SINGAPORE, Sept 19 — Ethnic self-help groups such as the Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC) continue to be relevant for Singapore as they help lift members of their own communities who may get left behind as society progresses, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking at an event to commemorate CDAC’s 30th anniversary on Sunday (Sept 18), Mr Lee said that as Singapore’s economy becomes more developed and the external environment more challenging, “economic growth will be harder to come by and social mobility will be tougher to sustain”.
He added that while Singapore has raised socio-economic levels across the board, “there will always be some who are not doing as well as others, and we will always want to give them extra help”.
And this is where ethnic self-help groups come in, said Mr Lee, adding that Singapore will “lose something precious” if it does not have such groups.
Aside from CDAC, the other ethnic self-help groups in Singapore are Mendaki, the Singapore Indian Development Association and the Eurasian Association.
In his speech, Mr Lee also observed that there are people who not only questioned the relevance of such groups in multi-racial Singapore, but also raised suggestions to merge them to create one large outfit to serve all ethnic groups.
To that, he said that a large majority of Government resources already go towards helping all Singaporeans, regardless of race.
However, he said self-help groups — which are partially funded by the Government, but receive most of their funding from donations from their respective communities — are better able to understand the needs of their people.
“They are well-placed to tailor their assistance and customise programmes most relevant for their communities,” said Mr Lee.
“They can also address issues forthrightly, without raising racial or religious sensitivities.”
Moreover, these groups also provided a platform for more successful Singaporeans to help and support fellow members from their own communities, Mr Lee added.
“It is a very natural human impulse, and it strengthens the bonds between members of the community. It builds a sense of self-reliance and pride in the community, which complements their Singapore identity.”
As such, Mr Lee said Singapore should continue to maintain the self-help groups and “provide them with the means to work with and uplift their own communities”.
At the same time, he added that these groups should also be encouraged to collaborate with one another, to “reinforce Singapore’s social compact and strengthen our multiracial identity”.
Mr Lee said he was glad to note that this is already happening through efforts by the four self-help groups such as a tuition programme or student after-care service for all races. — TODAY
