Daily Lessons from Life 19 July 2009

"Racial harmony is not a given: MM, PM
Both touch on threat of terrorism and the need to stay dedicated to living peacefully. -Sun, Jul 19, 2009 The Straits Times

They spoke separately yesterday at different events to different crowds.


But both Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had the same stark reminder for Singaporeans: Do not take racial harmony for granted.

The harmony Singapore had worked so hard to build could be destroyed by a single flashpoint, like a terrorist attack, they warned."

Well, the father and son have spoken. All we need now is the Holy Goh to speak on the same subject. ;-)

Joke aside. This racial harmony issue is a very serious one for Singapore - a tiny red dot that is a multi-racial and religious society cum country!

A lot of thoughts and strategizing have gone into ensuring the minority does not isolate themselves from the majority. Hence, the racial quota of HBD and any other public residential projects stipulated the number of Malay, India and Others can be located in each block of flats among the Chinese population. Hence, the special privileges given to certain minority ethnicities to facilitate their competitiveness in school, workplace, and society at large. Some of these created some displeasure by some of the majority race but it has been a passive resistance thus far. Everyone seems to understand these privileges are small beer for the bigger peace and prosperity, or at least create an environment that allow wealth creation to have a chance, it brings.

Lessons for me are:

1. racial and religious issues MUST be the main focus by ALL races and religious folks. They MUST know that these are the non-negotiable. If you violate this and disturbed the balance, you will be severely and mercilessly dealt with! No question about it!;

2. the careful minding of the new immigrants that come from a certain dominant ethic group MUST constantly be in the mind of the officials. The integration effort and the tolerant and harmonious multi-racial, multi-lingual, and multi-religion MUST get through to them. And that campaigning on THEIR RACE or Language or Religion in Singapore will NOT be tolerated. This MUST be make very clear to the new immigrants whether they actually integrate and mix or not!!;

3. the inter-racial and inter-religion mingling MUST be visible and in-your-face! Constant exposure of these values in real life situations MUST be highlighted regularly. The newspapers must report such situations BUT they MUST be genuine cases and those of the 'rehearsed and staged type of the North Korea or the old old Communist regimes' shows! More such PUBLIC advertising and posters and events instead of wasting MILLIONS on some of those valueless campaigns or programs bought by the Media Authority of Singapore (which was criticized by the Auditor-General recent Government Audit Report for wasting money!!).

Only the day when ALL Singaporeans, new and old, consciously know that maintaining racial, religious and linguistic harmony is the No. 1 duty of all of us will the country survive and thrive for many more years to come. By then, we don't need MM or PM or SM to tell us how critical it is to have that harmony!