At school in the 1950s and 1960s, I do not recall my teachers raising any issue regarding race or religion. At no time were we asked to discuss or take note of any sensitivities among one another.

It was the same in the Singapore Armed Forces. We developed bonds during training and while serving in the army. No one had to orchestrate our behaviour; we would mingle seamlessly, so much so that today, I still have friends from all races and we still meet occasionally.

In the 1970s and 1980s, my son and daughter had different experiences. Looking at their present friends and acquaintances, compared with my circle, there are fewer from the other races.

This is despite more discussions on race and religion in school and at work.

The Government has to plan and organise activities to get students, national servicemen and workers to intermingle and be educated on race and religious sensitivities.

I think issues over race and religion have increased over the years and the current state of affairs is quite sad. They even surfaced in the recent elections.

So where have we gone wrong? How can we correct this?

We should avoid making offensive statements when expressing opinions during discussions. Islamic Religious Council of Singapore president Mohammad Alami Musa highlighted three ways to help ensure fair and open discussions of race and religion (How to engage the young in race and religion dialogues, Aug 8).

This is a valuable contribution if we are to get back to seamlessly living in a multiracial and multi-religious Singapore.

Ajit Singh Nagpal