RPD Bites is a monthly scan covering issues and trends surfaced in various local mainstream media sources that would be of relevance to the Malay/Muslim community. It is compiled by the Research and Planning Department (RPD) of Yayasan MENDAKI. The key highlights for this month are: - Health (71) - Community (61) - Economy (37) This reflects Singapore’s growing concerns over community and economic trends due to the loosening of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) restrictions and developments in Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.

1. August 2021

2. What is RPD Bites?
RPD Bites is a monthly scan covering issues and trends surfaced in various
local mainstream media sources that would be of relevance to the Malay/Muslim
community. It is produced by the Research and Planning Department (RPD) of
Yayasan MENDAKI.
RPD Bites begins with an article count across different media sources which
are categorised into these main areas: education, economy, employment and
employability, social and community, and Malay/Muslim affairs. Other salient areas
for the month are also highlighted. It then delves into emerging themes and trends
observed.
We hope you find this month’s RPD Bites insightful and useful for your
needs. We look forward to your continued partnership and support, and welcome
any suggestions you might have. You can reach us at RPD@mendaki.org.sg to
feedback.
RESEARCH &
PLANNING
DEPARTMENT
2

3. Overall Coverage
• With a total of 252 articles, Health (71), Community (61), Economy (37) and news
were widely reported in Aug 2021. This reflects Singapore’s growing concerns over
community and economic trends due to the loosening of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert)
restrictions and developments in Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.
37
23
51
26
11
18
24
14
20
9 11 8
61
37
71
35
22 26
Community Economy Health Employment Education Others
No. of Articles
ST BH/BM Total
3

4. Emerging Themes & Trends
4

5. Community
General
• The Social and Economic Impacts of COVID-
19 Mitigation Measures on Citizens and
Permanent Residents During the Circuit Breaker
Period in Singapore (NTS Insight, Aug 2021)
• Lower-income Singapore households
affected by Covid-19 to get more financial support (ST, 2
Aug)
Racial Issues
• More can be done to reduce bias, move towards race-
blind society (ST, 11 Aug)
• President Halimah seeks more support for single
mothers, end mental health stigma and racial
stereotyping (ST, 12 Aug)
• Finding common threads between different faiths (ST, 9
Aug)
• Singapore must continue to have mature and open
dialogues to foster mutual understanding and hear
different points of view in Singapore to address any
risk of polarisation early and carefully to preserve our
social fabric and safeguard our racial and
religious harmony (ST, 21 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
5

6. Community
Housing
• Land availability is a sound basis to determine mature, non-mature
status of HDB towns (ST, 18 Aug)
• Over 4,900 HDB BTO flats launched, including in Queenstown,
Jurong East for the first time in about a decade (ST, 11 Aug)
• Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) ensures accessibility to all key to
keeping public housing inclusive (ST, 5 Aug)
• 800 more interim rental flats under HDB scheme but qualifying
household income is capped at $7,000 (ST, 3 Aug)
• Over 38,400 to get direct rental aid ahead of schedule (ST, 6 Aug)
Migrant Workers
• PM lee addresses anxieties over foreign work pass holders
being (ST, 8 Aug)
• It is not possible to 'bubble wrap’ Singaporeans from foreign
competition, especially with rise of remote work (ST, 13 Aug)
• New measures to retain, hire work permit
holders in construction, marine shipyard and process sectors
(ST, 13 Aug)
• Foreigners plug gap as locals shun jobs in Singapore's social
service sector (ST, 16 Aug)
• Singapore will stay open to the world, continue
to welcome foreign contributions (ST, 20 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
6

7. Community
Social Assistance/Elderly
• 8 nursing homes set up in past 5 years, but
institutionalising elderly should be the last resort (ST, 3 Aug)
• Sharp fall in adoption applications amid pandemic travel
curbs (ST, 16 Aug)
• Extra help gives co-operatives a needed lift (ST, 16 Aug)
• 70,000 to get $40m in matching top-ups to CPF (ST, 19
Aug)
• President assents to over $2b in support measures (ST,
20 Aug)
• Yellow ribbon project launches new campaign to help
ex-convicts adapt to society (BH, 6 Aug)
• Community pilot programme, Uplift, to widen access to
more areas (BH, 8 Aug)
Family
• Number of kids born to single unwed mums down since
2013 (ST, 4 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
7

8. Community
Social and Gender Equality
• MPs call for greater efforts to bring about gender
equality (ST, 4 Aug)
• Laws to tackle workplace discrimination in Singapore
cannot be too rigid (ST,10 Aug)
• No let-up in efforts by Govt to improve lives of
Singapore women, says Sun Xueling (ST, 4 Aug)
Arts and Culture
• NDP performers overcome challenges of rehearsing
online amid pandemic (ST, 18 Aug)
• NDP 2021: Celebrating 10th NDP at the Marina Bay
floating platform (ST, 21 Aug)
• NDP 2021: A parade to lift spirits (ST, 21 Aug)
Sports
• Swimmer Yip Pin Xiu wins first gold for Singapore at
Tokyo Paralympics (ST, 25 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
8

9. Economy
Source: ST
Source: ST
9
Business
• Awards to recognise SMEs for innovation and
resilience (ST, 4 Aug)
• 3 unicorns emerge as Singapore tech start-ups raise
$5.3b (ST, 5 Aug)
• Singapore ranked joint 4th best economy for how
fast start-ups become unicorns (ST, 5 Aug)
• Firms relieved by direct payouts as these avoid
disputes with landlords (ST, 11 Aug)
• Singapore must build on key strengths, grow new
ones (ST, 14 Aug)
• 3 challenges for Singapore to tackle:
➢ Addressing anxieties over foreigners, while
staying open (ST, 14 Aug)
➢ What more can be done to help lower-wage
workers (ST, 14 Aug)
➢ Refreshing efforts to maintain harmony for a
new generation (ST, 14 Aug)
• Market rides on economic recovery, but tech stays
tepid (ST, 16 Aug)
• Singapore committed to staying open to world (ST,
21 Aug)z

10. Employment
Source: ST
Source: ST
10
Employment News
• Transforming the future of nursing in Singapore (ST, 1
Aug)
• 'Tech-lite' roles in ICT sector also need to be filled (ST,
1 Aug)
• National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) called for
legislative backing for the National Delivery Champions
Association (NDCA), National Private Hire Vehicles
Association (NPHVA) and National Taxi Association
(NTA) (ST, 8 Aug)
• Over 20,500 jobs, attachments and traineeships still
available in infocomm sector (ST, 15 Aug)
• Firms in Singapore restore wages after pay cuts and
freezes last year (ST, 19 Aug)
• Landscape workers to see annual wages rise by 6.3%
on average under Progressive Wage Model (ST, 21 Aug)
• Workers to get savings, perks under new NTUC plan
for SMEs (ST, 24 Aug)

11. Education
Schools and Institutes of Higher Learning
• Schools have the autonomy to start later if needed (ST, 4
Aug)
• Phase 2C of Primary 1 registration opens; 12 schools have only
20 places each on offer (ST, 4 Aug)
• SIT pilots workplace learning pathway towards university
degree (ST, 5 Aug)
• Pilot project lifts students' school attendance (ST, 11 Aug)
• 4 new SkillsFuture work-study programmes to be launched
by January 2022 (ST, 14 Aug)
• Students to get instant feedback on English assignments
with new AI system (ST, 18 Aug)
• Tap SkillsFuture Credit for e-learning under three platforms
from Sept (ST, 21 Aug)
• Study shows that specialised degrees give best returns on
university fees(ST, 24 Aug)
• New graduate diploma course to help boost mental health of
youth (ST, 24 Aug)
• Republic Poly launches new facility to help start-ups, aims
to inspire more students to be entrepreneurs (ST, 25 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
11

12. Technology
Technology
• Smart tech one way to boost healthcare system (ST, 4
Aug)
• Investment in science vital to spur growth (ST, 5 Aug)
• New e-waste drive sets targets for salvaging raw
materials (ST, 10 Aug)
• Lack of awareness of what should go into e-waste
bins in Singapore (ST, 10 Aug)
• NTU researchers develop battery powered by
perspiration (ST, 16 Aug)
• Building a thriving tech ecosystem in Singapore (ST,
10 Aug)
• New search function to help firms decide on brand
names among new IP resources to help companies
(ST, 24 Aug)
• QR codes a familiar sight now in Singapore but e-
payment adoption rises only slightly (ST, 24 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
12

13. Health
General
• Medical check-ups for maids enhanced to better detect
abuse (ST, 6 Aug)
• Move to rein in cost of cancer care to help more
patients (ST, 18 Aug)
• IPs may not cover all outpatient cancer treatments
from 2023 (ST, 18 Aug)
COVID-19/Vaccination Updates
• Singaporeans will soon be able to walk in for Pfizer jabs
(ST, 4 Aug)
• WHO calls for a halt on booster doses until at least
end-Sept (ST, 5 Aug)
• Covid-19 restrictions relaxed from Aug 10, dine-in to be
allowed (ST, 7 Aug)
• No screeners soon as public places in Singapore cease
temperature checks (ST, 15 Aug)
• Covid-19 vaccination extended to short-term pass
holders in Singapore from Aug 18 (ST, 18 Aug)
• Singapore eases curbs, with more allowed back in
office (ST, 19 Aug)
Source: BH
Source: ST
13

14. Health
Mental Health
• Social media use can trigger feelings of inferiority or
inadequacy among young (ST, 1 Aug)
• Mental health advocates welcome plans to have more
school counsellors but say barriers remain (ST, 1 Aug)
• Students prefer their teachers to counsellors for mental
health support (ST, 1 Aug)
• Medical blues - More doctors facing burnout (ST, 4 Aug)
• Study shows that people with a religion have better
mental health(ST, 4 Aug)
• Schools lend a helping hand to students with mental
health woes (ST, 9 Aug)
• Working from home but burning out (ST, 11 Aug)
• 45,000 calls made to National Care Hotline since April
last year (ST, 15 Aug)
• NTU study shows that risk of depression grows with
more time spent on Facebook (ST, 16 Aug)
• Task force flags pandemic's impact on mental health
(ST, 24 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
14

15. Malay/Muslim Community
Community
• SMCCI launches 2 new initiatives to encourage
Malay/Muslim businesses’ growth in Singapore (BH, 2
Aug)
• Hijab issue will be addressed during the National Day
Rally (BH, 4 Aug)
• Female circumcision procedure is safe from a medical
standpoint (BH, 7 Aug)
• Rediscovering the Malay identity (BH, 9 Aug)
• Almost all 25,080 spaces for Friday prayers booked at
mosques as Covid-19 measures ease (ST, 20 Aug)
• Malay Language needs to stay relevant for the
children’s development (BH, 23 Aug)
MUIS
• Election of new president hopes to strengthen MUIS’
standing (BH, 1 Aug)
• MUIS to give beneficiaries more than $4 million from
wakaf-generated income (ST, 5 Aug)
Economy
• Murabaha structure allows more access to SMEs and
new individual personal investments (BH, 8 Aug)
Source: ST
Source: ST
15

16. National Day Rally
Employment & Wages
• Firms hiring foreigners to pay all locals at least $1,400;
progressive wages for retail and other sectors (ST, 30
Aug)
• Fair employment guidelines to become law, new
tribunal to deal with workplace discrimination (ST, 30
Aug)
• MOM looking into issue of work benefits and welfare
needs of delivery workers (ST, 30 Aug)
• Employment Pass, S Pass criteria to tighten over
time; foreigners must accept ethos, norms of Singapore
society (ST, 30 Aug)
Economy
• Singapore to refocus on new growth, no longer about
'keeping ourselves on life support’ (ST, 30 Aug)
16
Source: ST
Source: ST

17. National Day Rally
Community
• New law to deal with racial offences, promote harmony
through softer approach (ST, 30 Aug)
• ‘Entirely baseless’ to claim there is Chinese privilege in
Singapore, says PM Lee (ST, 30 Aug)
Malay/Muslim Community
• Muslim nurses in public healthcare allowed to wear
tudung from November; policy will apply to 7,000 staff
(ST, 30 Aug)
• Malay/Muslim community has done well but concerns
remain over home ownership and education (ST, 30
Aug)
• Do not pressure nurses to wear the tudung, says
Masagos (ST, 30 Aug)
17
Source: ST
Source: ST

18. Published by
MENDAKI Research and Planning Department
(Aug 2021)
18