One of Singapore’s founding fathers and the person who laid the foundation of the administration of Muslim affairs in Singapore, Haji
Othman Wok, has passed away. He was formerly the Minister for Social Affairs and Minister for Culture for Singapore.
Said the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (Muis) in a statement, "With his passing, the community has lost a strong leader who sought tirelessly to uplift the community. His significant contributions not only create a deep impact on the lives of the Singaporean Muslims but have also enabled them to grow and prosper as the nation grew."
Muis notes that Ex-minister Othman's greatest legacy is the development of the Administration of Muslim Law Act (AMLA)
together with the late Professor Ahmad Ibrahim. AMLA made the establishment of Muis, the Syariah Court and the Registry of Muslim Marriages (ROMM)
possible.
"This was a manifestation of his foresight in building institutions which would build and
serve the community," said Muis. "He played a big role in establishing the Mosque Building Fund (MBF)*, at a time when resources
had to be mobilised to build new mosques for the community as the nation underwent rapid
urbanisation. Through this fund, the community has been able to build 26 new multifunction
mosques, offering many programmes for religious learning and social development which benefit
the community and beyond till this day. The use of the fund has since then also been expanded
to include upgrading of old mosques and religious education."
Othman was also involved in setting up the Singapore Pilgrimage
Office, Singapore’s first formal system of registration for Hajj activities. "This has helped to establish
an efficient and professional management of the haj system that ensure a smooth journey for the
Singapore Hajj pilgrims," stated Muis.
Associate Professor Yaacob Ibrahim, Minister for Communications and Information and Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs, Singapore, said on his Facebook page that Ex-Minister Othman paved the path towards progress for Singapore's Malay/Muslim community. "Encik Othman also introduced the compulsory registration of Hajj pilgrims to provide them with medical and welfare services. Through his tireless efforts, he laid the strong foundations for the administration of Muslim affairs that the community enjoys today," said Minister Yaacob in a post on the subject.
*Now known as the Mosque Building and Mendaki Fund (MBMF)