Government will continue to help Malay community in Singapore - Questions to be asked

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

I have been reading news like this year in year out and each time I have many questions. This time I'll like to post some of these questions I have and perhaps we can discuss

1. Why does this community require special help year after year?

2. Its been 48 years of nation has this community not reach a certain standard where it does not require help anymore?

3. When will this community reach the standard where it does not require help?

4. Are there any thing that Singaporeans outside this community could do to accelerate the elevation of this community's standard of living instead of letting the government to help which could be slow and ineffective.

5. After so many years can this community be helped at all?

6. Has there been a study done or evaluation on the effectiveness of help from the government and or even from the rich within their community.


Government will continue to help Malay community in Singapore
789 get $1.2m worth of bursaries; Shanmugam urges support for community in tackling concerns
By Feng Zengkun

The Government is committed to helping the Malay community in Singapore, Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam said yesterday.

He was speaking as the guest of honour at a ceremony which gave out $1.2 million worth of bursaries to 789 students yesterday.

The annual event, which was held at ITE College Central this year, is organised by the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday Memorial Scholarship Fund Board, which has been giving out bursaries and scholarships to needy students of all races since 1965.

Mr Shanmugam said the group's work has helped the Malay community make strides in the past decade. He pointed out how last year, about nine in 10 Malay pupils who attended Primary 1 were admitted to post-secondary institutions, compared with about eight in 10 in 2003.

He also highlighted the accomplishments of Mr Adil Hakeem Mohamad Rafee, who made history last year when he became the first Malay in 44 years to be awarded the President's Scholarship, Singapore's most prestigious undergraduate award.

However, Mr Shanmugam said there was still cause for concern, including the small portion of pupils who do not pass the PSLE, and the divorce and drug abuse rates within the community.
He added that the Government, non-government groups, the Malay community as well as society in general have to pull together to tackle these issues.

"The Government has a laser-like focus to try and help the Malay community," he said, citing how the Government has a Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, and instituted the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund.

He revealed that other communities had questioned why they did not receive the same provisions.
"We've always taken the position that there are reasons why the Government gives additional support to the Malay community, and we will continue to give that, and please don't ask for equality. And they have accepted it."


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