There seems to be a strong feeling among the non-Chinese community that there is more emphasis on Chinese and Chineseness, so much so that minorities are feeling that they are being marginalized. This panel on multicultural issues has been formed to examine the state of multiculturalism in Singapore.
For the past decade, the government has organised annually, a "Speak Mandarin Campaign", where members of the Chinese community are encouraged to learn to speak Mandarin to one another. These campaigns focus on different areas each year, from campaigns that stress on using Mandarin at home, in school and the workplace, to the recent campaign, where the objective was to encourage people with little or no knowledge of Mandarin, to learn to use it. This idea was linked to the concept of returning to and retaining the Chinese heritage. The measures taken in these campaigns have evolved from banning all dialect programs on radio and television in the 1980s, to allowing the Cantonese theme songs from Hong Kong drama serials to be broadcasted in the last few years. In the feedback for the "Speak Mandarin Campaign", there were concerns from members of the non-Chinese community, that the Government is putting too much emphasis on Chinese. For instance, why is there no "Speak Malay" or " Speak Tamil" campaigns. Also, in the debate on Asian values, these "Asian values" have been identified as being Confucian values. By equating Confucian values with Asian values, it gives rise to the perception that Asian values are Chinese. Where does Malay and Indian values fit in?
There is a policy commitment to multiculturalism in Singapore. Efforts have been made to ensure that there is adequate representation from all the different ethnic groups. For example, in the case of the self-help groups, there is a main body for the Chinese (Chinese Development Assistance Committee), Indian (Singapore Indian Development Association) and Malay (MENDAKI). Public housing is also allocated by the racial quota for each block of flats. The different groups are encouraged to mix with one another. Conditions are also created so facilitate this interaction. In every housing estate coffee shop, you can find a mix of Chinese, Malay and Indian food stall.
Racial discrimination is not allowed. There is no legislation on racial discrimination, but we have the Presidential Council for Minority Rights chaired by Chief Justice Yung Pung How and the Religious Harmony Bill. Under the Internal Security Act, communalism is not allowed in politics. Race is not a qualifying criteria in the job market. Although it is accepted that certain jobs are limited to members of a particular ethnicity because of religious or cultural reasons. There are still and will be incidents of insensitivities, however, they are isolated. Using the television programming as an example. Marketing TV Channel Prime 12 as the channel for mainly Malay and Indian programmes is a change from before when they had to compete with the prime time slots on the mainly Chinese or English channels.
Things have certainly improved from the immigrant days, when each ethnic group enclaved in their respective territories. This history can be traced with the old street names should as Hainan Street, Dhoby Ghaut, etc. How can we measure how "good" race relations are today? By rate of intermarriage, by the level of general knowledge the man in the street has of the other ethnic groups, or by some other indicator? Why do the Malay and Indian community feel threatened by the "Speak Mandarin Campaign", how can we assuage such fear? Given the change in direction of the government's policy from melting pot to multiculturalism, how has the dynamics of race relations changed over the last 5 - 10 years?
The understanding of ethnic relations cannot be fully achieved if these are studied in isolation from the wider social and economic conditions in which the different ethnic communities are situated. Ethnic integration should be defined so that it considers social and economic integration. How has the changes in the political, social and economic spheres influenced race relations? Have successful have the attempts to increase the level of understanding between the ethnic groups been? If not, what have been the problems?
Singapore is one of the few countries that can take pride in the management of the ethnic relations and the racial harmony that exists. Singapore's approach, strict though it may seem, merits some study, if only because such integration might have been fundamental to the stability we have seen so far. The challenge is not just in maintaining, but also in improving race relations. As the next century dawns, it is hoped that racial barriers will disappear. In the meantime, problems in race relations have led to bloody wars. Former Yugoslavia is case in point. As we continue to strive towards racial harmony, assessments of race relations and multiculturalism in Singapore, such as this panel, can serve its purpose in preparing ourselves for the challenges ahead.