In his two decades as Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lee Hsien Loong has been largely viewed as being favourable and commendatory by the Muslim community in Singapore. Notwithstanding the oscillating domestic public opinion of his administration over a 20-year period, his laudable leadership of Singapore, relatability to ground sentiments, and affable personality have endeared him to Muslims in Singapore.
As most Muslims are Malays in Singapore, Lee’s ability to speak the Malay language has been crucial in connecting to the Malay ground; resonating, in particular, with the older generation of Singaporeans. It also underscored the importance placed by Lee vis-à-vis Malay being the national language, and a salient cultural tool of effective communication between the government and the Malay-speaking citizenry.
The especial recognition of Muslims being diverse in Singapore and the sustained interest in increasing his cultural knowledge about them was a strong suit of Lee; and from the perspective of the Muslim community, a reflection of thoughtful and percipient leadership. The heterogeneity of Muslims emanates from an assortment of ethnicities, languages, and jurisprudential differences in Singapore; and it was thus regarded by Lee’s government as vital and necessary to espouse a socially accommodative backdrop and promote unity in diversity to ensure a more harmonious society. Such a mindset and approach have earned Lee plaudits from the diverse Muslim community as it demonstrated sensitivity and inclusivity.
That Lee was steadfast in upholding the secularity of the country also gained him traction among Muslims. Under the secularism umbrella, Muslims have been able to practise their faith freely so long as it does not impinge on the interests of the Singapore state. In fact, Lee lent his support for the construction and the subsequent opening of the Yusof Ishak Mosque in 2017. He was also cognisant of mosques frequented by members of the Muslim community who may not speak Malay, including the Tamils and Malayalees, as well as the Gujarati Dawoodi Bohras who have been congregating at the Burhani Mosque since 1897.
Lee’s earnest desire for the Malay/Muslim (Malays and other Muslims) community to continue uplifting themselves, pursuing excellence and being employable was a common thread of his prime-ministership. He also had a penchant for the kampong spirit of gotong-royong (communal helping of one another to achieve a collective goal) as the foundational basis for the Malay/Muslim community to strengthen itself through the auspices of self-help and self-reliance, underpinned by the spirit of communitarianism. As illustrated in his remarks at MENDAKI’s 40th anniversary, Lee is a staunch proponent of MENDAKI’s role in the upliftment, empowerment and educational development of the Malay/Muslim community.
The tremendous ease by which Lee connected with different communities in Singapore, including the Malay/Muslim community, was one of his fortes. Throughout his prime-ministership, Lee took an abiding interest in the progress and development of the Malay/Muslim community, as no Malay/Muslim should be left behind, sharing in the collective prosperity of Singapore. While there are some in the community who felt that Lee should have done more for the Malay/Muslims, many others believe that he has done much for the community, ensuring the fostering and sustaining of an inclusive community of excellence.
Lee’s distinct ability to transcend generational differences by constructively engaging both the old and young also resonated with different segments of the Malay/Muslim community. His sense of empathy and compassion for the less fortunate was discernible and his readiness to listen to ground sentiments was commendable. On his watch, no existential issue of concern to the Malay/Muslim community was off-limits for discussion, culminating in some form of realistic resolution. Although some within the community disapproved of the Lee government holding such discussions behind closed doors, it was believed to be necessary due to the sensitive nature of such issues under discussion. One such illustration was the donning of headscarves by Muslim women in certain professions, which was a recurring theme throughout his prime-ministership.
It was therefore a watershed moment when Lee announced in his National Day Rally speech in 2021 that Muslim nurses in the healthcare sector will be allowed to wear headscarves (tudungs) with their uniforms if they wish to, consonant with hospital guidelines. That this proclamation was made by the Prime Minister himself on the highest possible platform in addressing the nation underlined the paramount importance of social implications stemming from this policy change, which concomitantly reflected societal progress.
For this policy change to preserve Singapore’s fragile social harmony, it also necessitated acceptance from non-Muslims, which the Lee government took pains to engage and win over via religious and non-religious leaders. Despite some hard-line secularists continuing to express their disquiet and displeasure, the Lee government remained firm on making this policy change for the benefit of the Muslim community.
As evidenced by the reactions of the Muslim community to this policy change, it was certainly welcomed and appreciated by many, including those who tended to be critical of the Lee government. There were, however, those who felt that this policy change was long overdue and limited in scope, applying only to the public healthcare sector and not to other sectors, such as the police force. Despite these prevailing criticisms, the headscarf policy modification was a crowning moment in Lee’s civic engagement with the Malay/Muslim community and has cemented Lee’s place in history among the Muslims in Singapore.
At a time when Islam is being hijacked and its verses misconstrued for political gains by terrorist groups across the world, the painstaking efforts undertaken by the Lee government to prevent the scapegoating of Muslims in Singapore brought Lee considerable praise from the Malay/Muslims. Lee’s resolute support for the work being done by the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG) in reintegrating radicalised individuals into society after rehabilitating them was also welcomed by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
Recognising the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) as a central hub on all matters Muslim, Lee’s unwavering recognition and strong backing of MUIS as a privileged interlocutor is certainly lauded by the Muslims in Singapore. Lee’s penchant for interfaith and intra-faith matters also led to him forging a close rapport with the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) whose work in preserving religious harmony endeared the organisation to Muslims in Singapore, including the fact that Islam is represented on the IRO Council.
Strongly backing the Malay political leadership also earned Lee many plaudits, as he perceived the Malay voice in politics as being important for the community. Of course, the Malay vote, especially those in the middle ground, also matters at election time, so being able to garner as much support as possible from the Malays and other Muslims was of paramount political importance for the ruling party. As is the case with other voters, Malay/Muslims also see as salient for there to be oppositional voices in parliament, so there is substantial support within the community for the sole opposition Malay Member of Parliament.
Possibly dividing opinion among Malay/Muslims is the longstanding position of the government, including under Lee, for disapproving the emergence of two competing leaderships, encapsulated in a proposal for collective Malay leadership. Although such an idea continued to be floated under the Lee administration, it did not see the light of day and often vanished in a puff of smoke. This is because the Lee government is averse to the splitting of the Malay community and the undermining of the Malay political leadership.
Lee’s support for non-governmental Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMOs) was lauded by the community. Throughout his prime-ministership, Lee interacted with many MMO leaders, even remembering many of them by name. He made it a point to grace the anniversaries of some of the MMOs, including Jamiyah’s 80th anniversary in 2012, the 60th anniversary of the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM) in 2008, and the 25th anniversary of the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) in 2016. As much as Lee strongly supported the Malay political leadership, it was to his credit that he had also done the same with Malay/Muslim community leaders whose wisdom and expertise benefited society as a whole.
The Lee government’s repeal of 377A, which criminalises sex between men, led to a mixed bag of opinions in the Muslim community, as part of the community’s broader concern of the LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) movement gaining ground in Singapore. That the Lee government engaged Muslim leaders prior to the repeal and MUIS issuing religious guidance after the repeal were crucial to quelling the fears of the Malay/Muslims. They were advised that it is the Islamic way to treat everyone with dignity and respect, irrespective of sexual orientation. For added assurance, and which was welcomed by Muslims and non-Muslims who are against same-sex marriages, the Lee government amended the constitution to protect the definition of marriage between one man and one woman from being challenged in the courts. At the same time, LGBTQ individuals who see themselves as belonging to the Malay/Muslim community would have regarded the repeal by the Lee government and the prudent MUIS’ religious guidance as positive and comforting.
With wokeism increasingly becoming more extreme as a global movement and gaining traction with millennials, Lee cautioned against blindly embracing it as wokery ‘does not make us a more resilient, cohesive society with a strong sense of solidarity’. His stance on wokeness making life burdensome earned him praise by the more conservative and centrist segments of Singapore society, including among the Malay/Muslims in the country.
As Malay/Muslims are also Singaporeans, their perspective of Lee is also informed by his leadership of Singapore in the external realm. Under Lee, he ensured that Singapore would always remain respected, relevant and resilient on the international stage. Far more Singaporeans, including his most ardent critics, acknowledged that Lee provided a safe and steady pair of hands navigating Singapore through turbulent geopolitical waters in order to keep progressing economically while keeping the domestic social compact intact. His astute diplomatic statesmanship in ensuring that Singapore’s bilateral relations with Indonesia and Malaysia continued to be even-keeled, led to him being panegyrized by the local Malay/Muslims.
Despite the misgivings by some quarters in the Malay/Muslim community of Singapore being a friend of Israel, many appreciate the fact that the Lee government has undertaken efforts to aid the Palestinians through technical assistance and humanitarian relief, and has voted every year in favour of the resolution on the ‘Question of Palestine’ with the rest of the world, including the call for a ceasefire in the recent flare-up. The Lee government also lambasted the post by the Israel Embassy in Singapore when it drew on the Quran to make a political point on the Israel-Palestine conflict, as it risks ‘undermining the safety, security and harmony in Singapore’ – a swift pushback being favourably perceived by both Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Taking the time to have a governmental dialogue with Malay/Muslims on the Israel-Palestine conflict – despite not always agreeing on everything – was also welcomed by the community.
For the Malay/Muslims, the perspectives of Lee do vary, but all things considered, they perceive him, on balance, as being a trusted and reliable friend of the community and that history will remember him favourably. As much as there are sceptics and critics, there are also those who see Lee positively and in high regard. Lee will also be remembered as making Singapore the pride of the Southeast Asian region and the world as a small state in international relations. His legacy as a local and global statesman is assured and will continue to inspire generations to come, including right now as Senior Minister in Prime Minister Lawrence Wong’s Cabinet.
The good news is that Wong is on the same wavelength as Lee on the importance of the Malay/Muslim community to preserving the social compact. Existing signs point to Wong cultivating a strong rapport with the Malay/Muslims, deeming them to be a centrepiece of his signature Forward Singapore exercise.
Dr Mustafa Izzuddin is a Senior International Affairs Analyst with Solaris Strategies Singapore.
