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

Racial 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. 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.

The efforts paid off. Singapore is now one of the few countries in the world where people of different races and faiths have been living peacefully together for more than 50 years.

“It is a rare and precious achievement but it is also a delicate balance because a harmonious, multi-racial country is not a natural or stable state of affairs. It does not happen by itself, and it does not stay there by itself,” he pointed out.

Photo credit:MCI

As a young nation, Singapore has much to celebrate as a harmonious multi-racial society.

We must keep on working at it, to become one people, regardless of race, language or religion. The majority must be more sensitive to the concerns of the minorities and we must also have the moral courage to take a stand against racist behaviour.

- PM Lee Hsien Loong

Racial harmony a work-in-progress

Mr Lee noted that Singapore, which turned 56 this year, is still very young. The country’s current state of racial harmony is still a work-in-progress, and will remain so for a long time.

We all take pride in Singapore’s multiracial identity, but all of us still retain at least some racial or religious preferences.

He pointed out the situation becomes a problem when it goes beyond racial and cultural preferences to become biases and prejudices. Mr Lee cited the example of job advertisements that specifically require the applicant to speak Chinese without stating the reason or a landlord who rejects a tenant based on his or her race.

“These things do happen here. The minorities experience it more acutely, because they are the ones most affected by such racial discrimination. They feel angry, hurt, disappointed that the words in our National Pledge are still an aspiration, but still not fully achieved,” he said.

“I know it is harder to belong to a minority race than to the majority. This is true in every multi-racial society, but it does not mean we have to accept this state of affairs in Singapore.”

Legislation on racial harmony, with soft touches

The Government intends to pass specific legislation – The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act – to collect in one place all the powers to deal with racial issues. The proposed Act will also have some softer, gentler touches. For example, it will order a person who has caused offence to stop doing it, and to make amends by learning more about the other race and mending ties with them.

This softer approach, said Mr Lee, will heal the hurt instead of leaving resentment. “If he complies and does it, that is good and we move on. If he does not comply or continues to do wrong things, of course, legal consequences will follow.”

Singapore’s policies on race and religion must be kept up to date as society’s values and beliefs shift over time. Each new generation has its own perspective on racial issues, said Mr Lee.

Older Singaporeans who lived through Singapore’s independence journey are more aware of how disputes can escalate and feel it is better not to talk about such topics too much. Younger people’s lived experience have been largely racial peace and harmony.

Singapore must adjust its policies on race and religion from time to time, based on our needs and circumstances, and not just because of trends overseas. “We should do so with caution, because race and religion will always be highly sensitive issues. We have to take the time to discuss respectfully, make sure everybody understands, and build a consensus before we make any move.”

Tudung for Muslim nurses in public healthcare sector

The PM also announced at the Rally that Muslim nurses in the public healthcare sector will be allowed to wear a tudung with their uniforms, if they wish to, starting from November.

The tudung issue, he said, is not just a matter for Muslims to discuss and deliberate, but it is a national one that all Singaporeans have to understand and accept.

Explaining, Mr Lee said the Government has been watching the situation closely and observed that, by and large, interactions between the races remain comfortable.

He hoped everyone will take “this move on the tudung in the right spirit”.

We are making a careful adjustment to keep our racial and religious harmony in good order. This approach has worked well for us for many years and we should celebrate what it has achieved: a truly multi-racial, multi-religious nation, where many heartwarming interactions happen every single day.