is also exploring similar opportunities in the Philippines and Thailand. With a deeper understanding of this vibrant region’s shared heritage and future, our artists will be well-placed to produce even more compelling works.

We will also support our performing artists in countries, such as Australia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and France. An example is Shaza Ishak, Teater Ekamatra’s General Manager and Company Director, who was funded by NAC to represent Singapore at the prestigious ISPA Fellowship Programme from 2017 to 2019, and the Australian Performing Arts Market in 2018. Arising from this, Teater Ekamatra, DramaBox and Australia's PVI collective are now developing TOPIA – an international residency exchange programme in Singapore and Perth. These will explore experiential theatre-making. Mr Chairman, I will now speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We will help our writers secure developmental opportunities overseas. This will help our home-grown talents to hone their skills, and bring Singapore's literary offerings abroad. For example, NAC has secured a three-year partnership with Lu Xun Academy of Literature, with two month-long residency places at Lu Xun Academy of Literature for Singapore writers. Lu Xun Academy of Literature is a top-rated academy based in Beijing which hosted notable Chinese writers, such as Wang Anyi, and the winner of 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature, Mo Yan. Through this residency programme, our artists will have the opportunities to learn from best practices and advance in their craft.

(In English) Let me now move on to our shared heritage. Since the launch of Our SG Heritage Plan in 2018, we have made progress across its four pillars: Our Places, Our Cultures, Our Treasures, Our Communities. Our tangible heritage remains important markers of the Singapore Story. NHB's 18 heritage trails help us to document and increase awareness of the heritage of the places where we live, work and play. Last year, NHB launched the Orchard Heritage Trail and refreshed the Bukit Timah Heritage Trail. In 2019, NHB and HDB will be launching the Pasir Ris Heritage Trail as part of HDB’s “Remaking Our Heartland” programme. The public can look out for an open call for community contributions of stories.

To promote awareness and appreciation of our 72 National Monuments, NHB will introduce a new annual programme "Milestones through Monuments". It will highlight the roles of these monuments during significant episodes in our history and encourage the public to have meaningful experiences at our historic sites. The inaugural edition will be held in late 2019 and will feature a race with stops at National Monuments along the Singapore River.

NHB will also continue working with MOE to enhance the various education programmes at our museums. For example, pilots of the Museum Educators Programme were conducted at the Asian Civilisations Museum and National Museum of Singapore last year, which included the engagement of 20 retired educators and museum docents to support interactive learning experiences for over 2,100 Primary and Secondary school students from nine schools. We are reviewing the pilots and refining the programme.

This year, the Singapore Bicentennial Office and NHB will offer a twinned programme for Secondary school students as part of our Bicentennial commemoration. It will run from May to August, and provide students with the opportunity to visit the National Museum of Singapore and the upcoming Bicentennial Experience at Fort Canning Centre. The content presented in both experiences will reinforce learning points about our history and the Singapore Story.

The Minister and Senior Minister of State spoke about reaching under-served communities through our Heritage Institutions and programmes like HeritageCares. We will also be leveraging technology to transform the way we engage. For example, NHB will be implementing House of Memories, an app-based programme that aims to improve the care experience for persons with dementia and the care-givers. The app will allow users to view objects from the National Collection, reflect on their memories, remain connected with people around them, and affirm their sense of personhood. This will be piloted by Khoo Teck Puat Hospital later this year.

Beyond our museums and heritage institutions, we also recognise the importance of community-led events in celebrating and safeguarding our heritage and traditions. Mr Yee Chia Hsing spoke on the success of the recent River Hongbao, an event organised by the Chinese community since 1987. We have supported the event as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations, as well as the Hari Raya and Deepavali light-ups in past years. This year’s River Hongbao was a successful commemoration of our Bicentennial. Kudos to the Organising Chair Mr Ang Wei Neng and his team. We are heartened that community support for these cultural events has been strong and hope that such support will continue to grow.

Finally, I will share on Vision 2030 (V2030), which was launched in 2012 as a national blueprint to help all Singaporeans live better through sports. Mr Lee Yi Shyan and Mr Kwek asked for an update on V2030. In the past seven years, recommendations had been progressively implemented in the form of ActiveSG, Team Nila, our Disability Sports Master Plan, and High Performance Sports (HPS) system, just to name a few. Last year, we conducted over 60 stakeholder engagement and focus group sessions involving 1,500 people from various sectors. We will share the updated V2030 recommendations later this year.

A major part of V2030 is about bringing Singaporeans from all walks of life together through sport. In 2016, we launched the Disability Sports Master Plan, which has, to date, seen the opening of five Inclusive Gyms by ActiveSG. Our annual Inclusive Sports Festival also saw a doubling in participants with disabilities last year. This year, SportSG will expand Play Inclusive, Singapore’s largest unified sports competition, which is organised by Special Olympics Singapore and supported by MOE's Special Education Branch. The two-day event will pair athletes from special education schools and adult disability centres with students from neighbouring mainstream schools to form more inclusive teams. Altogether, SportSG's programmes have introduced sports ranging from swimming to wheelchair rugby to over 500 persons with disabilities over the last three years.

Leonard Lu, a wheelchair user, is one of our programme participants who is now leading a much more active lifestyle, after joining the Yes! I Can swimming programme at Heartbeat@Bedok. He now makes weekly visits to the inclusive gym, accompanied by his mother, Natalie. He has built up strength and is walking more during his exercise sessions. As Leonard gets stronger, he is enjoying more sport activities, such as canoeing and kayaking.

SportSG will continue its outreach efforts to raise awareness in the community and develop organisational and professional capabilities in disability sports. Currently, plans are underway to build the capabilities of teachers and staff at special education schools and disability centres in conducting sporting activities. They will work with sport coaches to co-create and tailor sport activities that meet the needs of their students.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu asked if we can make sport more inclusive in Singapore by integrating our National Sports Associations (NSAs) to oversee able-bodied and disability sports. This has to be decided by the sports fraternities themselves and their NSAs, which are non-Governmental organisations that operate firmly on the principle of independence.

The International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee oversee the various National Olympic and Paralympic Committees. These include the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) which, in turn, oversee the development and promotion of the Olympic and Paralympic Movements in Singapore, as well as the selection of Team Singapore athletes for the major games.

The NSAs not only have to align with the SNOC and SNPC, but also their respective International Sports Federations. They take reference from their parent bodies in how they organise themselves, and are also accountable to them for the development of the sport in Singapore. In this regard, the NSAs play an important role in leading their fraternities in the development and promotion of their sports as well as supporting the high performance development of their national athletes through coaching and competition opportunities.

While respecting that NSAs are independent organisations, SportSG partners them to develop their sports. For example, SportSG provides eligible NSAs facilities, funding and technical support to implement their Multi-Year Sports Plans, which address the development of top athletes and grow the sport’s participation base. It also works with NSAs to strengthen their organisational capabilities and governance standards. In addition, SportSG provides all Singaporeans with opportunities to develop their sporting potential through programmes, such as ActiveSG Academies and Clubs.

One encouraging example is Mr Tan Whee Boon, who lost part of his limbs to an unfortunate bacterial infection in 2015. Like Leonard Lu, he started at our Yes! I Can Swim programme in 2016 when we launched the first Centre of Expertise. So, 2016, three years ago, is already very different from Ms Yip's experience in the 1990s. So, for Wee Boon, he has since gone on to try out a lot of different sports, including scuba diving under our SportCares programmes. Through such opportunities and exposure, Whee Boon discovered his passion and talent for rugby and has since gone on to pursue competitive rugby as a part of Singapore's first wheelchair rugby team.

When it comes to disability sports, some International Sports Federations integrate the development of able-bodied athletes and those with disabilities, whilst others prefer to do it separately. In Singapore, the NSAs for Cycling, Equestrian and Sailing oversee the development of athletes of all abilities, with Table Tennis set to join their ranks. We would want to see more NSAs adopt an inclusive approach in developing our national athletes.

We aim to achieve what is best for all athletes, regardless of ability. While integrating able-bodied and para sports in a single NSA has its benefits, we understand there might be concerns from the disability sports fraternity that doing so may dilute attention on para sports. For sports that are exclusive to athletes with disabilities such as goalball, SportSG will continue to support the work of the Singapore Disability Sports Council, which partners the respective National Disability Sports Associations to realise synergies in outreach and public education.

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Whether in able-bodied or disability sports, whether they are integrated in the same NSA or not, MCCY will continue to support our Team Singapore athletes. Their successes, amidst each achievement, provide Singaporeans occasions to come together as one nation and ignite our sense of optimism and "can-do" spirit, and this is what Mr Lee Yi Shyan has also spoken about.

For many national athletes, the road to success has multiple entry points and pathways. It is crucial that we have a strong sports eco-system to support them at every stage of their journey.

Mr Darryl David and Mr Yee asked about Team Singapore's preparations for upcoming major games, the 30th SEA Games and 10th ASEAN Para Games this year in the Philippines, and the 32nd Olympic Games and 16th Paralympic Games in Japan next year. We continue to work with key stakeholders to ensure that our High Performance Sports (HPS) system nurtures our athletes to greater heights and maximises their potential. This is something which Mr Lee also raised, and I agree that more can be done to help our national athletes achieve their best. In addition to the Government's annual investment of $70 million, we will sharpen our HPS strategies and support to our athletes in their sporting pursuits.

SportSG will set aside $3 million this year to provide extended campaign support for up to two years for selected Team Singapore athletes preparing for the upcoming major games. This is 50% more than before, giving our athletes enhanced programme support tailored to their training needs, which also covers the costs of oversea training and competitions for the athletes which Er Dr Lee Bee Wah has asked about. Athletes also enjoy a higher quantum of spexGrants, such as spexTAG which helps defray training equipment and other costs incurred by our national athletes, and the Sports Excellence Grant for Loss of Wages.

One encouraging example is fencer Ahmad Huzaifah. As part of his preparations, he is receiving additional funding to defray his full-time training expenses, including equipment costs, as well as his participation in more overseas competitions and training stints. We hope that the enhanced campaign support will benefit Ahmad's long-term high performance sports development, which will put him in good stead for the upcoming SEA Games.

Mr Yee also asked how we are developing our HPS eco-system to meet the challenges of the future. We are committed to supporting our athletes' personal development, helping them balance the demands of high performance sports with education goals, and preparing them for a smooth transition to a post-sport career.

Under the spexEducation Scheme, the Singapore Sport Institute (SSI) has partnered 13 Institutes of Higher Learning to support student-athletes with flexible academic arrangements, benefiting over 400 student-athletes. Under the spexBusiness Network, SSI works with corporate partners to offer professional development opportunities with flexible work arrangements, as well as mentorship on starting a business. Since 2013, the network has grown from seven to 61 companies, benefiting over 230 Team Singapore athletes.

One example is Chelsea Ann Sim, a three-time SEA Games medallist in taekwondo. Through the spexBusiness Network, OSIM and Deloitte offered her internships in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Such opportunities enabled Chelsea to gain work experience while juggling her sporting goals. Chelsea graduated from the Singapore Management University last year, and is now working full time with Deloitte as a Clients and Markets Executive, while concurrently training for the upcoming SEA Games.

Mr Faisal Manap asked about the developments in local football. Football is a sport with mass appeal and potential to bring Singaporeans from different backgrounds together. Like many Singaporeans, we would like to see improvement in the standard of Singapore football and performance of our national teams.

The revamped local professional league, the Singapore Premier League (SPL), is part of the Football Association of Singapore (FAS)'s efforts to improve local football, with emphasis on youth development, as well as raising the coaching standards and professionalism of the football clubs. We have seen some improvements in the past year, such as stronger focus on player fitness resulting in higher standards of play. The exposure given to U-23 players will also strengthen our major games squads, and provide a stronger foundation to build the national team.

For the 2019 SPL season, the matches will be consolidated at four ActiveSG stadia, namely Bishan, Jalan Besar, Jurong East and Tampines. SportSG has been progressively upgrading these stadia to improve spectator experience at football matches. Fans can look forward to LED scoreboards, electronic A-boards, improved sound systems, and stronger club branding at these venues, while the SPL teams can look forward to better changing room facilities.

The Singapore Sports School is also doing its part to develop a pool of young talents, by following the FAS coaching syllabus for its football academy. Student-footballers are also provided with overseas exposure through competitions and training exchanges. One example is national footballer, Adam Swandi, who went to Japan for training stints during his time in the Sports School. This contributed to his long term development as a professional footballer. In 2018, Adam, who was previously with Albirex Niigata Singapore FC, played a key role in his team's SPL title win. I am happy to hear that he was later named the SPL Young Player of the Year. He has since transferred to Home United FC in January to further his sporting career.

For the wider community, SportSG's ActiveSG Football Academy partners FAS to develop structured programmes to provide opportunities for more young Singaporeans to develop football skills. We hope that this will encourage and sustain mass participation in football, build a wider talent pool, and foster a stronger football culture.

While the impact of these efforts will not happen overnight, I am encouraged by the uplift in our national team's performance in the past year, such as their achievements in international matches like the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup.

This year, Fandi will be leading the National U-22 team at the upcoming SEA Games. Meanwhile, FAS will be appointing the national coach for the Senior team soon. The FAS leadership will also continue to and has to engage the clubs, stakeholders, and fans, and work closely with them on this journey to improve the state of Singapore football. In response to Mr Manap's point, all our Team Singapore athletes coped with and have strived within Singapore unit eco-system. It is not easy but many of them have been able to balance their sporting pursuits with commitments, whether it is National Service, education or career and they have done well. Kudos to them. We wish FAS all the best and we will continue to support FAS and our national team to raise the standard of Singapore football.

Mr Chairman, building a strong nation requires us to recognise the diverse talents, gifts and dreams of each individual, and to support one another to be our best selves. Together, we can celebrate our collective achievements and be confident in our future.

The Chairman: Clarifications. Mr Ang Hin Kee.

Mr Ang Hin Kee (Ang Mo Kio): Chairman, I have a clarification for Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Baey. Will the NAC look at contracts that have been given out to arts freelancers by, say, production houses, venue owners, recipients of NAC fund, to ensure that the contracts comply with the tripartite standards that all Government procurement entities have already adopted, so that the contracts are fair and the freelancers that will sign on to the contracts, get their fair deal and reasonable terms in those contracts?

And a second clarification will be that I am glad that he is offering an online resource for arts freelancers. When will the NAC consider a shared workplace for the arts freelancers to come together to work, to exchange ideas and to interact?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: MCCY and its family will be part of the tripartite arrangement. And we look forward to working with various partners, including NTUC, to see how we can help our freelancers in various areas including contracts, job opportunities, working conditions, well-being and financial stability.

In a case of the shared workspace, that is indeed part of the plan as we develop the freelancer resource hubs which will take the form of both an online resource portal as well as physical spaces. We are in the midst of planning and developing the concept of the resource centre. We will share more details at the end of this year.

The Chairman: Ms Irene Quay.

Ms Irene Quay Siew Ching: Chairman, I asked a Parliamentary Question (PQ) last month regarding pool safety for private pools. Can I ask the Minister Grace Fu if there are intentions to extend the drowning detectors to private pools and make it mandatory because this is more urgent as the private pools actually do not have lifeguards onsite?

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: Chairman, I would like to thank Ms Quay for her suggestion. Definitely, we can work with our colleagues in BCA and MND to look at how we can improve safety in the pools. But at this point in time, the funding is for public pools. And as you can see, the implementation is quite phased out because we are still testing the technology and want to make sure that it gives us good value before we decide on broad-based implementation.

The Chairman: Mr Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: I heard the Senior Parliamentary Secretary saying that the national team's coach will be announced in June. According a media report on 25 February, the FAS President mentioned that the selection process is already at the tail-end. May I know the reasons for the delay?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: I was referring to today's media report about what FAS has said – that they are at the tail-end and are looking towards appointing the national coach in time for the competition in June. So, I think by June, they will appoint the national coach. This is a selection process by FAS itself, I do not know exactly what caused the duration of time for the process. But I believe the selection of the national coach is a very important part of the development of high performance in football. So, I believe the FAS leadership must have taken a hard look at evaluating the choices for the national coach.

The Chairman: Ms Anthea Ong.

Ms Anthea Ong (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, could I ask Senior Minister of State Sim Ann this: there have been a lot of Government-driven efforts in community building and there are also a lot of ground-up initiatives. How can we deepen these communities by encouraging both of these communities to come together to collaborate so we do not actually build siloed communities as an unintended consequence?

Ms Sim Ann: I think what Ms Anthea Ong asked is at the heart of many of the efforts that we are doing in MCCY across all domains. The key I think is in coordination in outreach and in networking. The approach taken under the SG Cares umbrella is, first and foremost, bringing stakeholders together. For instance, the service providers, experts who have been studying various social issues, as well as champions for beneficiaries who understand particular aspects of their needs and aspirations. And we have found in instances where this occur, that the networking and information sharing, very often leads to new ways of collaborating, new partnerships, and I think all these will only serve to further benefit the vulnerable segments in society and in the process make many of these voluntary organisations stronger because they learn from each other.

The Chairman: Er Dr Lee Bee Wah.

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah: Sir, I have one clarification for Senior Parliamentary Secretary Mr Baey. For Spex scholarships, it consists of the allowance for the athletes and it also have the support of overseas training tournaments and so on. In the event that the athletes do not take up the Spex scholarship, will this overseas training assistance be given to NSA? In short, will NSA be worse off if their athletes decide not to take up the Spex scholarship?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: For someone to take up the Spex scholarship, there is a commitment to train full-time. And we respect athletes' own decisions whether or not to take up the Spex scholarship and commit to the set of conditions.

3.00 pm

I had shared earlier about the campaign funding which, this year, we have increased by 50%, to provide resources to athletes to train for major games. These are athletes who are not on the spexScholarship. So, if someone turns down the spexScholarship and if the person is a potential to represent Singapore at major games, the support under campaign funding will be available to the NSA to send the athlete overseas for competition or for training so that the athlete or the NSA is not worse off.

Besides this, NSAs also put in place multi-year plans, which the NSAs can discuss with SportSG. This includes support for the training and development needs of athletes, including athletes who turned down spexScholarship. Because the timeframe for both the spexScholarship and the multi-year sports plan is synced, NSAs would have a good picture of what is coming up and, therefore, be able to put together the resources.

SportsSG's commitment is that as long as the athlete has the potential, is willing to give the commitment, resources will be provided for, whether in the form of spexScholarship or campaign funding.

The Chairman: Ms Yip Pin Xiu.

Ms Yip Pin Xiu (Nominated Member): Thank you. Sir, I would like to ask, since there is going to be equal support and, for NSAs, it is their own choice to be inclusive or not, at this point of time, because Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) actually covers more than 20 sports, so, it is not very fair for one NSA to split their funding for 20 sports. So, can there be more funding towards SDSC?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: I thank Ms Yip for the question and I would like to applaud her for all these years of hard work and bringing glory to Singapore. Her story is an inspiration for all of us.

As for funding for SDSC, it is part of SportsSG's overall plan to support all NSAs. Depending on the plan, the strategy is to develop that sport or many sports in SDSC. So, the achievements of Team Singapore athletes, and also efforts promoting mass participation, will all be taken into consideration. We note that SDSC's plate is very full with different sports, and we will give them our best support to help our athletes achieve their dreams.

The Chairman: Mr Alex Yam.

Mr Alex Yam: Mr Chairman, building on the point that the Senior Parliament Secretary made earlier on the spexScholarship. There is still a difference in the level of funding between the multi-year programme as well as the spexScholarship. Perhaps, one suggestion would be to make the spexScholarship a little bit flexible because they have different elements to the spex Scholarship. In certain cases, the athlete does not take up the scholarship because their current income is already higher than what the spexScholarship would provide. So, for them to take up the spexScholarship is a loss of income. However, could there be a possibility to remove that portion, allow them to continue on their current income without the cash benefit portion, but provide the rest of the benefits of the spexScholarship, including the overseas training grant, so that both the NSA would benefit as well as the athlete himself or herself?

The Chairman: Ms Grace Fu.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: I would just like to clarify. When we first came up with spexScholarship, it was really to support athletes who want to train full-time. In other words, the athlete who declares, "I want to dedicate my time, maybe next two, three, four years, to competitive sport and I really want to have the support to do that." That was the genesis of spexScholarship.

It is not just money, it is a commitment about dedicating your time and energy. There is also underlying it a sort of an undertaking that you will do well. There are certain targets that we will set out, together with the athletes, coaches and the NSAs.

If someone has a well-paying job, then, actually, the question is: where do sports stand in relation to the career? So, whether he will still be able to meet the kind of expectation under a spexScholarship, that is something we need to discuss with the athletes and also with the NSAs.

It is important for us to see that in perspective. Definitely, if the athlete is already well-supported, does not need to have the income to train, I do not think we need to put a scholarship in front of the person. We can use the money for other purposes. If that athlete is also joining the team in overseas training, and so on, it will be considered as part of the funding grant.

Ms Anthea Ong: Thank you, Chairman. I would like to ask the Ministry regarding the Bicentennial Community Fund. I understand that, in terms of implementation and governance, that we focus on the IPCs. The Senior Minister of State said that there are about 600 IPCs in Singapore. But we also know that there are many, many more registered charities that are not IPCs, the smaller organisations as well as the ground-ups and social enterprises, that, in my view, should also be enfolded into this Bicentennial commemoration and to support them.

Can the Senior Minister of State share what else we can do to support these other organisations that are not IPCs, because it clearly disadvantages them? Because anytime there is a matching grant – when I was President of WINGS – for SG50 Care and Share, a lot of funds do go to the IPCs, away from the other non-IPCs.

Ms Sim Ann: Mr Chairman, I want to assure Ms Anthea Ong that there are many other sources of funding in support for all groups, regardless of whether they are IPCs. This includes, for instance, Our Singapore Fund. It includes our network as well as capability building platforms that are run by the NVPC.

I would like to take this opportunity, in fact, to assure organisations that perhaps have the aspiration but have yet to become IPCs, to really take advantage of the various skills-building and capacity-building workshops and courses that are available to help them get to the next level in terms of governance. We also hope that more of them can do that, so that they can be more transparent and accountable to donors, and that helps them reach out to an even larger pool of givers. That is actually the reason why there is a distinction in treatment between organisations that have attained IPC and those who have not. So, for those who have yet to do so, there is support for them to get there, because it is ultimately towards the very laudable goals of better governance.

Mr Alex Yam: Sorry, Mr Chairman, I forgot to declare earlier my interest as the Deputy President of the Singapore Table Tennis Association. We receive funding from MCCY as well as have a number of spexscholars on our list.

To clarify the point I made earlier, some of the athletes that I referred to are already full-time athletes. They are receiving their income through the NSA. So, it is not that they have another job that they have to give up on. So, when the spexScholarship is offered to them, there is a difference between the quantum within the spexScholarship and their current income. So, my suggestion is to take out that cash portion and to provide them with the other benefits if they are already full-time athletes.

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Sir, I thank Mr Alex Yam for the question. As I have explained earlier, there are various ways that SportsSG can support NSAs in the development of athletes. In a case where the athlete is already receiving a full-time pay – as I gather – from STTA, there are also other spex grants, and also the multi-year sports plan that we can work out together to see how best to support you. So, if STTA could put into its plan the support required for full-time players under your payroll, I am sure we can work out something. So, perhaps, you can take this outside of the Chamber to discuss how we could support STTA more.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Chairman. I just want to support Pin Xiu's re-imagining inclusive sports. I just want to ask if MCCY funds SportsSG which funds the NSAs, then why can MCCY not request these agencies to be more inclusive in their visioning? We do not have to do everything now but maybe re-imagine, and I am sure we like them to be independent but, surely, as funders, you can strongly suggest that they can re-imagine a bit of the vision.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: I would just like to share my perspective on this. In my earlier years in MOE, I had the privilege of making some work visits to Australia to study the special needs education sector. In one of these visits, we were in a suburban area and they showed us a school which was supposed to be very inclusive – takes in any child that basically requests to be in that school. So, it sounds very ideal. I was very attracted to the idea that if the parents so request – you can request for any school, mainstream school, to house the child, to provide education to the child, accept the child. But when I went there, what I found was that, indeed, a child with special needs was in that school, but I must say that the teacher was not well equipped, and the child was left pretty much alone.

So, this is where, sometimes, when we say that we want to mainstream the athletes, we would like the NSAs to have them. But if they are not ready, if they do not have the coaches, if they do not have the training facilities because some of them do require special training facilities, then we may not be serving the interest of the athletes with disabilities.

While SDSC currently has many sports under its umbrella, it has some advantages as well. For example, when it is promoting sports to persons with special needs broadly, they can do so because resources are within them, the coaches are in their network. When they want to organise a disability sports festival, they can do so with good effect. So, we must always make changes carefully.

As we said in the speech, it is the interest of the athletes that we place front and foremost in our decision. While NSAs can be persuaded sometimes by funding, but we are also quite realistic about how effective funding can be used as a tool to influence. As we have seen in many cases, it can only go that much. NSAs are independent bodies. They have can elect members into their council. They also can decide how they want to run the sports. So, it has to be a partnership that we build up over the years.

We understand, we totally appreciate the points that Ms Denise Phua and Ms Yip Pin Xiu talked about, if I may use the word – "mainstreaming" athletes with disabilities with able-bodied athletes. But in this process, I would just like to urge Members' patience and due consideration, so that we do not dismantle an organisation that has already worked for many years, and has worked well for a long period of time. The main consideration really is whether the interest of athletes with disabilities are better-served. Can they be served in the mainstream, so-called able-bodied, NSAs?

NSAs that have the capability, we would like to encourage them, we would like to work with them to make the change. But at the same time, we also need to consider all issues.

Also, we would like to mention that it is not just in high performance sports that we have an interest in getting sports into persons with disabilities. It is also the broad-based participation. Very often, it is the ability to bring in a suite of activities that makes a lot of sense and provide value to the SPED schools, because people like Whee Boon started with swimming, goes on to scuba-diving, and goes on to do rugby. It is because we have the ability to bring options to him.

3.15 pm

And so, if we have the sports embedded in 20-over NSAs, sometimes, I think, we may lose some of that synergistic effect of having it in one. So, it is a long story. And the long or short of it is this: we are always looking at how to improve the system. We are making our facilities a lot more accessible. We are offering more programmes so that more persons with disabilities can participate and we definitely want to support persons with disabilities like Ms Yip and many others inspiring athletes. All of them, every single one of them has inspiring life stories. And they are such good role models for everyone of us. We like to support them, but we need to find the best modality. We are not starting from a blank canvas. We are starting with an existing set of organisations, so just let us move at the pace and the direction that is acceptable to all stakeholders.

Ms Denise Phua Lay Peng (Jalan Besar): I am totally convinced that MCCY and sports and Government have become very inclusive. So, I want to honour the Minister and the team for that. I have seen it myself from the sector. I am just asking for, perhaps what Pin Xiu has been asking, just more re-imagination to have a continuum of operation models. Some sports might be best left alone at the moment because of the nature of the game and so forth. But sports like running: even when someone is intellectually challenged, some of them may be able to run very, very fast and together with the able-bodied athletes can give them a run for their money.

So, I thought it would be good that as funders and Government to stretch it a bit and get the funded bodies to re-imagine it a bit so that we all can join that conversation. I am not naive to think that everything should be inclusive or everything should be just segregated, but really looking at a blend. This is really part of how Singapore is currently proceeding as well. So, for Minister's consideration.

The Chairman: Dr Lim Wee Kiak, would you like to withdraw your amendment?

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Chairman, on behalf of the GPC as well as the 23 Members who have spoken in this discussion, I would to thank the two Ministers, the two Senior Ministers of State as well as Minister of State and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for their answers for the 47 cuts that we have put in. I would also like to thank the women and men in the MCCY and the related Statutory Boards for their steadfast and the good work they have done in promoting caring and cohesive society. Sir, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,670,579,200 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $396,490,600 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.

The Chairman: I shall now deal with the remaining Heads of Expenditure in respect of which no amendment stands on the Order Paper Supplement. In respect of the Main Estimates, they are Heads B, C, D, E, F, G and Z. I propose to take those Heads of Expenditure en bloc.

Question, "That the sums stated for Heads B, C, D, E, F, G and Z which appear in the last column of the Schedule of estimated expenditure under the Main Estimates on page 6 of Paper Cmd 19 of 2019 stand part of the Main Estimates," put and agreed to.

The Chairman: In respect of the Development Estimates, they are Heads B, C, D, E and F.

Question, "That the sums stated for Heads B, C, D, E and F which appear in the last column of the schedule of estimated expenditure under the Development Estimates on page 7 of Paper Cmd. 19 of 2019 stand part of the Development Estimates," put and agreed to.

Question, "That the sum of $102,422,016,000 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the Public Services shown in the Main Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, contained in Paper Cmd 19 of 2019," put and agreed to.

Question, "That the sum of $28,980,693,800 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the Public Services shown in the Development Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, contained in Paper Cmd 19 of 2019," put and agreed to.

The Chairman: Resolutions to be reported.

Thereupon Mr Speaker left the Chair of the Committee and took the Chair of the House.

The Second Minister for Finance (Ms Indranee Rajah): Mr Speaker, I beg to report that the Committee of Supply has come to certain resolutions.

First Resolution reported –

That the sum of $102,422,016,000 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Main Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, contained in Paper Cmd 19 of 2019.

Second Resolution reported –

That the sum of $28,980,693,800 shall be supplied to the Government under the Heads of Expenditure for the public services shown in the Development Estimates for the financial year 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020, contained in Paper Cmd 19 of 2019.

Ms Indranee Rajah: Mr Speaker, I beg to move, "That Parliament doth agree with the Committee on the said resolutions."

Question put, and agreed to.

Resolutions accordingly agreed to.

Mr Speaker: Order. I propose to take a break now. Do remember to come back for the Supply Bill and the Supplementary Supply Bill. Order. I suspend the Sitting and in honour of the women here today, on this special day, we will have an extended break. I will take the Chair at 3.55 pm.

Sitting accordingly suspended

at 3.23 pm until 3.55 pm.

Sitting resumed at 3.55 pm

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]