Edwin Tong Chun Fai
Singapore
“These questions have been answered in the reply to Questions Nos 26 to 31 for Oral Answer on today's Order Paper. [Please refer to "Addressing Issues Identified in Legal Profession Sustainability Study", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Written Answers to Questions for Oral Answer not Answered by End of Question Time secti…”
“I am answering in my capacity as the Minister charged with the responsibility for the People's Association. The Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers Scheme was first introduced in June 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic with two key objectives: one, to help Singaporean households cope with daily expenses; and two, to support hawker…”
“If the incident is a result of bilateral obligations relating to data protection and inviolability of equipment not being complied with, then the Government will consider all available legal and diplomatic options, in accordance with the bilateral RTS Link treaties, as well as the relevant international law.”
“In 2024, community sentences under part 17 of the Criminal Procedure Code 2010 (CPC) were imposed in 86 criminal cases handled by the State Courts.”
“It is a five-minute journey across both ways; and with the availability of closed circuit television coverage and the real-time monitoring that will be done by the officers on both sides, we did not think that this will be necessary.”
“The Ministry of Law will provide an oral reply to this Parliamentary Question, together with other Parliamentary Questions which have been filed on this topic at the next available opportunity.”
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Every one of 2,221 lines we hold for Edwin Tong Chun Fai, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 22 of 45.
“Mr Speaker, copies of the Bill have been provided to the Clerk, who will distribute it to Members now. [Handouts were distributed to hon Members.]”
“Mr Speaker, I beg to introduce a Bill intituled "An Act to amend the COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act 2020.” [(proc text) Bill read the First time. (proc text)]”
“I thank Miss Cheng for the question. Yes, the staff obviously have been affected in that they have been cooperating with AGO. So, they have had to put aside time to deal with that and also with the internal investigations that we continued with, over and above what AGO has done to ensure that we look at all the remaining contracts that OTH had entered into. At the same time, it is also important to keep the functions and facilities of OTH running, making sure that residents' and businesses' interests are not compromised, ensuring that the tenants that remain at OTH will also be looked after. So, there is a wide range of other responsibilities that the staff are looking into. And it is important to ensure that there is enough resourcing and staffing to see to this. I would like to assure Miss Cheng that there is a task force that has been put in place to shore up the staff necessary for OTH, including to replace the personnel who had been suspended, to ensure that the functions and performance levels of OTH do not drop.”
“Sir, the accounting firm that has been appointed is Ernst & Young, one of the Big Four accounting firms in Singapore. To Ms Joan Pereira's second question, we expect to do it in as expeditious a manner as possible. But without having come into the details, I do not want to constrain the professionals from Ernst & Young as well. As to sharing the findings progressively, we will certainly do so internally as and when lessons learnt or options become available to improve processes. At some stage after we have completed the review itself, we will then share that with the public as well.”
“In many ways, Sir, we are tougher on ourselves when lapses are discovered. We must continue to do so and build a strong culture of zero tolerance, particularly when it comes to questions of integrity and probity of transactions.”
“I thank Ms Foo Mee Har for raising the point. The lapses, as far as we can tell, were not systemic. But at the same time, as I have mentioned earlier, we have already immediately implemented some changes to improve the system and oversight governance functions. We will also subject our oversight and governance of such matters to a professional external review, as I have mentioned. And I have mentioned that an external consultant has been appointed, being given a broad mandate to look at these governance systems and oversight functions. The lessons that we have learnt, the immediate steps that we have taken on board will, of course, be shared with any new projects that will come on board. And thereafter, after we have done a full review, we will strengthen and continue to strengthen these processes. Let me also add, Mr Speaker, that there will be the occasional lapse or oversight in the way in which contracts are managed. As I have mentioned, PA oversees a wide range of development and redevelopment projects for more than 780 such facilities. We cannot always prevent fraud. It may happen from time to time. But what is important is to be able to detect it, to pick it up and then act firmly against it. So, it is important to have a strong audit system, both internal and also external. And on top of that, regular AGO audits which go deeper into specific matters. We take each case of lapse very seriously. And in this case, as Members know, once PA became aware of these findings, an internal investigation was carried out immediately. This led to staff being suspended and a Police report was filed; all of these even before AGO disclosed its findings. As I have mentioned earlier, we also are investigating transactions beyond the scope of AGO's sampling.”
“Mr Speaker, on Mr Singh's two questions, the first is yes. When we have completed the review and made the resolutions on the remaining contract variation issues that we will look at for the remaining contracts, we will make the appropriate disclosures. Second, in relation to the second question on whether we will take into account findings, all of such findings will be appropriately addressed. There is a framework to consider, to assess when tenderers come in to make bids. All of these, including the antecedent behaviour of a particular individual or contractor, will be taken into account when assessing and judging on these bids.”
“This is underscored by how immediate steps were taken to review the observations, going beyond AGO's findings and subsequently, the remedial steps that I outlined earlier. PA is committed to resolving and improving its governance and oversight processes and will take all the appropriate steps to learn from and improve on the AGO audit findings.”
“The checks were to be focused on the facilities' development and maintenance relating to progress claims, documentation and term contracts. These plans were, however, put on hold when AGO began its audit of OTH and HBB in July 2020. The planned areas of audit for OTH in FY2021 were eventually covered under AGO's audit that was conducted in FY2020. Sir, PA accepts AGO's findings and will take steps to thoroughly review its governance and compliance systems. Ms Foo, in particular, asked about the control measures. Besides the above, PA has since appointed an external consultant from a leading accounting firm to examine its governance system and oversight functions in relation to contract management and the operations of all its development projects. The external consultant will conduct an audit and Business Process Review on the contract management of development and facility management projects of PA in recent years; review the governance structure for similar integrated community complexes; and also provide recommendations to strengthen systems and also processes in relation to the oversight functions of all development projects. The external consultant will have a broad mandate to review. They will make practical recommendations to rectify control weakness or lapses noted as well as identify areas of improvement in terms of efficiency, economy and effectiveness. PA will take in the recommendations, improve processes where needed and implement better oversight. Sir, as a steward of public funds, we know that there must be public confidence in the integrity of governance systems. And PA takes the findings of AGO very seriously.”
“In the meantime, to ensure that the operations and maintenance of facilities at OTH carries on without disruption, PA has set up a task force to review and take steps to strengthen existing processes in procurement, contract and facility management, all of which, carry on at OTH. Second, to also improve staffing resources, including the appropriate oversight of contractors and managing agents. Mr Sitoh Yih Pin has asked if PA will conduct a thorough investigation into all payments made in relation to OTH's facility maintenance contracts. I would like to assure Members of this House that PA has done so. The internal audit team has since undertaken a sample review of all the other facility maintenance contracts entered into by OTH and did not find any irregularities similar in nature as those flagged by AGO. Mr Sitoh also asked whether PA's internal audit team had picked up any of these lapses raised by AGO. The internal audit team identifies key compliance risk areas and conducts sample checks to detect lapses or non-compliance. In addition to compliance and operational audits, PA also engages an external auditor to conduct annual audits on its financial information. The integrated community hubs that I have mentioned, are audited regularly on a cyclical basis. PA last audited OTH and HBB in 2018 and 2019 respectively. At that time, these developments had just started their operations and the audits then were focused on procurement, revenue and tenancy management. PA's internal audit did not uncover any significant discrepancies, nor did AGO highlight any issues with respect to these three areas. In February 2020, PA's internal audit had included in their FY2021 workplan to conduct checks on OTH and HBB.”
“AGO's findings under this heading relate to transactions carried out in conjunction with minor building works at the facility, undertaken by external contractors during the maintenance phase of OTH. In respect to these works, PA had engaged an external managing agent to support the onsite facilities management team and also, supervise the works by the contractors. In reviewing the payments made to the contractors, AGO had sampled 36 payments, totalling $1.27 million and found that there were possible irregularities in the supporting documents. These irregularities include the possible falsification of quotations, alteration of hard copy payments, payment supporting documents and also the creation and backdating of documents to give the false impression that proper processes had been followed. When PA was notified by AGO on the irregularities observed, an internal investigation panel was immediately convened to look into these transactions. This panel was led by senior officers from PA and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth to conduct a thorough review of the related processes. The investigations confirmed AGO's observations. PA took a very serious view of these irregularities. In addition, as the findings relate to claims involving possible falsification of documents, including in relation to claims by external parties, PA lodged a Police report after the conclusion of this investigation. In addition, the staff who were directly involved have also been suspended pending the outcome of these investigations. PA is presently reviewing each of these transactions to ascertain if any losses have been occasioned by these irregularities and if so, to take the appropriate recovery action.”
“PA was able to independently verify, including through contemporaneous materials, that the variation works were carried out following discussions and decisions taken at project site meetings between PA and its consultants, and following the issuance of work orders. However, the project staff and consultants at that time, did not maintain proper documentation of these decisions, resulting in AGO’s observations. This is a lapse which has to be addressed. In addition, PA is now undertaking a full review of the remaining contract variations, beyond those sampled by AGO, for the main construction contracts for these two developments. Whilst these were not part of AGO’s test check requirements, PA is doing so, to ensure that the contract variations were carried out with the appropriate approvals and proper documentation, and if not, then to take the appropriate remedial actions. To further improve the future management of contract variations, PA has since also implemented the following: one, required the reporting and monitoring of contract variations in project progress meetings as a standard form; two, published a manual on contract variation process and procedures to further guide PA staff and its external consultants in the management of contract variations; and three, established an e-filing system for documenting variation approvals to enhance oversight and tracking. Sir, the third observation by AGO is in relation to the possible irregularities in documents relating to payments and lapses in the management of facility maintenance contracts at OTH. Mr Pritam Singh, Ms Foo Mee Har and Mr Sitoh Yih Pin have raised questions with regard to this observation.”
“On these two construction projects, the preliminary calculation is that if a full price fluctuation had been adopted instead, this would have resulted in a price adjustment differential of about $60,000 in favour of PA. PA has since ensured that the provision in all such similar standard construction contracts is clear and is fixed, to ensure greater clarity and compliance on how price fluctuation adjustments should be made, as per the requirement for all Government projects. It has also been reiterated to relevant officers who oversee such projects to ensure compliance. Next, Sir, let me address AGO's findings on the management and oversight of contract variations. This applies for the main construction contracts during the development phase of both OTH and HBB. In its audit, the AGO had test-checked 465 contract variations from both developments and found lapses in the approvals for 252 variations. The lapses relate to improper approval processes for variation works that had been conducted. The AGO found that there was a lack of evidence of approvals and in some cases, approvals which were given after the works had commenced or were already completed. And in some other cases, approvals for the increase in variation costs were not documented. AGO opined that these lapses indicated weaknesses in the monitoring of contract variations and inadequate oversight of the consultants by PA. Subsequent to AGO's findings, PA undertook a thorough check on all 252 cases flagged by AGO. The check showed that whilst there were inadequate or missing documentations in respect of those variation works identified by AGO, these variation works were in fact requested for and approved.”
“Several Members have raised questions on the AGO findings and they relate to three broad buckets of issues as follows: first, the failure to adopt full price fluctuation adjustments, in the case of OTH's main construction contract; second, management and oversight of contract variations during the construction phase of OTH and HBB; and third, irregularities which arose during the operations and facilities maintenance phase at OTH. I will deal with all three. Mr Pritam Singh asked about the adoption of full price fluctuation in relation to OTH's main construction contracts. For all public construction developments with a contract value of more than $5 million, the Government requires agencies to adopt full price fluctuation adjustment for key construction materials, specifically, concrete and steel reinforcement. This is to encourage companies, the bidders, to put in a more realistic bid for public sector projects. AGO observed that the full price fluctuation was not adopted in the case of OTH's main construction contract. Instead of a full price fluctuation adjustment, the parties in that case adopted a 70% price fluctuation adjustment for OTH’s main construction contract. When PA did its investigations, it found that this had been discussed and proposed by PA's appointed team of external consultants and was then accepted by PA. However, this was a mistake as PA should have adopted full price fluctuation instead, in accordance with the Government’s instruction. Following this finding, PA undertook a review of the 31 relevant public construction developments over the last seven years. It found that, in this period, two other construction projects had also erroneously adopted a 70% price fluctuation adjustment, instead of a full price fluctuation.”
“In 2010, the Government embarked on plans to build integrated community hubs. The intention was to bring together Government services with community programming and other related businesses under one roof, to better and more conveniently serve residents. For each of our integrated community hubs, PA took on the responsibility as the lead agency to undertake its development, working closely with various Government agencies, industry stakeholders and also, professionals. In each of these two cases, external consultants such as quantity surveyors, architects, engineers, project managers and managing agents (MA) were engaged, to help advise on and manage the construction phase of the development and subsequently, upon its completion, the management and maintenance of the facility. In 2017, OTH and HBB were completed. These two developments added to the stable of PA's facilities, which were useful to meet growing and varied community demands. OTH is Singapore's largest integrated community and lifestyle hub. It offers more than 30 sporting, lifestyle, community, performing arts facilities and also, it is Singapore's first Integrated Public Service Centre. Residents have one-stop access to more than 450 Government services by 18 Government agencies. HBB is Singapore's second community hub, located at Bedok Town Centre. Like OTH, HBB houses multiple agencies and facilities, including a polyclinic, senior care centre, ActiveSG sport centre, public library as well as food and beverage (F&B) and other retail outlets. Sir, AGO's observations in FY2020/2021 are related to the construction and maintenance phases of OTH and HBB.”
“Mr Speaker, for the Financial Year (FY) 2020/2021, the Auditor-General’s Office (AGO) audited two development projects which are under the charge of the People’s Association (PA), namely, Our Tampines Hub (OTH) and Heartbeat @ Bedok (HBB). The findings by AGO relate to these two projects. I will address the questions from several Members of the House relating to three key findings by AGO. But before I go into the specific findings, let me provide some context and background to these projects. Sir, PA's mission is to foster social cohesion. It does this through a wide range of programmes that cater to residents of different profiles and interests. Community facilities play an important part in terms of providing the infrastructure that supports us in bringing people together. During times of crisis, in particular, these community nodes become critical points of support for our residents. For instance, in our fight against COVID-19, PA transformed its community clubs (CCs) and residents' committee (RC) centres into distribution networks. We were able to quickly give our residents much-needed masks, sanitisers, TraceTogether tokens, Antigen Rapid Test (ART) test kits and so on. Almost overnight, many CCs were also turned into Vaccination Centres, to support our nation-wide vaccination efforts. Today, PA manages a total of 788 community facilities which vary in size and offerings. These range from the CCs and RC centres to specialist CCs such as PAssion WaVe and imPAct @ Hong Lim Green. PA also regularly upgrades its community facilities. At any given point in time, about 50 of its facilities would be undergoing development or redevelopments. These include construction of new facilities, upgrading works, cyclical maintenance or minor building works.”
“Sir, with your permission, may I take Question Nos 6 to 10 together?”
“NEA licenses about 2,700 swimming pools, ranging from pools in private residences and condominiums, to pools in clubs. Sport Singapore (SportSG) manages 27 ActiveSG pools, all of which deploy lifeguards. As part of the licensing requirements, all pools must be equipped with first-aid boxes and lifebuoys, and display illustrations of artificial resuscitation procedures all in conspicuous places, but there are no requirements for pools to be manned by lifeguards or trained on-site personnel. Water safety is a shared responsibility requiring a multi-stakeholder effort, which covers the areas of education, governance, research and surveillance. The deployment of lifeguards or trained on-site personnel comprises part of such a concerted approach in ensuring safety at pools. We encourage everyone to play their part to practise personal responsibility and exercise supervision and vigilance at pools. On its part, SportSG works with MOE to conduct the SwimSafer programme for all Primary school students, which teaches students swimming, water survival and life-saving skills to react appropriately to various aquatic situations.”
“NAC has also continued to provide its regular grant schemes and commissions which have been enhanced to include digital works and presentations. These cover wide-ranging works, including those with a higher-than-General rating.”
“MCCY and the National Arts Council (NAC) introduced the Arts and Culture Resilience Package (ACRP) in April 2020 to protect the arts and culture ecosystem, provide support and opportunities for arts and culture practitioners and help them develop longer-term capabilities for the post-COVID-19 recovery. The ACRP included support for arts and culture practitioners to present their works in digital form through grants, such as the Digital Presentation Grant for the Arts (DPG). These grants sought to generate work opportunities for arts groups and artists, and build industry capabilities in digital content production, while enabling new offerings for Singaporeans. The DPG was open from April to September 2020, for projects to be completed by March 2021. It was well-received by the arts community, with NAC extending the application window from June to September 2020 to cater to demand. The DPG supported close to 700 digital projects that offered innovative digital content to Singaporeans, and generated over 9,000 work opportunities. NAC's objective was for content supported by the DPG to be as inclusive and accessible as possible, to reach as many audiences, including young children, and introduce them to the offerings of our arts groups and artists. In addition, online content is easily and generally available and it is not always feasible to enforce age-appropriateness for online content. This made it prudent for the DPG to underwrite productions suitable for the general public. Since the closing of applications for the DPG, arts practitioners have been able to apply to NAC’s enhanced Presentation and Participation Grant to support activities and works in digital or hybrid formats.”
“We would like to honour the achievements and contributions of Centenarians in Singapore, and celebrate their longevity. At present, there are various ground-up initiatives which celebrate our centenarians, such as where grassroots volunteers visit the centenarians or their families and present them with a gift. We are considering a similar approach at a national level. MCCY and PA are studying this and will announce details when ready.”
“They regularly conduct house visits and invite new immigrants to join grassroots activities to expand their social networks and connect with locals. Meanwhile, the SG Cares movement is establishing Volunteer Centres in every town to grow town-based volunteerism. By bringing together diverse volunteers – students, working adults, retirees, locals, foreigners – to support the needs of the local community, the Volunteer Centres also facilitate social mixing. All residents living in the same neighbourhood, whether in public housing or private estates, can participate in these programmes. Residents who live in private estates may not always be aware of these programmes and there is more we can do to publicise these opportunities. I strongly urge and encourage everyone to actively participate in these activities, regardless of whether you live in a public or private estate. In these difficult times, when many may feel isolated and alone, it is good for all of us to reach out and connect with the people around us.”
“Individuals and their families, whether residing in private properties or HDBs, are a part of a wider community in the neighbourhood. Our infrastructure agencies have designed common spaces – from parks and fitness facilities, to hawker centres and community clubs – that allow residents from all walks of life and demographic profiles to interact. Community programming is another important avenue to bring different communities together, through common interests and causes. The People's Association Residents’ Network creates platforms to promote neighbourliness and encourage social mixing of residents across public and private housing estates. The Residents’ Network, which was set up in 2018, erases the distinction between Residents’ Committees, which served HDB estates, and Neighbourhood Committees, which served private estates. The Residents’ Networks encourage residents from the HDB and private estates to mix more freely with one another and participate in community activities together. For instance, the Residents’ Networks from Zhenghua-Blossom Palmview and Toa Payoh Central Zone 6 regularly organise activities for the community, and it is not uncommon to see residents from private estates visit their Residents’ Network centres located at the HDB blocks. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Residents’ Networks continued to conduct virtual and hybrid bonding activities such as terrarium workshops, photography competitions and New Year celebrations for residents across the different estate types. In addition, the People’s Association also has about 1,400 Integration and Naturalisation Champions reaching out to new immigrants in all neighbourhoods to help them settle into the community.”
“The contingent is supported by a medical team led by the Chief Medical Officer and comprising sport physiotherapists from the Singapore Sport Institute (SSI), Public Healthcare Institutions (PHIs) and the private sector, as well as sport scientists and psychologists from SSI. The medical team will be stationed at the Games Village where the athletes are staying and will be equipped to provide basic medical treatment, while our sport scientists and psychologists will help ensure that our athletes stay in top form physically and mentally, and are also meeting their nutrition needs. We will also be closely monitoring developments at the Games from Singapore, where SportSG has set up an operations centre. We will use technology and mobile apps to keep in touch with our contingent and monitor their well-being throughout the Games. Finally, over the last few weeks, MCCY, SportSG and SNOC have also worked with colleagues in Government to scenario plan and prepare contingency plans, rehearsed with a table-top simulation exercise, to prepare for many eventualities as possible, which includes possible evacuation. I wish to assure the Member that Team Singapore’s well-being will be our priority and we will continue to be vigilant and adaptable to changes, as the Games progress. Let me also take the opportunity to ask all of Singapore to support our athletes at the Olympic Games, to rally and cheer them on, as they prepare to compete in their chosen sport at the highest level against world-class competitors.”
“We are also in contact with the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) as to its COVID-19 countermeasures to keep athletes safe. For starters, spectators will be restricted. To keep athletes and officials safe, most spectators will be cheering from behind screens instead of in stadiums, and athletes will have limited interaction with counterparts. Other measures include pre-departure tests prior to arrival in Tokyo, mask-wearing, safe distancing protocol of two metres, daily antigen rapid tests, as well as the use of health-reporting and contact-tracing apps. In the dining hall, acrylic partitions have been installed and food will be served in individual portions with allocated mealtimes to reduce crowding. The organisers have also designated hospitals with 24-hour emergency services and care facilities for COVID-19 patients should the need arise. Our athletes and officials will comply with these measures. All members of our Team Singapore contingent will be issued with a travel kit comprising an ample supply of surgical-grade respirators and masks, a protective face shield and disinfectants. They will also be provided with an anti-microbial surface spray to pre-treat their attire and equipment with an anti-virus and anti-bacterial coating that can last for three to six months. On the ground in Tokyo, Team Singapore will be supported by a joint Games Secretariat, comprising staff from SportSG, SNOC and SNPC, who will oversee the daily movement and well-being of all members of the contingent.”
“At present, a total of 23 Team Singapore athletes competing across 12 sports will be at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics. Singapore will be making our Olympics debut in Diving, Equestrian and Marathon Swimming. Besides the Olympics, Singapore will also be participating in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, where the Singapore National Paralympic Council (SNPC) will be announcing the final contingent of athletes soon. Currently, six para-athletes’ participation has been confirmed. Our athletes' well-being and safety are of paramount importance. The support teams have been planning and coordinating the athletes’ training and participation these past months. For example, since the end of the circuit breaker period in 2020, MCCY has worked closely with the health authorities and many of the National Sports Associations (NSAs) to put in place training arrangements so that our Tokyo-bound athletes can continue their training at the National Training Centres and other designated venues, with strict Safe Management Measures (SMMs) and other safety protocols in place to ensure their health and safety, even as they train hard and prepare for the competition. MCCY and the MOH have also been working together closely on the vaccination plans for our athletes, coaches and officials who need to travel overseas for qualification events and major games competitions. All but one of our Team Singapore athletes and officials bound for the Olympic Games have already been fully vaccinated. The remaining one will complete the vaccination regimen by next week. We will also ensure that those bound for the Paralympics will also be fully vaccinated.”
“And if we can do that, I am sure that our lived experiences will come closer and closer to our aspirations of a truly post-racial society. [Applause.]”
“We will convene, we will encourage, we will partner with the community, but I wish to stress that ultimately, connections can only happen when individuals want to make that happen, want to do so and reach out to one another. For racial harmony to be enduring, the heavy lifting and the motivation really must come from all Singaporeans, collectively, in an open fashion. Finally, Sir, let me close by thanking Mr Thomas for reminding us not to “forget the good stuff as well”, as he puts it. I think he is absolutely right. Yes, we have to continuously work at forging racial harmony and it is not an easy task. It is a constant work in progress and we must take nothing for granted. But we are also different from so many others in the world with what we already have: we have a guarantee of equality for all races; a racial diversity and harmony which has benefited from a system earlier generations of our leaders have set up, with wisdom and with foresight precisely to ensure that we do not fall into the difficulties that other racially diverse communities might have, with social mixing, integration, harmony. It is really so difficult for many societies to do this well, let alone a racially diverse society like ours. But we make a conscious choice that this is what our country will stand for on the very day of our Independence and have worked hard at it ever since. So, Sir, let us not throw out what has worked well for us over the decades, a system which structurally delivers integration outcomes to foster better multi-racial and multi-religious relations. I urge all Singaporeans from all ethnic communities to engage each other in our commons spaces to forge stronger relations, embrace diversity and also to practise it each day which is important.”
“Society falters not when we disagree about things, but when we lose interest in trying to make sense of the other person’s point of view or to understand or to learn and relearn on occasion and trying to engage that person on the merits of our own, to educate, to share and eventually come to a mutual understanding. Mr Thomas for highlighted the important role of responsible and mature discourse as well, but at the same time, being acutely aware of the need to guard against those who take advantage of and exploit fault lines for their own malicious intent. Community and religious groups and leaders also play a key role in encouraging constructive discussions, clarifying doubts and misconceptions. And often these doubts and misconceptions are innocent but yet they lie at the heart of some of these insensitivities or misapprehensions. They also play a part in rallying Singaporeans to stand against divisive rhetoric, a lot of which also appears online. That is why MCCY is collaborating with technology companies, as I outlined earlier this afternoon, to support religious, interfaith and community organisations’ efforts to produce meaningful social media content, positive social media content on racial and religious harmony. Sir, while MCCY and the whole-of-Government will continue to do its utmost to preserve the hard-won harmony that we have enjoyed, success will also require it to be a whole-of-society effort. The Government alone cannot, should not, compel Singaporeans to just have more friends of different races or religions. Neither would this be sustainable. But we can create the conditions and the environment to foster stronger, deeper, more long-lasting harmony. And we will do so.”
“We have witnessed many acts of embracement in the past year, as I am sure many Members in this House have, as we stood together as one people especially during the adversities presented by COVID-19. We want to continue this spirit of embracement, by facilitating and providing opportunities for individuals to join up their different talents for the common good. To outline some examples. At the neighbourhood-level, we have appointed SG Cares Volunteer Centres to coordinate volunteers and resources to bring more local stakeholders working side by side on a daily basis to create a larger positive social impact, regardless of race or religion. At the national level, we are expanding opportunities for individuals to partner with the Government to co-create solutions. In the spirit of Singapore Together, we have embarked on 25 Alliances for Action (AfAs), which are action-oriented across different sector collaborations to tackle complex issues. Again, not quite respecting strictly the boundaries of race and religion, but looking at the issue as they affect or impact on society. Third, Sir, nurturing a constructive discourse to build empathy and mutual understanding, a third point that Mr Thomas touched on. In as much as it is important to expand common spaces, there will also be occasions of differences, discord and disagreement. We will need to be constructive about how this is managed. Embracing each other’s differences also means being willing to hear from and engage with someone who shares a different view, especially on sensitive matters such as race.”
“We also have the National Integration Council (NIC) to integrate new citizens who may be ethnically similar to us but may come from very different context and different cultural backgrounds. At the local level, the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) in each of the constituencies foster friendships and build mutual respect at every of these constituency networks. There were also several other initiatives which I have outlined earlier today in Parliament. Second, enlarging our common spaces, something which Mr Thomas spoke at some length about, highlighting the need to ensure, in particular, that students from SAP schools do not turn into an insular group. Sir, we agree. SAP schools, and indeed all schools, should promote social mixing, and meaningful interactions and discourse with students from other communities. Schools will always remain an important common ground to develop cross-cultural understanding and friendships from a young and early age and these will be relationships and mindsets and philosophies that we hope can last a lifetime. In fact, Singapore’s approach to harmony has always been about creating as much common space as possible, working also through the domains of arts, culture and sports – domains that my Ministry is particularly interested in. At the same time, Sir, I think we can do more than just simply bringing people together. We do not want our ethnic communities to just “co-exist” or just “tolerate” each other’s existence. And we certainly hope that people can embrace each other’s differences, appreciate that we all have something unique to contribute precisely because we are different, and to stand in solidarity despite our races.”
“So, our policies are not set in stone, but must be refined to keep pace with societal changes, keeping the overarching raison d'etre as the focus. And I thank Mr Thomas for the suggestions that he has made to calibrate some of our policies. My Ministry, together with other Ministries, will study them carefully. However, as he has pointed out, the core, the essence, of our policies continues to remain relevant today. As we review our policies, we will engage multiple stakeholders, some of whom who may well have conflicting views. We will endeavour to seek consensus on the changes that we choose to undertake, so that policy change and policy shifts can unite and not divide us. At the same time, we must also be conscious that what might work in other countries, in other societies, in other jurisdictions, might not work in the same way as our context will be different and we must always remain sensitive to local realities and our own lived experiences. Shifts in our policy positions will also not come about because of populist sentiments or from who shouts the loudest. But you can be assured, Mr Speaker, that at the heart of it, the Government will always seek to preserve our hard-earned multi-racial harmony. Let me elaborate. First, on strengthening our community networks and institutions. Mr Thomas has emphasised the need to continually reach out and engage diverse groups in our society. We will continue to do so, with the support of community partners to actively promote opportunities to build bonds of trust between races. At the national level, I chair the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony or NSC to build close relationships between Government and our ethnic community leaders and also apex religious leaders.”
“On the contrary, we have worked hard to entrench the interests of our multi-racial groups. The Constitution itself sets out basic obligations on the part of the Government to care for the interests of racial and religious minorities. We have long recognised the need to protect both ethnic communities and also bridge them through a set of common values and a common language. Therefore, we have embarked on a unique path as a multi-racial and multicultural society – one that celebrates its ethnic diversity as strength, while having a shared sense of belonging and identity. I dare say, Mr Speaker, very few societies around the world have succeeded in ensuring its citizens live harmoniously together, let alone one which has as much diversity as we do in Singapore. What we have achieved is something that we can all be very proud of. At the same time, we are not complacent, nor do we presume that what we have achieved is perfect or completed, or that we have achieved a steady post-racial state. Recent incidents, as Mr Thomas has outlined, of racist behaviour that have gone viral remind us there is nothing natural or nothing preordained about our state of racial harmony. And without due care and attention constantly, the good progress we have made can be lost very quickly. As Mr Thomas has suggested, and I agree, this means that we need to work constantly to ensure our racial harmony. We also have to calibrate our laws, as he has suggested, and policies to ensure that they remain relevant and fair. Changing social attitudes mean that every generation will of course have to decide its own balance on issues of race and other sensitive issues.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, I thank Mr Raj Joshua Thomas for emphasising the importance of racial harmony and for reminding us that this is indeed a continuous work in progress, even as we all aspire to be a post-racial society. Earlier today, my colleagues and I outlined the Government's multi-pronged approach to tackle racism, racial discrimination and also help realise our aspiration of building a society which values people equally, whether Chinese, Malay, Indian and other races, and are bound by their commonalities, and enlarged by their differences. These points are equally relevant to addressing the issues raised by Mr Thomas. At a recent seminar, Minister Lawrence Wong outlined the Government’s position on how our present harmony is hard-won; a result of careful thought to laws and policies over several decades. Our electoral system guarantees minority representation in Parliament; and in each political party who wishes to represent the interests of Singaporeans and no political party can prevail by narrowly appealing to one narrow racial or religious segment of society. Our housing policies, as you have heard, ensure that we have racially integrated neighbourhoods and not segregated ethnic enclaves. Our Presidential Council on Minority Rights has the power to reject laws passed by Parliament that infringes on the rights of any minority population. Sir, these, and other steps, have enabled Singapore to progress from the darker days of racial riots in its early years of Independence. Unlike, for example, the French model of assimilation, we did not set out to achieve harmony by ignoring or eliminating cultural diversity and getting ethnic minority groups to adopt the language and the norms and the attitudes of the majority group.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for making those points. Just to pick up on his last comment, to look at the outcomes and to see whether or not we can improve certain segments in society in Singapore and to look at whether the programmes help to uplift them, would he not accept that if you are looking at how to uplift certain segments by race, which we have done, then, would that not mean that the CMIO classification would not only be relevant, it would in fact be necessary to retain this distinction; at least for now, until we reach post-race-blind or race-neutral society?”
“And it is only if you have the CMIO classification and breakdown that you will be able to track performance of relative segments of society, to gauge the outcomes and to gauge for ourselves the efficacy and outcomes of these programmes that we have in place. The relevant Ministries will give more full answer, I am sure, in due course. But if you take some of the points raised in these PQs, we are able to say that the percentage of Malay P1 cohort going onto post-Secondary education has doubled in the last 25 years. The number of Malay university graduates has doubled from 5.5% in 2010 to 10.8% in 2020. If we take the average Malay student, they were found in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in 2018 to have scored higher, above the OECD average. And Malay students also outperformed international students in this same PISA assessment on 21st century competencies. This gives us, Mr Speaker, a good gauge of not just the relative performance of the segments in our society but also on the efficacy of our programmes and allows us to look at relative outcomes to assess where there might be gaps and to help in targeted, specialised, curated ways. So, Sir, with reference to the point made by the Member Mr Sitoh, I think these are important classifications that feed into an important outcome in terms of the programmes that we make. And I would invite the Workers' Party to consider this position and perhaps to state whether or not they see the CMIO as a relevant consideration today. And I would suggest, Mr Speaker, that certainly from the nature, type and range of questions that they have asked in Parliament, I think that would appear to be so.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, WP has on several occasions questioned the continued relevance of having the CMIO classification, and has also called for it to be removed. Sir, but at the same time, at almost every Parliamentary Sitting, there are a many number of PQs which focus on individual specific races, looking at programmes, outcomes, assistance. I just did a quick look; this last Sitting, we have seven or eight such PQs and they range from issues such as education, like Ms Raeesah Khan asked a question for tomorrow whether there are, and I quote, "any immediate and specific action plans to tackle the issue of low education levels of the Malay community". She has also asked another question for tomorrow where she has asked the Minister in charge of Muslim Affairs, "for each year from 2011 to 2020, how many Malays entered the local Universities and what is the percentage breakdown as compared to other races?" Mr Faisal Manap has also asked the question, I think, in writing, asking the Minister for Home Affairs what is the number of reports made by victims of sexual assault, asking for a breakdown by race. I think Mr Leon Perera, at an earlier Sitting, asked for MOH's Screen for Life programme to be broken down by ethnic lines. And I think Ms He Ting Ru asked the same question for the breakdown in relation to elections. Sir, I am not citing these to suggest that these questions ought not be answered. On the contrary, I think these are very important questions and it is not wrong to do so, and we agree. The relevant Ministries will answer those questions fully. The point though of citing these PQs is to say that, in reality, both sides of the House, and I think certainly on these examples, WP as well, realise that it is important to look at these outcomes by segments of society.”
“I think when we do that, we will find that there will be a lot more space where we can do these exchanges.”
“Mr Speaker, I will take the first of Miss Cheng's questions and Minister Maliki Osman will take the second. Sir, when it comes to discrimination in certain specific settings, that will be studied and we can consider. As I have said in my speech earlier, where needed, action has been taken and I cited some examples. Most recently, of course, there was an occasion where action was taken on the basis of breach of public nuisance. The Member will also know that we have the MRHA framework which I also alluded to. What is useful about this framework, of course, is that it provides the outer parameters, defines the framework. What is also useful about it is that Members may know that it has not been used, we have not had to invoke it. Which is sometimes the usefulness of having laws which define the parameters, especially when it comes to race and religious harmony, and issues surrounding community harmony. Sir, this framework is useful, but I would stress, as I said in my earlier answer, that having constructive dialogue, having constant learning, exchanges and appreciation of sensitivities, having the daily lived and life experiences on integration, living side-by-side, in the manner which Minister Desmond outlined so articulately earlier, I think these are examples and these are real lived examples of how we would like to promote integration. We also will occasionally come across differences; there will be flash points from time to time. The trick is to deal with this constructively, not try and stoke emotions in such already tensed situations, learn the differences. I cannot pretend that we will always get along but the key to it is to try and find common ground. And the way to find common ground is to try and assert less personal space, less of a "me-first" mentality.”
“Learning journeys to cultural and heritage sites and the celebration of cultural festivals also help students foster and develop a stronger sense of identity, learning and also importantly, sensitivity to each other's race and religious issues. Sir, these are just some of the Government's initiatives in the community and education domains to strengthen racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Racial harmony in Singapore is a constant work in progress and our ambition is for the bonds that bind our different communities to grow from strength to strength in the common spaces that we provide. All of us have a part to play in building a nation "regardless of race, language or religion".”
“Over time, we have achieved a balance that all communities can accept and it has allowed us to live together in peace for more than half a century. This approach remains fundamental to tackling racism and racial discrimination, and strengthening racial and religious harmony in Singapore. And I must stress that we all have a part to play. MCCY also works with other Government agencies and community partners to provide opportunities for Singaporeans from diverse backgrounds to have meaningful interactions with one another. So, it is not just between Government and people, but also crucially, between people and people as well. These include events organised by arts, heritage and sports organisations, the People's Association (PA) and the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs). We also nurture the values of respect and harmony in our students. Within the classroom, topics on multiculturalism and the importance of racial harmony are taught in subjects like Character and Citizenship Education (CCE), History and Social Studies. As part of the refreshed 2021 CCE curriculum, teachers in secondary schools and pre-university institutions will receive specialised training so that they can also facilitate conversations, discussions, dialogues on contemporary issues, including race and religion, to hone students' ability to understand different perspectives and engender a sense of empathy and respect for one another. Through co-curricular activities and other school experiences, students bond and interact with one another regardless of background.”
“For example in June, MCCY supported the Centre For Interfaith Understanding's launch of a series of public workshops that aim to discover, develop and deepen interfaith facilitators' role and expose them to cross-cutting issues such as interfaith marriages and economic inequality when discussing race and religion. So, having other segments of society come together, discussing policies and economic policies as well, but having the undertone of race and religious harmony as a backdrop. Last month, MCCY also launched the "Create and Connect" digital media workshops where 40 participants from religious and community organisations came together to learn from technology companies on how to impactfully engage audiences on sensitive race and religion issues, and also manage complex online discussions in a constructive manner. MCCY also supports community-driven dialogues that provide safe spaces and opportunities for open dialogue and mutual learning. MCCY's BRIDGE programme was launched in 2017 and has to-date supported over 120 such dialogues pertaining to race and religion. For example, OnePeople.sg has been organising the "Regardless of Race" dialogue series since 2019, with its most recent sixth edition in April this year. These dialogues address salient issues on racial harmony, including the impact of social media on race and religious relations. Fourth, Sir, we are committed to enlarging the common spaces in which all Singaporeans can live, work and play together, and also share the daily lived experiences that bind us. Singapore's approach to maintaining our common space has created room for every community to enjoy our diverse cultural heritage, without asking any specific segment of community to give up its rich inheritances, culture and heritage.”
“MCCY provides funding support through its Harmony Fund and partners community organisations to organise initiatives such as the Mission:Unite Hackathon in December 2020. Third, we foster open, meaningful and responsible conversations on race and religion. That is important. These conversations bring Singaporeans together to discuss and find common ground on issues important to us as a people, and in the process, build up mutual trust, respect and also understanding. To support such dialogues and civic engagements, we work with stakeholders in the public, private and also people sectors to identify and equip individuals with the relevant skills, so that they can in turn create safe spaces for sensitive topics to be discussed. Within the Public Service, we have trained and developed a sizeable pool of facilitators who are able to design and lead engagements both within the Public Service and with the wider community. An example is the on-going Emerging Stronger Conversations, which I am sure many Members have heard or participated in, which are mostly led by public officers across different Government agencies who are trained in facilitation. Beyond the public service, community and religious groups also play a key role in encouraging constructive discussions, clarifying doubts and misconceptions, and rallying Singaporeans around our shared values to take a stand against divisive rhetoric on racial and religious issues. Our religious and community leaders have amongst them, strong facilitation and convening capabilities. MCCY augments their efforts.”
“In addition, under the Broadcasting Act, IMDA can direct Internet Content Providers to take down broadcasting material that glorifies, incites or endorses ethnic, racial or religious hatred, strife or intolerance, which is prohibited under the Internet Code of Practice. Second, Sir, we foster social norms for respectful online behaviour and discourse. Recent events have highlighted the polarising effect of online platforms and social media, and we must guard against potential divisions. This is especially important because we can only strengthen our multiculturalism, if we treat fellow Singaporeans as partners, instead of adversaries to be confronted. To achieve this, we will require a whole-of-society partnership, with Government, industry and, of course, the community, and each of us collaborating. For example, the Media Literacy Council (MLC) promotes responsible online behaviour by working with partners to support projects by our youth promoting the shared values of respect, responsibility, empathy and integrity; and online behaviours that demonstrate safety, responsibility and also civility. Social media companies also play a part in managing content hosted on their platforms, by constantly improving and enforcing their policies to remove content that promotes violence against people based on race or ethnicity. For example, Facebook has a set of Community Standards, which classifies "Hate Speech" as "objectionable content". Twitter also has a similar set of policies on hateful conduct. The Government works with these social media companies to promote healthy online discourse. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) also encourages ground-up projects that promote racial and religious harmony, including those that leverage digital and online platforms.”
“Sir, as a multi-racial and multi-religious country, we do not tolerate any form of racial or religious discrimination. Racial discrimination sows discord amongst and between different communities and threatens the harmony that we have worked so hard over so many generations to build up. Our multi-racialism is not perfect and there is still much that we can do to improve. Let me elaborate on our multi-pronged approach to tackle racism and racial discrimination. First, we have an enforcement and legal framework to deal with egregious cases that undermine our racial and religious harmony. Under the Penal Code, it is an offence to commit acts that deliberately wound the racial and religious feelings of any person, that promote enmity between different racial and religious groups, or that are prejudicial to the maintenance of racial and religious harmony. The Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA), as amended in 2019, allows the Government to respond more effectively to incidents of religious disharmony and strengthens our safeguards against foreign influence that threaten our religious harmony. The Government does not tolerate hate speech and will investigate anyone who sows enmity between races. Just last year, an individual used a Twitter account to make racist remarks against people of different races. This included comments against Indians whilst making reference to a news article on foreign workers living in dorms contributing to the apparent high COVID-19 infection rate in Singapore. He was charged for offences of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race under section 298A of the Penal Code.”
“Thank you, Sir. May I also seek your permission to take Questions Nos 9 and 10 together, in my answer now.”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your permission to allow for the answers to Questions Nos 9 to 16 to be given first and then to address any further supplementary questions there might be collectively. These Parliamentary Questions (PQs) raise general issues concerning or affecting racial integration and various policies.”
“The SwimSafer programme teaches students swimming, water survival and life-saving skills to react appropriately to sudden and adverse aquatic situations. The programme comprises six progressive stages, with each stage comprising 12 hours of lesson time. SwimSafer assessments are conducted at the last session of each stage, where students are required to demonstrate their competence in negotiating situations. SwimSafer instructors have to undergo the SwimSafer Assessor course to qualify as an assessor. SwimSafer assessors are guided by a standard list of criteria when evaluating students. To ensure the integrity of the assessment system, SwimSafer assessors do not evaluate their own students. The SwimSafer programme’s primary objective is drowning prevention. That said, the fundamental water confidence and swimming skills acquired under the programme can serve as stepping stones for children interested in taking up competitive swimming and other aquatic sport activities. As such, SwimSafer complements the swimming development pathways under the Singapore Swimming Association (SSA) by helping to nurture interest in swimming, as well as participation in water sports.”
“I thank the Member for his support for the arts and busking. Last December, NAC partnered with *SCAPE and Clarke Quay Central to conduct busking pilots over three weekends. They were well-received by audiences and were a success with the buskers. The events also complied effectively with Safe Management Measures (SMMs). Given the current heightened COVID-19 situation, we will have to, unfortunately, delay the resumption of busking pilots until the public health situation improves. Instead, NAC will, from mid next month, organise quarterly live-streamed busking for buskers to engage audiences online. This will provide a platform for buskers to try out digital busking and also develop their skills and capabilities in this area. The livestreamed busking will allow us to accommodate larger groups of buskers. This will not only broaden the reach and diversity of performances, it will also enable buskers to delight more audiences while keeping everyone safe. We hope that these plans will create greater awareness of busking and widen channels for audiences to support busking, whether it is performed live or via a digital platform.”
“In terms of economic outcomes, the nominal value-added4 from the arts and culture has been increasing over the years. It stood at $1.8 billion in 2018, an increase from $1.5 billion in 20135. This translates into a contribution of 0.4% to GDP in 20186, comparable to the Sports sector. Employment in the arts and culture has been largely stable over the past few years and stood at around 26,000 in 20197. Our arts and culture make meaningful contributions to society beyond economic indicators, with awareness and appreciation for the arts growing over the years: (a) In 2019, attendance at arts and culture events reached an all-time high of 15.6 million, while visitorship to museums reached an all-time high of close to 9.6 million8. (b) In the same year, 89% of Singaporeans agreed that the arts gave them a better understanding of different cultures and backgrounds, while 82% agreed that the arts gave them a greater sense of belonging to Singapore. These were significantly higher than previous years9. Beyond this, the arts and culture contribute to the lives of Singaporeans in other, often immeasurable, ways. The sector adds significantly to Singapore’s vibrancy and liveability, with over 34,000 arts activities in 201910. MCCY and NAC hope to see these positive outcomes continue as we recover from the impact of COVID-19, and will continue to support and develop our arts and culture organisations and practitioners, so that there is something for everyone to enjoy, whether theatre, dance, music or the visual and literary arts.”