Parliament Debate on ministries’ budgets:Culture, Community and Youth

From The Backbench

NOMINATED MP SHAHIRA ABDULLAH
MARIAM JAAFAR (SEMBAWANG GRC)
TIN PEI LING (MACPHERSON)
XIE YAO QUAN (JURONG GRC)
CHENG LI HUI (TAMPINES GRC)
DARRYL DAVID (ANG MO KIO GRC)
NOMINATED MP MARK CHAY
MUHAMAD FAISAL ABDUL MANAP (ALJUNIED GRC)

NOMINATED MP SHAHIRA ABDULLAH

Mentoring for high-risk youth

Providing specialised mentoring to high-risk youth who might not have sufficient role models at home would help them do well, said Dr Shahira.

She noted that these young people usually have low confidence, owing to their poor performance in school, and can then become involved in activities that may lead them to commit crimes.

She added that mentoring can be done with specialised training and close collaboration with social workers as well as probation officers.


MARIAM JAAFAR (SEMBAWANG GRC)

Make M3 relevant

Many in the Malay/Muslim community do not know what M3 stands for, even though the collaboration between three key Malay/Muslim organisations was established two years ago, said Ms Mariam, who called for more to be done to increase its effectiveness. She suggested that M3 use digital data and analytics to increase the impact of its initiatives.

Given limited resources, she said, there is scope for M3 to strengthen its partnerships with other agencies like non-profit organisations to reach those who need help the most.


TIN PEI LING (MACPHERSON)

Develop digital capabilities in the arts

The arts sector has to continue developing its technological capabilities to remain competitive as consumers increasingly get used to digital content and experience, said Ms Tin, noting that many local arts practitioners were hit badly by the pandemic.

While acknowledging that many have been nimble enough to pivot to digital platforms, she also asked what more could be done to allow these practitioners to create products that can be scaled to reach a wider audience.


XIE YAO QUAN (JURONG GRC)

Prevent abuse in sport

The abuse and misconduct in sports reported abroad could happen in Singapore too, said Mr Xie.

He cited how swimming coaches in the United States who were banned from working at clubs because of abuse were allowed to evade their accusers and the authorities by moving to new cities for coaching jobs, where they found fresh victims.

"We need to put in place comprehensive measures to ensure sports here remains safe for everyone, men and women, boys and girls, professional, school and community athletes," he said.


CHENG LI HUI (TAMPINES GRC)

More funding for inter-school mixing

Ms Cheng said ensuring that young people from different ethnicities and cultures have opportunities to interact is important for preserving Singapore's social fabric amid Covid-19. She highlighted schools that do not have a representative proportion of races, such as missionary schools, madrasahs and other culturally oriented schools.

She suggested providing more funding for inter-school activities and a greater role for the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle.


DARRYL DAVID (ANG MO KIO GRC)

Build on Unesco nomination momentum

Even as Singapore pats itself on the back for a successful inscription of its hawker culture to the Unesco intangible cultural heritage list last year, more must be done to build on the momentum, Mr David said. He suggested that hawker culture, including its origin and evolution from street peddlers, should be incorporated into school curriculum. Recipes and food preparation methods can also be published online so dishes' ingredients become common knowledge, he said. He also mooted a permanent hawker museum.


NOMINATED MP MARK CHAY

Take leading role in e-sports

Mr Chay called on Singapore to take a leading role in shaping the e-sports industry, which has gained popularity and benefits both players and businesses.

He noted that top e-sports events in Singapore can bring in millions and boost many local firms, while promising local e-sports start-ups such as Yup.gg and Evos have raised more than $31 million in investments.

With strong infrastructure like fast and stable Internet, the country is well placed to tap the industry's double-digit growth, he added.


MUHAMAD FAISAL ABDUL MANAP (ALJUNIED GRC)

Curb exploitation of sports facilities

Mr Faisal called for a "more concerted effort" from the authorities to prevent third parties from reselling public sports facility bookings amid Covid-19 curbs.

He cited media articles that highlighted the unscrupulous practice, such as how some footballers had to pay $240 to $300 to buy a booking for a pitch, which allowed resellers to make about $180 in profit.

He called on Sport Singapore to do more other than just suspending resellers' ActiveSG accounts, to eradicate the "exploitation of our public sports facilities".

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 09, 2021, with the headline From The Backbench. Subscribe