Mr Mohd Alami Musa, Chairman AMP

Mr Abdul Halim Kader, Chairman Tabung Amal Aidilfitri

Distinguished panel of speakers, commentators and resource persons

Community leaders from various voluntary welfare organisations

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Assalamualaikum wr. wb.

First of all let me commend the Association of Muslim Professionals for taking the initiative to organise this seminar. This seminar cannot be more timely as Singapore prepares itself to enter into the new millennium and strives to be a nation that places a strong emphasis on human resource development coupled with a high standard of infrastructure and facilities support.

We have done well and every sector of society has played a very significant part in preserving the stability and peaceful climate of the country. Our performance in the recent regional economic crisis has proven that we as one nation are capable and willing to do our part in ensuring that our economy perseveres. Our actions have convinced foreign investors on the prudence of investing here and at the same time, beckon further investments.

As we move closer towards the new millennium, there will be many more challenges and opportunities facing us. For those who are able to exploit the opportunities presented in a knowledge-based economy, they will prosper economically. For example, using the internet alone can offer many business opportunities. The only essential ingredients required to succeed are knowledge, innovation and the ability to use and adapt to modern technologies, such as the computer. The government recognises these and has taken steps to promote technopreneurship such as by providing high start-up grants to encourage individuals and companies to venture in new businesses.

We should encourage our budding entrepreneurs to strengthen their SME position and ready to evolve with the economy so that more and more of them can join the "middle class" group of businesses, if not better. The time will come in the next millennium when some of them will complement the "heavy-weight" corporations and thus creating more jobs. In this noble pursuit we can obtain the assistance and advice from MTI, EDB or some other institutions like the Chamber of Commerce to help set the right direction. I see the need to derive strategies to develop SMEs among the Malay/Muslims. Such strategies may include the setting up of a one-stop centre to facilitate a marketing network and serve as a confluence of quality products, technology applications and expert knowledge.

The Singapore 21 concept espouses that every Singaporean matters. What this means is that everyone – the civil service, statutory bodies, corporate organisations, volunteer welfare bodies, community leaders and grassroots organisations alike - will play a part to reach out and assist those who have difficulties in managing the new trend. There may be those who do not have the means nor knowledge to follow the flow. It would be most unfortunate if they are left behind and become irrelevant in the era of a knowledge-based economy.

The Malay/Muslim community has the civic tradition of helping members in difficulty. The assistance may be financial, social or in any other form so as to provide avenues for the needy to improve their lives. It is in this spirit of mutual help or ‘gotong royong’ that the Tabung Amal Aidil Fitri or TAA has continued to receive strong support from the community, the general public and corporate organisations in its donation drive. I am pleased to say that TAA has managed to collect more than $4.6 million since its inception in 1992. It raised a record of $1.19 million last year despite the recession. The money collected was then disbursed to disadvantaged individuals who had registered with Tabung Amal. Some funds had also been set aside to help Malay/Muslim organisations in their community projects, individuals who suffer from chronic ailments, and overseas relief assistance for victims of natural calamities or on other humanitarian grounds. This year however, TAA is adopting a new approach to assist the poor and the disadvantaged in the community. As the saying goes, "Give the man a fish and he will eat for the day, but teach him how to fish and he will eat for a life time". TAA will help these individuals and families holistically. Besides monetary assistance, TAA would also like to see that these beneficiaries also participate in developmental programmes to improve their socio-economic well-being.

For this purpose, I am pleased to announce the formation of the AMP–TAA Strategic Alliance. This alliance will be the first joint project under this new approach. The objective is to help individuals and families who are receiving financial assistance from TAA this year go through a Basic Assistance Scheme and a Total Assistance Scheme. These are schemes that incorporate financial aid, educational assistance, training and developmental programmes as well as a computer ownership programme to help them get familiar with IT.

In principle, the assistance programme aims to empower them so that they can take charge of their own lives. If we know about the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, we must also have 7 Hijrahs or transitions in life to improve their standing in the community, as stated by AMP.

The FIRST Hijrah is to assist these families to have a COMPASS IN LIFE. Based on feedback, we know that most disadvantaged individuals and families lack this compass to help them navigate through the complexities of life. Being Muslims, they need to learn about Islam as their compass in life. They need to have a vision in life and strengthen their value system so as to resist the temptations of undesirable elements and activities.

SECONDLY, we must REACH OUT AT SOURCE when we offer our hands to assist the disadvantaged. Through developmental and other preventive programmes for youths in schools, other learning institutions as well as those in national service, we would be able to reduce the number of people entrapped in the vicious cycle of underdevelopment.

The THIRD Hijrah is to KNOCK ON THEIR DOORS as a continuation of the second strategy. Through home visits, we will be able to appreciate the affected families’ predicaments and assist them in areas that they need.

The FOURTH Hijrah is to EMPOWER THE FAMILIES so that they can take charge of their lives. We need to encourage them to attend training and other developmental programmes to raise their self-esteem and self-confidence.

The FIFTH Hijrah is to INVOKE SOCIAL CONSCIENCE in the Malay/Muslim community so that the community is aware of the plight of the disadvantaged. We need to have more para-counsellors and befrienders to reach out and assist the disadvantaged. This, in a nutshell, is the concept of fulfilling other peoples’s needs without asking for one.

The SIXTH Hijrah is to have more STRATEGIC ALLIANCES between organisations to maximise resources and produce more effective results. Through such collaborations, organisations can share their experience and expertise and this will benefit the clients they are serving. This is the rationale for TAA to forge a strategic alliance with AMP and the details of this alliance will be announced soon.

Finally, from all of the above I hope the Malay/Muslim community will have a new image that is vibrant, lively and dynamic in the new millennium. This is the SEVENTH Hijrah. We should do away with the issues of Malay/Muslims being associated with drug abuse, high divorce rate, juvenile delinquency and other social ills that have marred the image of the community. Only then can we focus and strive for a higher position in society. In the business world, for instance, the new millennium may see us transform our SMEs into the "middle-class" group of companies in the hierachy of corporations, if not better.

I hope that the discussions that will take place today and tomorrow can consider the 7 Hijrahs that I mentioned as a framework from scenarios to strategies. After painting all these scenarios, we must develop new social action strategies or refine existing ones.

At this juncture, I would like to take a page from our Islamic history. Although all the ‘sahabats’ were very busy engaging themselves in Jihad in the quest to propagate our faith, they were devoted to acquiring and further spreading of knowledge. This panel of ‘sahabats’ were exclusively entrusted with Fatwa even during the lifetime of Rasulullah saw. The panel comprised the following ‘sahabats’ : Abu Bakar Umar, Uthman Ali, Abdul Rahman bin Auf, Ubai bin Kaab, Abdullah bin Masud, Muaz bin Jabal, Amal bin Yasir, Huzaifah, Salman Farsi, Zaid bin Thabit, Abu Musa and Abu Darda (Radhiallahuanhum).

Although their engagements left them with very little time to drink deep from the ocean of learning, their single-mindedness and zeal in this direction has left us a legacy in the form of knowledge about the Quran and Hadiths. This creditable and shining showcase of devotion and enthusiasm was later to be followed in the other fields of philosophy and science. We must continue with this legacy so that we can produce more and more ‘Mansor Jalils’ not only in the field of making the smallest computer chips, but also the biggest impact or impression in the other fields of knowledge. Being in Singapore with all these opportunities, situations and conditions, I believe that Singapore Malays will be in the forefront of change.

In conclusion, I would like to thank AMP for inviting me to officiate this seminar and I wish all participants a fruitful discussion. Thank you.

Wassalamualaikum wr. wb.