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

The Chairman: Order. In view of the statements and several clarifications made in Parliament earlier and the amount of time used, I would now revise the guillotine time for Head X – Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to 2.30 pm. Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Building a Strong Singapore Society

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Chairman, Sir, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head X of the Estimates be reduced by $100."

First, let me just wish all our lady colleagues within the Chamber a Happy Women's Day.

It is said that if the country's economy is the lifeline of our country and infrastructure is the skeleton of our country, then arts and culture must be the soul of our country. It is the arts and cultures that define us. Through arts and culture, we forged a national identity that unites all of us as one people, one nation, one Singapore.

As a multicultural and multi-religious society, we have done well to respect and appreciate one another's cultural differences to practise acceptance and compromise. Yet, the threat of social division and fragmentation can never be completely eliminated. Even as we observe the civil conflicts occurring around the world from afar, we cannot take our peace for granted and assume these problems will not happen in Singapore.

This is especially so when there are strong external influences that can disrupt our social cohesion. There have been Singaporeans who were self-radicalised to embrace extremist beliefs and even wanted to head overseas to support armed conflict or conduct attacks here. Fortunately, in some cases, family and loved ones had stepped in to intervene. Meanwhile, concerns of social divide were sparked following a study that revealed a clear divide among social classes in Singapore. Rising living costs and other challenges give rise to problems that may estrange certain groups of people. The cumulative effect of segregation and dissatisfaction can result in an "us versus them" mentality, which will lead to larger cracks over time.

Since the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth's (MCCY's) inception in 2012, Singapore has made excellent progress in the sports, youth and community sectors. Active participation from Singaporeans in these areas have helped to foster a stronger sense of unity and pride. We must continue to encourage greater vibrancy and participation in these sectors to create shared experiences, ensuring that our society remains resilient and cohesive. The Government is planning to do more at the school level, but how about the older youths who are more inclined to feel disillusioned?

We want a nation that all Singaporeans are proud to call home. What are MCCY's strategies to achieve this? How do we measure the strength of our social fabric? What more can we do to strengthen the Singapore spirit and identity?

Question proposed.

The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

MENDAKI Education Support for Community

Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In order to help children from disadvantaged families, it is important that we give them a good foundation and provide them with quality preschool education. By virtue of their family's social and financial situation, some of the children from low-income families may not have the opportunity to grow up in a learning environment to prepare them for primary school education. There are a few occasions during house visits in my neighbourhood where I will meet children aged four to seven who did not attend preschool, and there are those who do, but for certain reasons, are unable to read at Primary 1. When they were asked to attend and learn to read, some of them manage to excel in primary school. They are actually quite smart but they need some help and close guidance.

We need to make a concerted effort to help these children, including getting the support of parents, teachers and allied education professionals, to get the children involved and engaged in activities that can enrich their young minds to be interested in learning, asking questions, and wanting to listen and understand. I agree that childhood is not a rat race to get the child to read, write and count quickly. But it is important that we lay the foundation so that when the time comes, they are on the right track. Children learn best in an environment that provides high-quality human interactions and learning from the same group of teachers over a long period so that they are at ease.

Hence, I note that the Ministry of Education (MOE) has already recognised that the early years are crucial for a child’s holistic development. The Ministry’s view is that quality preschool education would provide the child with opportunities to gain self-confidence, learn social skills and develop learning dispositions. So, I hope that, as a community, we can work together to ensure that these children get what they truly need.

Can we have an update on the Council for the Development of the Singapore Malay/Muslim Community's (MENDAKI’s) programmes to increase access to quality preschool education and how it can involve the larger community, for instance, parents and preschool professionals, to ensure that children are schooled earlier?

Access to education, regardless of family background, ensures that the entire community can progress together. With this, the next generation would have greater opportunities to excel.

Today, MENDAKI runs a tuition programme, administers the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy (TTFS) and provides student loans to help our students financially. Will MENDAKI be doing more for education? May I also ask the Minister what are MENDAKI's efforts to support Malay students from lower-income families?

Strong Foundations for our Community

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): (In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our madrasahs are key institutions that produce our future leaders and religious teachers to guide and provide advice to the Malay/Muslim community on religious matters in a context that is suited to our multiracial and multi-religious society and our customs.

Several of our madrasahs also have long histories and legacies that can reflect the development of Islam and the Malay/Muslim community here.

Madrasah Wak Tanjong is one such institution. I understand that Madrasah Wak Tanjong, which has a very long history and legacy, is due for its lease renewal and this involves very high costs. May I ask the Minister how the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) plans to help Madrasah Wak Tanjong in this matter to ensure that the legacy and history of Madrasah Wak Tanjong can be preserved?

Support for Madrasahs

Mr Amrin Amin (Sembawang): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] It is important to ensure that madrasah students and teachers in Singapore receive support and opportunities to upgrade themselves in order to grow a strong socio-religious sector.

Our asatizahs play an important role in providing the community with sound religious leadership and guidance that are suited to Singapore’s context and modern realities.

Madrasahs play an important role in developing future generations of asatizahs with a strong foundation in both religious and secular subjects.

In 2017, the Government announced greater support for the madrasah sector with $1.5 million set aside annually to help madrasah teachers and students in secular subjects.

Can the Minister provide an update on any other efforts to further strengthen our madrasahs and better equip our madrasahs to produce graduates who are future-ready?

The Minister had also announced the new location of Madrasah Al-Arabiah in Toa Payoh. He said that the new campus would be equipped with the latest technological infrastructure and facilities to serve its students and the community. I would like to request for an update on the timeline for the construction of the new campus.

Malayness

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Last year, when the issue of the Elected Presidency caught our attention, there was a discussion on the issue of Malayness. This discussion did not take place among Malay Singaporeans only but also received significant attention from Singaporeans in general.

The question being hotly debated was how a person is recognised as a Malay or who can be called a Malay. Many questions were asked, views being brought forward and many examples were also highlighted. In short, there was a robust and lively discussion, just to seek a real answer on the issue of Malayness.

I understand, and I believe the other Malay Members of Parliament (MPs) in this Chamber do, too, why this issue of identity cropped up. However, in order to explain this matter clearly, I would like to give an illustration or example.

For instance, an individual who sees himself as a Malay/Muslim was informed by MENDAKI that he is not eligible for the TTFS scheme because his identity card showed that his race is Indian. This individual tried to explain that he speaks Malay at home and he leads his life as a Malay; he eats asam pedas, wears baju kurung during Hari Raya and so on. But the reply he got was "Sorry, your identity card shows that your race is Indian."

Time passed, and the same individual obtained his degree, started work and got married. He then decided to serve the people through politics. He wanted to contest in the General Elections.

During the General Elections, this individual then decided to contest in a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) as the Malay minority candidate. He submitted an application form to the Elections Department to obtain the Certificate of the Malay Community Committee, but he is not that confident whether his application will be accepted or otherwise, since his identity card showed that his race is Indian. At the same time, he does not feel comfortable to apply as an Indian minority candidate since he does not possess any characteristics as someone who is Indian.

When this individual was informed that his application to obtain the Certificate of the Malay Community Committee was approved, he thought about the reason given to him for being ineligible for TTFS because his race was Indian.

Sir, to sum up, the purpose of my speech is to call upon the Minister to initiate efforts to study the issue that I have shared, in order to achieve consistency or harmony in the way someone is recognised as a Malay or otherwise. I suggest that a committee be established for this purpose to make things clear and, at the same time, avoid any confusion in the future.

Dollar-for-dollar Matching Grant for VWOs

Mr Azmoon Ahmad (Nominated Member): Chairman, Sir, the dollar-for-dollar matching grant offered by the Government to self-help groups (SHGs) and some voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) as well as Malay/Muslim organisations thus far is well received and has gone a long way in helping these organisations extend their outreach and help to those in need. Many of these organisations often tapped on the same pool of donors and this limits their fundraising effort to a certain extent. Thus, the matching grant that the Government provides helps ease the load for many of them.

Over the years, the Government has made injections to the various grants enabling organisations to benefit more from the grants. However, there have also been instances where the matching grants have been reduced or re-allocated from the organisations. When this happens, it means these organisations have to work even harder to raise their own funds to make up for the shortfall from the deduction of the dollar-for-dollar matching grant. This can also distract the organisations from focusing on what they should be doing best, that is, providing programmes for community benefit rather than spending time to look for funds.

It may be made worse when a matching fund can become the end game of these organisations. During times of economic downturn, raising funds becomes an even bigger problem when people are less likely to donate and yet, at the same time, the demand for the services provided by these organisations increase. So, this, essentially, means the organisations may be in a situation where the number of clients in need increase and yet their funds decrease. This may end up in organisations having to scale down their operations or the extent of their services, causing them to be unable to serve those in need effectively. Ultimately, a reduction in funds leads not only to operational challenges for the organisations but may also exacerbate challenges for Singaporeans in need as their needs are left unserved.

Right now, the eligibility criteria for matching grants are unclear. Similarly, when a matching grant gets re-allocated or reduced, the criteria applied to determine how this is done are also not made clear. Clear criteria will help organisations to better understand their qualification. This will help Government funds to be fully utilised to benefit Singaporeans. At the same time, it will also encourage VWOs and SHGs currently not eligible for matching grants to start taking measures in order to meet those criteria.

With that, would the Ministry be willing to share the criteria? May I also suggest that the following criteria be included if they are not already? First, the integrity and maturity of the VWOs and SHGs; and second, the outreach the SHGs and VWOs had achieved in previous years. These criteria can help to determine which organisations can qualify for the matching grant and what the cap for the grant could be.

Integrity and maturity of VWOs and SHGs would be a useful measure of whether they would be able to utilise the funds appropriately. VWOs or SHGs that have long been established and have a good track record in terms of governance and the programmes and services provided should be accorded a higher cap in the grant. Similarly, an organisation that has a good record of outreach historically could be given even a higher cap. By offering tiered grants, it will encourage our organisations, both SHGs and VWOs, to improve their processes, governance and standards as well as quality of programmes and services, leading to a more vibrant VWO sector which can only benefit more Singaporeans.

Sir, the suggestions made above are not just an attempt to ensure that good and performing VWOs or SHGs are rewarded but also encourage them to perform even more and they are most probably capable to do so. Eventually, it is hoped that more beneficiaries can be reached and served and this can only be a positive development for Singapore.

Narrowing the Gap

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef (Marine Parade): Sir, self-help groups have been a unique feature of our Singapore model of assistance and collaborative community work and outreach. They offer various forms of assistance and social service and are instrumental in uplifting certain parameters in our communities.

Every year, these organisations will disburse financial and educational assistance as well as bursaries and other forms of help. There, however, exist some grey areas and overlap. Some of the reasons for the rejections are not truly clear and there are speculations and certain conjectures, for example, race could be a reason. So, therefore, how many such cases of rejection have MENDAKI been getting over the last three to five years and how are they handled? It is important for us to know and understand this because we want to know how many fall through the cracks yearly and also how we can work together to assist these people. Detailed analysis of the causation and other parameters will be helpful to understand as we, together, vow to strengthen our community outreach.

Malay/Muslim Organisations

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Our Malay/Muslim organisations were granted the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund (MMCDF) in 2014. An initial amount of $600,000 was allocated and increased each year.

How many officers from our Malay/Muslim organisations have been trained under this development fund and how have they benefited from this? What other measures should the Government take to help these organisations enhance their efforts and skills in assisting the community? Do these Malay/Muslim organisations also focus on training their younger leaders to take over each organisations' leadership?

I would like to encourage our Malay/Muslim organisations to focus their respective efforts and funds on their own organisation's niche areas. For instance, the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM) specialises in youth-related efforts and outreach, while the Young Women Muslim Association of Singapore (PPIS) specialises in helping women and children.

This specialisation is important so that each Malay/Muslim organisation can sharpen their capabilities and skills and allocate all their manpower and funds towards helping specific groups. This can also prevent duplication of efforts, energy and skills, and ensure a more efficient allocation of manpower and funds.

I would also like to call upon our Malay/Muslim organisations to spread their wings so that they can offer their assistance and expertise beyond the Malay community and, in fact, to all Singaporeans, in areas like eldercare, the disabled or those with special needs, early childhood education, as well as entrepreneurship.

One example is having one of our Malay/Muslim organisations build an eldercare centre, regardless of their race or religion. Our Malay/Muslim organisations should also be able to support entrepreneurship in various areas through skills development programmes or through social assistance networks and business dealings for entrepreneurs.

I hope that there can be some flexibility on the part of the Government when the MMCDF funds are used for such efforts.

Support for Young Malay/Muslim Couples

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The family is an important unit in society. To ensure that a community is strong and robust, the family unit must be strong and robust. Therefore, it is important that we continue paying attention to efforts that build and preserve family ties. Among efforts being done include conducting courses that are suitable for families, including couples who wish to marry or have just married, parents with young children, and so on.

Over the years, we have seen many developments amongst our Malay/Muslim families. I understand that more are getting married and there are fewer marriages between couples under 21 years old. We also see fewer cases of remarriages after a divorce. Although there is a slight improvement, divorce rates appear stable. I feel that there is still room for us to continue helping couples and families in this matter.

One specific effort being done is to monitor and provide guidance to young couples under 21 years old. Last year, amendments were made to the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA) in which there is a provision which requires couples, when one of them is under 21 years old, to attend marriage preparation courses and obtain parental consent before proceeding with their marriage. May I know the outcome of this effort? Can the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs provide the latest information on this matter?

Singapore Islamic College

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: Sir, Singapore education has a strong branding and is known for its high standards and comprehensiveness.

Now, we are embarking on setting up an Islamic college. Looking at the global trends and what is happening in the world today in terms of Islamic education, ideologies inculcation and the matters religious leaders and clerics have to grapple with, the time is right for us to undertake this and to grab the opportunity to make the positive impact that we have to.

This is a major undertaking and we must ensure we plan it right. How are we doing this? It is not about imposing models from other countries to Singapore but more about customisation and implementing our own unique model for the College. We must also ensure that the College has engagement and outreach to the community and will prove beneficial to the future and potential students and educators.

Have the relevant personnel planned the relevant engagements and focus group discussions with the local targeted stakeholders and what other progress has been made pertaining to the Singapore Islamic College?

10.45 am

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mr Chairman, Sir, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The proposal for a Singapore Islamic College was first mooted in 2016. I support the establishment of this college because it can fulfil the need for Islamic education and studies at the post-secondary level for our community. In addition, it can reduce the risk of our students being affected by any political instability in countries that offer Islamic education or studies, or the risk of them becoming victims of radical or extremist ideologies in some of these countries.

May I ask the Minister when will this Singapore Islamic College be built and commence operations? What are MUIS' plans to ensure that this college can be as great as other Islamic universities with longer histories and are already well-known?

What strategies or approaches have been planned to ensure that its educational programmes and subjects are relevant and global in nature and, at the same time, are based on Singapore's multiracial and multi-religious context, as well as the context of Southeast Asia?

And how will this college's lecturers and academics be appointed and employed? Do these lecturers and academics have to be trained solely as asatizahs, or perhaps should they also have more diverse backgrounds, experiences and training?

Asatizah Youth Network

Mr Zainal Sapari: Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The threat of radicalism on our youths is a risk that comes from their exposure to undesirable elements on various social media platforms. Our youths may not have or lack the maturity to differentiate between truth and falsehoods on social media.

In an effort to counter influences that can lead our youths astray, MUIS set up the Asatizah Youth Network (AYN) last year to offer a safe space for youths seeking guidance. I feel that this is a good beginning and should be supported. May I ask the Minister to share more about the AYN's progress, and what are its plans for assistance or outreach programmes for our youths?

MUIS' 50th Anniversary

Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Nee Soon): Sir, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Since its formation in 1968, MUIS has touched the lives of many people, particularly Muslims in Singapore. Over the years, MUIS has played a key role in ensuring that the socio-religious lives of Muslims in Singapore are being looked after.

As a former Council Member of MUIS, I have seen MUIS making every effort to stay relevant in this ever-changing world that we live in. MUIS' efforts in building an excellent and inspiring Muslim community that is resilient, socially cohesive and thrives in a multi-religious society, secular state and globalised world are apt and commendable.

The year 2018 marks 50 years since MUIS was established. Could the Minister share some of the plans that MUIS is embarking on this year and MUIS' vision for the future?

Support for Malay/Muslim PMETs

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Mr Chairman, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] During the dialogue sessions with our Malay/Muslim community, some issues that are frequently raised pertain to concerns about the ever-changing economy and efforts that individuals should make to keep updating their skills so that they stay relevant.

Many are aware about the importance of attending the right training courses so that they can upgrade themselves. But some are worried whether they can still keep their jobs due to increasing competition. Some are unsure what they need to do to prepare for the new economy. Some also wish to know which sectors or industries will grow and should be given due attention.

Although I understand their concern, I am proud that there are an awareness and a desire to continue improving themselves. It is important that we provide strong support to help the community in this matter so that they can stay relevant in the new economy.

Hence, I was pleased when a committee headed by Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin was set up last year to help Malay/Muslim professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) with training courses and enhancing their employability.

May I ask about the plans and efforts that are being done and continue to be refined to help our workers? Are there efforts to start early and engage students in order to inculcate awareness and skills about working in the new economy? What are the efforts done to keep encouraging students and PMETs to continue obtaining qualifications and upgrading themselves even if they have completed formal education in schools?

Digitalisation Efforts in the Community

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We are all aware of the rapid digital transformation affecting all levels of society. The most affected groups are those who are older and those who are not technologically or digitally savvy. However, there are many opportunities available for these groups to help them acquire knowledge about the digital world.

Therefore, I was drawn to a newspaper article published not long ago about a group of hawkers who made use of digital payments. For instance, stallholder Maria Arif and her son Nasri Ramli at a coffee shop in Telok Ayer offered digital payment via GrabPay. The payment process became speedier and they do not have to bother looking for loose change for their customers.

However, in this regard, we understand that not everyone is able to swiftly embrace such changes due to several factors, for instance, lack of knowledge and unfamiliarity.

Hence, I welcome efforts by Government agencies and organisations like MENDAKI and MENDAKI Sense to enhance public knowledge and awareness about the digital world. There are many upgrading and assistance schemes for the digital economy that are provided not only for low-income workers, but also for PMETs, too. Therefore, what is the progress of our community institutions in making use of digital solutions to enhance service levels?

The utilisation of data and digital solutions can enable businessmen and entrepreneurs to run their businesses better even with the lack of manpower. What more can be done to encourage Malay/Muslim small and medium enterprises (SMEs) which have not undergone digital transformations to do so?

Community Development Councils

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Mr Chairman, Sir, the scope of what the Community Development Councils (CDCs) have been structured to do has changed significantly over the years.

In his speech on the 20th anniversary of the CDCs last year, the Prime Minister identified the issue of worker upgrading as an urgent one. How do the CDCs plan to work with the Future Economy Council to meet this objective?

In 2013, the CDCs signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the then-Spring and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) to set up five satellite SME centres in each district. While providing job support is a very helpful community function, is there a greater scope to draw more operational efficiencies and productivity by directing residents to proceed straight to the Family Service Centres (FSCs) or even the Community Centres (CCs), in collaboration with Workforce Singapore (WSG), the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) centres and the two foreign career matching providers, particularly for residents who need a job urgently? Is the position of the CDC as an intermediary necessary?

Finally, it has been the Government’s position that all Grassroots Advisers must be from the People's Action Party (PAP), the reason being that such individuals are there to support Government policies and it would be incongruous for opposition politicians, even if they are elected, to do the same. Can I clarify what is the nature of the relationship between an opposition MP and the Town Council of which he or she is an elected member on the one hand and the CDC on the other? Does it follow the approach taken by the People’s Association (PA) vis-à-vis Grassroots Advisers? What are the differences, if any?

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, in 2011, responding to a public query on why an elected Opposition MP cannot be appointed as grassroots advisor, the PA spokesperson mentioned to a Forum letter, I quote: "The PA and grassroots organisations gather feedback from the public, explain Government policies and programmes to citizens, and implementing social programmes." It was further mentioned that "It is not possible to appoint Opposition MPs as advisers because we cannot ask Opposition MPs to help the Government to connect better with the people." Another excuse given was "Nor can PA reasonably expect them to help the Government explain, implement or improve its policies".

Sir, I would like to argue that the current arrangement of appointing the ruling party candidates who contested and were defeated in the general election or any other ruling political party member to be grassroots adviser of a constituency is not right, and the PA's reasons for not appointing Opposition MPs to be grassroots advisers, as cited earlier, does not legitimise the reasons to appoint the two groups of individuals I mentioned earlier.

Sir, to address the PA's concerns that the roles of grassroots advisers are not suitable for Opposition MPs due to the reasons provided, the PA can alternatively appoint a retired or even a current serving civil or public servant of a certain high position, such as Permanent Secretary or Statutory Board Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to be a grassroots advisor. Appointing persons with such reputable civil and Public Service background and experience is very relevant and much more appropriate, as they are in a better position to explain Government policies and programmes to citizens, implementing social programmes, as well as helping the Government to connect better with the people.

Another positive reason for appointing such individuals is that it will help to eliminate or avoid any possibilities of (a) a conflict of interest; and (b) politicisation of the grassroots advisor position, as compared to the current practice of appointing the ruling party's defeated candidates and any other ruling political party members as the grassroots advisor.

Sir, I would like to seek the Ministry's agreement on this. Touching on the matter of politicisation and conflict of interest, I would like to seek answers from the Ministry whether there is, indeed, an element of politicisation and conflict of interest in the role of grassroots advisor in the following two scenarios. I have cited these scenarios during the recent Public Sector (Governance) Bill to seek some clarification. I was told by Minister Ong Ye Kung to direct the matter to the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). I submitted this cut under PMO but was redirected to MCCY.

First scenario: a member of a political party who contested but was defeated in the general election holds two designations at the same time: one, as the branch chairman of a political party; and two, as an adviser to a PA grassroots organisation.

Second scenario: a grassroots adviser conducts house visits accompanied by PA's grassroots leaders and staff of Statutory Boards, such as the Housing and Development Board (HDB), and inviting residents to attend his Meet-the-People session (MPS) if residents require him to appeal on their behalf. Nonetheless, the MPS session is held in a political party branch office by the grassroots advisor who writes referral or appeal letters using a political party's letterhead and signs off as the party branch chairman of a political party.

Sir, I hope the Ministry will be able to provide clarity and answer.

The Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Prof Yaacob Ibrahim): Sir, with your permission, may I display some slides on the LED screens?

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

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, our Malay/Muslim community has been an integral part of our country from Singapore's beginning. Our journey has been Singapore's journey. We strived hard to forge a better life and household incomes grew. The community – from mothers and fathers to Cikgu in every classroom – put great emphasis on education as never before, and significant progress was made.

Our community also emphasised mutual help and cooperation, especially in times of need. The spirit of gotong-royong was the driving force behind our community's setting up of Singapore's first Self-Help Group in 1982 to uplift education outcomes. Today, MENDAKI's education programmes support over 20,000 students every year. Our community also work hand-in-hand with our Government to build the legal and institutional foundations of our socio-religious life through AMLA.

Sir, this generation faces challenges no less trying than in the past. We are in the midst of another economic transformation, brought about by a digital revolution no less fundamental than the Industrial Revolution. We must prepare our industries and workers for the future economy, and we must make sure no one is left behind.

We also face an ongoing threat to our faith. The spread of extremist ideologies abetted by social media and the acts of terror by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have set Muslims against non-Muslims in many societies. Misguided religious preachers have spread insidious ideologies preaching segregation and a rejection of modern life and the secular state. This is surely the road to alienation, marginalisation and ruin. In Singapore, we must stand united against such ideologues and ideologies, and against Islamophobia.

11.00 am

Sir, we have three key strategies going forward. First, we will continue our efforts to support our families and children, with an emphasis on early childhood education and helping the vulnerable. Second, we will enhance the socio-religious foundations of the community, by strengthening religious education and our key community institutions. Thirdly, we will build a future-ready community that embraces technology.

We want to ensure that every child has the best start in life. Good early childhood education is critical for a child's long-term development. We urge our parents to send their children to quality preschool education.

To Mr Saktiandi Supaat's question, the importance of early childhood education is why MENDAKI has, in recent years, focused more on supporting the development of children between zero and six years old. Last year, MENDAKI held its inaugural Education Symposium, supported by the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) and the Learn SG seed fund. Over 250 participants benefited from discussions ranging from learning through play to preparing for primary school.

Following the symposium, Mdm Irma Iryanti Juri, an adjunct lecturer at SEED Institute, which trains early childhood professionals, and Mdm Shaireen Selamat a doctoral researcher from the University of Warwick volunteered to lead the setting up of a network of professionals and educators from the preschool sector to share best practices and learn from one another. Today, this network has become the MENDAKI Alliance of Preschool Professionals (MAPP), comprising about 30 professionals who actively support MENDAKI's School-Ready programmes. Mdm Irma and Mdm Shaireen are examples of passionate individuals taking the initiative to make a difference.

Sir, given this encouraging response, MENDAKI will be organising a second run of the Education Symposium and a Playfest for Preschoolers next month. Playfest aims to generate awareness about the benefits of play and provide parents with ideas on setting up an age-appropriate stimulating learning environment at home.

We want to help more low-income families enroll their children into full-day childcare, as this provides a conducive environment for the child's development. The "Back-to-Work Women" programme is a key strategy in this effort, as it aims to help mothers to be gainfully employed. Besides enhancing the family's income, they will be able to tap on more childcare subsidies, and quality preschool education will, indeed, become more affordable. MENDAKI will also work with ECDA and the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on ways to study how we can assist low-income families enroll their children in quality childcare and preschool education.

Both Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked about how we can best support our students' education. Twenty years ago, less than half of Malays entered post-secondary educational institutions. Today, almost all Malay students do so. We are committed to help as many as we can to ensure that our young have a brighter future and can access more opportunities than before. For primary and secondary school students, the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS), offers highly subsidised tuition sessions for students from lower-income families. For the past five years, MTS has been helping over 10,000 students every year, across 89 centres island-wide.

To Assoc Prof Fatimah's question about students who face challenges in receiving help from Self-Help Groups, MENDAKI provides a wide range of assistance schemes, as long as they meet the criteria. Any Muslim student can apply to MENDAKI for interest-free study loans and a wide range of bursaries and scholarships, while the best students, who excel in both academic and non-academic areas, would receive the Anugerah MENDAKI award. Sir, MENDAKI also administers the Education Trust Fund that supports the lower income. Since 2003, $22.9 million from the Fund has been disbursed to support 91,000 students, from preschool all the way to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

As Mr Saktiandi Supaat mentioned, a key Government policy that supports the education of low-income Malay students is the Tertiary Tuition Fee Subsidy scheme (TTFS). Muhammad Azhari Bin Mohammad Zain is one beneficiary who, despite his challenging financial circumstances, graduated with First Class Honours in Biological Science from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), and he is now a scientist at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA). We are committed to helping all who deserve and seek assistance.

In this regard, I am pleased to announce that we will revise the TTFS income eligibility criteria. Sir, we recognise that the per capita income (PCI) of families has risen over the last few years. As such, we are revising the income bands upwards.

Students from households with a PCI of $1,400 and below will receive 100% subsidy; those with a PCI of between $1,400 and $1,700 will receive $75% subsidy; and those with a PCI of between $1,700 and $2,000 will receive 50% subsidy. Sir, the revisions will take effect for Academic Year 2018/2019. MENDAKI will provide more details.

Mr Muhammad Faisal Abdul Manap spoke about the Malay identity. For such matters, the Government takes a practical approach, bearing in mind the interest of the community and the wider society. No matter how "Malayness" is defined, what matters is how we grow and sustain a strong community. And in this regard, the quality of our Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMOs), is, indeed, critical. I am glad that many of our MMOs, and even our mosques, are serving not only our community, but also reaching out to non-Malay/Muslims. MMOs like Jamiyah, 4PM and PPIS offer assistance to those in need, regardless of race or religion. Such efforts must continue and, as a community, we must support the good work of our MMOs.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar and Mr Azmoon Ahmad asked about the Malay/Muslim Community Development Fund (MMCDF), which was established to support all MMOs. MMCDF has evolved over the years. In its last review in 2014, the Government re-allocated a portion of the matching grant for MENDAKI and the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) towards increasing its matching grant for MMCDF, to provide greater support to MMOs that have less resources. MMCDF also shifted its focus towards helping organisations build their capabilities.

Between 2015 and 2017, $10 million was disbursed, benefiting around 55 partners per year. Some of the initiatives that receive MMCDF funding include the Debt Advisory Centre by AMP, the Rising Star Project by PERTAPIS and the Family Therapy Institute by PPIS. Sir, these are key projects that serve the community in important areas, and I strongly urge and encourage our community organisations to continue tapping on MMCDF.

While we support our established MMOs, I share Dr Intan Mokhtar's view that we must also provide the opportunities and support for our talented youths to step up and contribute to the greater good of both community and society. MENDAKI has several platforms to support this. The Community Leaders Forum (CLF) LABS allow youth-led organisations and groups to testbed innovative ideas with MENDAKI's seed funding. The inaugural Socialthon, held last July, brought together close to 100 youths to develop solutions in areas, such as startup culture, health and technology. These platforms will help our youths hone their ideas and leadership skills, with the community and Singapore at heart.

Strong families are critical to the well-being of children. While the proportion of minor marriages has declined from 10% of Muslim marriages in 2007 to 3.6% in 2017, this group still needs support. We amended AMLA last year to make it compulsory for minor couples to complete marriage preparation programmes and to obtain consent from parents or guardians, prior to making an application for marriage.

To reply to Ms Rahayu Mahzam, MSF is working with the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM) and INSPIRASI Hubs. The Hubs are centres dedicated to preparing minor and young couples for marriage and to raise awareness of these new requirements and the importance of marriage preparation and parental support. MSF is also working with the Hubs to enhance the marriage preparation curriculum. The new requirements will apply to minor marriage applications from 1 October this year. The programme will benefit about 200 minor couples every year.

Sir, to better support stepfamilies, MSF will work closely with PPIS Vista Sakinah, the centre for remarriages and stepfamilies. Vista Sakinah will collaborate with agencies serving low-income stepfamilies and waive the remarriage preparation programme fees for their participation. They will provide stepfamily awareness talks at key touchpoints, such as mosques and other community agencies, and leverage social media and radio. Additionally, Vista Sakinah will enhance its programme effectiveness by strengthening its evidence-based content, building trainer capabilities, and enhancing its programme evaluation.

Our community is committed to developing strong institutions that support the socio-religious life of our community. So, I wish to assure Mr Zainal Sapari and Mr Amrin Amin that we are committed to continually enhance our full-time madrasahs. Our madrasahs play a dual role in nurturing future asatizahs for the community, and in preparing those who opt for careers in the non-religious sectors. I will share plans to strengthen two of our madrasahs.

Madrasah Wak Tanjong, founded by the late Ustaz Mohd Noor bin Taib, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Its students have a history of excelling in religious studies and taking up religious leadership roles in the community. One example is Ustazah Hilwani binte Mohammad Abdul Halim. She is the daughter of the late Ustaz Mohammad Abdul Halim, who was the Principal of Madrasah Wak Tanjong for five years. She does her late father proud by teaching Islamic Jurisprudence and Arabic at Madrasah Wak Tanjong. Hilwani holds a Bachelor's Degree in Islamic Jurisprudence from the University of Jordan, but she is determined to better herself as a teacher. She is now enrolled in a specialist diploma programme in Applied Learning and Teaching at Republic Polytechnic under MUIS' sponsorship and will graduate in August this year. We wish Hilwani all the best and look forward to her wider contributions to the community.

Sir, I am pleased to share that MUIS will be providing Madrasah Wak Tanjong with a Comprehensive Assistance Package that includes an extension of its lease at its current premises, and the provision of additional funding to strengthen its curriculum and professional development. This strong support signals MUIS' ongoing commitment to further professionalise and strengthen the madrasah sector as a whole.

I am also happy to present the design of the new Madrasah Al Arabiah Al Islamiah campus. It has a sustainable and green design that is complemented with Islamic and nusantara architecture. MUIS will hold a project launch later this month and has committed $10 million for this project. I urge the community to support the madrasah's fundraising efforts to ensure that the campus can be operational by 2020.

Sir, as we strengthen the infrastructure of our madrasahs, we pay close attention to curriculum development and teacher training. First, the introduction of the Government-supported financial incentives for madrasah teachers in secular subjects has benefited more than 170 teachers. Similarly, over 500 students received the Madrasah Student Awards just last month in recognition of their educational excellence.

Second, Madrasah Aljunied Al-Islamiah is on track to offer a small cohort of 27 students an International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum in 2019. School leaders, IB coordinators and teachers have been hard at work in equipping themselves with the necessary skills and qualifications.

Third, MUIS has worked with the madrasahs to strengthen the holistic development of their students, so that they are exposed to areas, such as youth volunteerism, service learning projects and outdoor education. We want our students to go beyond the classroom, to interact with and contribute to the larger Singapore society.

Mr Chairman, our madrasah graduates are our future asatizahs. In this regard, we have been looking into plans to develop an Islamic college in Singapore. Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar and Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef asked for an update. Sir, in recent months, officials from MUIS and myself visited institutions of higher learning (IHLs) in the Middle East, such as in Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, as well as universities in multi-religious, plural societies, such as in the United States (US) and Canada, to study the different models of tertiary Islamic education.

So, for example, both Al-Azhar University and the University of Jordan traditionally produce religious teachers, while the latter also trains its students with broad-based skills for employability in the non-religious sector for the wider economy. The Turkish universities take an academic approach in teaching classical Islamic sciences and the humanities, while its Diyanet, or the Turkish central religious authority, separately provides religious vocational training.

On the other hand, Zaytuna College and Notre Dame University in the US, and McGill University in Canada, take a rigorous, academic approach to produce scholars. The different learning approaches provide useful learning points and each is suited to its own society and context. An Islamic college in Singapore would adapt appropriate features from overseas institutions, so that we will, in time, produce Islamic teachers and scholars who balance a deep learning of Islamic sciences with broad-based skills and knowledge and, more importantly, are rooted in the belief and practice of Islam in Singapore's multi-religious and multiracial context.

We also took the opportunity to meet our Singaporean students studying in these institutions. The students highlighted how social issues have become more complex and perspectives are more diverse. They emphasised how, for Singapore, religious teachers must be able to guide Muslims in living out the religion as members of our modern, plural society. They shared their concerns about employability, safety and the cost of education. I appreciate their frank views, which we will consider carefully in developing a high-quality tertiary education.

Sir, I believe we can succeed in developing our own Islamic college. It would not be easy. But with hard work and taking the time to carefully study this undertaking, I am confident that we can develop an institution that will nurture future asatizahs whom our community looks up to and supports wholeheartedly. In the coming months, MUIS will be engaging the community for their views so that our first Islamic college in Singapore will be a centre of excellence for the learning of Islam that we can all be proud of.

While we plan for the future of religious education, we wish to encourage talented young asatizahs to engage our youths. I agree with Mr Zainal Sapari that we must inoculate our young against extremist and segregationist views. We must not allow such ideologies to take root in Singapore.

11.15 am

We must start early and focus on upstream work. The Asatizah Youth Network (AYN) was formed last year with 11 asatizahs to offer support and guidance to our youths on social media as well as be the first touchpoint for those in doubt. Ustaz Tarmizi Wahid belongs to this pioneer batch. He is the CEO and founder of Safinah Institute, a private Islamic learning centre with a strong digital media presence, especially on Instagram. Safinah also operates a digital device-friendly platform called Soul Academy, where participants can virtually interact and discuss issues with trainers and peers.

AYN has been active in increasing outreach both online and offline. In October 2017, they collaborated with the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), and the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) to organise a Seminar on Strengthening the Religious Resilience of the Singapore Muslim Community for about 300 asatizahs and community leaders. In December, they produced a video series #TheProphetIKnow, featuring the AYN asatizahs promoting the values that the Prophet stood for and how Muslims contribute to the larger society. This video production was done following AYN's participation in a workshop on effective counter-narrative and digital engagements conducted by Google Singapore. Over the next five years, MUIS aims to grow the AYN membership, conduct drop-in sessions for youths at Al-Falah Mosque in Orchard Road, and continue training asatizahs in digital media engagements and counselling techniques to counter youth radicalism.

Sir, MUIS is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. MUIS has grown its scope of work in serving the socio-religious needs of the community. This includes increasing prayer spaces in mosques, distributing zakat and facilitating haj and korban. In doing so, MUIS has endeavoured to maintain strong partnerships with key community stakeholders. The events of September 11, the spectre of extremism and the emergence of charismatic Internet-age radical ideologues have made MUIS’ mission all the more difficult. But MUIS has stayed the course in nurturing a Singapore Muslim Identity, one that honours the Islamic faith, the aspirations of our community, and the relationships and identities that bind us to Singapore, our home.

Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim asked about plans for this significant milestone. The theme "Semarak Langkah, Berjiwa Rahmah" or "Striving with Confidence, Serving with Compassion" is apt in portraying the spirit of MUIS' service to the community. MUIS will be holding a special MUIS50 Dinner and Awards Ceremony and presenting awards that honour individuals who have been instrumental to MUIS and Singapore, and also to inspire youths. MUIS will also hold an International Religious Conference at the end of the year to rally the community on the important role of religious scholars and institutions in shaping a progressive religious life. MUIS is currently engaging the community through the ongoing MUIS50 conversations for ideas to strengthen MUIS for the future. More details will be shared at MUIS' Work Plan Seminar next month.

Mr Chairman, allow me to elaborate on our third strategy of forging a future-ready community. Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked about what more we can do to support our students and workers better. MENDAKI partnered the three ITE colleges for its Future First Programme (FFP). Benefiting about 240 ITE students currently, the FFP complements ITE’s education and career guidance and life skills curriculum. MENDAKI will be expanding the programme to even more ITE students, partnering polytechnics and the wider youth community. This would include the launch of a Future-Ready Starter Kit in August 2018 on workplace expectations, and strategies to remain relevant in the future economy.

With improving educational attainment by Malay students, we have seen a higher proportion of PMETs in the Malay workforce. The proportion of PMETs has increased from one in four in 2007 to one in three in 2017, with a majority in education, health, social services and public administration. Of these, about two-thirds are associate professionals and technicians. We also see that Malays have a higher than proportional share of placements under the Adapt and Grow initiative, which includes the career centres run by Workforce Singapore and the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC's) e2i.

We want to help our workers and encourage skills upgrading. I have asked Senior Parliamentary Secretary Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin to lead a PMET Outreach Committee to create a support network for Malay/Muslim PMETs' retraining and employability needs. The Committee has leveraged key platforms, such as SENSE PMET Jobfair@Grassroots Club and "Secangkir Kopi bersama MENDAKI" dialogue and networking session. The Committee produced and distributed more than 3,000 copies of the "Handy Guidebook for PMETs" to raise awareness on support schemes. The Committee intends to do more engagements, with four "JUMP! Career Fairs” to offer assistance and raise awareness about growth sectors in Singapore.

Sir, as Mr Zaqy Mohamad has highlighted, digitalisation is a key driver of growth in the future economy, and our community must adapt quickly to remain relevant and competitive in this age of disruptive technology.

MUIS and MENDAKI have already started using digital tools to improve service delivery and accessibility. For example, MUIS has placed the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS) procedures online, on the LicenceOne portal, to make it easier for registration and to undertake data analytics on the asatizah sector. MENDAKI's Tuition Scheme Online Programme Registration System and Loan Management System have enhanced user convenience and organisation productivity. The data collected through tuition registration enables the team to analyse the profiles of students and their families and helps us to tailor programmes and outreach according to students' performance.

I am pleased to share that MENDAKI has set up a Digital Transformation Department that will help facilitate the digital transformation of our MMOs so that the community can ultimately benefit. One MMO that has started its digitalisation journey is PPIS. PPIS currently serves about 500 students across seven centres and they want to attract more families with preschool-going children. PPIS is partnering MENDAKI on a data-analytics project to better understand the profiles and needs of client families, so that PPIS can offer higher quality and relevant services.

Going digital is vital for our SMEs, too. I had the opportunity to engage members of the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI). It is heartening to see Malay/Muslim SMEs, such as Frozi, a food and beverage (F&B) establishment that serves frozen yogurt, and Spear Security Force, a security company making good progress with their first use of digital solutions to increase revenue and improve productivity. We want to encourage more, if not all, Malay/Muslim SMEs to take that critical first step. We have been working with SME Centre@SMCCI, supported by the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA's) SME Digital Tech Hub, to organise workshops for members. With SMCCI taking the lead to help their members tap on SMEs Go Digital programme, I believe more Malay/Muslim SMEs will come on board.

We can also use digital technology to harness the richness of our heritage and culture. Kampong Glam has historically been an open community and welcomes people of different ages and cultures. We want to see if we can enhance the customer and retail experience and transform the overall visitor experience at Kampong Glam. As I mentioned in my Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) Committee of Supply (COS) speech, IMDA is working together with SMCCI, One Kampong Gelam Association, and other partners to create Singapore's first digitally-enabled retail neighbourhood. For a start, we will guide Kampong Glam merchants on how they can digitalise themselves to improve their business operations. Today, there are already existing merchants doing so. Take, for example, Wardah Bookstore. Wardah sells a wide range of books from Islamic history to philosophy. It actively uses social media, and it has also digitalised its processes so that data accounting is integrated between its physical and online stores. The presence of an online store not only directs traffic to the physical store but boosts its reach to overseas customers in Malaysia and Brunei.

Digitalisation will be a key anchor for our community's future growth. This is why I urge our workforce to be future-ready, and our community organisations and SMEs to transform, so that we and our future generations can continue to achieve our hopes and aspirations. Sir, allow me to continue in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, the Malay/Muslim community continues to move forward with much confidence. In line with efforts to progress with the other communities, I have drafted three key strategies. First, supporting the institution of family, with a special emphasis on early childhood education, apart from helping vulnerable families. Second, enhancing the socio-religious foundations of the community by strengthening religious education and our religious institutions. Third, building a Malay/Muslim community which embraces technology so that they are ready for new types of jobs and various opportunities that are available in the Digital Economy.

Strong families form a pillar of the nation. We want to ensure that every child in Singapore is given the best possible start in life. Therefore, good quality preschools are critical for a child's long-term development. Hence, MENDAKI is now focused on the development of young children from zero to six years old to help Malay/Muslim parents prepare their children for primary school in reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as being socially and emotionally ready.

MENDAKI will work with experts in this sector to increase public awareness and share best practices amongst educators and professionals as well as parents on the importance of early childhood education.

Mr Chairman, learning through play and inculcating a maker's mindset are not new concepts to the Malay community. Our traditional pantuns and heritage songs display the wisdom of our forefathers in moulding children from a tender age. For instance, the song "Satu satu Aku Sayang Ibu" (Number One – I Love Mummy) and "Satu Tangan Bilangan Lima" (One Hand Shows Five) introduces number concepts and counting through songs, besides teaching the importance of family. The song "Layang-Layang" (Kites) promotes a culture of tinkering through the precise skill of kite making. Hence, we hope events like "PlayFest" for preschool children can complement our efforts to provide quality education that is engaging for our children.

For our children in tertiary education, there is good news. I am pleased to announce that the TTFS scheme, provided by the Government and managed by MENDAKI, has been reviewed. This revision means that more Malay students from low-income families are eligible for subsidies while pursuing diplomas or university degrees. This will take effect from this academic year.

Mr Chairman, the Government is committed to helping the Malay/Muslim community develop institutions that support our religious life, including the institution of madrasahs. I am pleased to announce that MUIS will be providing a Comprehensive Assistance Package to Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al Islamiah. The package includes extension to the lease at its current premises at Sims Avenue for the next 30 years. In addition, extra funding will be provided to strengthen its curriculum and for the professional development of staff.

I am also happy to present the beautiful design of Madrasah Al-Arabiah Al-Islamiah's new campus, which is expected to be ready by 2020. MUIS has committed $10 million and will launch this redevelopment project later this month. I look forward to the community's full support in the upcoming fundraising efforts.

Mr Chairman, one of the main objectives of our madrasahs is to produce religious teachers who can guide the local Muslim community in navigating a fast-paced and challenging world. The community’s desire to build our first Islamic college in Singapore is progressing well. Together with the staff of MUIS, I visited several well-known universities in the Middle East like Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, as well as in America and Canada. We gained many learning points from these visits. What stood out the most are the unique pedagogical approach and curricula that are suited to the context of each country and society.

We will assess all these learning points and the salient ones will be incorporated into our plans for the Islamic college, so that we can produce religious teachers who are confident, knowledgeable in Islamic studies and other skills, such as counselling or social work, conscious about the reality of challenges in the contemporary world and, more importantly, appreciate the context of living in Singapore's plural society.

Mr Chairman, the third strategy is to prepare our Malay/Muslim community to be digitally ready so that we can also seize opportunities in the Digital Economy. This culture must also be swiftly embraced by our businesses. Today, the majority of Malay/Muslim businesses are still operating in their old ways. If they do not transform their businesses quickly through technology, I am concerned that many Malay businesses passed down through the generations, including our delicious nasi padang, will disappear in the face of stiff competition. However, I am happy with the opportunity to engage members from SMCCI recently to emphasise the importance of embracing digital technology if they do not want their business to be adversely affected in the future.

I am also excited with the plans to turn Kampong Glam into the first fully digitally enabled retail neighbourhood. For many years, this area is popular among tourists and locals alike. The Sultan Mosque, the Istana Kampong Gelam, the Gedung Kuning, and the surrounding areas which once formed the transit area for Haj pilgrims in yesteryears, have their own hidden attractions and stories to share. By harnessing technology, the digitisation of Kampong Glam can help merchants enhance their businesses and, at the same time, uncover the rich history and heritage of Kampong Glam, especially to the younger generation, as well as to the whole world. Every visitor can enjoy a unique immersive experience, including the chance to take a journey through our rich heritage, which has been our shared pride and joy.

Mr Chairman, the intent behind these efforts is not simply about taking advantage of technology merely on a surface level; rather, it reflects a deeper genuine commitment of the Malay/Muslim community to continue strengthening ourselves, our families and our community in line with our nation's development. Let us move forward as described in the following pantun:

We went to the fields; the harvest done at last,

The time to roll up our sleeves has passed;

We came to this Chamber; deliberations are over,

It is time to overcome our challenges, together.

11.33 am

(In English): Sir, in closing, the Malay community has come a long way on its journey towards a Community of Excellence. Over the years, we have painstakingly laid the building blocks for current and future generations to grow and realise their fullest potential.

But, Sir, the journey has not always been smooth. It was with hard work and sacrifice that we achieved progress against the odds. It was with pride and love that we stayed strong as a community honouring our traditions. It was with wisdom and courage that we forged our own model of what it means to be Muslim in modern, multiracial and multi-religious Singapore.

The statistics show that we have come very far. But one does not see hopes and dreams nor struggles and victories in statistics alone. For me, what gives me relentless optimism in our future is in the life stories of so many Malay/Muslim families that I have met who have overcome immense odds and made out better lives through their efforts in the everyday.

So, I return to the story of Mr Fadli Sidek, whom I spoke about in my MCI COS speech. His is a story of gumption and resilience, of not wanting to accept defeat, and of achieving his dream in an emerging growth area. He is in cybersecurity, a field that is growing and is a key enabler in our vision to be a Smart Nation. From being a student in ITE, he is now an analyst in a multinational corporation (MNC). Fadli, and many like him, embody all that we believe in and the values and principles that have gotten us here thus far.

Sir, we must focus not only on the destination but also on the journey. We cannot truly say that we have arrived until we have paved the way for all those around us to succeed. Only then will our entire community succeed. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that no one gets left behind.

I call upon those who have achieved a measure of success to step forward and inspire others around you. We have been blessed with selfless and dedicated community and religious leaders who have worked tirelessly in their own capacities, be it in our mosques, madrasahs, community and voluntary organisations. We need more to come forward to contribute in whatever way you can.

As the Prime Minister had mentioned in his New Year message, let us use the occasion of the Bicentennial Celebrations next year to reflect on what it means to be a Singaporean. As we move forward as a community in a multiracial nation within the larger Nusantara, let us ponder on the values that we hold dear as a community, on all the subtle things that define who we are, and on all those links that we have built, as well as the many that we have yet to build, with those around us and in the region.

I am proud and honoured to have been a part of this journey, working hand in hand with all of you. Much remains to be done, and we all need to continue to play our part, in whatever way we can. Let us work together, as one people, always striving to make Singapore the best home for us all. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Senior Parliamentary Secretary Low Yen Ling.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretaries to the Ministers for Education and Trade and Industry (Ms Low Yen Ling): Chairman, the CDCs that were started 20 years ago to assist the needy, bond the people and connect the community are more relevant today than ever before. With an ageing population and the onset of disruptions brought about by technology, there is a greater need for assistance, stability and training to help Singaporeans stay relevant with the new skills and knowledge.

Last year, the CDCs were tasked to raise awareness of the SkillsFuture movement to help Singaporeans better understand the importance of lifelong learning. The personalised My SkillsFuture Portal was launched and the five CDCs brought SkillsFuture advice and career roadshows into the heartlands. These initiatives provide Singaporeans with online and offline assistance as well as up-to-date information on training and job opportunities and a platform to chart their learning and career paths. These efforts support the work of the Future Economy Council by empowering and equipping Singaporeans with opportunities to learn, adapt and upskill as our economy restructures.

The five satellite SME centres at CDCs are part of a bigger network of SME centres island-wide that aimed to support the growth of SMEs. They are not job placement centres. This one-stop centre offers support in areas like business diagnosis, networking and capability-building workshops. The CDCs will expand our outreach to improve our people's skills, resilience and welfare. It is our mission to develop and strengthen our communities to keep our nation united and cohesive.

The Chairman: Minister Chan Chun Sing.

The Minister, Prime Minister's Office (Mr Chan Chun Sing): Mr Chairman, PA is a Statutory Board that supports the elected Government of the day in implementing its policies and programmes. Its mission is to promote social cohesion and racial harmony and connect the people and the Government. Through its community-bonding programmes, PA also explains and gathers citizens’ concerns and feedback on Government policies so that we can be a responsive and responsible Government.

Grassroots advisers are appointed by the Government of the day to guide the PA grassroots organisations in carrying out this mission. This includes explaining difficult and sometimes unpopular policies that are necessary for the future of Singapore, such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) hike and foreign manpower policies. We do not presume that Opposition MPs believe that they will be willing or able to execute this role for the Government of the day.

To address Mr Pritam Singh's question, MPs have their roles to play, such as representing their constituents' views in Parliament and running the Town Council where the MPs have substantial responsibility in the administration and maintenance of public housing estates. Government agencies will work with the respective MPs and grassroots advisers on matters related to their respective roles.

On Mr Faisal Manap's points, let me make the following points.

First, anyone can write to the Government agencies and anyone can help anyone else to write to the Government agencies. And I believe that Government agencies have also received letters from Mr Leon Perera and other people who have previously stood in elections. I am confident that the agencies will know who is the elected MP for that constituency and give the matter due consideration.

I would like to thank Mr Faisal Manap for his suggestion. Yes, indeed, we do appoint people with diverse experiences and background to the Citizens Consultative Committees (CCCs). The key criteria are that we believe that the person can help contribute to the mission of PA, which is to bond our people and help the Government of the day which governs the country, to make us a much more responsive Government.

On the collaboration with Government agencies, let me say that Government agencies will not do and conduct any activities with any political party for political outreach. Government agencies will work with community organisations to meet the needs and to serve the needs of the community where appropriate.

The Chairman: Any clarifications for the moment? Mr Saktiandi Supaat.

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: Just one clarification with the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs. First of all, I thank the Minister for the good news about the change or revision of income eligibility criteria. I have one question. How many more students will benefit from this change of the revision in the eligibility criteria?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, currently, based on the data that we have, because once the student has been helped by TTFS, he or she is helped for the years in the IHLs. So, in stock, we have about 11,000 students currently on TTFS. We expect the number to be higher. We do not have the exact figure at this point in time. Once the applications open, then we will see the numbers. We expect that we will be able to deal with all those cases.

The Chairman: Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: Chairman, the question is directed to Minister Chan Chun Sing. I did not hear or I may have missed it out, but I do not think I am quite clear on the relationship between the CDC and the Town Council, and the Opposition Town Council, in particular. Is it different from, let us say, the PA grassroots adviser and the Town Council? Maybe I will try to use a more specific example.

For example, during a community festival, say, Hari Raya or Chinese New Year, you see banners that are put on lamp posts and there is a CDC logo at the bottom of the lamp post; and sometimes, in other towns, you will see the Town Council logo there as well. Can I just confirm whether there is co-funding involved in the putting up of those banners and can an Opposition Town Council tap on the co-funding from the CDCs?

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, to make the position very clear, Government agencies do not, I say Government agencies do not, fund political outreach for any political party. Government agencies will work with various community partners to serve the needs of the community.

The Chairman: Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: Chairman, I understand that. But the issue is that the Town Council is not a political entity. It is not using the logo of the political party to celebrate this festival, for example. It is essentially the CDC logo and the Town Council logo. There is no political issue. The Aljunied Town Council reaches out to all residents, regardless of their political affiliation.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, if the activity is organised by the CC, if that is what the Member is asking for, then they put their logo there; if the Town Council organises your activity, you put your logo there.

The Chairman: Mr Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: Let me try to be clear. I do apologise if I have not been clear for some reason. It is not an activity that is being organised. It is a banner that is put up to celebrate a festival. It could be Deepavali, it could be Chinese New Year, saying "Best wishes to all residents from the CDC and from the Town Council". This does happen in other wards. And I am just enquiring whether it can be done in the case of an Opposition Town Council. Because there is no political involvement, there is no political activity at all.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Then, I suggest maybe you work with the respective CDC.

The Chairman: Mr Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh: I will do that, Minister. The issue is: would there be an objection from the Government, would there be an objection from the Mayors to have this sort of collaboration with an Opposition Town Council? Because if the Minister says that it should not be a problem, I am pretty sure the Mayors would not object, as well.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, let me be very clear. Let us separate the Government duties from anything that connotes political outreach. The Government of the day must be very careful that whenever it spends its money, whenever it does its outreach, it does not overstep its bound to the political realm. We keep these two functions very separate. So, if there is any collaboration between the Town Council with any of the Government agencies, I think it is best to take up the case specifically.

For example, I believe, in the history of Aljunied Town Council, you have worked with various Government agencies to do various things to serve the community. This includes, for example, during the dengue outbreak, I believe Aljunied Town Council worked with the National Environment Agency (NEA) for the functions that it was supposed to do.

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During the GST hike, I do not presume that the Aljunied Town Council will work with the Ministry of Finance (MOF) to do outreach on explaining that, because it will put the Member in a very difficult position. So, we perfectly understand that. Where it is appropriate, the agencies will work to serve the community of the day.

The Chairman: Mr Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: I have two questions. One is for Minister Yaacob Ibrahim and one for Minister Chan Chun Sing.

For Minister Yaacob Ibrahim, I would like to ask regarding the announcement made by the Minister about MUIS rendering financial assistance to help Madrasah Wak Tanjong Al-Islamiyah (MWTI) with the payment of the land lease. Firstly, I have to declare that I have a child who is schooling in MWTI.

So, I just want to know, by accepting this assistance, what are the terms and conditions that are placed upon MWTI by MUIS? For example, is MWTI required to join the Joint Madrasah System?

Secondly, are members of the MWTI management board to be appointed by MUIS henceforth? If yes, how many of the members?

For Minister Chan Chun Sing, my speech was to ask for clarification. It was not about asking or clarifying about whether any Government agencies accept letters written by any political party members. The Minister mentioned Mr Leon Perera, who is also a Non-Constituency MP (NCMP). My question is about the issue of politicisation and conflict of interest where a particular grassroots adviser goes for house visits, invites the people to come to his MPS which is being held in a political party branch office and the letter written on behalf of the residents is signed off by this particular person who holds two designations: grassroots adviser and political party branch chairman, and the letterhead being used for this appeal letter bears the name of the political party. So, I just want to know, from the Minister's point of view, is there any element of politicisation as well as conflict of interest in this particular example that I have mentioned? I would like to give one more example. So, hopefully, the Minister can give a direct answer to this.

The Chairman: Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, on the issue of MWTI, the package, in terms of the details, are being negotiated now, so I am not at liberty to share. But certainly, what we want to do is to continue to honour the memory of the founder of the madrasah and the identity of the madrasah. The most important thing for us now is to ensure that MWTI continues to perform and serve the students to the best of its ability.

So, MUIS will pump in resources, as I mentioned in my speech, not just for the lease but also in terms of the curriculum and the professional development of our teachers. I would leave it to MUIS and both madrasahs to work out the details. I think we should be happy that we have come to this conclusion that we are now able to move MWTI forward.

They will retain their name, they will retain their identity and, if they want to tap on some of the best things that we have done in the Joint Madrasah System (JMS), I will leave it to the board to do so.

The Chairman: Minister Chan Chun Sing.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, in response to Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap's example, our advice to all our people is this: if the person stays in an Opposition ward, as in the Member's example, if he wants something to be represented to the agencies, the first recourse is to go to his MP, in this case, the Opposition MP.

But in the event that the person says, "Oh, I want to go to the PAP branch", then the protocol for them is very simple. The PAP branch chairman can help you draft the letter, you can sign off the letter, we can help you send the thing, but even if the PAP branch provides the cover letter, he is not the elected MP for that constituency. And I am sure that agencies would know who the elected MP is in that constituency.

The Chairman: Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, I believe the Minister has not answered my question regarding the issue of which I reiterated just now on what are his views, whether there is any conflict of interest and politicisation of the role of a grassroots adviser, based on the example I mentioned earlier.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, many of us have multiple capacities. We sometimes write letters to our own Ministries. But there is a clear difference when you write letters as an MP, as you are performing your MP duty, your political role. If you are the Minister in charge of that Ministry, you have to consider and let your staff consider the merits of the case based on that. So, many of us will have multiple hats. But all of us, all of us, must be very clear as to how we separate those responsibilities.

The Chairman: Mr Muhamad Faisal Manap, last clarification.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, maybe I put it in a very simple and brief manner. I would just like to ask the Minister: this particular grassroots adviser goes for house visits, invites residents to come to see him at his MPS which is being held in a political party branch, as well as the letters sent out being signed by him with his designation as a political party branch chairman. So, I would just like to know whether there is any element of politicisation and conflict of interest in the role of the grassroots adviser in this particular case.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, let me repeat myself: that grassroots adviser, the first thing is to advise his residents to go and see his MP for any representation. If the resident says that, on top of that, he does not want to go and see his MP, he is at liberty to go to the branch. But when he goes to the branch, he must understand that the branch chairman who writes the letter for him or helps him draft the letter and he signed it himself or gave him a cover letter, that is not a MP. Then when the agencies receive the letters, they will know that, in this particular case, who is the MP who is representing the resident and who is the NCMP or not elected MP who is helping them to draft the letter. The agencies will give the appropriate due consideration for the matter at hand.

The Chairman: Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar.

Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar: Mr Chairman, I would like to address this to Minister Yaacob Ibrahim. For students who are already on TTFS and they get, for example, the 50% subsidy under TTFS, can they re-apply under the new criteria?

My second question for the Minister is how much more, in terms of Budget allocation, will this increase in TTFS cost the Government?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, to the first question, the answer is yes. TTFS is managed in a way such that a student who is once denied, can re-apply based on his or her new conditions and, if eligible for TTFS, will remain so, no matter what changes there are to their circumstances going forward.

To the second question, we are still working out the details. I just want to assure the Member that the Budget would be enough from MOF to allow us to service the increased number of students and also to allow us to run some of the programmes that we are able to do for the benefit of TTFS.

The Chairman: Mr Low Thia Khiang.

Mr Low Thia Khiang (Aljunied): Sir, Minister Chan Chun Sing in his earlier reply on the PA talked about political outreach. I would like to seek clarification from him. PA activities are headed by a grassroots adviser, who is a PAP MP, and also a prospective PAP candidate, who is also appointed as the grassroots adviser, or a previous candidate of PAP heading activities on the ground. Are these activities not considered as political outreach?

Mr Chan Chun Sing: Mr Chairman, we make a distinction between political outreach and political impact.

All Government statutory bodies, when we execute our duties, will be serving the Government of the day to reach, to fulfil the agenda for the Government of the day. The Government of the day appoints people to help it outreach, sense the ground, respond to the ground, these are all part and parcel of Government function.

For example, SportSG. SportSG conducts activities on the ground with the community partners. Is SportSG being political? No, it is not. It is fulfilling the functions of the Government of the day.

Then, the Member asked, when a Statutory Board and the Government agencies do their work properly and do their work well, does it have a political impact? The answer is obvious. The Government of the day, the elected Government of the day, has to run the country and have to do its best for the citizens and to fulfil its agenda. That is why we select people to help the Government of the day to make sure that we can connect the people and to connect the people with the Government so that we can become a more responsive society and more responsive Government. There is no contradiction in that.

The Chairman: Mr Azmoon Ahmad.

Mr Azmoon Ahmad: Mr Chairman, I have a question for Minister Yaacob Ibrahim with regard to MENDAKI loans. I presume at this time there are some who are unable to redeem the loan or pay back the loan. Can the Minister share with us how much in terms of statistics that this is now happening?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, it is a good question. We are studying it to ensure that whatever loans that we give and the rate of repayment can allow us to have a sustained programme.

I can safely say that in the last few months or at least a year or so, MENDAKI's staff have been working very hard to be able to get repayment. We understand sometimes when the circumstances do not allow it, because of circumstances, because they cannot get a job, we are prepared to delay. But over the years, the numbers of delayed payments have come down, and I think that is very good news for the community. I am not at liberty to share the details. We are doing a deep dive to ensure that we have the right policy level to ensure that Malay/Muslim students who need study loans are given the right quantum with an assurance of their ability to pay back because the money does not belong to us, it belongs to the community. We just want to make sure that the repayment rate is in such a way that we can sustain the loans that we give out and what other expenditure MENDAKI needs to make use of.

The Chairman: Mr Azmoon Ahmad.

Mr Azmoon Ahmad: I thank the Minister for the answer. May I know what is the appropriate target that MENDAKI has set in order to have this so-called repayment rate to be acceptable?

Assoc Prof Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: Sir, the overall circumstance has to do with the amount of reserves that we need to keep in MENDAKI. MENDAKI is a Self-Help Group. If you check with the National Council of Social Service (NCSS), the guideline is about two to three years of reserves. In case something goes wrong, we have some money. So, we need to balance all of this. It is not just about the loan, because part of the loan that we are able to save goes into our reserves. So, the financial analysis is on not just the loan but the overall needs of MENDAKI in order to service the programmes we have committed to.

I am not at liberty to say how much we have now at the moment, but we are trying to build up our reserves so that at the end of the day we can find that right balance.

The Chairman: I will end the clarifications for this phase. Mr Alex Yam.

Foster Unity Amidst Diversity

Mr Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Mr Chairman, having lived abroad and encountered casual racism on a regular basis, I understand how difficult it is to reach what we call race and perhaps creed blindness. We are all different people, we have our own perspectives, but what can unite us is a common purpose, nationality and pride in our community.

As a nation in constant transition, each generation brings with it new challenges. In the early days, you not only had inter-community tensions but also intra-community ones, too.

However, our focus on a meritocratic system and also careful management of social interactions and mixing of the population has erased the most obvious fault lines. We can, therefore, safely say that Singapore does have a multiracial, multicultural harmonious society to a point.

But despite all our efforts, fault lines do not disappear completely. As we continue to grow as a country, become more educated, we also risk becoming more diverse and divisive. Today, we have issues of self-radicalisation, class divides and ideological tensions to deal with.

I met a young resident earlier in the month who caught me quite off-guard. We were trying to assist him with a difficult appeal on a family matter. He was well-spoken and articulate, but stridently aggressive in his view. Despite calmly explaining to him the situation, he then said that he did not acknowledge the law of the land as he only believed in the sanctity of his own religious laws.

On a separate matter, a grassroots leader also shared with me about his daughter's experience in what some would term as an "elite girls' school". They came from a middle-class background and he was shocked by the bullying that his daughter encountered from more well-to-do peers.

Another is the tension that is becoming more obvious in what can be described broadly as liberal and conservative views in our society. As we contend with political instability and terror threats globally, what can the Ministry do to increase social mixing, especially amongst the young, so that we can continue to grow shared experiences and understanding?

Class Divide

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) study on social capital released in December 2017 highlighted class as an emerging social divide in Singapore, but that this potential divide can be softened by having different groups mix to improve sentiments towards national identity, national pride, social trust and trust towards other racial, religious and nationality groups.

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In a response to the report, the Government said that it would take steps to help facilitate opportunities for people of different backgrounds to mix and, for sensitive issues, in general, a deeper level of engagement and discussions are needed.

On serious divides, such as race and religion, such engagements have included the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs), where Singaporeans can have deep discussions and ask difficult questions. In tackling trust divides, such engagements are very important. As such, given the utility of the IRCC for the respective discussions on race and religion, does the Government have an IRCC-equivalent for discussion on issues of class?

First, as it is with race and religion, awareness on class differences can take various forms, such as acknowledging differences in the use of language – basically, how they speak English, for instance – types of social norms, areas of interest and hobbies. Having a platform that acknowledges these differences and allows a discussion on them can be a step forward towards bridging the divide.

Second, given that shared facilities and common areas, for example, lift lobbies and void decks, are key to improving social engagement among Singaporeans, how does the Government plan to bridge residents across the public-private property divide?

The Chairman: Mr Henry Kwek, you have two cuts. Please take both together.

Tempering Emerging Social Divides

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry (Nee Soon): Singaporeans pride ourselves on living in a fair and just meritocracy.

However, some believe that a social divide is emerging both along race and class lines. Can the Government provide some broad overview of the trends? Can MCCY share what the Government is doing to bring our people together, so as to temper the emergence of social divide? Is there scope for us to strengthen our collaboration with VWOs to bring people together?

Social Cohesion through ActiveSG

MCCY and SportSG have been rolling out new academies and clubs consistently over the past two years. As such, can MCCY provide an update on their progress? What can Singaporeans look forward to in the year ahead? What else is MCCY doing to keep Singaporeans active?

Beyond keeping Singaporeans active and healthy, sports can also bring Singaporeans together. Sports has the ability to turn strangers into friends. It is, indeed, as SportSG mentioned on its website, the real social network.

I recently witnessed that potential when I toured the Woodlands Sports Complex, where many communities of sportspeople were created among residents. Families would come to the complex and participate in different sports. This is not just to bond residents, but also for the whole family to exercise together. By exercising together, they will then have the habit of going to the stadium every Friday and, therefore, maintaining an active regime.

To sustain such good work, it is important for MCCY to invest in community organising staff in our sports complexes, and to build up networks of residents. Will MCCY consider expanding this programme to other sports complexes, including Yio Chu Kang Stadium, which is frequented by my residents?

The Chairman: Ms Joan Pereira, you have two cuts. Please take them both together as well.

Improving Lives through Sports

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Chairman, sports bring much benefits, such as helping to build self-confidence and creating a good sense of time management. These are important traits that are beneficial to the young, especially our youths at-risk.

I have a youth, Abdul Thaslim Hajanajubudeen, who used to live in Henderson-Dawson constituency where SportCares helped turn his life around. Five years ago, he used to hang around at the void deck at Henderson playing street soccer, sometimes causing disturbances to his fellow neighbours. A tutor who provides free tuition and motivational talks in Henderson’s drop-in centre, We Love Learning (WeLL) Centre, encouraged Abdul Thaslim to join SportCares after seeing that he had great potential in athletics.

Abdul Thaslim did, and the rest is history. He won his school’s cross-country race three years in a row and was made one of five running ambassadors for the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore 2014. All the motivational talks he attended at WeLL Centre and training under SportCares taught him strong values of teamwork, discipline, determination and perseverance.

I am very proud to share that Abdul Thaslim, now 20, is in the second year of Higher National ITE Certificate (Nitec) in Mechanical Engineering at ITE College West and is currently mentoring our Henderson youths at the WeLL Centre. He wants to turn his passion for sports into a career in the sports industry. He is determined to gain direct admission to a Sports Management diploma course at a polytechnic. I am sure he can do it and we, at the WeLL Centre, all wish him well.

All these ties in with our desire to help our people live a better quality of life. I would like to ask whether the Ministry is working with not only Government bodies but also tapping on private organisations to broaden the outreach to encourage people, including seniors and those with disabilities, to take up sports to enhance their mental and physical fitness.

Making Active Living a Way of Life

We have been investing in various sports infrastructure across the country, from soccer fields, basketball courts to swimming complexes and track and field complexes. Some of these have been built for many years and I feel that there should be a review of some of the facilities to have them upgraded, or to introduce new facilities which are more popular than they were previously. Delta Sports Complex in my constituency is one such facility that needs upgrading. My Henderson-Dawson residents would be very happy and excited if Delta Sports Complex can be upgraded.

Second, we certainly see many more people exercising in the parks, at the fitness stations, at sports complexes, at gyms, taking part in various organised runs and marathons, and so on. There are also fitness parks for the seniors but their participation can still be greatly improved.

What plans are there to get more people to lead an active lifestyle, especially since we launched a "War against Diabetes"? What is MCCY doing to encourage sports and exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle?

Sports Facilities Masterplan

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Tanjong Pagar): Mr Chairman. I agree with my colleague, Ms Joan Pereira. The provision of sports facilities is important, particularly in residential estates, as it allows our residents to exercise, interact with others in their community, and participate in activities that keep them healthy.

Last year, under Vision 2030, MCCY announced that the aim was for a majority of Singaporeans to have a sports facility within a 10-minute walk from their home. I would like to ask what is the progress in achieving this goal.

There are currently about 87 pay-to-play school fields, 49 free-to-play fields and 77 indoor sports halls. Can the Ministry share what plans are in the works to set up new sports facilities? In addition, are there plans to renovate and upgrade existing sports facilities? I think unlocking more sports facilities within schools for use by the community would certainly reduce the need for new infrastructure to be built.

I have asked this at last year's COS, and I will ask it again: can the Ministry provide an update on the number of participating schools under the Dual-Use Scheme? Is it possible to avail the sports facilities in all schools to the public, after school hours, on all weekday evenings?

Upgrading Boon Lay Sporting Facilities

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (West Coast): I wish to ask if MCCY would consider upgrading the current "hockey village" in Boon Lay constituency which is owned and operated by SportSG and in quite an old condition. This facility is sited adjacent to our Boon Lay CC and is an excellent extension opportunity, considering the limited space and services we can offer at our CC.

I suggest for MCCY to look at three things.

One, to renovate and refurbish the village to introduce a variety of sports and facilities to benefit the sporting enthusiasts and residents living in Boon Lay constituency and the vicinity.

Two, to integrate the facility with our Boon Lay CC to create a seamless access to both facilities, reduce duplication and synergise our efforts through co-sharing of facilities and programmes to enhance sporting excellence and recreational activities and space for our Boon Lay residents.

Three, to create an all-purpose fitness gym which can be accessible by residents for round-the-clock exercise use to maintain a healthy and active lifestyle, as we are short of a gym in Boon Lay CC and there has been strong resident feedback for one.

Sports Hub

Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): The former National Stadium was our nation’s primary venue for events, big and small, including the National Day Parades, and a source of national pride and connection. The $1.3 billion new Singapore Sports Hub, mooted as a replacement for this icon, was the biggest Public-Private-Partnership project at its inception, and was noted to have three cornerstones: an integrated hub for sports and entertainment, a commercially viable model, and a national and global icon.

Since the beginning of operations in 2014, three years after its project, however, the Sports Hub has been plagued with questions on these cornerstones. Even as it saw the opening of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in 2015, and the National Day Parade (NDP) in 2016, there were well-publicised disputes over management woes, consortium disagreements and even tensions between the Government and the consortium over the NDP.

The NDP held in the Sports Hub in 2016 had a bill of $39.4 million, over double the bill for the NDP held at the Floating Platform in the past years, and only costing $1 million less than the SG50 NDP held at the Padang. Perhaps, it is little wonder that the Floating Platform is now mooted as the primary venue of the NDP, with its redevelopment to NS Square.

Even as the Government preaches patience, can the Ministry explain what benchmark it is using to measure the Sports Hub’s viability and success?

On the issue of the Hub’s cornerstone as a national icon, there seems to me a real risk that it might become a white elephant. Now that the NDP is not going to be held at the Sports Hub most of the time, how will the Government steer or nudge the Sports Hub to have a strong connection with Singaporeans at large?

The Chairman: Mr Darryl David, you have three cuts. Please take them together.

Sports SG and Sports Academies

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Mr Chairman, apart from diet control, regular physical activity and exercise are important components of a healthy lifestyle that helps to keep us physically strong and mentally sharp.

From a national perspective, a healthier population would mean everyone spends less of our individual net income on healthcare and related treatments. This is an effective way to ensure that our critical healthcare resources are not tied up to treat preventable diseases.

To encourage Singaporeans, especially our children and youths, to be physically active and take up sports for leisure, MCCY and SportSG have rolled out several academies and clubs to conduct regular classes for different sports in various sports halls and areas. I believe that these academies and clubs are doing well and they have been well-received by the public so far.

Can MCCY provide an update on the enrolment and participation in these academics and clubs? Are there further plans to enhance these sporting programmes to extend them to other sports and activities? And what else does MCCY plan to do to get Singaporeans to be more active?

Team Nila

Team Nila was launched in 2015 to create a common identity for sports volunteers. Since its inception, Team Nila has contributed to various sporting events and its volunteers have distinguished themselves for being professional and having a strong work ethic. I am speaking from personal experience, having interacted with many of our Team Nila volunteers.

With a strong volunteer management programme and a robust volunteer training framework, I believe that Team Nila has the potential to contribute beyond their current role and be a positive force for change within the community.

I would like to ask MCCY if there are plans to further engage Team Nila, so that its volunteers can be deployed beyond sporting events. What are the new skillsets that we would like these volunteers to build on? And how can we develop Team Nila so that it can also be a platform for community volunteer programmes?

Funding and Support for Team Singapore

National athletes, even those who have won medals often, often fork out funds from their own pocket to finance training and travel costs. The launch of the One Team Singapore fund last October is thus a much-needed shot in the arm for our athletes who want to hone their skills and take their sporting prowess further afield to represent Singapore in prestigious games and competitions.

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I understand that under the One Team Singapore initiative, elite athletes could get up to S$100 million in funding, with the Government to match donations of up to S$50 million from Singaporeans and corporate firms from 2017 to 2022. Could the Government provide an update as to how athletes have benefited from this fund so far?

Corporate support for sports is a large part of the culture of many countries where sporting achievements are a hallmark of success. Can support for sporting talent extend to even supporting athletes after they have retired from competitive competition, so that they can mentor and grow the next generation of sports leaders?

To use a sporting metaphor, this will allow us to help them pass the baton to build a lasting sporting culture of indelible memories and boost strong interest in sports.

While the One Team Singapore initiative helps those involved in core sports, there is a possibility for more flexibility in standards, so that athletes from non-core sports that have achieved a certain standard are also supported through funding that helps them grow their talent and boost our Singapore sporting capabilities and our sporting heritage as well.

The Future of Football/SportSG

Mr Ganesh Rajaram (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, Sir, a year ago at this very COS debate, I spoke about the sorry state of Singapore football. And before I get into the state of football in Singapore again, let me just explain why the sport of football is so important to our country.

Football is the most popular sport in the world and, not surprisingly, in Singapore, too. Across the island, it is a common sight to see children of all races running around kicking footballs in void decks, open spaces and grass patches. The sport builds social cohesion, nurtures resilience and teaches the spirit of teamwork from a very young age. It is also one of the few sports that can bring a nation together, as those of us old enough to remember the Malaysia Cup days can attest to. There is also a significant amount of public funds that go towards supporting football in Singapore.

According to an article in TODAY online in January 2017, SportSG administers an annual grant of some $25 million from the Tote Board, a Statutory Board, for the development of football and the S League, our local professional football league. So, a year on, where are we exactly with football in Singapore?

The much anticipated Football Association of Singapore (FAS) elections took place in April last year and a new team was voted into the FAS Council to oversee the sport in the country. Although many in the new Council were from the previous team that managed football in the country, they promised change and a new dawn for the sport in Singapore.

Mr Chairman, Sir, when I made my speech a year ago, Singapore was ranked 164 in the world. I did not think at the time that we would do much worse. Today, we are ranked at 173, an all-time low. Our senior national team has not won a competitive football match in over a year. We have yet to secure a win since we beat Cambodia 1-0 in a friendly match way back in November 2016, close to 16 months ago. We are now ranked behind countries like Laos, Cambodia and St Grenadines. The results for the other age group teams are similar, if not worse.

Our national coach's contract was renewed by the interim FAS Council in the run-up to the elections last year, despite not achieving the set target of a semi-final berth at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Football Federation Suzuki Cup in 2016. When his contract was renewed last year, the national coach was set a target of reaching the Asian Football Confederation Cup finals in 2019. This goal, too, has not been achieved as we have failed to qualify for the tournament.

Mr Chairman, given the dismal results over the past year and a half, what kind of key performance indicators (KPIs) has SportSG set the FAS with regard the national team? Has the FAS set a timeline for the national coach to start delivering results? And now that, for the second time, targets have not been met, what are the FAS' plans with regard the position of national coach?

Mr Chairman, one of the other challenges facing the new FAS Council elected last year was to revive the fortunes of the ailing S League, our professional football league, which has been plagued by low attendances.

In November last year, six months after taking office, the newly elected FAS Council unveiled its plans for the S League and the development of football in the country. The new Council has decided to emphasise youth development and this is at the core of a raft of changes instituted.

From this new season, every S League squad will have at least six players who are under the age of 23. And when the team takes to the field, a minimum of three players in the team of 11 have to be under 23 years old. And another new rule is that the foreign signings quota will be reduced from three to two.

Mr Chairman, Sir, while the emphasis on youth is admirable and shows a long-term approach to the game, it does beg very obvious questions.

One of the key challenges for the new FAS Council was to reinvigorate the S League. How does the Council aim to fill the seats at stadiums across the island, when untested and unknown youth players will be taking to the field? If the quality of play was a major factor for fans staying away from the stadiums, how will the fielding of players who themselves are learning, entice fans to come to the stadiums?

Another major area of concern emanating from this emphasis on youth is coaching. Do we have the ecosystem necessary to facilitate this youth development, and to ensure that the under-23 players have what it takes to compete in the S League?

There was also a recent announcement by the FAS that it will partner privately-run football academies to grow the quality and pool of youth talent. However, the devil, they say, is in the details. How is the FAS going to ensure that the quality and standards it desires are achieved and that coaches have the necessary credentials?

Most of these academies hire ad hoc part-time coaches who may have played football at a senior level but are not qualified or trained to nurture young talent.

But the bigger and more pressing issue is this: while this emphasis on youth is good for the future, what happens to the here and now?

Football youth development will take years – if done well with an adequate coaching set up – to achieve the kinds of standards we aspire to. Meanwhile, World and Asian football are not going to stand still and wait for us to catch up. Are we satisfied with continuing to be has-beens in local and regional tournaments in the foreseeable future? We are already at our worst-ever ranking at 173, I do hope we are not in the race to be the worst-ranked nation in the world of football, the dubious honour currently belonging to Tonga at 206.

So, what can we expect for the new season of the S League that is about to kick off at the end of this month, and football, in general?

Beyond the emphasis on youth, one good development is the strong efforts by the FAS to stamp out smoking among footballers, particularly, the younger players. Personally, I am baffled that it took so long for the FAS to act on this, given that any sport, not just football, should have a zero tolerance for smoking and require athletes to be in peak fitness. Regardless, better late than never, so it is a good move on the part of the FAS.

Mr Chairman, another positive move is the recent tie-up between the FAS and the Sports Hub which makes the National Stadium the home of the Lions. My concern is that with the dismal results and quality of football, will we be doing justice to the magnificent stadium by playing matches with empty terraces?

I hope I am wrong. While the FAS has stated recently that fans should not be fair-weather fans and should show our support for the Lions, surely, we must also acknowledge that when you have had horrible "weather" for a year and a half, even the most diehard fan cannot be criticised for praying for glimpses of sunshine before turning up. Ultimately, it is the performance on the pitch, not rhetoric, aesthetics or partnerships, that will determine how many fans show up.

Mr Chairman, Sir, the first competitive match for the Lions this year will be against the Maldives on 23 March at the National Stadium. I do hope that a win for the Lions will be the beginning of a good year for Singapore football. And I hope very, very much that my next speech on sport will be a celebration of our football successes.

The Chairman: We all hope so, too.

Singapore Football

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, FAS has elected their new Council members on 29 April 2017. A day later, media reports mentioned the newly-elected FAS President, Mr Lim Kia Tong, as saying "The new work starts now and my team and I promise that we will work tirelessly to heal Singapore football and bring back the glory days".

It has been almost a year since the new Council took office. I would like to seek an update from the Ministry on whether FAS has come up with strategic directions and goals for Singapore football, especially for our National Team. I would also like to ask whether FAS has come up with a masterplan to heal Singapore football. If no, when can we expect one?

Secondly, I would like to echo Singapore football fans and enthusiasts' frequently asked question: what has gone wrong with our National Football Team?

It was reported in the media in October 2017 that our National Football Team has slumped to its lowest ever position in the International Federation of Football Association's (FIFA's) overall ranking, dropping 11 notches from the September 2017 ranking of 162 to 173.

In contrast, our Asian counterparts, such as the Philippines, Vietnam and Myanmar, have been showing vast improvements in recent years, and their current FIFA rankings are 116, 121 and 155 respectively.

Sir, I believe we are ahead of these countries in terms of our sports facilities and also in the area of Sports Sciences. We have many initiatives. To name some, the National Football Academy and Centres of Excellence, the Foreign Talent Scheme and FAS Youth Development Programme.

So, the question again is what has gone wrong? Sir, I do not have the answer to this question. I believe FAS will also have a hard time finding answers. One possible way to find the answer to this predicament is for FAS to conduct an in-depth study involving different stakeholders and, more importantly, to involve our national football players from the different eras of 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and the current. I do hope that we will be able to find the healing formula for Singapore's football soon.

Safeguarding our Heritage

Mr Alex Yam: Mr Chairman, having an appreciation for our shared culture and heritage as Singaporeans is key in developing a sense of national identity and pride. It underpins our very confidence as a nation. But as we experience rapid growth, it can be challenging balancing between heritage and development.

What is most visible of heritage is seen in the buildings and our cityscape. It is also in our landscape and nature. It can be experienced in the language that we speak, the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the books we read, the traditions we follow. But most often, heritage is what is inside us, what makes us who we are. It is intangible, immaterial, but felt most keenly inside.

The then-CEO of English Heritage Prof Simon Thurley described what is called the heritage cycle to incorporate culture and heritage into daily life. He describes the four-step process as, first, understanding our culture and heritage. Only then, will we begin to value it. It is from valuing our heritage that we can learn to care for it and eventually find enjoyment or fulfilment from it. With more enjoyment, we will then want to learn and understand more. And so, the cycle continues.

That is something we may consider emulating as we seek to preserve our own heritage in Singapore. Do we do enough to educate ourselves of the importance of our local heritage? Do we value enough our heritage to do more and allow it to thrive again? Do we find fulfilment from our culture and heritage beyond the superficial?

In this light, can the Ministry share how it plans to safeguard, enliven and promote understanding of our heritage, so that we can develop a stronger and more rooted sense of identity in our people? How will the Ministry get more Singaporeans on board and be involved and interested in our heritage plan?

Mr Chairman, our heritage is our touchstone, our point of reference, a mark of identity. As Jackie Kennedy once said: "If we don’t care about our past, we cannot hope for the future".

Access to Arts and Heritage

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Sir, the arts is a platform to encourage inclusiveness within the community. It is also an avenue to empower the less advantaged amongst us, including the isolated elderly, people with disabilities and youths at-risk.

This vision, however, can only be achieved if we make arts accessible to the different groups within our community. This means, everyone, regardless of their social status, background and abilities, should have access to various spaces, such as museums, heritage sites, theatres, and have the opportunity to participate in arts programmes.

Last year, the WeCare Arts Fund was renewed to increase access to the less advantaged groups in our community, the underserved.

Since the Fund was started in 2014, the arts projects involved over 8,000 beneficiaries. This is, indeed, encouraging. Is there any assessment on the value and impact of the programmes on the beneficiaries involved? Also, how many more groups would the Ministry be reaching out to?

We need to continue to ensure that the arts and heritage spaces are accessible. Has the Ministry assessed the accessibility of the different spaces for the different groups? How can our arts and heritage spaces be more inclusive and welcoming for people with disabilities? What else is the Ministry doing to ensure that the underserved and the underprivileged in our community have access to arts and heritage?

The Chairman: Dr Lim Wee Kiak, you have three cuts. Please take them all together.

Arts Sectoral Master Plans

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Sir, the local arts scene has grown much more robust and vibrant in the recent years. This is heartening.

The 2016 statistics from the Ministry indicate that more Singaporeans are taking an active interest in arts and culture, enjoying museums, performing arts and visual arts activities. The keen interest can be seen in both ticketed, as well as free events. The number of arts and cultural companies and arts societies has also been increasing lately.

The data from MCCY is a useful indicator that our arts scene is, indeed, growing but, certainly, there is more to it than numbers.

I would like to ask the Minister for an update on how the arts scene has developed over the last few years, especially since in Budget 2014, MCCY has set aside an additional $20 million over five years to promote our artists, unique heritage, as well as cultural assets overseas. How effectively have these funds been utilised and how has this helped to develop our local arts creators?

Moving forward, what strategies will be employed to further develop our arts scene? Can the Minister share the plans to enhance engagement and education in relation to arts, especially for youths and children?

Public Art Trust

Art enlivens our community, as well as outdoor spaces, and creates shared memories for Singapore. Displaying art in public brings it closer to the people, eradicating the notion that art is only for a specific group of people.

From the heartlands, places of interest, business and shopping districts to the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations, it has become a common sight to see local artists and tourists whipping out their phones to take photographs, as well as people waiting by these art pieces which they have now embraced as landmarks. More importantly, several of all these art pieces are commissioned to local artists, making public spaces an ideal platform to gain exposure.

The various free guided trails deserve more awareness as they are perfect opportunities to instill knowledge on heritage and culture to Singaporeans. Can MCCY update on the Public Art Trust? Are there plans to bring arts to more spaces?

Support for Arts Freelancers

The rise of the "gig economy" brings about many exciting opportunities for freelancers who aspire to be their own boss, pick their own projects and work flexible hours. In reality, the situation is not always rosy for the majority.

Aside from the lack of a stable income, freelancers grapple with a myriad of legal and administrative challenges. Last year’s results of the Graduate Employment Survey indicated that there is an increase in freelance and part-time jobs being evident among graduates from courses in the arts and humanities. This would largely be attributed to the nature of their work, which is mostly project-based and spans across a specific duration.

The Government has introduced measures to help this group of freelancers. The Work Mentorship Programme by Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) aims to give junior creative freelancers a headstart through hands-on-training and mentorship with companies. This is a good scheme in principle. I would like to ask how the response has been from participants and what can be done to enhance the scheme.

Last year, a free handbook was also launched to educate and inform creative freelancers about their legal rights. Thus far, how effective has it been in mitigating the problems that freelancers face from errant clients?

The gig economy is fast becoming a global trend. We can only expect more creative freelancers to enter the industry, whether by choice or by circumstances. What is the Government doing to increase support for freelancers within the arts industry?

The Chairman: Mr Kok Heng Leun, you have two cuts of nine minutes. Please take both together.

Arts and Culture Strategic Review (ACSR) and Looking Forward

Mr Kok Heng Leun (Nominated Member): First, I would like to declare my interest as I run a theatre company in Singapore. I would like to join my fellow colleague, Dr Lim Wee Kiak, to repeat the request for a comprehensive report on the Arts and Culture Strategic Review (ACSR), as we have just finished our first five-year cycle of funding for ACSR.

I would also like to take this opportunity to offer some of my insights on ACSR and some suggestions as to how its scope can be widened. At the moment, ACSR focuses on two key aspects: one, defining the Singaporean identity in a globalised world; two, promoting social cohesion amongst all segments of the population.

So, what is the Singapore identity? If we ask people in the streets, their response might be our food or our language "Singlish", or our behaviour that we are "kiasu", or even our love for shopping.

Globally, the responses might be somewhat different. Some of us would have heard from overseas friends that the Singapore culture is clean, safe, disciplined, not allowed to chew gum, we cane people, and we have little freedom of speech.

But the Singapore identity goes much deeper than that, which I am sure everyone here agrees. The late dramatist, Kuo Pao Kun, had imagined our cultures as a tree with deep roots.

We are, first of all, a multiracial society, where different races do not live in segregation. We practise different faiths and it is not uncommon to see different places of worship lined up next to one another. That is a unique symbol of our identity. We speak different languages and use different registers with one another, often with ease.

Our identity goes beyond food and shopping. It is encapsulated by our cultures, our memories and our social connections. All these come together to form a collective body that we can identify with in an instinctive way.

So, when we talk about defining the Singapore identity in a globalised world, we should talk about our uniqueness that define us in a positive way; we should talk about our sense of belonging, our shared experiences and histories; we should talk about our loyalty, our patriotism and our emotional connection to our country, our past and our future.

Next year, we are celebrating Singapore's Bicentennial. But what do we really know about our past or, rather, what do we know beyond the surface − the stories of colonisation?

Historically, Singapore has a deep and rich relationship within the Southeast Asian region; it was part of the Srivijaya and Majapahit empires. Archaeological excavations in Singapore have confirmed that we were more than an insignificant mudflat or sleepy fishing village, as often painted by official narratives. Instead, we were a thriving settlement and port way back from the 14th century.

History is not a single monolithic narrative. It is one composed of diverse players and their struggles. Some are victors, some are losers. But everyone’s story is equally valued, because we learn lessons from history ─ lessons of courage, of defeat, of convictions, of quests to build better lives for communities beyond oneself. These stories become part of the fabric of who we are, collectively, as Singaporeans.

Stories about Singapore's colonisation, our fight for Independence, the struggle during the 1950s and 1960s; stories about communists and ex-communists, stories about so-called Marxist conspiracies, stories about men and women incarcerated, detained without trial. These are stories which should be part of our national conversation. Instead, they are often hidden and often ignored in the national narrative.

Why is the Government so averse to these narratives and dissensus? Why are certain Singapore artworks which offer alternative or counter narratives restricted from public screening or slapped with a Restricted Artistic (RA) rating, suitable only for those 18 and above? Why should Singaporeans, especially younger Singaporeans, be denied the multifaceted and complex histories that make up our identity? Complexity matters because it shows how diverse we are, and also how courageous we can be in confronting ourselves ─ our achievements and our errors alike. The diversity of our narratives needs to be validated with immediate effect.

Our people today are a mature, discerning one. By providing access to disparate perspectives of history, as opposed to any "official" account, we are not only acknowledging that Singaporeans can think critically, but also have every right as a citizen of this nation to do so. When we silence or disregard certain narratives, are we then effectively saying our people are incapable of understanding complexities, or that we do not trust them enough to do so?

I would like to quote Mr S Rajaratnam, who, besides being a much-respected politician, was also an established and published writer. He wrote in a radio play which was performed in the 1960s.

"A national history and national consciousness begin when the history of every community is accepted as part of a common Malayan history, just as in Europe, the history of the groups, tribes and states were moulded into a common national history. It is not a question of falsifying history, but of re-examining historical facts in the light of the present.

Therefore, search the buried past ─ the stones, monuments, chronicles, folklore, language, religion, bones, names ─ all the curled, gnarled roots sunk in the soil of history. Look at history from the standpoint of the Malayan Man, from the viewpoint of a people on the threshold of Merdeka turning to look back at the long road they have travelled. Do this and you will see a new pattern, a meaningful pattern emerging out of the past."

Because of his appreciation and involvement in the arts, Mr Rajaratnam, I believe, was a more all-rounded, astute and humane politician.

Which brings me to my next point – Arts Education. The ACSR report has a significant focus on Arts Education in school, as well as at a community level, with the aim to bring the arts closer to the people, and also to increase their knowledge of art.

With active participation, people become more creative, too, but is creativity an end in itself? I urge our arts educators to go beyond that. We should aim for our community and students to make creative interventions. Creative intervention is about putting creative thinking into solving problems, communal issues and social issues.

Creative interventions mean that the people become activists of their own lives. It means people become more political. I do not mean party politics. Rather, when people become conscientised, they become more aware of their rights, choices and decisions. They become better citizens. This will definitely benefit any ruling government, because an active and informed citizenry can comprehend Government policies and implementations better.

Creative interventions steer us from viewing our world solely as a coldly pragmatic one, focused just on economic returns or efficiency. Instead, we begin to understand our interconnectedness – people to people, people to institutions, people to environment. Our values will then be influenced by the consideration of our shared space and based on mutual respect and dignity.

After all, the second key ACSR focus is: promoting social cohesion amongst all segments of the population. Is that why PA is keen to organise huge numbers of large events at their community centres? Social cohesion cannot come from watching ad hoc art events in communities and schools. It comes from engagement and dialogue, speaking and listening. We need to socially care before we can socially cohere.

I would like to end by talking about artists and their sustainability.

Our Southeast Asia Connection

It takes many years of support to hone an artist’s craft. Even so, only a handful amongst artists will be able to gain international standing. Not every artist that gets a grant will be successful but, like any research and development (R&D), the cultural capital accumulated in the process will have a long-lasting impact. Just like what Mr Sim Wong Hoo was going through, 20 years before he got into another new innovation.

Funding is limited, especially for smaller companies, individual artists and groups and artists that push boundaries, take risks and create experiment artwork. It is especially difficult for them to secure funding from private donors and corporate sponsors.

How then can we support these artistic experimentations? One sustainable approach is to build the capacity of our bigger institutions like the Esplanade, Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) and Singapore Chinese Orchestra (SCO). Develop their fundraising team so that they can obtain more corporate sponsorship. Once this is achieved, the state can then divert more funding and play a role similar to that of a venture capitalist, providing support to these artists who are innovative and experimental, and who need a leg up.

Now, I would also like to first thank all our colleagues who have been talking about the importance of arts and culture. So, here, I would like to end with a plea to all politicians: please try to understand and engage with arts and culture more deeply. Look beyond the statistics, economics, policies, deliverables and KPIs. Behind each of these is a human story. Your humanistic experience and profound participation in arts will make you more aware of the people you serve and also of the artists' significance in society.

There are thousands of full-time, part-time and freelance arts educators, art students and artists in Singapore. Please come to our performances and exhibitions, literature festivals and buy Singlit. Experience the richness of our narratives.

The Chairman: Could the Member kindly wrap up your speech, please?

Mr Kok Heng Leun: Stay back for our post-show discussions. Make meaning, share your thoughts and engage with us.

Mixed Cohort Outward Bound School (OBS) Camps

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye: Mr Chairman, a recent study, conducted by IPS on Social Capital in Singapore found that diversity in social networks among Singaporeans strengthens social capital, trust, national identity and national pride. The study also found that more can be done to improve the mixing among the various socioeconomic classes, especially people with different school backgrounds.

12.45 pm

Last year, MCCY announced that mixed-cohort camps would be established to bring students from different backgrounds together through the Outward Bound School (OBS). Since its launch, some 6,000 Secondary 3 students from 28 secondary schools have taken part in OBS camps. Can MCCY provide an update on the progress of this initiative and its effectiveness at encouraging mixing among students of different backgrounds?

The IPS study also highlighted that people who study in elite schools also tend to be less close to those in non-elite schools and vice versa. Can we ensure that each of these OBS camps includes students from both the so-called elite and non-elite schools?

To strengthen social cohesion, it is important that our youths interact with different groups to understand one another's views. Hopefully, through these camps, our youths can form lifelong friendships with one another, regardless of class.

Connecting our Youths to ASEAN

Mr Kwek Hian Chuan Henry: Chairman, during the Budget Debate, I spoke about getting our youths to think ASEAN.

It is important for Singapore, especially our youths, to understand, network and integrate with other ASEAN countries, given ASEAN's rising economic force and as driver of global growth. It is more important than ever that our youths learn more about the region, instead of looking only at the traditional markets like the West and China.

What are the Ministry's plans to strengthen cultural and people-to-people ties within ASEAN during Singapore's Chairmanship year? Does MCCY plan to use this opportunity as ASEAN Chair to help integrate our youths with the ASEAN community, and to get our youths to feel more to think ASEAN?

How can we encourage our youths to further explore the opportunities available to them in ASEAN and to experience all the cultures and experiences that ASEAN neighbours can offer? I also hope for our youths also get the chance to see the economic dynamism and opportunities within ASEAN.

Lastly, is there more that MCCY can do to work together with MTI and MOE, through a whole-of-Government approach, to shift our youths' mindset to think ASEAN?

The Chairman: Ms Sun Xueling, you can take your two cuts together, please.

Our Youths and ASEAN

Ms Sun Xueling (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Chairman, we need forward-looking and entrepreneurial youths to flourish in the new economy. Hence, it is more important than ever that our youths learn more about the region.

The ASEAN Workplan on Youth 2016 to 2020 is a good start. The five tenets of entrepreneurship, employment, awareness of ASEAN, volunteerism, and leadership and resilience as well are worthy goals for any youth to aspire to. How do we improve our youths' capabilities in these areas and prepare them for the future?

We need to expose our youths to the different cultures and experiences that our ASEAN neighbours have to offer. How does the Singapore-ASEAN Youth Fund help integrate our youths further with the ASEAN community? Can we tap upon successfully implemented programmes, such as the ASEAN Youth Summit, to drive collaborative progress throughout ASEAN?

Engaging our Youths

A report by Citi Foundation and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) published in 2015 ranked Singaporean youths aged between 13 and 25, 32nd out of 35 cities in terms of optimism about their economic future. Understandably, the knowledge that a more volatile and complex economy will require skills that youths may not yet fully grasp, can present a daunting future.

But like past generations of young Singaporeans, youths strive to create a future for themselves amidst uncertainty. In the process, youths balance their ideals with the need to make pragmatic solutions, because pragmatism allows the best ways and best methods to be selected to support ideals, and idealism is needed to give meaning to the need to be pragmatic.

Chairman, I would like to inquire how MCCY plans to engage youths to support them to achieve their ideals. Further, how do we work with them to take in their inputs on key policy issues? How do we bridge gaps in evolving value systems and focus on the common traits that bind across generations?

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

Youth Engagement

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Thank you, Chairman. The youths of today will be the ones helming the nation in the future. It is crucial to engage them and let them have a say on key issues affecting our people. I note that the Ministry has taken a lot of effort to engage our young people.

In particular, I note that the National Youth Council (NYC) has done a lot over the years to understand youths and refine its outreach. I am a new council member, and it has been exciting to hear about the work in this sector.

Reaching out to the diverse groups of youths can be challenging. The youths today have very different experiences from the generations before them and aspire for different things. There is, therefore, a need to truly understand the group before we can harness their potential. There is scope to enhance such engagements by having targeted approaches for the different archetypes of youths. Not all young people are the same. Not all are vocal and not all may be interested in giving their views. But they should be interested, and their views matter.

We could look at sharing information and obtaining feedback in the medium that is more suitable and comfortable for the different groups. This could mean repackaging information in bite-sized forms and engaging them through social media. We go to them, have discussion sessions where they hang out after school or where they seek recreation. We should also be open to implement meaningful ideas generated from the discussions.

I, therefore, hope the Ministry will consider providing our youths with opportunities to play a part in policy making. This could encourage more mature and constructive discussions in the youth sphere, which will, hopefully, help to shape views and instill the youths with the same sense of responsibility and ownership of our Pioneer Generation.

Our Singapore Fund

We say this very often, that we all have a part to play in our nation's development. However, we need to go beyond platitudes and think about the things that we can do to contribute to our country.

Our Singapore Fund was established in August 2016 following from Our Singapore Conversation. I saw it as a call to action, a platform which allows Singaporeans to take ownership of their vision for the country and do something about it.

I am, therefore, keen to find out more about the usage of this fund. I think the usage can give a reflection of people's passion in doing various projects for the community. The data could perhaps inform us about the awareness of the fund and the different interests out there. Perhaps we could do more to encourage more people to use the fund.

I would like to ask the Ministry for an update on the status of Our Singapore Fund. How many projects have been funded to date, and has there been any review of the eligibility criteria to encourage more people to apply for the fund?

Charities and Online Donations

Mr Darryl David: Sir, I would like to declare my interest as the CEO of a charity and Institute of Public Character (IPC).

The Singapore Government has generally maintained an arm's length relationships with charities. Under the current framework, the Government sets the broad policies and directions and leaves it to NCSS to disburse funding and the Commissioner of Charities to police them.

Apart from a small number of charities that have the financial resources to employ a management team, most charities are volunteer-run and are supported by a small administrative team. It is unrealistic to expect these smaller charities to have complex management systems and be well-versed with all the regulations associated with the collection of donations.

How can the Government help these smaller volunteer-run charities to better understand the complexities of running a charitable organisation and help them meet the standards of transparency and accountability?

There is also a danger that these disingenuous individuals might take advantage of public compassion to solicit funds in the name of charity and divert those funds for non-charitable purposes. The problem is likely to be exacerbated by the rise of fake news and Internet scams where scammers create official-looking websites and documents to try and trick or deceive the public and donors into donating funds.

In light of these challenges, how can the Government help citizens to discern between a real donation drive from a fake one, and help them to understand what to look out for when donating to charities, especially in the case of online charity donation drives?

The Chairman: Minister Grace Fu.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien): Mr Chairman, I would like to thank all the Members who have spoken on the work of MCCY. With your permission, I would like to distribute handouts and display some slides.

The Chairman: Yes, please. [Handouts were distributed and slides shown to hon Members.]

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: MCCY was formed just over five years ago at a time when we were starting to see the emergence of new fault lines and a more fractious global environment.

Today, global forces continue to pull at the fabric of societies. Globalisation is creating wider opportunity, but also economic dislocation. This has fuelled discontent among those left behind and a rising mood of nativism. The Internet is offering people a broader reach, more choice over what to pay attention to and what to filter out, resulting in online echo chambers that polarise society. We see people retreating into insular communities based on their faith, ethnicity, status or ideology.

The key challenge for us, therefore, is how we can strengthen our social fabric and solidarity in the face of these forces, so that we remain resilient in turbulent times. Only a united Singapore can withstand the headwinds we will face in the future.

In confronting this challenge, we will be building on strong foundations. Over the last 50 years, we have grown a shared sense of national identity that anchors every Singaporean, so that we can stand fast in the face of change, and stride confidently into the future as a nation.

Since the formation of MCCY five years ago, we have been working tirelessly to build the three "Cs" that are the cornerstones of a strong society – a Caring people, a Cohesive Society and a Confident nation. As Dr Lim Wee Kiak noted, through our work in the arts, heritage, sports, volunteerism, youth and community sectors, we have made good progress over the years.

We have developed a vibrant cultural, community, sports and youth landscape. We introduced free entry to museums and cultural institutions and kickstarted ActiveSG for Singaporeans from all walks of life to have greater access to the arts, heritage and sports.

The year 2015 was our Golden Jubilee, and SG50 saw many highlights, such as the inscription of the much-loved Singapore Botanic Gardens as our first United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, the opening of the National Gallery and hosting of the 28th SEA Games and 8th ASEAN Para Games.

We grew audiences in the arts and heritage through broad-based festivals and programmes, such as the Singapore Night Festival and the Heritage Festival, as well as high-quality platforms, such as the Singapore Art Week. Together with the SHINE Festival for youths, as well as GetActive! Singapore, which includes the Singapore National Games and Inclusive Sports Festival, we united our nation in celebration.

In engaging our community and youth, we created new platforms for dialogue and interaction, such as SGfuture and BRIDGE.

We also provided support for ground-up initiatives and volunteerism through Our Singapore Fund, Harmony Fund, Youth Corps Singapore, and Company of Good so that more Singaporeans can contribute to our community.

We made significant investments in new and refurbished facilities for culture, community, youth and sports. These include the National Gallery Singapore, Indian Heritage Centre, Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, National Museum of Singapore, HeartBeat@Bedok and OBS@Coney campus.

We set up the Cultural Matching Fund (CMF) and the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) to encourage shared ownership in growing our cultural and sports sectors.

Our efforts have borne fruit. Singaporeans' engagement in the arts, heritage and sports has grown. Seventy-eight percent attended at least one arts and culture activity in 2015, and 61% participated in sports regularly in 2016. Both increased from just over 40% in 2011.

Volunteerism and philanthropy have also grown. Our volunteerism rate doubled from 18% in 2014 to 35% in 2016, and donations increased by over $200 million, from $2.5 billion in 2013 to $2.7 billion in 2015.

Nine in 10 Singaporeans are satisfied with race and religion relations. Well over 90% are proud to be a Singaporean and think of Singapore as their Home.

This is the business of MCCY. It is about building a home we are anchored to, cared for and feel proud of. It is about making home a place where we can lead fulfilled lives and pursue our dreams. What we do goes to the heart of the nation, because home is where the heart is.

This year, MCCY will focus on partnering Singaporeans in building a home where we share memories, values and aspirations; a home where we respect, understand and trust one another; and a home where we care and look out for one another.

Our nation's diversity is growing, whether in terms of nationality, affiliation or belief. This growing diversity can be a source of creativity, vibrancy and innovation. But it can only be a strength if we are united and share a common purpose that is bigger than our differences. Binding a diverse nation means emphasising shared identities we have across colour, creed or class lines, based on our shared heritage, values and aspirations for the future.

Through the arts and heritage, we celebrate our diversity by understanding where we come from, appreciating who we are and our place in the world.

1.00 pm

Mr Kok Heng Leun spoke about the need to take stock of what we have achieved under ACSR and our plans going forward. We have made significant achievements under ACSR in developing an arts and culture landscape which has brought more value to Singapore and Singaporeans. But we do not intend to rest on our laurels and will continue to enhance our efforts through sectoral plans for the performing arts, literary and visual arts. Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng will share more about these plans.

Mr Kok Heng Leun and Mr Alex Yam asked how we are safeguarding our heritage to strengthen our identity. I agree with Mr Kok Heng Leun that our history is an important part of what makes us Singaporean and is expressed through our arts, culture and heritage.

This year, we will kickstart the first five-year instalment of Our SG Heritage Plan, our first long-term comprehensive national masterplan to safeguard and promote our shared heritage for future generations. Sixty-six million dollars have been set aside to implement this plan.

Over the past two years, we have reached out to 34,000 Singaporeans from all walks of life for their views on our heritage plans. We are heartened by the widespread support for the Heritage Plan and its four themes of work: Our Places, Our Cultures, Our Treasures and Our Communities.

Under Our Places, we will develop strategies to better preserve our tangible heritage, to ensure we balance heritage considerations in development plans at an early stage.

We will also enhance measures to better safeguard Our Cultures, our traditions, rituals, festivals and food that make up our intangible cultural heritage. They are the thread of continuity that connects our present to the past, and that must be safeguarded and extended into the future.

As part of Our Treasures, we will showcase more museum collections and exhibitions that resonate with our people and encourage a strong museum-going culture.

These three themes will be supported by enhanced digital touchpoints, more ground-up heritage projects and expanded outreach to Our Communities. Everyone in the community can play a part in keeping our shared heritage alive and vibrant.

I am pleased to announce that we have ratified the UNESCO 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage on 22 February 2018. As a member state, we will work towards listing an element on the UNESCO Representative List. In the coming months, we will continue our conversations with the community to uncover the intangibles that resonate with Singaporeans. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann and Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng will lead some of these engagements.

In addition, we will also be making changes to the relevant legislation within the next two years to better support the preservation of both our tangible and intangible heritage, and to safeguard our archaeological history more effectively. We will share more details at the Singapore Heritage Festival next month.

Knowing what we have in common is not enough to build a strong society. We also need to have meaningful interactions with one another, especially with those different from us. This is easier said than done. People naturally gravitate towards those who share the same background, convictions or opinions.

Mr Faisal Manap, and earlier Ms Jessica Tan and Mr Amrin Amin spoke about the recent Study on Social Capital in Singapore by IPS on concerns of a growing class divide. Contrary to what some may assume, inequality has reduced in Singapore, more so if Government transfers are included. In his reply to a recent Parliamentary Question (PQ), the Prime Minister shared that Singapore's Gini coefficient has fallen over a 10-year period.

IPS studied the diversity of our social networks and whether we were mixing with people different from ourselves. It found that people tend to have networks with people of similar school background and type of housing. This is not unexpected. We connect with people whom we went to school with, and those who move in the same social circles. Importantly, the study also found that respondents were able to name people in occupations ranging from low to medium to high status and prestige. Most Singaporeans also had friends who were of a different race or religion. Many respondents and their neighbours helped one another with house matters. Singaporeans are meeting and making friends with people from different walks of life.

Mr Alex Yam and Mr Henry Kwek highlighted the importance of social mixing as our society becomes more diverse. There will be fault lines in any society. What matters is that we do not let that divide us, and we grow the common spaces where we encounter and connect with one another. A key finding of the IPS study was that participation in sports, arts and volunteer activities, in addition to schools and workplaces, promotes social interaction and integration across groups, and these are precisely the areas where MCCY has been working hard at to nurture social cohesion.

At MCCY, we will continue to expand the common space for interactions and shared experiences across different social groups, through honest dialogues, shared spaces and inclusive programmes. Let me first explain what we do in the area of racial and religious relations.

We are a nation that prides itself on its racial and religious diversity. Singaporeans are willing to accept differences in cultural and religious beliefs, views and practices, even though they may not agree with them. Yet, many Singaporeans still feel uncomfortable discussing issues related to race and religion, for fear of causing offence. Such inhibitions can breed ignorance which, in turn, can fuel prejudices and divides in our society. In a global climate of growing intolerance, it is important that we bridge this knowledge gap.

And that is why we introduced BRIDGE in March last year, to facilitate and support community-led initiatives that use dialogue to deepen understanding on sensitive issues of race and religion. Since its launch, we have reached out to over 5,000 participants ranging from religious and community leaders to youths and working professionals.

One example is "Ask Me Anything", a series of conferences to deepen understanding of specific religions amongst believers of other faiths. The Ask Me Anything (Islam) series run by the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) kicked off with success. Participants asked questions about Islam, which were addressed in small group settings and panel discussions. The conference provided a platform for healthy dialogue, where questions were civilly raised and honestly answered. It proved that we can have honest, healthy and frank discussions on matters of faith.

Our focus for the coming year is to ensure that we grow and sustain this culture where Singaporeans engage one another on sensitive topics. To do so, we will scale up projects that have the potential to reach wider audiences and also expand outreach through social media. For instance, riding on the success of Ask Me Anything (Islam) series, we have brought in more partners, in collaboration with religious organisations, to run the Ask Me Anything (Buddhism) Series, and the Ask Me Anything (Christianity) series. Our partners on the Ask Me Anything series will also produce online content, such as articles and videos related to the conferences, so that information can be shared with those who did not attend the events.

By bridging potential tensions and social divides within Singapore, we stand a better chance in combating the threat of terrorism. In line with our national SGSecure movement against terrorism, we established the SGSecure Community Network (SGCN) last year. The network will reach out to, connect with, and build crisis management capabilities in all religious organisations. This network will go beyond the 1,500 member-strong IRCCs to include those that are not members.

These efforts will strengthen cohesion, trust and resilience in peacetime so that, collectively, we are able to protect our communities and bounce back in a crisis. Going forward, we will deepen our engagement and build stronger ties with these religious organisations, as well as expand our outreach to the wider religious community.

As Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Ms Sun Xueling emphasised, it is important to engage our youths on key policy issues. Our youths are our future. They will be the ones bringing Singapore forward. Our youths are also our present. They have much to give to the here and now.

Our surveys show that our youths are proud to be Singaporean and are committed to the country. Many are willing and able to step up, take action and work with one another or with Government on ideas and projects that will take us forward.

So, my Ministry will kickstart the Youth Conversations in April this year to bring them together. Through conversation and dialogue, we hope that our youths will be informed on important issues, listen to one another’s views, negotiate differences and find new solutions together and with the Government.

How will the Youth Conversations be different from previous consultations? First, we will be sharing more policy thoughts and considerations with our youths. We will listen more to understand our youths' views, concerns and aspirations. We will provide more support for our youths in generating and implementing their ideas.

For a start, my Ministry will work with fellow Government agencies to identify areas of interest to our youths. Whether it is about protecting our environment or creating job opportunities in the future economy, we want to address important issues that are on the minds of our youths. We will also invite youths to propose topics that they would like to discuss and be engaged on.

Second, we are experimenting with different and novel modes of engagement. Participants can expect the conversations to be more candid and interactive. The conversations should broaden their horizons. This will be a platform where youths meet not just like-minded peers but also make new friends who may come from different backgrounds and hold different beliefs and perspectives.

For example, just last month, we brought together 38 youths from different schools and IHLs to participate in Project Hope and Home. In small groups, youths shared candidly about what “hope and home” meant to them and came up with ideas on how to build a better Singapore. The intimate setting provided a safe space for these youths, some of whom may be more reserved to have deeper conversations on their hopes and aspirations.

At the end of the session, through the task of putting up a short skit, 18-year-old Asri Aziz and his group discovered that they share a common vision of strengthening community bonds and celebrating multiculturalism. They showed fellow participants how our hawker centres provide a common space for people from all walks of life to share food and create shared experiences. After the event, Asri said, “I realised that there are other youths just like me, who dream for a better Singapore together.”

We will continue to try different methods of engagement, such as hackathons and Citizen’s Jury. Youths can also learn ways of crowdsourcing and co-creating ideas with the community. Aside from face-to-face conversations, we are also bringing these conversations online. We will use technology to stay relevant and connected with our youths. We will be developing a digital platform that can facilitate real-time conversations across large online communities and enable participants to build and sustain connections with one another.

Dialogue is a good way to bring people together. Inclusive programmes and shared spaces are another. Just as Mr Henry Kwek shared earlier, sport has been a powerful platform for social mixing. Eight in 10 Singaporeans agree that sport has provided an ideal platform for them to socialise with people of a different background.

With the launch of ActiveSG in 2014, we saw an expansion of everyday sporting opportunities for all Singaporeans to participate and bond through sport. We now have close to 1.4 million ActiveSG members on board.

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Today, our ActiveSG Sports Centres work with the grassroots organisations to co-create sporting activities for the community. I am glad to hear that Mr Henry Kwek endorses our ActiveSG programmes and I assure him that we will be enhancing the programme at our sporting spaces.

We hope to sustain this momentum with our ActiveSG Academies and Clubs. Mr Henry Kwek and Mr Darryl David asked about the status and future plans of the Academies and Clubs. Since 2016, we have launched 10 ActiveSG Academies and Clubs, reaching out to about 25,000 participants. Besides offering affordable and structured programmes for our children, they also bring families, neighbours and sports enthusiasts from all backgrounds together.

Take the ActiveSG Football Academy (AFA) Dads, for example. Here they are. This group of fathers, in their 30s to 50s, meets regularly while accompanying their children for classes at the ActiveSG Football Academy at Bedok. They come from different backgrounds – real estate agents, drivers, business owners, civil servants – but their love for football connected them. They formed a team of their own representing the Bedok Sports Centre and started playing together. They are not alone. We now have six teams in Bedok, Woodlands, Clementi, Tampines, Serangoon and Jurong East. At a recent ActiveSG Football Academy end-of-season festival, besides the children, the AFA Dads had their own tournament, too!

I am pleased to share that we will roll out more Academies and Clubs in sports, such as aquatics, canoeing, dance fit, gymnastics, martial arts, table tennis, volleyball and youth sports.

Another initiative, launched in 2016, is GetActive!, a nationwide sporting event that unites Singaporeans in celebration of our nation’s birthday. For GetActive! Singapore 2018, we will expand the footprint and bring the celebrations even closer to the community. The biennial Singapore National Games will return and will incorporate the National Para Games, which will be the largest national para sports competition. We will partner the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) to introduce more para and adaptive sports events.

Under the Sports Facilities Master Plan, we will enhance and expand sporting access to Singaporeans through an extensive network of sporting spaces across the country. Mr Melvin Yong asked about the progress on this front.

At the regional and town levels, we have opened sports centres at Our Tampines Hub and HeartBeat@Bedok. In the next few years, a new integrated sports and community hub in Sembawang will be ready. Details will be announced later this year. We also have new facilities lined up, including new playfields at Yan Kit and Jurong Lake. The latter will be our first "sport-in-the-park" collaboration with the National Parks Board (NParks).

Through our Sports-in-Precinct programme and Dual-Use Scheme, we continue to roll out accessible play spaces and facilities closer to our neighbourhoods. Following the pilot projects in Boon Lay and Jurong Spring, we will be developing six more Sports-in-Precinct facilities in Bukit Batok, Keat Hong, Hong Kah North, Nee Soon Central, Taman Jurong and Tampines North constituencies.

Under the Dual-Use Scheme, we now have close to 260 facilities, including Indoor Sports Halls, courts and fields opened for shared use. We will progressively open up the remaining 300 or so Dual-Use Scheme facilities by around 2020.

Ms Joan Pereira and Mr Melvin Yong spoke about upgrading the older sports complexes. SportSG is rejuvenating our existing public sports facilities in phases under the Master Plan to cater to increasing demand and ensure greater accessibility to our existing sports centres. This year, we will see the rejuvenation of a few sports centres, such as those in Delta and Choa Chu Kang. I would like to assure Mr Patrick Tay that we will rejuvenate the Boon Lay Hockey Village in the near future. SportSG will also work with Boon Lay CC on sharing facilities and programmes to enhance sporting experiences for residents.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the Sports Hub. The Sports Hub is a place where memories as a nation is made, where Singaporeans can come together to enjoy a wide range of sports, lifestyle and entertainment events, celebrate our National Day and cheer on Team Singapore like we did at the SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games in 2015. It is also an important training venue for many of our National Sports Associations (NSAs).

The Sports Hub has seen a steady increase in its visitor traffic since opening in 2014. Last year, it welcomed about 1.4 million visitors attending over 200 events across its venues, an increase from about 1.2 million visitors attending over 180 events in 2016. This year, it will continue to host major sporting events like the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) Singapore Rugby Sevens, the International Champions Cup and the National Schools’ Games. An ASEAN e-Sports tournament will also be held at the Sports Hub for the first time, in conjunction with GetActive! Singapore and National Youth Council’s SHINE Festival. These events will take place alongside the regular community programming, such as the quarterly Sports Hub Community Play Days and free Learn-to-Play Programmes.

Like many Singaporeans and like Ms Sylvia Lim, we have high expectations for the Sports Hub, and we share the view that the operator SportsHub Pte Ltd (SHPL) can do more to enhance the vibrancy of the project. SportSG is closely monitoring the operator’s performance and is in regular communication with its top management to ensure that we realise the value of the Sports Hub for Singaporeans.

In his Budget Statement, Minister Heng Swee Keat highlighted that one of the major shifts we will see in the coming decade is ageing. To meet the challenges of an ageing society, the Ministry of Health (MOH) declared War on Diabetes last year as a national effort to keep our population healthy as we age. I agree with Ms Joan Pereira and Mr Darryl David that sports and exercise are also important for health. Therefore, in this war, my Ministry will play our part through Active Health, a national social movement to spur Singaporeans to take ownership of their health and wellness, help one another meet their goals and to celebrate living better through sports together. Going beyond healthcare to health, Active Health will be a journey that we embark on together for health and wellness through sports.

Just as sports can bring communities together, it takes a community to nurture healthy, active and engaged individuals who will live better through sports. Staying healthy is more than having a first-class national healthcare system. It is about having family, friends, colleagues and community organisations joining efforts to support one another stay healthy.

Members may have heard of Mr Joseph Chen’s Active Health journey. Over three months ago, 27-year-old Joseph visited his general practitioner (GP) because of a cold. Concerned by his blood pressure readings, the doctor referred him to the Active Health Lab. At the lab, Joseph went through a free onboarding session comprising a series of non-invasive assessments on body composition and other health markers, for an overview of his current health status. At almost 126 kilogrammes (kg) then, our Active Health experts worked with Joseph to set his personal health and wellness goals and advised him to start making small changes to his lifestyle. Joseph, who used to have a largely sedentary lifestyle, started walking more, watching his diet and sleeping better. A newspaper reported his case in February and mentioned that he has lost three kg in one month. I am happy to report that Joseph is now exercising more, six days a week, Monday to Saturday. Sunday, he rests. His exercise comprises running interval trainings, strength workouts and stretching exercises. Since starting his Active Health journey and after three follow-up sessions, Joseph lost about six kg and has seen improvements in his blood pressure and body mass index (BMI).

Like Joseph, you may be looking to manage your weight better; you may be a senior looking to enhance your flexibility; you may be a working adult looking for ways to keep a balanced and healthy lifestyle amid a busy schedule. Active Health is for you, is for everyone, regardless of who you are and what your health and wellness goals are. To kickstart your personal Active Health journey, all you have to do is visit an Active Health Lab.

In addition to the Active Health Labs at Our Tampines Hub and Heartbeat@Bedok, we plan to roll out four more at Bishan, Jurong East, Sengkang and Woodlands sports centres in the coming year, so that there is a lab accessible to every Singaporean. We also plan to introduce two Mobile Labs. Working with PA, we will bring these Mobile Labs to the CC and Residents' Committee (RC) spaces as well as Sports-in-Precinct facilities.

Once onboarded with your baseline health indicators assessed, you can choose from a wide range of sports and physical activity programmes offered by ActiveSG at our sports centres across Singapore to pursue your health goals. You can also arrange for follow-up sessions with our Active Health experts to check on your progress and obtain feedback that can help you and your doctor plan for medical follow-ups, if necessary.

We are also developing a mobile platform through which you, your doctor and the Active Health expert will be able to track and monitor your health progress beyond the clinic and the lab. You can also connect with your family, friends and other Active Health users for mutual support, as well as sign up for ActiveSG programmes or book sports facilities to stay active together.

With Active Health, we want to create a holistic support system where Singaporeans proactively take ownership of their health, engage in physical activity and be the social reinforcement that we all need to stay healthy and active. We can be a nation of healthy, active and engaged citizens, where we help one another live better.

Ultimately, shared identity and shared experiences must translate into action if they are to add up to a strong society. When we see what we have in common, when we embrace those different from ourselves, we should also grow to care and feel responsible for one another. In the face of a more complex and unpredictable future, we need every Singaporean to step up and be a part of the answer that the society needs. In a strong society, everyone helps.

Singaporeans are willing, whether it is to help the vulnerable or disadvantaged, or give to social causes. But there is a gap between desire and action. Just slightly over half of those interested in volunteering their time have actually volunteered in any activity in the past year. Many youths have also deemed helping the less fortunate and contributing to society as very important life goals, but fewer thought that active involvement in volunteer work was important.

SG Cares seeks to bridge this gap. Yesterday, Minister Desmond Lee, Minister Gan Kim Yong and I spoke about building a more caring and inclusive home for every Singaporean through SG Cares. As Minister Heng Swee Keat highlighted in his Budget Statement, the SG Cares movement is about bringing diverse people together to achieve a greater collective impact. SG Cares provides a platform that will encourage and support individuals, corporates and organisations to work together for the common good.

In line with SG Cares, we will continue to expand volunteering opportunities provided through sports, heritage and arts. To cultivate a caring society, we will also ensure that we have a strong charity sector. Senior Minister of State Sim Ann will elaborate on these efforts. Chairman, please allow me to conclude in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Amid the global landscape of increased anti-globalisation sentiments and disruptive technologies, Singapore is facing economic and industry shifts, the need for skills upgrading, and challenges from an ageing population. These rapid developments present opportunities but also give rise to societal issues, such as unequal income growth, as well as racial and religious extremism. The key responsibility of MCCY is thus to create more platforms for Singaporeans of different backgrounds to interact, facilitating a deeper understanding for one another, in turn, building a cohesive, inclusive and caring society.

Through the SG Cares movement, the Government will work with corporates and citizens to mobilise resources and match them with the communities in need. Together, we can construct a more effective social safety net and nurture a more caring and supportive society. If we can be more considerate and extend a helping hand to others when we are able to, then we will be building a more resilient Singapore, a country where our elders will be taken care of, the able-bodied can contribute meaningfully, our young can grow and develop, and our vulnerable members will be supported.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Sim Ann.

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The Senior Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Sim Ann): Mr Chairman, with your permission, I will display some slides.

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

Ms Sim Ann: Minister Grace Fu highlighted that a key focus area for MCCY this year is to partner Singaporeans in building a home where we care for and look out for others.

As the Minister shared, our volunteerism and philanthropy rates have grown. More Singaporeans are prepared to put into action their desire to do good for others. In line with the broader SG Cares objective of creating a caring and inclusive home for all, I will share how MCCY is partnering Singaporeans to build a strong civic culture of care, consideration and contribution across the various domains under our Ministry.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked how the arts and heritage can be used to encourage inclusiveness. Through our ArtReach initiative, we will continue to promote arts access to underserved communities for wellness and to build social connections. For example, the National Arts Council (NAC) has partnered the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to promote the well-being and active ageing of seniors by integrating arts into community care. Almost 400 healthcare staff from 89 community care facilities have been equipped with the capability to run arts programmes. Following our visual arts residency pilot in nine nursing homes last year, NAC and AIC will develop more arts-based resources to continue building capabilities in this sector.

The Befrienders Arts Toolkit will be launched in June to provide social service organisations with arts-based activity ideas to support the process of befriending seniors.

To broaden outreach to underserved and less mobile seniors, we will also tour Silver Arts commissioned programmes, featuring Singapore short films, to facilities in the community care and social service sectors.

We announced last year that the WeCare Arts Fund, in partnership with CDCs, would be renewed with $1 million over the next two years. This is to support collaborations between social service organisations and the arts community, to benefit isolated seniors, persons with disabilities and vulnerable youths.

Earlier this year, I was pleased to attend the launch of "Is Anyone Home?", an exhibition by Superhero Me, a ground-up inclusive arts movement. The exhibition featured the imaginative artworks and stories of children from diverse backgrounds, including children with special needs and those from low-income families. I was moved to see how these budding artists interpreted childhood and expressed their hopes and dreams. Projects like these use arts as a powerful means to engage children, build their confidence and realise their potential.

Social service organisations can tap on the WeCare Arts Fund to work with artists to develop interactive arts workshops customised to the needs and interests of their beneficiaries. Since its initiation in 2014, the fund has supported 170 centres, close to 350 programmes and over 8,000 beneficiaries. One example is Jia Ying Senior Activity Centre, which participated in a programme where seniors paired up with youths on art-making. The seniors, who were previously isolated, are now making new friends and have developed a more positive mindset and outlook on life.

We will also continue to improve arts access and opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. This month, we will host the first Arts and Disability International Conference, co-organised by NAC and Very Special Arts (VSA) Singapore. This will facilitate the sharing of best practices and innovative approaches to promote inclusivity in the arts. The Conference is part of the inaugural True Colours Festival, which will showcase artists with disabilities from Singapore and the Asia Pacific.

Our shared heritage is what binds us as a nation, and it belongs to us all. The Minister spoke about increasing accessibility to our museums and heritage institutions as part of Our SG Heritage Plan. The first step is to audit the accessibility of our museums to identify universal design solutions and assistive technologies for different groups.

To actively engage audiences at our heritage spaces, our HeritageCares programmes provide beneficiaries of social service organisations with opportunities that encourage meaningful intergenerational bonding, enhance social skills, provide quality educational experiences and promote active ageing. Since March 2016, over 200 such programmes have served about 8,000 participants.

Workshops and programmes, such as guided trails of historical sites, are tailored to meet the needs of families in-need, adults and children with special needs, vulnerable youths and seniors.

One new initiative under Our SG Heritage Plan is for our heritage institutions to be "Silver Hubs", to promote active ageing and intergenerational interactions. This will offer opportunities for seniors to be active participants in our heritage by volunteering as guides and facilitators in galleries.

A Conversation Starter Kit was also piloted last year for seniors to share their personal and community experiences amongst Singaporeans across all ages.

Our youths play a critical role in growing a strong civic culture of care, consideration and contribution. Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) was established to develop youth volunteers and leaders and inspire more youths to give back to the community through causes, such as social service, education, environment, arts, sports and heritage. Since its launch in 2014, YCS has expanded from 90 volunteers to more than 14,000 and works with partners to provide over 3,000 local volunteering opportunities annually. YCS also offers opportunities to volunteer overseas through the Youth Expedition Project (YEP). Last year, more than 4,000 youths from ITEs, polytechnics, universities and working adults embarked on such overseas service-learning opportunities through social service organisations in our region, where they organised projects that benefited local and overseas communities.

One example is Team Nias, a group of 16 youths from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) who embarked on a mission to install solar panels in Nias, Indonesia. Here, we see some of them in action, teaching English to the local kids. Unfortunately, the solar panels did not arrive in time. Undeterred, the team used their own pocket money to return the following week to install the panels. The team demonstrated strong dedication in meeting the community's needs and resilience in overcoming setbacks.

We also have the Immersion Programme, which will have its first run in April. In this programme, youth leaders will be deployed to social service organisations serving communities with special needs, the young and vulnerable, and the elderly. The youths will be equipped with skills in community engagement, eldercare and volunteer management, so that they can help spread the culture of volunteerism.

We recognise that not all youths have the resources or opportunity to participate in these development programmes while in school. Hence, we will explore ways to make programmes, such as YEP and the Outward Bound School, more financially accessible and open up opportunities for more youths outside school to apply.

In the realm of sports, we are encouraging Singaporeans to give back through Team Nila. Team Nila volunteers are our capacity and community multipliers who mobilise a wider group of residents on the ground. As of February, there are about 17,700 Team Nila volunteers with a target to reach 18,000 by the end of this month. I am pleased to see strong representation of volunteers across races and age groups, from youths to seniors, passionate about bringing the benefit of sport to their neighbourhoods.

Mr Darryl David asked about our plans to develop Team Nila. Since 2014, SportSG has been transforming Team Nila volunteers into community and events leaders. We have volunteers actively supporting the physical and mental development of children and youths in their roles as assistant coaches with ActiveSG Academies and Clubs. This number is set to grow as more academies and clubs are introduced. There are plans for Team Nila volunteers to assist allied health trained experts in helping residents take ownership of their health and wellness. In times of emergency or crises, we have 750 volunteers trained in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the use of automated external defibrillators (AED) who could provide community support.

SportSG will continue to equip Team Nila with the necessary skills through structured training plans. For example, this year we will see about 500 volunteers undergo various WSQ training programmes in service excellence, leadership and people management.

Ms Joan Pereira asked how sports help improve the lives of seniors. Being a part of Team Nila has enabled our seniors to maintain friendships and social circles of like-minded individuals and allowed them to derive satisfaction from sports volunteerism. One example is the sprightly Mdm Hajjah Zubaidah Binte Abdul Ghani, a 64-year-old senior assistant at Tan Tock Seng Hospital who finds it meaningful to be a Team Nila volunteer. Mdm Hajjah Zubaidah first joined Team Nila in January 2015 and has been part of major sporting events, such as the 28th SEA Games, the 8th ASEAN Para Games, and GetActive! Singapore 2017.

To recognise outstanding volunteers who have embodied the spirit of giving and contributed actively, SportSG has launched two new awards on 1 January, namely, the Outstanding Team Nila and Team Nila Tiered Awards. We hope to see more Singaporeans step up to volunteer, whether as part of Team Nila, or for a cause close to their hearts.

Ms Joan Pereira also asked how sports can be used to improve the lives of those in need, such as at-risk youths, and how MCCY is working with the Public-People-Private sectors to broaden outreach and engagement. Since the launch of SportCares in 2012, schools, community groups, corporates and individuals have come together to support sports initiatives that benefit and transform vulnerable communities. We provide platforms that facilitate joint stewardship and active citizenry. Beneficiaries are encouraged to give back to the community, with 400 SportCares youths contributing 7,000 volunteering hours last year.

One good example is Hands to Hearts, a community crafting project which also exemplifies 3P collaboration. In 2017, Hands to Hearts saw SportCares youths take the lead to sew tactile activity pillows for seniors with Alzheimer's. They were joined by 2,000 volunteers, including staff from corporate bodies, such as the United Overseas Bank (UOB) and ComfortDelGro, as well as students from Tanglin Trust International School and Madrasah Aljunied.

The project showed us that that we can achieve more if we work together. We will continue to partner our stakeholders to reach out to the underserved. We will extend this sense of shared endeavour amongst our partners via the development and adoption of the new HEARTS framework. This framework was developed with our partner organisations and is intended to help youths chart a positive course in their lives. To be launched in April, the pilot framework will be shared with social service organisations and schools in the form of a handy toolkit. The idea is to provide community practitioners with easy-to-use resources to design sport-based social development programmes for youths.

Complementing this will be eight SportCares Partner Schemes that will provide support and resources to community groups, IHLs, NSAs and corporates to "do good" through sport.

To further promote inclusivity, the Disability Sports Master Plan aims to expand access and opportunities for sports participation to all, regardless of abilities, and build public awareness of disability sports.

We have annual platforms, like the Inclusive Sports Festival, that help create greater awareness for disability sports, such as wheelchair rugby. SportSG will continue to strengthen its partnership with disability sports organisations, such as the Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and Special Olympics Singapore, as well as with Team Singapore athletes.

To date, SportSG has connected mainstream schools, such as Bowen Secondary, to social service organisations, such as MINDSville Napiri Training Centre, through adaptive sports. SportSG is also working with Special Education (SPED) schools, such as Lighthouse School, to introduce sports as co-curricular activity options.

Since 2016, we have launched two Centres of Expertise and three inclusive gyms, as well as four disability sports programmes under the Disability Sports Master Plan (DSMP). Over 2,000 Persons with Disabilities have visited our gyms and more than 300 have participated in the programmes. SportSG, through ActiveSG, will also be launching two more inclusive gyms and more disability sports programmes, such as Wheelchair Tennis, in 2018.

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Through Our Singapore Fund, we will continue to encourage our people to come together to make Singapore a better home. The Fund aims to nurture our Singapore identity and values, and support ground-up initiatives by citizens.

To address Ms Rahayu Mahzam’s question on the Fund’s status, since its launch in August 2016, over 100 projects across the arts, heritage, community and volunteerism sectors have been supported, reaching out to over 200,000 residents, whether as participants, partners or volunteers. We have also simplified our processes to make it easier for more people to apply for the fund.

Beyond numbers, each project demonstrates how Singaporeans are taking the initiative to reach out, across age, income or race, to care for one another as one people. An example is Project Caring with Authenticity and Respect for Elders (CARE) which rallies volunteers to visit and befriend isolated seniors. During the lunar new year, Project CARE teamed up with Carousell, an online marketplace platform, to mobilise the community to donate items to the elderly in need. To cultivate a caring society, we require a strong charity sector that inspires confidence and encourages people to step forward and contribute with peace of mind.

Mr Darryl David asked about our plans on helping smaller charities better comply with regulations and our plans to regulate and manage online donations. We will work to ensure a safe and transparent giving environment through cooperation and partnership with the various charitable bodies in two main areas.

One, we will strengthen smaller charities’ regulatory compliance through co-regulation and more targeted guidance. Starting in mid-2018, we will work with the umbrella bodies to set up shared services and develop legislative guidance to help charities comply with the regulatory requirements.

With the launch of the refined Code of Governance in 2017, we will continue our efforts to organise sharing sessions on the Code for specific sectors, such as the Malay/Muslim organisations and Hindu charities. Last year, we held sessions for churches, Chinese temples and arts and heritage charities.

Two, we will be enhancing safer giving measures, and heightening transparency and accountability through three means.

First, by setting visibility standards for charities. To enhance the disclosure practices of charities and facilitate donors in their giving decisions, the Commissioner of Charities will develop a visibility guide to be launched in mid-2018. This will help charities put out key information, such as use of donations and activities of a charity, in a simple manner.

Second, a safer giving campaign will be launched in phases from June 2018. This follows the findings of an informed giving survey conducted last year. The campaign is in addition to ongoing initiatives to promote safer giving and provide advisories on what to look out for and questions to ask in relation to online appeals. We will also ramp up our education efforts on safer giving, with targeted outreach to the elderly and working adults.

Third, we have the Code of Practice for Crowdfunding Platforms, which we have co-developed with key crowdfunding platforms to ensure a safer online giving environment. Launched in January this year by the Minister, the Code of Practice will be implemented over the course of the year.

Minister Heng Swee Keat has pointed out that a good society is one with a spirit of caring, where we all feel responsibility towards one another.

Looking ahead, MCCY will continue to work closely with our partners and fellow Singaporeans to make Singapore a caring and inclusive home.

The Chairman: Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Baey Yam Keng): Mr Chairman, with your permission, I will display some slides.

The Chairman: Yes. [Some slides were shown to hon Members.]

Mr Baey Yam Keng: The Minister and Senior Minister of State highlighted the role of MCCY in bringing our nation together and partnering our citizens to make Singapore a better home, and a caring and inclusive society.

Looking forward, we aim to build a buoyant Singapore, a nation that is confident in our future. Through our work in the arts and sports sectors, and our continued investment in our youths, our people can be confident that this is a place we can lead fulfilling lives and pursue our dreams.

Mr Kok Heng Leun suggested that we review our achievements under the Arts and Culture Strategic Review (ACSR). Launched in 2010, the ACSR builds on the foundations laid by the Advisory Council on Culture and the Arts and the Renaissance City Plans. Its 2025 vision is for Singapore to be a nation of cultured and gracious people, at home with our heritage, proud of our Singaporean identity by (a) bringing arts and culture to everyone, everywhere, every day; and (b) building capabilities to achieve excellence.

Since the ACSR recommendations were released in 2012, we have introduced a range of initiatives to increase accessibility to arts and culture and invested in excellence. The arts scene is more vibrant today, with more Singaporeans recognising the value of the arts to the individual, community and our larger Singapore society, and more agreeing that the arts help to improve our lives. We believe our efforts have borne fruit and thank Mr Kok Heng Leun for his suggestion. We will review and share how far we have come under the ACSR and the areas for improvement at its midway point.

Mr Kok Heng Leun and Dr Lim Wee Kiak also asked about our strategies and plans to further develop the arts sector. Indeed, there is more we can do. We are reviewing our plans in the literary, performing and visual arts this year to outline the strategies for each art form as we head towards 2025. We have already started engaging the arts community, including Mr Kok Heng Leun, on the broad direction of these plans. We will continue to grow opportunities in audience development, community arts, arts education, capability development, internationalisation, as well as research and documentation. Further details will be shared by the end of this year.

In the meantime, we have already started to work on a few areas.

Our efforts in the literary arts scene have resulted in a strong talent base, especially in English, and more platforms for our writers to reach their readers. However, there remains much room for us to promote the Chinese, Malay and Tamil literary arts. I will now speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] We will be giving all primary and secondary schools a set of SingLit books. These literary works are written in our four official languages. Our primary and secondary school students will be able to read local literary works from local writers like Francis Wong, Huang Shu Jun and Ai Yu. We hope that the early exposure to SingLit will allow them to develop a sustained interest in local literary works. These local stories will also serve as a shared experience as they grow up.

We will be using digital technology to grow support for local arts, including Singapore music. NAC will be launching a new platform next month to promote local music, Hear65. This digital platform will allow the public to listen to Singapore music from different genres, languages and decades. Hear65 will, therefore, be a platform that appeals to both the young and old. There will be local classics from my parents’ generation, like songs by Huang Qing Yuan and Poon Sow Keng. Also, there will be familiar songs from Liang Wern Fook and Kit Chan for Singaporeans around my age. Younger audiences will be able to listen to famous pop songs from Tanya Chua, Stephanie Sun and JJ Lin. With access to musical works from more than 350 local musicians, we hope more Singaporeans will follow our local music and continue to develop our Singapore music scene.

(In English): Music is an integral part of Singaporeans’ lives. Hear65, a national music movement that will be launched next month in collaboration with local music media company Bandwagon, will profile homegrown music talents to Singapore and international audiences. Users can look forward to an online, interactive platform that showcases music performed by local artists, such as The Quests, Anita Sarawak, Taufik Batisah, Vanessa Fernandez, Shabir Alam and Gentle Bones. Hear65 will offer access to music on streaming platforms and crowdsourced reviews of the featured content. Hear65 will also partner private and public stakeholders, such as the Esplanade, to create more buzz around Singapore music.

In the area of Visual Art, we would like the public to enjoy our artists’ work as part of daily life. Using artworks to enliven our urban landscape is one approach, as Dr Lim Wee Kiak has pointed out. For SG50, we commissioned three public artworks in the Civic District under the Public Art Trust. In commemoration of Singapore’s Bicentennial next year, two new signature public artworks will also be commissioned in community spaces. We will continue to commission one signature public artwork per year thereafter under the Trust.

Beyond this, we have freed up more sites for artists to create public art in our neighbourhoods. To date, more than 30 sites have been secured, including spaces in town centres and sports centres in Ang Mo Kio, Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Clementi and Woodlands. This initial list of sites will be released in the middle of this year. I encourage interested venue owners to get in touch with NAC if you have suitable spaces that can be included. Likewise, we encourage artists to consider these sites and submit proposals through the Public Art Trust website.

We will also launch public art trails and guided tours beyond the Civic District and Central Business District. For example, we will have more public art programmes as part of the Arts in Your Neighbourhood series. The March edition is currently taking place in Ang Mo Kio featuring performing arts activities and four new public artworks, on top of its existing visual arts programme.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked about Government support for freelancers. In our 2016 Arts and Culture Employment Survey, nearly half of the respondents indicated that they work primarily on a freelance basis. We agree that more can be done to enhance professional support for independent artists, to help our freelance artists grow meaningful careers. In 2017, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and NAC consulted freelancers and key employers to gather their feedback.

We have developed a Support Framework that fosters fair and progressive employment conditions and meets our freelancers’ professional development needs. NAC and the National Heritage Board (NHB) will be early adopters of MOM’s Tripartite Standard for Contracting Self-Employed Persons. We will also encourage arts groups and institutions within the wider culture sector to implement these measures.

Independent artists raised a wish list for better access to resources, training and networking. We will, therefore, set up a national resource centre, in both physical and digital forms, dedicated to supporting the needs of arts freelancers. The centre will conduct training programmes, as well as provide resources and services on individual rights and responsibilities, career development and finance.

Mr Kok Heng Leun spoke about how arts education should involve creative interventions to address societal issues. I agree that the arts have the potential to do so. We have, therefore, piloted structured student visits to our arts and heritage institutions over the last two years. Starting this year, museum-based learning is recommended as a core learning experience in the revised primary art syllabus. We will continue to work closely with MOE to help our young develop a stronger appreciation of our history, and our national identity, through the arts and culture. By focusing on positive and enjoyable experiences for our children, we can also develop appreciation for the arts across a lifetime and help us to continue cultivating new artists, audiences and arts champions.

On top of our work with students, we have refined our funding support from 2017 to include the promotion of arts accessibility, development of new audiences and building appreciation for the arts across communities. We recognise that these areas may not be an area of priority for all artists and arts groups but will continue to encourage and support those keen to focus on them.

I agree with Mr Kok Heng Leun that there is a need for sustainability of the arts sector. Through the Cultural Matching Fund and NAC’s efforts to raise fundraising capabilities in the arts sector, we seek to tap multiple sources of support for arts groups and artists. The ability to raise and manage funding is a critical aspect of sustainable arts groups, regardless of size. We also agree that our major institutions play an important role and provide a variety of platforms for artists, including those engaged in more experimental work. We hope that our artists will carry on working in close collaboration with our institutions.

Ms Sun Xueling, Mr Kok Heng Leun and Mr Henry Kwek all spoke on ASEAN. Our chairmanship of ASEAN this year is an opportunity for us to deepen our appreciation of ASEAN’s rich cultural diversity. We will roll out a series of initiatives to showcase the arts and heritage of our ASEAN neighbours.

For example, the Asian Civilisations Museum has designated 2018 as the “Year of Southeast Asia” and will feature programmes and exhibitions in line with the theme. Singapore will also host residencies for artists around the region, just as our neighbours will host ours.

We will also celebrate the close cultural ties with two ASEAN partners – Malaysia and Indonesia – through bilateral cultural showcases. These initiatives complement ongoing efforts to support Singapore artists' development through participation in regional and international festivals, trade fairs, biennales and overseas training programmes.

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One example of this support is the return exhibition of local artist Zai Kuning's work "Dapunta Hyang: Transmission of Knowledge". We were able to preview this piece as a work-in-progress before it represented Singapore at last year's Venice Biennale. Singaporeans will have the opportunity to view it when TheatreWorks presents it from April. It is a culmination of Zai's ongoing body of work over the years to investigate Malay history and culture, and Singapore’s relationship with the larger Riau Archipelago. We are proud of how our Singapore stories are travelling around the world and remain committed to supporting our artists in such pursuits.

Mr Chairman, youth is another key focus for our ASEAN Chairmanship. By 2020, almost half of ASEAN's population will be under 30 years old. This underscores the importance of empowering our youths to appreciate and realise the potential of ASEAN's youthful demographic in driving the region's future.

Today, MCCY, MOE and our economic agencies provide opportunities for our youths to build a greater appreciation of ASEAN. For example, the National Youth Council hosts bilateral youth leaders' exchange programmes with Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia. MOE provides our students opportunities through exchange and immersion programmes, cultural exchanges like the annual Singapore Youth Festival and through sports like the annual ASEAN Schools Games.

International Enterprise (IE) Singapore runs the Young Talent Programme, an initiative for youths to have international immersion experiences to better prepare them for global careers in future. The programme has supported Singaporeans to take on overseas internships and hybrid work-and-study programmes. Since last year, this programme has focused on fast-growing Asian markets, including Southeast Asia.

So, I urge our youths to take up these opportunities in the region, as we work with MOE and economic agencies to ensure even greater access to these regional opportunities. For our chairmanship, MCCY will launch three initiatives to empower, engage and nurture the many diverse groups of youths in ASEAN.

First, we will renew the Singapore-ASEAN Youth Fund. The Fund supports ground-up initiatives by ASEAN youths in areas, such as leadership development, community service and entrepreneurship. Since the establishment of the Fund in 2007, we have supported many meaningful and sustainable projects which have benefited over 22,000 ASEAN youths.

Second, we will host an ASEAN eSports tournament this year, encompassing a regional League of Legends tournament. As a highly popular and trending activity among youths, eSports has tremendous potential as an innovative means of engagement to connect ASEAN youths through shared experiences of competition, sportsmanship and fun.

Take the example of Amos Ker, a professional gamer playing Vainglory, a Massive Multiplayer Online Battle Arena (MOBA). Amos has bagged numerous regional awards and even competed internationally at Hollywood. Through the various tournaments, Amos has made many friends from different countries and acquired a confidence to lead and share his experience with aspiring competitive gamers. Today, Amos is the captain of Team Impunity, a local eSports team. He is also pursuing a Diploma in Game Development, under scholarship at the Informatics Academy.

The ASEAN eSports tournament will be the first of its kind in the region. It will be part of a larger celebration of our vibrant ASEAN youths during the first weekend of August at the Singapore Sports Hub, bringing together the SHINE Festival for Youths and GetActive! Singapore. Our youths at home can look forward to a diverse array of opportunities and performances in eSports, live music, dance and sports. I encourage our youths to showcase their talents, represent Singapore on the regional stage, and build new friendships with our ASEAN neighbours.

Third, we will introduce the ASEAN Youth Fellowship programme, an annual platform for young leaders across 3P sectors in ASEAN to interact with and better understand one another, creating a closer-knit ASEAN community. These ASEAN Youth Fellows will be spending a week together in Singapore in the second half of this year, discussing key issues and opportunities in respective home countries as well as the greater ASEAN region. Youths of Singapore will also have the opportunity to interact with this next generation of leaders. Beyond our chairmanship this year, we hope to build a network of ASEAN young leaders to take the ASEAN community forward as a strong and united body.

In addition to ASEAN youth initiatives, MCCY is nurturing our youths to be more confident and resilient. Mr Melvin Yong asked for an update on the progress of the MOE-OBS mixed school cohort camps. While the design and development of OBS@Coney is underway, MOE and MCCY started phasing in students for the MOE-OBS Challenge Programme in 2017. Each week, Secondary 3 students from different schools are given the opportunity to team up into expedition groups and interact with peers from different backgrounds.

Last month, I met with two such participants – Nur Syarafina from Edgefield Secondary School and Andre Loh from Anglo-Chinese School (Independent). Both of them were, at first, intimidated by the challenging tasks at OBS, as well as the initial "awkwardness" of working together with peers from other schools and different backgrounds. This "awkwardness" soon melted away as the two worked with team members to conquer kayaking expeditions and challenging ropes courses. They remain in touch with their new friends, and I am told that a group of them even met up over the recent Chinese New Year period.

Over the course of 2017, the MOE-OBS Challenge Programme brought together 6,000 youths like Andre and Syarafina from different schools to work together and overcome challenges in the outdoors. The outcomes from the inaugural programme have been positive thus far, with our youths becoming more confident, resilient and making new friends. Over 80% of students surveyed are also keen to attend another OBS course. About 90% reported better appreciation of diversity and being better at working with peers from different backgrounds. We will continue to gather feedback from future participants and refine the programme.

Alongside the vibrant arts and youth sectors, our people can be proud of a thriving sporting scene.

Our athletes have worked hard in making Singapore a proud sporting nation. Team Singapore broke new grounds in 2017, with excellent results at the 29th SEA Games and 9th ASEAN Para Games in Kuala Lumpur. Both contingents put in historic away Games performances, bringing home a remarkable 188 and 50 medals respectively. Our young Team Singapore athletes also won a record 18 medals at the 2017 Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai.

Our athletes bring the nation together and exemplify the Singapore Spirit – a "can-do" attitude, the relentless pursuit of excellence and the determination to overcome all challenges.

Fencer Lau Ywen is one such example. In early 2017, she sustained three hairline cracks in her lower back, putting her out of action for several months. But she did not let this setback get her down. With the help of conditioning coaches, physiotherapists and performance analysts from the National Youth Sports Institute, she made a swift and full recovery in time for the 2017 SEA Games. She went on to win Gold in the Sabre event. This is just one of many inspiring stories of our athletes. We wish them the very best as they continue to train hard and do Singapore proud on the world stage.

Mr Darryl David asked how we are helping our Team Singapore athletes achieve even greater success. The Government is committed to supporting our athletes' aspirations and will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure that with our High Performance Sports (HPS) system, our athletes can achieve their best. We are working with various NSAs to be more professional in organisational governance and technical expertise. We will also continue to enhance areas, such as talent identification and development, coach development through CoachSG, sports science and medicine capability and athlete support systems, in terms of carding, support for Major Games' preparations, scholarships as well as career and education opportunities.

Following a review of past competitions, we will be introducing customised support for selected Team Singapore athletes in the lead up to major games over a rolling two-year period. It will begin with $2 million set aside this year to cover the upcoming Asian Games and Asian Para Games. This is over and above the existing funding for NSAs, carded athletes and spexScholars. This will give Games-bound athletes greater assurance and encourage more to train fulltime, as they strive for success at these competitions.

To supplement the Government's efforts in improving our HPS system, the One Team Singapore Fund (OTSF) was launched in October last year. Now, Singaporeans can directly contribute to the HPS system by pledging support to this Fund. In just a few months, over $1.5 million has been raised for OTSF so far. The Government is providing one-for-one matching of up to $50 million for these donations over five years. We look forward to more donations to OTSF, as efforts to increase awareness of the Fund ramp up this year. Importantly, the Fund also provides impetus for NSAs and Team Singapore athletes to deepen their engagement with their respective fraternities, as well as the wider community.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram and Mr Faisal Manap asked about developments in local football.

To raise the standard of play amongst our National Teams, the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has announced a revamp of the S League to address four key areas – youth development, capability development, cost efficiency, and building a vibrant football culture.

Specifically, FAS has updated S League match rules to provide younger players with more match exposure. It has taken steps to raise player professionalism, such as cracking down on smoking and placing more emphasis on fitness. FAS is also working on raising coaching standards.

On SportSG's end, the ActiveSG Football Academy is collaborating with FAS to build the youth development system. As with other NSAs, SportSG will work in partnership with FAS to review its strategic plans for football annually against the funding it receives, to ensure the continued development of Singapore football and the revamped S League.

We note that the football fraternity has responded positively to the plan of FAS. We expect the FAS leadership to continue engaging and working closely with clubs, stakeholders and fans or, as Mr Manap says, current and ex-footballers.

We look forward to improvements in the standard of Singapore football and the performance of our National Teams. The new S League season kicks off at the National Stadium on 31 March and we wish them all the best.

Mr Chairman, just as teamwork is crucial in sports, it is only by working hand in hand that we can realise our shared goals for Singapore, be it in the arts, youth or sports sectors. Together, we can be confident of making Singapore our home where we can all lead fulfilling lives and pursue our dreams.

The Chairman: Clarification time. Dr Lim Wee Kiak.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Chairman, I am glad to hear about the dollar-to-dollar matching from the Parliamentary Secretary just now. I would like to seek a clarification from the Senior Minister of State on philanthropy.

I have earlier on suggested in my response speech to the Budget that Singaporeans should be given an easy way to donate their SG Bonus to worthy causes. I would like to ask whether MCCY would also facilitate this donation to arts as well as sports causes and then by utilising the dollar-to-dollar matching that was just mentioned so that Singaporeans have an easy way to do it.

Ms Sim Ann: I thank Dr Lim Wee Kiak for the suggestion. We think it is an excellent one. There is a very broad range of worthy causes, many of which MCCY has been promoting. We will work together with MOF to encourage people to think about making those donations. And some of these causes are associated with matching funds. Others are not, but we think they are all equally worth promoting.

The Chairman: Mr Ang Hin Kee.

Mr Ang Hin Kee: I would like to ask Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng concerning the announcement that NHB and NAC will be adopting the manpower tripartite workgroup's recommendations for self-employed persons. We have been working with NAC for only a few months and we are very glad that you have speedily decided to adopt the recommendations.

I have two clarifications that I require from the Parliamentary Secretary. One is whether NAC will also similarly take a leading role in trying to mediate disputes between the freelancers and the buyers of their services so that there is a platform for them to settle payment disputes and issues concerning payment.

The second question is: apart from NAC, how about venue operators and event organisers that take funds from NAC? Will the Ministry also require that these operators and venue owners similarly adopt recommendations to safeguard and protect the interests of freelancers that participate and take part in events hosted by the event organisers or the venue operators?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: I thank Mr Ang Hin Kee for his questions. Regarding the need for mediation when disputes arise, so far, the NAC has not received many of such requests. We hope that with the establishment of the National Resource Centre for freelancers, it could perhaps play a role, and I hope that we can also count on the other national bodies, for example, the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management, to resolve such issues.

As to whether NAC or NHB will also require its vendors or contractors to adopt the same model when they deal with freelancers, as our institutions do not have a direct contract with these freelancers as mentioned, we probably will not be able to do so. But we definitely will encourage our vendors to respect freelancers and to also adopt the measures that we have.

The Chairman: Mr Kok Heng Leun.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: I have about six things that I need to clarify. The first is to either the Senior Minister of State or the Minister. It is about fundraising. I was just wondering whether the Senior Minister of State or the Minister would consider approaching the President to support the arts, like what they have in the President's Charity, to create a kind of platform where the President could be the person to champion the arts and get the private as well as corporate donors to come in to support arts through donations.

The other clarifications are more for the Parliamentary Secretary. It is good to know that we are pushing more into heritage. So, I also want to know an update on how the Traditional Art Centres would be working within that trajectory? The Traditional Art Centres, up to this point, would like to know what is the development and how to go along.

The third clarification is on the Public Art Trust. It is good that we are designating more places so that we can do the public arts. I think there is also an issue of the maintenance of the public arts whereby it needs the right people to be there to maintain, it needs funding for it to be maintained, because public arts allow people to do interaction. How would NAC be looking at that and working with the various stakeholders?

Next, it is about individual artists as well as artists who are in their mid-career. A lot of artists, whether they are in performing arts or in visual arts, sometimes, nowadays, their work tends to span across durations of between one and two years.

The Chairman: Could the Member just pose the clarification and not make a speech?

Mr Kok Heng Leun: Okay. So, I just want to know whether NAC would look at shifting some of its grant system to allow all these arts groups or artists to get grants that cover over two or three years rather than being ad hoc and on a project basis?

Lastly, it is about the "ling ting liu su". This one I would have to ask in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Hear65 is a very good idea. In the early days of Singapore, arts groups and musicians, such as Leong Yoon Pin and Poon Yew Tien, have written many folk songs. Can these songs be included in Hear65 as well? When we talk about Singapore music, we do not want people to only think about pop music in the market. In fact, there are rich cultural resources in these arts groups.

Ms Sim Ann: Mr Chairman, I will respond to Mr Kok Heng Leun's suggestion about appealing to the President to elevate the prominence of arts in charity efforts. I think this is an excellent suggestion and we will be very happy to work with the arts community to put forth the proposal for the President's Office's consideration.

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Sir, I would like to respond to Mr Kok Heng Leun's question on the Stamford Arts Centre or the Traditional Arts Centre. This centre is scheduled to open this year and we look forward to it bringing rich performing traditions closer to the community and we look forward also to the arts groups based there to be better connected and engaged with the local community and the larger community as it promotes a greater appreciation of traditional arts.

On the question of maintenance of public art works, what we are doing now is to come up with a list and approaching different landowners to offer their sites for public art works to be created and displayed. These are not meant to be on a permanent basis as permanent art works will require a different set of requirements to maintain and upkeep. Even though on a temporary basis, we also expect that the art works should be kept in good condition during the duration so that the public can enjoy them and appreciate the talent of our local artists.

This will be a process that we look forward to working together with the artists as well as the venue owners so that we can all learn from the process of creating exciting art works that would excite local audiences.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Kok Heng Leun talked about songs included in Hear65. Indeed, music on this platform should not only showcase commercial or pop music, but also artistic music which is not so familiar to the public. Through this platform, we hope that Singaporeans can better appreciate the diversity of our local artists and musicians, therefore, further supporting our local music production.

The Chairman: Mr Ganesh Rajaram.

Mr Ganesh Rajaram: Mr Chairman, I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for his responses on the state of football in Singapore. A year ago, when I made my speech about how bad things were, I think the Parliamentary Secretary's response at that time was that the new council was about to be elected, let us give them some time.

It has been one year and things have gotten progressively worse. So, my question to the Parliamentary Secretary is that, given the status of football today, is SportSG happy with the developments over the last year, and what is the timeframe that it is giving FAS to ensure that standards are raised?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: Mr Ganesh Rajaram would be familiar with how the sports fraternity works. It is pretty much driven by the respective NSAs. So, in this case, the FAS has its own constitution and management and a new team in place. SportSG will have to work with the new team on the new directions, the new focus they have. And through our funding on specific programmes, like for example, in fitness, in the development of youths, that is where we will work closely with them.

We are supportive of their focus on the youths because that is also where the focus is for our regional games, like the SEA Games and Asian Games, where the focus is on the under 22 years old or 23 years old. We believe that will also translate well for the development of Singapore's football in the long term because that will help us create a very strong pipeline of talent for the senior team.

Of course, hopefully, our ranking in FIFA will rise, but that is something that we know will take time, But we will work closely with and also scrutinise FAS closely, based on its funding received, to make sure that the KPIs are met.

The Chairman: Mr Kok Heng Leun.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: I just want to remind the Parliamentary Secretary that there was a question about the mid-career artists that has not been answered.

I have one more point that I just thought about. Just now, fellow Member Mr Ang Hin Kee talked about freelancers. I also wonder if NAC would come in because there are a lot of freelancers who have been contracted by some intermediaries and these are private vendors. A lot of times, they would take advantage of all these freelance artists. Would NAC be willing to step in to help these freelancers in dealing with all these disputes?

Mr Baey Yam Keng: In my earlier response, what NAC and NHB have full control or better control over are the artists that we contract directly. As for those who are through intermediaries or event organisers, we will definitely influence and encourage them to adopt such standards. Ultimately, we want our freelancers – they are all very hardworking, talented people – we would want them to have meaningful careers but also, at the same time, financially viable careers. So, this is a first step we are doing. We hope to lead by example. And we hope that the society at large, all users, procurers of artistic talent and works, will also respect the freelancers' way of business as part of the overall gig economy that Singapore is experiencing together with the world. So, that is something we will work on.

I would like Mr Kok Heng Leun to repeat his question on the mid-career artists.

Mr Kok Heng Leun: Mid-career artists sometimes may need grants that go across a certain period of two to three years. So, nowadays, grants are given usually on a project basis over a year. That hinders their progress, especially their process of innovation.

Mr Baey Yam Keng: For each grant approval, there will be a contract between NAC and the artist. I am sure, with valid reasons, requesting a longer period beyond one year, that could be negotiated and agreed upon. As long as the work contributes towards the Singapore Arts scene, I cannot see any reason why NAC would have any objection to that.

The Chairman: Would the mover wish to withdraw the amendment?

Dr Lim Wee Kiak: Sir, 23 of my Parliamentary colleagues have spoken and there are 45 cuts. Let me just thank all our favourite Ministers – Minister Yaacob Ibrahim as well as Minister Grace Fu and Minister Chan Chun Sing and our favourite Senior Minister of State Sim Ann and favourite Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng for answering all the cuts.

The Chairman: There is also Ms Low Yen Ling.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,669,316,800 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $269,775,400 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.