MCYS SPEECH NO: 05/2010
DATE OF ISSUE: 06/03/2010

Members of the National Steering Committee and Working Committee for Racial and Religious Harmony,

Chairmen and members of IRCCs,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am delighted to be here with you this morning. I thank all of you for your contribution to the IRCCs in the past year. The work of IRCCs will always be ''work in progress''. Both global developments and local incidents are constant reminders that we need to protect and nurture our social cohesion.

This year marks the sixtieth anniversary of the Maria Hertogh riots - a key moment in our history when blood was shed on our streets in the name of race, language and religion. We must never forget the lessons from those painful events. 

Singapore's challenges

During the discussion session, many had given valuable feedback and observations based on your personal experiences in the racial riots of 1964 and 1969. Many participants expressed concerns that we are still vulnerable after 45 years of independence. And we are right to be concerned. Race and religion, especially when mixed with social class stratification and politics, can be a potent cocktail for disaster.

Many of us define our identities by group membership - it may be our family, clan, or religion.. Unfortunately, there is also a temptation to define ourselves by exclusion - to differentiate ourselves from others. This poses a particular challenge to a diverse society like ours.

There will always be a need to bridge these differences - to build tolerance, appreciation and trust. The IRCCs are a common platform for community, ethnic and religious organisations, their leaders and their members. Today, IRCCs have expanded their coverage to also include many smaller communities, including new immigrants and foreigners. 

Preserving harmony

It is heartening to note that, in executing their role, our ethnic, religious and community leaders are aware of racial and religious sensitivities. This sensitivity is crucial, as they are often called upon to mediate conflicts or disputes. As evident in our race riots in the sixties and recent events around the world, any incident with racial and religious undertones can easily spiral out of control. 

As religious and community leaders, you are in a special position of influence. It is therefore vital that you set the leadership tone by following the four basic principles for preserving our harmony, as articulated by PM Lee in his National Day Rally last year. 

I think there is value in reiterating those principles: one, that all groups must exercise tolerance and restraint; two, that religion must stay separate from politics; three, that the Government must remain secular; and four, that the common space shared by all Singaporeans must be preserved. The way to operationalise these principles is to adopt the model of a community with shared responsibilities -cooperation, harmony, respect and trust - which are enshrined in the IRCC's shared values.

New media challenges

The growth of the internet poses new challenges for the maintenance of peace and harmony. Two decades ago, there were less than 50 sites on the World Wide Web. At last count in 2009¹, there were 109.5 million websites, 550 billion documents on the web and one trillion unique URLs. In this era of advanced IT, information is received, uploaded and shared instantaneously. And many terrorist, racist or xenophobic groups use the internet as an echo chamber to amplify their messages and radicalise vulnerable individuals.

One scenario discussed today was on the challenges IRCCs would face if race riots were to happen in this age of connectivity. With the accessibility of new media channels, how would the incidents have evolved? It is likely that the tensions in a localised incident would escalate quickly as information, especially unchecked rumours, go viral. IRCCs need to deal with this new dimension, in testing and reviewing their crisis preparedness. 

Launch of IRCC website

In this regard, the IRCC website which we launched today recognises the importance of new media, and capitalises on its potential. IRCCs must leverage on technology in building up capacity and capabilities, and in this way, fulfil your roles even more effectively. 

The IRCC website will be a rich resource. It will capture milestones and information on events, and receive feedback on issues pertaining to the religious cluster. I urge you to make good use of this tool to increase your impact - for outreach and engagement, to monitor ground sentiments, and disseminate information effectively. 

Conclusion

In these times of change and uncertainty, IRCCs must continue building networks of trust. We have done good work in the past, and must continue the hard work and remain vigilant against any potential incident or issue that may test our resilience. There will be many more challenges in the future, and as IRCCs are the primary groups responsible for maintaining community cohesion and racial and religious harmony, I am confident that the IRCCs will rise to the occasion, and will be able to play their part effectively under the Community Engagement Programme. 

On that note, I thank you for your presence today. 


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