Get to know people of other races

Get to know people of other races

A survey by the Institute of Policy Studies and racial harmony advocacy group OnePeople.sg found that a significant number of respondents felt minorities were disadvantaged in the workplace ("Colleagues of another race OK, but not spouses: Survey"; Sept 12).

There are still job advertisements requiring applicants to be proficient in certain languages, particularly Mandarin. I cannot understand why this is so, unless the majority of the employees, suppliers, customers and business partners of these companies are from China and communicate mainly in Mandarin or dialects.

I applaud the move by the Government, unions and the Tripartite Alliance for Fair Employment Practices to remove or reduce workplace discrimination.

I urge my fellow Singaporeans - whether employers, managers, colleagues or even neighbours - to get to know people of other races better and not make assumptions based on what they have heard or experienced previously.

We should start within our own personal space, from our neighbours, friends and colleagues. Schools, government agencies and the media should be actively involved as well.

Muhammad Dzul Azhan Haji Sahban


Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.