Masagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos Mohamad

Masagos Zulkifli Bin Masagos Mohamad (born 16 April 1963) is a Singaporean politician from the People’s Action Party (PAP). He has been the Minister of Social Development and Family since 2020. He was also the Minister of Environment and Water Resources from 2015 to 2020. He has been an MP representing Tampines West in the Tampines Group Representation Constituency since 2006.

Early education

Masagos attended Bukit Panjang Government High School and National Junior College. He later earned a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in electrical and electronic engineering, from Nanyang Technological University in 1988. He completed a Master of Science, majoring in electrical engineering, from the National University of Singapore in 1994.

Early career

Masagos began his career in Singtel in 1988. Besides completing his Master's in Engineering, he earned a Master of Business Administration at the University of Southern California with a master's scholarship from Singtel. Masagos later became the CEO of Singtel Global Offices.

Politics

Masagos began his political career in the 2006 election when he was part of a five-member team from the People's Action Party. The PAP gained about 68 percent of the votes, and Masagos was elected as an MP representing the Tampines West ward of Tampines GRC.  He became Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs on 1 April 2008. Two years later, he was endorsed as Minister of State in these two ministries.

Masagos was elected as Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs in May 2018.

Ministerial works

Masagos has significant ministerial contributions, as mentioned below:

· Minister for Social and Family Development:

• Pioneered the implementation of national schemes during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the COVID-19 Support Grant and COVID-19 Recovery Grant, to distribute financial aid to those in need.
• Introduced the "Year of Celebrating SG Families" initiative in 2022, a nationwide movement highlighting the importance of families through collaborations with corporates, community partners, government agencies, and individuals.

· Second Minister for Health:

• Led a task force to improve Child and Maternal Health & Well-being through strategic planning and development.
• Supervised the launch of the Family Nexus pilot, a one-stop community service hub that integrates health and social services for families.

· Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs:

• Launched the M³ framework, a collaboration between Muis, MENDAKI, and PA MESRA to strengthen community service delivery and empowerment.
• Led the International Conference on Communities of Success, which focused on developing religious leadership and contextualized knowledge for Muslim minority communities.
• Serves as Chairman of MENDAKI and previously chaired the Muslim non-profit organization Perdaus.

· Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC (16 years):

• Became an adviser to Tampines Grassroots Organisations and Chairman of Our Tampines Hub, serving over 250,000 residents.
• Contributed to transforming Tampines into an eco-town with the five-year masterplan and endorsed the launch of the Tampines Goes Farming initiative, including a pilot hydroponics program, rooftop gardens, and vertical gardens.

· Mercy Relief:

• Contributed to establishing Mercy Relief in 2003, which has since become the country's primary independent disaster relief agency, with 97 disaster relief operations across 26 countries.

Awards and Recognition

Masagos' contributions have helped him win awards and recognition. He received the Nanyang Distinguished Alumni Award (2013) and the Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award (2008). Nanyang Technological University also honored him with the EEE Outstanding Alumni Award for his remarkable contributions to the public sector.

Controversy over tudung

Masagos triggered criticism over the tudung (hijab) issue after announcing that public sector nurses could wear hijabs in 2021.

Netizens thanked the Workers’ Party (WP) for championing the voice of Muslim communities and criticized Masagos for taking benefits from the WP proposals.

Masagos then clarified that whether or not to allow hijab was a sensitive issue. 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.”

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1. https://www.ntu.edu.sg/eee/alumni/eee-alumni-awards/mr-masagos-zulkifli-bin-masagos-mohamad

2. https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2021/08/30/netizens-ask-minister-masagos-zulkifli-not-to-claim-credit-for-new-tudung-policy-highlight-his-earlier-stance-against-it/