Pioneer Generation Package explained at bazaar booth and River Safari visit

SINGAPORE - A Ramadan bazaar and a day out at the River Safari provided two unconventional chances to explain the Pioneer Generation Package of medical subsidies on Saturday.

At a "listening point" at a bazaar for the Muslim fasting month at Geylang Serai, volunteers gave out brochures and explained the scheme's details to passers-by.

"A certain segment of the Malay-Muslim community may still not understand what the package is all about, and therefore we need to use all touchpoints possible," said Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Yaacob Ibrahim, who was visiting the booth with Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob.

More people know about the package now than a few months ago, said Madam Halimah, who chairs the Pioneer Generation Joint Committee (PGJC). "But what they do not know are the details," she noted.

A collaboration between the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore and Mendaki, the committee aims to honour the Malay-Muslim pioneers and explain the Pioneer Generation Package to them.

The three-day "listening point" is run by government feedback unit Reach in partnership with the PGJC and the Tabung Amal Aidilfitri Trust Fund, a Malay/Muslim charity that raises funds for the needy during Ramadan. It will run from 5pm to 10pm daily till Sunday. On the previous two evenings, volunteers reached out to about 600 people.

This was Reach's second "listening point" on the Pioneer Generation Package. The first, last month, was for the Chinese community.

Earlier on Saturday, 80 Admiralty residents of the pioneer generation enjoyed an outing to the River Safari, before attending a lunch reception where grassroots adviser Vikram Nair and grassroots leaders explained the Pioneer Generation Package.

And in the afternoon, a Tamil dialogue on the package was held in Nee Soon. About 250 residents attended the session with grassroots adviser and Minister for Law and Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam. Previous sessions in Nee Soon have been held in Chinese dialects and Malay.

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