Wider Use for SG Culture Pass for Purchasing SingLit Books
Ministry of Culture, Community and YouthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the expansion of the SG Culture Pass and the potential introduction of a dedicated "Literary Pass" for Singapore literature (SingLit), as raised by Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik. Acting Minister David Neo stated that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth expanded the Culture Pass on 1 March 2026 to allow credit use for physical SingLit books at participating bookstores. Eligible titles include fiction, poetry, plays, and literary short essays in English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil authored by Singapore Citizens or Permanent Residents. Acting Minister David Neo noted that a separate credit scheme is unnecessary because the existing pass already facilitates SingLit purchases. The Ministry will evaluate feedback from this phase to consider future additions while continuing to invest in the broader literary ecosystem and events like the Singapore Writers Festival.
Transcript
12 Mr Abdul Muhaimin Abdul Malik asked the Acting Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) whether the Ministry will consider a wider literary use for the SG Culture Pass; and (b) whether it will further introduce an annual "Literary Pass" with credits to specifically purchase Singapore literature (SingLit) books to support Singaporean authors and the local literary scene.
Mr David Neo: To further broaden the reach and impact of the SG Culture Pass and to encourage Singaporeans to engage more deeply with Singapore literature, or Sing Lit for short, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) has expanded the Culture Pass scheme to include local literary works from 1 March 2026.
Since 1 March, Singaporeans have been able to use their SG Culture Pass credits to purchase physical books from participating bookstores across the island. Eligible titles include fiction, poetry, plays and literary short essays in English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil, authored by a Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident at the point of publication. MCCY will take into account the response and feedback from this first phase in considering other literary works that could be purchased with Culture Pass credits in the future.
There are currently no plans to introduce a separate credit scheme to encourage the purchase of Sing Lit books, as this can already be done with Culture Pass credits. MCCY and NAC will continue to support and invest in the broader literary ecosystem, which includes nurturing Singaporean literary practitioners through capacity building programmes and growing audiences for Sing Lit at major literary events, such as the Singapore Writers Festival.