The Community Development Council (CDC; Malay: Majlis Pembangunan Masyarakat; Chinese: 社区发展理事会; Tamil: சமூக மேம்பாட்டு மன்றம்) is a government-led organisation to organise grassroot organisations and community programmes into smaller, local units as a bridge between the government and the community in Singapore. It encourages volunteerism from wider community, and organises community and social assistance programs with the help of a monetary grant from the government. They are governed by the Community Development Council Rules 1997.
Organisation
editThere are currently five Community Development Councils as of 27 July 2020:[1]
The council boundaries follow that of the existing political divisions, with each handling between four and six GRCs and SMCs and roughly dividing the country's population into equal parts. Each CDC is managed by a Council, which in turn is headed by an appointed mayor[2][3] and has between 12 and 80 members. The members are appointed by the chairman or deputy chairman of the People's Association.
Mayors
edit| Community Development Council (CDC) | Mayor[3] |
|---|---|
| Central Singapore | Denise Phua |
| North East | Desmond Choo |
| North West | Alex Yam |
| South East | Mohd Fahmi Aliman |
| South West | Low Yen Ling |
Singapore has in total five mayors, each responsible for the CDC in a specific district.[4] Mayors also sit as the chairman of the CDC. According to former politician Teo Ser Luck who was the mayor of the North East district, mayors are in charge of laying foundation for building camaraderie within communities.[5]
However, the necessity of having five mayors in a small city-state like Singapore is sometimes questioned.[6] In 2021, during the parliamentary debate on Budget 2021, Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh questioned the amount of salaries paid to the mayors and whether is there a need of full-time CDC mayors.[3] Central Singapore CDC's mayor, Denise Phua, replied that she is the only full-time CDC mayor while the rest are considered part-time mayors.[7]
Funding
editThe CDCs are funded by an annual sum from the government directly proportionate to the number of residents living within their jurisdiction at a rate of S$1 per person. They are free to conduct their own fund-raising programs, which the government will match S$3 for every S$1 raised, up to a cap of S$40 million a year from 2018 financial year.[8] Previously, the cap was S$24 million a year. The government also pays for the councils' operational costs, including that for its offices.
References
edit- ^ "People's Association (Community Development Councils) Rules". Singapore Statutes Online. 2 October 2015.
- ^ "Community Development Councils are envisaged - Singapore History". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
- ^ a b c "Many Singaporeans feel CDC mayor salaries are 'outrageous': Pritam Singh". sg.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ Do, Cindy (25 November 2020). "A day in the life of a mayor: Beyond public engagements, how CDCs work to serve the community". CNA. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ Tan, Misaki (18 August 2020). "Singapore CDC Mayors: Who are they and what do they do?". The Independent Singapore News. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "PMO | PM Lee Hsien Loong at the 11th Central Singapore CDC Council Appointment Ceremony". Prime Minister's Office Singapore. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
- ^ "Work of CDCs should not be politicised, says Denise Phua after Pritam Singh's comments on their relevance". CNA. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
- ^ "Singapore Budget 2018: Tax deduction scheme extended to promote the spirit of giving". The Straits Times. 19 February 2018.