THEME III : CONFLICT AND HARMONY IN MULTI-ETHNIC SOCIETIES
Why is harmony in
a multi-ethnic society important to the development and viability of a nation?
Causes of Conflict in Sri Lanka
The ‘Sinhala
Only’
When the British ruled Ceylon, they
allowed the minority but English-educated Tamils to dominate the civil service
and occupy some of the most powerful posts in government. The Sinhalese, being
less able to use English, were at a disadvantage. However, once Sri Lanka
achieved independence, the new government (Sinhalese-dominated) passed the
‘Official Language Act’ (1956) by which Sinhala was made the country’s official
language and the only language to be used as the language of administration in
the country. The Tamils in the government service were given three years to
learn Sinhala or be dismissed. As a result, this caused the Tamils to be upset
as they found it difficult to find jobs or be promoted due to their lack of
ability in Sinhala. A peaceful demonstration against the Official Language Act
led to riots and many people were killed. This
caused tensions to rise between the two sides. Even when the Tamils succeeded
in winning some concessions on the language issue in 1957, tension between the
two sides continued to increase, leading to more fighting and deaths.
Citizenship
rights
In 1948, when Sri Lanka became independent, it
passed the Ceylon Citizenship Act (1948) which granted citizenship to only
those who were either born in the country or whose forefathers were born there. As a result, many
Indian Tamils found themselves stateless. Though they had lived in the country
for many years, the Indian Tamils now did not have the basic rights such as
education, jobs, housing and voting which only citizens could enjoy. This was
especially difficult for them to accept especially as they continued to work on
the tea plantations and contributed significantly to the Sri Lankan economy.
Despite India’s
efforts to make an agreement with the Sri Lankan government to resolve the
citizenship issue, nothing came out of it. Thus, the seeds of conflict were
sown because of the citizenship laws which discriminated against the Indian
Tamils.
The issue of
citizenship rights concern identity and basic rights of voting in a
country. Without this basic affirmation
of their belonging to the country, the other factors like university admission
or the language policy will never be addressed.
Unfair
university admission criteria
Prior to 1970, university admission was
based on merit and the exams were in English. This allowed the Tamils, who were
English-educated, to do well in the exams and secure an equal number of places,
to the Sinhalese, in the more respected medical and engineering courses. This
upset the Sinhalese as the proportion of Tamils admitted to university was much
higher than their proportion in the total and population. This led to a change
in admission criteria after 1970: Tamil students had to score higher marks than
the Sinhalese to enter the same courses. A fixed number of places in the
university was also reserved for the Sinhalese. As a result, this angered the Tamils as they felt that they were being
unfairly discriminated against and the policy ruined their chances of getting
good, well-paying jobs. Thus it led to tension growing between the Tamils and
Sinhalese.
Resettlement of
peasant Sinhalese in Tamil-dominated areas
This policy was introduced in the 1950s.
Sinhalese peasants were transferred from the densely-populated southwestern and
central areas to Tamil areas. The government had implemented this policy to
provide land for the landless Sinhalese peasants to live on and to cultivate
padi. However, the Tamils were not happy as along with the poor Sinhalese
peasants, came the Buddhist monks and soldiers. These newcomers occupied the lands belonging to Tamils. As a result of
this tension grew between the two sides and eventually led to fighting.
Consequence of the conflict in Sri Lanka
Economic
consequences
The riots of 1983 caused massive
unemployment for both Tamils and Sinhalese. People lost their jobs as factory
workers, plantation workers, etc. Furthermore, foreign investors were
frightened off by the violence and pulled out their investment from the
country. Tourism, which was a major revenue earner for Sri Lanka, was
similarly badly affected. The decrease in numbers of tourist arrivals had a
serious effect on jobs related to tourism. Thus,
due the outbreak (and continuance) of violence, the economy has been badly hit.
The loss of jobs meant hardship for thousands of families and also pressure on
the government to alleviate the suffering of the people. The loss of foreign
investments meant that the country could not develop quickly and the fall in
the number of tourists meant that the government had less revenues to spend on
the development of amenities and facilities such as transport and housing. All this would mean poverty and
hardship for the people in general.
Political
consequence
The Tamils originally tried to get what
they wanted through negotiations. But riots broke out (e.g. in 1983). As the
Tamils found that their demands were not being met by the government, they
began to turn to other alternative means of getting what they wanted. One was
the use of violence. The LTTE began to attack the Sinhalese as well as the
Tamil members of the ruling party. This armed conflict cost an increasing
number of lives. Also, the conflict led to India intervening in Sri Lanka’s
internal affairs. Originally it took the form of mediation by the Indians and
later changed to more direct intervention (air-dropping of food and petroleum
products) in Tamil-dominated areas. This was next followed, in July 1987, by Sri Lanka being
pressured into signing a peace accord which allowed India to send peacekeepers into Sri Lanka to
disarm the LTTE. However, the LTTE refused to surrender their weapons to the
Indians. This then led to clashes between lndian peacekeepers and LTTE. Finally, the Indian
force was withdrawn from Sri
Lanka. As
a result the political consequence has not been just the loss of thousands of lives but also a lack of
respect for Sri Lanka’s
sovereignty when India
intervened.
Social
consequence
This meant that the conflict caused
large-scale displacement of Tamils beyond the country’s borders. Many Tamils
fled the fighting and went to Tamil Nadu in South India.
Furthermore, the declaration of High Security Zones (HSZ) by the Sri Lankan
armed forces to keep the LTTE away, has also led to many Tamils fleeing these
areas. Thus, the conflict has caused
large numbers of Tamils to flee their homes and lands resulting in these
refugees living in overcrowded refugee camps or with relatives or friends.
Armed Conflict
In 1976, when the demands of
the Tamils were still not met , a new political party LTTE emerged asking for a
separate independent state called Tamil Elam as they
believed that only separation from Sri Lanka would ensure the rights
of the Tamils. When the Sinhalese government rejected the idea, the angry and dissatisfied Tamil youths
resorted to violence and started attacking Tamil members of the police force,
Tamil politicians and soon were attacking the Sinhalese.
Foreign
intervention
The conflict attracted the
attention of its neighbour, India. At first, India tried to play the role of a
mediator in response to the July 1983 riots.
It sent its foreign minister to Sri Lanka to mediate in a dialogue
between the Sinhalese and the Tamils.
The dialogue failed as the parties involved could not come to an
agreement.
However on 3 June 1987, the Indian government
sent 20 Indian ships to Jafffna to provide food and petroleum products to the
Sri Lanka Tamils. When the ships were
turned back by the Sri Lankan navy, the Indian Air Force dropped food and
medical supplies in Jaffna
the following day. In doing so, it
violated the Sri Lankan airspace.
In July 1987, under pressure
from India,
Sri Lanka
agreed to sign a peace accord with India. However, in Oct 1987, when the Tamil Tigers
failed to fully surrender their weapons, the Indian troops took control of them
by force. From Oct 1987 to December
1988, most of the clashes in the north and east of Sri Lanka were between the Indian
peacekeeping force and the Tamil Tigers.
The peacekeeping force was later withdrawn in march 1990.
Foreign intervention was a more serious
consequence as it transferred the conflict to an international stage where India had to
intervene. The fact that another country
had to address Sri Lanka’s
domestic issues meant that Sri
Lanka’s credibility took a blow. This
posed additional future problems for the Sri Lankan government as the people no
longer trust their own government and solving the armed conflict became more
difficult.
Causes of conflict
in Northern Ireland
Educational
System
It is certain that it is the educational system in Northern Ireland
that has caused the conflict in the country. This is primarily because the
education system is divided according to British system, Irish system and
lastly the mixed schools. Although the mixed school exists, they are not
popular. So most students either go to the British or Irish school. In these
schools, they are taught history, language, sports according to the country
system they are crafted based on. Hence, students in these schools grow up with
loyalty pledged to one nation and with hatred/ mistrust for the other. Since children are the foundation of the
nation, it becomes difficult to change the hostilities that have been
established before.
Divided
Loyalties
To a certain extent divided loyalties was a cause for the conflict in Northern Ireland.
This is because, the Catholics in Northern Ireland
consider themselves as Irish and would wish to see a union of Northern Ireland
with the Republic
of Ireland. While the
Protestants see themselves as British and would be happy to remain in the union
with Britain.
By having different loyalties to different nations or ‘states’ this led to the
tension between the Catholics and the Protestants in northern Ireland. This becomes a
problem because the Catholics who are Irish origin are the minority in the
country and the Protestants who form the majority are of British origin which
makes this a tug-of-war which has not produced any favorable results. The British government sending their
military to secure the safety of the Protestants has only worsened the
situation.
Housing issues
Besides
divided loyalties, one other reason is the housing issue
between the Catholics and Protestants which has also led to the tension between
the Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. The health care
provision is handled by the city councils and is partly paid by the government.
However, the councils are largely consisted of Protestants. This caused
resentment amongst the Catholics especially when they were delayed in getting
their houses. Often Catholic families who were often large in size had to wait
many years for a house as compared to a Protestant family. Therefore, many Catholics see this as very unfair and thus this
contributed to the tension and led to the conflict in Northern Ireland.
While there
are many different reasons that caused the conflict in Northern Ireland,
the main reason is the lack of government efficiency in dealing with the
situation. The government itself practicing discriminatory practices does not
assist the existing tension. The government of Northern Ireland needs to take the
lead about the affairs of its own country and establish equality between the 2
groups or to its needs to, alternatively, find a common ground for matters to
cool off in Northern Ireland.
If the government finds itself in a position in which it is unable to handle
the situation within Northern Ireland, then it should seek the assistance of
international organizations or friendly nations (other than Britain, since
Britain is also a nation involved in this conflict) so that a third party
nation can solve this issue peacefully.
Efforts to resolve the conflicts by the Irish
Republican Army
Hindrance
·
Reinforced
prejudice -
IRA’s aim was to use violence to drive the British Army and representatives of
British Government out of Northern.Ireland. A hindrance to the Catholics cause
because it reinforced the divided loyalties that already existed between the
Protestants and Catholics as a result of years of bitter struggles since early
times
·
Never-ending
cycle of violence
- IRA was responsible for 2000 out of the 3000 deaths that occurred during the
period known as the Troubles including sometimes the killing of innocent
Protestants. A hindrance because a never-ending cycle of violence began. Many
Protestants who had never mixed with Catholics due to the separate education
systems now adopt a prejudiced view that every Catholic is an IRA man
·
Turning
point in conflict
- British Army became very prejudiced against the Catholics to the extent that
they shot at peaceful civil rights marchers during the Bloody Sunday incident.
This unfortunate incident was a turning point in the conflict as from then on
Catholics resorted to violence. The IRA was thus in part to blame for this
because their actions had made the British Army obsessed that every young
Catholic man was an IRA man as can be seen from the fact that most of those
shot were young men.
·
Rejected
peace – IRA
announced ceasefire in 1994 but honoured it for only 17 months as IRA planted
bomb in London.
IRA splinter group rejected peace accord but responded with series of bomb
attacks in Belfast.
Help
·
Needed
IRA’s help -
When Civil Rights Movement failed to fight for equal rights through peaceful
means and was met with hostility and violence from the Protestants and police
force during the Bloody Sunday Incident, the Catholics felt they needed the
help of the IRA
·
No
one else to protect Catholics – Catholics lost faith in British government following
introduction of Internment Laws. When British Army sent in by government to
control the situation, started raiding Catholics home and arresting suspects,
Catholics feeling more desperate turned to IRA as they felt that the only ones
who could help them were the IRA. Hence, IRA was more of a help than a
hindrance because there was no one else protecting the Catholics.
·
Only
ones to protect Catholics
- IRA was also the one whom Catholics turned to when Catholic homes were
sometimes petrol-bombed in the middle of the night, forcing the families to
flee. Catholics’ businesses and pubs were also burnt and bombed. These
incidents were often witnessed by the local police force which did not do
anything to stop them and hence IRA was again seen as the only ones who could
protect the Catholics
Possible Conclusion on whether IRA is
more of a hindrance or a help:
More a
hindrance
·
Without
IRA, Catholics peaceful march could have gained international sympathy and
support. However, in some sense, peaceful march by itself would not be
effective enough to pressure for change since British Government and army were
not neutral
OR
More a help
·
Catholics
saw IRA as saviour and protector since Protestants reacted violently to
Catholics peaceful protest and since British Army was not neutral. However, the
IRA violence made all future efforts to reconcile or seek peaceful solution
almost impossible. Without IRA, maybe peaceful methods might attract
international sympathy or mediation.
Impacts of
the conflict in Northern
Ireland
Innocent people affected
Many
of the Catholics and Protestants were not directly involved in the conflict.
They just wanted to carry on with their life without much difficulties and
problems. However, with the conflict,
most of the people affected were innocent people. E.g. many people killed from
1969 to 1977 due to the violences were not directly involved in the violence.
People grew with prejudice ( Social Segregation)
The
Protestants and Catholics received different education, each praising their own
and condemning the deeds of the other. The
violence in the country also mean that the two groups of people believed that
their own people were right and the other party was responsible for the
conflict in Northern Ireland.
This led to growth of hatred and prejudice between the two group fo
people. With increased hostility,
violence continued to rise.
Economic slowdown ( Declining Economy)
Prior
to the conflict, many overseas companies invested in Northern Ireland.
Tourists
came to the country as the country was attractive and peaceful.
Both foreign investment and tourism declined as
people were afraid for their safety and did not want to come to Northern Ireland.
This reduced the revenue for Northern
Ireland, leading to economic slowdown.
Bonding Singapore
Threats faced by Singapore
(possible cause of conflicts)
External threats
The peace in Singapore is
undermined by external conflicts/ threats from external forces.
Transnational terrorism refers to acts of violence which are global in
terms of aims, organisation and impact. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a militant group
wanting to set up an Islamic state in Asia,
conducted terrorist acts in many countries. Attacks on Singapore were
part of the JI’s plan after JI bombed several places such as Jakarta and Bali.
Targets in Singapore
included the US
embassy and some government buildings such as the Ministry of Education. In 2001, Singapore experienced the threat of
transnational terrorism. 34 JI members were arrested under the Internal
Security Act for their involvement in terrorist-related activities from 2001 to
2002. Another JI member was arrested in April 2005. If these terrorist acts targeted at Singapore had
been successful, it would have killed and harmed many people in Singapore and
greatly threatened its peace. Even when
the acts are halted, these acts can still test the social bonds of the people
of Singapore
and divide the people. Other races who do not see things in perspective may
blame the Muslims in Singapore
for the terrorist acts conducted by Muslims in other parts of the world. They
may start avoiding the Muslims in Singapore and cause unnecessary
stress to them. They may also make the Muslims in Singapore feel unwelcome even
though they have not done anything wrong. Racist remarks against them may also
be made due to the terrorist acts in other countries, thus angering the
Muslims. The Muslims may feel discriminated and wronged by the people/ other
races around them, causing resentment.
This would eventually lead to unhappiness and disunity among Singaporeans. Some
Singaporeans may also be influenced by the radical ideas of the JI and be
tempted to join in their terrorist
activities which could threaten the peace in Singapore. Thus, the peace in Singapore
can be undermined by external conflicts/ threats from external forces.
Internal
threats
- Differences in the
perceptions of different racial groups
The peace in Singapore is undermined by the perceptions of different racial groups
too. In July 1964, during the
celebration of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday, a clash between a Chinese policeman
and a group of Malay participants of the procession turned into full-blown race
riots. It started with UMNO leading an anti-PAP campaign which highlighted the
poverty of the Malays in Singapore.
They portrayed PAP’s resettlement and redevelopment projects as anti-Malay
because UMNO claimed that the projects aimed to uproot the Malays from their
homes in traditional Malay areas. This was to arouse feelings of
dissatisfaction among the Malays in Singapore. The Malay newspaper also
highlighted that the PAP government did not care about the Malays in Singapore. UMNO
also held fiery speeches which portrayed PAP as anti-Malay and that stirred
anger in Malays. All that were
done made the Malays angry as they felt that the PAP was unfair to them and
thus they were at a disadvantage. Although the policies also affected the other
races, irresponsible media reporting and deliberately propagating of anti-PAP
made the Malays doubt their status in Singapore. Because of this lack of understanding among
the different racial groups, it created suspicion and unhappiness among them,
which led to the outbreaks of violence among them. As a result of the 1964 race
riots, 36 people were dead and 560 others were injured. This showed that the perceptions of
different racial groups can
undermine the peace in Singapore.
- Differences in the
perceptions of different religious groups
The peace in Singapore is also undermined by the
perceptions of different religious groups. This was illustrated by the
Maria Hertogh riots in 1950. Maria Hertogh, a Dutch, was placed under the care
of a Malay lady when her parents were imprisoned by the Japanese in the 1940s.
Maria was raised as a Muslim and married a Malay teacher. When her parents
demanded that Maria be returned to them, a court trial followed and custody was
given to the Hertoghs. The Muslims felt that the
British legal system was unfair to them. This sparked off anger towards the
European and Eurasian communities which resulted in the outbreak of the riots.
The court’s decision to annul Maria’s marriage to a Malay teacher and pictures
of Maria in a Christian convent were published. This created
unhappiness in the Muslim community as they felt that the welfare of the
Muslims was not looked into. The outbreak of violence left behind destruction
and loss of lives. 5 were dead and 100
were hurt in the riot. The riot showed that if religious issues are not handled
carefully, hostility and distrust can occur among people, thus affecting the
relationships among different religious groups. Therefore, the peace in Singapore can
be undermined by the perceptions of different religious groups.
Possible conclusion on what could be the
most important source of conflict in Singapore:
Singapore is a multi-ethnic society.
Threats from external forces are the most important source of conflict in Singapore.
Perceptions of unfairness between the different racial and religious groups can
be managed through our education and mediation among the different groups. The
government has already put in place Inter-racial Confidence Circles and Harmony
Circles. Through ensuring minority representation in the government, we also ensure
that no groups of the people are overlooked. Through studying together and
various forms of promoting understanding of the other races or religion, we
minimised the possibility of conflict. However, threats from external forces
are beyond our control. Events and developments in other countries can
influence our people. Unfair treatment of the people or religious groups in
other countries can have adverse impact on Singapore and lead to Singaporeans
taking up their cause like in the case of the JI incident.
Ways for Singapore to manage its ethnic
diversity
Building a national identity
Forging a national identity through the policy of multi-racialism is one measure adopted
by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. The policy of multi-racialism promotes
equality among the races, with no special rights granted to any particular
racial or religious group. Everyone has equal opportunities to succeed,
regardless of their background. Favouring a certain group of people because of
their race or religion is prohibited by the Constitution. Since everyone is
seen as a valued member of the Singapore
society, a sense of national identity as Singaporeans is created. Fostering
national identity contributes to managing ethnic diversity as every citizen regardless
of their race or religion will see himself/herself as a Singaporean, not as
people of different races or religions, thus fostering unity amongst the
Singaporeans. Thus, forging a national identity through the
policy of multi-racialism is one
measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity.
Forging a national identity through common practices is one
measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. Common practices are actions that
Singaporeans carry out together. Singing the national anthem, taking the pledge
and attending the flag-raising ceremony are examples of the common practices
carried out in school. By singing the national anthem and taking the pledge
every day, students are reminded that they are citizens of Singapore, of
one people and one nation, and not people of different races and religions.
These common practices help to foster national identity. Inculcating loyalty
and national pride towards Singapore
is one way to get Singaporeans to see themselves as one people, thus forging a national identity through common practices is one measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity.
Forging a national identity through bilingualism is one measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. Under the policy of bilingualism,
students are expected to learn English and their own mother tongue. English,
a common language among the different races, is used as the language linking
the different ethnic groups. Some schools offer a third language to their
students, for example, Chinese (Special Programme) and Malay (Special
Programme). By learning a third language, this means that students are able
to communicate better with peers from other ethnic groups. When different
ethnic groups can communicate with one another, it will enable them to foster
understanding and establish friendships, thereby reducing misunderstandings and
conflict among the different ethnic groups. Also as English is a non-native
language for all the ethnic groups, no one has the advantage over others. Thus
no ethnic groups will feel disadvantaged or being treated unfairly. As a result
of this, there will be less resentment amongst the different ethnic groups, hence forging a national identity through bilingualism is one measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity.
Creating opportunities for interaction is another measure adopted
by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. An example is developing common space through events and programmes organised by grassroots organisations.
Grassroots organizations such as People’s Association (PA) create common space
through their wide range of programmes and activities developed to cater to the
needs and interests of every Singaporean. One of the programmes conducted for
students is a home visit or home stay opportunity with a host family from
another ethnic group. By doing this, this means that participants are given
the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the cultures and customs of
other races. With mutual respect for other races, strong friendships can be
built over time. With better understanding for other races, people of different
ethnic groups will be more tolerant of each other, thus conflicts arising from
ethnic diversity will be reduced, hence creating opportunities for interaction through events and programmes
organised by grassroots organisations is another measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity.
Creating opportunities for interaction
through opportunities offered by educational institutions is another measure adopted by
the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. Educational institutions such as schools
and tertiary institutions are open to every Singaporean, regardless of their
race, language or religion. Students from different races and religion study
together. The daily interaction that takes place among students during
lessons and school activities provides an opportunity for friendships to be
cultivated and strengthened. The implementation of Co-Curricular Activities
(CCAs) in schools helps promote closer bonds among youths from all races. Through
the variety of activities conducted during CCAs, students of different races
are given opportunities to work closely together and understand one another
better. When students from different races come together to play games and work
on a task, this helps to build teamwork. Through CCAs, students learn to
appreciate one another’s talents and respect one another as individuals. Social
bonds among students from various ethnic groups are fostered through such
school-based activities. As students learn about racial mixing in schools, they
will make friends with people of different races, thus understanding and
appreciating people of different racial and religious groups. Hence there will
be less chances of fights breaking out. Thus creating
opportunities for interaction through opportunities offered by educational
institutions is another measure adopted by the Singapore government to manage
ethnic diversity.
Creating
opportunities for interaction through common living space provided by public
housing is
yet another measure adopted by the Singapore government to manage
ethnic diversity. The ethnic integration
policy was introduced to put a limit on the proportion of races in every
neighbourhood and block. This ensures that there is an even distribution of the
different races in all housing estates. Living together in the same
neighbourhood provides opportunities for people of different ethnic groups to
interact. As people of different ethnic groups use common space such as the
lifts, playgrounds and sitting area at the void decks, they have the chance to
interact and form friendships. This enables people of different races to
understand each other and thus less conflict would occur due to the
misunderstanding of another ethnic group’s customs and culture and way of
living, hence creating opportunities
for interaction through common living space provided by public housing is
yet another measure adopted by the Singapore government to manage
ethnic diversity.
Creating opportunities through
interaction through activities conducted by Inter-Racial Confidence Circles
(IRCCs) and Harmony Circles (HCs) is also another measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. Activities carried out by the IRCCs such
as visits to places of worship create opportunities for Singaporeans to
appreciate their differences and develop strong bonds among different ethnic
and religious communities. HCs also organized inter-racial and
inter-religious activities such as playing traditional games at the workplace. All
these activities organized by the IRCCs and HCs provide opportunities for
people to come together to interact and learn about the other ethnic groups.
This help to foster friendships and appreciation to reduce the possibility of
fighting amongst the different ethnic groups. Thus creating
opportunities through interaction through activities conducted by Inter-Racial
Confidence Circles (IRCCs) and Harmony Circles (HCs) is also another
measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity.
Creating opportunities through
interaction through shared experience during National Service is another measure adopted by
the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity too. NS requires all able-bodied men to
serve in the defence of the country. NS thus provides a platform for men of
all races to come together for a common goal, i.e. to defend the country. The
shared experiences, for example, going through military training, help to
strengthen the bond among the men. As they work towards the common goal of
defending the country, they will have a sense of unity among them even though
they may not be of the same ethnic group. This helps to bond people of
different ethnic groups and reduce the conflicts that may happen, thus creating opportunities through interaction
through shared experience during National Service is another measure
adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity too.
The opportunities to interact offered by
the educational institutions is the most effective way to bond Singaporeans
compared to shared experiences through National Service or having ethnic
integration policy in our public housing. This is because in the educational
institutions, the pupils get to learn about the other races from young. They
are less prejudiced against others. At the age where their opinions are still
been shaped, they are more amiable and open to accept others and when the
friendships are formed, they will grow up less prejudice against others.
- Safeguarding the rights
of the minority groups
Safeguarding the interests of the
minority groups
through minority representation is
also another measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity. The Presidential Council of Minority
Rights (PCMR) and the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) are two examples
of how representation of the minority groups is achieved. The PMCR consists of
members from minority racial and religious groups. This ensures that no
racial or religious group is disadvantaged as a result of a law that is passed
in Parliament. Thus all laws are fair to all racial and religious groups, so
that no racial and religious groups will feel resentment and that they have
been unfairly treated. The GRC ensures that at least one of the candidates
in the team contesting in the General Election is from the minority racial
communities such as Malay, Indian or Eurasian. The GRC ensures that the
minority racial groups are represented in the Parliament. In this way, the
concerns and needs of the minority are made known to the government and the
laws and policies passed can then be made to meet their needs even though they
are the minority. The policy of minority representation gives minority groups a
say in governance which is one way to safeguard the interests of the minority
groups. Thus safeguarding the interests of the minority
groups through minority
representation is also another
measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity.
Safeguarding the interests of the
minority groups
through self-help groups is another
measure adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity too. Chinese Development Assistance
Council (CDAC), Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), Mendaki and
the Eurasian Association play an important role in helping members of their
community who are less fortunate to get aid in their studies and training for
their jobs. Self-help groups also give moral support to members of their own
community. This helps Singaporeans to cope and compete with one another on
an equal footing. By doing so, people from minority groups will be able to
improve their social and economic positions in the society. This ensures that
the minority groups will not be left behind and feel disadvantaged. Since
2002, the different self-help groups have embarked on joint projects such as
joint tuition programme. These joint efforts allow students from different
ethnic groups to attend the same tuition classes together in tuition centres
run by CDAC, Mendaki and SINDA. This provides the opportunity for youths from
different ethnic groups to interact and get along with one another, forming
friendships and reducing the possible problems of ethnic diversity. Thus safeguarding the interests of the minority groups through self-help groups is another measure
adopted by the Singapore
government to manage ethnic diversity too.
Extracted from "A growing terror weapon" fromThe Straits Times March 6, 2009
The latest incident in which a terrorist Abdulmutallab attempted to blow up a Northwest Airline flight on Christmas Day is a reminder that terrorism is still very much a real threat to all of us. Luckily his plan was thwarted by fellow passengers who pounced on him. 
