Speeches
Speech By Mr Masagos Zulkifli BMM, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Education & Ministry of Home Affairs, at the Racial Harmony Day Celebrations at 8.30 am on 21 July 2010 at Bedok South Secondary School
Mr Leu Yew Chye
Chairman, School Advisory Committee
Mdm Nooriah Ismail
Chairperson, Parent Support Group
Mr Krishnan Aravinthan
Principal, Bedok South Secondary School
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen
Boys and Girls
Good morning.
It gives me great pleasure to join you this morning at Bedok South Secondary School to commemorate Racial Harmony Day.
On this day every year, we celebrate Singapore’s successes in building a multi-racial society. As a nation, we have overcome many hardships and challenges to achieve the peace and harmony that we enjoy today. It is important to realise that the racial harmony we enjoy today did not come easily, and is something we must work hard at to maintain. If destroyed, there will be a heavy price to pay, as social cohesion and stability is necessary for our continued progress and prosperity.
Challenges to Racial Harmony
Singapore faces some challenges today that we must look to overcome.
The challenge of integration is not new to our predominantly immigrant society, but it is one that we can turn into opportunity. Today, more than ever before, you are likely to have friends who hail from different parts of the globe. As Singapore opens her doors to others in an increasingly borderless and mobile world, you will have numerous opportunities to know, understand and appreciate friends from other countries. Whether you are a Singaporean citizen, PR or international student, relish this opportunity to forge new friendships and broaden your perspective. The bonds that you build and the insights you gain through such interaction will no doubt serve you well in the years to come.
We must also seek to maintain the common space that binds our different communities together. In this year alone, there have been a number of incidents involving the airing of disparaging and offensive remarks on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. These were targeted at various segments of our population and had the potential to cause great tension and strife within our multicultural society. While the individuals involved have since learnt their lesson, the rest of us must also be careful to preserve the sanctity of our common space. Mutual understanding and respect is necessary to prevent inter-racial or inter-religious friction from developing and escalating into something more serious.
The final challenge is to ensure our continued safety and security. While Singapore has been fortunate enough not to have fallen victim to the terrorist threat in recent years, this does not mean that we can let our guard down. The recent revelation of a terror plot targeting Orchard MRT Station is a stark reminder that Singapore remains a prime target for terrorists. Constant vigilance is key, and a concerted effort from all of us is needed to ensure the safeguarding of our security.
Building Community
How then, can these three challenges be overcome? This year’s Racial Harmony theme is “Embracing Diversity, Building Community”. As we embrace different cultures and traditions as part of our common identity and work towards building an open and cohesive community, we strengthen the ties that bind us and work against room for suspicion, tension and strife.
We establish a sense of mutual understanding, as Singaporeans. This lays the groundwork for us to build a strong and cohesive community, so we can better face the challenges that come our way.
Schools provide important common spaces. There are classmates from different backgrounds and countries. Beyond the classroom, Bedok South Secondary has introduced the Dance Education Programme into the PE curriculum for the lower secondary students. The Ethnic-Fusion Dance we saw earlier allows students of different races to work and come together in common artistic expression. The students gain an understanding of the differences in culture and dance among the different races.
Such experiences are all the more possible today given enhanced facilities. In fact the newly-built Indoor Sports Hall is available for public use and will bring together residents in the surrounding community.
Conclusion
As we partake in today’s Racial Harmony activities, let us remember that each of us, young or old, has a part to play in building a harmonious community. The many resources available to us today equip us well to carry out this important task. It is my hope that we will make the best of these opportunities to maintain our social cohesion and strengthen the ties that bind us all. Let us continue to be proactive in our efforts to promote racial harmony and secure our nation’s future.
I wish you all a very meaningful Racial Harmony Day. Thank you.