SINGAPORE: Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong has emphasised that at the national level, the government
looks after all Singaporeans, regardless of ethnic
groups.
Speaking in both Malay and English at Muslim
community organisation Jamiyah's 80th anniversary celebrations, Mr
Lee said this is done through the provision of high quality social
services, such as housing, healthcare and education, to develop
Singaporeans' potential and to prepare Singaporeans for good
jobs.
Mr Lee said the government has been managing social
challenges across the board, regardless of race, language or
religion.
"This national approach has worked well for us. All communities
have progressed with Singapore including the Malay/Muslim
community. People have made achievements based on merit and fair
competition, so that every Singaporean can take pride in their
accomplishments and progress and we have strengthened the
Singaporean identity as we have improved our lives together," said
Mr Lee.
"But at the same time, while the government works at the national
level, we recognise that each different community has its unique
needs espacially in the social cultural fields," he added.
Turning to Jamiyah's contributions to Singapore, Mr Lee said it has
made a valuable contribution to the progress of the Malay/Muslim
community.
It focuses on education as a foundation for social mobility and set
up the Jamiyah Kindergarten and the Jamiyah Business School.
It also operates homes for the less fortunate, like orphans and
disadvantaged children, substance abusers and destitute seniors,
besides providing free services such as medical care, marriage
counselling and legal aid.
The prime minister also added that while Jamiyah's focus remained
on the Malay/Muslim community, its programmes are open to all,
regardless of race, language or religion.
It has had long cooperation with the Buddhist Lodge, and also many
joint initiatives with Catholic Archdiocese, The Hindu Endowments
Board, Central Sikh Gurdwara, and the Taoist Federation of
Singapore.
Mr Lee said this reflected the emphasis on inter-religious harmony,
as this strengthened racial and religious harmony, which are
important in Singapore's multi-ethnic society.
Mr Lee added that Malay/Muslim organisations like Jamiyah will
continue to evolve and he has urged the organisation to stay
abreast of changes, and review its programmes to stay relevant to
the community.
He said with more Malay/Muslims succeeding in their careers and
becoming PMETs, Jamiyah should craft programmes to take advantage
of their skills and energies and involve them more, tap their time
and expertise to do the projects and guide the younger leaders of
the community.
- CNA/cc
