MHA’s 21st Appreciation Lunch - Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Minister for Law and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs, Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim

Mr Wong Kan Seng

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen.

1. This year marks the 21^st MHA Appreciation Lunch where we gather to recognise and to thank the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), the Inter-Agency Aftercare Group (ACG), and all our community partners and volunteers. We thank you, we show our appreciation to you for your unwavering dedication, and your commitment to keeping Singapore safe.

2. Every year, this lunch gives us an opportunity to pause and to acknowledge the people behind one of Singapore’s quiet success stories – keeping terrorism in check, and as a result, keeping Singapore safe and secure.

3. While this is my first time joining you at this lunch, the work of this community is something that I have long admired perhaps from afar, and it is really a privilege to be here, to meet all of you and to be able to thank you and show appreciation in person.

4. This annual lunch is really but one small way that we are able to express appreciation to all of you for all your hard work.

5. Your tireless efforts are often not seen by the public, but I’m sure you know, they make a profound impact on the lives of individuals and their families during the most challenging moments.

6. Through countless, compassionate conversations, you provide comfort and guidance, sometimes as a trusted mentor, or a reassuring counsellor, or an encouraging tutor, a supportive employer or simply as a steady presence that we all need as an Appropriate Adult, offering support and reassurance when it's needed most.

7. This year, I am especially pleased that the nation has taken the opportunity to recognise two of our own through the National Day Awards. RRG Co-Chairman Ustaz Mohamad Hasbi Hassan was conferred the Distinguished Service Order — one of only five recipients of this prestigious honour this year. Ustazah Kamaliah Abdullah was awarded the Public Service Medal. And the fact that we have recipients here, at this level, in this community, underscores how important this work is to our nation.

8. On behalf of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), let me extend my warmest congratulations to both of them. This recognition is truly well-deserved. Thank you very much.

9. But beyond awards, all of you who contribute in your own way, many of you balance demanding careers and your own family commitments. And despite that, you devote your time and efforts to this work, year after year. You don’t do this for recognition, but because you believe that every individual deserves the opportunity to change, and every family deserves a chance to rebuild.

10. For that, let me express my deepest appreciation to each and every one of you.

11. Your contributions also reflect something that is very unique about Singapore. From the very beginning, our rehabilitation efforts were never intended to be driven by the Government alone. They were built on a simple but a very powerful idea – that keeping Singapore safe is a shared responsibility, and the threat that we face is ultimately one that needs to be addressed in close partnership and working with all of you in the community.  

12. Today, that partnership is ever more so important because that threat that we face is constantly evolving.

A Worrying Trend – Radicalisation Affecting Younger Individuals, Getting Faster

13. The recent cases involving radicalised youths remind us that extremist narratives can reach vulnerable young people very quickly through online platforms such as social media and even games – online games, where you find a large concentration and gathering of young people – and often this happens without the knowledge of parents, teachers or friends.

14. At the same time, the youths who are radicalised are also getting younger. 

15. We have four 14-year-olds issued with orders under the Internal Security Act in the past two years, including one recently detained. 

16. Our youths are also getting radicalised faster, so not just getting younger, but they are also being radicalised faster, with several being radicalised within mere weeks.

17. These cases reinforce why the work that you do matters now more than ever. Parents, teachers and the community are often the first to notice when something is not quite right, and our willingness to step forward, to start a conversation, offer guidance, and at some point, if necessary, report signs of radicalisation early, may really be the difference between a young person getting timely help or continuing down a path that leads towards violence.

The New Challenge – Composite Violent Extremism or “Salad Bar”

18. The recent cases also point to another very important development.

19. For much of the last two decades, radicalisation in Singapore generally followed a clear ideological pathway — whether it’s Islamist extremism or, in fewer cases, far-right extremism.

20. That trend had helped us to understand better how the individual had become radicalised and therefore how rehabilitation should be approached.

21. But today, the worrying trend is that that’s no longer going to be the case.

22. Increasingly, we are seeing individuals radicalised by Composite Violent Extremism, or CoVE. Simply put, individuals no longer subscribe to a single coherent ideology but they draw selectively from multiple extremist ideologies to construct a personalised worldview that, to them, justifies violence.

23. We sometimes describe this as Salad bar extremism. And like someone selecting different items from a salad bar or a buffet, they pick the ideas that resonate with them, whether it is religious extremist ideologies, far-right ideologies, conspiracy theories, violent online subcultures or other hatred or grievance-fuelled narratives. These ideas may sometimes appear contradictory, and their understanding of these ideologies may be shallow and may even be disorganised.  But together, when brought together in this fashion, they reinforce a mindset that accepts violence as a legitimate solution.

24. The recent case of the 14-year-old detained under the ISA in June 2026 illustrates this very well. Although only 14 years old, he was influenced by multiple extremist narratives, and he made preparations to conduct a mass-casualty stabbing attack in his school. He had consumed ISIS propaganda, admired overseas mass attackers and supported elements of other violent extremist beliefs.

25. This is why CoVE presents a really difficult and different challenge. Because today, an individual can move rapidly between different extremist narratives, he or she can hold contradictory beliefs at the same time. It might not fit into the same theological pathway, and it may not even be consistent. But as long as they have those violent tendencies and extremism, justified by a whole range of different salad-bar type of reasoning, then violence becomes the necessary outcome.

26. This therefore changes how we identify or should identify warning signs.

27. Instead of focusing only on whether someone follows a particular radical preacher, terrorist group or extremist ideology, we must also pay attention, very importantly, to broader behavioural changes. For example, growing hostility towards others, an increasing fascination with violence, withdrawal into online communities where extreme views are constantly being reinforced. These are often the warning signs that matter the most.

Rehabilitation Must Continue to Evolve

28. These developments also mean that how we approach rehabilitation will also have to evolved. Our response must address not only ideology, but also the psychological, the emotional, as well as the social factors that make an individual vulnerable to extremist influences. So, it’s not just about the ideology or the thinking that is influencing an individual, but what are the social factors, the environmental factors, and sometimes these are all deeply personal ones as well.  

29. Religious counselling remains a cornerstone for those who require it. But it has to be increasingly complemented by psychological support, mentorship, cyber wellness programmes, life-skills training and a much stronger family and community interventions.

30. Because each person has different vulnerabilities, as I said, they are subjective, their rehabilitation must really be tailored to their own specific circumstances.

31. We have seen the value of this approach. A Singaporean youth detained for planning a far-right inspired attack several years ago underwent counselling from a pastor, whilst also receiving psychological counselling to address the vulnerabilities that contributed to his radicalisation.  He also had strong family as well as school support, and sustained guidance from mentors. With these combined efforts from different fields, different sectors, he made good progress in his rehabilitation, was released from detention and has since reintegrated back into society. Today, he is doing well in life, pursuing higher education.

32. His journey reminds us that a successful rehabilitation is really rarely built on the result of a single intervention. It’s not a single point intervention.

33. It is the result of many people coming together and working together. Counsellors, psychologists, mentors, educators, families, friends, and often those who you work with or go to school with are the first responders. They see you closest. They see and they can feel the behavioural change. Each of them contributing their expertise and support, coming together, making this collaborative approach one of the defining strengths of our own rehabilitation model.

34. As the pathways into radicalisation become more diverse, therefore our rehabilitation ecosystem must continue to evolve, to adapt, to change in the same way.

35. And on that topic, it brings me to all of you. 

Our Community has Evolved Too

36. The RRG continues to play a very central role in correcting misinterpretations of religion and guiding individuals back onto the right path.

37. But your work today goes well beyond one-to-one religious counselling. You engage young people through talks and dialogues, raise public awareness through increasingly digital platforms, like WhatsApp Channel, for example. You equip parents and educators as well as community leaders with the knowledge and with the confidence to be able to recognise early the warning signs and to respond appropriately.

38. Likewise, the ACG has equally expanded its role over the years. What began as support for families has really developed into a very comprehensive deep, thorough, aftercare network. This network helps individuals and their loved ones rebuild lives.

39. Through close collaboration with organisations such as MENDAKI, AMP, PPIS, SINDA, Khadijah Mosque, Taman Bacaan and other supporting partners, families receive not just the presence of support, but direct practical assistance, educational support, counselling, in some cases, financial assistance and also opportunities to reconnect with the wider community. And I think that is a very important aspect of rehabilitation. To find value in community, to find that there’s something waiting for me to out there that brings value to me, to be part of it. And that’s a very powerful rehabilitative tool.

40. Indeed, our rehabilitation ecosystem has also grown beyond religious and social support alone.

41. Today, mental health organisations help individuals understand and manage the underlying emotional and behavioural factors that contribute to radicalisation. Mentors serve as positive role models and provide constant guidance. Teachers and schools help young people continue their education. Employers open doors for meaningful employment, and that’s really important too because you feel a sense of self-worth and value that they are not a burden a society, but you are an active, contributing member. And not to forget our volunteers. Many volunteers do their work quietly behind closed doors. They give generously of their time and support individuals and families through difficult periods. I want these volunteers to know that even though your work may not always be seen, they are always appreciated.

42. You know that broad range that I sketched out of the different sectors, levers of rehabilitation. All of you play a different role. But taken together, I think we can be stronger than the sum of our parts. We can form one united rehabilitation ecosystem.

43. No single organisation or individual rehabilitates a person. It is that quiet collective effort that is one of Singapore’s greatest strengths, and it is something few countries have been able to build.

44. Our rehabilitation outcomes, they reflect this partnership. Over 80 percent of those who have undergone Singapore’s rehabilitation programme have made good progress and have not returned to extremist activities. These outcomes underscore the value of the work we do and demonstrate what can be achieved when the Government and community come together and work hand in hand, and we provide a programme that is of this value and culture.

Everyone Has a Role to Play

45. The close partnership between the Government and the community therefore has to extend beyond rehabilitation, it’s got to include early threat detection as well as response.

46. Especially in an age of self-radicalisation, where threat detection is ever more challenging, and especially with social media, internet, and the speed of the internet, and the pace at which materials and content can be disseminated, it is really community vigilance as a whole, collectively, is all the more important.

47. That is why this year’s campaign for the SGSecure movement carries one very important message. The SGSecure campaign that we have refreshed this year, the message is “Play Your Role”.

48. Every Singaporean can be a True Friend – the person who helps any of their friend, their colleague, or their classmate or family member who show signs of radicalisation and helps them quickly to get the right support that they need.

49. And let me say this quite plainly to anyone who might fear that by doing so, by reporting someone, that they may be betraying a loved one by coming forward. Let me be quite clear that reporting early is really how we can help the person most effectively, while we still can. And you can see the result – 80% don’t return to such activity, and that’s a very powerful signal of the value of the rehabilitation framework that we provide. Early intervention is not a betrayal. It is an effort to reach out to help most effectively.

50. With youth radicalisation an increasing concern, it is of no surprise that we really have to double down on our efforts to reach out to young people.

51. Part of our approach has to be enlisting our young people itself to help to be at the frontline of our defence.

52. Besides working through schools to refresh how we engage youths, we will also create more opportunities for young people to spread the SGSecure message amongst their peers, equip them with Emergency Preparedness (EP) skills, and step forward as SGSecure Responders.

53. The SGSecure Advocates Programme will equip students in our Institutes of Higher Learning and schools to become champions themselves, championing SGSecure to their peers.

54.In addition, we have to also reach every segment of our society so that we can form a much stronger protective bubble. And that is why the SGSecure movement has, in the last two years, started its own social media presence across a range of different platforms, very popular with the different age groups, and is actively working with our local media partners to raise awareness, to propagate the message, and also use content creators to reach out to the different demographics across the spectrum. Whether you are from the older generation or the younger ones, from parents to students, working adults, seniors. We are trying as much as we can with different messaging styles and platforms to reach out with curated messages.

55. Our roadshows and ground engagements continue to provide opportunities for hands-on learning to come together to experience yourself, and we will expand our face-to-face outreach to give more Singaporeans more opportunities to learn the skills as well as the knowledge that they need. We will of course keep reviewing what works, keep refining it, keep evolving it and identify gaps in our outreach, adapt our approaches as both the threat as well as information landscape evolve.

Looking Ahead

56. Finally, as I conclude, let me leave you with three thoughts.

57. First, we have to continue to recognise the early warning signs. Many individuals who become radicalised, they don’t begin with violent intentions. It doesn’t often start that way. They may start with questions about the environment around them, the community around them, or maybe about global events, or perhaps a search for identity or relatability, they might harbour feelings of anger or isolation, and very often, a deep desire to want to belong.

58. In such cases, your willingness to engage early, to be able to listen without judgement, and guide them towards credible sources of support that can help them progress and can be actively and proactively intervening in their moments of need, they really can make all the difference.

59. Second, we have to equip our youth with the ability to navigate complexity and continue to strengthen our digital outreach capabilities. Today’s social media have these algorithms that can trap our young people – in fact they can trap anyone, young or old, but especially our young persons – into a certain mould and a certain  ideological echo chambers. The moment you go onto one (social media platform) and you express certain sentiments, you look at certain views and videos, it reinforces that, as if that is what is prevalent around the world. There is also repeated exposure to gore and violent content that tends to normalise violent behaviour and primes them, readies them, for radicalisation. We will therefore need to equip our youths with the skills to recognise harmful content. They must be given the ability, their instinct and intuition, to judge for themselves and critically evaluate information. And the work many of you are already doing online will become increasingly important in the years ahead.

60. Third, we should also create environments for youths where they can feel a sense of purpose and belonging. I have spoken about the early detection and what we do, but what about going further upstream and creating the environment that is positive to begin with. So create environments for youth where they can feel a sense of purpose and belonging, and know that there are trusted adults whom they can turn to. We need to continue to give our young people hope and a constructive space to channel their emotions. Young persons will naturally have lots of questions. I think we need to supply answers, we need to be there, not give the answers but to create the environment where they can find the answers from trusted sources. Many of the young people don’t set out looking for extremism. They don’t start with that intention. They took to the Internet to seek answers on developments happening overseas, and to answer their own questions and inadvertently became exposed to violent extremist content within online communities, which create ideological echo chambers and through that, lead them down a rabbit hole.

61. Therefore, through mentoring, education, sports, volunteering, charity, social work, paying it forward, employment or simply being a trusted adult, you provide a positive alternative to the online narratives prompted by violent extremists. In many cases, you might well be the most powerful form of prevention early and upstream.

Conclusion – Our Strongest Defence is Belonging, Trust and Collective Response

62. Therefore, as we express our appreciation over this afternoon, we should also be very sober about the evolving threats that will be ahead of us. The threat landscape has changed significantly over the past two decades. Those who are radicalised are becoming younger, process faster, more complex, more diverse. Individuals are increasingly influenced by a whole range of extremist narratives, often encountered online but sometimes reinforced in isolation.

63. Our response, therefore, cannot remain static. Just as the threat has evolved, we also have to evolve. We also have to change our methods and adapt our rehabilitation efforts. We have expanded beyond addressing ideology to providing holistic support. this considers an individual’s psychological, social and emotional needs.

64. More importantly, I think it is vital that our community must evolve with it, and grow, and be mindful as a community. Today, Singapore has a rehabilitation ecosystem that is successful and renowned internationally, and it is only possible because of all your efforts.

65. I urge all of you to continue with your good work, to be generous and lend these efforts to the good of the community. But also at the same time, be watchful and adaptive, and to continually adapt to the new challenges. Because every successful rehabilitation journey represents far more than an individual turning away from violence. It is a family that remains whole. It is one of the biggest struggles and losses. A young person who rediscovers his or her purpose and a community that becomes stronger because someone chose reconciliation over hatred.

66. None of these successes happen because of one person or one organisation. They happen because of a collective that we see in this room today. 

67. So, on behalf of MHA, thank you for your unwavering commitment, your compassion and your partnership over the past 21 years.

68. I look forward to continuing this journey together with all of you as we build a safer, stronger and more united Singapore, where every one of us has a role to play in upkeeping that.

69. Thank you very much.