Racial Harmony proj.
:D
Sunday, August 16, 2009 @ 3:09 AM
We the citizens of Singapore,
pledge ourselves as one united people.
Regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society,
based on justice and equality,
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity, and progress for our nation.
These are the words we recite in schools every morning. In neat rows, with our right fists firmly clenched over our chest, we stand before the national flag mouthing the words which we often do without thinking what they really meant.
However, from our very own pledge, we see the importance of racial harmony. The only and main reason why we are still standing strong is because our ability to live and work harmoniously for Singapore's future.
On our National flag, the colour red symbolizes universal brotherhood and equality of men. We are a nation that has come together as one regardless of our race and religion.
Singaporeans are free to practise one's own religious beliefs and customs. There is no state religion. Each race in Singapore is encouraged to maintain its own uniqueness and distinctiveness while co-existing with one another.
The Government and other organisations have been playing an important role to ensure that racial harmony is preserved in Singapore.
One of our NE Messages is 'We must maintain meritocracy and uphold incorruptibility'. Being a meritocratic country, all individuals in Singapore are treated equally regardless of their religion or skin colour.
The Inter-religious Organisation
The Inter religious Organisation (IRO) is a society composed of the religious leaders of the nine major religions of Singapore to promote inter-faith understanding and harmony in Singapore. It is made up of the Hindu, Jewish, Zoroastrian, Buddhist, Taoist, Christian, Muslim, Sikh and Baha'i Faith. It conducts seminars and public talks on the common beliefs that underlie all our religions and how they contribute to peace and harmony in Singapore. The IRO is also involved in welfare service projects for the needy and elderly regardless of race or religion.
The IRO has also been called upon to organise inter-faith prayer services e.g. conducting inter-religious memorial services for the victims of unfortunate public tragedies such as the SilkAir Crash in Palembang and the SQ006 crash in Taipei.
Under Singapore law, the maintenance of the religious harmony act ensures that religious activities do not spill over into inter-ethnic tensions.
The Presidential Council on Minority Rights examines all pending bills to make sure that they are not disadvantageous to a particular group. It also reports to the Government on matters affecting any racial or religious community and investigates complaints.
One of Singapore's five shared values is maintaining 'racial and religious harmony'. Singapore will not prosper unless the different communities can live harmoniously together. Once the social fabric is torn, it cannot easily be sewn together again.
Singapore 21
Singapore 21 highlights the ideals that will guide Singapore and Singaporeans into the 21st century. It is the responsibility of every citizen to interpret these ideals and put them into action. The logo shows four figures holding hands represent Singaporeans of all races in unity, sharing a common Singapore vision and living and working together in Singapore, our home. We would like to highlight two of the five messages that help promote racial harmony.
1. Every Singaporean Matters - Each one of us is unique and can contribute to Singapore's success, regardless of who we are.
2. Opportunities For All - Every citizen has the opportunity to develop his/her full potential, regardless of his/her background
More than 80 % of Singaporeans live in HDB flats. Living in multi-racial housing estates is a step towards forging a bond between the different racial groups in our society. As the various communties are brought closer together and share common facilities in the housing estates, it allows them to interact with and understand one another better. Living together in multi-racial housing estates may also increase the likelihood of friction between different races. Hence, residents have to learn to tolerate differences and accept other races.
Community Development Councils (CDCs) were formed in 1997 to promote social cohesion and strengthen community bonding in the various districts.They organise many interesting activities such as family outings, sports carnivals, job fairs and cultural performances for residents to interact and bond together.
CDCs also organise home stay/ home visit programme in which children spend the day with families of other races, share a meal with them and visit cultural and religious places in order to get to understand the various practices and cultures. This programme gives children the opportunity to experience first-hand the lifestyle of another ethnic group.
Inter-racial Confidence Circles
The Government has also established Inter-Racial Confidence Circles (IRCC) and Harmony Circles in all our 84 constituencies to reach out to all Singaporeans in order to strengthen understanding and a shared sense of responsibility among Singaporeans of all races and religions.
The IRCCs create opportunities for Singaporeans to explore and appreciate their differences and develop bonds among different ethnic and religious communities. They organise visits to the houses of worship of different religions. This fosters greater religious harmony between the different religious and ethnic groups. There will be less chance of misunderstanding when we get to know one other better.
Community Self Help Groups
Community Self Help Groups - Chinese Development Assistance Council, Eurasian Association, Yayasan Mendaki and the Singapore Indian Development Association (which represent the four main races in Singapore), together with grassroots organisations and the CDCs, organise regular programme and activities to reach out to Singaporeans of various ethnic groups. Activities include multi- racial karaoke sessions, heritage tours, cooking demonstrations and martial-arts performances.
Code of Religious Harmony
Recently in October 2002, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong proposed a code of religious harmony. It is a set of guidelines and principles that all the major religious groups agree upon to achieve better understanding and confidence and to minimise misunderstanding and suspicion. While we all have our own religious beliefs, we will agree to respect other people's religions, so as to maintain the present state of harmonious relationship. Presently, the code is still being drafted.
National Day Parades and Celebrations
Every year, during our National Day parades and celebrations, we are reminded that we are all Singaporeans, regardless of race or religion. Our nation can continue to prosper only if there is racial harmony and peace.
National Service
National Service was started in July 1967 when the first batch of 900 male Singapore citizens and permanent residents were called up for compulsory full-time service in the army. During national service, young men of different races interact with one another while training to defend our country, thus fostering common understanding, tolerance and comradeship between them.
We must always remember that it is the responsibility of every Singaporeans to foster racial unity, not just the Government's alone. In going about our daily lives, we should try to do things that promote racial harmony, such as accommodating each other's cultural and religious activities.