SPEECH BY MR GAN KIM YONG, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT THE RACIAL HARMONY DAY CELEBRATION IN ST. GABRIEL’S SECONDARY SCHOOL, ON FRIDAY, 20 JULY 2007, AT 0830 HRS

SPEECH BY MR GAN KIM YONG, MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION, MINISTRY OF EDUCATION, AT THE RACIAL HARMONY DAY CELEBRATION IN ST. GABRIEL’S SECONDARY SCHOOL, ON FRIDAY, 20 JULY 2007, AT 0830 HRS

It gives me great pleasure to join you this morning to celebrate Racial Harmony Day.

The theme this year is “Harmony Talks”, which brings to focus the importance of quality conversations and interactions in developing racial harmony and cohesion. To better understand and appreciate other races, we need to listen to one another and reflect on the way we interact with each other.

The importance of Racial Harmony cannot be overstated. Many of you may have watched Hotel Rwanda, a film based on true events that took place in Rwanda, a country in Africa. I want to use the context in this film to illustrate an important lesson on racial harmony. The film features the tension between 2 ethnic groups in Rwanda – the Tutsi and the Hutu. Centuries of unresolved tension had built up a deep-seated hatred between the two groups, and this eventually erupted in the 1994 ethnic cleansing massacres where nearly a million people from both sides perished. This illustrates how conflict and hostility between ethnic groups can become deadly and devastating for everybody. The Tutsis and the Hutus spoke the same language, lived together and intermarried for centuries, yet they still hated each other beneath the surface because they originated from different places and races!

What can we learn from this? One lesson we can draw here is that we must never take for granted the peace and racial harmony in Singapore. The social cohesion and racial harmony we enjoy have contributed to Singapore’s success and attractiveness as a country of choice to study, work and live in. This harmony did not come easy and has taken us more than 40 years to build. But even then, we have not arrived. We need to continue to work hard to preserve racial and religious harmony, and to seek new ways to expand the common space among different ethnic and religious groups. While many of us, especially the younger ones have not personally experience the 1960s racial riots, they are undoubtedly painful experiences that older Singaporeans still have vivid memories of. Our future generations need to learn and understand why the riots took place and how the country slowly healed the scars. Only then will they understand and appreciate the determination to forge the harmony that we enjoy today and only then can we motivate them to do their part to preserve it.

The second lesson we can draw is that we must never allow misunderstandings or differences to escalate. We must value the congeniality we have among people of different races and religions. Hence, when there are differences in opinions among friends and neighbours, it is important to talk about these differences frankly, respectfully and responsibly, and seek to understand the other person’s point of view. In times of peace, we must continue to work hard to build up this social fabric so that in times of uncertainty, we can stand united against external threats and challenges.

In today’s rapidly globalizing world, we also see an increasing need to strengthen the Singapore identity, so that even as Singaporeans go overseas to study and work, they will remain rooted to Singapore and care about the country. This is the aim of National Education. One way to engage our students deeper in NE is to promote responsible active citizenry. By being involved actively in the school and community, our students learn to take greater ownership and be responsible to the society. This will help to foster a sense of identity to the community and in turn, strengthen the sense of belonging and emotional rootedness to Singapore. In this regard, it is heartening to know that St Gabriel’s students are active in the Braddell Heights community. Students from the Normal Technical classes have been collecting old newspapers from the community on a regular basis to raise funds for the financially needy students in the Braddell Heights Community. The school also played host to residents during the Braddell Heights Carnival as well as the participants of the YMCA Camp for the disabled last year. We should continue to encourage greater student involvement in CIP activities, and allow them to reflect on their experiences.

Besides CIP, active citizenry can also be nurtured through engaging students in sincere, open discussions on their concerns and seeking their collaboration in resolving issues. Awareness of and interest in current affairs should be cultivated in students. The launch of ‘The Common Space’ room in St Gabriel’s is therefore a step in the right direction. This common space will provide the platform for students to discuss current affairs, voice their opinions and come to sensible conclusions.

Parents, as partners in education, also play a vital part in reinforcing important values in our young and shaping their attitudes and perception towards other races. Involving parents in the school’s efforts to promote interactions among different races and religions will go a long way towards promoting and sustaining racial harmony and cohesion.

I hope that St Gabriel’s Secondary School, as a Centre of Excellence for National Education in the S6 Cluster, will continue to lead and inspire other educators towards nurturing our children into responsible citizens of good character who believe in Singapore’s multi-racial society and desire to contribute to our future.

My congratulations to St Gabriel’s Secondary School for making this Racial Harmony Day a meaningful event. Thank you.