Dr Roszalina Rawi Appointed as New Chairperson of the Malay Heritage Foundation

Dr Roszalina Rawi, Lecturer with the Malay Language and Culture Division at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NIE NTU, Singapore), has been appointed Chairperson of the Malay Heritage Foundation (MHF), effective from 1 August 2026. She succeeds Dr Norshahril Saat and will serve a one-year term until 31 July 2027.

Speaking to Berita Harian, Dr Roszalina said she was deeply honoured by the opportunity to serve the community. Drawing on her background as both an educator and practitioner of traditional Malay performing arts—including dikir barat, traditional dance and angklung music—she described Malay heritage as being central to her identity and a lifelong passion.

As Chairperson, Dr Roszalina aims to broaden MHF's outreach, particularly among younger Singaporeans. She hopes to strengthen youth leadership and mentorship programmes, expand research collaborations, document the history of the Malay community, and provide greater support for young practitioners of heritage arts and grassroots cultural initiatives. She also emphasised creating more opportunities for youths to engage actively in heritage programmes, research, dialogue, and the arts.

Recognising the changing ways younger generations learn and connect, Dr Roszalina highlighted the importance of complementing MHF's mission with more interactive educational programmes, digital platforms, and collaborations with schools, institutes of higher learning, community organisations, and arts practitioners.

Established in 1999, the Malay Heritage Foundation promotes the study, research, and public appreciation of Singapore's Malay history and socio-cultural heritage through the Malay Heritage Centre and related initiatives. Under Dr Roszalina's leadership, the Foundation will continue to advance meaningful conversations on heritage, identity, language, education, and the contributions of the Malay community to Singapore's multicultural society.

Dr Roszalina also paid tribute to outgoing Chairperson Dr Norshahril Saat for laying a strong foundation for the organisation and for his guidance during the leadership transition, noting that the new Board will build on this legacy while guiding MHF into its next phase of development.

Read the feature on Berita Harian here.