Does Diversity give us Equality?
One of Singapore’s greatest accomplishments is enabling people from different backgrounds to live together in harmony.
Singapore’s history of presidency has proven that a multiracial society can prosper.
Yusof bin Ishak, the first Malay President, championed inclusivity of all racial groups during his leadership. Subsequently, S.R. Nathan, an ethnic Tamil, advanced Singapore’s global relations. Following him was President Tony Keng Yam, focusing on national resilience. Of course, we can’t miss out our first female president, Halimah Yacob, whose presidency emphasised the importance of social support and community care.
Growing up in Singapore, we have all definitely seen and met many people from different backgrounds.
A country where you’ll find a church, a mosque, and a temple placed in close proximity, where a Malay wedding takes place just the next block down from the Chinese funeral – Singapore unites its citizens every 21st of July to honour Racial Harmony.
You’d think that a country which is full of diversity would have mitigated the effects of racism by now, but has it really?
Minorities in Singapore
As a child, friendships were simple. Friends were made at the playground, regardless of the colour of our skin; until one of our parents said it’s time to go home and we never met again. It was a point in time when having fun was all that mattered despite our differences.
When I was in kindergarten, my mother warned me that I would have to face mistreatment from people simply for being Malay, and I never understood why.
It was only when I grew older that I started to see how differently people are treated based on their race; it was even more baffling to encounter people making racial jokes or slurs. People of my race were depicted as lazy and uneducated, so it was inevitable that the label would be projected onto me.
Children’s minds can easily be moulded, often through families, schools, media, and the environment that they grew up in. Racism is a learned behaviour, when children are constantly exposed to negative remarks about certain ethnicities – such influences can significantly harm their views on individuals coming from different backgrounds.
Overall, the perception of racial differences is influenced by a combination of personal experiences, societal changes, and evolving perspectives, which can shift as people age. However, it is still crucial to properly educate the youth on unbiased racial differences and how to embrace diversity in our communities. In this manner, exposure to different perspectives can help individuals question and move beyond prejudiced views.
Building Barriers
If you’re a Singaporean, you’ve surely heard of the term “Chinese Privilege”. This came about because Chinese comprise the majority of Singapore’s ethnic population, (a whopping 76.2%).
Those between the ages 12 to 35, especially those from the Malay and Indian minority, believe that majority privilege prevails, even in a racially harmonious society. Of course, although comprising the majority, they can still be at the receiving end of racial discrimination. Nevertheless, we can’t disregard the fact that privilege exists.
Firstly, renting homes can be challenging for minorities. There are instances where homeowners have informed their property agents that they prefer not to have tenants of a certain race or nationality. While this doesn’t occur all the time, it must be quite unpleasant to imagine how minorities would feel to experience such situations.
Second is when job hunting becomes a struggle. Jobs often require employees to speak or understand Mandarin as an unspoken requirement in order to be recruited, a prerequisite that most minorities find to be very biassed and unreasonable – not to mention occasions where employers prefer to hire people of Chinese descent to other races.
Casual Racism In Singapore
As a minority myself, I have faced a lot of casual racism growing up. Some of which I didn’t recognise as racism until I was older.
I remember an occasion when I was in a Grab to school and the uncle was having a conversation with me. A specific remark from him left me feeling dejected: “I know many Malays don’t like to study one.” I could only respond with hollow laughter, unsure of how else to react.
Casual racism typically comes in the form of jokes, which makes it even more difficult for people who are facing it to speak out about it. What if they don’t mean to be hurtful, and are just trying to lighten the mood? I’ve heard my fair share of jokes that Malays like to ‘lepak in one corner’, yet I still struggle about whether I should laugh along with them or call them out for subscribing to racial stereotypes.
Being a non-chinese also means receiving a lot of backhanded compliments such as, “You’re very pretty for a Malay”, “You are quite smart for a Malay ah.” Nothing feels worse than being deemed as less competent purely because of my race. There were many times when I thought life would be easier if I had been born Chinese.
However, although “Chinese Privilege” exists, that doesn’t mean that Chinese people living in Singapore can’t be at the receiving end of micro-aggression – which is why it’s important to be inclusive towards all races.
On paper, Singapore is a country where our national pledge states that, “We, the citizens of Singapore, pledge ourselves as one united people, regardless of race, language or religion.”
And yet, it’s ironic how prejudice and racial discrimination is still prevalent in a country that advocates racial harmony. How can we spend 10 years in formal education reciting our pledge, but fail to live by its principles? What else can we do?
Inclusivity to all Races & Religions – but how?
Singapore is known for unity in diversity, because the government has taken initiatives to forge and strengthen bonds between all races. Every July 21st, Racial Harmony Day is celebrated to remind us that everybody is equal, no matter what race or religion.
Any type of racism should not be tolerated. Being on the receiving end of “casual racism” can have a negative impact on their emotional and psychological development.
Whether minority or not, ensuring that each race is treated with the same level of respect and understanding is what we, as a nation, should strive for. Although our socio-political standards are impressive for all of Singapore’s 59 years, we can surely do much better in ensuring a harmonious society where everyone from different backgrounds are recognised and addressed.
It starts with me, and it starts with you, for a better us in the future.
