SINGAPORE: The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) announced on Thursday (Jan 9) the appointment of a new Mufti, who will assume office on Mar 1.

Ustaz Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram will step down after completing his current term of appointment and Ustaz Dr Nazirudin Mohd Nasir will be appointed the new Mufti, a press statement from MUIS said.

Dr Naziruddin is currently the deputy Mufti.

The appointment is made by the President of Singapore in consultation with the council.

The role of Mufti is significant to the Muslim community in Singapore.

“(It) is a position that is accorded significant respect by Singaporean Muslims, including the Asatizah fraternity, as well as by the religious leaders of other communities, and from around the world,” MUIS said.

“The Mufti sets the tone for the Islamic religious leadership fraternity in Singapore, and plays a vital role in strengthening social cohesion by fostering the community’s integration in the wider multi-religious society.

“As chair of the Fatwa Committee, Mufti also oversees key religious rulings that guide the Muslim community in Singapore.”

Dr Fatris is stepping down after nine years as Mufti to “give new leaders the opportunity to lead the community”.

During his tenure, Dr Fatris, 49, strengthened the Office of The Mufti as well as the development of religious teachers, officers and scholars in Singapore, MUIS said.

He led the development of many religious policies, it added.

“His forethought also includes guiding the younger associate members of the Fatwa Committee (and) developing the Asatizah Recognition Scheme.”

He currently serves as member of the Appeal Board for Syariah Court in Singapore, and is a member of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.

Dr Fatris will continue to serve as a senior associate member of the fatwa committee and chair the Quran steering committee, MUIS said.

As an elder, he will continue to mentor and guide the new team as well as younger members of the asatizah fraternity in Singapore, it added.

MUIS said Dr Nazirudin, 43, has “extensive experience in the Office of Mufti, and has made significant contributions in supporting Mufti to advance religious policies”.

As the deputy Mufti, he directly support the Mufti in providing guidance for the Muslim community’s religious life.

On his appointment, Dr Nazirudin said: “I am deeply humbled to accept this responsibility, and pledge to further advance the good work of my predecessors. I consider myself blessed to have benefited from the guidance of Dr Fatris for more than ten years.

“I will be working very closely with a strong team in the Office of the Mufti to serve the Singapore Muslim community and the wider society in achieving greater progress and social cohesion.”

Dr Nazirudin will be supported by two deputy Muftis, Ustaz Mohd Murat Md Aris and Ustaz Dr Mohammad Hannan Hassan.

Ustaz Murat will oversee religious policies and Ustaz Dr Hannan will oversee asatizah development and madrasah curriculum, MUIS said.

SINGAPORE: Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon on Thursday (Jan 9) described the death of Singapore’s former top judge Yong Pung How as “truly this nation’s loss”, saying that his 16-year tenure as chief justice was the “most consequential in our history”.

Mr Yong, whose career included stints as a banker and a university chancellor, served as Singapore’s second chief justice from 1990 to 2006. He died on Thursday aged 93.

In a written statement on behalf of the Singapore judiciary, Chief Justice Menon called Mr Yong a “prodigiously talented individual” and a “foundational figure” in Singapore’s legal and national history.

“He leaves behind a legacy that is nothing less than the modern and progressive judiciary and legal system that Singapore has today,” said Chief Justice Menon.

READ: Former chief justice Yong Pung How dies aged 93

FROM CEO OF OCBC TO SINGAPORE’S SECOND CHIEF JUSTICE

Mr Yong was born on Apr 11, 1926, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

He spent almost two decades in legal practice before deciding to enter the finance industry in 1971. During that time, he became the first managing director of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) and later, the CEO and chairman of OCBC Bank. 

At the age of 63, Mr Yong returned to the law as a Supreme Court judge in 1989 and was appointed chief justice the following year.

“Mr Yong was a prodigiously talented individual whose diverse gifts and interests brought him beyond the law into business, finance and public administration,” Chief Justice Menon said in his statement.

“In each field he entered, Mr Yong reached its pinnacle,” he added.

BOUNDLESS ENERGY

As chief justice, Mr Yong proved himself “not only to be an eminent jurist but also a visionary leader, an astute administrator, and a reformer of boundless energy”, said Chief Justice Menon. 

When Mr Yong first became Singapore’s top judge, the courts “groaned” under a backlog of 2,000 suits, said Chief Justice Menon, adding that it would have taken many years for the courts to clear.

Mr Yong, however, tackled the challenge with “steely resolve”.

“He set to work immediately, implementing a suite of changes that transformed the judiciary and the legal system,” said Chief Justice Menon.

This included introducing the system of pretrial conferences, streamlining court procedures, establishing night courts, expanding the bench, increasing the number of court sittings and daily hearing hours and redesigning policies to attract legal talent, said Chief Justice Menon.

Aside from those, Mr Yong also launched the electronic filing system, established the Singapore Law Reports, and opened the Singapore Mediation Centre.

By 1994, the backlog had “largely been reduced to a footnote in our legal history”, said Chief Justice Menon.

“In successfully modernising the justice system and expeditiously clearing the backlog, Mr Yong’s tenure as chief justice perhaps stands as the most consequential in our history.”

A BELIEVER OF SECOND CHANCES

Mr Yong also believed in second chances and rehabilitation, which continues to guide Singapore’s judicial system 20 years later.

“Mr Yong saw the first responsibility of the courts as the protection of the public, tempered by a sensitivity to the individual’s potential for rehabilitation,” said Chief Justice Menon.

“While his emphasis on deterrence as a principle of criminal justice is well-known, Mr Yong never overlooked those who deserved a second chance.

“He famously observed that for young offenders in their formative years, rehabilitation would generally be the dominant sentencing consideration, which became a hallowed principle that continues to guide us two decades later.”

LEADERS HERE AND ABROAD SANG HIS PRAISES

When he retired on Apr 10, 2006, accolades for Mr Yong poured in.

“At a farewell dinner hosted at the Istana, (former) President S R Nathan spoke of how Mr Yong had always ‘impressed (him) as a clear-minded individual, forthright, principled, fair-minded and above all a warm and humorous person’,” Chief Justice Menon recalled.

From the United Kingdom, Right Honourable Lord Bingham of Cornhill, then Senior Lord of Appeal in Ordinary also praised Mr Yong.

“(He) remarked that Singapore’s ‘legal and judicial systems (had) flourished as never before under his leadership’,” the chief justice said.

Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, however, had the “highest and most moving accolade” for Mr Yong, said Chief Justice Menon.

“Appointing you as chief justice was one of my best decisions. … You have done Singapore a service,” Chief Justice Menon cited Mr Lee as saying then.

The chief justice concluded: “All of us – the judiciary, the legal profession, and indeed every Singapore citizen – owe Mr Yong an immense debt of gratitude: for his heart of service, his sense of justice, and for dedicating his life, wholly and without reserve, to the nation he loved.

“His passing is truly this nation’s loss.”

YONG PUNG HOW WAS A “SELFLESS TITAN”: K SHANMUGAM

Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Thursday also paid tribute to Mr Yong on Thursday, describing him as someone who was “sharp, immensely practical, and formidable to appear before”. 

“(Mr Yong) was a great man. A selfless titan, who dedicated himself to building up Singapore, and her institutions. His achievements are well recorded in multiple spheres, beyond the law,” Mr Shanmugam said. 

He wrote about his experiences with Mr Yong over the years and how he had introduced “close to 1,000 initiatives” in the former Subordinate Courts, now known as the State Courts. 

“His efforts contributed greatly to Singapore now being regarded as a trusted international legal centre, with a strong judiciary,” he said.

“Our system is what it is today, because of his unparalleled vision and foresight.”

SINGAPORE: Banks in Singapore announced on Wednesday (Jan 8) that they will be offering new notes to their customers for their Chinese New Year celebrations.

DBS/POSB customers can obtain new or good-as-new notes from Thursday to the eve of Chinese New Year (Jan 24) at 40 POSB pop-up ATMs across 20 community clubs islandwide.

UOB and OCBC customers can also start collecting their new notes from Thursday.

FOR DBS/POSB CUSTOMERS

At the pop-up ATMs, DBS/POSB customers can withdraw the new or good-as-new notes in sums of S$100 (S$2 x 50), S$300 (S$10 x 30), $500 (S$50 x 10) and S$600 (S$10 x 20 or S$50 x 8).

The pop-up ATMs are accessible 24 hours a day, except for those at Chong Pang and Teck Ghee Community Club, the bank said. Their locations can be found here.

POSB ambassadors will be available to help customers at various pop-up ATM locations from 9am to 9pm.

DBS/POSB customers can also reserve the notes online and collect them from any full-service branch at their preferred dates and times through the bank’s online reservation system. The denominations available are S$2, S$10 and S$50.

Alternatively, they may walk in to any DBS/POSB full-service branch – except for DBS Marina Bay Sands branch and DBS Woodlands Service Centre branch – to collect or exchange the notes, subject to availability.

Customers collecting or withdrawing the new or good-as-new notes at DBS/POSB pop-up ATMs or branches will receive two sets of red packets, “made from environmentally friendly paper derived from sustainable sources”, the bank said.

DBS/POSB branches will also have recycling bins for used red packets from Jan 28. The bins will be available all year so customers can also recycle packets from Hari Raya and Deepavali.

FOR UOB CUSTOMERS

UOB customers can reserve their new notes online through UOB Personal Internet Banking from Jan 9 to Jan 19, the bank said. The new notes come in denominations of S$2, S$10 and S$50, and exchanges are capped at S$1,400 in total.

Customers can choose their preferred date and branch to collect their new notes, with the last day for collection on Jan 21.

Walk-in customers can exchange new notes at any UOB branch – except the Hangout@SP, Sengkang Express and Tampines One branches – from Thursday to Chinese New Year’s Eve (Jan 24), subject to availability.

FOR OCBC CUSTOMERS

OCBC customers can walk in to any branch to obtain new the notes. For quicker service, customers can choose pre-packed OCBC Fortune Packs which contain 100 S$2 notes and 30 S$10 notes.

Customers can also use the OCBC Mobile Banking app’s digital Chinese New Year queue service to view the availability of new notes across OCBC’s branch network in real time and get a digital queue number before heading to the branch, minimising waiting time.

Each customer can only exchange up to S$500 a day, OCBC said.

“To ensure that our customers do not wait unnecessarily in the queue, our service ambassadors will try to obtain each individual’s request while they are queuing, and customers – whose request cannot be met on that day – will be asked to return the next day and not wait further,” said OCBC’s Singapore head of consumer financial services Sunny Quek.

In addition, customers can get new and good-as-new notes from selected ATMs, although stocks are also limited.