Forum: Recent incidents at mosques a reminder of how precious racial and religious harmony is

I was concerned after reading recent reports of disturbing incidents where suspicious parcels possibly containing pork were left at mosques (

‘Playing with fire’: Suspicious parcels with meat sent to several mosques

, Sept 26).

As someone belonging to the Merdeka generation, I remember how my cohort and those of the Pioneer generation went through the 1964 communal riots, when Singapore’s fragile inter-community relations were sorely tested.

The recent reports of these attempts at undermining our precious and sensitive interracial and interreligious relations should give everyone pause. 

This is a timely and important reminder of the precious state of our harmonious racial and religious situation, and the importance of preserving this state in our community.

It is also a call to all Singaporeans who appreciate the harmonious living we enjoy, despite our diverse cultural and religious backgrounds, to challenge these dangerous attempts to disrupt this harmony.

There are several contributing factors to this sudden spate of attempts at disrupting our harmony.

First, the global context very much driven by the internet has made all manner of good relations fraught. 

Second, the extreme capitalism underpinning our lives is diluting and destroying intrinsic values of humanity in favour of financial greed.

Third, neglecting to invest time in imparting critical moral values to our young has meant the disappearance of an understanding of the fragility of good human relations.

To combat the egregious attempts to disrupt the racial and religious harmony in Singapore, all of us must work hard to help everyone to understand and appreciate the pricelessness of our present state of harmony.

Those of my generation and the Pioneer generation must be called upon to share our experience of how Singapore arrived at our present state of interracial and interreligious harmony.

More must be done to introduce the young, particularly those in primary schools, to ideas of nationhood, community and interracial and interreligious harmony beyond coexistence. 

Racial Harmony Day, practised in schools, is insufficient.

Perhaps, we can learn from the Singapore Armed Forces’ initiative, which calls upon SAF veterans to share their experiences in building an army in early independent Singapore. 

Likewise, Singaporeans of the Pioneer and Merdeka generations could volunteer their time to share some of their experiences to help the young understand how precious our social cohesion in Singapore is.

Leslie Chew SC (Professor)