The Sunday Review

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Multiracialism is what we make of it

THINKING ALOUD By WARREN FERNANDEZ

AT MIDNIGHT last Monday, as the rabbit hopped into the new year and the dreaded tiger slunk away, I joined my wife and her family for their annual post-reunion dinner ritual of visiting the flower gardens in search of some festive flowers to decorate the home for the new year.

Among the shoppers were Indian ladies dressed in saris and Caucasian families joining in the rush to enjoy the late-night bargains. No one batted an eyelid.

It reminded me of a scene a few days earlier, at a food centre in Shenton Way, where I watched two hawkers, one an elderly Chinese lady, the other an Indian man, banter in Malay over which of them had had a more prosperous year and so should offer the other a big hong bao.

The good-humoured exchange left a smile on many customers' faces, as they tucked into their mee pok and mee goreng.

Later that evening, when word reached the Straits Times newsroom that NTUC secretary-general Lim Boon Heng planned to visit airport workers at 9 pm on the new year eve, the assignment was given without much ado to an Indian reporter, so that her Chinese colleague could enjoy her reunion dinner with her family.

This must not have gone unnoticed by the Minister without Portfolio, who noted at the event how he was pleased that non-Chinese workers had pitched in and helped man stations at the airport, so that their Chinese counterparts could enjoy the celebrations with their families.

The reverse, after all, would be done for other ethnic occasions.

The point: This relaxed attitude towards multiracial relations here has enabled Singapore to turn ethnic diversity from a source of division into a strength. It is something to be proud of and celebrated.

But have no doubts too that this inclusive approach to ethnic ties here can just as readily be turned to exclusion, with each race reacting to developments according to their ethnic "uniforms", as Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew put it recently.

Indeed, years ago, as a boy growing up in an Indian and Eurasian household, I used to find the lunar new year season one of the most trying times of the year, when just about all the shops, food stores and places of interest closed, and my friends disappeared to collect their hong baos.

This was a time when it was most plain to me that I was a child of minority race parents, living in a predominantly Chinese country.

The sense of exclusion was not pleasant, to say the least.

To be sure, the other races have their own festive occasions as well. But being minorities, the impact of these events on the rest of society is less far reaching.

It was only later, when I made many more Chinese friends, especially while attending Hwa Chong Junior College, that I came to appreciate the traditions associated with the occasion, which I now enjoy with my wife and her family.

It is against this backdrop that I followed the recent debate sparked off by letters to this newspaper's Forum page calling for laws to put a stop to job advertisements which state a preference for workers of a certain race, age or sex.

The issue cropped up again last week, when Nominated MP Simon Tay tabled a question in Parliament asking Manpower Minister Lee Boon Yang if the Government would consider legislation or other steps to curb the practice, as suggested by some of the writers of the letters.

I wondered: Do Singaporeans really want laws and legal commissions to settle these emotive disputes?

Those who say yes, should ponder what this might mean.

It could give rise to all manner of cases coming before the courts or commission, with allegations of unfair treatment against an individual because of his race. The arguments on both sides of the case could turn ugly, provoking ill will among the ethnic groups, as has happened elsewhere.

So, to solve one problem of some unenlightened employers being biased, an even bigger one could be created with court cases being fought along racial lines and passions being worked up.

It is a recipe for disaster.

But this is not to say that issues or genuine cases of racial discrimination should be swept under the carpet, just to keep the peace.

Indeed, as a member of a Singapore 21 committee, I had listened with concern to feedback from some groups, that there were occasions when they felt excluded, even disadvantaged.

The worries resurface over a variety of familiar issues, whether it is over job opportunities, Special Assistance Plan schools, the Speak Mandarin campaign, or the recent calls to create a new cultural elite.

Underlying these concerns are the same sentiments felt by minority communities everywhere -- a desire for inclusion, for a sense that they, too, have a place under the Singapore sun.

This, ultimately, is what most members of the minority groups are seeking.

In the case of biased job advertisements, most are pragmatic enough to know that there is just no way to eradicate racism or other biases in any society.

In this regard, few would deny that Singapore is light years ahead of many other societies, where racism is sanctioned by the state, or practiced under a pretense of equality or empty declarations of commitments to human rights.

Even so, racial and other biases will continue to be around for as long as people are born with different skin or hair colours, or different accents and cultures, no matter what the laws state, or whatever commission is set up.

Yet, it is one thing to accept this reality, but quite another to say, in the name of pragmatism, that such practices should be condoned since they cannot be done away with, as some have argued.

After all, prohibiting illegal gambling or drug taking has not put a stop to such undesirable behaviour. Similarly, restricting the sales of cigarettes to minors has not stopped many of them from taking a puff.

So, should these efforts be abandoned? Surely not.

Instead, Singapore has rightly taken strenuous efforts to make clear that it will not condone such activities, not just by implementing laws where appropriate, but also by the state and social groups creating a climate in which such practices are not brooked.

It should do likewise with those who would discriminate on the basis of race, age or sex.

Nor should it condone employers who suggest that references to such preferences in advertisements are made for "efficiency", so as not to waste the time and effort of candidates who might otherwise apply for jobs they would not get anyway. That explanation is scarcely satisfactory.

Hence, I was heartened to read the response from Manpower Minister Lee Boon Yang to Mr Tay's parliamentary question, in which he pointed out that his ministry would investigate complaints about discrimination and warn employers against such practices.

The employers concerned will be told not to repeat such practices, the minister said, adding matter of factly: "They usually accept the ministry's advice."

To my mind, this quiet but firm approach, of the ministry taking up cases of alleged discrimination with employers and reprimanding errant ones, away from the public glare of the courts and legal commissions, is a more sensible one.

To be effective, the ministry will have to make clear to all that it is prepared to take action if need be, to defend and uphold the cardinal principle of an inclusive multiracial meritocracy.

This is important, given that social cohesion will continue to be put to the test in the months ahead, both by developments at home, as well as those abroad, including those thrown up by some ill-informed -- or ill-intentioned? -- foreign leaders.

Singaporeans must know that while society here might not be perfect, efforts are being made to eradicate and minimise its perceived social ills, which is more than can be said for some countries abroad.

But good ethnic ties cannot be secured by state action or government declarations alone. Every Singaporean has to play his part.

So, whether you are an employer offering a job, a manager handing out assignments, or a neighbour celebrating a festive occasion, remember that multiracialism can be inclusive or exclusive, a weakness or a strength.

It is what we make of it.

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