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

1. 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.

2. 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 so endearing and so enduring. This is the hallmark of our kampung spirit. I’m not saying it is rosy always and everywhere but overall, residents get along and look after each other.

3. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the perfect state of racial harmony, how would you rate our current state of racial harmony?

Mr Tong: I won’t give a rating but will say that we are doing well, Singaporeans are happy living alongside our neighbours and friends of all races. However,

Singapore’s racial harmony is a work-in-progress as there is always room for improvement and we have to work even harder to constantly maintain this harmony, and to achieve a point where we embrace and not just tolerate our differences.

Ms Tin: I wouldn’t want to give it a number but I think we are definitely better than the mid-way point. Compared to many other countries, and compared to our past, we are doing very well. I don’t think we can ever be perfect and there will always be some friction that may boil over which will need time to resolve. I think it’s good that we’re having a lot more conversations around race. Some worry that discussing it too much may surface underlying tensions while others believe that it is only through open dialogue that we can unravel such misunderstandings and resolve things amicably. Most importantly, always remain respectful and believe in the value of coexisting. Only then will the conversations be constructive.

4. How does Singapore strike a balance between personal and common space to build on existing “openness and expansion” in the pursuit of racial harmony?

Mr Tong: We want a society that values people equally where there is no racial discrimination or prejudice in our attitudes and practices in our daily life. No one should be treated differently because of their race, including when looking for jobs or accommodation.

To achieve this, there are some fundamental principles that we should agree on, in this continuous journey for racial harmony.

We must first recognise, respect and accept our differences across races. We must be sensitive to each other’s needs and circumstances as we expect the same for ourselves. When faced with a racist incident, we have to stand up, call it out, correct it, and not allow this to become normalised.

At the same time, we should also learn to celebrate our racial differences. In learning more about each other’s identities and backgrounds, we can move beyond a position of tolerance towards one of mutual appreciation. Diversity can be a source of strength if we remain constructive, and are open to listen, engage and respect others who hold different views.

Rather than being estranged by our differences, we can be enriched by them while focusing on our commonalities and working together to grow our common spaces so that there will be more room for understanding, tolerance and embracement.

Similarly, we should be mindful about how we approach issues about race publicly. We can have frank conversations to exchange views, and to be informed and sensitised. There will be instances where we disagree and that is inevitable as we all come from different cultural backgrounds. What is important is how we manage these disagreements.

Ms Tin: We don’t expect everyone to converge to become homogenous. Instead, we recognise that every culture is unique and different. We allow people to maintain their own uniqueness, but yet establish common spaces where we set aside our differences, respect each other and come together in areas which define us as a united country.

Even people of the same race can have conflict with each other. It’s about inclusiveness and that all of us have to learn to give and take. Once we enter any situation with an open mind and a willingness to make adjustments, we can resolve any conflict and put aside our differences for the greater good.