PM: Party won't falter on guarding common space

PM: Party won't falter on guarding common space

THE People's Action Party will not falter on guarding the race-and religion-free common space that allows Singapore's different ethnic groups to live together harmoniously, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday.

Making his first public comments on a campaign to allow Muslim women to don the hijab in uniform, which is disallowed for some professions, Mr Lee broadened the issue into one of maintaining a "Singaporean Singapore".

In Singapore, people have not been forced to conform to one culture and every group has extensive freedom to practise their own religion, he said.

But the other side of this arrangement is the groups' commitment to accommodating the common space - "to compromise, to give and take, be pragmatic" - without which Singapore will be weakened, he said.

Without this, different groups will cross paths once in a while but exist in separate social circles, which is "not what we mean by social cohesion", he said.

Mr Lee emphasised that every group in Singapore wants "things to be more their way".

The Chinese community wants more Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools where Mandarin is the first language and more public signs and train announcements in Mandarin.

The Malay community wants women to be allowed to wear the hijab with uniforms, and more government help for madrasahs.

The Indian community wants the wider use of Tamil in public signs like at the airport, and support and status for other Indian languages besides Tamil.

"When possible, we want to allow people to live their own lives and accommodate their desires," said Mr Lee. "But as we adjust, we must always keep Singapore a home where all races can live in peace and harmony."

Allowing the common space to be eaten away by giving in to one demand or the other will snowball, he said. "We will end up weakened, fractious, with the problems other countries have like ethnic strife, racial tensions, communal politics."

Contrary to what some believe, race and religion remain powerful and growing markers of identity in Singapore, he said. Religious consciousness is stronger now in all groups than 10 or 20 years ago, he noted.

"I will never reach a point where I don't have to mention a 'Singaporean Singapore' in a party resolution like this," Mr Lee said, referring to an updated mission statement adopted by the PAP on Sunday.

Activists in the audience appeared to share his view.

"I agree that we have space to practise our religion without imposing our way of life on others," said Punggol West activist Muhammad Hazri Abdul Halil, 40.

"I hope the community accepts the statement he has given on this hijab issue, because there are constraints that we don't know about, like the (possible reaction) from other groups."



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