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.
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 153 articles, Community (42), Economy (32) and Health (23) news were widely
reported in July 2021. This reflects Singapore’s growing concerns over community and economic
trends due to the sudden imposing of Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) restrictions and developments
in Singapore’s COVID-19 vaccination plan.
42
32
23 20
10
25
13 14
7 7
67
45
34
27
15
Community Economy Health Employment Education
No. of Articles
ST BH/BM Total
3
5. Community
Racial Issues
• Singaporeans can make the first move to help strengthen race
relations, say ST webinar panelists (ST, 15 July)
• Singapore's ethnic harmony made possible because majority
knew what was at stake, says Home Affairs and Law Minister
K. Shanmugam (ST, 24 July)
Migrant Workers
• Pilot scheme to facilitate entry of more maids into Singapore
amid Covid-19 (ST, 15 July)
• Employers will be required to give their domestic workers one
compulsory day off each month that cannot be compensated
with cash (ST, 23 July)
• No plans to cut BTO flat supply in 2022, HDB on track to
launch 17,000 units this year: Desmond Lee (ST, 26 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
5
6. Community
General
• Fewer high-income earners feel very happy: IPS study (ST, 18 July)
• URA seeks ideas from Singaporeans for long-term land use plans (ST,
18 July)
• Study: Post-circuit breaker adaptations helped SMEs prepare for
disruptions (ST, 20 July)
• Fewer Singaporeans gambling; addiction chances remain low (ST, 30
July)
• PM Lee Hsien Loong to deliver National Day Rally speech on Aug 22
(ST, 2 July)
• There will be a wide-ranging review of the Government's Covid-19
response after the situation has stabilised, to allow Singapore to
learn valuable lessons and improve its response for future pandemics
(ST, 5 July)
Housing
• Most Singaporeans want more subsidies, strict criteria to keep flats
in prime areas affordable (ST, 5 July)
• Nearly one in three Housing Board blocks and 14 per cent
of neighbourhoods today have reached ethnic quota limits,
underscoring the importance of having the Ethnic Integration Policy
(EIP) in place to ensure social mixing, said National
Development Minister Desmond Lee. (ST, 6 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
6
7. Community
Social Assistance
• Training for volunteers who work with prison inmates and ex-
offenders in Singapore to be enhanced (ST, 13 July)
• President's Challenge 2022 to support lower-income families (ST,
23 July)
• Additional Covid-19 support measures to help companies and
workers affected by the period of heightened alert is expected to
cost $1.2 billion, with the amount covered through the
reallocation of funds, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong
• MCI & MSE to help more hawkers go on digital delivery
platforms (BH, 26 July)
• Wealth tax may be needed to tackle inequality in Singapore (ST,
23 July)
Family
• Fall in marriages and divorces in Singapore last year
due to Covid-19 pandemic (ST, 7 July)
• First-time mums are older, more educated (ST, 23 July)
• More teens are holding debit cards (ST, 25 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
7
8. Community
Wonder Issues/Gender Equality
• Hackathon seeks to make online space safer for women. It is
the first project by the Singapore Together Alliance for Action
(AfA) to tackle online harms, especially those targeted at
women and girls. (ST, 22 July)
• New website set up to help victims amid 36% increase in
sexual abuse involving tech, says AWARE (ST, 14 July; BH, 15
July)
• PAP wings, AWARE, issue recommendations on women's
issues (ST, 30 July)
• PAP groups want full flexibility in sharing of parental leave,
laws against workplace bias (ST, 30 July)
• Law needed to act against 'revenge porn', says AWARE (ST, 30
July)
Arts and Culture
• NDP postponed to Aug 21, after curbs end (ST, 23 July)
• Arts Heritage records found missing, tender bids not properly
assessed (ST, 23 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
8
9. Economy
Source: ST
Source: ST
9
General
• $5.4m in public funds wasted in unused fitness trackers:
AGO (ST, 23 July)
• Pump prices at record levels as economics start to reopen
(ST, 24 July)
• HDB resale prices climb for 5th straight quarter but
at slower pace of 2.8%: Flash data (ST, 1 July)
• 1 in 3 HDB resale flat buyers paid cash over
valuation this year (ST, 12 July)
• Singapore full year inflation forecast raised from 1%
to 2% (ST, 24 July)
International Economy
• Singapore may allow leisure travel by year
end; US, EU, HK among likely locations: Ong Ye Kung (1 July)
• Singapore's grip on $41b marine fuel market
challenged by China (ST, 22 July)
• Asset returns will be low for the next 5-10 years (ST,
23 July)
• Regional markets buoyant as investors shrug off virus
fears (ST, 23 July)
10. Economy
Source: ST
Source: ST
10
Business
• More Singapore firms set to cut office space in
coming months amid Covid-19. Companies are looking at
how they can reduce office space and save on rent - one of
the main costs of running a business. (ST, 4 July)
• Singapore's industrial rents prices up in second quarter (ST,
23 July)
• 90 Tech Pass applications for foreigners in tech
sector approved since January launch. They include
entrepreneurs, experts and those with management
experience in sizeable tech companies. (ST, 5 July)
• Works at Pedra Branca to improve existing
facilities, provide berthing for vessels and additional
logistics, administrative support and communications
facilities on the island are expected to start by the end of
this year (ST, 6 July)
11. Economy
Source: ST
Source: ST
11
F&B Businesses
• Restaurants rethink locations in CBD as work
from home becomes norm (ST, 13 July)
• Businesses scramble for alternative supplies of fresh
seafood as Jurong Fishery Port shuts over Covid-19 cases
(ST, 18 July)
• S'pore's F&B operators fear falling into a deeper hole with
new Covid-19 restrictions on dining in (ST, 18 July)
• Getting hawkers to explore more options
like digital platforms from online orders (ST, 24 July)
• $1.1 billion Covid-19 support package for workers
and firms. It includes wage subsidies of up to 60%, rental
relief and a new hawker relief fund (ST, 24 July)
12. Employment
Source: ST
Source: ST
12
Employment News
• Security and Intelligence division seeks recruits with fresh
views, those who will challenge norms (ST, 20 July)
• Workplace safety crucial issue in security sector says SMS
Zaqy Mohamad (ST, 22 July)
• Progressive Wage Model to cover local escalator maintenance
workers from 2022 (ST, 16 July)
• Job seekers looking to upgrade their digital skills and improve
their employability in the technology and built environment
sectors can now look forward to two new courses (ST, 24 July)
• New tripartite committee to ensure workplace fairness (ST, 27
July)
• Workplace accidents can hinder business recovery,
says minister (ST, 30 July)
• Stricter cleaning regimes for nursing homes, schools and
coffee shops (ST, 30 July)
13. Employment
Source: ST
Source: ST
13
Employment Trends
• Half of Singapore worry over job security, employment
prospects and children's future and 7 in 10 identify as
working or lower-middle class, according to study by IPS (ST,
2 July)
• Jobs created for local professionals, managers and executives
(PMEs) outstrip rise in Employment Passes in finance and
infocomm, said Minister for Manpower Tan See Leng (ST, 6
July)
• More local workers sought help from the authorities for
disputes with their employers on owed salaries and
wrongful dismissals last year, amid the pandemic (ST, 9 July)
• Over 15,000 workers placed in short-term Covid-19 roles
since pandemic started (ST, 26 July)
• Singapore’s total employment falls in Q2 but unemployment
rates improve (ST, 30 July)
14. Education
IHL and Schools
• 50 schools fill at least 40 per cent of Primary 1 slots in Phase
1 of registration (ST, 1 July)
• Schools to reduce capacity for some CCAs, groups sizes cut to
2 (ST, 19 July)
• Schools will stay open despite the current spike in Covid-19
cases, said Finance Minister Lawrence Wong (ST, 20 July)
• ITE students who find it difficult to cope with a shorter runway
can take a lighter load and more time to complete their
courses, said Second Minister for Education Maliki Osman (ST,
26 July)
• Students taking the O, N and A levels this year will not be
tested on some topics covered towards the end of their
syllabus (ST, 27 July)
• 59 students receive Public Service Commission (PSC)
scholarships (ST, 28 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
14
15. Education
Technology
• Temasek Polytechnic has launched its Smart e-
Commerce Centre (SMEC), to equip students and alumni with
the skills to enter the growing e-commerce industry (ST, 20
July)
• A facility offering immersive experiences with
artificial intelligence was launched to encourage firms to
experiment with and develop AI innovations for their
businesses (ST, 20 July) Source: ST
Source: ST
15
16. Health
Covid-19 Updates
• Getting Covid-19 could soon mean an MC, isolation and self
tests at home, says Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (ST, 1 July)
• Over 167,000 oximeters given out on first day, collection
exercise will run till Aug 5 (ST, 6 July)
• WHO experts warn 'more dangerous' Covid-19 variants could
take hold (ST, 16 July)
• Stricter access at more wet markets as virus cases rise (ST, 19
July)
• Fishmongers told to close stalls until they have negative PCR
test (ST, 19 July)
• Tighter curbs until Aug 18 to stem recent spike in Covid-19
cases (ST, 21 July)
• Dining in, personal care services to be banned till Aug 18 (ST,
21 July)
• All Singapore households to get DIY antigen rapid test kits (ST,
26 July)
Source: BH
Source: ST
16
17. Health
Vaccination Updates
• Employers should not make Covid-19 vaccination a must,
but may do so for staff in higher-risk settings (ST, 2 July)
• Booster shots for the Covid-19 vaccine may begin
around Chinese New Year next year, says Health Minister Ong
Ye Kung (ST, 9 July)
• Singapore to donate Covid-19 vaccines under global initiative
to other countries: PM Lee (ST, 17 July)
• PM Lee urges seniors not to put off Covid-19 vaccination (ST,
25 July)
Mental Health
• A total of 452 suicides were reported in Singapore last year,
the highest figure since 2012 (ST, 8 July)
• Social support for those affected by death of Sec 1 student
in RVHS (ST, 22 July)
• President: Do more to help youths facing mental health
issues (ST, 24 July)
• Students to run hackathon to find innovative mental health
solutions (ST, 30 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
17
18. Environment
18
Source: ST
Source: ST
• The number of sites under wastewater testing surveillance for
Covid-19 is set to double by next year, said NEA (ST, 8 July)
• NParks will add new access link from Holland Green Linear Park
to Rail Corridor (ST, 10 July)
• Subsidy for setting up EV charging points on the way (ST, 20
July)
• Singapore prepares to swap oil hub status for greener
future (ST, 19 July)
• $140m joint venture to develop new solutions to further
commercial adoption of hydrogen energy (ST, 21 July)
• The Energy Market Authority (EMA) and Shell have committed
$4 million with support from Enterprise Singapore to grow
local energy start-ups (ST, 22 July)
• PM LEE says, it is important that we continue to find ways to
shift away from fossil fuels to meet our energy needs (ST, 15
July)
• Singapore's first large-scale solar floating farm opens at Tengah
Reservoir (ST, 14 July; BH, 14 July)
19. Malay/Muslim Community
• Bulan Bahasa goes online for 2nd year, with dance contest
and more (ST, 22 July)
• Sabana Reit to remove requirement for Syariah
compliance (ST, 23 July)
• 132 Islamic Studies Graduates enrol in The Postgraduate
Certificate in Islam in Contemporary Societies (PCICS), a full-
time one-year programme that aims to help returning
Singaporean graduates readjust and contextualise to what
they have learnt overseas (BH, 28 July)
• Mufti: Religious leaders should be creative and willing to
give their own analysis on current issues (BH, 19 July)
Source: ST
Source: ST
19
20. MENDAKI/M³
MENDAKI
• 150 families participated in the e-Brunch with MENDAKI
seminar, which helps parents build a solid foundation for
children. A/P Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim also participated as
the guest of honour during an interactive discussion session
with panel members (BH, 13 July)
M³
• SMCCI work with M³ to enhance efforts to reach the community
through youth entrepreneurship and helping women return to
the workforce (BH, 29 July)
MUIS
• Berita Harian editor appointed MUIS president from Aug 7
2021 (BH & ST 31 July)
• MUIS has stressed its commitment to high standards of
governance and robustness in its internal systems (ST, 11 July)
• Muslims have made sacrifices and should continue to act
responsibly to keep Singapore safe, says MUIS (ST, 20 July)
• 5,547 households are eligible to receive Covid-19 MUIS Support
Fund (BH, 27 July)
Source: BH
Source: ST
20