Singapore’s racial harmony a
“rare and precious ”
achievement
Ensuring our country belongs equally to all citizens is a core value of the PAP and Singapore’s founding fathers
R
acial harmony in Singapore did not happen spontaneously but was achieved through hard work, sacrifice and wisdom, said People's Action Party Secretary-General and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National Day Rally. He recalled how the country’s founding fathers resolved to forge one nation from all the different races, and they made multiracial equality and harmony a fundamental principle of nation-building. “They did not suppress the distinct
identities of each group. Instead, they acknowledged and accommodated them. Everyone in Singapore could practise their own beliefs, festivals, religions, and cultures. English, not Chinese, became our working language, so that no race would be privileged over the others,” said Mr Lee at the Rally held on August 29, 2021 at MediaCorp. The Government at that time also preserved the mother tongues and retained Malay as the national language. 02
SEP 2021
Singaporeans today continue to sing the national anthem in Malay. “Over time, the different ethnic groups reached a balance. We did this not through push and shove, but through mutual compromise and give and take. No group got everything it wanted. Each gave up a little in order for all to live harmoniously side by side,” he said. The efforts paid off. Singapore is now one of the few countries in the world where people of different races and faiths have
