History
To counter racial and political tensions in Singapore during the 1950s and 1960s, and foster closer ties among different ethnic groups through centralised control, the Government of Singapore established the People's Association (PA) through anManagement
According to the People's Association Act, the Association consists of: #theConcerns on partisanship
Concerns have been raised as to whether the management of the PA, a statutory board, should be less politicised. The governingLapses in governance
On 15 July 2015, the Auditor-General's Office (AGO) annual audit report flagged lapses in governance. It highlighted that 35 of 91 Community Club/Centre Management Committees (CCMCs) had awarded $17.78 million worth of tenancy contracts without proper approval. In another case, Admiralty CCC's Chairman had approved $114,767 worth of claims to himself and two contracts worth $32,000 of which he had a conflict of interest; he has resigned voluntarily. PA deputy chairman Lim Swee Say told Parliament that most of the non-compliance flagged shows no systemic irregularity. He explained many of the cases while accepting that processes can be reviewed.Grassroots organisations
Starting with 28 community centres, the PA has over 1,800 grassroots organisations (GROs) with more than 25,000 volunteer grassroots leaders as of 2017. Grassroots volunteers visit residents to encourage community involvement, raise awareness about community issues, explain government policies and gather feedback, as well as help those in need. It has since grew to 109 Community Centres islandwide as of 2020. Grassroots volunteers and leaders who have volunteered for more than two years qualify for various benefits, such as priority for their children's primary school placement, priority in the application for flats, special parking label at government housing estates (for grassroots work related), and free courses paid by the government (under NACLI, this is to impart knowledge of what they have learnt to the ground, and to re-enforce their required skills in times of crisis). Prior to each general election, prospective candidates of the People's Action Party are sometimes attached to the member of parliament for each constituency to do grassroots work at various GROs, if they were not PAP branch activists, or had not worked with the National Trade Union Congress and government-linked grassroots previously. Staff at the PA are fully paid and do not take part in any decision-making processes. They are only to provide support to the GROs, which include the Citizens' Consultative Committees, Community Club Management Committees, Residents' Committees in public housing estates and Neighbourhood Committees in private housing estates.Citizens' Consultative Committees
The Citizens' Consultative Committee (CCC) is the umbrella grassroots organisation in a constituency in Singapore. CCCs plan and lead grassroots activities in a constituency, they oversee community and welfare programmes and they also act as a feedback channel between the government and the people. The first CCC was established in January 1965. The CCC's objective is to keep the government informed on the needs of the people, and the people informed of government action and policy in these matters. It is also to promote good citizenship amongst the people. Following the 1964 race riots in Singapore, village and clan leaders in the CCCs were mobilised to help maintain racial harmony. The committee helps to execute government campaigns such those for as dengue prevention, cleanliness and recycling, racial and communal cohesion. They also organise community forums and administer welfare assistance. Members in the CCC are volunteers appointed by the chairman once every two years and this appointment has to be approved by the adviser, which is the member of parliament for each constituency. In the case of an opposition-held ward, where the sitting MP is prohibited from being an adviser to the PA, the governing party candidate for the next general election will be made the adviser to the GRO. Members usually have a background in politics, or are significant contributors in the Singapore political scene. In 2015, the Singapore Auditor-General's Office flagged several financial irregularities in procurement and payment in multiple CCCs. The Admiralty CCC chairman had approved his own monetary claims of S$114,767, three of which had no supporting documents. He was also involved in approving of two contracts to a company where he held a senior management position. Another CCC member who was in charge of approval process was both a director and a shareholder of the company. PA deputy chairman and cabinet ministerCommunity Club Management Committees
Community Club Management Committees provide recreational activities and learning opportunities. Each CC serves about 15,000 households or an average of 50,000 people. The CCMCs manage and oversees all the CCs. CCMCs are made up of volunteers who work with full-time staff to manage the CCs.Residents' Network
Residents' Committees (RCs) were first established in 1978 in two constituencies in Singapore (Tanjong Pagar and Marine Parade) with the aim of promoting neighbourly interaction, good communal relations and overall cohesion. RCs also serve as channels of communication between residents and the Government. RCs, like CCCs, initially came under theYouth Network
The T-Net Club (Teens Network Club), part of the People's Association network, is a non-profit youth organisation. It organises a wide range of activities to engage the youths and develop their potential. These include educational, social, recreational, cultural and performing arts, sporting and community service activities. Over the years, the T-Net Club has developed several flagship events such as the T-Net Club Sports Fiesta, T-Net Club Premier League, T-Net Club Basketball Tournament, and the T-Net Club “Bowl with a Heart” Community Service Project. Together with the Educational Series in Mathematics, History, Chinese and Malay, and the Sudoku and Sports Quizzes, these events help extend the Club's outreach to the teenage community. In 2019, the committee has changed its name from Youth Executive Committee to Youth Network.Community Emergency and Engagement Committees
The Community Emergency and Engagement (C2E) Committees is the community Emergency Preparedness (EP) Unit formed in each constituency. The C2E Committees is the amalgamation of the former Emergency Preparedness Group and Civil Defence Executive Committees. C2E Committees help strengthen community resilience by involving residents, grassroots leaders, educational institutions, business, religious, voluntary welfare organisations and other community partners in Community Emergency Preparedness programmes. Each of the 84 constituencies has formed a C2E Committees to enhance our capability to effectively respond to, and quickly recover from any emergency. The Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is an organised group of volunteers equipped with special training to respond to an emergency and assist the community in the recovery process. The main role of the CERT is to strengthen the emergency response capabilities of the local community. Being closer to the ground, they can respond to an emergency before the arrival of the emergency authorities. Members receive the following trainings: Community Emergency Preparedness Programme (CEPP, Standard First Aid Training (with 3 years certification), Basic Cardiac Life Support Course (with 2 years certification), and Crisis Intervention Workshop.Community Development Councils
First established in 1997, Community Development Councils (CDCs) were formed to help build a more cohesive, compassionate and self-reliant society. Initially, the CDCs offered local programmes to meet the needs of the residents in their districts. From 2001, the delivery of social services, including the development of childcare, student care and family care centres was devolved from the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports to the CDCs. As CDCs are closer to the ground, they are better able than government ministries to promptly address the needs of residents. The CDCs also play an important role in mobilising the community to help needy residents, including giving them interim financial assistance and helping them find jobs. The CDCs offer services identified under the common strategic goals of 'ABC': Assisting the Needy, Bonding the People, and Connecting the Community. Each of the current five CDCs; Central Singapore, North East, North West, South East and South West is headed by aCommunity Clubs
When Singapore attained self-governance in 1959, many Singaporeans were faced with poor employment prospects and had little opportunity for skills training. Recreational, social and sports facilities were few and far in between. The PA converted former food distribution centres set up by the British administration intoOther PA organisations
In addition to its network of grassroots organisations, the PA also operates the PA Youth Movement, National Community Leadership Institute and a water sport club called PAssion WaVe.National Community Leadership Institute
NACLI or National Community Leadership Institute is the training facility of PA, established in 1964. It conducts workshops, facilitates workplan retreats, and organises dialogues and other learning events. The Institute anchors its training and development of grassroots leaders on the Community LEAD framework; a comprehensive and holistic approach to developing core leadership competencies in grassroots leaders. NACLI also collaborates with Institutes of Higher Learning to offer Joint Certification Programmes as part of its curriculum. The Institute's training and accommodation facilities are available for rental, and based on availability of resources, NACLI also conducts student leadership and corporate teambuilding programmes.PAssion WaVe (PAWV)
The PAssion WaVe (PAWV), formerly known as Water-Venture, offers a range of land and water sports activities like sports climbing, abseiling, kayaking, sailing, dragon boating, windsurfing and power boating to the community. Interesting children's programmes are also offered. In October 2014, PAWV took on a new portfolio to spread awareness to the community & initiate a call-to-action to protect our environment through waste management and a change in our everyday behaviour. Currently, there are six PAWV outlets island-wide, which are run by professional staff and assisted by a dedicated pool of trainers and volunteers.PA Youth Movement
The People's Association Youth Movement (PAYM) is Singapore's largest youth organisation. Started in 1971, the PAYM caters to youths aged 12 to 35 years old It is a two-tiered organisation, comprising 101 Youth Clubs based in the Community Clubs and the Central Youth Council. Some of the youth-inspired events that PAYM has organised include "City Alive! 2009", Singapore's Biggest Dance Party; "YOUTHSpeak on Budget 2009", a National-level Policy Forum; and "Heart to Heart We Serve the Community", a series of community service activities. Overseas community service projects include trips to Cambodia, Maldives and China, such as Project "INitiate"; and Hip Hop competition "Pop Culture" amongst other international exchanges.PA Talents
PA Talents is an umbrella group for more than 300 part-time musicians and dancers performing traditional, ethnic art forms. In 2006, Cultural Medallion recipient Dick Lee was appointed its creative director. Formerly known as the PA Cultural Talents, it was set up in 1965 as a performing unit with full-time performers to bring arts and cultural performances to the masses by performing in community centres. It was one of the first groups in Singapore to create multi-ethnic performances in the early 1980s. In 1997, following a strategic review, the group ceased having full-time performers due to limited resources and now relies on a pool of part-timers. PA Talents consists of ten groups: five orchestras (Orkestra Melayu Singapura, the PA Youth Chinese Orchestra, the Singapore Indian Orchestra and Choir, the Singapore Pipe Band and the Singapore Pop Orchestra), and five dance groups (the Chinese, Indian, Malay and Modern Dance Groups, and a hip-hop club). About a hundred performances are staged each year in national and grassroots shows such as theControversy
Radin Mas Controversy
On 28 May 2021, a Singapore citizen, made a post on Instagram stating that People's Association permitted the use of her and her husband's wedding photo for aReferences
External links
* {{Authority control 1960 establishments in Singapore Government agencies established in 1960 Statutory boards of the Singapore Government Singapore government policies 1960 establishments in Malaya Youth councils