Jacqueline Lee

Is there racial harmony in Singapore? If yes do you think it is based on understanding or tolerance?

I agree that there is racial harmony in Singapore, because without it, Singapore will be having racial riots and fighting with their neighbors constantly. Singapore has strong beliefs that Singaporean should mix around different races when they are young, from kindergarten and when they are in primary school. They should be mixing with all different type of races; Chinese, Indian, Malays and the Eurasians.

They all learning in the same environment and playing in the same environment. The teacher should not teach the Indian students lesser things than the Chinese because of their race. They should all be equal standing; everyone has a right to an equal education.

I think racial harmony to certain people is based on tolerances, while others, it is based on understanding. Some Chinese might be very racist therefore they tend to mind their own business and occasionally make some racist remark about their next door neighbor because he left the rubbish outside on the corridor and saying how inconsiderate he is.

For those people who live in harmony based on understanding are those neutral parties, they have nothing against the other races and they feel that if they do not do anything to anger them, everything will be fine. An occasion greeting like “hello “or “good morning” would be good, or even a short conversation about how it has been raining so heavily in Singapore lately.

Singapore has managed their racial harmony well as they have a holiday for different race and religion, no one is left out. Singapore makes every race and religion feel important, she has built different places of worship for different religion and school to have different mother tongue languages; Tamil, Chinese or Malay, which is compulsory.