National Day Rally 2025: A Myriad of Solutions, One at a Time

Aspiring SCIS students will now have the chance to broaden their horizons by combining Islamic studies with social sciences locally. This not only deepens their grounding in religious knowledge, but also equip them with soft skills under the social sciences umbrella. In turn, this could strengthen the talent pipeline for asatizah (religious leaders) who are holistically prepared to meet the diverse needs of Singapore’s Muslim community.

That said, important questions remain: Will the SCIS be supported by government subsidies, making them as affordable as other local universities, or will tuition fees remain closer to private education rates? If costs are significantly higher than studying overseas, some students will find it more practical to pursue their education abroad. The hope, however, is that with stronger institutional support, local recognition, and integration with SUSS, SCIS will become a compelling option for students who might otherwise have looked overseas.

Reopening of Malay Heritage Centre (MHC)

MHC will finally reopen on April 25, 2026 – after its closure in 2022 for restoration and redevelopment works. It will feature new galleries and programmes to showcase the richness and vibrancy of Singapore’s Malay culture, which would include greater representation of Malay ethnic sub-groups and more women narratives. These changes are already underway, as observed from a pivot in their social media recently that spotlighted more Malay women, such as Zahara Noor, or Kartina Dahari. These are encouraging developments, as we note a greater attempt at rethinking about Malay narratives, history, and culture. It was also announced that the wider Kampong Glam area will also be refreshed, although there were no further details on what this entailed.

The Malay language speech, as with previous years’ Malay language speeches was shorter and contained fewer policy updates, compared to English and Mandarin versions. This pattern reflects the traditional focus of the Malay segment on culture, heritage, and community recognition, rather than broad policy rollouts. While Prime Minister Wong did announce important initiatives, the speech devoted less attention to areas like economic resilience, jobs, and social policies that were more extensively covered in the other two languages. This raises an ongoing discussion within the community on the relevance of the Malay speech, and whether the Malay speech should continue to serve primarily as a symbolic affirmation of identity and belonging, or whether it could evolve into a platform that addresses a wider spectrum of socio-economic issues directly relevant to the Malay/Muslim community.

Strengthening Livelihoods and Opportunities

Uncertain Job Market

As news platforms have iterated on multiple occasions regarding the challenging hiring outlook of fresh graduates, with reports pointing to a rise in the proportion of graduates taking more than a year to land their first job, PM Wong emphasised his team’s priority in ensuring job security for Singaporeans. The new government-funded traineeship scheme aims to enhance employability among young Singaporeans and expand their career choices, providing fresh graduates with opportunities to gain real-world experience. However, this poses the question: How different is it from internships and apprenticeships that often exist within MNCs?

In our recently concluded CIR 2025, Youths in an Uncertain Job Market, it was reported that in order for Singaporeans to get a better chance at employment, CIR speakers also urged for stronger career guidance and mentorship within education settings, while students themselves can seek to be more strategic in communicating their values to employers, especially after garnering experience from quality internships. However, while traineeship schemes may enhance individual employability on paper, the effectiveness is limited if the root issue is structural and lies within the job market itself. These schemes risk becoming measures that shift the responsibility onto individuals rather than addressing the deeper systemic problems that make employment hard to access in the first place. As mentioned during CIR 2025, structural shifts that can be undertaken, which included job redesign and the expansion of middle-tier roles.

Navigating AI

In his English address, PM Wong stressed the need for job redesign, union support, and structured upskilling to ensure Singaporeans remain central in an AI-driven economy. However, the risks of AI misuse are evident. The recent case of three Nanyang Technological University undergraduates² who were failed for fabricating references with generative AI highlights both the dangers of overreliance and the lack of consistent institutional guidelines. Students are encouraged to explore AI, yet face punishment when boundaries remain unclear, a tension that may reflect wider societal unease with rapid adoption.

The implications are pressing in the creative industries; Malay participation in this sector is modest, but livelihoods are at risk as AI increasingly substitutes for design, media, and cultural work. For the community and the Singaporean society at large, the challenge lies in balancing opportunity with caution: to embrace AI as a tool for efficiency and growth, while resisting its uncritical use and safeguarding the integrity of education and creative labour.

A trending concern is that Malay youth and Malay-owned SMEs be left behind in the AI transition, given the community’s historical under-representation in tech-related pathways. Community bodies have been trying to widen the pipeline, e.g., MENDAKI’s partnerships to open up engineering/STEM pathways, but the gap remains salient.

Housing & Residential Developments

Conversely, the speech also saw housing and residential developments on three areas: Woodlands, Kranji, and Sembawang, in efforts to change the narrative of an “ulu” northern part of Singapore. However, we note one notable omission: housing provisions for singles. In the lead-up to the Rally, there had been discussions in reviewing the eligibility age for singles to buy Build-to-Order (BTO) flats, as well as overall income ceilings³. This issue is increasingly significant, given the steady rise in the number of unmarried Singaporeans, and single-person households⁴. Singles below 35 years old would also wish to have their own home, without having to rent a flat/room or to buy a private property – evidently more expensive than public housing⁵.

Building Resilience for the Future

Seniors

Age Well SG complements Healthier SG by providing targeted support for seniors, creating senior-friendly communities, and expanding aged care services to ensure active and healthy, ageing in the community. Age Well Neighbourhoods aims to improve access to healthcare, social activities, and home-based services for seniors who prefer ageing at home. This builds on the Community Care Apartments (CCAs) essential elements, which will also be expanded across HDB areas. Conversely, there will be more active ageing centres, giving seniors regular opportunities to socialise and avoid isolation, which has been a main concern for Singaporean seniors⁶.

In the Malay/Muslim landscape, key institutions such as Jamiyah Singapore, Pertapis, and Muhammadiyah Health & Day Care Centre have long supported eldercare. However, these key players in the community cannot shoulder the rising demands of an ageing population alone. AMP Singapore’s 4th National Convention Report highlighted gaps in culturally and religiously sensitive care, while RIMA’s Active Ageing Occasional Paper Series (OPS) highlighted the importance of incorporating Muslim-friendly features into secular senior spaces – an area that may be relevant for Age Well Neighbourhoods⁷. This raises an important question: given the already low uptake of active ageing initiatives among Malay/Muslim seniors, how will the community respond to these new neighbourhood models? As mentioned in the Active Ageing OPS, leaders in Malay/Muslim Organisations agreed to the need to improve awareness on the importance of active ageing and getting the community to take their health seriously earlier on in their lives, and how Muslim seniors are found to spend their final days at their own homes⁸.

These initiatives hold promise, serving a reminder that ageing well in Singapore can be more inclusive – attuned not only to the physical and social needs of seniors, but also to the cultural and spiritual contexts that shape Malay/Muslim seniors’ daily lives.

Vaping

The nationwide crackdown against vapes - now classified as a drug issue – further reinforces Singapore’s war against drugs. Hence, as the various dimensions of this issue further develops in due time, tackling this current vape issue must be a collective effort that speaks to the shared values and aspirations of all Singaporeans.

However, considering the broader concern often raised in policy and community discussions where Singaporean minorities historically have been overrepresented in certain at-risk categories such as higher smoking prevalence or drug offenses, should future prevention efforts and conversations regarding the vape issue steer away from ethnically specific lenses – considering that this is a nationwide concern?

We-First Society

PM Wong notes that in order to keep Singapore going, we must be a “We-First Society” - to care, contribute and support one another rather than depending solely on government intervention. This shift in emphasis is not merely rhetorical, but signals a broader rebalancing of responsibility between state, community, and individual.

Key community-based organisations such as MUIS, MENDAKI, Jamiyah, Pertapis, Muhammadiyah, and AMP already play critical roles in education, welfare, and social mobility. The “we-first” call strengthens the expectation that these groups will be able to galvanise ground-up solidarity within the community, which could mean greater collaboration between religious bodies, voluntary welfare organisations, and youth-led groups to ensure that the community continue to receive holistic support. But beyond that, the implicit message behind the We-First approach speaks to the community in how we do not necessarily need to always look inward for solutions – we are all Singaporeans, at the end of the day.

Conclusion

The rally was not just a policy address but a reminder of the values shaping Singapore’s future. As announcements carried both opportunities and challenges, achievements and acknowledgements, the path forward demands resilience, unity and shared responsibilities. For the Malay/Muslim community, this means deepening collaboration, be it organisation-level or community-level; ensuring that no one is left behind as we build a stronger, more cohesive nation together.

The Centre for Research on Islamic and Malay Affairs (RIMA), a research subsidiary of AMP Singapore, has developed a range of programmes in research and established several platforms for the meeting of minds. RIMA conducts research in a number of key areas, which includes economics, education, religion, family, social integration, leadership and civil society.