Speech by President Halimah Yacob at Exemplary Father Award 2022

Mr Md Fadzrun Bin Adnan, President of Ain Society

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good afternoon. I am happy to join you at the 9th Exemplary Father Award, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. The Exemplary Father Award recognises fathers who have demonstrated the qualities of being an active and involved parent in their children’s lives. This year’s Exemplary Father Award is even more meaningful as it coincides with 2022 being designated by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) as the Year of Celebrating SG Families.

Families form the bedrock of our society. Families are our first line of support, providing us with unconditional love, care and support through the ups and downs of life. Within a family is also where treasured values are transmitted and passed down from one generation to the next. Values such as love, care and concern, commitment, and respect, which strong families are anchored on. Strong families in turn nurture resilient individuals, who become contributing members of a caring society. This underpins the work undertaken by the Government, community partners, and enterprises to support our families and foster a Singapore ‘Made for Families’ in education, health and housing, and through marriage and parenthood benefits.

Fathers play an important role in building strong families and nurturing a child, contributing to the child’s socioemotional development during their formative years. Hence, the promotion of active parenting must be at the heart of our endeavour to build strong families and to give our children a good start in life. We must continue to support our fathers, just as we support our mothers.

There are three trends that are discernible today regarding the role of fathers in parenting.

First, fathers today want to be more involved in their children’s lives and be present for them as they journey through life. Fathers are no longer content to just leave the task of caring for their children to mothers while they focus on putting food on the table. This change is partly due to the rise of dual income families in Singapore, which makes it difficult for mothers to provide the whole spectrum of care for their children, and they need the active involvement of fathers to help children navigate the complex and multi-faceted world that we live in. But it is also due to changes fathers are experiencing over their role in the family and their desire to meaningfully shape their children’s lives. Fathers are now more willing to talk openly about their parenting experiences which is no longer taboo. A good development is fathers’ willingness to take paid care leave to be with their babies when they are born. The take-up rate of paternity leave has steadily increased from about 25 per cent when it was first introduced in 2013, to 55 per cent in 2019.

Second, fathers are now better supported. MSF works with community partners such as the Centre for Fathering (CFF) to shift societal mindsets towards more active and involved fathering. Since 2000, CFF has been empowering fathers to play an active part in their children’s lives and to be good role models for them. In celebrating the importance of fathers in the family, CFF has rolled out many initiatives over the years, such as DADs for Life, Back to School with Dad, Eat with Your Family Day, and Celebrating Fathers. CFF also has programmes and workshops catered to fathers of any ages and in all life stages.

I commend the community groups for stepping up their support for parents. In August last year, MSF launched the Alliance for Action to Strengthen Marriages and Family Relationships. One of the six focal areas of the AFAM is ‘Parenting Together’. The focal area’s group members work together with the Ministry of Education and other community partners to put together just-in-time tips and topics as well as bite-sized parenting information for parents and grandparents.

Third, workplaces have become more receptive to the needs of fathers and flexibility schemes at work cover both parents. More fathers are now availing themselves of such flexibility without feeling guilty or fearing being perceived as less committed to work. Research has shown that workplace support is a key factor affecting the level of paternity leave utilisation across different types of jobs and companies in Singapore. This includes whether supervisors are supportive of fathers taking leave, and whether colleagues are willing to cover their duties. In some labour-intensive jobs, employers may have concerns about fathers going on extended leave due to the challenge of finding covering arrangements. In such situations, employers could exercise more flexibility in fathers’ utilisation of paternity leave, to minimise disruption to business operations.

I encourage workplaces and employers to recognise that parenting is a shared responsibility, and to be understanding and supportive of fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives. The pandemic has also shown that it is possible for employers to provide more flexibility to workers with caregiving responsibilities. This flexibility increases employees’ job satisfaction and motivation at work, which in turn, can result in better business outcomes for employers, and help employers better attract and retain talent. The Government will continue to work with stakeholders and employers such as the Singapore National Employers Federation and the Institute of Human Resource Professionals, to share the benefits of parental leave and promote best practices to support employees in taking the leave.

The finalists of this year’s Exemplary Father Award share some common traits such as the emphasis they placed on their children’s education and personal development. Their experiences and sacrifices growing up in hardship have shaped their own journeys as fathers.

The finalists have supported their children in various ways. For example, Haji Mohamad Haj Ibrahim would keep his children company and prepare beverages for them as they revised their studies. Muhammad Mahadi Bin Mohamed Ashim volunteered his time as the Chairman of his daughter’s school’s Parents’ Support Group, encouraging other parents to be involved in their children’s learning and development. Rohani Bin Mani made sure to put aside time after work to spend with his children, teaching them the importance of ‘self-care’ in the process. These are all positive attributes of parenting that I hope all fathers will strive to emulate. After all, it is fathers who can be proud when their children grow to become well-rounded adults who lead meaningful lives and who will look after their parents when the time comes.

Lastly, beyond celebrating the hard work and achievements of all fathers, today’s event also serves as a timely reminder for all of us to practise the core family values of love, care and concern, commitment and respect in our everyday lives. I invite each of you to pledge your commitment through our Celebrating SG Families Pledge. The Pledge is an initiative by AFAM in support of the Year of Celebrating SG Families.

In closing, I congratulate the finalists of this year’s Exemplary Father Award. Let me also commend Ain Society for their efforts to highlight the importance of family in our society. As we mark the Year of Celebrating SG families, let us recognise the importance for fathers to be actively involved in raising their children – to borrow the peribahasa, ‘bagai menatang minyak yang penuh’. May all our parents find joy in their parenting journeys. Let me now say a few words in Malay.

Selain meraikan kerja keras dan pencapaian kaum bapa, acara hari ini merupakan satu peringatan untuk kita sentiasa mengamalkan nilai-nilai kekeluargaan, iaitu rasa cinta atau kasih sayang, peduli dan prihatin, komitment dan hormat, dalam kehidupan seharian kita. Saya menggalakkan anda untuk mengikrarkan komitmen anda melalui Ikrar Meraikan Keluarga SG. Ikrar ini merupakan satu inisiatif Perikatan untuk Bertindak bagi Mengukuhkan Perkahwinan dan Hubungan Keluarga, atau AFAM, bagi menyokong Tahun Meraikan Keluarga SG.

Sebagai penutup, saya ucapkan tahniah kepada para finalis Anugerah Qudwah Hasanah tahun ini. Saya juga ingin merakamkan penghargaan kepada Persatuan Ain atas usaha mereka menonjolkan kepentingan keluarga dalam masyarakat kita. Keluarga adalah tunggak masyarakat dan kaum bapa memainkan peranan penting dalam membina keluarga yang berdaya tahan. Sempena Tahun Meraikan Keluarga SG, marilah kita mengiktiraf pentingnya penglibatan kaum bapa dalam membesarkan anak-anak mereka secara aktif dan dengan penuh kasih sayang, bak peribahasa ‘bagai menatang minyak yang penuh’. Saya harap para ibu bapa kita akan meraih kebahagiaan dalam menjalankan tanggungjawab mereka. Terima kasih.