The Singapore Malay is now more affluent, according to various statistics. While this is an admirable progress for the community, reflecting the trend in the larger Singaporean community, there are still sections of the community who are lagging behind and require some form of help, as acknowledged by Malay/Muslim leaders.
Speaking in Parliament recently, newly appointed Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs Mr Masagos Zulkifli said that the monthly household income of the Malays has increased sixfold in the span of 35 years.
In tandem with this increase in income is the improved educational profile of the Malay workforce. Today, only 1% of Malay/Muslim children do not complete 10 years of education, and 94% of them now have a post-secondary education, he added.
The profile of Malay workers is also increasingly diversified, with more Malays working in various sales and services and other related jobs in the office, as compared to in the 1980s where 65% of Malay workers were employed in the areas of production and related activities, and as cleaners and labourers, as shared in the Convention Journal published by the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) in conjunction with the Third National Convention of Singapore Muslim Professionals in 2012.
In a media interview with Berita Harian earlier this year, shortly before he stepped down from his position as Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim reflected upon the progress made by Singaporean Malays.
AN EMERGING MALAY MIDDLE CLASS
Sharing the latest zakat figures – an annual tithe that Muslims contribute towards those in need – Dr Yaacob said that a Malay middle class is slowly emerging – an ‘important component’ in any community. According to the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) – the statutory board which, among other things, administers the affairs of Muslims here – it collected $44 million in zakat last year.
“There’s greater wealth in the community. Greater realisation that they play their part. They give enough resources for MUIS to run programmes,” said Dr Yaacob. These indicators, while not exhaustive, point to the fact that the Malay community, while perhaps still lagging when compared to the other races in Singapore, has made good progress in the past three decades. But building a resilient community requires more than just dollars and cents.
CLOSING THE GAP ON INEQUALITY
The recent parliamentary debates on inequality in Singapore is a stark reminder of the double-edged sword of progress. There is an increasing number of ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in Singapore and these two groups are increasingly wedged apart through no fault of either side. A stratified society will be detrimental to perhaps its very existence in the long-term.
Indeed, United States Senator Bernie Sanders once famously said that: “A nation will not survive morally or economically when so few have so much while so many have so little”. Of course, in this regard, Singapore is in a much better situation than the United States or many other developed countries. Singapore’s Gini coefficient is 0.36, which is equal to that of the United Kingdom and better than that of the United States (0.39).
The Gini coefficient is used to measure inequality in a given area and the closer the figure is to zero, the less inequality there is. Countries like Japan and some in Europe, with a substantive welfare system, tend to have a low Gini coefficient.
Singapore’s next generation of leaders are also aware of the need for the government to play a proactive role to tackle inequality by helping the underprivileged in society. Alluding to this fact in his speech in Parliament earlier this year, Minister for Education Mr Ong Ye Kung said that inequality is a problem that Singapore has been tackling since the early days and this has continued to the present. He also mentioned that in contrast with other developed countries – where the economy has stagnated and created a widening group of economically disadvantaged people – the median income in Singapore has been steadily increasing.
“Low-and middle-income families continue to experience real income growth and social mobility. Singaporeans have been enjoying a rising standard of living and are motivated to do well. This is both a result of our culture – who we are – as well as public policies,” said Mr Ong.
At present, there are no readily and publicly accessible data equivalent to the Gini coefficient which we can use to derive an idea of the inequality that exists in the Singapore Malay community but it would be naïve to assume that the Malay community is immune to this social stratification. That is why, it is heartening to hear the leaders in the Malay community call for the ‘haves’ to play their part in helping the ‘have-nots’ get a foothold in the economy and play a part in their social mobility.
A CALL FOR THE “HAVES” TO REACH OUT
In parliament recently, Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Mr Azmoon Ahmad called upon more professionals and successful members of the community to contribute their time and ideas in various organisations to further the progress of society.
In the same debate, Mr Masagos called for the three main institutions in the Malay/Muslim community – MUIS, MENDAKI and the Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (MESRA) to build up its collective strengths, while also reiterating the importance of these institutions working together to help the community achieve progress.
More importantly, he urged more successful Malays – the ‘haves’ – to give back to society.
He said: “It would be unfortunate if we build a community that is merely rich in material wealth.”
National indicators are encouraging in this respect. A survey by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in 2017 showed that one in three Singaporeans gave their time to volunteer in 2016, compared to one in ten in 2000. The number of volunteer hours nearly doubled, from 66 million in 2014 to 121 million two years ago.
More recently, a straw poll by Berita Harian showed that the number of volunteers aged below 35 in mosques and Malay/Muslim organisations is increasing annually, especially in the month of Ramadan.
The spirit of giving, it seems, is alive and thriving in the community and this bodes well for both community and country. Affluence and a Malay middle class may no longer be an aspiration, but a reality for an increasing group within the Malay community. However, achieving affluence alone cannot be the end point in community building. Moving forward, an important step is for more from this affluent group to help others on their way to affluence as well and contribute to the wider society. ⬛
Norman Sawi is a Correspondent with Berita Harian / Berita Minggu. The views expressed in this article are his own.
