Speech in Malay (with English translation) 

1.             I am delighted to celebrate with you the 60th anniversary of Persatuan Persuratan Pemuda Pemudi Melayu or 4PM.  Given Singapore’s short history, 60 years of existence as an organisation is something to be proud of.  Over these years, 4PM has done much for the Malay/Muslim community. Its wide range of programmes have benefited many Malay youths, and helped them to make good.  Last year 4PM received the Commonwealth Youth Silver Award, testifying to its achievements reaching out to the young and uplifting the community.

Saya amat berbangga dapat bersama anda pada malam ini untuk merayakan sambutan ulang tahun yang ke 60 Persatuan Persuratan Pemuda Pemudi Melayu atau 4PM.  Memandangkan usia singkat sejarah negara kita, kewujudan persatuan anda selama 60 tahun ini, merupakan sesuatu yang dapat kita banggakan.  Sejak di tubuhkan, 4PM telah mencurahkan berbagai bakti kepada masyarakat Melayu/Islam.  Program-program yang anda lakukan telah memberi banyak manfaat kepada ramai belia dan membantu mereka menjadi para individu yang berguna.  Anugerah Belia Commonwealth yang anda terima tahun lalu membuktikan pencapaian 4PM dalam usaha membantu golongan belia dan mempertingkatkan masyarakat.

2.             I thank all 4PM members – past and present – for the many contributions you have made. I especially want to acknowledge the pioneers of 4PM, including its first President, the late Mr Hanifa S Kanu, and Haji Yatim Dohon, who is here tonight.  Others after them have followed their path to do something for the community and build up the organisation.  Your dedication and passion to serve Singaporeans is the spirit which has built a strong and dynamic Malay/Muslim community, and inspired the next generation to do their part for the community and for our nation.    

Saya ucapkan terima kasih kepada semua anggota 4PM – yang ada sekarang dan yang lalu – di atas semua sumbangan anda.  Saya juga ingin melahirkan penghargaan saya kepada para pelopor 4PM, termasuk presiden 4PM yang pertama, Allahyarham Hanifa S Kanu dan lain-lain, seperti Tuan Haji Yatim Dohon yang ada bersama kita pada malam ini.  Para pemimpin 4PM yang ada sekarang telah meneruskan usaha mereka dalam menabur bakti kepada masyarakat dan terus membina persatuan ini.  Semangat dedikasi dan cinta untuk berbakti kepada semua masyarakat Singapura menjadi dorongan untuk membina masyakat Melayu/Islam yang dinamis lagi teguh. Ini juga menjadi rangsangan bagi generasi seterusnya untuk terus berbakti kepada masyarakat dan Negara.
 
Speech in English

1.             I am happy to join you this evening for the 60th anniversary of 4PM.

2.             4PM has a long and rich history of community service.  It started in Jalan Eunos, near Kampung Melayu, with volunteers conducting remedial and tuition classes in the villagers’ homes.  From these humble beginnings, 4PM has grown into a key driver for youth development in the Malay/ Muslim community. It is a fine example of a volunteer organisation that upholds the spirit of community self-help and resilience.   

Maximising the Potential of our Young

3.             4PM’s focus on youth fits in well with our national efforts to prepare the next generation for a more challenging and uncertain future.  We have invested in high quality schools, ITEs, polytechnics and universities.  Every child receives an education that suits his abilities and interests, and equips him with valuable skills to succeed in life.  But however comprehensive the education system is, a minority of youths will always require extra guidance and help.  Organisations like 4PM fill this gap by bringing the youths under their wing, helping them to uncover their talents and to realise their full potential. 

4.             I know that 4PM works closely with its partners and stakeholders, especially our schools, post-secondary and tertiary institutions. One of its most successful collaborations is Project bITE (Bestari ITE), a developmental programme with ITE, and also an initiative under the Community Leaders’ Forum, which has benefited more than 11,000 students. Mentoring is a key part of this programme, and I am glad that 4PM has succeeded in attracting polytechnic and university graduates to be mentors to the ITE students.  At the same time, through community service, the students participating in bITE learn to contribute to society and give back to others.  They thus pick up valuable life skills like self-discipline and teamwork, as well as tenacity and resilience to overcome adversity in life.

5.             4PM has also been active in reaching out to school drop-outs, and those in institutional homes and corrective centres.  Ahmad Firdaus was one such youth.  Lacking family support, Ahmad sought acceptance from gang members and spent his teenage years in detention.  In 2005, he participated in 4PM’s Integration Camp for ITE students. It proved to be a turning point in his life.  Now, he is an active volunteer in 4PM and also a role model for younger teens.  I am glad Ahmad is here tonight to share his experience with us. 

Future Directions for Malay/Muslim Organisations (MMOs)

6.             Going forward, 4PM must continue to come up with new ideas to engage and nurture our young.  4PM has rightly placed a high premium on education, and this must remain a top priority, for it remains the main path to success in life. However, youth development is not just about achieving academic success. A holistic approach is needed so that our children grow up to be well-rounded individuals, ready for the future, and committed to Singapore.  What role can Malay/Muslim organisations like 4PM play in this process? Let me suggest four ideas.

7.             First, MMOs can help to imbue in our young the right values and attitudes on matters of race and religion. This is essential to maintain peace and harmony in our multi-racial, multi-religious society.  As a practical step, 4PM can leverage on its network of community partners, like the CDCs, grassroots organisations and other civil society groups, to create more opportunities for young Singaporeans to socialise together, and make friends from other races and religions.  For example, it can extend its programmes to non-Malays, and encourage youths from other ethnic groups to volunteer in its activities. This will strengthen links amongst youths of different backgrounds, and so help them to learn to trust one another, give and take, and accommodate each another’s customs and ways of life.
 
8.             Second, MMOs should impart in young Singaporeans the sense of commitment and conviction for our nation. Our young are passionate about pursuing their dreams, and see the world as their oyster.  As they reach for the stars, they must also learn that this is their country, and that Singapore’s future is in their hands.  For its part, 4PM can encourage more young people to get involved in community work, and make a difference in the lives of others.  Through these experiences, they learn what it means to share and support one another, and strengthen their emotional ties to the nation.

9.             Third, MMOs can help to promote sound personal values and attitudes. One of these is of course the importance of education. But another, not so often discussed, is the importance of living within one’s means and planning for the future.  Financial planning and discipline are critical life skills, but unfortunately, they do not come naturally to everyone.  MPs often see families who have over committed themselves financially, run into serious trouble, and then come to the MP’s meet the people session for help. Some have been extravagant in doing up their homes using renovation loans. Others have bought expensive furniture or large screen TV sets on hire purchase. The ones with the most serious problems have bought homes which are larger than they can afford, and taken mortgages which they are then unable to pay.  These families belong to all races, but quite a few are Malay families. It is a sensitive matter to raise, but all MPs and social workers know that it is a real issue that needs to be tackled.

10.        It is natural, and good, that families aspire to upgrade their lives.  But it is also important to be frugal. We should not spend beyond what we can afford, or spend today without thinking enough about how we will pay for it tomorrow.  We should always try to put aside something for the future, especially to invest in the education of our children, and to have enough for our medical expenses and old age. If we save too little for a rainy day, and a storm hits us unexpectedly, the consequences can be devastating.

11.        We must therefore get our young to grow up with the habit of thrift and saving.  By instilling core values, good habits and a sense of social responsibility in our young, 4PM helps to lay the foundation for a stronger and more resilient Malay/Muslim community.  The benefits from your efforts will continue for many years, after the youths you work with grow up.

12.        Fourth, MMOs should emphasise and promote leadership renewal. MMOs are not just part of our civic society, but also a training ground for Malay leadership.  They provide avenues for people to step forward, take up issues they feel passionately about, and to make a useful contribution to the community. By proving themselves and earning the respect of their peers, they emerge as leaders, not just within the Malay/Muslim community, but eventually on the national stage.  Many of our Malay MPs have come up through this process, like Mr Hawazi Daipi who was 4PM’s honorary secretary-general, and is still its advisor, and Mr Masagos Zulkifli who ran Perdaus, and later started and then spun off Mercy Relief.

13.        To sustain this flow of new leaders, MMOs must make a continuing effort to attract talent, groom and nurture them.  They also need to carry out systematic leadership self-renewal, trying out younger leaders, and when they prove themselves, letting them take over the activities and the organisations, progressively and steadily.  This is a top priority for Singapore’s national leadership, but it is also important for community organisations. 

14.        With steady social and educational progress, each successive cohort of Malays contains more well-educated and successful professionals, and more who can and want to contribute to the community.  Instead of joining existing MMOs, these younger Malays are increasingly getting together on their own to set up their own associations and do projects. But they are not only forming new Malay groups; they are also participating in multi-racial VWOs and community groups. This is to be encouraged, but it also poses a challenge to the existing MMOs.

15.        Therefore existing MMOs must make a conscious effort to induct these professionals, and move more boldly to put promising ones into leadership positions.  This will keep the MMOs vibrant, and help them to come up with fresh approaches to tackling problems, and generate new activities that appeal to the new generation of Malay/Muslim Singaporeans. Otherwise, good people will be discouraged from joining, and channel their energies elsewhere.  The organisations will stagnate, and find it even harder to attract talent and leadership.  This would be a loss for the whole community.

16.        For an organisation like 4PM which works with young people, it is especially vital to systematically renew the leadership ranks across all levels.  I know 4PM has attracted many young volunteers. I mentioned Project bITE earlier. I found from its website that 4PM’s young volunteers are doing many other interesting projects, like Roda Roda Ramadan, where the volunteers go round and visit homes of poor residents with food rations to cheer them up for Hari Raya. 

17.        This is the right approach. Harness the energies of young Malay/ Muslim professionals, let them bring fresh and creative ideas to connect to their generation of Singapore Malays, and put them in leadership positions to take the organisation forward.  I hope that 4PM will press on with this, and so will other MMOs. 
 
Conclusion

18.    For 60 years, 4PM has played a significant role in nurturing and developing our young.  Through your programmes, many who faced difficulties coping in school have built up their confidence and self-esteem, and gone on to excel in their careers and lives.  Fulfilling 4PM’s motto of “unite and serve”, they have also returned to volunteer their time and energies with 4PM, so that more young Singaporeans can benefit from the guidance and support that they themselves had received.  I thank past and present 4PM members for all your good work, and wish 4PM many more years of successful service to our youths, to the Malay/Muslim community and to Singapore.

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