SINGAPORE: Multinational and cohesive Singapore cannot assume that its harmony is solid or permanent as Singaporeans' identities are formed from a diverse racial mix of three major Asian civilisational complexes, China, India and Southeast Asia, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said on Tuesday.
Delivering a keynote speech at a conference on identity organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) here, Wong spoke about the growing trend of identity politics and tribalism dividing countries despite the efforts of their governments to forge a common nationality.
The minister last spoke on the topic of race in June at another IPS-RSIS conference, following a spate of racist incidents at the time.
Wong reminded Singaporeans about what happened in 1854 on the island of mostly migrant communities then.
Singapore experienced "a far more violent conflict" between Hokkiens and Teochews (two of the main Chinese communities in Singapore then) in 1854 that had led to more than 400 killed, more wounded, and about 300 houses burned in more than 10 days of riots, he pointed out.
The sectarian clash, according to historical records, came about due to a rebellion in China.
"It seems astounding to us today, but barely 150 years ago, tribal identities among Chinese here in Singapore trumped their racial, cultural or national identity as Chinese," TODAY newspaper quoted Wong as saying.
"Can we then really be sure, with the rise of China, India and Southeast Asia, that Singaporean nationalism will not deconstruct again into Chinese, Indian and Malay nationalisms?" Wong pointed out how Singapore has managed to avoid serious conflicts because its founding leaders went to great lengths to put in place measures to safeguard "our racial and religious harmony".
This meant tough action such as the Internal Security Act (which allows detention without trial) and short-term unpopular policies such as making English the main medium of instruction in schools, and the Housing and Development Board's (HDB) Ethnic Integration Programme.
"This harmonious state of affairs will always be on a knife-edge; so it needs constant attention and careful management," he said.
Wong has also suggested five possible approaches to address the competing demands of diverse identity groups while maintaining a cohesive and harmonious society.
Firstly, he advocated for Singaporeans to strengthen their spirit of reciprocity and kinship at the daily level, which would ultimately increase the mutual trust between people.
"We must be good friends, good neighbours, good Samaritans."
While the Government cannot compel people to build relationships, it can work to gird social norms in caring for others, kindness and graciousness that bring people together.
Wong said people should avoid assuming that each community is monolithic or homogenous.
Referring to his previous speech on race, Wong said the phrase "Chinese privilege" is a form of stereotype a female Chinese from a poor background would have a vastly different lived experience compared to a male Chinese from a wealthy family, for example.
"Minorities especially are subject to such prejudices, and all of us must be more conscious of the stereotypes we might harbour. We must avoid reducing our understanding of each other to a single dimension," TODAY had Wong as saying.
Wong stressed, "We may be Chinese, Malay, Indian, Eurasian, or any other race. But we are first and foremost Singaporeans. Likewise, regardless of our gender or sexual orientations, regardless of the cause we champion, we are all Singaporeans, first and foremost."
While humans are tribalists, Singaporeans are also traders by nature, said Wong, recapping Singapore's entrepot history.
Traders are characterised by the desire to explore the unknown, meet new people to trade and live with, grounded on norms of reciprocity, trust and mutual benefit.
"This same instinct is crucial in setting the tone of our society," he said.
"We must continue in this vein continue to engage with one another, cooperate and work towards mutual benefit. We must do so not only with those outside Singapore but also between different segments of Singaporeans as well."
That means listening, understanding, compromising and negotiating for win-win outcomes, knowing that the community will be stronger by cooperation, he said.
Wong said that the Government must continue to give Singaporeans reason to "hope and a fair chance to have a good life," noting the rising inequalities elsewhere in the world that have led to economic woes and, consequently, extreme politics.
"We must never allow this to happen in Singapore. So we will continue to work hard to promote inclusive growth, and to ensure that all Singaporeans can succeed in their pursuits," he said.
Through this, Singapore will be able to break out of having a zero-sum mindset, in which the success of one group comes at the expense of another, he said.
Undergirding this is the Government's duty to be fair and honest, even with the difficulties in establishing consensus on controversial issues.
"In such cases, the Government will do our utmost to recognise the challenges and needs of different groups, decide on the appropriate policy, and convince the rest of society that this is a fair way to move forward," said Wong, referring to policies such as the Ethnic Integration Policy in public housing estates of HDB and the Special Assistance Plan for school.
Wong assured that the authorities will never waiver from their commitment to work with people to broaden common space and to build a society where every Singaporean can express their views and be empowered to effect positive change.
"We may not always arrive at a perfect solution."
"But we will never let any group feel unheard, ignored or excluded. We will never let any group feel boxed in or ostracised. All must feel they are part of the Singapore conversation, all must feel they are part of the Singapore family, all must feel there is hope," said Wong.
Singapore has a population of 5.45 million as of the end of June 2021.