Singapore has made great progress in terms of our tolerance for people with different racial and cultural backgrounds. However, there is no room for complacency ("The race issue: How far has Singapore come?"; Nov 8).

Although severe discrimination is not particularly prevalent in Singapore, more effort can be put into building a more inclusive and understanding society.

An example of marginalisation that still occurs here would be how Singaporeans view and treat new immigrants here, with many criticising them and blaming them for "stiffening" job competition. This is a sign of xenophobia and discrimination.

Granted, the immigrants need to make an effort to integrate into our society and adopt our social norms.

However, we need to do our part by eliminating insular and parochial mindsets that are detrimental to social cohesiveness, and strive towards being more tolerant and accepting of other groups.

Only with cooperation from both sides can we truly help immigrants and other minority groups assimilate into our society to build a true multiracial country, where all of us live as one united people.

Ashley Tan Yu Yi, 15, Secondary 3 student