PUBLISHED ONJuly 29, 2026 9:00 AMUPDATEDJuly 29, 2026 1:01 PMBYSean LerThose who want to do Singapore harm represent a very small minority and Singapore should not ostracise or ringfence entire communities, or treat them as guilty because of the actions of a small extremist minority, said Senior Minister K. Shanmugam.
"We cannot and should not let a few radicalised individuals poison the whole atmosphere, and affect the very strong bonds between the communities and the trust that they had built up along the racial and religious lines in Singapore," he said at the Home Team National Day Observance Ceremony held at the Home Team Academy on Wednesday (July 29).
Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, was speaking about the threat of radicalisation following the recent detention of three youths under the Internal Security Act (ISA).
Among them was a 14-year-old Secondary Two male student who had planned a mass-casualty stabbing attack at his secondary school, drafted a 21-page manifesto and intended to livestream the violence before taking his own life.
His targets included non-Muslim teachers and students in his school.
"It’s worrying and obviously in the context of schools, parents will worry whether their children are safe, whether they should avoid schools with Muslim children," the senior minister noted.
However, he pointed out that attacks can take place anywhere.
Reiterating remarks he made earlier this week following the ISA detentions, Shanmugam said that in the 25 years since the 9/11 attacks in 2001, the Muslim population in some countries has been looked at with suspicion and fear.
Shanmugam questioned whether such attitudes and behaviour had made these countries safer or better.
"In Singapore, our approach has been for the last 25 years, that those who want to do us harm are a very small minority.
"We don’t ostracise or ringfence entire communities or treat them like they are guilty based on the actions of a very, very small extremist minority. It’s just not right. The vast majority of the Malay/Muslim community are law-abiding Singaporeans."
@asiaone Senior Minister K. Shanmugam warned in a speech on Wednesday (July 29) that Singaporeans cannot let a few radicalised individuals "poison the whole atmosphere" and treat the entire Malay/Muslim community as "guilty". #sgnews #singapore #community ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
The senior minister also emphasised that Singapore is a "very small place".
"And in this small place, we either survive together in a small boat as one Singapore or we are all in trouble," he said.
Turning to how Singapore manages cases of radicalisation, Shanmugam explained that Singapore protects its racial and religious harmony with "very strong laws" such as the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act and the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act.
Beyond legislation, Singapore also works with stakeholders to promote understanding between different communities and strengthen social cohesion, he said.
The People's Association plays a "huge role" through its Resident Networks and grassroots organisations, he said.
"Every weekend, hundreds of events across constituencies, bringing people together, of different ethnicities, celebrating each other’s festivals and doing secular events. You see Malay faces, Chinese faces and Indian faces, all coming together. And, you see, the organisers themselves also come from different backgrounds. We live next to each other. We work with each other, and we come together to celebrate. The local MP comes round.
"That the PA and the events are organised, constituency after constituency, week after week, is actually the secret sauce, that is the glue that holds Singapore together," Shanmugam said.
He added that community efforts are complemented by SGSecure, Singapore's national preparedness movement, which aims to strengthen the public's response to terrorism and other security threats.
@asiaone Senior Minister K. Shanmugam shared the measures taken to ensure racial and religious harmony in Singapore in a speech on Wednesday (July 29). #sgnews #singapore #community ♬ original sound - AsiaOne
Separately, Shanmugam said Singapore's security agencies had so far been effective in detecting and disrupting threats but cautioned that their success could not be taken for granted.
"The Internal Security Department, Police and Ministry of Home Affairs as a whole has to be on top of things. So far, we have been. But you know, we have to get it right every single time.
"The would-be attacker only needs to get it right once. We try our best. We have been successful so far. But obviously we can’t take that for granted," he highlighted.
Meanwhile, the public's trust in the Home Team has helped to keep Singapore's strong safety and security foundation steady.
Sharing results from the latest Home Team Public Perception Survey, Shanmugam said that there have been "extremely positive results across the board".
He stated that close to 95 per cent of respondents gave good ratings to the Home Team's performance in keeping Singapore safe and secure.
In terms of the ability of Home Team officers to carry out their duties professionally and fairly, and with integrity, the survey found that more than 93 per cent of respondents gave their trust.
A similar proportion of respondents expressed their confidence in the Home Team's ability to manage national crises.
"We have, year after year over decades, managed to maintain and continue to uphold this trust and build on it. And we should make sure that we never slack from that," Shanmugam said.
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