Connexionsg
Thinking about Race in Singapore
28 June 2021
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In 1965, shortly after independence, Lee Kuan Yew said that Singapore is “not a country that belongs to any single community; it belongs to all of us."
Singapore, indeed, belongs to all of us. And we’ve all chipped in to bring Singapore this far.
It has never been easy, but as realists at heart, we know that our ideals must be matched by effort. So we work at it, expanding our common spaces and, in times of conflict, acting quickly to restore faith and trust in one another.
We formed platforms like Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles to build solidarity across cultures. We review our policies and programmes to serve people with greater understanding. We look for ways to build empathy amidst our differences — in 2019, instead of retaliating to insensitive remarks, the Sikh community helped that person learn more about their culture.
The work is ongoing. At times we’ve said or done things that hurt one another, which we can’t take back. But we can learn from our mistakes so that something better can emerge. Take our challenges as opportunities to cultivate compassion, overcome ignorance, and strengthen bonds with one another. So let’s keep at it and shape a Singapore that is #EvenBetter, together.