• More than 70 CDC initiatives have been rolled out between February and June this year
• Mr Lee said CDCs help implement government programmes with a “human touch”
• Mr Lee was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for mayors helming the five CDCs

SINGAPORE — Community Development Councils (CDCs) often have a low profile, but with more than 70 initiatives rolled out between February and June this year, the Covid-19 crisis has shown their contributions to be vital, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Wednesday (Sept 23).

“You function not just as the hands and legs to implement the programmes, but also eyes and ears to identify emerging needs and gaps in social support,” he said.

“Most importantly, you can deliver services with a human touch, in a way that government agencies that operate on a national scale try very hard to do, but will find it harder to do.”

Mr Lee was speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for mayors helming the five CDCs at the People’s Association headquarters at Jalan Besar, with guests tuning in through online video-conferencing platform Zoom.

CDCs are grassroots bodies that were formed in 1997 under the People’s Association to strengthen community bonds and foster social cohesion. 

Mr Lee said that the Government fully supports the mission of the CDCs, which was why a further S$75 million grant was set aside in this year's Budget to support their efforts.

Among the initiatives put out this year by the CDCs was the giving of S$20 million worth of vouchers to help 400,000 households with the cost of living. 

Mr Lee said that these vouchers not only benefited many middle-income families who are feeling the pressure at this time of the Covid-19 crisis, but were a financial boost to the 8,000 hawkers and small- and medium-sized enterprises in the heartlands.

Mayors have also stepped up efforts to help make their residents more employable, such as organising SkillsFuture@CDC 2020, an online event to help more than 250,000 residents learn about job search strategies and the skills they need to succeed in the future economy, he added.

“To fulfil their duties well, CDCs must be led by strong leaders, who are familiar with the local community, and can mobilise and motivate their councillors, volunteers and partners,” Mr Lee said.

On Wednesday, three mayors — Ms Low Yen Ling, Ms Denise Phua and Mr Desmond Choo  — were reappointed. Ms Low was reappointed chairperson of the Mayors' Committee to coordinate programmes across the five CDCs.

There were two new mayors. Mr Alex Yam, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marsiling-Yew Tee Group Representation Constituency (GRC), takes over as mayor for the North West District from Dr Teo Ho Pin, who stepped down after having served for 19 years. 

Dr Teo is Singapore’s longest-serving mayor.

Mr Fahmi Aliman, a newly elected MP for Marine Parade GRC, takes over as mayor for the South East District from Dr Maliki Osman, who Mr Lee said gave up his appointment “reluctantly” after being promoted to being a full minister in the Prime Minister’s Office.

When asked how he was coping with his new responsibilities, Mr Fahmi told TODAY: "These are all exciting opportunities, and I am thrilled to be able to work with different groups of people — looking at unions, working with my grassroot leaders, working with corporate and community partners to understand the ground better. 

"But in current times, I guess everyone is doing everything differently — going online to engage the community instead of their usual approach to hold events, for example, so everyone is facing a learning curve as well, not just myself."

While the mayors were formally sworn in on Wednesday, the new appointments had taken effect from July 27 and lasts three years.