Speeches
Speech by Ms Grace Fu, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education, at the Racial Harmony Day Celebrations on Wednesday, 21 July 2010, at 8.30am, at Rosyth School
Mrs Tan Ching Yee
Permanent Secretary
Mr Peter Tan
Vice-Chairman, School Advisory Committee
Mdm Vera Chok
Chairperson, Parents Teachers Association
Mrs Celine Ng
Principal, Rosyth School
Ladies and Gentlemen
Boys and Girls
Good morning
I am delighted to be here at Rosyth School this morning to commemorate Racial Harmony Day 2010. On this day each year, schools all over Singapore remind themselves of the importance of maintaining racial harmony.
Racial Harmony Day is designated on the 21st of July to commemorate the racial riots of 1964, where 36 people were killed and 556 were injured. They were the worst racial riots Singapore has ever seen. We must constantly remind ourselves that racial harmony is a precious gift that did not come by chance, and one that we have to work hard to preserve, together hand-in-hand.
Challenges to Racial Harmony
I am pleased to learn that Rosyth School has introduced initiatives to raise awareness amongst students of the importance of racial harmony. Walking here, I could see the collective effort being made to remind the pupils here that Singapore is a multiracial and multicultural country.
Even with all the efforts the school, and MOE as a whole, have put in place, we cannot assume that everything will always remain harmonious. I would like to highlight some of the challenges that we as a society face today.
Integration is a constant challenge which we have to deal with, but it is one that we can turn into an opportunity. With increasing globalisation, Singapore has become the choice location for people from different parts of the world, who are here for work, study and other reasons. Most of you probably have a classmate, schoolmate or neighbour from another country. Make use of these opportunities to interact and build new friendships. The interaction will give you a more global mindset which will benefit you in future. I understand that Rosyth has leveraged on the upcoming Youth Olympic Games as a valuable learning platform to promote greater cross-cultural understanding as well as the Olympic values of Excellence, Friendship and Respect. I would like to commend the school’s efforts in enhancing global awareness amongst its pupils.
Second, we need to protect the common space that brings us together as Singaporeans. This year, we have seen how the irresponsible actions of some individuals can threaten this precious space and undermine our efforts in building a cohesive society. For example, three polytechnic students posted insensitive comments about another race on Facebook which has caused angry reaction amongst netizens. These incidents, while seemingly small in themselves, pose a great threat to our harmonious society. Police had to step in.
How then can we as a society go about tackling these challenges? We can start off by living out this year’s theme – Embracing Diversity, Building Community. As a multiracial society, we need to embrace the different people and cultures in Singapore. After we have learnt to embrace this diversity, we can then start to know each other better and strive to build our community together. Because of these, we have to cherish all our common spaces and platforms for socialisation.
Balancing Knowledge with Skills and Values
The need to build community is especially relevant in schools, because schools are natural platforms for socialisation. Schools provide a common space where pupils of different races and backgrounds come together to interact and learn more about each other and the world they live in. I encourage you to reach out to friends who are new in Singapore and get to know each other better. You may consider inviting each other to your home for a meal or celebration of festivities.
I must commend Rosyth School for its efforts in fostering greater interaction amongst its pupils. Resources such as the Rosyth Heritage Hub have been used to promote values such as respect and harmony. Rosyth’s pupils have also been able to bond and explore their shared identities as Singaporeans through the integrated modular activities in sports and aesthetics. Conclusion
Singapore is changing rapidly. Our society is evolving in tune with global trends, and we continue to welcome new Singaporeans who share our values and join our journey in nation-building. While some countries in the world are witnessing killing of one race by another, we have been fortunate to have multiple races living harmoniously side-by-side with each other, in the same estates, eating in the same hawker centre, playing in the same playground. This does not happen by chance. The trust between races is built tirelessly over decades and must be maintained by the present and future generations.
Promoting Racial Harmony should therefore involve each and every one of us. I hope that we will continue to reflect on how we can make a difference to our community, especially to those who need our compassion and help. We can then work closely together to build the ‘heart-ware’ of our nation by better understanding our friends, neighbours and community, and forging closer bonds with one another.
I wish you all a meaningful and engaging Racial Harmony Day.
Thank you.