Schools are celebrating Racial Harmony Day today. This past year, racial harmony has come under the spotlight. Several racist incidents went viral, provoking strong reactions and soul searching about the discrimination that various groups encounter in Singapore.
The public debate has sometimes been uncomfortable. But it has been helpful in airing the issues, and reminding us of the fundamental importance of racial harmony to our nation.
Our racial harmony is an ongoing process, evolving with each generation. My own reference point is the race riots that happened on this date in 1964. It showed me what could happen if we failed to uphold racial harmony, and that has shaped my worldview.
With each generation, however, this topic takes on different aspects and complexities. Also our discussions are increasingly influenced by what happens elsewhere, in very different societies.
We mark Racial Harmony Day each year not to proclaim that Singapore has ‘solved’ this problem, but to remind ourselves this is something we need to continue working hard on. 56 years after independence, race remains an urgent and sensitive issue for us. – LHL
(Racial Harmony Day at Fern Green Primary School. / MCI Photo by Betty Chua)
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