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SPEECH BY MR HAWAZI DAIPI, PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION & MINISTRY OF MANPOWER AT SINGAPORE BUDDHIST LODGE EDUCATION FOUNDATION’S BURSARY AWARD PRESENTATION CEREMONY, 17 MAY 2003 AT 4.00PM AT SINGAPORE BUDDHIST LODGE AUDITORIUM

Mr Lee Bock Guan, Chairman of Singapore Buddhist Lodge Education Foundation

Mr Abu Bakar Maidin, President of Jamiyah Singapore

Mr V R Nathan, Chairman of Hindu Endowments Board

Principals, Teachers & Students,

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Afternoon

1            I am delighted to be here today for the Singapore Buddhist Lodge Education Foundation's bursary award presentation ceremony for primary school students.

BUDDHIST LODGE BURSARY FUND

2            Founded in 1978, Singapore Buddhist Lodge Bursary Fund has contributed significantly to helping students in primary schools, secondary schools, junior colleges, polytechnics, art colleges and universities to continue with their education. Since its inception, a total of $5.3 million has been given to about 15,000 students of all races and religions.

3            This year's bursary awards presentation ceremony is extra-noteworthy. This year, the Singapore Buddhist Lodge has involved Jamiyah Singapore and Hindu Endowments Board in the organisational process of fund raising and the distribution of the bursary awards. What we have is a truly Singaporean community bound together by a shared purpose to help advance the education of our young. In drawing strength from their respective cultures and religions, and bonding with their fellow Singaporeans in a united effort, the three groups have identified with one another as one people and one nation.

SOCIAL COHESION

4            We in Singapore have a shared history of nation building. Our people live and work together as an integrated community and the emotional ties that we have formed with one another help bond our society. By coming together to plan for the bursary awards, members of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, Jamiyah Singapore and Hindu Endowments Board exhibit one of the values that we hold dear in Singapore - that every citizen and all who contribute to Singapore's well-being can live together in one harmonious, multi-religious and multi-racial community.

5            Social cohesion and the harmonious interaction among our people have contributed greatly to the strengthening of our social fabric. However, we must also be conscious of the fact that fostering social cohesion is hard work and requires the concerted effort of every Singaporean. Should solidarity among our people be disrupted, what would ensue would be an atmosphere of hatred and suspicion. Such mutual antagonism can effectively drive a discordant wedge into our social compact, causing unspeakable damage to the peace and harmony of our nation. It is in these times of difficult economic and political challenges arising from the global economic slowdown, our economic restructuring, as well as SARS, that we need to remind Singaporeans of the importance of strengthening our solidarity through this kind of multi-religious and multi-cultural cooperation.

6            The members of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge, Jamiyah Singapore and Hindu Endowments Board understand this concept very well. Therefore, in the past years, they have come together to organise activities to strengthen racial and religious harmony in Singapore. These activities, such as Carnivals, Children's Performances, and, Inter-Faith Good-Will Tea Receptions and festival celebrations have provided invaluable opportunities for people of different races and religions to foster friendships and build ties with one another.

7            The combined activities also served another objective - to raise funds for education and provide help for the poor and needy in our society. These activities provided a good avenue for Singaporeans to come together as one united people to care and share with those who are less fortunate, regardless of race. They foster community spirit and help Singaporeans of different races and religious backgrounds to understand our obligations and responsibilities to our fellow Singaporeans.

SOCIAL COHESION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST SARS

8            It was this same community spirit that prompted the Singapore Buddhist Lodge to contribute $100,000 towards the Courage Fund to bring some financial relief to the needy families of SARS patients regardless of race, language or religion. This act, against the backdrop of the current economic crisis, is no small contribution. It speaks of the empathy that members of the Singapore Buddhist Lodge have for their fellowmen and their commitment to help and take care of the well-being of their fellow citizens. This is a commendable example of racial harmony and social cohesion.

9            Our schools, too, have a role in inculcating racial harmony values in our young and fostering inter-racial understanding and mixing amongst students. Through a common curriculum, a common experience of growing up, studying, playing, singing the national anthem, and reciting the pledge together, our students are able to interact with one another in the common space of their school life. They learn to build ties and cultivate a sense of commitment to one another as fellow citizens.

10          In a time like this when we join hands in this war against SARS, our schools further emphasise the importance of being considerate and exercising social responsibility. At school, our children learn to be accountable for their friends by helping each other to take temperature and record their temperature in the logbooks. They also learn the importance of taking precautions by looking after their own health, being hygienic and ensuring that they do not go to school if they fell ill, thus protecting their friends from possible infection. By looking after themselves and looking out for their friends, our young learn to be civic-minded and to have a community spirit.

ROLE OF PARENTS AND COMMUNITY

11          It is important to note also that a child's experiences in school form only part of his education. The family, community and society also play a critical role in complementing schools' efforts to strengthen racial harmony among our young. Community groups and parents ought to take on a more active role to promote racial harmony values, foster social cohesion and exercise social responsibility among our young.

12          I am pleased that some parents and the Community Development Councils are already contributing to broadening inter-racial mixing by participating in the home-stay or home visit programme to give students the opportunity to experience first-hand the lifestyle of another ethnic group. In consciously putting in effort to make connections with fellow Singaporeans, to bond with each other in mind and spirit, we are all more able to realise the vision of a cohesive and vibrant Singapore society.

13          On this note, I commend the Singapore Buddhist Lodge Education Foundation, Jamiyah Singapore and Hindu Endowments Board for investing time and effort in fostering social cohesion. Yours is a fine example for our young to emulate.

Thank you.