Singapore in the Past and Present

Past:

In the past, though there was the presence of four different racial groups living in Singapore, as in present Singapore, racial and religious tolerance was very minimal so to say. Different racial groups were segregated into different parts of Singapore; whereby different racial groups dominated specific areas in Singapore.

Schools in the past were also racially-divided; by the presence of Chinese Schools, Indian Schools and Malay Schools. Children were not able to mix around with other children from the different racial groups, giving the impression that other race children were 'aliens', and causing them to be hostile towards each other.

Under the British colony, and mergence with Malaysia shortly after that, did not unify the people living under Singapore. The different racial and religious groups were not tolerant with each other, as the leaders governing Singapore did not continually emphasize the importance of being a unified nation with its people living together harmoniously at all times

All these religious and racial tension brewing finally erupted shortly before independence, on the day that is now better known as the '1964 Race Riots'.

The 1964 Race Riots were a series of riots that took place in Singapore during two separate periods in July and September between Chinese and Malay groups. The first incident occurred on 21 July during a Malay procession that marked Prophet Muhammad's birthday. In total, the violence killed 36 people and injured another 556. About 3,000 people were arrested. The riots are also known as the Prophet Muhammad Birthday Riots, 1964 Racial Riots, and 1964 Sino-Malay Riots. At that time, Singapore was a state in the Federation of Malaysia.

On 21 July 1964, about 25,000 Malays gathered at the Padang, Singapore to celebrate the Muslim prophet Muhammad's birthday. After the speeches, the procession went on to Geylang. Along the way, a policeman asked a group that was dispersed to rejoin the main procession. Instead of obeying the orders, the group attacked the policeman. This incident led to a race riot after the group of Malays attacked ethnic Chinese-Malay passers-by and spectators. The riots were reported to have started at about 5:00 p.m. between Kallang and Geylang Serai. The government declared a curfew at 9.30 p.m. to restore order, but in the first day of rioting, four people were killed and 178 injured.

After the curfew was lifted at 6 a.m. the next morning, the conflict grew even tenser, and another curfew was imposed – it was only lifted for short periods to allow people to buy food. The curfew was not completely lifted until 2 August, 11 days after the start of the riots.

After the riots, goodwill committees were set up made up of community leaders from the various racial groups. The main job of these leaders was to help restore peace and harmony between the Malays and ethnic Chinese by addressing the concerns of the residents. About 23 people were killed and 450 people were injured during the July riots. There was significant damage to property and vehicles.

The government arrested about 3,000 people, including 600 secret society members and 256 people charged with possession of dangerous weapons. The rest were arrested for violating the curfew.

Present:

This '1964 Race Riots' brought the racial and religious tension existing amongst Singaporeans into Light. Every since then, maintaining and emphasizing Racial and Religious Harmony has become one of Singapore's top priority. A nation divided by racial and religious discrimination and disharmony, where conflict is continually prevalent, will cause the downfall of the nation. Today, almost all Singaporeans have been incorporated with racial and religious tolerance continuously since young; and we are all certainly living harmoniously under one roof. There are many steps and reasons on why we are all living and practicing racial and religious harmony ever since that ill-fated day in 1964.

We will now look at some of the ways that have enabled Singaporeans to live as one unified people in this tiny island, our homeland, Singapore.

Campaigns:

The community can come together at any time and plan for some events which can involve everyone, regardless of race, language or religion. Some of the events are like campaigns, gatherings or even celebrations. Campaigns that can be held are like crime prevention to keep the neighbourhood safe from any crimes, and clean and green environment (on how to keep the place clean). From here, they can get together as one and work with one another to make all the plans and campaigns they come up with successful. By doing this, they can build and strengthen the bonds, make better relations with one another, and know each other even closer. Also, communications between the people can be improved which could make things work more efficiently. The people could go to anyone whom they know, not only of the same race but other races. Hence, this way, we can uphold racial and religious harmony in present Singapore.

A recent campaign that took place:

Launch of National Orange Ribbon Celebrations (NORC) 2009 at Evergreen Secondary School.

A nation-wide pledge drive was launched by Chairman, OnePeople.sg, Mayors of the five districts and community partners to rally the community to pledge their personal commitment to Racial Harmony and the Olympic values. NORC also kick started a month-long racial harmony celebrations with 80 community activities across the island to celebrate racial harmony in the month of July. The launch was a lead up to the NORC 2009 main event on 18 July. The event was graced by Guest of Honour, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew. The event also showcased our multicultural cultural diversity, such as traditional ethnic costumes, food and games as well as bonded people together through sports. Participants also got to participate in a carnival with some of the most novel and exciting games featured in SYOG 2010. Through this event, many people were able to spread the message of Harmony and live the Olympic spirit.

Mixed- Race schools:

Most schools in Singapore are mixed-race schools. Students have been mixing around with their friends despite the different race, religion and gender. In order to maintain the good relation among the students and even teachers, of different races, they should not criticize other races but to be friendly and treat one another fairly. Students are encouraged to make friends and mix around with people who do not come from the same background (religion) as them so that they do not feel isolated just because they come from different race. Also, when they are in groups made up of different race, they should communicate using a common language that everyone understands and they should prevent from being racist. Other than that, they can learn more about other race’s religion and cultures from their friends. Hence, this will also uphold racial and religious harmony in present Singapore.

National Service in Singapore:

National Service (NS) is the name given to the compulsory conscription in Singapore of all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents upon reaching the age of 18. They serve a two-year period as Full Time National Servicemen (NSFs) in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF), or the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

All Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents are to serve the nation no matter what background they come from. This allows the men to come together as one and go through tough training. During these trainings they will learn about each other and there will a strong bonding between them. This bonding will help them in the future if they is a need to fight a war. This is because they will be there for each other and fight for the country as one.

Community Centres:

Community centres play a big role in helping Singapore preserve racial and religious harmony. They conduct events that involve people from all races and religions. For example, they celebrate special days like Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya and Christmas by organizing events in the community centre itself. People from all races and religions take part in these events and learn how their lifestyles are different from others. This will create a better understanding among the people.

Moreover, the community centres also conducts programmes which include classes for different kind of dances. Examples are lion dance and line dance. People from any race can join these classes and learn about these things. As such they will get to interact with people from the different races and get to know them better.

Racial Harmony Day:

Racial Harmony Day is celebrated annually on 21 July in Singapore to commemorate the 1964 Race Riots, which took place on 21 July 1964. Racial Harmony Day also represents a day for schools to reflect on, and celebrate Singapore's success as a racially harmonious nation and society built on a rich diversity of culture and heritage. For all schools in Singapore, students are encouraged to be dressed in their traditional costumes such as the Cheongsam and the Baju Kurung on the particular day. They could also organize some events in school such as showcasing of the different cultures and their beliefs, some of the traditional delicacies and even traditional games such as Kutih-kutih and zero point. From these, schools could promote better understanding of the different cultures and also religion. Hence, this will also uphold racial and religious harmony in present Singapore.