Speech by Senior Minister of State Murali Pillai SC at the Book Launch of 'Unspoken Words' and 'Children of Metropolis' by Dr H M Saleem
15 August 2026 Posted in Speeches
Prof Datuk Mohd Hasbi Abu Bakar, President of Jamiyah,
Executive Council Members of Jamiyah Singapore,
Dr H M Saleem, Special Advisor, Interfaith Relations of Jamiyah Singapore and author of the two books we celebrate today,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Introduction
1. Some words are spoken. Some remain unspoken. A writer’s gift is to notice both and to give shape to what others may feel but cannot yet express. In doing so, writers preserve voices and experiences that might otherwise fade with time.
2. Today, we celebrate two books that do exactly that: Pesaaporul, or Unspoken Words, in Tamil, and Children of Metropolis in English. My heartiest congratulations to Dr Saleem and Jamiyah Singapore on this meaningful occasion.
Literature, Language and Heritage
3. A language lives when families speak it, children read it, and writers describe the world around them in it. Every new book is evidence that the language is alive.
4. Pesaaporul invites us to understand Tamil Sufi thought and its enduring relevance in fostering peace and harmony. Children of Metropolis carries Tamil poetry to a wider English-speaking audience. Together, these books preserve heritage while building bridges across communities.
5. The Indian Muslim community has long enriched Tamil literary and cultural expression through its distinctive voices and experiences. This forms an important part of Singapore’s multilingual heritage and the broader Singapore Indian identity.
6. Singapore is a metropolis. We live close to one another, but proximity does not always create understanding. In fact, my experience as an MP will be the other way around. In a city where progress and pace can coexist with loneliness and distance, literature asks us to pause, listen and see the person beside us more carefully.
Jamiyah and the Partnership That Holds Communities Together
7. For decades, Jamiyah has served the community through education, social services, rehabilitation and interfaith relations. But it has also done something rarer, Dr Hasbi mentioned it in his speech. It has kept a space open for art, for literature and cultural expression.
8. I commend Datuk Dr Hasbi and the Jamiyah leadership for continuing to champion initiatives like today’s, alongside Jamiyah’s longstanding social mission. This is not incidental to what Jamiyah does. It is part of the same commitment to building a community that is not only well-served, but also well-rooted.
9. This is also why government-community partnerships matter. Government can bring resources, coordination and frameworks, but organisations like Jamiyah can bring ground presence and build trust, with deep understanding of the community’s needs. Together, we can do more.
10. In Bukit Batok, Jamiyah’s Jampacked Centre brings food support and community services closer to residents through a one-stop integrated approach. More than a place for food assistance, it gives families the dignity of choice through its community minimart and monthly credits, while also connecting them to other support services. That is a practical example of how community partnerships can make help more accessible, more dignified and more meaningful.
Staying United in Uncertain Times
11. We gather here less than a week after our 61st National Day celebrations, an occasion where all Singaporeans celebrate the peace and harmony we enjoy and look forward to our common future. This, unfortunately, is not the lived reality in many parts of the world, where conflict and strife continue to affect communities and families. The Government has stood up the Homefront Crisis Ministerial Committee to coordinate our national response to the situation in the Middle East. What holds Singapore together in difficult times is not government action alone. It is the trust between communities, and our willingness to look out for one another.
12. Pesaaporul speaks directly to this. In the book, Dr Saleem draws on Tamil Muslim philosophers who emphasise, and please allow me to say a few words in Tamil now: பல்வேறு சமயங்களைச்சார்ந்த மனிதர்கள் ஒரே உலகின் குடிமக்கள் என்ற உணர்வை வளர்த்துக்கொள்ளும்போதுதான் உண்மையான அமைதியும் நல்லிணக்கமும் நிலைபெறும். Only when people of diverse faiths cultivate the sense that they are all citizens of one and the same world will true peace and harmony be established. That spirit — of seeing ourselves in one another, across difference — is precisely what organisations like Jamiyah embody, and what Singapore will need as we navigate the period ahead. If we hold to this, we will not only weather this moment, but emerge from it with our bonds strengthened.
Closing
13. Dr Saleem, thank you for your commitment to building understanding across communities. Writing one book demands patience. Launching two is no small feat. May these books encourage generations of Singaporeans to read, write, and add their own voices to our literary tradition.
14. Some words begin unspoken. But through prolific writers like Dr Saleem, avid readers who carry ideas forward, and dedicated institutions like Jamiyah that give these words a home, they find voice, they find meaning, they find a place in our shared story. May Singapore’s diverse voices continue to flourish as we continue to strengthen the social fabric of our nation for generations to come. Thank you.
Last updated on 15 August 2026