Latest news with #MasagosZulkifli
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
MSF will continue to build on collaborative approach to supporting families: Masagos
Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli reiterated the Government's upcoming plans to support families. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO MSF will continue to build on collaborative approach to supporting families: Masagos SINGAPORE – Shortly after getting married in 2021, social worker Eleanore James and her husband Timothy James started trying for a child – something Mr James had always wanted. But two months in, she experienced a sharp abdominal pain which landed her in the hospital. A battery of tests found cancer in both her ovaries. She said: 'My oncologist told us the very devastating news that it is not possible for us to have children. 'I felt like our world crashed. I had to make a difficult decision to propose an annulment to Timothy since we were still newly married.' But Mr James refused: 'I did not even want to reconsider. I remembered my wedding vows towards her – in sickness and in health.' On May 31, the couple's story was featured in an interactive exhibition at the launch of this year's National Family Festival. The showcase features a selection of stories about the ups and downs of family life submitted by over 500 families for a campaign run by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) called 'Real Families, Real Stories'. Mrs Eleanore James and her husband Timothy James participated in MSF's "Real Families, Real Stories" campaign because they wanted to bring hope to other couples. PHOTO: COURTESY OF TIMOTHY AND ELEANOR JAMES Mrs James, now 36, and Mr James, a 43-year-old halfway house operations assistant, chose to participate because they wanted to bring hope to other couples. The launch event was held at the Singapore Expo, and marks the start of a series of events across the island in June. Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli gave a speech at the festival's launch – his first since the general election and being sworn in on May 23. He reiterated the Government's upcoming plans to support families, such as the increase in shared parental leave from 26 to 30 weeks in April 2026, and more benefits for couples who have two or more children announced at the 2025 Budget. He said: 'Family is critical to our journey in our life, and also as a nation... As our society evolves, so do the needs of our families. They change, and therefore we must ensure that familial support systems remain relevant and robust.' These moves were implemented as part of a plan launched three years ago – 'A Singapore Made for Families 2025', he said. 'This marked a pivotal shift in how we support and uplift families. Through the plan, we established a collaborative approach, where we integrate government support across every stage of family life, to ensure that families have a comprehensive ecosystem of support.' The launch event for this year's National Family Festival at the Singapore Expo marks the start of a series of events across the island in June. PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO MSF will continue to build on the progress of the last three years, Mr Masagos added. At the Forward Singapore engagement sessions, many shared their hopes and concerns for the future, including in areas such as cost of living, housing accessibility and affordability, and fostering more family-friendly practices, he noted. 'We have heard you, and will continue to enhance our support for families,' he said. The Government's vision is to build a Singapore made for families, but this is not something it can do alone, Mr Masagos said. 'We cannot realise this vision on our own. Throughout the decades, we have seen community participation and partnership playing a significant role in the success of our nation, and therefore in fulfilling this vision.' With the partnership between the community, corporates and the Government, efforts are amplified and more lives are reached, he added. 'We all have a part to play in this journey. Let us continue to build a Singapore in which every family feels valued and supported, wherever they may be in life,' he said. One family at the event was retired contractor Toh Chee Keong, 57, and housewife Vu Thi Sam, 42, with their six children aged between four and 18. Mr Toh said having a large family is a joy, but good finances are the most important ingredient in making it work. He said: 'I'm lucky enough that I can support my family... We have two helpers to do the housework, which really lessens our burden. So we just enjoy watching our children and playing with them.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Singapore cabinet changes show PM Lawrence Wong's consultative approach
While Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong spoke at length about seeking experience and stability amid uncertain times as he revealed his new cabinet line-up on Wednesday, the changes he made to his team may signal a receptiveness to the people's mandate. Two weeks after his party's decisive win at the general election , Wong was expected to announce shifts to replace retiring ministers such as defence chief Ng Eng Hen, Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean. Among the changes unveiled by Wong, Education Minister Chan Chun Sing will fill the defence spot, and two newly elected faces, former senior civil servant Jeffrey Siow and ex-chief of army David Neo, will become acting ministers for transport and culture, respectively. The appointments will come into effect on Friday. While analysts pointed out that Wong had selected individuals with prior experience in their sectors to fill gaps, some argued that Wong's omissions and portfolio shifts were telling of the weight he placed on electoral success. In particular, Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, whose team narrowly defeated their Workers' Party (WP) opponents in Tampines by 52.02 per cent of the vote, will give up his role to Minister of State for Home Affairs Faishal Ibrahim, who will be acting minister. Meanwhile, former minister Ng Chee Meng, who edged out his WP opponent by some 800 votes in the single-seat ward of Jalan Kayu and has been at the centre of several controversies since the election, was left out of Wong's line-up.
CNA
21-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
Faishal Ibrahim appointed acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs in Cabinet reshuffle
SINGAPORE: Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim has been appointed acting minister-in-charge of Muslim affairs, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong announced on Wednesday (May 21) as part of changes to the Cabinet following the recent General Election. The full ministerial post had been held since May 2018 by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, who took over from Dr Yaacob Ibrahim. Mr Wong said Mr Masagos, who will remain minister for social and family development, had advanced many initiatives during his tenure that are now valued and appreciated by the Malay-Muslim community. 'We agreed in our discussion that … it's time to refresh the (Malay-Muslim) leadership and let new and younger office holders take over,' he said, adding that Assoc Prof Faishal was the 'best candidate' for the role. He will be assisted by Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, who takes over as chairman of the Yayasan MENDAKI self-help group. Mr Wong added that Assoc Prof Faishal, Mr Zaqy and other Malay-Muslim political officeholders – such as Minister of State for Health and Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam, incoming Minister of State for Social and Family Development and Foreign Affairs Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim, as well as incoming Senior Parliamentary Secretary for National Development and Education Syed Harun Alhabsyi – would work hard to engage the Malay-Muslim community and listen to their concerns and aspirations. Assoc Prof Faishal said he appreciated the faith placed in him, and thanked Mr Masagos for his work over the past seven years, including the development of a new Islamic college in Singapore. 'Some of these programmes, I will continue and strengthen,' he said, adding that he has been involved in the community for close to 30 years. Engaging widely and deeply with the community has been useful in rallying it to do good and contribute to society, he said. Assoc Prof Faishal added that the Malay-Muslim community has received much support, and he reflected on how this was true even after the foiled 2001 bomb plot by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) militant group. At the time, Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean told grassroots leaders that Singaporean Malay-Muslims were part of the social fabric and not like JI members. 'I was really touched, and I told myself, not many countries would have that kind of position and that kind of care for the people,' said Assoc Prof Faishal, who was then serving as a community leader. 'This is something that is quite deep in my heart and mind. 'With this role, I want to rally the community to come together, to work together, help one another, not only to build and help to raise our young children and to provide opportunities for growth in the community; but also to contribute to the Singapore story.' Assoc Prof Faishal will also be promoted to Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Home Affairs, but will no longer hold a position in the Ministry of National Development, where he had been a Minister of State since July 2020. In response to a question about the to-do list for Assoc Prof Faishal, Mr Wong said the starting point was continuing engagement, to better understand the community's concerns and aspirations. Some of the concerns are not unique, but there are also times when there will be disagreements, he said. 'That's bound to happen, but I think our differences and our diversity should not weaken us,' said Mr Wong. Instead, Singapore should find ways to forge consensus and become more united. 'Embrace our diversity, find, expand the common ground we have as Singaporeans, and through that sense of solidarity and unity, have confidence in Singapore's future,' he said.
Straits Times
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
GE2025: PAP's Tampines team plans to ‘go back to the ground', gather feedback after narrow win
SINGAPORE – The PAP team who retained Tampines GRC intends to go back to the ground to better understand issues facing residents, including those that run 'really deep', said Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli. 'We just finished the general election, so give us time. We want to go back to the ground, understand what these are, where there are really deep (issues), and where we need to bring people together,' he said on May 4, the day after the polls. 'Let's heal, let's work together as one united Tampines, and also as one united Singapore.' He was speaking to reporters during a walkabout in Tampines to thank residents after his team won 52.02 per cent of the vote in one of the most hotly contested group representation constituencies in this election. This was the PAP's narrowest winning margin in a group representation constituency for the 2025 General Election. In the four-cornered contest for Tampines GRC, WP came in second with 47.37 per cent of the vote. The other two opposition parties polled less than 1 per cent each – the People's Power Party received 0.43 per cent of the vote, and the National Solidarity Party, 0.18 per cent. Asked for his thoughts on the close winning margin, he said his team was humbled to have been voted in. 'Over the horizon, we are all worried about what may affect every one of us in every aspect of our lives, and we will bring everyone together to make sure that we come out of this always better than before.' Mr Masagos, who is also Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, did not respond to questions about whether the team had expected such a close margin, or what could have led to it. The winning PAP team included incumbents Senior Minister of State Koh Poh Koon and Senior Parliamentary Secretary Baey Yam Keng, and new political entrants, former army chief David Neo and academic Charlene Chen. On May 4, the team did walkabouts in Tampines Avenues 2, 3 and 9, and Tampines North Drive 2. The Sunday morning crowd in the neighbourhoods surrounded the team, with many queueing for photos with them under the blazing sun. Dr Chen said the team was ready to serve all Tampines residents, including those who did not vote for them. 'Our team is ready to hear whatever feedback, and we are ready to do the real work,' she said. 'We will need to hit the ground and start listening. That is what we need to do, but also to start acting on some of these things.' Mr Neo added that he wants to champion greater support for young families. 'We work for all the residents, so that we can make every day great,' he said. Tampines Changkat SMC In the neighbouring Tampines Changkat single seat, the PAP's Desmond Choo made his way around Tampines Mart, coffee shops and a market to thank residents for electing him, despite getting only three hours of sleep after the result was announced. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of his walkabout, Mr Choo said it was not an easy campaign, adding that his WP opponent Kenneth Foo had campaigned with conviction. 'I am happy because it is the whole team's win, not just mine, but also for Tampines GRC,' he said. Mr Choo said he has plans to address the issues brought up by residents months before the campaign. He received an e-mail just 10 minutes after he was elected asking for help on these issues, he noted. For instance, he said, he plans to raise funds to help chronically ill elderly residents with their medical expenses, and deal with the needs of younger residents of new Housing Board Build-To-Order flats in the area. On the nationwide swing towards the PAP in the general election, Mr Choo said: 'That is a testimony of not only the efforts over the last term of office, but also faith that there is a good team of people that can navigate Singapore through potentially very choppy waters.' East Coast GRC The elected MPs for East Coast GRC spent the morning on an open-top bus tour to thank residents for supporting them. Waving PAP East Coast flags, Culture, Community and Youth Minister Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How, Ms Jessica Tan, Madam Hazlina Abdul Halim and Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash made stops across the five divisions of the constituency, where they greeted residents and gave out magnets bearing the team's slogan, 'east side, best side'. Mr Tong, the anchor minister for the team, said the five MPs' priority is to divide the constituency among themselves. They won 58.76 per cent of the vote, beating WP. 'There will have to be some alignment and some adjustments to make, given that we need to amalgamate different divisions among the five of us,' said Mr Tong, who was an MP for Marine Parade GRC in his previous term in Parliament. The Joo Chiat ward he oversaw was carved out of that constituency to become part of East Coast. Mr Tong said he will look into integrating 'the new kid on the block', Joo Chiat, with the rest of the constituency in terms of infrastructure and social programmes. He had previously said that when planning for Joo Chiat's integration, the emphasis will be on minimising disruption to residents, while ensuring that programmes that have been promised or have started will continue. Meanwhile, Mr Tan is the incumbent MP for the Kampong Chai Chee ward, while Ms Tan is the incumbent for the Changi Simei ward. Madam Hazlina is expected to oversee the Siglap area, while Mr Dinesh takes over Bedok from outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat. The MPs have yet to announce who will oversee retiring East Coast MP Cheryl Chan's Fengshan ward. Since their team's win was confirmed in the early hours of May 4, Mr Tong has repeatedly mentioned the need to reach out to those who did not vote for the PAP. At one of the stops on the bus tour, he told residents at a Siglap community event: 'We are looking forward to serving our East Coast residents even more, even better, and especially for those who did not support us. 'We will do our best to turn them around. We will do our best to improve their lives, and we will do our best to make sure that next time they will be on our side.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
03-05-2025
- Politics
- CNA
GE2025: PAP wins four-way fight in Tampines GRC, WP to get one NCMP seat
SINGAPORE: The People's Action Party (PAP) has emerged as the winner in a four-way fight for Tampines Group Representation Constituency (GRC), getting 52.02 per cent of the vote in Singapore's General Election on Saturday (May 3). A PAP team led by Social and Family Development Minister Masagos Zulkifli defeated teams from the Workers' Party (WP), National Solidarity Party (NSP) and People's Power Party (PPP). PAP's victory this year was significantly lower than its winning margin in 2020, when it defeated a team from NSP with about 66.4 per cent of the vote. This round, it was the WP team led by former Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap that chipped away at the incumbent's vote share, with the opposition party winning 47.37 per cent of the vote share in its first outing in the constituency. The contesting teams from NSP, which had 0.18 per cent of the vote, and PPP with 0.43 per cent, both lost their election deposits. A Non-Constituency MP (NCMP) seat will also be offered to a member of the WP's team, given its narrow loss to PAP. In his speech after the results were announced, Mr Masagos thanked the party's voters and volunteers and called for unity moving ahead. 'Now that the General Election is over, let's come together as one united people,' he said. 'Let's work together to make Tampines a caring community, because this is how we forge ahead as we face critical challenges and embrace opportunities that are before us.' Separately, the WP team thanked its supporters during its speech, while party member Michael Thng dedicated special thanks to Mr Faisal. 'For taking the brave step to come forward and join our team and take the risk with us and put yourself out there for Tampines, for that we will be eternally grateful and we really thank you, Faisal,' Mr Thng said. SPOTLIGHT ON RELIGION AND POLITICS Tampines GRC was the most contested constituency out of the 33 in this General Election. NSP, which contested the GRC at the last three elections, won almost 34 per cent of vote in 2020. For its fourth attempt this year, it fielded a team comprising party president Reno Fong and vice-president Mohd Ridzwan Mohammad, who both contested in the GRC in 2020 along with three other members. PPP and WP are contesting the constituency for the first time this year, with political observers noting that for WP, which is Singapore's largest opposition party, entering the fray in Tampines is part of its strategy to concentrate efforts in the eastern region. During the hustings, a spotlight was cast on Tampines GRC after the authorities directed Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, to block Singapore users' access to several instances of online election advertising for posts on Facebook by two Malaysian politicians and a former Internal Security Act detainee who is now a citizen of Australia. Among other things, they criticised the Singapore government's handling of sensitive religious issues and urged Singaporeans to vote along religious lines. Malaysia-based Singaporean religious teacher Noor Deros also took to social media to criticise Mr Masagos while calling on voters to cast their ballots for Mr Faisal, while claiming to have met the WP's Malay candidates to convey a list of demands in exchange for support at the polls. When asked by the media about this during campaigning, Mr Faisal insisted that the contest for Tampines GRC was about "a team versus another team" and that he did not see himself as 'going against Masagos'. Mr Faisal also said then that he was open to meeting 'everyone for the sake of listening', but that listening did not mean agreeing. Before that, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that foreigners urging Singaporeans to vote along religious lines have "crossed the line" and that Singaporeans alone should decide on Singapore politics. Several opposition parties, including WP, followed suit in speaking out against foreign interference in the General Election. During a visit to Tampines GRC, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong cautioned against the 'very vicious' set of conversations sparked by the foreign posts and asked Singaporeans to 'understand the games being played online'. The fight for Tampines GRC was enough for Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to do a walkabout there during the election campaign. Asked what his visit signalled at the time, he said it showed that PAP took the election seriously, both at the national and constituency levels. Tampines GRC saw its electoral boundaries changed this year. Parts of the GRC were carved out to create Tampines Changkat Single Member Constituency, while areas in Tampines West – east of Bedok Reservoir – were absorbed from Aljunied GRC. WP "BRANDING" CONTRIBUTED TO STRONG SHOWING Political analyst and former nominated MP Eugene Tan pointed to three factors that contributed to WP's relatively strong showing at Tampines GRC: 'The party branding, a relatively strong slate and a controversy stirred voters.' The associate professor of law at Singapore Management University said that Tampines GRC was a 'battleground constituency' given the racial make-up of the constituents there, as well as the face-off between Mr Masagos and Mr Faisal as 'they had previously clashed in parliament over Malay-Muslim community issues'. During PAP's press conference after the election results were announced, Mr Wong, who is also the party's secretary-general, acknowledged the occurrence of " negative politics" in terms of calls to vote along racial or religious lines during the campaigning period. 'I had to call it out in the middle of the campaign, because this was such an important matter. "The situation did improve after that, but there were still views, comments online and some of them were quite vicious. And they would continue to circulate, although less than before the press conference I held,' he said. Asked about his assessment on the support that PAP received from the Malay-Muslim community against this backdrop, Mr Wong said: 'At this stage, we haven't done deep dives or detailed analysis on which groups, which segments, voted or didn't vote for us, and what were the considerations. "Did it have an impact on the election outcomes? Perhaps, some. How much? I don't know, because we'll have to do a more detailed analysis after today.' Mr Masagos, speaking in Malay, said at the press conference that he would take a new approach moving forward, to reach out to the Malay-Muslim community in order to better understand their concerns and ensure that the issues they raise would be addressed. 'But I also urge the community, after the end of this General Election, let us unite and build our community together, because there's so much that we can achieve together.' On the other opposition parties' performance in Tampines GRC, Assoc Prof Tan from SMU told CNA that it shows how voters are discerning and will not split their votes if they intend to vote for the opposition. 'It also indicates that some opposition parties are increasingly irrelevant in the political landscape with both PPP and NSP losing their deposits,' he added. On the NCMP seat to be given to one of WP's Tampines GRC team members, independent political observer Felix Tan commented that it would likely go to Mr Thng, pointing to his performance during a televised roundtable discussion and his ability to put across his party's policies to the audience. 'But of course, the policies come from the party itself, not just from him, but I think he's able to consolidate and collate the thoughts more coherently and ... able to present them to the voters, to Singaporeans as well," Dr Felix Tan said during a Polling Day special programme broadcast on CNA. "And I think he would perform pretty well in parliament as an NCMP.' Over at PAP's Tampines GRC team, former Chief of Army David Neo was earlier pointed out by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong as a candidate with the potential to hold political office. Asked on the CNA programme about whether this would have mattered to voters, Dr Mustafa Izzuddin, a senior international affairs analyst with policy and business consultancy Solaris Strategies Singapore, said that although 'the prime minister can send such a message', what contributes to the voters' decision is the candidate's own performance on the ground.
