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

10.30 am

Sports in Singapore

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

Mr Chairman, I thought long and hard about what to raise in my very first kick-off speech as Chair of the MCCY GPC. We focused a large part of our post-Independence nation-building years on our infrastructure, growing our economy and securing jobs for the future, and rightly so.

But if these issues represent the physical body of our nation, then issues on Culture, Community, Youth & Sports must surely represent our soul, the heartbeat of our social consciousness, and our collective dreams and aspirations as a nation.

My takeaway from GE 2020 is a strong desire among Singaporeans, especially our youths, to be actively engaged in wanting to be part of the conversation to shape and mould our future together. And this forms the context of the exciting and inspiring work that lies ahead for the MCCY team as we start this term of Government.

Sir, for me, I would like to speak on two such issues which shaped my growing up years in Singapore. My parents were Chinese language teachers. And while they embraced the English language as the official and working language in Singapore, my brothers and I were inculcated to always remember our cultural roots. But what fascinates me most, as I remember my growing up years, was how we evolved parts of the Chinese culture into what is uniquely Singaporean. I have spoken about this before in Parliament. “新谣” or Chinese ballads produced by young Singaporeans and the local Chinese film productions are good examples. I shall elaborate more on this in another MCCY cut later.

Sir, sports is the other topic I wish to speak on. Sports can inspire and unite a nation regardless of the diversity of its people. My inspiration from sports, in my youth, however, was drawn particularly from football. Now, more a spectator than a player, football was something I enjoyed playing and followed closely in my youth.

Part of the reason for that was the local football scene at the time. I was just born when Singapore won the Malaysia Cup in 1964. We also won the trophy when I was a teenager in 1977. I am sure many of us recollect the many exciting Malaysia Cup matches in the early 1990s when the Kallang Roar reverberated the old stadium. V Sundramoorthy’s bicycle kick against Brunei and Fandi Ahmad leading us to Malaysia Cup success in 1994 are memories, I believe, few Singaporeans of my generation will ever forget.

My heart, therefore, skipped a beat when I read of FAS’ announcement of its goal to get our national team to qualify for the 2034 World Cup. This is a laudable aspiration. It would be a dream come through for us to qualify and, if we do, it will certainly inspire another entire generation of Singaporeans. But I had mixed feelings about the announcement. We have set the same goal before. The same obstacles remain. We are currently ranked 158th in the world. So, how do we get there?

This will be a goal that will require not only the efforts of the FAS or our local football fraternity. I, therefore, invite the Minister to share with us whether the Government has plans to support the FAS in achieving this goal and, in so doing, how do we intend to measure our level of success?

Sir, sports, however, is not only about successes or victories. It is also about honoring the concept of level competition and being able to train and compete fairly, on equal terms and, more importantly, in a safe environment. So, in order for Sports to thrive in Singapore, providing a safe and positive environment for our athletes is crucial.

This is especially pertinent when it comes to our student athletes, who have invested much of their time and resources to pursue their passion in sports. There have been well-documented reports of athlete abuse across all disciplines in many countries. It must be recognised, however, that much work in this area has been done for sports in Singapore.

In 2018, Sport Singapore (SportSG) launched the Safe Sport Commission. There are now well-trained Safeguarding Officers and well-thought through protocols that guide the coaches and trainers and provide adequate checks in the different sporting disciplines. However, more should and can always be done to safeguard our athletes.

I, therefore, also invite the Minister to share more of what the Ministry is working towards to ensure that there is a safe and positive environment for our athletes to thrive and safeguard against harassment and abuse in the sports fraternity.

Question proposed.

The Chairman: Mr Saktiandi Supaat, if you would like to take your two cuts together, please do.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Malay/Muslim Community

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, safe distancing measures have compelled Singapore residents of all faiths to adapt their religious practices. The Malay/Muslim community is no exception. With the limit placed on the number of congregants in the mosques, the online booking system has been useful to spread out the crowd and keep all attendees safe. The upside of these additional space and barriers is that Muslim ladies can attend Friday prayers as well.

Where it has been impossible to obtain one of the coveted timeslots for Friday prayers at the mosques, many have turned to technology to carry on with their religious obligations, and tune in to sermons in the safety of their homes. Web-based channels featuring Quran recitation guides and online courses on Islamic values have also proven beneficial for the young Muslims who could not attend the classes in person.

I would like to ask how likely are these practices, especially the multiple Friday prayer sessions, expected to continue in the post-COVID era? With Ramadan just two months away, what are the plans for the special congregational tarawih prayers?

Digitalisation – Support for Mature Workers

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mr Chairman, among the working population that has been negatively impacted by COVID-19, are our mature workers.

The World Economic Forum revealed some significant findings in its latest Future of Jobs Report in October last year. Half of businesses surveyed say they plan to accelerate the automation of jobs in their companies. 43% indicated that they plan to reduce their workforce due to technology integration.

On the other hand, 34% are planning to expand their workforce. We must ensure that our workers are able to leverage on new skills and capabilities to secure these new jobs and stay relevant.

Organisations like MENDAKI SENSE play a crucial role in equipping the community with relevant skills and knowledge to stay employable. In recent years, in line with the national call to be future and digital ready, there has been growing emphasis to enhance our people's digital skills. Digital and Data Literacy now sit among the main categories for professional development courses on MENDAKI SENSE's website. MENDAKI also has a series of Future Ready programmes which are popular among youth and young professionals in the community. However, I believe more can be done to help our older workers.

In the past year, how have mature job seekers benefitted from professional development programmes with MENDAKI to progress in their careers and job search?

How will MENDAKI and MENDAKI SENSE continue to ensure that the workforce within the Malay/Muslim community, specifically our mature workers, remain relevant and be future ready?

Support for Malay/Muslim Community

Mr Abdul Samad (Nominated Member): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Early last year, the Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, Mr Masagos, together with the Malay ministers and MPs, established and led a taskforce called SGTeguhBersatu. This team comprised leaders from different sectors from the Government, businesses, community leaders, training providers, as well as the Labour Movement to brainstorm ideas and steer our community to face and overcome the challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Can the Minister share the progress of the team's efforts across the different levels of support, from workers, businesses as well as our community welfare groups?

How can we continue to step up efforts to bridge the gaps so that our community can continue to receive assistance and also seize any opportunity to improve their lives?

For jobseekers and potential employees, how can we help them to identify new skillsets that they need to pursue better job opportunities and better or lucrative wages?

In addition, how can we continue to encourage young people who are ITE, polytechnics and universities graduates to place full-time employment as their main priority?

They should only seek additional work such as food delivery when they have some free time to spare and are healthy enough. As far as possible, avoid using this kind of work, such as food delivery, as their main source of income because the returns are not holistic and there is no job security if they meet with an accident while doing deliveries.

Apart from the groups mentioned earlier, for madrasah students and religious teachers specifically, what are the efforts that can continue to help them can obtain job opportunities beyond teaching religious knowledge? How many asatizah who return every year after graduation are choosing and getting jobs other than becoming religious teachers or something similar?

My next request pertains to social support, that is, what can be done to strengthen our community’s financial and social capacity to continuously improve their lives? What are the outreach and support efforts that we can do for those who were left out or felt disappointed because their past requests and applications were rejected?

Mr Chairman, I am sure that many in our community have received social support from the Government while they were in school and later in life. May I ask the Minister whether we can attract and encourage past beneficiaries of support schemes, who have achieved success, to come forward and contribute back to the society in their own way, sand also share the efforts and actions that made them successful?

Such efforts can be a motivating factor for our children and youths. We are all aware of the community’s development and progress over the years, and so, what more can be done to ensure a consistent and better performance in the future?

Allow me to end my speech with a quatrain to motivate the Malay community and Singaporeans.

With a heart full of zeal and passion

Defend our people and develop our nation

Carry the hopes of our countrymen

Build a community that is admired

Equipping Asatizah and Update on PCICS

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): In Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Asatizah play an important role within the community to provide direction and guidance to the Muslim community. In Singapore, this is a critical responsibility as Muslims here live within the context of a multi-racial and multi-religious society. There are certain challenges faced by minorities living in a secular nation and society. Among the issues that may have caused concern within the Muslim community in Singapore lately include matters related to same-sex relationships and the wearing of the tudung. Sometimes complications arise because there are different thoughts and views in society on certain matters.

We need to be sensitive to this situation and ensure that we do not disrupt and divide society, when we voice out our views. Meaningful discussions require deep religious knowledge, maturity and an open mind from everyone involved.

The asatizah are able to shape the thoughts and attitudes of the Muslim community when addressing various issues by providing proper knowledge and developing a mature approach towards any particular issue. What is important is that the asatizah should continue to ensure that complex issues can be addressed, but at the same time, ensure that the harmony and well-being of the larger community are protected. There is Malay proverb that advises us to handle delicate issues carefully to avoid making things worse. (It is like removing a strand of hair from flour, the hair should not break, the flour should not scatter)

Another source of new problems is the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our community faces a multitude of social challenges related to employment, mental stress, marital problems and so on. Religion can be a source of encouragement and strength for the Muslim community in Singapore. Therefore, asatizah must also be prepared to help address social issues and provide guidance to Muslims in this regard.

Last year, the report by the Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) mentioned the importance of having future asatizah who fully understand and deeply comprehend the needs of the different communities. Indeed, a precise and deep understanding is important so that asatizah can really help the community emerge from difficult times, and stay positive and open-minded when facing problems.

The asatizah need to have particular skills and this capability should be constantly improved. Here I would like to ask what is being done to ensure that our asatizah are sufficiently equipped to provide social support to the community? Are they attending training or courses such as counselling or pastoral care?

Announcements have also been made on the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS) scheduled to commence in 2020. This is a very important programme to ensure that asatizah are given the necessary skills to carry out their responsibilities. I would like to know whether the programme can be launched and continue even though we are in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. May I have some details of this program? How is this programme designed to prepare the asatizah to guide the Muslim community in Singapore in the face of new challenges?

10.45 am

The Chairman: Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman. Please take your two cuts together, if you would like to.

Support for Asatizah

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] With the disruptions brought about by COVID-19, our religious leadership played an important role in providing religious guidance to the community in getting through the pandemic. Moreover, this pandemic has accelerated the trend of learning new skills to keep up with changing needs, in terms of emerging industries and employment. For example, between July 2019 and June 2020, LinkedIn saw a 300% increase in total hours spent on LinkedIn Learning, compared to the year before. In essence, the pandemic provided many with the opportunity to upskill, acquiring new skills for the changing environment.

Given these developments, it is important to equip our asatizah with relevant skills to address complex issues. The Committee on Future Asatizah (COFA) was convened in March 2019 to develop a vision for asatizah of the future. A key theme from the COFA conversations is the strong recognition that asatizah have a critical and essential role which they must continue to play, in guiding the community at all levels, contributing and galvanizing contributions to nation-building and humanity, as inspiring leaders, competent citizens, and effective contributors.

There is also a need to strengthen the role of asatizah in nation-building. These can be done by strengthening asatizah’s core roles as religious leaders while leveraging opportunities for them to serve, contribute and develop themselves in adjacent areas, such as the social and education sector.

More support and opportunities need to be given to overseas university students to upgrade their existing skill sets during their period of study. Supporting our overseas undergraduates and postgraduates would nurture inspiring religious graduates and reinforce their commitment to constantly upgrade their skills. Thus, Implementing these recommendations put forth by COFA also reaffirms our commitment to build up the asatizah sector, strengthening institutions, and seeing inspirational religious graduates.

It is thus imperative that asatizah upskill to address the dynamic challenges of the future. As such, given the ongoing pandemic, what are the plans and programmes available to ensure that our asatizah are equipped with the relevant skills so that they can better serve the community?

(In English): Second cut.

Promoting Inter-faith Understanding

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] In January this year, a 16-year-old Singaporean student was detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for planning to attack two mosques and kill congregants in Singapore on March 15 this year – the second anniversary of the Christchurch terror attacks. This teenager, was who was inspired by “far-right extremist ideology,” served as a reminder to Singaporeans that our religious harmony cannot be taken for granted.

In 2019, an Australian gunman released a racist manifesto shortly before opening fire at two mosques in the city of Christchurch in New Zealand. The white supremacist, then 28 years old, stormed the Al Noor mosque armed with semi-automatic guns and shot at Muslims gathered there for Friday prayers, killing 44 people.

Given that globalisation has increased our connectedness with foreign cultures and communities, threats to our religious harmony in Singapore will continue to be challenged. It is thus imperative that we strengthen our harmony in Singapore by engendering interfaith understandings. It is also important that our local religious communities and asatizah stand firmly against radical ideologies and make clear that any copycat attacks will not find traction or support here in Singapore.

Could the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs share how Muis is working with other religious organisations to promote interfaith understanding?

The Chairman: Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap.

Islamic Religious Council of Singapore

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

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Sir, the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore, just like the rest of the country, is aware and concerned towards current issues that we face. It is the nature of Malays to help each other, as the Malay proverb goes – "shoulder any burden together". In preventing the spread of COVID-19, for instance, they have been swift in complying with all health measures, such as closing the mosques to curb any coronavirus infection here.

Sir, I am proud that the Malay/Muslim community here remains strong and united despite many tests and challenges. It just that lately, some members of the community and our asatizah have complained that when crucial issues are voiced out or problems are raised, there are no clear answers from the authorities responsible for managing our welfare, needs and well-being.

I would like to ask some questions arising from my monitoring of discussions in social media and in person, in order to get some clarification and enlightenment on these issues, so that whatever seems murky will be clear, whatever seems foggy will be visible.

These issues that will be raised are, first of all, deviant teachings; second, the halal certification management; and thirdly, the issues of governance and financial management involving Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah

Sir, in November last year, the Straits Times published a report on deviant teaching involving a man who has a number of wives. Although it was the only local newspaper report on the issue, some parties have said that the complaints against this individual have been raised a number of years ago.

My questions are: When was the first complaint received by MUIS about this individual who practice deviant teaching?

Second, why was further investigation only carried out after it was reported in the newspaper?

Third, what was the outcome of MUIS’ investigation so far?

Fourth, are the AMLA provisions sufficient or should it be reviewed and amended to strengthen its effectiveness in addressing deviant teachings?

The second issue is about allegations of possible misconduct in governance and abuse of power in the management of halal certificates.

I would like to request that the findings of the Internal Investigation Team led by MUIS Deputy Chief Executive, Dr Albakri Ahmad, and the Independent Review Panel chaired by Mr Abdul Hamid Abdullah, be presented in full to Parliament for the sake of transparency and accountability. MUIS said that it has reported this matter to the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB).

What was referred to CPIB if it is true that "MUIS' investigation does not find evidence" of corruption or abuse of power? As the Malays say, "a tree does not sway if there is no wind".

Subsequently, MUIS completed its investigation and announced its findings on 15 December 2020, but two weeks later on 29 December 2020, there was a report from across the Causeway about the halal meat certificate scandal in Malaysia.

New questions emerged after several reports over there linked Singapore and certain individuals from MUIS in this matter. I cite the following report:

(In English): The Islamic Development Department (Jakim), does not discount the possibility that non-certified meat has been smuggled into the country and later sold as halal products. Jakim Research Division, Senior Director, Datuk Dr Sirajuddin Suhaimee, in acknowledging this, said such cases had occurred in other countries. Speaking in a special live interview via the Department's Facebook page, he said, "Jakim learned in a past forum that such cases has occurred in Singapore, because of this, Indonesia does not trust (halal) meat from Singapore. The non-certified meat reportedly entered the warehouse at the port and the packaging was changed, then stamped with a halal label. So, it is not impossible for this to happen in Malaysia today".

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] My questions for the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs are as follows:

What efforts or actions have MUIS taken to refute the statement by Datuk Dr Sirajuddin, which sounds worryingly like an accusation, and could affect Muslims' trust in the halal certification process here?

Second, has MUIS conducted any investigation and who is leading the investigation, following the statement by Datuk Dr Sirajuddin?

Third, is it true that the individual linked to the viral picture in social media is the Assistant Director in MUIS' Halal Strategic Unit?

Fourth, is it true that he is now the Executive Director of the Mosque-Madrasah-Wakaf Shared Services? And if so, why has this individual been moved to a different role if no offence took place? Was he promoted in December 2020?

Fifth, in the investigation report by MUIS on 15 December 2020, MUIS made known its concern about leaked information in the form of emails, which it claims violate the Official Secrets Act. What is the result of that investigation?

Sir, the third issue is about governance and financial management involving Madrasah Irsyad Zuhri Al-Islamiah or, in short, Madrasah Irsyad. My questions are as follows:

First, what is the amount of capital provided by Madrasah Irsyad to set up the Irsyad Trust Limited, which was originally called Irsyad Foundation Limited?

Second, what is the extent and jurisdiction of Madrasah Irsyad in the feasibility of setting up a subsidiary, in this regard, Irsyad Trust Limited?

Third, is it true that a Senior Director of Madrasah from MUIS has resigned in 2016, and then allowed to become CEO of Irsyad Trust Limited?

Four, what was the reason for the resignation of this Senior Director of Madrasah from MUIS?

Fifth, who approved his appointment as CEO of Irsyad Trust Limited?

Sixth question, where did Madrasah Irsyad obtain the capital that was used to create Irsyad Trust Limited?

Seven, I went to the three official websites of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, Madrasah Irsyad and Irsyad Trust Limited, and saw that none of them contained any declaration about their connection to one another, so can you explain why this is so?

Eight, how does MUIS monitor, examine and perform "Checks and Balances" on Irsyad Trust Limited?

Finally, Sir, I hope to get a clear and detailed answer from the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs to all the questions raised in order to remove any doubts within the community about the credibility of the bodies involved.

Sir, if the Minister cannot provide a comprehensive answer at this session due to certain factors or reasons, I request that the Minister do so through a media statement or by issuing a statement through social media channels.

11.00 am

Mentoring for High-risk Malay/Muslim Youths

Dr Shahira Abdullah (Nominated Member): Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mentoring is an important aspect of guiding the youths. For the Malay/Muslim community, the Ministry has taken steps, through M³, to grow a strong culture of mentoring for its youths. We have gender-specific programmes such as the Empowerment Programme for Boys (EPB) and the ITE Empowerment Programme for Girls (EPG) in the ITE, as well as Project SOAR, a community mentoring programme for secondary school students. A Youth Mentoring Office has also been set up to train volunteers in becoming mentors and many programmes have been started.

One of the concerns I have relates to the guidance of high-risk Malay/Muslim youths who often come from families with many issues. They may have insufficient role models at home for a variety of reasons. It is not uncommon for such youths to suffer low confidence, poor performance in studies, or be involved in activities that may lead them down the road of juvenile delinquency.

Such youths would benefit from a mentoring programme tailored to meet their complex situations under the ambit of M³. Through M³, the different strengths of MENDAKI, MUIS and MESRA can be leveraged to address both the secular and religious growth of these at-risk youths, and provide the necessary resources and referral mechanisms to support their mental and emotional well-being. Would the Ministry consider developing this?

The Chairman: Mr Zhulkarnain, if you would like to take your two cuts together, please do.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

Continuing Support for Youths

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, students, teachers and parents were all affected by the school closure during Circuit Breaker. Many had to get used to home-based learning.

Despite the situation getting better, we do not know when this pandemic will end. For now, social distancing measures remain. The mental health of our youth will be further tested with the increased risk of hacking cases and cyber-bullying and social media cases.

This April is the second time that our community will welcome the month of Ramadan amidst COVID-19. Previously, many in the community, including our youth, energized our mosques and social service organisations with volunteer activities during the whole of Ramadan.

All of these changes and experiences may have a long-term effect on our youth. It may not only cause stress and isolation tendencies, but also may shape the character of our entire youth generation. And consequently, our community's future.

Let us not allow our youth to feel alienated from the institutions of our community and their aspirations. Here I would like to convey the desire of many Malay/Muslim youths who dream of a future where opportunities and employment is widely available for them based on their potential and capabilities; regardless of their lineage, beliefs or appearance.

While we build our youth's capability to adapt and seize the opportunities in a post-pandemic world, we cannot lose sight in giving support and encouragement to them, be it in terms of education, character building or religion. This is for them to achieve their dreams and aspiration.

What are MENDAKI's or M³'s plans to support the aspirations of our youths so that they will continue to actively contribute to society?

Pre-school Education

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] When I was the Chairman of M³ at Chua Chu Kang, the KMM programme had a good response in terms of high enrolment. It teaches children not only numeracy skills but also equip parents with important learning techniques.

Learning requires an orderly, supportive and positive environment both within and outside the classroom. And the best predictor of student success is the involvement of parents. When parents are involved in their children's learning, the children show interest and better academic performance.

In the three years since the establishment of KMM, how many have benefited from the KMM programme? How far has KMM helped in terms of teaching and parenting skills? What are the efforts by Mendaki and M³ to continue equipping students and parents for an educational landscape that is quickly evolving?

The Chairman: If you wish to take your three cuts together, please do.

Mr Sharael Taha (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Thank you, Mr Chairman, Sir. Yes, I would like to take my cuts; L, M and N together, please. Mr Chairman, in Malay, please.

Support for Vulnerable Families

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] COVID-19 has drastically impacted the lives of Singaporeans. This is especially so for at-risk families, who require more support in terms of resources, learning tools, upskilling and gaining employment.

During the circuit breaker, M³ and other Malay/Muslim organisations provided assistance particularly to at-risk families through programmes such as SGBukaPuasa.

However, some families remain unaware of programmes, assistance and support that are available, and how to access them.

I am concerned and would like to know, how we can, through the M³ network, engage at-risk groups within the Malay/Muslim community more effectively? How do we also ensure that those in need of support actually receive it?

Training for Digital and Green Economy

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I would like to quote Minister Chan Chun Sing's speech that "COVID-19 is the crisis of our generation, but it can also be the opportunity of our generation."

COVID-19 has changed our business and employment landscape. Certain industries will decline while others, such as those in the digital economy or supporting the Green Plan, will see increased demand. Disruptive technologies like driverless vehicles or drone deliveries, and our move towards electric vehicles, will render many present jobs redundant in affected industries.

Bridging sunset industries and emerging industries will be challenging. Workers in affected industries may feel that the transfer of skills is not easy, but we must try nonetheless.

Digital skills and knowledge of the green economy will be integral to ensure that we remain relevant in the job market.

Through the M³ network, in particular MENDAKI SENSE, may I ask the Minister, what more can we do for Malay/Muslim workers to develop their digital competencies or expertise in the green economy, so that they can be part of these emerging industries?

How do we increase awareness about the jobs available in these emerging industries among our community?

As the Malay proverb goes, "Bend a bamboo while it is still a young bamboo shoot". How do we prepare our children and youth to have a passion for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics so that our children can be prepared for the new economy?

I recently spoke to a group of students from ITE College Central. They were excited to enter the job market, but some are worried about what they perceive to be discriminatory practices when looking for jobs and while working.

We need to reassure our youths that there are existing laws that may be able to address some of their concerns.

Most importantly, we must continue to convince them that the best way to overcome this, is by deepening their capabilities in Digital or Green Technology that are needed by employers so that they can seize any available opportunity.

Mentoring our Youth

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Last October, I presented the MENDAKI award to Muhammad Shafiq Akmal Bin Supri who topped his class in the Business Intelligence and Data Analytics diploma course in Temasek Polytechnic.

Shafiq, together with young professionals like Mr Amir Zakaria, a robotics engineer who is experienced in 3D-printing, are young trailblazers in our community and I wish them all the best for their pursuit to learn and subsequently embark on a career in the digital industry.

Can we initiate a network of mentors from the industries to help young people like them in their journey?

For younger students, MENDAKI has rolled out mentoring programmes for youth under the Youth Mentoring Office since last year.

More than 1000 volunteers have registered as mentors and more than 500 mentors have been trained.

The Chairman: Mr Sharael Taha, I am afraid you have to wrap up.

Mr Sharael Taha: One last sentence, sorry.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Can the Minister provide an update on the Youth Mentoring Office and share some of the plans that it has implemented or will be implementing?

The Chairman: Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, please take both your cuts together.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Deputy Chair, I will be speaking in both Malay and English.

"Bersamamu" – Strengthening Marriages

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] As of September last year, more than 5,700 couples have joined the Bersamamu programme. However, since the COVID-19 outbreak, many activities and plans had to be postponed or cancelled, particularly for young couples who wish to get married.

(In English): Marriage is a journey and it is important for couples to have a strong foundation, as they face many unknown stresses in transitioning to this new stage of life, for example, finances and family, work in care-giving. From first time newlyweds to reconstituted families, every relationship is different. But access to a listening ear and sound advice from trusted leaders is valuable.

As part of my work on the ground, I have encountered young women at different stages of their relationships. Some were teen moms, some were struggling to find a job and others found it difficult to balance the responsibilities of a new wife. I have had a newlywed write to me once when she opened up her heart on some of the identity issues she faced, after having a baby and becoming a stay-at-home mom. Her email struck me as I realised that both she and I, had gotten married at about the same time.

I would like to ask for an update on the "Bersamamu" programme and for any feedback, thus far, from "Naib Kadis" and participants. In addition, due to the restrictions imposed due to COVID-19, how can the programme be better supported for online outreach, and given the diversity of the couples, is it possible to consider customisable modules to cater for the different needs and demographics of couples who may require more targeted support?

Earlier this year, MCCY had organised "Emerging Stronger Together" and "Ciptasama" sessions for the Malay/Muslim community to share their views and suggestions in building a community of success and a better Singapore for the future. I note from the "Emerging Stronger" website that only 6% of the participants in these conversations were Malay. And I hope that more in our community can participate,

"Ciptasama" – Co-creating with Community

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I also support concerted efforts such as the "Ciptasama" programme which takes in views and engages the community to create the future that we want. However, in order to build and support the good efforts outlined under M³, I hope that more Malay/Muslim organisations will join forces with M³ agencies to pilot new ideas and have a deeper understanding of the community's concerns.

I would like to ask what are the key issues that participants have raised and what are the Government's plans for a joint action with the community to achieve this vision? And what roles can Malay/Muslim organizations play to enhance M³'s efforts in reaching out and engaging our Malay/Muslim community more comprehensively, especially the Malay/Muslim women, since this is the year of Celebrating Singapore Women?

Update on M³

Ms Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang): It has been two years since M³ was established. Since then, the M³ agencies have deepened their support for the community by collaborating with each other as well as the M³@Towns, and the programmes such as FITRAH, "Bersamamu" and the Youth Mentoring Office.

11.15 am

Our M³@Towns and professional groups have launched their own signature initiatives, such as our lawyer groups organising Legal Power of Attorney (LPA) sessions and setting up their own websites offering Pro-Bono legal services.

The COVID-19 pandemic has seen M³ further work together and with other community partners like AMP, the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SMCCI) and the Singapore Muslim Women's Association to quickly lend support to the community during this challenging time. During this time, we have also expanded the M³@Towns network with the recently launched M³@Geylang Serai and M³@Jalan Besar.

Yet, we must do even more to uplift our community if we are to close the gap on other communities but more importantly, to meet the aspirations of our own community. There are also some in the community who do not yet know what M³ even stands for. So, we must continue to find out new ways to be relevant, new ways to find out what is needed an what works, new ways of engaging.

Like any other organisation in today's world, M³ must continue to evolve its way of working. Two necessary pillars must be one, digital and data and analytics, and two, partnerships. How can M³ leverage digital and data to increase the effectiveness and impact of its initiatives? Given our limited resources, how can M³ grow and strengthen its partnerships with other agencies, such as grassroots organisations, non-profit organisations and other organisations, both Malay/Muslim and non-Malay/Muslim, that can help us reach and help the members of the community who need us the most. Chairman, in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Malay community has made a lot of progress. We only have to look at the roaring business done at the many halal cafes at Kampung Glam. Our middle- and high-income Malays have enjoyed good income growth.

However, for some low-income Malays, relative social mobility (in other words, those who were initially at the bottom of the socio-economic spectrum, and successfully climbed the ladder of success and reached the top) is a real struggle. They feel stuck.

Sir, the Malay community has always been and remains a close-knit community. United we stand. But when people feel left out, our sense of togetherness is affected and weakened. We do not want to we start creating divisions in our own community. How can M³ be the glue to strengthen back that sense of togetherness of our community?

By bringing professionals to the ground? By involving our asatizah more closely? Because our community's uniqueness is that we are taught from young to prepare for this world and the hereafter.

The Chairman: Ms Mariam Jaafar, I am afraid you have to wrap up.

(In English): As we look forward to scale new heights as we emerge out of COVID-19, what more being done to enhance the M³ collaborations so that it remains relevant and impactful in meeting the needs of the community?

The Chairman: Dr Wan Rizal, if you would like to take your two cuts together, please do.

M³ Volunteer Management Plans

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Chairman, my cuts in Malay, please.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Minister Maliki recently announced that M³ has expanded to three other towns at Geylang Serai, Jalan Besar and Toa Payoh.

I welcome this move as it allows for better outreach to the community, especially in engaging the more vulnerable families within the towns. It also makes M³ programmes more accessible to the Malay/Muslim community. I am grateful because M³@Jalan Besar has the support of young and capable volunteers from various sectors. For instance, the come from the media, interfaith, education, social service, and public service sectors.

I am heartened by the contributions and roles played by more young professionals when they help out as M³ volunteers. Their contributions are critical to ensure that the outreach efforts of M³ are effective and sustainable. Can the Minister provide an update on the plans to ensure that M³ volunteers are equipped with the relevant skills to reach out to the community more effectively?

Developing Holistic Madrasah Education

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Madrasah education system has come a long way. I personally know many former madrasah students who are now notable alumni. Other than producing reputable Muslim scholars, there are also madrasah graduates who are now business leaders, scientists, social science researchers, lawyers and many more.

There are two Madrasah located in M³@Jalan Besar. Recently, I visited Madrasah Aljunied to thank them for their success and congratulate them on passing the IB Programme. All 25 students in the IB programme passed the exams, and their average score is higher than the average global scores. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the principal of Madrasah Aljunied, as well as the teachers and students for their success once again.

The IB programme creates new pathways for madrasah students to non-religious opportunities. In this regard, the students should also be given exposure like attachments in various non-religious sectors.

Can the Minister share any plans to further value-add the madrasah curriculum in creating opportunities for madrasah students to gain experience beyond the religious sector?

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Mr Chairman, the past year has been challenging for every Singaporean, due to the disruptions caused by COVID-19. We have come a long way from a year ago.

In this regard, I wish to put on record how proud I am to be part of the Malay/Muslim community. We made the necessary adjustments and rallied with our fellow Singaporeans, displaying a strong spirit of togetherness, regardless of race or religion to overcome this pandemic as a nation.

The difficult adjustments made by the community in response to COVID-19 was possible because our religious leadership was decisive and united. MUIS played a central role in this by issuing religious guidance early and rallying asatizah and mosque leaders to guide the community to adapt to the changing environment. While MUIS was monitoring developments and decisions of religious authorities around the world, we could not simply copy what others had done, but rather had to find our own solutions. When difficult decisions were made, the community came together and supported these decisions. Everyone played a part to encourage and guide one another – lawyers, doctors, community leaders and ordinary citizens, all rolled up our sleeves.

The ability and confidence to chart our own path and make adjustments has allowed the Malay/Muslim community to thrive as a Community of Success, demonstrating the three Cs – Competence, Character and Citizenry. This is why we must continue to invest in our asatizah and our community in these three fronts to strengthen our Community of Success.

First, we have to continue equipping our asatizah with the necessary competencies to deal with future challenges and confidently lead the community in a diverse and multi-religious nation like Singapore. Second, we need to expand support for families, through which they develop our community's character. And third, encourage active citizenry in our community so that we will always stand shoulder to shoulder with our fellow Singaporeans. Mr Chairman, allow me to elaborate in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Chairman, last year, we saw how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the situation in Singapore drastically. Our religious sector was no exception. The religious leadership in MUIS needed to play a critical role. They worked with various parties in guiding the community to adapt to the evolving and challenging environment. I was proud and heartened to see compassion in our community as we helped one another during these challenging times.

The religious leadership in MUIS were quick to consult health experts, and took in guidance from doctors, in guiding our community to adapt our socio-religious activities in overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Throughout Ramadan last year, MUIS worked with community bodies such as the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Roses of Peace, among others, to launch the SGUnited Buka Puasa (Breaking of Fast) initiative. This initiative ensured continued support for zakat recipients and continued operations for our Malay/Muslim central kitchens, restaurants and delivery services.

In addition, a group of Malay/Muslim lawyers, known as Lawyers@M³ came together to advise businesses on the new laws and regulations that were passed, and how this could help those affected by the Circuit Breaker measures, including home-based businesses.

The COVID-19 crisis also provided opportunities for our community. It provided us with the opportunity to find innovative solutions to continue providing spiritual support for our community. Moreover, we understood how our religious practices could adapt to avoid extended risks. Clearly, we can be proud that we were able to adapt quickly and effectively. MUIS made sure that the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore continued to have access to the necessary spiritual support.

As Mr Saktiandi highlighted, some of these solutions will become the new normal and continue beyond the pandemic. In the midst of COVID-19, digital adoption has become more prevalent. This includes the online donation portal, OurMasjid.SG, which has helped to provide continued funding support with more than three million dollars collected since it was launched in April 2020. I am pleased to share that there was no reduction in zakat collected last year, despite the pandemic.

The streaming of sermons online, via MUIS' SalamSG channel on YouTube and Facebook will also continue. These platforms have contributed to the wealth of high quality Islamic content available online. Mr Saktiandi's also asked about the congregational terawih prayers for the coming month of Ramadan, MUIS will share further details soon.

When the COVID-19 vaccine became available, the Office of the Mufti quickly issued an irsyad that vaccines that are scientifically and medically safe and effective, and can be used by Muslims as this would save lives. This clear and timely guidance also helped the community to face COVID-19. At the same time, it is in line with the strong values and principles in Islam, and has helped our community have full confidence to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

This proves our asatizah's (religious leaders) capabilities. As religious leaders, asatizah bear the huge responsibility of providing guidance on religious matters, contextualised to Singapore's multi-cultural and multi-religious society, that is open and always facing rapid challenges. Such guidance shapes our community’s character, so that we are able to overcome any future challenges and continue to thrive as a Community of Success.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam earlier asked what was done to ensure that asatizah are equipped with relevant skills. We should evaluate the career of asatizah such that it is not different from other careers.

That is why, we must continue to train generations of asatizah who are ready for the future. Hence, we must build a lifelong learning ecosystem to enable them to continuously upgrade their skills and keep abreast of new developments.

In this regard, MUIS successfully commenced the Postgraduate Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Society (PCICS) programme last April. The 1-year PCICS programme is a significant commitment and effort for our aspiring asatizah. It also ensures that the achievements and skills of asatizah attained from various religious institutes of higher learning overseas are relevant and of quality to guide our religious lives that is suited to our multi-racial and multi-religious society and a rapidly changing world. This is important to maintain the standards of education to be recognised as a group of professionals. To Mr Fahmi Aliman's query, under PCICS, students will be equipped with social work and counselling skills, in order to serve the local Malay/Muslim community more comprehensively. This will also enable asatizah to gain employment opportunities beyond the religious sector, as suggested by Mr Abdul Samad.

In response to Dr Wan Rizal's query, madrasahs provide a holistic education which includes both secular and religious subjects to develop religious thought leaders for the future who are confident in guiding a highly educated community. As part of the curriculum, madrasahs have introduced skills-based enrichment programmes and collaborated with various agencies to provide experiential learning journeys for students to gain exposure in the religious sector and beyond. For example, Madrasah Al-Arabiah has embarked on a Science Research programme with the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), A*Star and NUS. Their students also participated in the CapitaLand Young Architects Programme.

Last year, MUIS announced the Asatizah Workforce Development Plan or AWDP which aims to enhance career pathways and opportunities for our asatizah. MUIS has been working with the mosque and madrasah sectors to implement the AWDP initiatives. As part of AWDP, asatizah can look forward to the Skills Upgrading Programme and Career Competency Framework. These programmes allow asatizah to equip themselves with relevant skills for the religious sector and adjacent sectors that would be beneficial for our community.

Mr Chairman, to continue nurturing a Community of Success, we need to strengthen our Malay/Muslim families as a key building block of our community. A key area that requires attention is the changing needs of families. Families are becoming more diverse – we have more inter-racial marriages, remarriages and complex family structures with step-parents and step-siblings.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked for an update on the "Bersamamu" programme. I am happy to share that our Kadi and Naib Kadi have taken the lead to expand their role in strengthening families, with the support of Minister of State, Dr Faishal Ibrahim. Under the "Bersamamu" programme, Kadi and Naib Kadi’s role is no longer limited to solemnising couples, but will also provide advice and support tailored to the couple prior to their marriage and for the first few years of their marriage. This ensures that the couple can start their marriage on the right footing. Apart from religious support, Kadi and Naib Kadi will also share information on national and community programmes that can benefit couples, such as such as KelasMateMatika@CC that is organised by M³ for pre-school children.

Ms Nadia also asked about how "Bersamamu" can expand its online outreach efforts. Last January, the ROMM launched a Facebook page to help "Bersamamu" participants have easy access to information related to marriage, parenting and early childhood development. This will provide couples with a useful resource and an opportunity to tap on the knowledge, experience and advice from fellow couples as well as the Kadi and Naib Kadi.

ROMM together with MUIS and MSF have started the Community of Practice Programme for Kadi and Naib Kadi. The new programme provides Kadi and Naib Kadi the opportunity to interact and share experiences, and learn local and overseas best practices as part of Kadi and Naib Kadi's professional development.

In addition, MSF is also refreshing the content for the "Cinta Abadi" marriage preparation course, to include the content such as the published fatwa on joint tenancy, so that families are equipped with relevant information. The course is now offered online due to the COVID-19 safe management measures, and therefore allowing more couples to participate. MSF will also provide a $70 rebate for couples attending the "Cinta Abadi" marriage preparation course from the second quarter of this year.

As we continue to nurture a Community of Success, we must also ensure that any assistance programmes remain accessible to the more vulnerable groups in our community. That is why the M³ initiative is central to the collaborations within the Malay/Muslim community and Minister Maliki Osman will elaborate on the future plans for M³ in his speech.

Our community has also contributed to the Singapore Together Emerging Strong Conversations with two "Ciptasama@M³" sessions last January. Through these sessions, we listened to the views and suggestions from the community on both national and community issues that were of greatest concern to them. Earlier this year, I announced that this year is the "Year of Celebrating SG Women". This speech is for all women in commemorating International Women’s Day today. To Ms Nadia's query, several engagements with our Malay/Muslim community on women’s development will be led by Parliamentary Secretary Ms Rahayu Mahzam throughout this year. I hope through these conversations, we will gather ideas to support and celebrate the Malay/Muslim women in Singapore. Through these efforts, I hope that we can help to empower women, as well as build and strengthen a culture of active citenzry within our community and Singapore.

Chairman, in English, please.

11.30 am

(In English): Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap raised a few issues which I will attempt to answer during the clarification. But for now, I would like to mention that to ensure that we live harmoniously in a diverse and multi-religious society, we have to make adjustments like other communities. This adjustment that our community had to make over the last year to overcome the pandemic was not easy.

We stoically went through Ramadan without our prayers at mosques. No annual bazaar. No colourful Hari Raya visits. We could not even visit the graves of our loved ones. Our fellow Singaporeans too celebrated a muted Deepavali, Christmas and Chinese New Year recently. We closed our mosques during the circuit breaker, as did churches and temples. We were also one of the first countries to postpone the Haj pilgrimage last year – a major decision and others followed suit.

Come May, we will once again be celebrating Hari Raya – hopefully, with more spirit, but always ready to make adjustments so that we all stay safe.

But this has been the story of the Singapore Malay/Muslim community contributing to the nation as a Community of Success, always adapting and always quietly finding unique solutions to our own challenges when they arise.

In the 1970s, we established the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund, tapping on every working Muslim adult to fund and build our mosques so that no foreign money and influence will find its way here. Recently, we established important institutions such as the Asatizah Recognition Scheme so that only our home-grown religious leaders in our Madrasahs can preach here.

But our quiet peaceful way to resolve our religious challenges internally has been broken.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap earlier asked for nurses and those serving in uniformed services during the Budget to be allowed to wear the tudung. We emphathise with the views of those who want to don the tudung as part of their uniform in nursing. This is not the first time Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap has raised this, as have other People's Action Party (PAP) Malay/Muslim Members of Parliament previously. Indeed, many Muslim women contribute meaningfully and serve our nation and society through noble jobs such as nursing and their contributions have been tremendous, especially during the pandemic.

Our Government's secular stand has been consistently clear when it comes to policy-making. This is our approach when dealing even-handedly with requests from different religious groups, especially when it affects our common spaces. This point was made by Minister K Shanmugam earlier and I note that the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Pritam Singh, agreed to such an approach during MHA's Committee of Supply debate.

Save for the practices that we inherited as a legacy from the British government, our uniform policy in the Public Service cannot be tilted towards any religious belief, any particular religious belief. I would like to explain why this can be sensitive and in this case, one of many considerations.

In our multi-racial society, in services that play critical roles in our society, the uniform is a visible sign that the service is rendered equally, regardless of race or religion. Allowing tudungs would introduce a very visible religious marker that identify every tudung-wearing female nurse or uniformed officer as a Muslim.

This has significant implications. We do not want patients to prefer or not prefer to be served by a Muslim nurse, nor do we want people to think that public security is being enforced by a Muslim or non-Muslim Police officer. This is what makes the decision difficult and sensitive.

Public aggressive pressure on such an issue can only make compromise harder. Any Government concession to religious pressure will cause other groups to take note and adopt a similar aggressive posture. Race and religion will become increasingly polarising and this will harm all of us, especially the minority communities.

Hence, after discussing the Government's considerations with the PAP Members of Parliament, we agreed to take the approach of careful, close-door discussions because we understand this complexity and sensitivity. This is as enjoined by Ms Rahayu Mahzam just now.

11.45 am

For sensitive issues like the wearing of tudung in the workplace, where uniforms are required, we continue to have discussions and consultations with the community, our community, especially, behind closed doors. We previously engaged unions, religious teachers, and respected members of the community, and they understand why we have adopted our current approach on uniforms in the Public Service.

In this regard, let me again state that I empathise that some Muslim women may find it challenging to choose or remain in professions where they personally find it difficult to fulfil both religious and professional duties at the same time at some point in their life. However, workplaces are an important part of the common space that we share with our fellow Singaporeans and we must not withdraw from them. As a community, we have been adept at making adaptations and adjustment while at the same time, been able to practice our religion.

Let us take the example of our mosques. With the help of the Government, we have built mosques in housing estates over the years, right next to homes of fellow Singaporeans of different and various races and religions. On our part, we have made some adjustments in consideration to non-Muslims living near the mosques, such as lowering the volume of the azan and playing it inwards in the mosque. The azan is also played on the Malay radio channel. As Singaporeans, we understand and respect each other's religious beliefs and practices. This is how we have adjusted as a community. But it has not limited our faith, but instead, allowed it to thrive. And new mosques can continue to be built in our heartlands.

We recognise that Mr Faisal Manap may not agree with our Government's approach and continues to open up this topic in public discourse. Nevertheless, at the heart of our approach is our desire to protect the precious harmony that we have built over the years with other communities in Singapore, and fulfil our religious needs and always consider to do what is best in the interest of our multi-racial and multi-religious nation. This desire to protect racial and religious harmony is aligned with Islamic teaching. What we want is to strengthen our relationships across communities and work towards the common good. Hence, we must be respectful of the secular nature of our state and maintain our common space even as we look for outcomes that will fulfil the aspirations of our community.

I call on our community to reflect how precious this peace and harmony is to us as Muslims. I call on everyone to preserve this. Let us not focus on issues that will be divisive.

This issue reminds me of a quote that I would like to share with Members. "The Islamic belief system is built upon pillars of guidance, not compulsion. Moderation, not extremism. Peace, not war. Gentleness, not harshness. Love, not hate. Cooperation, not disassociation. Ease, not hardship. Brotherhood and sisterhood, not enmity." Our local asatizah also hold this view, that the religion inculcates these values that spur us to find pragmatic solutions in complex situations.

Mr Chairman, I began by sharing how proud I am of how the Malay/Muslim community has adjusted quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. This would not have been possible without the strong leadership of MUIS working with our asatizah, together with strong support of everyone in the community.

Recently, when news broke of the detention of the 16-year-old Singaporean who planned to conduct terrorist attacks against Muslims at two mosques, our community showed solidarity and social cohesion. Together with leaders of other faith communities, we condemned the attack and affirmed efforts to ensure peaceful and harmonious relations are always maintained among our diverse communities, even in a crisis such as this pandemic.

This is how our community demonstrates citizenry, standing united with everyone in Singapore regardless of race or religion.

To Mr Fahmi Aliman's query, our asatizah and MUIS must continue to strengthen efforts to promote interfaith understanding – through religious teachings and guidance, and holding dialogues with other interfaith groups.

Mr Chairman, while the past year was full of unprecedented challenges, I am certain that as long as we continue to invest in the three key attributes – Competence, Character and Citizenry, we will emerge stronger from this crisis as a Community of Success, contributing to the success of our nation. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Minister Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman.

The Minister, Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman): Mr Chairman, let me begin by wishing all the women in the House and all the women in Singapore a very Happy International Women's Day. Thank you for being a pillar in all our lives.

Mr Chairman, we formed M³ in 2018 to harness collaboration and tap on the combined resources, networks and expertise of MUIS, MENDAKI and MESRA as we strengthen the last-mile outreach and assistance to the community. This was evident when the pandemic disrupted our daily lives, affected the livelihood of some and strained our economy. The M³ agencies worked closely with other Malay/Muslim organisations through the SGTeguhBersatu Taskforce to support the Malay/Muslim community during this challenging time.

This gotong royong spirit is not new to the community. It is the cornerstone of active citizenry within our community, where we support one another and help uplift the vulnerable and less fortunate, so that we can overcome the crisis and lead meaningful lives. We will continue to strengthen this gotong royong spirit through three key areas.

First, we will expand our outreach to engage more families, specifically the vulnerable and lower income families and uplift their lives;

Second, we will enhance our community engagement capabilities to harness community resources and provide more meaningful support to those in need; and

Thirdly, we will strive to empower an engaged community towards greater sense of citizenry in pursuit of our vision of a community of success. Mr Chairman, allow me to continue in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] M³@Towns has grown over the last two years, with a suite of programmes rolled out by its agencies. Mr Abdul Samad asked about measures to fulfil the various needs of the different segments in our community.

First, we have programmes to support our young couples in building strong and resilient families. In general, divorces in our community has increased by more than 12% in the last 10 years. We recognise that there will be negative effects in divorces, especially on the children. Thus, to help and prepare couples have a good start to their marriage and reduce the likelihood of divorce, we started the "Bersamamu" programme in 2019. Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin also asked about the latest progress of this programme. As elaborated by Minister Masagos earlier, through this programme, our Naib Kadi have taken the lead to expand and strengthen the support that is provided. They not only solemnise the marriage, but provide advice and support to couples prior to their marriage and continue providing guidance during the first two years of their marriage.

Second, we also complement the existing efforts in supporting inmates and ex-offenders, as well as their families, through the FITRAH programme. Families of inmates with young children will certainly need support if their family member, especially their parents, are incarcerated. The FITRAH community befrienders help refer affected families to M³ programmes and other Government schemes. Currently, they support close to 80 inmates, ex-inmates, and their families. We call upon more members of the community who are interested to step forward as a befriender for this programme.

To further expand our reach to the community, we launched two more M³ towns at Geylang Serai and Jalan Besar. M³@Toa Payoh will also be launched soon, making it a total of 11 M³@Towns. We want to reach out to more families, especially the vulnerable groups. We do not want anyone to be left behind. For example, one of M³@Jalan Besar's efforts is reaching out to rental-flat families staying at Jalan Kukoh, to understand their living situation and needs, render assistance and inspire them to better their living standards. We will also raise their awareness about our various programmes and Government schemes, and improve access for them and their children to these programmes, and therefore pave the way for a better life for them.

COVID-19 has highlighted the need for us to address the digital divide faced by vulnerable families, including our senior citizens. As a community, we must do more to reach out to this group, and assure them that they are not alone in this difficult time. Last year, over 7,600 individuals benefited from the Digital Access programmes by the Infocomm and Media Development Authority (IMDA), which equipped low-income families, including students, with digital devices. We must ensure that children from these families have access to digital devices to facilitate their learning and development.

It is therefore timely that we transform the way we reach out to these families to one that is more impactful and caters to their needs. We want to inspire positive intergenerational mobility, and help their children succeed and secure a brighter future.

We recognise that some may need more support in terms of financial resources. They also require support in terms of learning tools and in picking up skills. Some may even face difficulties in accessing our programmes. Mr Abdul Samad and Mr Sharael Taha highlighted some families may be unaware or are unsure where to go after they have been rejected from our programmes or schemes previously. I agree with them that more needs to be done to raise awareness about the support available.

For a start, we will do more to engage and befriend these families, so that we can understand challenges better. This has been started at M³@Bedok, for instance. Our volunteers have visited over 500 households in Bedok to understand the families better and connect them to the relevant programmes. One volunteer is Mr Razali Bin Subir, who is also an MAEC grassroots leader in Bedok. He befriended a senior citizen, 54 years old, who is a caregiver to two young children, one of whom is a special needs child. Both of their parents are incarcerated. She did not know the platforms to get assistance. After getting to know her via engagement efforts at M³@Bedok, Mr Razali quickly referred her to MENDAKI and the FITRAH Office, who then connected the family to the mosque to apply for zakat financial assistance. They were also referred to their local Family Service Centre to receive counselling support. Today, the family is receiving support under the various M³ and national programmes.

Instances like this inspire us to continue improving our work. We will gradually roll out such engagements across the other M³ towns.

12.00 pm

Over the past few months, I have met the M³@Town volunteers, as well as MESRA's volunteers, and I am heartened by their commitment and strong support to be part of this endeavour.

Ms Mariam Jaafar and Ms Nadia asked how M³ and other Malay/Muslim organisations can work together with the Government to support the community. I am pleased to announce that we will be setting up the M³ Engagement Coordination Office, or ECO, this year. ECO will coordinate and strengthen outreach efforts with other Government programmes such as UPLIFT and ComLink, and various efforts by other Malay/Muslim organisations (MMO).

In addition, M³ will also continue to find ways to partner with other organisations, including Government agencies, to leverage on digital solutions and data to strengthen the effectiveness of our efforts. Mr Abdul Samad asked about the progress of the SGTeguhBersatu Taskforce that was formed last year. By working with other Malay/Muslim organisations, we were able to reach out to various groups more effectively. For example, the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry supported home-based businesses to apply for the Government's Temporary Relief Fund at that time. More than 250 applications were successful. Through ECO, we want to strengthen such partnerships and work with the MMOs and other community groups to co-create solutions and meet the needs of our community.

Dr Wan Rizal asked about measures to support volunteers so that they can be more ready and confident in reaching out and supporting vulnerable families. ECO will put in place a training framework for our volunteers, to equip them with the necessary skills, as well as deepen their understanding of national policies and Government schemes, that are especially useful for these vulnerable families. Through this approach, we hope to build a confident pool of volunteers, who are able to engage families better, and more meaningfully.

Mr Chairman, our programmes would not be successful without our volunteers and community partners. We are fortunate to have attracted a diverse pool of dedicated volunteers who have been supporting our programmes, from planning to execution. In fact, we are deeply encouraged to have more professionals who also volunteer on the ground with us, while providing and bringing their own expertise and ideas into our programmes. To date, we have over 500 volunteers, with 150 professionals from the legal, education, and healthcare sectors joining us.

For example, a group of lawyers collaborated with MESRA in November last year to organise a free application exercise for Lasting Power of Attorney, or LPA. This initiative attracted over 300 Malay/Muslim applicants who registered themselves and their loved ones for LPA. One lawyer who was part of this initiative is Mr Muslim Albakri, who is 33 years old. To Mr Muslim, who runs his own legal practice, giving back to the community is a core tenet to his legal practice. He also provides pro-bono legal advice to M³@Town residents as he wants to raise legal awareness and literacy within the community. Recently, Mr Muslim and his friends from this group of lawyers launched a website M³lawyers.sg to provide legal assistance to the community.

The M³@Towns are platforms for professionals to give back to the community in their own ways. During the "CiptaSama@M³" sessions in January this year, many also shared their views and vision for the community. Many spoke about the need to promote volunteerism within our community, and to ensure the vulnerable in our community is not left behind. We agree. Being part of M³ as a volunteer is one way to contribute. In the spirit of Singapore Together, let us be a part of this journey together to develop our community. Just as the strength of a knot depends on how it is tied together, the strength of a community lies in the unity of its members. We have created this platform to hear from you, and work together with you. We invite you to join us in making impactful changes to those in need. Together, we can thrive and progress as a Community of Success. As a Malay proverb goes, "Just like how water has a circle shape when it flows through a bamboo, the success of our community is achieved when we all work together". Mr Chairman, please allow me to conclude in English.

(In English): Mr Chairman, M³ has grown in strength and we will continue to work hand-in-hand with the various Malay/Muslim organisations and volunteers to ensure that our programmes are effective in meeting the evolving needs of the Malay/Muslim community and ensure no one is left behind. The community has also made significant progress as a result. The gotong royong spirit is one we must encourage – where community members look out for one another and where we empower them to be contributing members of our society. This sense of citizenry will carry us far in navigating uncertainties ahead of us, together with the rest of Singapore. [Applause.]

The Senior Minister of State for Defence and Manpower (Mr Zaqy Mohamad): Mr Chairman, 2020 has taught us important lessons in adaptability and resilience. I am heartened at how well the M³ platform – MENDAKI, MUIS and MESRA – worked for the Malay/Muslim community and was adapted quickly to help our beneficiaries and the vulnerable. I will expand on the three strategies that MENDAKI will be embarking on to take the community forward, to prepare them for the future, and to shape future generations.

First, equipping our community, especially our young, with the necessary skills and values to thrive in this digital age and the future economy; second, ensuring our workforce remain relevant to the current economy and prepare them for the future; and third, empowering our youth through mentorship so that they can excel and inspire one another to fulfil their potential while giving back to the community. Mr Chairman, please allow me to continue in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] I will expand on the three strategies for MENDAKI to prepare the Malay/Muslim community for a digital economy in the future, and shape future generations that will be more resilient.

First, we need to ensure that young Malay/Muslims possess the capabilities and skills to thrive in the digital economy. If the foundation is weak, there will be the risk that the child will be left behind in life, compared to other children. Therefore, we want parents to play a more prominent role to ensure that their children receive at least three years of pre-school education to prepare them for primary school.

That is why we introduced KelasMateMatika@CC (KMM@CC) in 2018 – so that parents can be more involved in their children’s early childhood development. Parents who took part in KMM@CC and its related activities have shared that it has helped them to keep up with the education and digital learning landscape. They also received expert advice about good practices in guiding their children.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked about the benefits of KMM@CC and MENDAKI's plans to continue to enhance the framework for pre-school education.

In May this year, MENDAKI will launch a new pilot programme called Kelas Siap Sekolah (KSS) to complement KMM@CC. Children who have graduated from KMM@CC will be eligible to join KSS. It will incorporate computational thinking, mathematical concepts, and literacy and writing skills, as will outdoor learning and storytelling. This will help develop the child’s problem-solving skills – and thus enhancing the child’s Primary 1 readiness.

Mr Zhulkarnain also asked about MENDAKI's efforts to ensure continual support to children and youth during Phase 3. This pandemic has accelerated the adoption of digitalisation, including a shift towards the way we learn and teach. MENDAKI also conducted its the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme (MTS) online. M³ introduced the eKMM@CC (e-KelasMateMatika@CC) so that parents and children can continue with their lessons online from home. In total, 2,200 parents and children have benefited from KMM and eKMM. This mode of learning will continue for the rest of the year, in line with the COVID-19 SMM.

Second, the economy and job landscape are constantly changing. The Malay/Muslim workforce needs to work hard to continue adapting and stay relevant to the needs of the economy and jobs landscape. This will help them to prepare for the future and future-proof themselves because the demands for skills or jobs are expected to change to meet the needs of businesses, industries and the economy. Therefore, we must always adapt and upskill ourselves.

Last October, M³ launched its fourth focus area to improve the employment and employability of our workforce regardless of their age or educational background. To achieve this objective, MENDAKI SENSE has been working closely with Government agencies such as WSG, SSG, e2i and also Malay/Muslim organisations such as AMP and SMCCI.

Since January 2020, MENDAKI SENSE has assisted more than 4,000 jobseekers, with over 800 of them, successfully placed in jobs. These numbers has doubled compared to the previous year.

While COVID-19 has affected employment, there are still jobs and skills opportunities available under the SG United Jobs and Skills Package in sectors such as information and communication, manufacturing and food services. We should be ready with the relevant skills to be able to seize these new opportunities.

To answer Mr Abdul Samad’s question, I would like to give the example of 28-year-old Mr Muhammad Farhan. He is a diploma graduate in Outdoor Adventures Learning who has work experience in customer service. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, he was unable to secure a job related to his qualification and had to explore other industries. He attended MENDAKI SENSE's career fair and was offered a position as a Wharfside Specialist with BigFoot Logistics.

Although this was a new industry for him, he kept an open mind and was able to use his operational and communications skills from his former work experience to his current job. With an open mind, we will also be able to explore new opportunities and shape our careers in the long run. Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Mr Sharael Taha asked about measures to further nurture expertise in the green and digital economy and within the Malay/Muslim community so that our workers, specifically those working in sunset industries, remain relevant.

Since August 2020, MENDAKI SENSE has offered around 200 training places every month in digital-related fields. This includes conducting more digital courses for all seniors through the National Silver Academy (NSA) since Phase 2 commenced. The digital courses by SENSE equip our mature workers to seize job opportunities that will now require digital tools and systems. It also increases the employability of mature workers in today's economic climate.

MENDAKI SENSE is also currently identifying courses that are certifiable under WSQ that can be conducted in Malay. This has the potential to benefit mature workers by so that they can acquire relevant skills without worrying about the issue of language. On employment and upskilling opportunities presented by the green economy, SENSE will conduct a sharing session in the second quarter of 2021.

MENDAKI's Future Ready Department has also organised several sessions of the "Future of…" Series to various groups of students. Industries covered include growth industries such as Agri-tech, Engineering and Artificial Intelligence as well as Data Analytics. These sessions help the youth to gain a better understanding of the ecosystem and skillsets needed within the industry.

To answer Mr Sharael’s query, MENDAKI is working with STEM partners (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) such as Google and Amazon Web Services to offer MTS students opportunities to participate in interest and skills-building programmes such as AWS Educate.

Mr Chairman, please allow me to continue in English.

12.15 pm

(In English): Mr Chairman, it is important for our youths to have the right mentors and peer support system that they can turn to for advice while navigating through life.

Mr Sharael asked for an update on the Youth Mentoring Office (YMO) and its future plans. I am happy to share that more than 1,000 mentors aged between 18 and 35 have stepped forward. Over 600 of them have been trained and over 500 deployed to programmes, such as MENDAKI Empowerment for ITE Boys and Girls and Project SOAR. This would not have been possible without Parliamentary Secretary Rahayu Mahzam's tireless efforts in guiding the establishment of the YMO and in engaging the youths to build up a culture of mentorship in our community.

This year, we aim to ramp up MENDAKI's mentoring programmes under YMO by recruiting an additional 850 mentors to mentor 1,700 students in the MENDAKI Tuition Scheme and Empowerment Programmes in 2021.

We would like to encourage more within the community to step forward with their expertise and knowledge to play a part in moulding the future of the community.

Dr Shahira Abdullah asked about mentoring programmes for high-risk youths. I think it is a wonderful effort. However, it would be more appropriate to have high-risk youths attended to and looked after by professionals.

Based on their profiles and needs, appropriate interventions can be provided by MSF, MOE and social service agencies (SSAs). However, this does not mean that there is no scope for mentoring. There is room for mentoring to supplement the professional intervention and certainly, we look forward to the Member's assistance and support for this initiative.

Mr Chairman, despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the community has responded well, rallying each other forward during these difficult times. And I am confident we can face whatever challenges that come our way and emerge stronger as a community of success.

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I thought I should address the three clarifications that Mr Faisal Manap had asked at the presentation of his cuts.

Let me start with the complaints on deviant teaching. In response to Mr Faisal Manap's query, MUIS has received 32 complaints on potential deviant teaching, five reports on dubious religious teachings and practices since formation in 1968.

MUIS takes a serious view of deviant teachings that can mislead the community. MUIS will assess these complaints and together with the Fatwa Committee, will take appropriate measures to deal with these complaints. These include the inssuance of fatwa counselling and public education. Where necessary, the Fatwa Committee will issue a fatwa and share relevant information with the public to immediately stop the spread of deviant teachings within the community. This has been effective in educating the community and preventing the public from falling prey to the false teachings of Islam.

Secondly, I also want to address the issue on halal certification. I would like to assure Members and the public that when it comes to processes for certifying food, MUIS has ensured there are robust processes. MUIS takes a holistic and proactive approach in monitoring compliance with the requirements under the MUIS' halal certification framework. This applies to recognition of foreign bodies certifying food as we need to ensure their credibility and processes.

When allegations were raised last year, MUIS responded quickly to investigate into the matter in a very rigorous and thorough manner. Some critics may have said that the investigation process took too long. But the same critics also called on MUIS to interview even more stakeholders.

Having reviewed the report, I can assure Members that the investigation process was robust and deliberate with opportunity provided to all interested parties to put submissions to MUIS to be reviewed.

Interviews were also conducted as deemed necessary to gather further evidence, which has also written to the delisted Foreign Halal Certifying Bodies (FHCBs) to furnish details on the reasonable objective grounds that led to their delistment.

Investigation findings were also submitted to MCCY. MUIS has been open and transparent in referring the matter to the CPIB and Police for further investigations even as it found no evidence to support the allegations of improper conduct or abuse of power by its officer in handling the FHCB cases. We want a proper closure so that there are no other doubts raised after this.

On the JAKIM issue, the Member of Parliament Faisal Manap raised the issue of this alleged meat cartel in Malaysia which was based on media reports – all from Malaysia though. Non-halal meat was being imported to Malaysia and certified halal. This is a separate issue for an investigation and we have stated this in our media statement, which was issued together with MUIS and Singapore Food Agency (SFA). So I hope our Member does not just read the Malaysian version. Please read our version too. It was also published in Mothership.

Based on the Malaysian media report, the meat cartel issue in Malaysia is being investigated by authorities, and then, some actions have been taken with individuals involved.

On the quote mentioned by the JAKIM officer that such mislabelling is happening in Singapore, MUIS is unaware of the background of his statement. In fact, after his statement was made, MUIS immediately wrote to JAKIM officially in December 2020 to clarify that statement made but we have not heard from JAKIM on this matter.

On Irsyad, Member of Parliament Faisal Manap also raised the issues of governance of Madrasah Irsyad. I thank him for the comments and agreed that good governance of our institutions is key for them to continue thriving. This is the kind of issue to be put up in the open; if there are doubts, responded to, and if there are issues that has to be dealt with the law, we will deal with it to the end.

As the Member of Parliament has not sent the queries ahead of time, I am not able to provide a full response at this time to the various queries. However, I invite him to file a Parliamentary Question (PQ) on the matter so that we can address this fully.

From what I understand though, Madrasah Irsyad and Irsyad Trust Limited are at present not affiliated, and the latter is an independent entity.

The Chairman: We have about 10 minutes before we move on to the next cut. So, we can take clarifications arising out of the cuts discussed now before we move on with the debate. Mr Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Chairman, I have two clarifications for the Minister. First, my question on the deviant teaching, I would just like the Minister to clarify, and if I can repeat my question in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] When was the first complaint received by MUIS about this individual who practice deviant teaching?

(In English): On the issue of discussion on tudung, Sir, I would like to offer myself to the Minister to be part of this closed door discussion. I am not privy to any of the discussions being done, behind closed doors. I believe that as the Minister had mentioned, it only involves PAP Malay Members of Parliament. I feel all elected Malay Members of Parliament should be part of this closed door discussion.

So, maybe through my involvement as well as the involvement of other elected Malay Members of Parliament in the discussion behind closed doors, I may consider not to bring or to surface what is deemed by Minister Masagos as insensitive and divisive issues.

So, I do want a response from the Minister on this whether all the Malay elected Members of Parliament can be part of this discussion as well as other discussions which involve the relevant Malay agencies such as MENDAKI, MUIS, maybe not MAC but MENDAKI and MUIS?

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: There was a similar Parliamentary Question filed on the deviant teaching, a recent one. I hope the Member can refer to that because we did put the dates and what we were doing in that particular case.

On the issue of consulting and talking to Mr Faisal Manap, I think he will recall that immediately after our last exchange, maybe about five years ago, we had a closed door discussion why I had to raise it the way I did it and what the points were and why we should not put this out in the open. We had that closed-door discussion although it was not something that I invited him to, but I used that opportunity to explain to him behind closed doors, why this has to be done.

So, it was not that I have never done it with the Member. I have done it. But it continues to be put out in the open – on every occasion that can be done. And like I said, these are issues that we have our approach, which is to do it behind closed doors, with our leaders, who we hope can understand and know how to bring this up to the community.

I know the Member continues to have a different approach. But may I also ask Dr Maliki to clarify on the issue of how to approach this so that this is not a closed door issue about how to approach on issues like this which are sensitive and complex?

The Chairman: Minister Maliki, are you wanting to take the rostrum?

Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Thank you, Mr Chairman, for giving me this opportunity to clarify.

This issue relates to Mr Faisal Manap's earlier comment, both during his speech in the Budget debate as well as the current discussion we are having on allowing nurses and those in uniform services to wear tudung.

I echo first Minister Masagos' views that we do empathise with the views of those who want to don the tudung as part of their uniform in nursing. I want to assure our community and our Muslim women nurses that we take this matter very, very seriously.

We have continued to engage union leaders, religious teachers, respected members of the community, putting to them the concerns of the Government, the other community leaders, as well as not just the Muslim community. They agree that these are sensitive issues and best discussed behind closed doors. They also agree that the solution is not straightforward and we should not rush into one without addressing these other concerns.

And whether Mr Faisal Manap participates in these sessions or not, I think the most important thing is a large segment of the community has been consulted and we continue to consult them.

Take uniforms as an example. Uniforms serve to project the common identity which in turn develops esprit de corps and strengthen camaraderie.

In the case of public healthcare services, the uniform underscores that our healthcare workers are neutral and provide impartial care regardless of race and religion. This is a reminder on both the healthcare workers as well as the persons receiving the care. This is in addition to the uniform meeting operational and safety requirements.

Sir, our Muslim nurses and their colleagues continue to perform their duties with dignity, pride and professionalism. We can attest to this through our own personal experiences. I was just hospitalised a few months back and I can attest to them performing their duties with the utmost respect from all of us.

But even so, and even more importantly, they perform it during national crises like SARS and more currently, COVID-19, par excellence.

12.30 pm

There are Muslim scholars, Sir, who have given guidance that Muslims must make appropriate adjustments while staying true to their faith when living in a plural and contemporary society. This is important for us in Singapore. We must avoid situations like in other countries, where issues of religious expression take centre stage, become a divisive matter and put certain groups under the spotlight.

I want to give an example. It happened two years ago. The Grand Imam of al-Azhar, His Excellency Dr Ahmed Al-Tayeb came to Singapore. He spoke about the tudung when he delivered the MUIS Lecture in Singapore in 2018. I was the moderator for his session.

In response to a question on the tudung not being allowed in certain workplaces, the Grand Imam made it clear that while Islam commands women to wear the tudung, he advised Muslim women against leaving their jobs solely because they are not able to wear it. He advised not to make the hijab an issue that determines your life to the extent that you have no choice but to leave your job; and he emphasised that there is a legal maxim in Islam that would permit Muslim women to take off their tudung due to work requirements.

So, on issues that affect our common space, we must always approach them very carefully.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap may not agree with our approach, but this is our approach. Our religious scholars and community leaders support our approach as they understand that these issues, especially those that involve racial and religious sensitivities, are complex and any decision on them should not be taken lightly. We must also ensure that our approach in addressing such issues safeguards the harmony between all races and religions in Singapore.

As articulated earlier, Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap had on previous occasions also raised this issue and he had articulated before that he is doing so because it is his job as a Member of Parliament to give feedback to the Government. We must know that our role as Members of Parliament is more than just giving feedback and reflecting public sentiment in the open, even in the Parliament. Yes, there is nothing that we cannot bring up in the Parliament.

But PAP Muslim Members of Parliament also recognise our role as leaders of our communities. As leaders, we must exercise discretion and know the implications of our actions. We are leaders and we have the responsibility to ensure our collective desired outcome as a society and country to maintain racial and religious harmony. This cannot be compromised.

Thus, as leaders, we have to lead our community to understand sensitivities – when they cannot initially, maybe – of such topics and issues which are best not discussed in the open. If you are not careful, any discussion in the open may lead to serious ramifications. We have seen it happen and we must guard against it. That is why the PAP Muslim Members of Parliament have continuously been engaging the Government and the various communities, not just the Malay community or Muslim community, in order find a way forward for the greater good of Singapore and Singaporeans.

Mr Chairman and colleagues, I must tell you it is not easy. We have been called names. But we must do and we need to do what is right. We do our best to convince our community leaders, our religious leaders and our union leaders. They understand. We hope that they will also, in their own ways, discuss these matters with their members constructively, yet in private, away from the glare of the public. And I hope Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap can do likewise. If he wants to speak to community leaders, he can do so, but do so away from the glare of the public and that is what we should remember.

I know. I have spoken to many of them. In fact, just a few weeks ago, I spoke to a group of union leaders and we spoke about these issues in private. The community leaders understand these sensitivities when it comes to race and religion. I sincerely hope that Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap understands that too. This is something we cannot take for granted. This is something we must take seriously. This is something that will ensure Singapore's racial and religious harmony continues to be kept the way it is. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim.

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (Chua Chu Kang): Thank you, Mr Chairman. I have a few sets of clarifications to ask.

One, perhaps addressed to Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, I am quite excited by the announcement of Kelas Siap Sekolah (KSS), the pilot by MENDAKI. Perhaps the Senior Minister of State can share a bit more on what the age range and what are the minute details for this KSS programme.

Secondly, in terms of the MENDAKI-MUIS Preschool Grant – it is meant to encourage co-savings and was announced last year – whether they are any updates as to the take-up rate.

Lastly, this is for Minister Masagos Zulkifli. I filed a few Parliamentary Questions on the halal certification and I am quite heartened by the response by the Minister on 1 February that MUIS is engaging all stakeholders and foreign halal certification bodies (FHCBs), and that the details for the review will be announced later this year. I would just like to ask whether there is any progress and whether considerations can be made to the implementation of the ASEAN Cooperation Action Plan on Halal Food and the establishment of the international Halal authority body during the course of this review.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: As my colleague Mr Zaqy Mohamad is making his way to the podium, if you do not mind, Mr Chairman, I will take the second question first.

The Chairman: Please, yes.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: We would like to have a cooperating framework for the halal system because this will facilitate the movement of halal goods and so forth. But in Singapore, we also work within the many other laws and regulations to ensure not just the "halal-ness" of our food but also hygiene and pricing issues that will be faced by our consumers and so forth.

Therefore, we will work also first to address our interest for our community as well as for Singapore; and then look at how the others can then fall in together with us to make sure that we have a consistent, a cogent halal framework for even ASEAN. But as I mentioned, once I say I am going to look at what I need for Singapore, I am quite sure the other countries will do the same. Therefore, this journey to get to where we want to be will probably be some generalisation. The specific way to address this issue will take some time to come.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Thank you, Mr Chairman. I will keep it short, bearing in mind time constraints.

To answer the Member's question, Kelas Siap Sekolah is a new programme that we are putting in place as a continuation for our KMM@CC programme. So, this will involve our kids from four to six; and hopefully, help them to adapt to Primary school better. A few things that we want to go for: to nurture them with literacy and arithmetic skills in one setting and to also improve their love for learning.

We are going to have two runs from May to October 2021. Each run will be held over eight sessions, including the post-programme assessment. We hope to have about 100 kids benefit from the pilot programme.

On the MENDAKI-MUIS Preschool Grant (MMPG), I will just do an update. As of December 2020, the MMPG has now 80 children from 53 families enrolled. Of these 80 children, 67 of them had their parents' savings in the Child Development Account (CDA) and 64% of them have achieved an attendance of at least 70% at their pre-schools. We will continue to give them maximum support, working together with ECDA and MSF, because we want to encourage parents to send their kids for pre-school education so that they are better prepared for Primary school.

The Chairman: I will take two more clarifications, but please keep them short. Dr Wan Rizal and then, I will circle back to Mr Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap. But, keep them short, please.

Dr Wan Rizal (Jalan Besar): Thank you, Mr Chairman. I thank the Minister for articulating clearly the position of the Government on the issue of tudung in uniformed services. Indeed, these are sensitive issues that should be handled with much care. I am also grateful to note that these conversations are on-going and have been made with various segments of the community.

Earlier, the Ministers mentioned about the importance of asatizah within the community and I am in agreement with their dedication, their ability and of course, their influence. Therefore, I would like to ask on the role of our asatizah in this regard. How can they continue to work with the Government on handling such sensitive issues so that the community is also convinced that the religious sector can provide them with the right and appropriate guidance?

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: I thank the Member for the question. This, indeed, is one of the difficult areas that MUIS has for the longest time since its formation, uniting our community, uniting asatizah, so that not only will they fulfil their duties and obligations as religious teachers but also understand how that can be done and even when it ought to be done.

Therefore, this continued engagement that we have with them, whether through their regulatory bodies like the Asatizah Recognition Board (ARB) or through the associations like Pergas, must be on-going. If there are new developments, we will update them and think about how we can move forward.

I think the real question the Member is asking is when will this happen? When will we have a decision? If you have already agreed with someone you are going to marry, you can have a wedding date. A wedding can have a wedding date. But when you are dating, I do not think you have a wedding date or time to decide with your partner, "We better decide this by this time or else we go together or not together". Therefore, when we resolve matters like this, we cannot resolve it with a deadline.

Instead, it is one where we engage and prepare the ground; continue to engage and prepare the ground. Why? So, that when the moment comes and we have to make a decision, it brings the least impact to those affected. And hopefully, even, because we have done this groundwork, address their issues and hopefully, they accept it with the generosity and the goodwill that we have as fellow Singaporeans. But that will take time.

But that is what you get when you invest time to build relationship, trust with each other. I hope that we can get to the answer, when we can do this, as soon as we find the solutions and the considerations being addressed.

The Chairman: Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap, please keep your clarification tight.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Thank you, Sir. I got two points. One is for Minister Masagos Zulkifli. I appreciate him sharing that indeed we had a closed door person-to-person talk on this issue last year. I do recall that. So, I like to just to ask the Minister whether you can extend the trust that you have in me in discussing such things behind closed doors, in a really formal closed-door setting. I just like to hear from the Minister.

Secondly, this pertains to what has been alluded by Minister Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman. He did mention that there are some countries where tudungs are not being allowed to be donned by nurses because it causes divisiveness. But in contrast, I kind of recall there are quite a number of countries like Australia, New Zealand and the UK, actually, that allow the tudung to be donned. I would like Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman to at least share a country or two which he was referring to earlier.

The Chairman: Minister Masagos Zulkifli

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: By speaking to the Member personally, I am involving him and I am treating him specially. Because I want this to be a heart-to-heart talk with him and exchange our views, and not open ourselves to speaking in a setting which we may have to constrain or hold ourselves. I will continue with the Member if he wants to. We know where to meet. We can talk and we will continue to talk.

But I urge the Member to continue to look at the situation in a very special way because this is about racial harmony, religious harmony and the peace that we have with each other. Do not disturb it by putting up a sensitive topic like this that may spur some part of our community to actions that we may regret later on.

12.45 pm

On the issue of why other countries can do it, there are many things that other countries do that we do not do. We are Singaporeans, we do what is good by Singapore. If you want to do something that they like, we must also then, do what we do not like that they do. I do not think we want that either. We do what is good for us, our community, our nation. And I hope as Members of Parliament, we swore to uphold and preserve our Constitution; let us do that.

The Chairman: I think the Minister has replied to both your clarifications. I do not think there is a need for Dr Maliki to take the rostrum?

Alright, we will move on. Head X, cut (t). Mr Leong Mun Wai.

The Relevance of People's Association

Mr Leong Mun Wai (Non-Constituency Member): Chairman, I will speak on the role of People's Association (PA). I share the sentiments expressed by the hon Member Sylvia Lim as far back as the 2016 COS debate regarding PA’s huge budget and unclear mandate. Despite the queries of many non-PAP Members subsequent to that, many questions remain unanswered.

First, the question of why the PA is allocated such a huge budget. To put things in perspective, the PA’s operating expenditure in FY2021 is $589 million with 2,565 staff. In comparison, IRAS’ running costs are $432 million with 2,050 staff and GovTech’s $403 million, 3,610 staff. So, PA’s cost per staff is even higher than that of IRAS and GovTech, which are supposed to have a higher proportion of professional staff.

Furthermore, from actual expenditures of FY2020, PA has spent only $199 million, which is about 30% of its running cost on activities and projects, with the balance of $441 million, which is 70% of its running cost, spent on administration. Why is such an expensive administration structure needed when the main job of PA is to be a bridge between the Government and the citizens, and much of the work of the PA is carried out by the grassroot volunteers and volunteer worker organisations (VWOs)?

We wholeheartedly support the hard work put up by the staff and volunteers of PA to strengthen the social fabric of our country. However, is there more that we can do to redefine the role of PA at the higher level and to to ensure that the funds are deployed in areas that help our needy Singaporeans most?

We would like to know the proportion of PA’s leaders, staff and volunteers who are members of any political party. If it is so heavily funded by taxpayers’ money, we wish that the PA is a real organisation for the people with its leadership and membership not skewed towards any political party.

In view of the recent debate on the CDCs, we would also like to know the CDC's budget as a percentage of the PA's budget.

The Chairman: Ms Joan Pereira, if you would like to take both your cuts together, please do.

Forging Forward Together

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Chairman, the disruption to our economy from the pandemic has had different impact on various segments of our country. COVID-19 has inflicted disproportionate hardship upon those who are less well-off and pushed those at the margins into further difficulties. To make matters worse, rampant misinformation on the internet and social media platforms is adding to the turbulence. Our world is under many stresses and these have the potential to deepen societal divisions, especially those along religious and racial fault lines.

There is much work to be done to narrow the gaps. We need to foster a cohesive and caring society in order to recover and forge ahead as one nation.

Would MCCY share its strategies on how it will work with Singaporeans to close ranks and become a more united and resilient people? How will the Government ensure that in our fight against the pandemic and consequent chaos, no one is left behind?

One of my greatest concerns is the state of racial and religious harmony in Singapore. It is threatened by radicalisation of troubled individuals and groups. The most recent case was that of a 16-year-old student of Protestant faith who plotted to attack two mosques and kill Muslim worshippers here. A few churches in my constituency reached out to the Masjid Jamek Queenstown, also in my division, for a sharing and meal together as an expression of solidarity, to deepen the ties between both faiths and condemned the incident.

Strengthening religious harmony is an on-going work in progress. We are one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world. Mutual respect and tolerance are qualities that we must all conscientiously nurture and practice, and teach our young. I commend MCCY for its work to build up religious tolerance among our people and look forward to hearing its new initiatives. I propose MCCY facilitating regular sharing sessions among our different faiths which is key to building trust and understanding.

Similarly, we need to put in effort to encourage Singaporeans to do their part to build racial harmony. The more we interact with members of different racial communities, the better we can understand one another and learn that in fact, we have so much more in common than differences. What is exciting for me is that there is much wisdom we can gather from those who are different from us. Would MCCY share the projects and initiatives it has in store to further enhance our racial harmony?

Encouraging More to Step Forward

One of the silver linings from the COVID-19 pandemic is how it ignited the spirit of “gotong royong” in our society. There are various interpretations and translations for this phrase, including “active citizenry”, “cooperation in a community” and “mutual aid”. My favorite is “carrying burdens together” because gotong means "carrying a burden using one's shoulder" and royong means "together" or "communally".

Carrying burdens together implies a willingness to help another lighten his load. It means stepping forward to volunteer and lend a helping hand. During this crisis, many individuals, businesses and community groups have indeed stepped up. They voluntarily contributed time, energy and money to organise their own ground-up initiatives to assist those in need. This outpouring of selflessness brought strangers and the community together in a common cause.

I am heartened and inspired by the efforts of our people to work together for the benefit of our community. I earnestly hope that we will be able to continue the momentum and sustain this spirit of mutual care, trust and understanding. Even as we are helping the needy, we are simultaneously building bonds across religious, racial and cultural boundaries, and learning more about ourselves and our Singapore identity.

A student volunteer shared how he would never look at a packet of food the same way again after helping to distribute packets of meals to some needy families. Coming from a very comfortable background, it was hard for him to visualise food insecurity in our bustling city. His experience as a volunteer had been an eye opener and strengthened his resolve to be more involved in the community.

How is MCCY encouraging more individuals from all walks of life, including youths, as well as corporates, to step forward, volunteer and contribute to make a positive impact?

I would like to suggest that the Ministry facilitate regular meetups for volunteers of cause-based programmes to share their experiences, challenges, pains, high points, hopes and more. Each one of us has a different takeaway from our volunteering experiences. Such sharing and interactive sessions will be helpful for bonding and motivating one another to stay involved and keep going. Otherwise, some of them may feel alone along the volunteering journey and drop off. On the other hand, if they enjoy the volunteering journey, they will encourage their family members, friends and relatives to join them. Sharing is also helpful if boredom or inertia sets in as fellow volunteers can give advice about different ways of contributing or even make a change to another cause.

Forging Ahead Together

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson): Sir, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions to our economy and how we live our lives. To make things worse, we witnessed insensitive misinformation propagated on media platforms threatening to strain our societal fault lines and heighten the tension that the pandemic already caused us.

However, I am heartened that my fellow Singaporeans have risen to the occasion. Singaporeans rallied around one another to keep each other safe. We have read and seen heart-warming acts of ordinary Singaporeans giving out free masks, placing hand sanitisers in lifts, neighbours helping one another to deliver groceries, free food in appreciation of healthcare workers and more. Donation collections also increased for some charities, despite the challenging circumstances. These self-initiated acts of kindness demonstrate the good in our people and reflect the strong foundation of our social values.

Contrast these with the irrational acts of violence targeting Asian communities in the West; ranging from assaulting elderly Asians on the streets, vandalising businesses operated by Asians to calling for Asians to be deported. We cannot let any form of prejudice and discrimination poison our society. Our diverse and harmonious society today is hard earned and too precious to lose.

On this note, I would like to ask two questions. First, what are the Government’s strategies in strengthening Singapore’s cohesion and resilience so that all Singaporeans can forge ahead together as one? Second, how will the Ministry strengthen its effort in bridging the different segments of our diverse society?

Sir, it is important that we press on with our efforts to galvanise our communities and rally them into action.

To quote Mother Theresa, “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things”. And together, we will emerge stronger.

The Chairman: Miss Cheng Li Hui, if you would like to take your two cuts together, please do.

Inter-school Sports

Strengthening Community Relations

Miss Cheng Li Hui (Tampines): Thank you. Chairman, since the circuit breaker, Singapore and Singaporeans underwent a dramatic transformation, quickly learning to adjust to the new normal of working and playing from home.

Whilst social distancing and the strict no mixing rules are essential, there is a downside. Humans are social creatures. If you limit social interactions in person, we will seek it online. We form chat groups and the online space quickly becomes an echo chamber. Our preciously woven social fabric will start to fray.

The case of the self-radicalised Christian boy who was planning terrorist-style attacks on two mosques here is a case in point. If he had more exposure to Muslims teens through social interactions, would things have been different?

Another case, in February 2021, a 16-year-old Indian boy was missing and last seen in the Bukit Batok vicinity. The SPF appealed for public help to spot the missing teen. What followed, however, was an ugly episode of racial slurs and comments whether he was a native-born Singapore Son or not. All these can be found online, in public.

These two prominent cases happening cannot be isolated incidents. These are the initial clarion calls of a deeper, more troubling reality. Is this the outcome of people flocking online? This is especially worrying for the youth, due to the higher internet penetration rate and the availability of radical and extreme literature online.

What can be done about this? We must rethink our approach to how we can systematically encourage people of different walks to engage with each other.

I heard good reviews about Racial Harmony Day in schools but what about schools that do not have a representative number of races? Can we do more inter-school programmes? Perhaps between missionary schools and madrasahs or other culturally oriented schools.

Look at our handphones. How many friends from other races do we count among our contacts? This would say something, will it not?

This social mixing can start from our school days. We should start to re-introduce inter school programmes and activities, allow our rich diversity to be the strength in our social bonds.

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Some ideas from students are: (a) have schools inform students regularly of volunteering opportunities outside of schools; (b) encourage more long-term volunteer work such as solving community problems together so that they can work on a project for a longer period and have longer interactions; (c) provide more funding for inter-school CCAs in niche activities such as board games, fashion design, cultural and sports events.

The IRCC should also play a bigger role. In the past, it was easier to integrate new citizens and PRs as they interact with the community. Now, with social media and chatgroups, they tend to form their own chats within their circles. New citizens, PRs and work pass holders should be educated on our social norms so that they can respect the multi-racial, multi-religious and multicultural aspects of our home.

Singapore Culture Capital

Ms Janet Ang (Nominated Member): Mr Chairman, I would like to declare that I am on the Boards of SISTIC and Esplanade.

Artists, musicians and their work give meaning to the complex world in which we live. During the lockdown, Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli performed at an empty Milan Cathedral and lifted the spirits of millions around the world. Museums offered free virtual tours to all who needed a culture fix while self-isolating. And I joined Singaporeans all across the island to belt out in solidarity from our balconies, Dick Lee’s “Home Truly”. Indeed, like Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said in a speech, “Human beings need the arts and culture to nourish our souls”.

The arts and culture industry is amongst the hardest hit by COVID-19. Creative people are, however, resilient people, and the “show must go on". Many have pivoted to teaching, and of course, going digital is inevitable. SISTIC, for example, had to pivot quickly so as to support our Arts groups and venues to go online. Esplanade and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) were amongst the first to pilot with ticketed livestream performances here, and viewers, including global audiences, were delighted to consume Singapore arts content during the circuit breaker.

To go digital, artists need a digital stage but tech resources are scarce and funding is needed, especially since many in the creative sector are gig workers, self-employed professionals (SEPs) and SMEs. A young Singaporean woman composer/musician, NyaLi shared with me her gratitude for the “Geylang Serai Arts Platform” which helped her to go digital. I was encouraged to hear NyaLi tell me that she signed up for a course on Digital Marketing and is also using her talents to help the disadvantaged.

COVID-19 is the burning platform that drives businesses and professionals across all sectors to digitalise, to reskill and to transform; and the Arts is no exception. Does MCCY plan to scale platforms like Geylang Serai? Will MCCY support with more shared space for ideation and experimentation? Is it in MCCY’s plans to bring the creative and tech talents together to co-create new innovative models for the Arts?

Performances have started to come back but audience max at 250 people and in "bubble wrap seating". It does not look like large scale events and lounge performances will return in the near future. Does the $45 million Resilience Package, which is much appreciated, support the gig workers and SEPs in our creative industries? And can the social and wellness industries tap on our creative talents?

Sir, the creative value-chain – from artists to production houses, from promoters to event organisers, from venues to ticketing agents, from designers to art and music teachers – all contribute to Singapore's creative capital, that is, Singapore’s “soft power”.

I hope that Singaporeans, corporates, the Government and the creative community themselves can come together to strengthen and grow our Singapore creative capital. Now that we even have a University of the Arts, what would have to be true for our creative capital to turn to gold for Singapore, like what K-pop and K-drama did for Korea?

And on that note, let me close with the lyrics from one of NyaLi’s COVID-19 singles: “The world is big and we are small; geography can be so cruel; but I’d like to think that love stands up; tall and proud on her own.” Thank you and I wish everyone Happy International Women’s Day!

State of the Arts amidst COVID-19

Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Chairman, COVID-19 has impacted the art sector profoundly. Many organisations and artists saw their income plummet due to the restrictions around live performances.

Arts practitioners have felt the brunt of the pandemic and many have turned to other sources of income. Today, I shall touch on the uncertainty felt in the industry, about whether it can emerge stronger through COVID-19.

First, artists amidst COVID-19. To copy with COVID-19, the Government has provided initiatives like the Arts and Culture Resilience Package, the Jobs Support Scheme for employees and for freelancers, the Self-employed Persons Income Relief Scheme. These are certainly welcome measures. Nevertheless, the curbs on earning income have led to arts practitioners taking on other gigs such as becoming Grab drivers in order to pay bills. I wonder if the Ministry has an idea of the number of arts practitioners, technicians and other freelancers who have moved on to other industries, perhaps, never to return.

Related to earning income, there is also been feedback that the restrictions on live performances appear relatively harsh when compared to other activities. For instance, restaurants have customers at the same table at close proximity, chatting and laughing for hours without masks on. Restaurants can also move their tables or chairs around to maximise their capacity.

In contrast, theatres and concert halls have fixed seats. When social distancing measures are applied, some are down to 25% capacity. But the audiences are required to sit silently, with masks on during the entire performance. Given the arguably lower risks, is there room for a review of the rules around live performances?

Next, physical spaces. Venues like the Substation have long been associated with the pursuit of Art for its own sake, understanding that incubation takes time and artists need autonomy and flexibility. Having spaces managed by independent arts groups gives artists the comfort that those in charge understand the nature of art-making and will accommodate creative spirits as they undertake pioneering endeavours. I note that there has been some unease recently about several arts organisations losing their venues for various reasons or being asked to relinquish autonomy over buildings they have long managed. Some of these buildings will be upgraded by the National Arts Council (NAC) and thereafter, be leased by the NAC to multiple users as part of a national plan. There have been concerns raised about how such a move would undermine independence in arts creation. Key concerns cited were the uncertainty of lease renewals, costs and bureaucracy.

Some practitioners have also expressed dissatisfaction with the perceived lack of proper communication about physical spaces before momentous announcements are made.

How successful has the Government been in getting buy-in from the arts industry regarding their urban governance plans? And finally, could the MCCY elaborate on its COVID-19 recovery plan for the Arts?

Mr Xie Yao Quan (Jurong): Chairman, can I take my cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Supporting Artists and Athletes

Mr Xie Yao Quan: Chairman, the arts and culture and sports sectors have been severly disrupted by COVID-19. The recent Singapore Tennis Open is a big step forward in our safe, gradual resumption of events and activities, but we far from out of the woods.

Last year, MCCY introduced a broad range of support measures for the arts and culture and sports fraternities, for example, the Arts and Culture Resilience Package includes an operating grant of up to $75,000 for over 300 eligible organisations, whereas the sports Resilience Package supports critical players and preserves core capabilities and pipeline development in our eco-system through operating grants and allowances for coaches.

I am glad that both packages would be extended in this year's Budget. Can MCCY share more details, please.

Arts, Culture and Sports in Social Fabric

Arts and culture and sports are key to our social fabric. Without these, we would be a poorer society. Well, actually, without arts and culture and sports, we would be a poor society, full-stop!

So, arts and culture and sports are essential. They are essential to who we are as a society and COVID-19 has made this more salient, not less.

Last year, I served in the Community Care Facility (CCF) for migrant workers who were confirmed COVID-19-positive. These workers were taken away from work, away from their dorms, away from their community and had to be in the CCFs until they recover. So, anxiety was high – about the disease, about jobs, about their families back home. Recognising this, a ground-up group partnered us to run art therapy sessions for the workers in the CCF. And it was a huge hit! Not only that, it made a real impact. The act of creating art was a cathartic outlet for the workers, and so we ran as many sessions as we could; facilitators, translators, all in full PPEs.

This, I think, is a simple but powerful example of how the arts can uplift all of us in our darkest hour.

To this end, can MCCY share its plans to enhance our people's interest and participation in arts and culture and sports, going forward.

Major Games Preparation

2021 is a busy sporting year, COVID-19 notwithstanding. Can MCCY update on Team Singapore's preparation for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympics, and Hanoi's SEA Games and Para Games, and how can we ensure athletes' safety and well-being amidst travelling and training? As importantly, what are the plans to help athletes adjust to safety measures and reach peak condition at the right time?

Safe Sport

In 2018, the Safe Sports Commission was launched, with a mandate to guard against misconduct and abuse in the sports fraternity. There are many cautionary tales around the world. Larry Nassar, who was US gymnastics doctor, assaulted more than 100 female athletes over three decades, including gold medalists McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman and Gabby Douglas. Survivors came out and gave heartwrenching testimonies. US gymnastics chief Steve Penny resigned too, on accusations of failing to act and quickly notify authorities on the abuse allegations.

In US swimming on the other hand, more than a hundred coaches have been banned for life for working at affiliated clubs because of abuse allegations as well.

But the Sports Federation had also been accused of failing to respond adequately to complaints, with some coaches allowed to evade accusers and authorities, moved to new cities and gained coaching jobs at new clubs where they found fresh victims.

We have done well in Singapore but we cannot take for granted that abuse would not happen here. We need to put in place comprehensive measures to ensure sports here remain safe for everyone – men and women, boys and girls, professional, school and community athletes.

To this end, what else is MCCY doing to ensure safe sports in Singapore?

Mr Mark Chay (Nominated Member): Chairman, please allow me to take the next two cuts together.

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Safety of Travelling National Athletes

Mr Mark Chay: Thank you. At the outset, I should declare that I am Chairman of SNOC’s Athletes’ Commission. My first cut relates to the safety of travelling national athletes.

In my Budget debate speech, I said that Sports inspires and unites. Our Team Singapore athletes will have multiple opportunities to fly our flag high at the Olympics, Paralympics and Southeast Asian Games. I hope that our athletes and support teams harness the opportunity whilst protecting themselves as they train and prepare for their competitions. I want to thank MCCY and SportSG for making the COVID-19 vaccination available for athletes who need to go abroad for training and competitions.

Although we have these target competitions in mind, the road to these major competitions is long. Our athletes will still need to train and qualify for them. I hope that the respective Government agencies will provide adequate opportunities and access to resources, for eligible athletes to train and prepare themselves adequately for the glory of Singapore.

Working Towards Goal 2034

"Goal 2034" was an idea mooted by FAS in August 2019 and discussed at the 2020 COS debates. An ambitious plan to have our football team qualify for the World Cup. At first glance, it may seem as though it is an impossible task. But accomplishing seemingly impossible tasks is something Singapore has no lack of experience in.

Goal 2034 should not focus on the singular achievement of just football and our nation’s endeavour of qualifying for the World Cup. Success should take a broader perspective covering the other active sports, development systems, culture and the industry. Goal 2034 presents an excellent opportunity to test our sports ecosystem and be the catalyst that levels up Singapore as a sporting nation.

Many vital factors are critical to the achievement of this goal. I want to address three of them.

One, develop a broad base to identify talent. I believe Singapore has athletic, coaching and administrative talent. We have seen Singaporeans achieve on the global stage. However, much of this is left to chance. I hope MCCY can consider how systems can be put in place to identify and groom athletes, coaches and administrators.

Two, systems and pathways. I want to ask if our systems and progression pathways are robust and competitive enough to reach Goal 2034. Are the leagues and divisions competitive enough to groom talent to be world beaters? Can we definitively say that our leagues are as competitive as the EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, or Serie A? If not, can we enable more Singaporeans to venture overseas and play in more competitive leagues?

Last week, Irfan Fandi as part of his club BG Pathum, became the first Singaporean to be part of a team that won Thailand’s top tier football league. In sports that have consistently performed for Singapore, such as swimming, Joseph Schooling and Quah Zheng Wen live and train abroad to spar with the world’s best on a daily basis. Though most of our national swim team train at the NTC at the Sports Hub’s Aquatic Centre, it took years for the swimming eco-system to develop.

There is no doubt in my mind that more sports in Singapore need to establish systems and pathways to identify, develop and retain more talent. What are MCCY's plans to achieve this?

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Three, create an environment for sports to thrive. This entails: (a) enabling Singaporeans to participate and compete in sports safely. And I would like to acknowledge hon Members Sitoh Yih Pin and Xie Yao Quan for their comments on the importance of SafeSport; (b) ensure coaches and trainers are given adequate and relevant training that meets the needs of the industry and (c) that there is a vibrant sports industry for businesses to thrive. We should continue to enhance the capabilities of SEPs and promote the SMEs in this sector.

Mr Chairman, 2034 is just 14 years away, and if we are strategic in our approach, we are looking at the current batch of Primary school students who will likely be in our starting lineup. We must act swiftly before this window of opportunity narrows.

Celebrating Singapore Hawker Culture

Mr Darryl David (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Mr Chairman. It is a beloved icon; a familiar friend. Anyone of us who has taken a long trip abroad – in those days when we could still travel, of course! – and returned will remember the intense longing for that hearty meal of roti prata, satay or char kway teow; and sometimes we would all have them at the same time!

In this regard, who does not appreciate our Singaporean hawker fare in hawker centres that echo with its trademark chatter of voices, clatter of plates and cups and the warm echoes of friends and family?

Hawker centres are a symbol of our rich migrant heritage, harking back to a time when itinerant hawkers plied the streets to cook up instant meals of comfort food from their own unique cultures.

It was thus truly a historic moment for us when our hawker culture was recently officially added to the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity; this only further reinforced the fact that our hawker centres and hawker culture are truly a part of our home and heritage.

We must pay tribute to the hawkers, the thousands of men and women who laboured long hours over hot stoves and produced meals to feed Singaporeans.

Not only have they fed our food culture, they have also contributed richly to Singapore’s multiculturalism. Their meals are economical and highly affordable; and hence, hawker centres are inclusive.

Nine out of 10 Singaporeans strongly feel that the hawker centres are an integral part of our national culture and have voted in favour of preserving this culture. We must therefore preserve our hawker centres so that the award is not more than a trophy to be dusted occasionally.

We need to do so, so that the generations after us will learn and know how this culture evolved. If education is the soul of a society, then let us teach our children the origins and vibrant history of our hawker culture: how we evolved from street peddling to the setting up of licensed hawker establishments as a long part of the journey to preserve food safety and hygiene without losing authenticity. Using digital means and heartwarming stories, our humble hawker history can thus come alive.

We should celebrate our hawker culture as part of the school studies curriculum. We can record, digitally publish, teach and share the recipes and food preparation methods through applications so that our children know the ingredients that make up these unique dishes and discover more about their cultural significance.

Chair, there are plenty of nuggets to be unearthed. For instance, char kway teow is a wok-fried noodle dish has its roots in Teochew culture, originating from the region of Chaozhou, in China’s Guangdong province.

In Cantonese stir-fried cuisine, the reference to “wok hei” literally, "the breath of the wok", is a culinary term used to refer to the harmony of taste in a stir-fried dish. Even in the 1950s, hawkers learnt to cook char kway teow over firewood rather than gas stoves to retain that smoky "wok hei" aroma.

And while the ubiquitous roti prata is typically associated with Tamil-speaking Indian-Muslim stalls, the dish apparently has its roots in Northern India, which has a stronger wheat-based culinary culture. There are many more such nuggets of information.

We can also explore new ways to run hawker centres. The hawker centre in Ci Yuan Community Club in my Constituency was part of the Government's efforts to keep the cost of eating out affordable. It was the first of 20 new hawker centres to be built over a 12-year period and employed a social enterprise model to encourage more people to take up the hawker profession.

It would be good to thus see how hawker centres managed by social enterprises – Social Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC) – work. At SEHCs, hawkers are usually new, unlike those at the legacy hawker centres where hawkers have been selling food for decades. It would be fitting to glean key management takeaways from both types of hawker centres to encourage the spirit of innovation and keep the heritage of our hawker culture going.

One could also consider a permanent exhibition at one of our museums to inspire our children and our people through stories of the evolution of the hawker culture. Or why not even have a permanent “Singapore Hawker Museum”, that would highlight the culinary culture of the dishes while also perhaps tracing the development of hawkers in Singapore, from the street-peddlers to the 21st century hawker centres of today?

Chair, our hawker centres are our nation’s community kitchens. Hawker culture is part of our national heritage and I hope that the Government will continue to come up with innovative and creative ways to keep this culture alive.

Volunteerism

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired a strong kampung spirit and a push towards active citizenry in our society.

We have witnessed individuals, businesses, and the community step up, came together to organise ground-up initiatives to assist those in need.

Just like in Woodgrove, where residents grassroots volunteers and our community partners, such as schools, VWOs as well as Northwest CDC, came together and lived up to the spirit of ‘From the Community, For the Community’ by organising care pack distribution drives for the vulnerable groups as well as food delivery riders within our community.

How will MCCY sustain this spirit of care? What are the Ministry’s plans to encourage more individuals, such as our youths, our corporations to step forward to work closely with the relevant agencies and other community partners to contribute and leave a positive impact to our community?

The Chairman: Minister Edwin Tong.

The Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai): Thank you, Mr Chairman, and I thank Members who have spoken. I will address some of the cuts here and my colleagues from the Ministry will take the others.

Sir, making Singapore a place we can proudly call home is at the heart of what we do at MCCY.

We can achieve this, through the collective action of everyone. United, cohesive, resilient; forging forward together, as Ms Joan Pereira has suggested.

She and Ms Tin Pei Ling asked about MCCY’s strategies to ensure that our society comes together in the face of uncertainty. Sir, when we look back at history, one day, I am sure that our collective responses to COVID-19 will be seen as a defining moment of our country's history. Where we go from here, the paths we choose to take – will define us. And our values and our character will shine through in the choices we make. And I am moved by how our communities stepped forward and supported one another. Ms Tin shared some anecdotal stories, and I am sure many of us in this House will have our own stories.

To cite one example, the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles worked with the Singapore Malay Chamber of Commerce and Industry to distribute more than 18,000 Hari Raya cookies to 16 community isolation facilities for migrant workers. Our community leaders have rallied behind our national vaccination programmes, with senior religious leaders supporting the programme.

This is the spirit of Singapore Together! All hands on deck, partnering one another and with the Government to build a better Singapore. In February 2021, we published the Singapore Together Emerging Stronger Conversations (ESCs) report. It took stock of about 17,000 reflections and aspirations for us to emerge stronger. Conversations are good. But they must also lead to action, and tangible outcomes. So, we therefore initiated the Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfAs). The AfAs are action-oriented, cross-sector collaborations, tackling complex issues which confront our society. This includes economic growth opportunities, youth mental well-being, which is a growing important issue, and lower wage workers. MCCY will set up two SG Together AfAs, bringing the total to 18.

The first will be on emerging needs and volunteerism. This will focus on supporting mental wellness, helping seniors adapt to the new normal, and facilitating in-kind contributions.

The second is on corporate purpose. This partners corporates to develop a national framework on corporate purpose and measuring impact, to guide them in doing well by doing good. My colleague, Minister of State Alvin will share more details of these Alliances.

At MCCY, our scope is wide – arts, heritage, youth, sports, community relations. But at its core, it is about nurturing a more caring people, a more cohesive society and a more confident nation, and building ties that bind us not only to one another, but to the place that we call home, giving us a sense of place and of purpose, anchored to Singapore.

I talked about our Singapore Tapestry last year. We will continue to weave our diverse threads together, and ensure that this Tapestry stays strong and cohesive. Ms Joan Pereira and Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about our efforts to foster greater social cohesion and mixing among youths. MCCY provides opportunities for Singaporeans of diverse backgrounds to interact.

First, we encourage students to meet through arts and sports. The National Arts Council and SportSG have been partnering MOE on the Strategic Partnership Co-Curricular Activity (SP-CCA), the pilot that we have initiated in 2019. Through this, students not only participate in CCAs based outside of their schools, but they also get a chance to do so with students from other schools, mixing with students from different backgrounds, coming from a diverse range of schools. We will be reviewing this pilot to expand the programme. SportSG’s Academies and Clubs have programmes for youths across 17 sports, where students can take part in these sports, play with their peers from different schools. Participation in this program has been encouraging. We started with 15,000 in 2016. We have grown it to 90,000 in 2019.

Second, we regularly engage our youths through volunteering activities and leadership development programmes organised by the National Youth Council (NYC), where students practise teamwork and collaboration.

Third, we build mutual understanding through shared experiences. NAC’s WeCare Arts Fund and NHB’s HeritageCares support Social Service Agencies to help beneficiaries access arts and heritage programmes alongside their fellow Singaporeans.

Our artists and athletes have played a key role in helping us progress as a cohesive society.

Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about our plans to sustain interest in sports, arts and culture and how MCCY will help artists and athletes embrace the new normal. I think several other Members raised the point as well. Deputy Prime Minister Heng announced during the Budget that the Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) and Sport Resilience Package (SRP) will be enhanced. Let me now share more details on these measures.

Let me start with the arts and culture sector. Ms Sylvia Lim and Ms Janet Ang spoke about how critical the arts is.

As we mature and develop as a society, our arts, our culture, our heritage will only become more essential and a greater and more integral part of us. They not only uplift our spirits but also give expression to our shared heritage. They help enhance our sense of belonging, binding us together.

We must continue to develop the sector, by nurturing our artistic talents, providing them with opportunities, spaces and resources to incubate, to experiment, to innovate and to collaborate with one another. This will facilitate creative art-making and presentation, while ensuring that this also benefits the wider arts community, and all Singaporeans.

We invested significantly in growing capabilities and audiences through the 2012 Arts and Culture Strategic Review, and Our SG Arts and Heritage Plans launched in 2018.

We also supported arts organisations to deliver a vibrant arts calendar of over 9,000 activities in 2019. That year, we saw a record high attendance of 15.6 million at arts and culture events, and a record high visitorship of 9.6 million to museums and heritage institutions.

However, the pandemic has had a profound impact on the sector, a sector that thrives on presence, not only onstage, but in the audience.

Ms Sylvia Lim and Ms Janet Ang talked about the survival of our arts groups, and asked about our plans to support our artists. While live performances resumed safely in Phase Three, the return of capacity audiences will take some time. This has to be balanced against the need to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe. This, however, has put pressure on arts organisations and artists to cover operating costs.

We will, therefore, do what we can to safeguard livelihoods and retain capabilities in these sectors. A further $20 million in support measures will be provided to enhance the Arts and Culture Resilience Package. This comes on top of the $55 million introduced in April last year and which we saw in the roll-out of the ACRP Operating Grant in October last year. Let me say a little bit more about these details.

First, we will extend the ACRP operating grant and venue hire subsidy. This will help our arts organisations and artists defray operating costs, which are usually a substantial portion of the costs that they have to meet each month.

Second, we will introduce new measures to address some specific concerns. Last December, NAC organised two ESCs involving arts organisations and self-employed practitioners. The key themes that were brought up include: rethinking arts business and monetisation models and how they modernise as well; growing digital capabilities; and also, how do they collaborate between themselves within the sector.

We have taken on board these comments and will introduce a new Self-employed Person (SEP) Grant. This will enhance support for SEPs and gig workers, as Ms Janet Ang had asked, across the sector to collaborate on projects with one another, or, indeed, with other arts organisations. This will help to build capabilities and create more work opportunities for SEPs.

Sir, we recognise that freelancing, or self-employment, adds spontaneity and innovation to the sector. It helps us to uplift the arts eco-system, allows there to be a bit of a mix-and-match kind of approach, and this grant is aimed at preserving that.

Whilst we focus on these matters, we also must have a clear eye on what a post-pandemic arts eco-system must look like. To this end, we have introduced a new Business Transformation Fund. This will support the transformation of arts and culture organisations, as well as support their recovery and sustainability in a post-pandemic situation.

We want to do this collaboratively because we are stepping into a new normal, one that may last for some time. So, NAC will engage stakeholders to gather views on these new schemes, so that we can refine them where necessary before they are launched in a few months, in June 2021.

In addition, we will continue to help the sector build capabilities that will see them through in the longer term. NAC will continue to provide training grants to our cultural practitioners. These include on-going schemes like the Capability Development Grant which have supported artists since 2012. MCCY also supports MOE’s initiative to form an alliance between LASALLE and NAFA. The new arts University will further develop the creative capacity of our youths. It facilitates learning and networking opportunities across creative disciplines and provides industry-relevant training.

Sir, we also take a longer term view towards encouraging cultural philanthropy in partnership with the private and people sectors. We established the Cultural Matching Fund (CMF) in 2013, to provide a dollar-for-dollar matching of private cash donations to arts and heritage charities. The CMF has, indeed, been well-received. Over 100 charities have benefited from it between 2014 and 2019, with close to $265 million matched. This growth in cultural philanthropy has been sustained with the top-up of CMF in 2017 and we wish to keep up this spirit of giving. Indeed, this is the one fund that when I sit down and discuss the Budget with the Deputy Prime Minister, I did not mind telling him it was depleted – because it tells us that we have built up an active culture of arts patronage and philanthropy. And we will review the CMF with MOF, with a view towards an additional top-up of the fund in 2022.

Minister of State Low Yen Ling will speak more about MCCY’s plans to support our arts and heritage sectors to innovate and also deliver programmes in this new normal.

Let me turn the focus now to the sports sector, which plays an equally important role in our social fabric. In 2012, SportSG launched Vision 2030 as a roadmap to empower Singaporeans to Live Better Through Sport. This was reviewed in 2019, leading to the launch of Vision 2030 Recharged! where we renewed focus on tailoring programmes for various segments of the population. Over the years, we have built new sports centres under the Sports Facilities Master Plan and also rejuvenated existing ones. I hope you have been using them. In 2017, we launched Active Health as a social movement to encourage Singaporeans to take ownership of their own health and wellness. Last year, we launched the ActiveSG Circle as a virtual sports centre to continue engaging the public with online classes to get active. This was something we could do in person physically prior to the pandemic, but we have moved online. At MCCY, we recognise the power of sports in bringing Singaporeans together and we will continue to build on these efforts.

Many of our sports businesses and SEPs have also been affected by the pandemic. In 2020, we provided our coaches and fitness instructors with jobs and training opportunities. As at December 2020, SportSG has put together over 400 training courses with a capacity for 8,500 coaches and instructors. In addition, more than 500 temporary jobs have been created through the #SGUnited jobs.

On top of the $50 million Sports Resilience Package (SRP) announced last October, we will provide a further $25 million to enhance the SRP. How will we do so?

First, we will introduce a new SEP Project Grant. Like the SEP Grant under the ACRP, this grant supports sports SEPs to collaborate with one another and also other organisations, to develop projects that enhance the health and wellness of Singaporeans. We recognise the important role which many sports freelancers and self-employed persons play, and we want to support you in this endeavour. This grant has three objectives.

One, create more work opportunities for sports Self-employed Persons (SEPs) and freelancers;

Two, support capability development through the planning and execution of projects; and

Three, support the resumption of sporting and community activities as far as possible.

Second, we will expand the Enterprise Innovation and Capability Development Grant. Last year, we piloted this at $3 million for the sports industry to build stronger digital capabilities, develop innovative solutions and also, look at how we can upskill. These initiatives, I must say, are not just reactions to the pandemic. They equip our sporting industry with tools to thrive in the future. So, we will provide another $22.5 million to boost these initiatives.

Third, we will extend grants to provide continued support for both businesses as well as individuals. For sports companies, we will extend the Operating Grant till December 2021. This complements the Jobs Support Scheme which is already in place and which offers wage support for sports operators. For individuals, we will extend the Training Allowance Grant and the Structured Mentorship Programme till March 2022.

My colleague Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua will share more details about our plans to support our sports sectors.

Sir, all of these measures will undoubtedly help the sectors adapt to the new normal – at least help them financially. But if you ask any artist or athlete, they will tell you that their true lifeblood is really in performing before an appreciative audience and having a vocal and supportive spectatorship. These sectors have much to offer. And there is something for everyone – whether it is keeping active through online fitness classes, cheering our athletes on, or enjoying a live performance. I urge all of you to support our artists, athletes and instructors as they go on with these performances.

Sir, despite the pandemic, 2021 is shaping up to be an exciting year for the sporting fraternity, as sports activities have progressively resumed. With the recent move to allow group activities of up to eight persons, community-based teams can take on a four-vs-four format.

Furthermore, we are starting to host international events. Last month, we successfully hosted the Singapore Tennis Open, an ATP 250 event. Over 50 players from more than 15 countries competed, with up to 250 spectators per day allowed in the semi-finals and finals matches. We showed the world that Singapore can resume international sports events safely. Looking ahead, we can prepare for the return of more marquee sporting events, such as the Rugby-7s in October.

Mr Mark Chay, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about our plans to prepare our athletes in the upcoming games whilst at the same time ensuring their safety. This year, our athletes can look forward to several Major Games, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, SEA Games and ASEAN Para Games. We are supporting our athletes’ training while keeping an eye, of course, on the global pandemic situation. This includes facilitating safe travel for athletes to participate in overseas competitions to qualify for the games, to train and to hone their competitive edge as they prepare to peak at these sporting events. The Singapore Sport Institute and the National Youth Sports Institute specialists are working with our athletes as they resume full training intensity. Let me emphasise that safety, especially our athletes' safety, will remain our utmost priority. As more international qualification competition dates are released, we will schedule our athletes, coaches and officials to be vaccinated progressively.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin and Mr Xie Yao Quan asked about our efforts to provide a safe and positive environment within our sports eco-system. This is a very important issue for us. No sportsperson, male or female, should feel unsafe as they train, compete or play in any sports in any role. We also need to address emerging trends, such as cyberbullying and online harassment. Therefore, a Safe Sport Programme will be established through the Safe Sport Commission. The programme will be grounded on three actions – Prevent, Address and Assure.

First, to prevent inappropriate behaviour, a Unified Code will be developed to provide the sporting community with a shared reference point against inappropriate behaviour. We have started consultations on the Code with non-government organisations. And over the next six months, there will be more engagements with athletes, coaches, parents, sport leaders, among others, to refine the Code so that we can achieve a set of standards that will engender confidence in sport participation.

Second, to address incidents, a confidential third-party reporting channel and enhanced case management will offer affected individuals access to reporting channels and support.

Third, to assure participants, the Safe Sport Commission will introduce an accreditation framework. The criteria will be based on the adoption of the Unified Code, implementation of relevant policies and training of persons involved. Sports organisations that meet the criteria will be accredited through a Safe Sport Mark. This will help sports participants to easily identify sporting organisations that are committed to practising Safe Sport.

The Safe Sport Programme also contributes to the on-going Conversations on Singapore Women’s Development, although not all sport participants are women. We want to facilitate an on-going and enabling sporting environment that protects both women and girls. This is also an example of the Government’s approach to addressing women’s development in partnership with stakeholders.

In sports, apart from providing a positive environment and framework for our sporting community, we must also have bold ambitions. Mr Mark Chay spoke about this, so did Mr Sitoh Yih Pin who asked about our plans to uplift Singapore’s football.

Sir, football is a sport with mass appeal. It is the most participated team sport in Singapore, bringing together Singaporeans from all walks of life. A national team that can perform at the highest level affirms Singapore’s multiple pathways of success and is a source of national pride. It can also expand opportunities for all – to play, coach or just to be that crazy football fan cheering our team on. Our football is not quite where we would like it to be. We can do more, we can do better, to bring back the Kallang Roar and give our young Lions every opportunity to pursue their dreams.

Mr Chay asked what steps can be taken. Let me outline some quick thoughts on this.

First, we will have to grow the base of participation. Young talent must be nurtured. We have to encourage more to play and give structure to the development of young talent. Our young players spend a lot of their time in school. So, what we do with schools will be important. We are working with MOE to have a nationwide adoption of a national football curriculum. We will build football academies working with schools, with clear pathways for progression. We must have good coaches and a common system of play with enhanced training infrastructure, wrapped around a football academy for those with the best potential, so that they can train, they can compete and, at the same time, they can continue with their studies. Importantly, we must look at how a student can continue to train at the highest levels while still continuing to gain a first-class education. We will consider scholarships for the best young talents so they can have access to a high quality training environment, whether here or overseas, whilst pursuing their studies.

We must also focus on matters off the pitch – areas like fitness, nutrition, discipline and a player's mental fortitude. All of them are factors which are equally important to success. But there is one more ingredient for success – and that is our collective will and our collective unity to pursue a shared goal. It has to be all of us, working together, united, pulling in the same direction, for this project to have chance. Uplifting Singapore football is a national project, and I encourage all of us to rally around our common goal.

We will continue to do our best to build a sustainable and resilient football eco-system which Singaporeans can be proud of. Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua will share more about these initiatives later on.

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Another area of pride and confidence for Singaporeans is our cultural heritage. Our cultural landscape is a rich fusion of traditions, rituals and crafts. These are also inextricably bound to each of us and to our own national identity. We must continue to commemorate and pass it on for future generations. We will redouble our efforts to safeguard both our tangible and intangible heritage and celebrate cultural icons like our Cultural Medallion recipients who have contributed so richly to our nation's development.

Mr Darryl David talked about celebrating our hawker culture, making all of us hungry with his very graphic descriptions of food. Last December, our hawker culture was inscribed on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and I thank everyone for their overwhelming support. Indeed, we are very, very proud of our hawkers.

MCCY and NHB remain committed to promoting our hawker culture. First, for the Singapore Heritage Festival 2021, we can look forward to a digital exhibition of poetic and graphical interpretations of our hawker culture. Second, content related to hawker centre landmarks will be displayed online and at selected MRT stations as part of the "Ride & Discover" exhibition. Third, we will continue to showcase our hawker culture through festivals, exhibitions and programmes at our museums, using grants from NHB, and taking on board the ideas and suggestions that Mr Darryl David has sketched out.

Twenty-twenty-one marks the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of the Preservation of Monuments Act. The preservation of national monuments is important to safeguard our heritage. Our heritage encompasses not only intangible ones like hawker culture, which we spoke about, but also of our heritage buildings. These structures have withstood the test of time and they very visibly embody our nation's heritage.

We regularly restore our national monuments and we will carry out a series of restoration projects in the coming years to ensure that they continue to stand strong. Completed restorations include the Abdul Gafoor Mosque, Sultan Mosque and the St James Power Station.

Moving ahead, one major project will be restoration of the Istana Main Building, built between 1867 and 1869. The Istana and Sri Temasek were collectively gazetted as a National Monument in 1992. They have borne witness to many historical milestones, including our transition to a sovereign state. Restoration works for the Istana will commence in 2023 while other sites, like the former Istana Kampong Gelam, will commence in 2022.

We will commemorate the Golden Jubilee of our National Monuments with an exhibition in June 2021. This exhibition will showcase the preservation journey of all 73 National Monuments for the very first time. We will also be commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Museum Roundtable with a year-long celebration. This includes mystery museum tours to explore lesser known museums, a travelling exhibition and complementary museum programmes. My colleague, Minister of State Low Yen Ling, will share more details on these plans.

Sir, as we strive to build a cohesive and confident nation, it is vital for Singaporeans to care for one another and to contribute to a better Singapore for all.

A key focus of MCCY is our youths. Last September, I spoke about how our youths of today will be our leaders of tomorrow. I know that our young people, especially fresh graduates, at this time, worry that the crisis will have a long-lasting impact on their careers. We understand these concerns and we will do our best to help overcome them. My colleague, Minister of State Alvin Tan, will share more about MCCY's efforts to provide opportunities and other pathways for these young people to overcome these challenges and to emerge stronger.

Ms Hany Soh and Ms Joan Pereira asked how the Government will encourage more people to care. That is a very important topic. When the pandemic hit, our youths stepped up to help those in need. Youth Corps Singapore adjusted its volunteering activities to meet community demands. For instance, they partnered IMDA to equip seniors with digital literacy skills – very much needed during the digital era of the pandemic – via the Digital Learning Circles.

Youth Corps will continue with these good efforts. About 1,400 youths will be engaged through the Youth Corps Leaders Programme and Programme X in 2021. These youths will develop the skills to implement projects to address specific societal needs. Further, Youth Corps will offer about 4,000 volunteering opportunities for youths. These include online and, subsequently, physical programmes for persons with disabilities as well.

The responsibility for building a caring society must involve every Singaporean. So, on that score, we plan for every town in Singapore to have a coordinating node that brings community groups and resources together.

In 2018, SG Cares Volunteer Centres (VCs) were initiated to achieve this. VCs are based in the community, ground-up, chosen to develop and deploy volunteers, foster partnerships – and this includes existing structures that already exist on the ground so that we do not have to reinvent the wheel – and strengthen volunteer management capabilities. Since end 2018, 12 VCs have been appointed and have engaged about 10,000 volunteers.

A few weeks ago, the Deputy Prime Minister, Ms Tin Pei Ling and I witnessed the launch of a VC at Geylang town, operated by Care Community Services Society. We met with the many staff, their volunteers and the corporate partners of the VC who are doing a wonderful job mobilising community stakeholders to support the vulnerable.

So, we will continue to expand these efforts, and there will be an SG Cares Volunteer Centre in all 24 towns by March 2022.

Sir, we also want to partner corporates to care for the community. In 2016, the Business and IPC Partnership Scheme (BIPS) was introduced to encourage corporate volunteerism. Through the scheme, businesses enjoy 250% tax deduction on wages and related expenses when their employees volunteer at Institutions of a Public Character (IPCs). To encourage corporates to continue caring, Deputy Prime Minister Heng is keen to encourage this and announced that BIPS will be extended till 31 December 2023.

The National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) will lead efforts to raise awareness and also enhance the adoption of BIPS. NVPC will introduce a BIPS Clinic for interested corporates to tap into this, to share more and learn more about the scheme.

Sir, let me conclude. MCCY's overarching mission is to bring people together, forging community spirit and intertwining our stories to form a cohesive Singapore Tapestry. That has been the essence and hallmark of everything that we do and all our programmes at MCCY.

However, for much of 2020, with the pandemic, this was not easy.

In fact, we had to work on the opposite – keeping people safe meant keeping people apart. Overnight, many of my Ministry's staff, our partners, our stakeholders and our many community leaders had to pivot to safe management measures and play a variety of different roles to keep Singaporeans safe. All of them went the extra mile, well outside their usual comfort zone, to protect the safety of Singaporeans and I thank them very, very much.

But we also soon realised that being apart did not break us apart. It did not dampen our spirits and it did not diminish our desire to keep the threads of our Singapore tapestry strong, cohesive and resilient. I am sure that each of us, as I have said earlier, would have our own anecdotes of ordinary Singaporeans doing extraordinary things, going the extra mile, to help one another through this crisis. These are the stories that will define us when, one day, we look back and reflect on this crisis of our generation. We will remember that, in this crisis, we came out stronger because we went in together.

That, Sir, is the unfinished story of the Singapore Tapestry. Let us continue to weave these stories together and, indeed, we will be stronger as a nation. [Applause.]

Chinese Culture in Singapore

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin (Potong Pasir): Mr Chairman, in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Today, I would like to speak on how we can leverage the Chinese media to build up our national image and showcase our soft power so as to promote cultural exchanges.

In the 1980s, Singapore developed into an economically prosperous, politically stable and low-unemployment Asian country. It was then that our cultural life began to flourish.

In the 1980s, xinyao became popular in the various university campuses in Singapore, unleashing a wave of musical creation. Memories of a generation, changes in the country and society, the living feelings and spiritual outlook of that era were recorded in the form of xinyao. Emotional interactions were elevated, captured and widely shared through xinyao.

With the spread of xinyao into other Chinese-speaking societies, Singapore's image gained prominence among other Chinese communities. Well-known singers such as Stefanie Sun and JJ Lin did not become famous and popular overnight in the Chinese-speaking community. Rather, they became the face of Singapore due to the solid foundation laid down by their predecessors, enabling Singapore to connect with other Chinese-speaking societies through Mandopop.

Besides xinyao, there have been many film and television productions in Singapore in recent years too. Jack Neo, a talented local director, has made great contributions to the local Chinese film and television scene since the 1990s. His film series "I Not Stupid" have become the best-selling movies since independence. In addition, in recent years, young directors born in the 1980s such as Anthony Chen and Yeo Siew Hua have also won many awards such as the Golden Horse Award, winning accolades for Singapore art films.

These films captured the details of our daily lives and our emotional pulse. It is this charm that has contributed to the many opportunities for cultural cooperation and exchanges between Singapore and other Chinese-speaking communities, and it is precisely because these films have showcased Singapore's unique multiracial, multi-religious society that audiences in other Chinese-speaking communities were attracted to Singapore. This allows us to be more proactive in cultural exchanges between Singapore and other countries in a creative and contemporary manner.

The growth and spread of Mandopop and films can bring potential economic benefits to Singapore and play a crucial role in building up the country's image and widening its influence among the international Chinese community.

Through this sharing, I hope to take this opportunity to urge the Government – while dealing with challenges brought about by COVID-19 on the economic livelihood and social front, spare some thought on investing more in the development of arts and culture, especially the Chinese arts and culture.

The Government can introduce more effective incentives to support our young aspiring arts practitioners to create and voice their views. As the country moves forward, we can document our past from their perspectives, and embrace the future with a stronger sense of identity and existence.

Let us seize the opportunities, strengthen cooperation and work together for a better future.

Helping Arts and Culture Go Digital

Ms Tin Pei Ling (MacPherson): Sir, physical venues like the museums and art theatres were forced to close and events were suspended at the peak of the pandemic last year. Consequently, many local arts and culture practitioners were hit swiftly and severely. The Government's broad-based support measures and the Arts and Culture Resilience Package would have helped to provide some buoyancy but it remained challenging. Thankfully, many of them were nimble enough to pivot onto the digital platform, applying their creativity in times of adversity.

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As consumers increasingly get used to digital content and experience, digital and blended delivery models will remain relevant post-COVID-19. It is, therefore, crucial for the sector to continue developing its digital capabilities to remain competitive. Such capabilities help local arts and culture products to transcend physical boundaries and reach further. In this regard, I applaud the launch of the #SGCultureAnywhere campaign by the National Arts Council, as it offers a platform for practitioners to make their work a lot more accessible.

I would like to ask the Ministry for an update on the uptake of the Digital Presentation Grant for the Arts. Also, how does the Ministry intend to support the sector to adopt more digital solutions and experiment to create digital arts and culture products that can be scaled to reach a wider audience?

Picasso said, "Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." We must, therefore, continue to make art available and accessible. Going digital is essential in the new era post-COVID-19.

Arts and Culture Digitalisation

Mr Xie Yao Quan: Chairman, COVID-19 has encouraged many arts and culture practitioners to pivot to digital means. Last April, the Jazz Association here held an online concert, Jass@Home. The performance and speakers, including Jeremy Monteiro, had recorded themselves separately and the concert was streamed on the association's FaceBook page and YouTube channel, amongst other platforms. I think digital and blended delivery models will continue to be relevant post-COVID-19, although it is still unclear as to where digital art forms would eventually land. Some see this as revolutionary, others do not view it as art at all.

In terms of the art market and its digitalisation, I think blockchain holds some potential in creating a public platform that records and authenticates various transactions. A possibility is the trading of shares in high value artwork on an online platform, continuously and simultaneously, as a new mode of art investment.

I would like to ask the Ministry how it intends to support the arts and culture sector in general to adopt more digital means and where it would make sense.

Appreciating Our Local Art and Culture

Miss Cheng Li Hui: Chairman, there is a need to boost the exposure of arts and culture to help nurture Singaporeans to enhance their expression, creativity and shape individual and collective personality.

I recently visited the studio of Mr Lim Tze Peng, a Cultural Medallion recipient. Mr Lim may be a hundred years old but he never stops reinventing the way he paints. His old paintings of shophouses and mama shops brought back fond memories of the corner provision shop that my grandmother used to run in the single-storey shophouses in Princess Elizabeth Estate. Mr Lim is currently into abstract tree paintings.

What is MCCY doing to celebrate and raise public awareness of our local artists and their contributions?

Currently, not enough emphasis is placed on the importance of arts and culture. Even as we have strong arts programmes at the National Gallery, Singaporeans are not exposed to these because of insufficient outreach. We should use the public spaces and expose people to the different forms and medium of expression of arts and culture.

Would the Ministry encourage more arts organisations and artists to use public spaces to display their art works? We can also have host-schools in constituencies encouraging students from other schools to visit.

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Ms Low Yen Ling): Chairman, the arts and culture are the soul of Singapore city. They are integral to our identity, sense of community and well-being. Year 2020 was a very challenging year for us all. We want to specially thank all our arts and cultural practitioners for their hard work and perseverance throughout this tough period. I wish to assure Mr Sitoh Yih Pin, Ms Sylvia Lim, Ms Janet Ang and Miss Cheng Li Hui that MCCY is committed to provide enduring support for the arts and culture sector which plays a critical role in our nation.

To tide this sector through the COVID-19 storm, MCCY rolled out in year 2020, the $55 million Arts and Culture Resilience Package, or ACRP, that created over 13,000 work and training opportunities, of which over 5,000 were for self-employed practitioners. The package also supported over 1,400 digitalisation projects.

Since moving into Phase 3, activities in arts and culture are progressively resuming in a safe manner. However, we are nowhere, nowhere near pre-COVID-19 levels yet, and we recognise the toll that it has taken on the sector.

Ms Sylvia Lim spoke about safe management measures, or SMMs, and their impact on activities. MCCY and the National Arts Council, or NAC, are working closely with MOH and stakeholders to safely resume arts and culture activities, in line with what the public health situation allows. We appreciate that the arts community is keen to have more audiences in their performing arts spaces, but given the global COVID-19 situation, we cannot afford to let our guard down. Comprehensive vaccination coverage will enable us to re-open further, while SMMs, testing and contract tracing will continue to be necessary.

Currently, our museums can operate at up to 65% capacity. Since Phase 2, arts and culture training classes and workshops have been allowed to resume. Indoor live performances of up to 250 audience members are presently allowed. While applications can be made for outdoor performances, live performances that involve unmasked performers carry some risk.

We will continue working to expand and restart activities so that our arts practitioners can continue their good work, as we all play our part to ensure a safe and sustainable reopening.

Chairman, MCCY is sparing no effort to get the show back on the road and to put jobs back on line. Mr Xie Yao Quan would be glad to know the Government has a vigorous slate of additional stimulus and support measures to uplift and uphold this important sector. From fresh funds for operations and new opportunities, to a future roadmap and help to transform – we will reposition this sector for post-pandemic recovery.

Let us elaborate on what Minister Tong has outlined earlier.

The Government will inject an additional $20 million into the ACRP to build capabilities, create work opportunities, jobs and boost our local arts and culture eco-system. This brings our total COVID-19 support to $75 million.

We recognise the contributions many self-employed practitioners, or SEP, have made to our arts and culture sector. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, many of them face uncertainty and loss of income. Last October, I pulled together 12 Government agencies, including colleagues from MOM, MSF, MOE, WSG and SSG to form an inter-agency workgroup tasked to come up with specific ways to boost work opportunities and skills for SEPs in the arts and culture industry.

To this end, MCCY will launch a new ACRP SEP Grant to fund projects by SEPs and the organisations that work with them. The grant seeks to sustain the livelihoods of freelancers by minimising their job and income loss. Each project can receive up to $50,000 in funds. The projects can involve live performances, digital presentations or skills development. We hope this wide-ranging grant, when launched by June 2021, will inject fresh work opportunities for self-employed practitioners and spur them on to create new projects that hone their craft or gear up with skills for a post-COVID-19 recovery.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked about the impact of the pandemic on arts practitioners, while Ms Janet Ang spoke about helping our artists to enhance their skills and pivot to other sectors. Our creative and technical practitioners are talented and resilient. The recent Virtual Career Fair organised by NAC and NTUC attracted a total of 27 employers from the arts and adjacent sectors of design, media and education. They offered close to 190 job opportunities which drew responses from over 130 applicants. This positive development reflects the value and continued demand for the skills of freelancers and bodes well for our creative economy. To date, the ACRP has also generated over 5,000 work and training opportunities for SEPs.

Chairman, there is no returning to the pre-pandemic days and, like many other sectors, the arts and culture industry has to transform and reposition itself for a post-COVID-19 world. MCCY will introduce a new Business Transformation Fund, or BTF, to equip and enhance the arts and culture sector's capabilities for the future and catalyse its capacity to transform and pivot to new opportunities.

Under the BTF, the Business Transformation Grant offers arts and culture organisations up to $30,000 to digitalise or improve their administration and service delivery. Organisations that pool together to explore co-solutioning IT projects that benefit multiple users, or have potential for industry spin-offs can apply for up to $200,000 in funding. MCCY and NAC will also work with our partners to commission work and co-create business transformation solutions that position arts and culture outfits for the future.

In addition to these booster shots that gear us up for the new normal, MCCY will also continue to offer relief for daily operations. We will extend the ACRP Operating Grant to keep arts and culture groups going by helping them to defray operating costs. Each organisation will receive $35,000 in funding.

Furthermore, we will extend the venue hire subsidy of 80% for another three months, from April to June 2021. Year 2020, more than 300 venues were hired under this scheme. We encourage arts and culture practitioners to take advantage of this subsidy to hold shows, programmes or workshops at the many, many different spaces available. MCCY will also expand the subsidy to cover more venues. Chairman, in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] To help the arts & heritage sector overcome the challenges arising from COVID, MCCY rolled out the ACRP last year. The ACRP will be further enhanced with an additional $20 million this year. We will also roll out a second tranche of funding for the ACRP Operating Grant to defray operating costs for arts groups. In addition, we will extend the Venue Hire Subsidy of 80% to June 2021.

We are also deeply aware of the uncertainty that the COVID-19 pandemic had caused for the self-employed. Therefore, a new Grant will be rolled out by June 2021, allowing the SEP and organisations that collaborate with them to apply for a grant of up to $50,000 per project.

MCCY will also introduce a new Fund to support the transformation of the sector as well as improve the sustainability and development of arts and culture organisations. During this period, MCCY hopes to work hand in hand with our partners in the sector to forge forward, find opportunities in this crisis and co-create a creative and prosperous community.

(In English): Chairman, since COVID-19, our arts and culture sector has pivoted towards digitalisation and new ways of engagement. We are immensely proud of the resilience and adaptability of our practitioners. Their creative use of technology has brought the arts and culture within the reach of manifold audiences.

For instance, I saw last month how S.E.A. Focus reached out to more than 20,000 collectors during the Singapore Art Week 2021; this is multiple times of the physical visitors received.

Last October, I met Ms Jayce Tham from CreativesAtWork, who organised the Thriving Singapore virtual exhibition. This is a project supported by the Digital Presentation Grant, or DPG. The show garnered an online outreach of over 85,000 individuals in just three months. Let me say that again: the show garnered an online outreach of over 85,000 individuals in just three months.

Digital and blended delivery models will remain the way to go, post-pandemic. I assure Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Xie Yao Quan that digitalisation is and will continue to be a top priority for this sector. We will dedicate time and resources to build and enhance digital capabilities.

Currently, charities in the arts and culture sector can tap on the VWOs-Charities Capability Fund Info-Communications Technology Grant for basic ICT setup and website development and other digital solutions. In addition, the Charities GoDigital Kit launched last November aims to boost their digital capabilities, especially in corporate and administrative functions.

Arts and culture companies, on the other hand, can draw upon the Productivity Solutions Grant, or PSG, and Enterprise Development Grant, or EDG, for the costs of IT solutions and equipment to innovate, upgrade or enhance business processes.

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We welcome Ms Janet Ang’s suggestion to bring artists and the technology community together to remake innovative models for the arts. This is what we already do and will do more of. For instance, National Heritage Board (NHB)’s DigiMuse programme engages the technology sector to enhance the museum experiences.

To set the sector on a speedy digital track, MCCY will draw up an Arts and Culture Digital Roadmap in consultation with stakeholders. It will provide a framework for the adoption of digital solutions to improve operational productivity and enhance audiences' experiences. The roadmap will be aligned with existing efforts to achieve long-term priority of enhanced digitalisation and technology adoption in the sector, as well as complement new schemes such as the Business Transformation Grant (BTG) that I spoke about earlier. It will also serve as a one-stop directory of relevant government grants and schemes.

Chairman, even as we pivot towards technology, we remain strongly anchored in our cultural heritage which forms part of our shared identity. It reflects who we are and where we come from. Our tangible and intangible heritage reminds us of the progress we have made as a people, and provides us with the foundation to move forward, as a nation.

UNESCO’s recognition for our hawker culture speaks volumes of the unique and diverse Singapore heritage. Mr Darryl David earlier spoke passionately and he hoped for more innovative ways to celebrate our hawker culture as a form of our national pride and legacy.

We are indeed proud of our cultural assets and want to share these with the world. To this end, we will widen our search to put other aspects of our cultural heritage for UNESCO nomination. I would like to share that NHB will embark on a series of public consultations to identify new nominations for the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. We invite all Singaporeans to actively contribute their ideas and suggestions to NHB when more details are announced.

Chairman, besides food, music and films encapsulate our Singapore culture too. Earlier on, Mr Sitoh Yih Pin spoke passionately in Mandarin and highlighted the contributions of our local Chinese cultural arts, such as the Xinyao movement and homegrown films. We recognise how all these various art forms are enriching our growing Singapore identity. NAC has supported new generations of artists like Ms Joanna Dong (董姿彦) and Gen Neo (梁根荣) who are producing fresh Xinyao tunes and contributing to renewed interest in this genre. Many Singapore films feature covers of Xinyao and Mandarin music. A recent collaboration between local band NEKO Highway and director Mr Anthony Chen produced the theme song of his Golden Horse nominated film, Wet Season (热带雨).

Chairman, earlier on, Mr Xie Yao Quan asked for greater efforts to enhance our people’s interest and involvement in our arts and culture. Allow me to first share how we will foster among Singaporeans a greater appreciation and participation in Singapore’s tangible and intangible heritage.

Before COVID-19, our museums achieved a record high visitorship of close to 9.6 million in the year 2019. Although the on-going pandemic has changed the dynamics of visitorship, we are pressing on with new plans to draw participation and expanding our audiences through virtual platforms.

As Minister Edwin Tong has shared earlier, we are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of preserving our National Monuments this year. We will hold a special commemorative exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore from June to September 2021. Thereafter, the show will travel to other parts of Singapore for the benefit of all Singaporeans. It will feature creative renderings by artists and photographers of all our 73 National Monuments, and include past works that celebrate earlier preservation milestones.

This year is also the 25th Anniversary of our Museum Roundtable, a collective established by NHB to spur a museum-going culture. The Roundtable has enabled smaller private museums like The Intan, which promotes Peranakan culture, to be heard, which has widened the exchange of insights and views from larger organisations. So, to coincide with International Museum Day on 18 May 2021, NHB will launch a series of tours to encourage the public to explore lesser-known museums, and a roving exhibition on the Museum Roundtable will be held in November 2021. We encourage the public to continue supporting and visiting our museums.

One of this year’s highlights is the re-opening of the Changi Chapel and Museum (CCM) and Reflections at Bukit Chandu. Changi Chapel and Museum, which documents and reveals the experiences of Prisoners of War and civilian internees, will re-open in May 2021, and Reflections at Bukit Chandu which commemorates the courage and resilience of the Malay Regiment in the Battle of Pasir Panjang, will reopen in the second half of 2021.

To ensure the continued relevance and accessibility of our museums, we have plans for three heritage centres to be refurbished. First, the Malay Heritage Centre will be closed for redevelopment in early 2022. Its gallery will be updated with new content on the diverse Malay community and Kampong Glam precinct. The Singapore Philatelic Museum that is currently being redeveloped, will reopen next year in 2022 as a dedicated children’s museum with interactive exhibits and storytelling sessions. Come 2023, we can all look forward to a refurbished Peranakan Museum, which will present a more inclusive definition of Peranakan culture.

Besides rejuvenating our tangible heritage, MCCY will recognise and celebrate the intangible heritage created by our arts and cultural talents, and enhance the public’s appreciation of this legacy. Miss Cheng Li Hui will be glad to know that MCCY will establish a dedicated Cultural Medallion Gallery to showcase the works of our talented Cultural Medallion winners in the Arts House at the end of this year.

The Cultural Medallion is Singapore’s highest artistic accolade that recognises individuals for their artistic excellence and contributions to our cultural landscape. We have many homegrown talents to be proud of. Since the start of this award, 128 distinguished artists – from the visual and literary arts to music, theatre and dance, across all various arts forms – have won this distinction. Last year, I met our 2020 Cultural Medallion recipients, Mr Sarkasi Said and Dr Vincent Leow. Like the recipients in past years, they have made a lasting impact on our arts and cultural eco-system.

Last year, NAC engaged over 50 Cultural Medallion recipients on how to better support our arts and culture sector, and as a result the idea of the Cultural Medallion Gallery was born. Besides the physical exhibits, NAC and the National Library Board will create an integrated and comprehensive national digital repository documenting the work of our Cultural Medallion winners. And this will give Singaporeans valuable insights into Singapore’s cultural history.

Chairman, Ms Sylvia Lim earlier had asked about the arts fraternity’s response to arts spaces. Our arts spaces have grown over the years. NAC seeks to ensure that these are used optimally and efficiently; that we provide fair access and inclusive opportunities for as many as possible in the community – especially new groups and younger practitioners; and that these spaces are regularly updated and upgraded to remain relevant to prevailing needs.

NAC had conducted extensive consultations ahead of the launch of the Framework for Arts Spaces scheme in year 2010, and Our SG Arts Plan in year 2018. In all these engagements, the arts community acknowledged that arts spaces should benefit more artists, especially new and upcoming talents. This view was also reflected in the Arts Plan.

The importance of ensuring that our arts spaces benefit the wider community underpins NAC’s effort in building a pipeline of diversified spaces. This is so that more practitioners can utilise multi-tenanted spaces for art making, capability development and audience engagement.

Chairman, without a doubt, our arts and culture are a source of pride uniting Singaporeans from all walks of life. As we position the arts and culture sector for recovery, we will continue to safeguard livelihoods, retain and reinvigorate capabilities and talents – and with determination, pivot to new platforms with wider audiences through digitalisation.

Together, we can turn the corner and bring our arts and culture to higher ground, where talents, creativity and our identity as a Singapore people emerge even stronger.

Effective Youth Engagement

Mr Darryl David: Mr Chairman, they are the unique generation of today, better educated than the previous generation, and more socially connected. They have grown up as digital natives with perhaps a different Singapore dream. Many of the youths of today, perhaps because of their education and exposure through travel and in the social media, are certainly more aware of what is going on; in short, they are more "woke".

As seen in recent developments, many are keen to take on causes and stand up for their beliefs, participating avidly in movements and even coming up with their own hashtag causes. They are content creators and curators taking to platforms such as TikTok to engage and draw attention to issues.

Yet, due to the way they grew up, they had not necessarily experienced the same hardship and challenges as previous generations, as each generation has typically led a better life than the one before it – until COVID-19 struck.

COVID-19 has affected this generation like no other. According to an article by CNA, the economic fallout resulting from the COVID-19 crisis affecting about 50,000 school leavers from the different tertiary institutions in Singapore and overseas has led them to confront a grim reality; a reality that might have been very different from the dreams that they had been pursuing just 18 months ago.

It is thus important to have platforms that will allow our youths to give their input to co-conceptualise and co-create the future. Given that these youths are at home on social media, harnessing these platforms is critical as youths can be encouraged and engaged to co-create solutions for the future.

Even the members of the World Bank-supported Solutions for Youth Employment (S4YE)’s Youth Advisory Group have been using multiple media platforms such as Zoom, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to highlight the issues and concerns faced by youths to create solutions for the effects of the COVID-19 crisis.

Mr Chairman, aside from this, youths need safe spaces, both emotionally and psychologically, to discuss matters that are important to them, in ways and in language that may be perhaps different from that used by the generations before them.

Some of the issues that are of concern to them could include race, identity, community, health, the environment and religion. These safe spaces can be digital ones or physicals ones; but what is important is that there are these spaces to engage in forums or stimulating debates that engage and encourage them to be critical thinkers with diverse perspectives, yet inclusive, helping to reinforce their dignity and self-worth.

The COVID-19 crisis has also highlighted the importance of transformational change through embracing new ways to build capacity. Besides these areas, youth may also be involved in areas such as capacity building so that they face the future with real-world skills. They can learn as well how to leverage on entrepreneurship and technology to change Singapore, and perhaps the world.

Whether it is co-working areas or start-up incubators that use crowdfunding as a solution to develop ideas, youth projects can be kick-started to allow the young to collaborate with one another or with others. To allow more youth to benefit, those with the expertise and interest could help to come up with Kickstarter kits such as tools, both digital and communication-driven, as resources for the incubation of ideas.

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Youth advocacy can also be a way in which youths get the opportunity to amplify their voices through carefully thought through ideas on pressing matters that affect their lives today and the future. In fact, there is ample evidence from youth engagement efforts abroad that empowering youths can lead to fulfilling intergenerational partnerships.

Young people can engage with society to find purpose and belonging within their own lives. Positive emotions are a key resource for people during the coronavirus crisis, according to the University of Melbourne psychology professor Lea Waters in an interview with the Guardian, as they can lead to increased resilience and help in clear thinking.

I hope that the Government can continue to engage our youths and give them the support to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis more resourceful and adaptable, with the right life-skills to succeed in this somewhat uncertain future.

Efforts to Engage and Empower Our Youths

Ms Hany Soh: Chairman, our youths will inherit our future, and we should continue to engage them to participate and contribute actively to matters of our national concern that will also impact our society.

Over the years, I understand that MCCY has announced several initiatives, such as the SG Youth Action Plan and Youth Action Challenge, to actively engage our youths and listen to their views.

Can MCCY provide an update the effectiveness of these engagements and what else will be done to engage our youths from diverse backgrounds, so that they can partner with the Government and society to work on hot-button issues and issues that they care about, and to do so on a regular and sustainable basis?

Job Support for Low-income Youths

Dr Shahira Abdullah: Chairman, COVID-19 has resulted in uncertainty in the job landscape. This has affected the vulnerable groups comparatively worse. Beyond Social Services released a report in February this year which found that prior to COVID-19, the median household income of Family Assistant Funds applicants, derived from totalling work income in the household – was $1,600. Post-COVID-19, the median household income from work among applicants fell to $500 – a 69% drop.

Low-income youths are likewise affected. While reaching out to Youth Want Work, a youth employment initiative by Beyond Social Services, I was told that many have started working early to help support the family. Some as early as 14 years old, while they are still schooling. In addition, they may have care-giving responsibilities. The youths may also be tempted to drop out or not further their education as they may not see the opportunity cost of stopping education while trying to fulfill their immediate needs.

Adam, the lead of Youth Want Work shared, and I quote, “Most youths in this category do mature fast and they do understand the need to better their education but sometimes things at home just doesn't allow them to. Sometimes, I attribute this notion to the older generation parents, because especially for females, the parents do feel it's better to be married off rather than continuing their studies.”

This is something very worrying. This pandemic is set to continue for a protracted time. It may be difficult for these low-income youths to stop working or to focus on their studies due to their familial financial situation. In the worst case scenario, the youths may remain in menial roles or the unskilled gig economy, effectively perpetuating the poverty cycle.

Therefore, I would like to ask the Minister if there is data about the number of youths who are working while still in school and if there are initiatives available to engage and encourage them to stay in school?

In addition, I understand that the National Jobs Council provides a range of jobs and skills training opportunities for jobseekers under the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package and SGUnited Traineeships Programme. Would the Minister know what is the take-up rate for the different job-support initiatives among the low-income youths, and if the Ministry knows the reasons for such rates?

Finally, could the Minister also share what is the hire or employment efficacy rate for low-income youths who have applied for job attachments under the SGUnited Traineeships Programme? Have employers and such jobseekers expectations and requisite skillsets been met?

Lastly, earlier in February, it was said that there was no available data on the number of youths who take on care-giving duties for elderly family members. Would the Ministry be able to collect such data, as well as data on whether the youths who have these care-giving responsibilities are able to hold on to promising jobs long term? If the number is high, could proactive initiatives be done to reach out to them be considered?

Currently, youths are encouraged to reach out only if they require support. In this regard, the Ministry may wish to consider partnering with Social Service Agencies that are already working with these low-income youths and thus have better rapport and understanding of them. They would be well placed to help boost the take up rate of any initiatives introduced and create awareness of applicable national programmes for these youths.

Partnering Citizens

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman (Marine Parade): Chairman, one of the ways thus far that MCCY has engaged with our citizens via the Making Stronger Conversations initiative, the platform which operates on a voluntary basis has successfully brought together individuals of diverse backgrounds into conversations to share their ideas and hopes on how to foster a more resilient and inclusive post-COVID-19 society.

Given how the pandemic has disrupted social relations, such forms of collaborations among citizens as well as partnership between state and citizen have all become more crucial than ever. How will MCCY continue to provide Singapore from various social groups with not only opportunities to further contribute and develop ideas, but also then translate said ideas into concrete roles and shape the future of Singapore together?

The Chairman: Minister of State Alvin Tan.

The Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Alvin Tan): Mr Chairman, Minister Edwin Tong shared how we are forming a cohesive Singapore Tapestry. I will focus on three threads of this tapestry: our youths, our culture of care and our identity.

This Thursday, 11 March, will mark one year from the day the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic.

While no one has been spared from the effects of the pandemic, our youths have felt its impact particularly keenly. They are coming of age into a world which changed, just as they are beginning to make sense of it. As one of our youths shared passionately, "COVID-19, you have taken away many conveniences and deprived us of physical contact with our loved ones, but through this adversity you have steeled our resilience, resolve and determination to see to it that we rise above it all."

Steeled our resolve. Our youths are not strawberries in the pandemic. They are emerging from the pandemic more resilient and aided in part by the unprecedented support measures by our Government, they have thrived. But the storm is not yet over. The future is uncertain and our youths are asking the question, "What next?"

Mr Chairman, I spend plenty of time with our youths this past year and we have wrestled with this question together. Let me share how we have been journeying with them to confront the question of "What next?"

When I chat with our youths about their hopes and worries amidst COVID-19, they tell me that they care deeply about four issues. First, jobs. Second, mental well-being. Third, support for the vulnerable. Fourth, environmental sustainability.

Let me first share about the jobs and mental well-being aspects.

Our youths want good jobs and they want to learn new skills. Last year, our Government launched the SGUnited Jobs and Skills Package to provide traineeship opportunities. We are enhancing this package, including raising stipends for Diploma and ITE SGUnited Traineeship positions. MCCY and NYC are also complementing these national level efforts to help our youths be future ready.

As the hon Darryl David mentioned, youths are digital natives, learning on the fly and keeping a furious pace with and even setting tech trends. As they do this, NYC is creating opportunities for them, such as through our YouthTech Programme, where up to 1,000 youths will develop digital skills, including content creation, digital marketing, and data analytics. They will apply these skills in the real world, by working on digitalisation projects in organisations.

And our students from Institutes of Higher Learning can join our Youth Corps Internship Scheme (YCIS), to gain work experience in the social and community sectors, develop leadership and project management skills, while giving back to the community.

For example, Muhammad Danish, who interned with the Brahm Centre as a volunteer coordinator working on volunteer management and training. Danish liaised with community partners to match volunteers to their needs, forged friendships with members of the community and gained a deeper understanding of the social service sector. He has extended his internship with the Brahm Centre while waiting to be enlisted to NS, and he plans to continue volunteering with them.

Our youths can also prepare themselves for the future by broadening their horizons, such as through our Asia-Ready Exposure Programme (AEP), which provides them with short-term overseas exposure opportunities to gain cross-cultural skills. But due to COVID-19, AEP has shifted online.

So, I urge our youths to take up these opportunities, prepare themselves for the future of work that has arrived sooner than expected due to COVID-19.

Dr Shahira Abdullah asked about job-support measures for youths from low-income backgrounds, some of whom may have lost their jobs or may be facing other family issues. She also raised concerns over schooling youths who need to work, and youths who have care-giving responsibilities.

I shared how we are helping our youths to prepare themselves for employment. The initiatives I mentioned earlier are available to all youths, including those from low income backgrounds.

Nonetheless, we recognise that COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted youths from low-income backgrounds, and we are working with our partners to provide more support.

For example, we are strengthening access to mentoring opportunities. We believe that guidance and mentorship can help our youths better navigate challenges and opportunities. And so MCCY and NYC partners with youth sector organisations like Access to empower them to make informed career and life decisions.

Employment Support Service Providers such as Bettr Barista and YMCA are also providing job matching and placement services, training and support.

And for schooling youths who need to work, schools proactively identify and engage students who are disengaged or at-risk to help keep them in school. There are academic, socio-emotional, after-school and community support, as well as financial support through MOE's Financial Assistance Scheme and school-based financial assistance.

We also understand that youths with care-giving responsibilities face additional stressors, and are providing them with care-giver, financial and emotional support. For care-giver support, youth caregivers may approach the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). For financial support, they can contact Social Service Officers. For emotional support, they can tap resources such as Fei Yue’s online counselling services.

And we are working with these partners to raise awareness of support schemes among our youths.

Youths also care deeply about mental well-being and they want an inclusive and caring society where no one struggles with mental health alone. This requires a whole-of-society effort, and Parliament Secretary Eric Chua and Minister of State Sun Xueling talked about our Youth Mental Well-being Network, which is key to this effort.

Tech companies are important partners. We are working with Facebook and TikTok to enhance community support resources on their platforms for users facing distress and using these platforms’ wide reach to foster open conversations and to raise awareness about mental health and cyber wellness.

But youths themselves are equally important partners, as they often turn to their friends for peer support. And we are exploring more ways to equip more youths with these peer support capabilities, so they can look out for their friends who may be facing mental well-being issues and provide a first line of support.

So, to help youths identify and navigate the myriad of opportunities available to them, NYC launched Youthopia. It is an online site to provide youths with resources, content and opportunities around jobs and skills, mental well-being and financial literacy. Youthopia connects youths with coaches for career guidance, or trained professionals and helplines for mental health support. Youthopia has garnered over 480,000 visitors and 810,000 page views since we launched it in October.

And we will continue to work with youths and the wider community, so that youths, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have opportunities to thrive during and beyond the pandemic.

Our youths also tell us they want to have a voice and play an active role in shaping their Singapore. As we work with them to do so, our Government cannot just be here to listen; we must also listen to hear. Their diversity of ideas is a strength we must respect, cherish and steward.

Mr Darryl David and Ms Hany Soh will be pleased to know that we have been stepping up engagements with youths and empowering them to take action on issues that they care about. Let me share how.

We are actively engaging youths online where there are so that they can participate, contribute their ideas and share their views.

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For example, in a pre-Budget 2021 conversation that Minister Indranee Rajah and I hosted in January, our youths shared that supporting vulnerable groups is one of the top priorities that our Government should address.

And last year, we engaged youths as part of MHA and MinLaw's review of the sentencing framework for hurt and sexual offences. The youths that we spoke to generally agreed that while rehabilitation was an important principle in sentencing, it should not be the dominant consideration in cases involving adult offenders who commit hurt or sexual offences.

MHA and MinLaw took their feedback into consideration and delivered a Ministerial Statement on the outcome of the review here in this House last Friday.

And in our conversations with youths on Singapore Women's Development, they shared that they wanted more support for vulnerable women groups like single mothers or low-income families. They also raised concerns and aspirations about women-related issues in schools, at homes and the workplaces. We value their views and will ensure they are considered in the White Paper that will be submitted later this year.

Beyond sharing their views, youths also want to start ground-up initiatives and make a difference in society. We are helping them do so with funding, mentorship and connections with industry experts through our Youth Action Challenge, or YAC.

Our youths have started 16 YAC projects focused on helping our vulnerable, including families or individuals heavily affected by COVID-19, seniors as well as persons with disabilities (PwDs). So, we are working with our youths to turn their ideas and voices, into action.

Our youths also care about environmental sustainability and they want to address issues like food security and moving towards a zero-waste society.

They also want to partner us in policy making. We thus started Youth Circles for youth leaders to engage with Government agencies on specific policy issues and to come up with recommendations.

For example, eight members of a Youth Circle with MSE engaged stakeholders on measures to reduce food waste. This is aligned, of course, with our SG Green Plan 2030 to reduce waste and pursue sustainable living. This month, this Youth Circle will submit a report on a possible Good Samaritan Law that promotes food redistribution, for MSE to consider in future legislative changes. And this is really a good example of how our youths are playing an important and impactful part in influencing policy-making.

We are also partnering our youths to shape physical spaces in Singapore. At our Somerset Belt, groups have put up interactive exhibits and organised physical and digital programmes, such as skate clinics and livestreamed music shows.

We will also continue engaging youths to share their ideas for the upcoming youth hub at Kallang where they will get to design a vibrant space to bond and explore interests beyond sports.

So, I am really encouraged that our youths are leading the way and showing us how we can collaborate and make a difference. We can draw from their energy and embody the Singapore Together spirit to shape this place that we call home.

And there is no better place to start than to care for one another. Our culture of care is the heart of what makes Singapore home.

Due to COVID-19, we launched the Emerging Stronger Conversations (ESC) to better understand how our citizens want to deepen this culture of care in the new normal.

Mr Mohammad Fahmi asked about opportunities for Singaporeans to continue contributing ideas and taking action. As Minister Edwin mentioned, we have set up the Singapore Together Alliances for Action (SG Together AfA) for our people to be involved.

First, as part of the SG Together AfA on Emerging Needs and Volunteerism, citizens prioritised helping seniors gain new skills to help them better navigate a post-COVID 19 landscape.

For example, RSVP Singapore partnered CapitaLand Hope Foundation and Singapore Pools to establish a "Smart Seniors Applied Learning Centre" to help seniors pick up digital skills. So, we would like to encourage our community partners to join us to design programmes and technology platforms for our seniors.

Citizens also recognised how donations-in-kind, such as masks and sanitisers, met community needs in a timely manner at the height of the pandemic. For example, Gift for Good, which is a ground-up initiative, created a matching platform to match community resources and community needs.

Second, we will launch the SG Together AfA on Corporate Purpose, to work with private sector companies and partners on a National Blueprint and Framework on Corporate Purpose. This will give businesses a roadmap to measure their progress and impact as purpose-driven businesses.

I would like to invite corporates to join us and join this SG Together AfA to help build a corporate sector in Singapore where purpose is the engine of long-term profitability. But we are only just getting started and there is more to do. Mr Chairman, I will speak in Mandarin, please.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MCCY is committed to working with Singaporeans to build a caring and cohesive society.

This year, we will announce two new Singapore Together Alliances for Action (AfA), where we will continue to spur on the spirit of care and giving in society, by partnering our citizens, communities and businesses.

The first is on emerging needs and volunteerism, to enhance support for mental wellness, provide space and opportunities for seniors to learn innovatively, and facilitate the matching and giving of donations-in-kind more effectively.

The second is on corporate purpose. We will work with businesses to co-design and co-develop a national blueprint that places purpose, and giving back to society, as the driving forces of a firm besides profit-maximisation.

I would like to encourage the community and businesses to participate actively in these two initiatives to contribute back to society.

Of course, this is just a start. We will forge forward together, and the Ministry will continue to support more citizen-led efforts and partner all Singaporeans to build a better Singapore.

(In English): Mr Chairman, even as we shape the Singapore we want to see, it is also reflecting on our identity as Singaporeans. Like an anchor in a stormy sea, our identity, heritage and history keep us grounded. It is also the compass to help us chart our course ahead and key thread in our Singapore tapestry.

Last year, a Citizens' Workgroup comprising a diverse group of Singaporeans, explored what it means to be a Singaporean and deliberated on how to refresh content for the Singapore Citizenship Journey, a mandatory induction programme for naturalised citizens. MCCY will incorporate the Workgroup's recommendations and our formal response is on our website.

In May 2020, the National Museum of Singapore launched its Collecting Contemporary Singapore initiative, which will build a collection of objects and stories to remind us of Singapore's history.

The inaugural theme focuses on COVID-19 and many Singaporeans have responded to the public call for contributions, which is extended now until June 2021.

To-date, the National Museum has received about 200 online submissions and it will focus on different themes over the next few years, to encourage Singaporeans to contribute objects that best represent life in Singapore in recent times.

And as part of the development of the Founders' Memorial, our National Heritage Board (NHB) will also launch a public call in the third quarter of this year, for artefacts and stories related to key milestones in Singapore's Independence, history and founding values. And these items will contribute towards content for the Memorial's galleries and gardens, and be used to build up NHB's post-independence history collection.

Mr Chairman, in the spirit of our Founders' Memorial and as I wrap up my speech about the three traits that weave our Singapore tapestry – our youths, our culture of care and our identity, I thought it apt to quote one of our founders, the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, whose clarion call 25 years ago resonates even more so today. He said, and I quote, "To the young and to the not so old, I say, look at that horizon, follow that rainbow, go ride it."

In this storm of our generation, all of us, the young and the not so old, are coming together to forge forward and to build a better Singapore. So that when this storm finally passes and a rainbow emerges, we will be ready to follow that rainbow and ride it towards the next chapter of our Singapore story. [Applause.]

Mr Mark Chay: Chairman, please allow me to take the next four cuts together.

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Skills Framework for Sports and Fitness

Mr Mark Chay: At the outset, I would like to declare that I am Chairman of the SNOC's Athletes' Commission; Member of the Olympic Council of Asian's Athlete Committee; Honorary Secretary of Olympians Singapore and Director of Secretariat at the Global Esports Federation

My first cut relates to the development of a skills framework for the sports and fitness industry.

It is undeniable that for an industry to grow and thrive, it must be set up in an environment that is conducive for such growth. The necessary conditions must be there to make people to want to join the industry and develop it.

My question today is, are these conditions present for the sports and fitness industry and can more be done to facilitate this growth?

To my mind, the industry could do well to develop a framework that is competency and skills oriented. Countries like the UK and Australia already have frameworks in place that require employers to hire coaches and fitness trainers who complete specified vocational courses.

Further, to get a better sense of the industry's specific needs, the focus should be on engaging the people who do the work daily. The demands of the industry are everchanging and it would be difficult for the Government machinery to keep pace with the dynamic demands. Say, nutrition. There are many fads out there – the keto diet, Atkins diet, the list goes on. Would HPB be able to keep coming up with the requisite courses to train people in these areas? The short answer is that it would be difficult and costly.

Sports and fitness is a multi-faceted industry and a cookie-cutter approach would be difficult to apply.

So, considering the industry's needs and the existing infrastructure already in place, I would suggest a skills framework to be developed by the sports industry, for the sports industry, with the full support of the Singapore Government. This would lead to a meaningful growth in a more cost-effective and targeted way.

Jobs Support Scheme for Sports and Fitness Sector

Chairman, my second cut relates to the JSS for the sports and fitness sector. In my Budget debate speech, I highlighted that the pandemic has severely hit the sports, fitness and wellness industry.

Although Singapore is easing into phase 3, sports and fitness academies and establishments are not able to fully open due to social distancing measures. Pool space is reduced, school programmes and facilities are limited, and gyms cannot operate to efficient capacities. Also, establishments located in retail facilities still have the added pressure of rental. Some gym operators are reporting as low as 50% revenues compared to pre-COVID 19 levels.

Because of this, I would like MCCY to consider upgrading the sports and fitness industry from tier 3 to Tier 2 for JSS support.

I would also like to thank Minister at MCCY for recognising the sector and for extending more support to the industry through the Sports Innovation Grant and Operating Grant extension to December 2021. This will complement the JSS.

Development of E-sports in Singapore

My third cut is on the development of the e-sports industry in Singapore. Chairman, it is my pleasure to speak on the emergence and progress of e-sports in Singapore today. I would like to not only talk about e-sports through the lens of the future but about the possibilities for Singapore today, as the future has indeed arrived on our shores.

Today, large-scale e-sports tournaments draw more viewers than "traditional sports". For instance, the League of Legends World Championships held in Shanghai in late 2020, drew more than 46 million viewers.

The world has also come to recognise e-sports as part of the sports eco-system. Recently, the Olympic Council of Asia confirmed that the Asian Games would offer a programme where e-sports has its place as a full medal event in 2022.

E-sports is one of the sectors which has grown rapidly and accelerated during the pandemic. With viewership and gaming participation currently at all-time highs, and in a time where content is king, you can expect e-sports to be here to stay.

The e-sports industry currently sees double-digit growth and such growth has found its way into the Singapore landscape.

With Singapore's strong local infrastructure, like fast and stable Internet, top global teams have found Singapore very conducive for their professional team training. There are more than 20 full-time professional players here, with the top 10 having made more than $3 million in prize winnings alone. This figure does not include salaries and sponsorships. There are also others employed as full-time coaches and managers of local teams as well as professional teams in major markets like the US and China.

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Looking ahead, top e-sports events in Singapore are expected to spend at least $30 million in 2021. This will boost many local start-ups and businesses in media, events and supporting services. Promising local start-ups like yup.gg and EVOS have between them raised more than $31 million in investments and we can expect many more to follow in their footsteps. They look on track to follow successful local-born companies like Sea and Razer, who grew a good part of their business thanks to e-sports and gaming, creating thousands of jobs in the process.

Multinational companies in the e-sports and gaming industry like Tencent, Ubisoft and Moonton have also set up regional offices here in Singapore. They are expected to introduce hundreds of jobs in the coming year.

On a sports administrative front, we welcomed the world to the launch of the Global Esports Federation (GEF) on 16 December 2019 to convene the world's e-sports eco-system right here in Singapore. That very same day, we welcomed the world's largest gaming company and technology giant, Tencent, as the founding global partner of the GEF. Having Tencent with us has helped propel plans into reality. The vision of Tencent's leadership saw them join the GEF as its very first partner and, in less than a year later, to establish its regional hub right here in Singapore.

The GEF launch, watched by over 940 million people across the globe, crystalised in our minds the power, potential and reach of e-sports around the world. For us at home in Singapore, we saw opportunities—it is not gaming and e-sports alone but the large, growing eco-system around it. The possibilities are boundless across education, events, health and wellness initiatives, technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation.

With these developments, I believe Singapore can and should do more to take on a leading role in shaping the industry.

Mr Chairman, my remarks today come with a sense of optimism and opportunity, hope, and genuine excitement for the future. I believe the future of e-sports is incredibly bright if we gather our knowledge, listen to each other and help shape the future together.

E-sports is alive, it is real and it is evolving at an ever-increasing pace. Indeed, e-sports can offer a space for everyone and it makes good business and economic sense. The possibilities are boundless if we seize the opportunities we have been given and which we helped create.

We intend to host the annual Global Esports Games in December 2021 and every year after that. A rich portfolio of events will fill the calendar with a global platform for competition and entertainment. This event offers another excellent opportunity for Singapore to welcome the world and shape how the world consumes live events.

My sincere hope is that Singapore's e-sports community will grow and prosper and better e-sports globally to benefit athletes, players, teams and other stakeholders in our community. Just as the Olympic Movement values elevate sports, we hope to highlight and bring out the best in e-sports.

Creating our Sporting Heritage

Mr Chairman, my last cut relates to creating our sporting heritage. In my Budget debate speech, I took the opportunity to recognise our past athletes who had done Singapore proud in times when resources were scarce and inspired generations after them to take on the mantle and fly Singapore's flag high on the world stage.

Olympians and national athletes in the earlier decades had to resort to their own resources to help sustain and balance earning a living and competing in sports. Incentive programmes such as the Major Games Award Programme were established in the 1990s, which do not confer retrospective recognition. More can be done to recognise and help these athletes who contributed to Singapore's sporting glory and paved the way for future generations to succeed.

Currently, there is no system to help keep retired athletes engaged in the national programmes, save for Olympians Singapore. I honestly believe that athletes want to continue to give back to their fraternity and inspire Singaporeans. Indeed, when an athlete retires, there is no engagement beyond that.

Many athletes have gone on to establish themselves in the corporate and business world. They would likely hire ex-national athletes and sponsor programmes – they were from the system, after all. It is a waste that this is not done.

My thoughts are that heritage is closely linked with culture. Just as we reminisce on the glory of the Kallang Roar, we must remain cognisant that youth today may not know what that means. We have a sports heritage in that the current generations can stand on our past sporting giants' shoulders. I hope MCCY can do more to recognise and engage past athletes.

Booking System for Sports Facilities

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Sir, the issue of third parties profiting from the reselling of public sports facilities has recently received much attention after a couple of media articles were published on the matter. It was mentioned in one of these articles that there is even a virtual shop space to purchase bookings of public sports facilities such as badminton courts. A Straits Times article dated 1 February 2021 reported social footballers had to fork out between $240 and $300 in order to play. In another media report, it was said that the reseller is making a profit of $180.

Sir, in responding to such unethical practices, Sport Singapore, or SportSG, was reported as saying that it has vowed to clam down on the unscrupulous practice of a few ActiveSG members who resell booking of its sports facilities for profit. A follow-up media report dated 15 February 2021 mentioned that 255 ActiveSG accounts guilty of reselling bookings have been suspended by SportSG.

I would like to ask the Ministry, apart from the suspension of accounts, what other measures or actions have SportSG implemented to further and better manage the situation?

Sir, we do have public sports facilities managed by other public entities such as the People's Association or community clubs. I would like to urge MCCY and SportSG to initiate and lead a more concerted effort involving other public entities in eradicating such unscrupulous practices and the exploitation of our public sports facilities.

Opportunities to Participate in Sports

Ms Hany Soh: Mr Chairman, sports remain an important domain in bringing Singaporeans of all ages together and is also crucial for maintaining our physical and mental wellbeing. Last year, MCCY announced the launch of the Children and Youth Sport Framework to provide more opportunities and resources for children and youth to participate in and pursue sports.

At the Woodlands Swimming Complex, our SportSG's Active Health Coaches and Sport Champions have also been organising aqua-therapy sessions for stroke recovery seniors to improve their mobility as well as their confidence and quality of life.

How will MCCY continue to create more opportunities for Singaporeans of all ages, including working adults as well as those with mobility issues, to participate in sports?

Supporting Charities to Digitalise

Mr Mohd Fahmi Aliman: Finally, the last cut for the debate. Mr Chairman, COVID-19 has accelerated the push towards digitalisation within most if not all of our sectors, including the non-profit. Digitalising becomes especially crucial for organisations that now require new safer means of ensuring continued provision of essential social services to those in need of them within the community.

Last year, the Commissioner of Charities launched various initiatives to support our charities in accelerating and strengthening their digitalisation process. This includes the VWOs-Charities Capability Fund, known as VCF, that aims to enhance the online management capabilities and operational efficiency of charities. The Charities GoDigital kit was also introduced, acting as a comprehensive guide that encourages and aids the digitisation process.

How else are we supporting our non-profit sector, of which include charities, to be digitally ready and to thrive in the new normal?

The Chairman: Finally, clarifications? Oh, that was premature. Parliamentary Secretary Eric Chua. I cannot wait for it to end. [Laughter.]

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (Mr Eric Chua): Mr Chairman, thank you for the opportunity.

2020 was a challenging year. COVID-19 forced us to change the way we live, work and play. What does not change, however, is our commitment to building a caring, cohesive and confident society. The pandemic brought to the fore the critical role of the People's Association (PA) and I note Mr Leong Mun Wai's related comment.

As a Statutory Board, PA's mission is to build up the cohesiveness of our population – a reserve of social capital and goodwill that is built on trust between people and the Government. This is accumulated during peacetime so that we are in a good position when crises – such as the one we are going through right now – hit us.

We did not know when the pandemic would strike. But when it did, PA swung into action: four nation-wide mask distribution exercises to date; hand sanitiser distribution; food delivery services for the vulnerable, especially during the circuit breaker period; TraceTogether token distribution; and most recently, Community Centres (CCs) operating as community vaccination centres, reaching out to seniors and others to be vaccinated.

A year ago, I am not so sure any of us had "pandemic response" written in our workplans. But the networks, trust and bonds painstakingly built by PA and its volunteers over the years has allowed us to respond cohesively, quickly and as one community during the pandemic. This is the critical difference between our response here in Singapore and the responses we see elsewhere in the world.

To achieve PA's mission, the PA needs to be properly resourced. Its $796 million budget comprises a $207 million development budget – mainly to build and upgrade community clubs – and the remaining $589 million for operating expenditure.

It is, however, not very meaningful, as a Member suggested, to compare operating budget to headcounts as $589 million includes both manpower as well as other operating expenditure. And unlike other agencies like IRAS or GovTech, PA manages a whole host of community facilities all across Singapore, fully manned by full-time staff. These include 108 CCs and 665 Residents' Committee (RC) centres, which need regular maintenance as well as other operating costs.

So, PA's budget allows it to carry on with its peacetime mission of providing our people with activities – in the thousands every day, actually – that enrich them and which they enjoy. It also enables the building of networks and communities; the relationships of trust.

As a former grassroots leader myself – for 15 years, in fact – I am very proud of the work done by PA and its grassroots.

As answered before in this Chamber, the political affiliations of volunteers are not relevant to our consideration in the volunteer's participation in PA because PA's mission is fundamentally focused on community building.

So, the social capital that we have built up over time, the harmony that we have and that we enjoy within our society, taking care of our residents, including our seniors and the vulnerable ones amongst us – the value of all these, I would say to this House, is not easily quantifiable.

PA's role in peacetime and in crisis are inseparable. In many countries, people are quite divorced from the political and administrative machinery. They have difficulties knowing, much less understanding what goes on. The Government is a distant, sometimes even alien, entity. But in Singapore, we want to explain our policies and provide channels for communication between the Government and the people because we believe the Government must be connected to the people.

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But why? Because we believe that nothing can be achieved if we do not get buy-in from our people. Singapore works only when Government and people, businesses, unions, communities, all come together. And PA exists to provide the social glue, without which, Singapore would have gotten nowhere.

And the networks and bonds of trust that enable the PA to perform its role in peacetime are also what enable the PA to play a vital role in crises.

When a major Government policy is announced, PA, together with grassroots advisors, goes to the ground and explains the policies, and that also includes conveying unpopular policies. Hearing directly from residents about their concerns, so that we can actually allow them to voice their concerns, to allow Government to tweak and adapt policies, if needed. These relationships of trust and comradeship that they have built – bit by bit, through good times and bad – are what enabled us to respond as one Singapore during the pandemic. And this is what the late Mr S Rajaratnam meant by a “democracy of deeds”.

So, the Member can rest assured that the PA’s budget we have set aside has been put to good use. And the proof of the pudding is in the eating and there is no doubt that the PA has proven its worth in the past year.

Let me next talk about our charities.

Charities play an important role in our society by ensuring no one is left behind. Mr Mohd Fahmi Bin Aliman asked how we are helping our charities to be digitally ready. MCCY is working together with the Tote Board and NCSS, to develop a first-ever technology hub for non-profit organisations to accelerate the sector’s digital transformation. As a one-stop-shop for key Info-Communication Technology (ICT) services, this technology hub for NPOs will avail funding and ICT consultancy services to charities from the “Arts and Heritage”, “Community”, “Education”, “Health”, “Sports” and “Others” sectors. This is over and above support provided by the NCSS under the Tech-and-Go! initiative, and we hope to make this available by July this year.

Charities can leverage several schemes under this technology hub, including technical advisory, digital implementation consultancy, digital strategy planning, and the adoption of large-scale specialised ICT solutions.

Let me next move on to sports.

Mr Xie Yao Quan and Ms Hany Soh asked about how we plan to sustain sports participation. Under our Children and Youth Sport Framework, SportSG is scaling up the Nurture Kids programme in all pre-schools. We are on track to provide all pre-schools with access to the Nurture Kids Train-the-Trainer initiative by 2022.

SportSG is also on track to partner the National Institute of Early Childhood Development (NIEC) to build the capabilities of their lecturers through a co-developed SportSG-NIEC Train-the-Trainer programme. This will equip early childhood educators with the knowledge to develop children’s fundamental movement skills.

SportSG’s Active Parents movement has also seen more than 10,000 parents come onboard since the launch in April last year. During the circuit breaker period, the initiative helped parents stay active with their children through online resources and stay-home virtual activities.

With the resumption of physical programmes, the Active Parents School Holiday Programme was introduced to provide more opportunities for parent and child to participate in sporting activities together and to encourage parents to take an active role in guiding their child through the activities. And I am looking forward to taking part in those activities with my eight-month-old son in time to come.

For working adults, SportSG will launch the Active Health Corporate Playbook in mid-2021. The Playbook guides companies through the principles of health and wellness, organisational development, and evidence-based coaching to help corporates adopt sport and physical activity as an organisational strategy.

While we have programmes in place, it is also important that we ensure access to our sports facilities. Mr Faisal Manap asked how we are improving our facilities booking system.

SportSG actively monitors feedback on the system through channels, such as SportSG’s feedback hotline, the system’s technical helpdesk as well as App Store reviews.

In 2019, SportSG rolled out version 2.0 of its booking app and regularly releases updates in response to public feedback, as well as to keep up with app developments. SportSG has also been working to finetune booking policies and stepping up efforts to combat scripting and on-selling activities.

For instance, SportSG has enhanced on-site enforcement measures, where hirers of ActiveSG facilities are required to be present or have their booking cancelled. It has also enhanced system measures to deter scripting, and imposed stricter penalties against errant members, including account suspension for those found to have abused the system. Just last month alone, 105 accounts were suspended and 735 bookings cancelled after investigations.

Mr Mark Chay shared that visitorships at sports and fitness centres have not returned to pre-COVID-19 levels and he suggested that sports and fitness be considered a tier-two sector.

Since the progressive re-opening of the sports sector in June last year, the sector has benefited from the Sports Resilience Package (SRP) that was launched in October 2020. To-date, close to 100 businesses have benefited from an Operating Grant under the SRP that covers up to 25% of their total operating expenses, capped at $15,000 per month, for up to six months.

Mr Chay may be pleased to note that this year, we will provide more support through the enhancement of the SRP. Let me explain.

To provide short-term financial support to critical sports businesses, SportSG will extend the SRP Operating Grant from April to December 2021. This grant helps to defray operating expenses for awardees whose businesses are classified as “Private Academies and Clubs”, “Private League Operators” and “Facility Operators”.

Applicants must show that revenues continue to be severely impacted, show commitment to preserving jobs and must not be receiving other operating grants from the Government, including SportSG.

For coaches, we will extend the training allowance grant and structured mentorship programme to the end of the new financial year. The extended training allowance grant is open to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents with a valid National Registry of Coaches – or what we affectionately know as NROC – membership who have completed the required training hours based on their membership category. With this grant, each NROC coach can claim for continuing coaching education courses, up to a maximum of 30 hours.

Likewise, the structured mentorship programme is also open to all active coaches who are registered with NROC, and coach developers who are Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents. Under this programme, mentees will receive a monthly allowance of $400, and mentors, $600 monthly, for six months.

We will also extend the Enterprise Innovation and Capability Development Grant that was launched in June last year. It will cover 70% of qualifying costs capped at $180,000. Projects supported should cover one or more of these categories, and that includes fan or consumer engagement, high performance and sport science, next-generation infrastructure and facilities, or health and wellness.

Finally, the SEP Project Grant. This grant will give more opportunities for SEPs to work and hone their skills. The grant for each application is capped at $25,000 or up to 70% of qualifying costs – specifically operating costs for running projects, events or programmes. Project teams must comprise at least one sport SEP registered with organisations, such as NROC or ActiveSG.

SportSG will also support the industry through an Industry Development Plan that sharpens our approach to growing the sports sector. The plan will support the sector in adapting and innovating through the enhancement of digital capabilities and innovation. SportSG will also develop a digitalisation roadmap to help businesses assess digital readiness, identify innovation and opportunities, and spur digital adoption.

The second area is the enhancement of workforce capabilities that will see collaborations between workforce and educational agencies to develop a skills framework. And this will help provide better careers, training, education and professional development pathways for the sports workforce.

I thank Mr Mark Chay for suggesting we have a skills framework for the fitness sector. Currently, CoachSG works closely with educational institutions, such as Republic Polytechnic, the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, and has strong partnerships with overseas organisations to develop capabilities and content. There are also partnerships with industry players, such as NTUC’s National Instructors and Coaches' Association, to provide coaches and fitness instructors with opportunities for professionalisation and career development.

Mr Mark Chay also suggested developing the e-sport industry and community in Singapore. MCCY and SportSG have, indeed, been working with the relevant Government agencies to explore opportunities. For instance, agencies have been supporting major e-sports events, local start-ups, as well as building the talent pipeline for the video games industry. This includes the Global Esports games where SportSG has been engaging the organisers. We are also supporting the building of an e-sports community, especially among the youth through community events, community sports clubs, NYC and *SCAPE.

At the same time, MCCY is working with MSF and NYC and a panel of youth on guarding against potential ill effects of e-sports. SportSG is also working with stakeholders to put together a code of practice. For instance, SportSG will be working with MOE to have all Primary and Secondary school students educated on the risks associated with gaming through cyber wellness education resources.

Moving on to high performance sports. Mr Xie Yao Quan asked how our athletes are preparing for the Major Games. Mr Xie also shared that that our athletes need to be supported to embrace challenges in the “new normal”. We fully agree.

We are working closely with the Tokyo Olympics Games Organising Committee to ensure the safety of our athletes and officials. This includes a COVID-19 testing regime and allowing accredited athletes to train during the 14-day quarantine period, subject to a negative swab test.

Our swimming and badminton teams are also looking forward to a Pre-Games Training Camp in July in Kochi, Japan. And this is made possible by an MOU between SportSG and the Kochi Prefectural Government.

SportSG will also roll out a series of Computer Vision Systems that leverages video technology to better analyse an athlete’s performance. This system will be piloted in three sports – swimming, table tennis, football – and will be deployed at selected venues.

The first batch of cameras for swimming has already been installed at the Singapore Sports School and will be rolled out across the two other sports within the year.

Besides empowering our active athletes, I thank Mr Mark Chay for his suggestion to set up an alumni for Team Singapore and we are happy to explore this further.

Currently, Team Singapore athletes who have represented Singapore at the Major Games are granted free lifetime access to ActiveSG swimming pools and gyms and invited to attend sports events. Those who have been inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame are also given additional access to sports medicine services at the Singapore Sports Institute Sports Medicine Centre and are invited to speaking engagements at schools and sports clinics.

SportSG will continue to work with key stakeholders, such as the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC), the Singapore National Paralympic Council as well as the National Sports Associations (NSAs), to proactively engage these athletes.

Finally, Minister spoke earlier about uplifting Singapore football. Mr Sitoh is right. We have not been doing well in football in recent years. As a teenager, I was neither a good footballer, nor was I a most diehard fan. But I could, like many in my generation, rattle off names of football heroes that everyone knew: Fandi Ahmad, Nasri Nasir, Lim Tong Hai and super sub Steven Tan. And who could forget legendary bicycle kick goal that Sundramoorthy scored against Brunei in 1993!

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The electricity was in the air at that point in time – in the Kallang Stadium, in the coffee shops, in our homes, in front of our TV screens. Each time Singapore's team scored a goal, our entire neighbourhoods would shake with excitement and passion and we rallied behind our football teams.

So, this is my plea, not just to Members of this Chamber, but to all Singaporeans. Whatever your views of the state of football right now, I ask for your support as we reimagine and re-energise Singapore football.

We will start with our children and youth. MCCY will work with MOE to build up a robust participation base, with about 2,000 boys per primary school cohort exposed to football techniques and tactics under FAS's national curriculum. This is an inclusive vision, a very timely one, given today is 8 March, International Women's Day, as we also want to grow the participation base for women's football.

We will be engaging Secondary schools to invite them to establish School Football Associations, or SFAs, where aspiring footballers can further develop their skills in a school-based training environment, supported by an augmented coaching bench, enhanced facilities and an intensive training programme. Youth footballers under the SFAs will compete in an elite youth league to hone their competitive edge. Talented students outside these SFAs will also be scouted to join the ActiveSG Football Academy Development Centres so that they too, can receive similar levels of training support and competition exposure.

For those who wish to pursue a professional career in football, local and overseas scholarships will be provided for our top youth talents. FAS is in discussions with overseas football institutions such as La Liga, Bundesliga Club Borussia Dortmund as well as Australian colleges such as Maribyrnong College. Locally, we will work with clubs such as the Lion City Sailors to provide similar opportunities. Our footballers will be tracked through a national athlete monitoring database, which will operate alongside a new Football High Performance Centre, that brings together our sport science capabilities under a technology-enabled space.

We will also work with our partners to improve the ecosystem. One example is the provision of NS support for our elite and aspiring footballers. MCCY is working with MINDEF to tap support avenues for eligible footballers, including early enlistment, leave and time-off for NSFs to train, as well as opportunities to continue training and playing at the very top levels while fulfilling their NS obligations. These are just some examples of what we are doing. More details will be announced by FAS and SportSG in due time.

Mr Chairman, I would like to declare at this point that I am not citing this next quote because of your allegiance to a certain football club but because I truly believe in what has been said. Liverpool legend Bill Shankly once said, and I quote, "if you cannot support us when we lose or draw, don't support us when we win."

Members of this Chamber, deep down in our hearts, I know Singaporeans are not fair-weathered fans. Whether we are supporting our footballers, our athletes at the Olympics or the SEA Games, let us all stand resolutely behind our athletes. They have poured blood, sweat and tears into their sport, made sacrifices to be the best they can be, so let us all, as fans of Team Singapore, give them our wholehearted support!

Mr Chairman, to conclude, whether it is about supporting our fellow men and women in our charities, sports, arts, youth or community sectors, Singapore can be a caring, cohesive and confident society only if we continue to weave our diverse threads together, as one Singapore tapestry. [Applause.]

The Chairman: Clarifications? Ms Sylvia Lim.

Ms Sylvia Lim: Chairman, I have clarifications for Minister of State Low Yen Ling who responded to my cut on the art spacers. The first clarification is whether the Government actually agrees that there is value in art centres being managed by artists rather than all being Government-run as these would add to the richness of the eco-system and also make the arts authentic and sustainable. That is the first question, whether Government sees value in centres being managed by artists rather than the Government all the time.

Second clarification is, she mentioned that there were many dialogues between the arts community and the National Arts Council (NAC), and the principle that arts venues needed to be as accessible to as many practitioners as possible. I think everyone agrees about that. My question is, does she not agree that there is actually no reason why a centre managed by artists cannot also accommodate many users in that sense? It does not have to be something managed by the NAC. In fact, the current concern and dismay about the status of The Substation is a case in point, because many budding artists actually got their first breaks or were incubated in this artist-managed space called The Substation.

My final clarification is regarding the consultation between the Government and the arts community. Some of us have received feedback, that although there were sessions indeed, but the feeling was that decisions had already been made regarding certain spaces; there was no advanced information about what would happen. So, I would like to ask whether the Government would look into assessing whether the current dialogue formats can be improved, so as to convince, I suppose, the Arts community that their concerns are being taken seriously, and that the Government is coming with an open mind to these discussions.

Ms Low Yen Ling: Chairman, I want to thank the Member Ms Sylvia Lim for her clarifications. And I want to use this opportunity to reiterate that the Government is committed to helping our arts and culture sector to recover from the disruptions of the pandemic to transform, to future-proof ourselves, and also to thrive in the new normal of the post-COVID-19 world.

I had spent some time to outline the various new measures, the top up to ACRP, and not just the operating grant but the venue hire subsidy and also the SEP grant and so on; to demonstrate the Government's commitment to turbo-charge and turbo-boost our arts and culture sector.

To her three clarifications, besides the various funding, I talked about another key means of support for the arts and culture sector is the provision of infrastructure. So, the extension of the venue hire subsidy with the enhanced ACRP really serves to defray costs, improve cost recovery and also encourage more shows and activities to be conducted.

Earlier on, I explained that in land scarce Singapore, we have a responsibility to ensure that the space is used optimally and effectively. We seek to provide fair access and inclusive opportunities for as many as possible in the community, especially new groups and young practitioners, who need that incubator space. It is also our aim to ensure that the spaces are regularly updated, regularly upgraded to stay relevant to prevailing needs and to serve the overriding goals of the arts and culture community.

I also want to use this opportunity explain that NAC takes a calibrated approach to spaces as well as grants. For example, where they are providing specific project grants – because after all, this is taxpayers' money – or even managing the Arts Resource Hub co-working space, they will exercise greater oversight. But otherwise, NAC will provide recipients with the autonomy to utilise and maximise the resources that they are accorded within mutually agreed conditions.

Allow me to use this opportunity to update some numbers. Over the years, our total Gross Floor Area, or GFA, for the arts have grown steadily to 88,000 sqm in the year 2020. NAC has also facilitated diversification of art space, primarily in private sector, which has also added 6,500 sqm GFA for arts through initiatives like the Community Sports Facilities Scheme and so on.

To Ms Lim's point about The Substation, allow me to use this opportunity to share that MCCY and NAC recognise the contributions which The Substation has made to our arts and culture landscape over the past 30 years. I have attended many such programmes in my teens and early 20s. We had hoped that The Substation would continue its role as an arts incubator. Since 2017, NAC has proactively engaged The Substation and offered support in various, various ways, in different permutations and scenarios.

In the interest of time, Chairman, details of the engagements are publicly available in NAC's statements.

I want to reiterate that it has always been the intent of MCCY and NAC for 45 Armenian Street to remain an inclusive, multi-disciplinary arts space, a safe space for artistic experimentation. Following the renovation, which was already scheduled a few years ahead of time, we hope that the place will continue to support the work of young and unproven practitioners and be a haven for collaboration and the arts and culture community.

I want to reassure everyone in this House that MCCY, NAC and the staff will continue to involve and consult our various stakeholders whether in administering grants, or supporting our community with infrastructure and space. That is why Minister Edwin Tong and myself, in our earlier speeches, mentioned that the SEP grant and the Business Transformation Grant will be rolled out by June because we do not want to rush the process. We want to use these few months to conduct focus group discussions with the various stakeholders, freelancers, arts and culture organisations and so on, to take in the views, to scope out the various grants. We will also similarly, take the same consultation approach with regards to infrastructure and art space.

The Chairman: Mr Sitoh Yih Pin.

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Thank you, Mr Chairman. Just to pick up on the point by hon Member Ms Sylvia Lim. I took a walk down to 45 Armenian Street yesterday just to understand the situation better. I noticed that 45 Armenian Street is located in the heart of the city and actually surrounding it are many arts groups, such as School of the Arts, LASALLE College of the Arts, NAFA and SMU is just next door.

In my mind, our friends in the arts fraternity, are a group of people who possess the unique ability to turn black and white, into a rainbow of colours. So, in that context, I would like to ask Minister Edwin Tong, what is the strategy and philosophy to support our arts group and in the context of 45 Armenian Street, after the renovations, would more arts groups be able to benefit from the use of that space?

Mr Edwin Tong Chun Fai: Thank you, Mr Chairman. Sir, the answer is yes. The intention behind this renovation of 45 Armenian Street is precisely to allow more, newer, emerging, younger arts groups to come and share the space. This discussion with The Substation started more than two years ago. They were aware that the space was to be renovated, having been in the premises for the past 30 years as a Major Company. They were aware also that interim spaces were offered, such as Goodman Arts Centre, for the two years that The Substation will be renovated. And additional financial support would also be given to The Substation whilst they spend two years away from Armenian Street.

In the period of time that we have looked at in the last couple of years, at the very minimum, the majority of uses or usage of The Substation was not by The Substation, was by third party users. So, taking that into account, amongst others, the view was taken that he arts community will be better served if The Substation, post-renovation, will return as a multi-tenanted option. And users, such as The Substation, was, in fact, invited back; they will be part of the multi-tenants, and they will have access to all of the renovated facilities. So, that was the thinking behind Armenian Street.

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In relation to the various models that, I think, Ms Lim also spoke about earlier, there are many which are run by arts companies. TheatreWorks, for instance, is one; Objectifs is another. But, equally, I will say that in Singapore, we have a model which has a mix of different types of management systems and operating models. We have those which are run by their own arts companies. Equally, we have those which are run on the basis of shared facilities and they have done well, like Nine Years Theatre, like Pangdemonium, as examples. These have done well, even though they have shared facilities.

In the context of looking at how we rationalise the space, my colleague Minister of State Low has spoken earlier. The objective is to ensure that spaces remain available for experimentation, for incubation, for community uses and, ultimately, have a safe space for artists to continue to express themselves. That is the overarching objective.

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

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin: Mr Chairman, I thank all Members for their COS cuts. I also like to thank the MCCY team for their great effort and responses. With that, Mr Chairman, I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $1,913,946,600 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $358,270,500 for Head X ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.