• Mr Faisal Manap asked whether the Government would relook allowing Muslim women in uniformed services to don the headgear
• The Workers' Party MP said the rule barring them from doing so has deterred many Muslim women from taking up such roles
• Mr Masagos Zulkifli stressed that the Government’s secular stance has been consistently clear in policymaking
• The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs said the uniform policy in the public service cannot be tilted towards any religious belief

SINGAPORE — Delicate issues such as the wearing of the tudung in uniformed services should be debated in closed-door consultations, Mr Masagos Zulkifli said in Parliament on Monday (March 8).

The Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs was responding to Mr Faisal Manap, Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Aljunied Group Representation Constituency, who had raised the issue in his Budget debate speech on Feb 24.

In his speech, Mr Faisal asked whether the Government would relook allowing Muslim women to don the headgear while working in uniformed services such as nursing, adding that the rule barring them from doing so has deterred many Muslim women from taking up such roles.

During the debate on the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s budget set aside for Muslim affairs for the upcoming financial year, Mr Masagos on Monday noted that this is not the first time the matter has been raised, stressing that the Government’s secular stance has been consistently clear in policymaking.

“This is our approach when dealing even-handedly with requests from different religious groups, especially when it affects our common spaces,” he said.

Explaining why the uniform policy in the public service cannot be tilted towards any religious belief, Mr Masagos said that in services that play a critical role in society, the uniform is a visible sign that the service is rendered equally regardless of race or religion.

“Allowing tudungs would introduce a very visible religious marker that identifies every tudung-wearing female nurse or uniformed officer as a Muslim,” he said.

“This has significant implications — we do not want patients to prefer or not prefer to be served by a Muslim nurse, nor do we want people to think that public security is being enforced by a Muslim or non-Muslim police officer,” he added. “This is what makes the decision difficult and sensitive.”

On why the Government takes a closed-door approach when discussing such issues, Mr Masagos said “public aggressive pressure” can only make compromise harder.

Any government concession to religious pressure would also cause other groups to adopt similarly aggressive postures.

Hence, for sensitive issues like the wearing of tudung in workplaces where uniforms are required, discussions and consultations with the community continue to be held behind closed doors, he added.

Mr Masagos’ point was reiterated by Dr Maliki Osman, who stressed that the Government has engaged union leaders, religious leaders and respected members of the community — putting to them the concerns of the Government and other community leaders outside the Muslim community.

Dr Maliki, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Education and Foreign Affairs, said that uniforms serve to project the common identity which, in turn, develop an esprit de corps and strengthen camaraderie.

“In the case of public healthcare services, the uniform underscores that our healthcare workers are neutral and provide impartial care regardless of race or religion.

“This is a reminder to both the healthcare workers as well as the persons receiving their care. This is in addition to the uniform meeting operational and safety requirements,” said Dr Maliki.

Mr Faisal on Monday also asked why opposition MPs such as himself were not included in these closed-door discussions on delicate issues.

In response, Dr Maliki said: “Whether Mr Faisal Manap participates in these sessions or not, I think the most important thing is a large segment of the community has been consulted and we continue to consult them.”

Acknowledging that while Mr Faisal may not agree with the Government’s approach on such issues, Dr Maliki noted that the Government has the support of religious scholars and community leaders who “understand that these issues, especially those that involve racial and religious sensitivities, are complex and any decisions on them should not be taken lightly”.

“We hope that they will also in their own ways discuss these matters with their members, constructively yet in private, away from the glare of the public.

“I hope Mr Faisal Manap can do likewise. If he wants to speak to community leaders, he can do so, but do so away from the glare of the public,” he added.