Singapore’s next chapter in building a Malay/Muslim community of success

In 2018, as Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, I officiated the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) annual zakat distribution to lower-income families for the first time.

Back then, I asked whether the families were known to the

Malay/Muslim

 

community’s self-help group Mendaki

and whether the children were enrolled in its programmes. As it turned out, they were not.

Mendaki has many good programmes which have uplifted the educational achievements of the community over the years under the leadership of successive ministers.

I thought then that while these programmes were effective, they had not been scaled widely enough to reach every family in need.

A similar observation arose with the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (PA Mesra).

The group – meant to bring the Malay community together – was sizeable, but its membership and leadership had stagnated over the years, lacking the renewal needed to stay relevant and dynamic.

The community had achieved considerable success, but was confronted by new challenges.

As I took on the role of Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, I contemplated: How could the community build on its past successes? What would its next bound be?

These questions sparked the genesis of M³ (M-cube).

It was an initiative to bring the three key Malay/Muslim institutions – Muis, Mendaki and PA Mesra – under a single umbrella for stronger collaboration and to better support the community’s needs.

Before the establishment of M³, the three institutions engaged the community effectively but operated independently. 

Individuals seeking their services had to approach each agency separately, as there was no structured framework for inter-agency coordination.

The idea was simple: Collaborate to achieve more. As the name M³ suggests, the aim wasn’t just to add value – it was to multiply it and create a bigger, lasting impact.

M3 in action

Once the organisations began working in synergy, we could focus on refreshing existing programmes and creating new ones. 

M³ was to become the rallying call for the community – bringing the Government, community leaders and volunteers together to confront the challenges of the day.

The first mission was to strengthen last-mile service delivery by ensuring that services provided by one organisation were made accessible to the immediate clients of another. 

We began with the five focus areas: strengthening marriages, parenthood and early childhood education, supporting vulnerable individuals and families, youth empowerment and mentoring, employment and employability, and health.

Our goal was clear – to enhance last-mile service delivery, ensuring that help would reach those who need it the most, with no one falling through the cracks.

To make a direct impact and tap into the expertise of professionals, we established 11 M³@Towns across the island.

These local hubs fostered collaboration at the community level, bringing M³’s services closer to the ground.

Building a community of success

M³ laid a solid foundation for the Malay/Muslim community to pursue its vision of becoming a community of success – a vision defined by three key pillars: Character, competency and citizenry.

First, I believe our community’s unique character is deeply rooted in the practice of Islam which upholds values of care and compassion.

At the inaugural International Conference on Communities of Success (ICCOS) in 2022, prominent religious scholars from around the world reached a consensus: minority Muslim communities can greatly benefit from a body of knowledge that guides them in applying Islam in context.

This perspective reinforces the importance of being valued citizens of our country – contributing to peace, harmony and progress. In Singapore’s multiracial and multi-religious society, this affirmation holds even greater significance.

It is because of this unique character that the Malay/Muslim community could respond to the Covid-19 crisis calmly.

The community contributed to the national effort at containing the pandemic, including postponing the haj pilgrimage and not congregating for the weekly Friday prayers. They even conformed to the safe management measures during Hari Raya visiting.

Recently when confronted with the Israel-Hamas conflict, the Mufti guided the community to remain calm and pray for peace.

The community funnelled its energy towards

providing aid for the Palestinians,

with organisations like the Rahmatan Lil Alamin Foundation raising a record $12.8 million to date for the people of Gaza during this recent conflict.

Second, we aim to build competency by empowering the community to excel in education. Our goal is to nurture the next generation of Malay/Muslim professionals and entrepreneurs who will take on leadership roles across the private, public and people sectors.

Third, in building a united and strong Muslim community, we aspire to develop an active citizenry – one that contributes to nation-building and passionately gives back to the wider Singapore society.

Ultimately, this is about building trust with other communities. By staying strong, united and engendering trust with other communities, we can confidently and courageously tackle the challenges ahead.

Our progress

I am proud of the Malay/Muslim community’s achievements thus far. In just five years, we have achieved considerable scale in reaching out and uplifting the community.

Many have benefited from the enhanced accessibility of various community programmes under M³. Mendaki’s KelasMateMatika (KMM) early childhood initiative has supported over 10,000 parents and children.

The Bersamamu programme has helped more than 30,000 couples strengthen marital foundations through marriage preparation courses.

Beyond these, other M³ programmes have begun to positively impact our youth, workers and families in larger numbers.

Thanks to the combined efforts of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and Mendaki, we’ve seen an increase in the proportion of Malays who hold PMET (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) positions from 23.4 per cent in 2000 to 39 per cent in 2020.

We’ve also witnessed a vast reduction in the two-year recidivism rate of Malay ex-offenders, from 35 per cent for the 2011 release cohort to 26 per cent for the 2021 cohort.

We have also built a strong pool of volunteers who played an instrumental role throughout this journey.

I’m heartened by the strong support of our 850 volunteers across 11 M³@Towns, who have devoted their time and talent to connect M³’s last-mile service delivery to citizens in need.

These volunteers are Malay/Muslim professionals from various fields – lawyers, doctors, engineers, social workers and civil servants – whom we called on to step up to give back to the community.

I’m pleased that they have the spirit of paying it forward. They volunteer their time and expertise at M³@Towns and contribute to ground-up initiatives. One example is the group of lawyers who provide essential pro bono legal services to the community and recently established a formal organisation, Peguam, to offer help in a more structured way.

Our achievements as a community have not gone unnoticed. Our success story has been seen as a model for other Muslim minority communities internationally.

In October 2024, Singapore hosted the second ICCOS, bringing together leaders of Muslim minority communities from around the world.

The conference focused on sharing experiences in integrating religious and cultural diversity while addressing socio-religious challenges in a multicultural society.

I am glad many of our young Muslims participated and heard first-hand the positive feedback from international participants about our model of religious and racial harmony.

This experience, I believe, instilled a strong sense of pride in all of us as Singaporean Muslims.

The road ahead

Today, the Malay/Muslim community operates from an ever greater position of strength.

We have an exciting journey ahead. I am optimistic that the five years ahead will be even better than the five years before.

To mark the culmination of five years of our renewed spirit of collaboration, the M³ Forum was held, bringing together 4,000 volunteers – both new and veterans. In his speech, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong outlined the Government’s plans to work alongside the Malay/Muslim community to shape the next phase of development.

We look forward to upcoming plans such as the establishment of the Singapore College of Islamic Studies (SCIS), the rejuvenation of the Geylang Serai Cultural Belt, the reopening of the Malay Heritage Centre in Kampong Glam and the restoration works of the Sultan Mosque.

SCIS represents an important milestone for the community. It seeks to groom our future religious teachers (asatizah) with the knowledge and skills to provide contexualised religious guidance for Muslim communities living in diverse and contemporary societies like Singapore.

Through these efforts, we will instil noble character in the next generation of Muslims. The recently established Wakaf Masyarakat Singapura (Singapore Community Endowment) will play an important role in supporting the long-term socio-religious needs of our Malay/Muslim community.

This will empower our community to become self-reliant and capable of addressing the needs of future generations.

Similarly, we look forward to the revitalisation of our cultural precincts in Kampong Glam and Geylang Serai. These iconic spaces hold a special place in the hearts of Malay/Muslims, as they are integral to our heritage, telling the stories of our community’s rich history and culture.

Building our future together

I am deeply thankful to all who have joined us on this journey. In addition to the collective efforts of M³ agencies, we are also grateful for the contributions of several other Malay/Muslim organisations. We also appreciate the strong support of government agencies and partners.

Mufti of Singapore, Dr Nazirudin Nasir, shared a hadith (sayings or traditions of Prophet Muhammad) in one of his Friday sermons: “Whichever part of the date palm tree you take, it is sure to be of benefit.” Mufti elaborated that the character of a confident, resilient and empowered Muslim is like a date palm tree that provides protection to others and contributes meaningfully to the world.

If a Muslim is like a date palm tree, then our community is like a date farm – a farm that thrives on collective strength. It flourishes when we work together with others in various areas, building trust with other communities and the Government.

This year,

Singapore celebrates SG60.

This is a significant milestone for our country, a celebration of how far we have progressed as a nation, and an occasion to rally all Singaporeans to build our future Singapore together.

In a similar way, SG60 presents an opportunity for the Malay/Muslim community to reflect on how far we have come as a community of success, and to re-commit ourselves to the cause of uplifting fellow members of our community and Singapore.

As the Malay proverb goes, “seikat bak sirih, serumpun bak serai”. The road ahead may be fraught with challenges and uncertainties, but it also brings hopes and opportunities for a brighter future.

I am confident that the Malay/Muslim community will continue to stand together in unity and solidarity, to build a bright future for our next generation.