Segregation of race due to:
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School children not making friends across ethnic groups. Why? They preferred someone who use their mother tongue simply because they were more comfortable speaking it than English.
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The Malay community has complained of being marginalized. Why? Because there have been no appointments of Malay permanent secretaries in the ministries, no Malay judges, no Malay generals in the armed forces
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Minority communities raised issues like status planning decisions, the political status, strengths and roles of the Malay and Indian communities in the multilingual framework.
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Public housing scheme is seen to be splintering the Minority group.
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The current global Islamic revival which Singapore has had to respond.
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Publication of a recent book, The Singapore Dilemma by Dr Lily Zubaidah Rahim which she discusses about the issue of racism in Singapore and proclaim that there is a racial discrimination in our homeland.
- Print
- Radio
- TV
- Speeches on the issue by Ministers
- Yearly Reports
- Books
Conceptual Framework:
Singapore early days of independence:
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Promote the idea of multiracialism as a key principle whereby there is recognition of common rights and destinies of different groups of people who share the same homeland.
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Each community was give space to protect its identity and was encourage to understand other communities better.
- A symbol begin created to represent our multiracial society that looks like the four interlinked forearms from major racial groups and signs of four languages which are visible everywhere.
In the 1980s:
- Each community to preserve its own identity but policy makers argued that every communities wanted to preserve and draw the most from its own identity to pass on to the next generation and that the government should not stand in the way. This has brought up the bilingualism policy.
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Speak Mandarin Campaign launched follow by Speak English Campaign and eventually a Malay Language Month and a Tamil Language Week.
In the 1990s:
- Singaporeans moved on to ‘shared values’ ethnic and religious harmony and the acquisition of mother tongues promoting a ‘cultural anchor’ and providing ‘cultural roots’.
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Each community is at liberty to preserve what it deems to be its identity and heritage and at the same time build a common heritage and shared experiences.
In the 2000s:
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The shifting has moved on to the idea of common space. A space for ideas, values and vision that all Singaporean identify as their own.
- Hence, to promote the ideas of tolerance and harmony among the different groups.
Promoting Ethnic community self-help groups for the individual:
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The Eurasians: Eurasian Association
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The Indians: Singapore Indian Development Association (1991)
- The Malays
- Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura (1968)
- Majlis Pusat Pertubuhan-Pertubuhan Budaya Melayu Singapura (1969)
- Mendaki (1982)
- Association of Muslim Professionals (1991)
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The Chinese: Chinese Development Assistance Council
HDB Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP):
- To prevent the formation of ethnic enclaves and to ensure a balanced mix of various ethnic groups in HDB estates.
- It sets out the upper limits for each ethnic group at both neighbourhood and block levels.
Festivals celebrations:
Lunar New Year
Dragon Boat Festival
Moon Cake Festival
Ching Ming Festival
Hungry Ghost Festival
Hari Raya Puasa
Hair Raya Haji
Deepavali
Some minorities has raise the issue of feeling alienated by the society and that the government has not done enough to reduce such issue. Still, through the recent survey, the majority of Singaporeans think of themselves more as citizens of Singapore than the race they are. This applies equally to all the three larger racial groups: Chinese, Malays and Indians.
The strong national identity has still remained important within us and majority support Singapore to have a multi-racial society which allows for ethnicity and representation of ethnic identity. Social Integration cannot be achieved by holding a campaign or relying on the government implementation. It has to come from individual effort.
Even though that there is a slight issue within these ethnic groups, we are still united and strong and able to fight against any destruction to protect our own nation. The recent SARs crisis, Fabric of Nation and National Day has definitely showed the strong bond between these four ethnic groups.
SARS crisis
All communities have worked together in fighting against the virus.
Fabric of Nation
It is a project proposed by Channel NewsAsia to remember this moment in our history. It was conceived as a national activity to get people from all walks of life involved in the making of the country's first national tapestry. Stitch by stitch, patch by patch, each is a symbol of love and a gift of blessing to the country.
National Day Celebration
The day where all the different ethnics group get together to celebrate Nation’s Birthday and success.