SPEECH BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND COORDINATING MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICIES, AT MENDAKI’S #MAKINGCONNECTIONS, 10 JULY 2026

Senior Minister of State Zaqy Mohamad, Chairman of Yayasan MENDAKi

Mr Feroz Akber, Chief Executive Officer, Yayasan MENDAKI

All my parliamentary colleagues

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen 

1.          I am pleased to join you for this year’s MENDAKI’s #MakingConnections event. So let me say a few words in Malay.

2.       Sekitar empat puluh tahun yang lalu, MENDAKI ditubuhkan untuk meningkatkan taraf masyarakat Melayu/Islam melalui pendidikan dan pembelajaran sepanjang hayat. Selama ini, MENDAKI telah membantu ramai anggota Melayu/Islam, untuk berjaya dalam pelajaran, kerjaya dan kehidupan. Misi MENDAKI terus kekal relevan sehingga hari ini.

3.       Kini, kita dapat melihat kemajuan yang telah dicapai hasil usaha daripada MENDAKI selama ini. Jumlah golongan Karyawan, Pengurus, Eksekutif dan Teknisyen Melayu telah meningkat daripada tiga puluh dua poin dua peratus pada tahun dua ribu lima belas kepada empat puluh enam poin enam peratus pada tahun dua ribu dua puluh lima. Dalam tempoh yang sama, golongan pemegang ijazah juga telah meningkat daripada tujuh poin tujuh peratus kepada tiga belas poin tiga peratus. Hari ini, sekitar empat daripada setiap sepuluh pelajar Melayu melanjutkan pengajian mereka ke Institut Pengajian Tinggi.

4.       Pencapaian ini amat signifikan. Kejayaan ini bukti usaha gigih individu dan keluarga, sokongan para guru dan pemimpin masyarakat, serta kepercayaan bahawa pendidikan dan kemahiran dapat membuka laluan baharu.

5.       Namun, kita sedar bahawa pendidikan formal tidak mencukupi bagi membentuk generasi muda. Pembelajaran bermula apabila kita keluar daripada sistem pendidikan. Kita belajar daripada rakan sekerja dan penyelia yang membimbing kita. Selagi kita terus bersikap ingin tahu, selagi itulah kita akan terus maju.

6.       Dalam hal ini, saya ingin mengucapkan syabas kepada MENDAKI atas pelancaran inisiatif Rangkaian Karyawan MENDAKI. Inisiatif ini bukan sekadar rangkaian malah memberikan peluang untuk kita terus belajar sepanjang hayat. Melalui rangkaian ini, para karyawan dapat berkongsi pengalaman dan kepakaran, saling membantu meningkatkan keupayaan masing-masing, serta membimbing generasi seterusnya.

7.       Pada hari ini, MENDAKI turut memperkenalkan tiga Rangkaian Karyawan dalam bidang Pendidikan, Keusahawanan dan Sukan. Rangkaian ini akan bekerjasama dengan badan akreditasi yang relevan bagi membantu ahli karyawan mendapat pensijilan yang diiktiraf.

8.       Izinkan saya teruskan ucapan saya dalam bahasa Inggeris.

9.       If you open any news publication or app today, you are bound to come across another article on Artificial Intelligence (AI). You go to any PMET (Professionals, Managers, Executives, and Technicians) event, there will be a speech on AI - how it will affect jobs, the economy, and perhaps even humanity. And AI now occupies an awkward place in our minds. Very awkward, because first we know it is important. We wonder how it will change our lives. Some are excited by it, some are worried by it, and quite frankly, all of us are sick of it.

10.        Yet this is a subject we cannot avoid, especially at a gathering like this, where professionals have come together to think about the future of AI, the future of our work, the future of our community and Singapore. So let me offer some practical perspective for whatever it’s worth.

11.        There are many ways to look at AI. One is the star-gazing view that stretches our imagination, that AI will change the world, transform how we work and live, and agents can take over many tasks that people do today. The workweek may shrink from five days to become four, three, two, and finally humans do not need to do work. We spend more time just directing agents and humanoids than doing the work ourselves. We may build many more data centres to power AI, to draw on new energy sources such as nuclear fusion, and seek raw materials. If we need more materials from data centres and there is not enough, we go to the deep sea, or we go to the moon.

12.        There is the navel-gazing view. That says: I do not want to worry about all this. All these technological breakthroughs, maybe they have nothing to do with me. I have enough to deal with in here and now – my job, my health, supporting my parents, taking care of my kids, make sure they go to a good school, their PSLE score, complain to government; I have lots of things to do. I have no time for AI.

13.        Then there are those who sense that there is change in the air, they want to prepare for it, but they do not know where to start. Should I move into the tech space? Should I pursue further studies? If yes, what do I study? This is the crystal-ball gazing view. There is a willingness to act, but an anxiety of not knowing is the best and correct action.

14.        So there is a little bit of star-gazing, navel-gazing and crystal-ball gazing in every one of us. And that is not a bad thing. We need imagination to understand how technology may reshape our future. We also need to keep our feet on the ground, because technology must ultimately solve practical problems that are here and now, and improve people’s lives. And most importantly, we need to act to prepare ourselves well for whatever comes, even though it is uncertain.

15.      So what should we do? My suggestion is this: in times of uncertainty, when we have more questions than answers, we should focus on what is evergreen. Technologies will change. Business models will change. Job titles will change. But some things endure. These are the things we should hold on to, build upon, and invest now.

16.      First, I say individually, we must master our craft. Whatever our profession is – teacher, social worker, sports coach, healthcare worker, artist, engineer, public officer, lawyer, accountant – there is a craft behind it. Mastery takes years, decades, even a lifetime. It requires practice, humility, discipline, and a willingness to keep learning.

17.        AI  can help us work faster, organise information better, and take over some routine tasks. It can take over the mundane, mediocre, but it cannot replace mastery. But if we truly know our craft, and understand the judgement, context and human needs behind the work, AI will find it hard to replace us. Instead, AI becomes a tool in the hands of a master.

18.        Second, build a community around the craft. Craftsmanship seldom thrives alone. It grows when practitioners come together and set standards, learn from each other, pass their kung fu from one generation to another, mentor and coach them, share opportunities, and take pride in doing good work. This was how the old guilds worked, which gave young craftsmen a pathway to learn from masters.

19.      In a modern economy, professional communities can play that similar role. They are the 21st century guilds – not closed circles, but open communities of practice that protect standards, transmit knowledge and widen access. That is why I truly find the MENDAKI Professional Networks very commendable. It is an initiative of our time. They bring professionals together not just to network, but to build capability, mentor others, uplift the community and the individuals.

20.      In the Malay/Muslim community, this is especially powerful because social mobility is not just about individual effort. It is very much about access to networks, role models, mentorship and opportunities. So when a young person can meet someone from a similar background who has journeyed the path that he wants to take, the possible future becomes more real.

21.      Finally, let us be confident about the future. The Malay/Muslim community has faced many transitions before. Each time, the community responded by investing in education, strengthening families, supporting one another, and building institutions such as MENDAKI. The results are visible in the progress of students, professionals and families over the years.

22.      So let us face AI and other disruptions, without the beginning of fear. We should begin with confidence – not a blind belief that everything will be fine, but a grounded assurance that if we keep learning, mastering our craft, and building communities around that craft, supporting each other, we can shape the future rather than be shaped by it.

23.      I look forward to a meaningful dialogue with all of you. Thank you.