Bridging the Gap between the “Haves” and the “Have-Nots” in the Malay Community

“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.