One important lesson from the London bombings of 7 July 2005 was that, while there may have been a plan on what actions to take to maintain communal harmony after a terrorist incident, the outcome and reality on the ground was very different. Despite political and religious leaders issuing statements of unity and solidarity, hate crimes jumped by almost 600% in the weeks following the attack. The question we asked ourselves was - what would be our people’s response if a terrorist incident occurred in Singapore and there was destruction and loss of lives. If, as in the London incident, the perpetrators were home-grown, the strain on our communal relations is likely to be much greater.

2 Over the ensuing months, DPM Wong Kan Seng discussed this issue at several meetings at Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and with PM. It was found that following the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) episode, the Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCCs) and Harmony Circles that were established were found to be useful. However, the level of activity is sometimes uneven across the constituencies and tends to focus narrowly at the local level.

3 Should a bomb explode in Singapore, we are not sure how the rest of Singapore will react to the incident and to each other. In this regard, our leaders saw the need to further strengthen the social and psychological resilience of Singaporeans, not just at the local level, but at broader levels and across other segments of our society too.

4 This was how the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) came about. It aims to be an expanded and more coordinated programme to develop stronger and deeper networks of trust and vigilance among all ethnic communities and across all sectors of society. These networks would involve not just grassroots or religious groups, but also educational institutions (schools, polytechnics, ITEs, universities), employers, unions, clan associations and the media.

The Community Engagement Programme seeks to develop networks of trust across communities in Singapore so that we may be better able to prevent the strain and tensions from terrorist violence or any other crisis undermining our communal harmony and social cohesion. The CEP will also put in place a community response framework where community leaders can be mobilized to help maintain social and psychological resilience in the aftermath of a crisis.

The concern about our actions and outcomes remaining at the superficial level is a common concern among those involved in running community-based programmes or activities. It is not unique to the CEP.

2 Realistically, we must accept that there is often a certain awkwardness and artificiality when a new activity is started involving strangers. That is precisely why we need to persevere, so that over time, what starts off as unfamiliar becomes the norm and natural. In order to enhance the chances of this happening, we need to sustain the activity long enough for it to take root and to become accepted.

3 That is why the CEP seeks to have the groups and their leaders come up with their own activities or ideas, suited to their circumstances. The Government can help with some resources or with coordination. But the creative impetus and self-sustaining energy behind these activities reside with the groups and their members. This will ensure ownership and in turn, enhance and deepen support for the CEP.

4 We hope that through the CEP network, we can reach out to everyone. A key objective of the CEP is to create an extensive and strong network of contact points through people and groups. This will ensure that we have the capacity to reach out as widely as possible in the event of a crisis. This effort will be an on-going exercise which we must stay committed to for the long term.

While the CEP shares similar objectives with past racial and religious harmony efforts, it goes further to build on these efforts, and to make sure that these efforts are more coordinated. In terms of outreach, the CEP involves more sectors in society and not just the traditional grassroots organisations or communal groups. Under the CEP, religious groups, voluntary welfare organisations, ethnic associations, educational institutions, businesses, unions, and the media are also involved. In addition, while previous efforts focused on awareness of the need to stay cohesive and resilient, the CEP goes one step further as it seeks to put in place a crisis response framework where community leaders play an active role in the aftermath of a crisis by helping to calm the people and maintain unity.

Total Defence was launched in 1984 to provide a comprehensive umbrella framework to bring together all Singaporeans to deal with all kinds of threats and challenges. Its five pillars are: military, civil, economic, social and psychological.

2 The CEP can be classified under the social and psychological pillars by involving our community leaders to manage and minimise inter-communal tensions. The NSAP complements the Total Defence and CEP by promoting greater public awareness about the security threats that Singapore faces.

The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) is actually not very different from our current community outreach efforts. It is instead an extension of our ongoing efforts to involve the community in tackling safety and security issues at the local neighbourhood level.

2 The Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP) aims to draw the community into tackling community issues and problems affecting the safety and security of the local neighbourhood, such as tackling bicycle thefts.

The Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP) on the other hand aims to impart critical knowledge and skills in emergency preparedness to members of the public, such as first aid and responding to fires.

The CEP basically aims to bring together Singaporeans from different communities to take part in response plans that deal with potential communal tensions after terrorist incidents. It is an extension of our ongoing efforts in both the CSSP and CEPP.

Although they sound different, the activities under these 3 programmes are not mutually exclusive. Rather, the partnership with the community can be extended and strengthened by taking it one step further to equip and prepare Singaporeans to prevent communal tensions that may arise after a crisis. For instance, the skills imparted by one community under the CEPP can be used during a crisis to help another community. In doing so, the communities show that they remain united, and help to defuse communal tensions that may arise, which is an objective under the CEP.

Already, at the level of the Home Team Sectors (Northern, Southern, Eastern and Western), the community has been working with the Home Team on safety and security issues, such as in the Neighbourhood Watch Zone Scheme and to promote fire safety.

A Ministerial Committee for Community Engagement (MCCE) chaired by DPM Wong Kan Seng with ministers representing Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and People’s Association (PA) will drive the effort.

2 A Community Engagement Steering Committee (CESC) chaired by PS (Home Affairs) is supporting the MCCE. MHA provides the secretariat support for both committees. The CESC comprises lead agencies which will oversee and facilitate activities in the following clusters – religious and voluntary welfare groups and clans (MCYS); grassroots (PA); educational institutions (MOE); media (MICA); employers and unions (MOM). While we will start with 5 clusters, we will enlarge the coverage to other sectors over time.

3 The CEP is not meant to displace or diminish the autonomy of the various groups in the community. Instead, the aim of the CEP structure is to better support the efforts from the ground up. We want the groups to continue to have ownership over the process, to develop plans and activities that are meaningful to their members and are self-sustaining. The Government’s role is that of a coordinator and facilitator - helping with resources or expertise when called upon, finding ways to connect people and groups to form the multiple strands and layers of the CEP network.

Our aim is for the CEP network to reach out to everyone because we all have a role to play. The 5 clusters that are identified for a start, encompass a wide spectrum of Singapore society so as to reach out to as many people as possible. However, this does not rule out the possibility of including other clusters in the future to achieve an even more inclusive network.

2 The CEP can also reach out to communities separately outside the clusters. For example, although the foreign worker community can be considered to be outside the employers and union cluster, MOM is also working on reaching out to them, as they too have a part to play.

Community leaders, like you, are key to the success of the CEP. During times of normalcy, community leaders need to develop strong ties with members both within and across communities to strengthen the trust between every member of society.

2 In the event of a security incident, community leaders can help calm the ground and rebuild confidence in their communities. Community leaders, being close to the ground, can help by staying vigilant and providing early warning on potential problems that might emerge. While the government takes the lead to implement emergency response plans, community leaders can also mobilise their communities to complement and augment these plans.

3 As community leaders, you will receive training under the CEP to help you develop core competencies and skills that are crucial in your role in maintaining social resilience. Examples of such training are courses in media handling as well as para-counselling.

Click here to find out how you can get involved in the CEP!

There are many areas where you can volunteer in support of the CEP, such as working with the Grassroots as well as with youths on leadership building programmes and camps. Below is a list of areas and interest groups with whom you can get in touch with to volunteer your services in support of the CEP.

Since the launch of CEP in February 2006, the Ministries and People’s Association have each held workshops and seminars for the community leaders in the clusters that they oversee. MHA organised a National Seminar on 24 March 2007, where more than 350 community leaders, Home Team officers and guests were given an update on the CEP efforts for the past year and came together to discuss and deliberate on future initiatives. Selected activites include:

2 Apart from Government organised events, we have seen a number of initiatives and activities at the community and neighbourhood levels. The response has been encouraging, both in terms of the number of activities, and their depth and breadth.

3 Some of the self-initiated activities include:

Developing Emergency Responses

a. The Yuhua Grassroots Organisations’ CEP workshop which was held in March 2006 to brainstorm responses in the event of a crisis happening in their neighbourhood.

b. In October 2006, members of the Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC Emergency Preparedness Groups and Community Emergency Response Teams took part in a table-top exercise aimed at mitigating communal tension following a simulated terrorist attack.

Building Community Ties

c. The Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) and the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) formed a CEP taskforce to engage the other ethnic groups. Among its initiatives was a job fair in September 2006 to increase the number of Malay workers in Chinese firms, as well as conversational Mandarin courses for Malay workers to facilitate better communication.

Building Inter-Religious Understanding

d. The Harmony Centre at An-Nahdhah Mosque was opened in October 2006 to offer a platform for inter-religious dialogue and forums to help increase inter-religious understanding. The Centre conducted its first interfaith training programme in January 2007 for participants to better understand and appreciate the different religious fundamentals and their impact on society.

e. In September 2006, Mendaki Club organised a forum for Malay/Muslim professionals to discuss the threat of terrorism, and the roles that individuals should play in combating terrorism.

f. Al Khir Mosque and the Grassroot Organisations from Choa Chu Kang, Keat Hong and Yew Tee organised an Inter-Faith Forum for community leaders in January 2007. During the forum, representatives from major religions outlined key elements of their faiths to the community leaders to engender greater understanding of their religions.

g. In January 2007, a forum on "World Religions and Search for Peaceful Co-existence" was organized by the University Scholars Programme, Ba'alwie Mosque and Inter-Religious Organisation to discuss ways to enhance inter-faith understanding.

Your feedback on the CEP is important to us. You can contact your respective cluster lead agencies to provide your feedback or write to us at singaporeunited@mha.gov.sg.

Such clustering of religious institutions, such as churches, temples and mosques, near one another would make it easier for the people of different religions to learn more about each other’s faiths.

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The Police applies the law in Singapore equally to everyone. When an organisation or group wants to hold a special event and they want some leeway to enable followers to park in a place, the Police may make an exception on a case-by-case basis.

Pls click here to view the relevant article.

Total Defence was launched in 1984 to provide a comprehensive umbrella framework to bring together all Singaporeans to deal with all kinds of threats and challenges. Its five pillars are: military, civil, economic, social and psychological.

The Community Engagement Programme (CEP) was launched in 2006 and, in a nutshell, it is a long-term effort aimed at bringing Singaporeans together to develop trust and understanding, so that we can prevent and minimise racial and religious tensions in the aftermath of a crisis. The CEP can be considered under the social and psychological pillars by involving our community leaders to manage and minimise inter-communal tensions, and by encouraging all in Singapore to get involved and play a part to strengthen inter-communal bonds. The CEP thus complements Total Defence.

Need more information?

• Find out more about CEP here
• Information on how each of us can get involved in the CEP can be found here
• Find out about Total Defence here