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How would you describe the state of racial relations in Singapore? What are the areas we have done well and what are your concerns? Mr Tong: We have come a long way in race relations compared to Singapore in the 1960s when lives were lost and many more hurt during the racial riots. We set out from the start to build a “Singaporean Singapore” where no community has to give up its heritage and traditions to achieve harmony. Instead of assimilating our identities, we seek to celebrate our different cultural identities in fine balance with our national identity. However, we must not be complacent with our present harmony. With the rise in social media, Internet connectivity and international influences, people are more plugged in and incidents can be easily amplified and go viral, most times without proper context. We are not impervious and must be mindful of all influences, otherwise we will easily lose the progress we have made over the years. Ms Tin: Over many years of nation-building, there has been much progress in race relations. Many residents value harmony and peace
and have friends across different races. They understand the importance of being inclusive and the need to respect each other while recognising each other’s unique differences. A challenge I see is that many Singaporeans are living in high-density estates where there are a lot of interactions with other residents. Every one’s living habits are different, even those from the same race. These multitude of differences can cause friction. In times of stress, such as during the Covid-19 pandemic, it becomes less easy to tolerate these differences. But overall, people are still very mindful of the need to maintain harmony and embrace diversity.
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What are the ground-up efforts you have seen to help to improve racial harmony in Singapore? Mr Tong: For racial harmony to endure, the heavy lifting and the motivation must come from all Singaporeans. I am heartened to see many ground-up efforts. One example is "Being Community", supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s Harmony Fund, which is an ongoing monthly online video series that facilitates discussions
around experiences of racial and religious discrimination and how these were resolved. It is good that more people are stepping out to express their views on such issues in a respectful and constructive manner and we should encourage it. People need to be able to talk about their experiences and what they have gone through. It creates greater understanding and sensitivity to the lived experiences of our fellow Singaporeans and more importantly, it helps society shape what is considered acceptable or unacceptable and moves our society forward. Ms Tin: Many MacPherson residents have lived with each other for many years and the neighbours all look out for one another. There are organic and spontaneous efforts by residents who take the special effort to look out for their neighbours – of all races – and explain to them new policies and programmes. One particular resident, Mrs Wong, has been doing this for years and she speaks Malay too. Because of her continuous efforts to reach out to neighbours, they trust her and that is why it is
Never be complacent about our hard-earned racial harmony Petir asked two Members of Parliament, Mr Edwin Tong, MP for Marine Parade GRC and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, as well as Ms Tin Pei Ling, MP for MacPherson SMC, for their views on where Singapore stands on race relations
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SEP 2021
