SINGAPORE - Housing prices, health issues and the proportion of Malay students in universities were among the topics that Malay/Muslim community leaders brought up at a dialogue on Tuesday.

One participant asked whether his children would be able to afford a home as property prices continue to rise, another wanted to see a bigger representation of Malay/Muslim youth in local universities, while a third called for more support for the terminally ill.

These concerns were expressed to panellists at an M3 Post-National Day Rally Dialogue session organised by the People’s Association Malay Activity Executive Committees Council, or Mesra.

The panellists were Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli, Minister of State for Home Affairs Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim and Ms Mariam Jaafar, an MP for Sembawang GRC.

Mr Masagos opened the session by highlighting some topics covered in Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s National Day Rally speech, such as enhanced retirement support, housing and jobs.

On housing, apart from the participant who was worried about his children, another participant raised concerns about those who view housing as an investment and “flip” homes for profit.

“What if someone buys a three-room flat to sell it for profit once the price goes up later on? What will happen to people who actually need the flat?” he asked.

Dr Faishal said the ministries will monitor situations like this. For example, rules are in place to prevent someone who has purchased a Housing Board flat in the past or has private properties from buying more public housing homes.

On the issue of tertiary education, a participant said she hopes to see the proportion of Malay youth in universities increase to match the other racial groups.

Mr Masagos said that while the community can compare its standing with that of other races, they also have to think about where they started. 

He said that when he was in university, only six people in his engineering course were Malay.

He added that he is heartened to now see Malay students who graduate with first-class honours being celebrated at Mendaki events.

“For me, we are thankful for the growth. But it does not mean we are satisfied with that,” he said.

A participant highlighted the importance of palliative care in the community for those who are on their death beds. He said he knows of those who had to quit their jobs to care for their parents.

“We need more initiatives to take care of those facing terminal illnesses,” he added.

Mr Masagos said palliative care is not only a concern for the Muslim community but society as a whole.

He said the Ministry of Health is running programmes to improve palliative care, and palliative care groups here are working towards ensuring the terminally ill get good treatment and can die at home instead of in a hospital.

According to studies, those who die at home are happier than those who die in a hospital, he said. “They want to be around their loved ones and those who have been taking care of them.”

An earlier dialogue on Sept 8 had engaged Malay/Muslim youth on their concerns. The sessions provided a platform for Malay/Muslims to share their views and feedback on government policies and current issues concerning the community.

The sessions, which engaged around 200 people, were held under the Chatham House Rule, under which the participants were not named.

Ms Mariam said at the dialogue that she is happy to see Malay representation in sectors such as technology, law and medicine.

“Representation is really important. We must be confident that we are worthy to sit at the table. Many of our people who have found success can be inspirations for our youth. We are very confident that our children can achieve better.” 

Speaking to The Straits Times after the dialogue, she said the event was heartening, and a useful opportunity to clarify the different government schemes to members of the community, while receiving on-the-ground feedback that can be used to fine-tune these initiatives.

“It’s important to recognise that we have made a ton of progress in all fields, like education and careers,” she added.

“Even as we improve as a community, we continue to be ambitious to go even further. We’ve gone past needing to survive. We are now a community that is looking to show what we can do and show that we are valid members to the nation at large.”