S’pore’s cohesion depends on confidence in identity, building bridges: Lawrence Wong

SINGAPORE – Where race and religion are fault lines that divide societies elsewhere, Singapore chose to deliberately build a multiracial and multi-religious nation, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Speaking on Sept 12 at the 85th anniversary celebration of the Singapore Kadayanallur Muslim League (SKML), a Tamil Muslim group that founded the first Tamil-medium secondary school in South-east Asia, PM Wong said government policies helped create the conditions.

He added: “We made sure that every community has its place and can practise its faith, speak its language, and celebrate its culture and traditions.

“At the same time, we have common spaces and shared experiences in our schools, our neighbourhoods, our workplaces, our national service, where Singaporeans from different backgrounds can mix, socialise, make friends, and grow up together.”

Ultimately, cohesion is built through people, he said.

“It depends on all our communities being confident in their identities, at the same time being willing to reach out, build bridges, and develop trust with one another,” added PM Wong.

The work Singapore does to keep its society cohesive and strong is becoming even more important as societies around the world are becoming more fragmented, divided and polarised, partly because of economic challenges, he said.

“Some segments of society don’t do as well, and they become disappointed and frustrated.

“But beyond the economic issues, the challenge comes when these economic dislocations get fed into a sense of identity, belonging, and perceived unfairness.

“That’s when divisions really start to become more entrenched, and people start to build walls between us versus them,” said PM Wong.

Singapore is not immune to these challenges, he said, adding that during the Covid-19 pandemic, Singapore saw racism rear its ugly head.

“More recently, when we talked about investments in India, racist comments have surfaced again online.

“Even in Singapore, while we generally have a harmonious and stable society, from time to time you will see segments drawing lines between foreigners and Singaporeans,” said PM Wong.

He said even between Singaporeans, some will draw lines between local born and naturalised, even as they draw lines between race and religion.

“While we keep on improving policies to tackle concerns around cost pressures and jobs, and make sure that every Singaporean gets a share in the nation’s progress, we must at the same time, keep working at our relationships and strengthen the bonds of trust that hold our society together,” added PM Wong.

He said SKML is an invaluable partner in such an effort, citing the community’s expansion of partnerships with self-help groups from other communities, with these tie-ups addressing practical needs like Mendaki’s Community Leaders Forum on digital literacy and scam awareness.

Paying tribute to the SKML’s efforts to help its community, PM Wong quoted a Tamil proverb: “If the seed is good, the harvest will be rich.”

From the start, the organisation had planted good seeds, especially in education, self-help and service, said PM Wong.

In 1941, the SKML was founded by migrants from the town of Kadayanallur, India, who helped one another in Singapore.

Over time, it started the Umar Pulavar Tamil School in 1946 to give the next generation a better future.

While the school closed down after 36 years, it lives on today through the Umar Pulavar Scholarship Trust Fund that gives financial assistance to the needy and the Education Ministry’s Umar Pulavar Tamil Language Centre, which teaches the Tamil language in Singapore.

In many ways, the self-help group’s journey mirrors Singapore’s story, said PM Wong.

He noted how in the earlier years, people naturally relied on their closest ties to give them support and security in uncertain times, but the circle widened as generations put down roots here.

Migrant origins

In his speech, PM Wong noted the SKM Co-Operative, which SKML established in 1948, continues to provide savings schemes and community-based loans to help members meet practical needs.

In homage to its migrant member’s origins, the Kadayanallur Street was named in 1952 as a lasting reminder of the community’s place in the Republic’s history, he added.

Since then, the group, which considers itself as Singapore’s largest Indian Muslim organisation, has developed people and leaders through SKML’s involvement with the Indian Muslims Professionals Network.

It has also preserved and shared the community’s history through initiatives like the Singapore Indian Muslim microsite and the Encyclopedia of Singapore Tamils.

“As a trusted and longstanding organisation, SKML can play an important role in various efforts, including to strengthen connections across different Indian organisations, which we are doing through a new initiative led by (Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Dinesh Vasu Dash),” he added, calling on the group to also serve as an important bridge between Singapore’s Indian and Muslim communities.

In March, Singapore announced a new Indian Engagement and Development Initiative (INEI) committee, which was formed to strengthen the Singapore Indian identity, coordinate community efforts and develop youth leadership over the next five years.

Concluding, PM Wong said SKML started with the instinct of coming together and looking after their own, but has since widened to include contributing to Singapore, reflecting the Republic’s own story.

He added: “Our own no longer means those from our same family, the same language, or the same faith.

“Our own means Singaporeans, regardless of race, language, or religion. Because whatever our different roots and backgrounds, we are all Singaporeans, and Singapore is our country and our home.”

The good seeds planted by earlier generations have yielded a rich harvest here in Singapore, which is enjoyed by current generations, he said, urging SKML to continue planting these seeds for future generations to inherit a more cohesive and united Singapore.

The event saw SKML launching its Ascend Education Fund, a $250,000 fund that will serve as a financial safety net of last resort for high-achieving tertiary students, primarily from the Indian-Muslim community.

Its anniversary was attended by some 800 people, including Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad as well as Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai.

Also present were Dinesh, Members of Parliament, representatives from various trade associations and chambers as well as local charities.