Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manifesto NUSTLS Singapore Tamil Youth Conference 2016 Manif | Page 11

Issue 1: Representation of Minority Groups in the Parliament
Post-Panel Discussion
What can be done to help the people who are underprivileged in terms of family violence,
education, health, finances etc?
• Message must be clearly sent out to households that it is important that they seek the
necessary help and break out of this cycle. It is the individual’s responsibility to escape
from this vicious cycle. Alternatively, education is capable of changing the mindset of
children and equipping them with the knowledge and courage to raise issues that might
be bothering them to their teachers.
• Set up a mentorship programme to be extended at the secondary school level to
encourage face to face interaction.
• SINDA is a very popular organisation that people approach in times of need. Indian
Activity Executive Committee (IAEC)s in Community Centers are also platforms that
people can reach out to. IAEC can bring problems to GRC levels and in turn they can reach
out to the parliament. However, since they are not well known, it is important to increase
the visibility of IAEC first.
• SINDA can set up a social mobility committee that focuses on the social upward mobility
of Indians. Points to note: SINDA may send outreach messages via TV but the under
privileged may not have access to it. Moreover, volunteer programmes should not have
much red tapes.
Recommendation 1: Implement a new MODEL of feedback mechanism for the Indian
members of the public to raise their issues of concern to members in Parliament (Bottom
up approach)
• SINDA stands for Singapore INDIAN Development Association. However, when looking at
its advertisements, or program promotions, it often seems to target the Tamil audience in
specific, and not the Indian population in general. When we say Indians, it includes all.
• Each fraction of the Indian Community (eg. The Tamils, the Gujaratis, Bengalis, Telugus,
Malayalis, etc.) to appoint/have their own leaders. These subgroup leaders to gather the
issues of concerns from their respective communities, and all leaders from the different
groups to come together to compile the issues. Leaders to bring up these issues to a
larger organisation ( like SINDA ). The larger organisation (like SINDA) to bring the key
issues of concern representing the Indian community to the Parliament.
• This model is more apt for the older generation people who are not able to voice their
concerns online, but can better do so by directly communicating with their respective
community leaders.
Issue 1: Representation of Minority Groups in the Parliament
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