Singapore - Government looks after all S'poreans: PM Lee

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 especially 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

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