Colleagues of another race OK, but not spouses: Survey
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There was also a significant number who said that minorities are disadvantaged at work. Some 36 per cent of respondents felt Malays had to work harder or much harder than someone of another race to reach the top spot in their company. For Indians, the figure was 31 per cent.
By Leonard Lim And Andrea Ong, The Straits Times, 12 Sep 2013
MORE than nine in 10 Singaporeans accept colleagues and neighbours of a different race but fewer are willing to marry or welcome an in-law of another race.
A recent survey on race relations here has found that while Singaporeans are generally open to other races in the public sphere, this attitude does not always extend to the private space.
For instance, among non-Malay respondents, just over three in 10 said they would be comfortable with a Malay spouse. The numbers were similar when non- Indian respondents were asked about marrying an Indian person, and just slightly higher - five in 10 - for a parallel question on Eurasians.
The finding was characteristic of the bigger picture on race relations painted by the study of more than 4,000 Singaporeans by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and racial harmony advocacy group OnePeople.sg: The country has made good progress, but there is still some way to go.
IPS director Janadas Devan said the results show "an overwhelming majority of Singaporeans are ideologically committed to the idea of Singapore being a multiracial society". But he sounded a note of caution, especially as fewer than half of the respondents said they had a close friend of another race.
And there were other gaps as well. Those born here were much less comfortable with workmates who are new citizens of a different race. While 94 per cent of non-Chinese accept a local-born Chinese as their boss, that share falls to 74 per cent for a boss who is a new citizen originally from China.
There was also a significant number who said that minorities are disadvantaged at work. Some 36 per cent of respondents felt Malays had to work harder or much harder than someone of another race to reach the top spot in their company. For Indians, the figure was 31 per cent.
The Chinese had marginally different attitudes to race relations compared to minority ethnic groups. They were, for instance, the least keen to learn from other races.
IPS research fellow Mathew Mathews, who headed the survey, said the results indicate that racial bias "has not been removed across the board".
This survey is the first to create 10 indicators to measure inter-racial and inter-religious trust. The aim is to pose the questions again in future to gauge shifts in attitudes. The results were presented yesterday at a forum, which saw a lively discussion on topics ranging from social exclusion to discrimination.
OnePeople.sg chairman Zainudin Nordin, also an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, called for further dialogue on race. He said: "Let this not be the end but the start of a meaningful conversation that we can translate into positive action for the good of our country and society."
This survey is the first to create 10 indicators to measure inter-racial and inter-religious trust. The aim is to pose the questions again in future to gauge shifts in attitudes. The results were presented yesterday at a forum, which saw a lively discussion on topics ranging from social exclusion to discrimination.
OnePeople.sg chairman Zainudin Nordin, also an MP for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, called for further dialogue on race. He said: "Let this not be the end but the start of a meaningful conversation that we can translate into positive action for the good of our country and society."
Gap in ethnic groups' views of race relations: Poll
Minority groups more likely to trust Chinese in crises than other way around
By Andrea Ong, the Straits Times, 12 Sep 2013
SHOULD a crisis like the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) break out again, Singapore's Malays, Indians and other minority groups say they trust that most of the Chinese will lend a helping hand.
But a recent poll has found that the trust is not always reciprocated.
While over 60 per cent of non- Chinese said they trust a majority of Chinese to help in a crisis, that proportion drops to around 50 per cent when the Chinese were asked about Malays, Indians and Eurasians.
The difference between the attitudes of the Chinese majority and the other races was not confined to situations of crisis. The findings from a recent study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and racial harmony advocacy group OnePeople.sg point to a narrow but noticeable gap between the majority and minority ethnic groups in their attitudes towards race relations.
The difference between the attitudes of the Chinese majority and the other races was not confined to situations of crisis. The findings from a recent study by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) and racial harmony advocacy group OnePeople.sg point to a narrow but noticeable gap between the majority and minority ethnic groups in their attitudes towards race relations.
The Chinese were not just less willing to trust other races in a crisis, a small but significant number also said they did not feel they could learn from other racial groups or that it is good for Singapore to be made up of different races.
The results sparked a lively discussion yesterday on the dynamics of majority and minority group relations at a forum on the findings.
Reflecting on the 10-point gap in the responses on national crises, IPS research fellow Mathew Mathews said the minority races are more likely to trust the Chinese as they would probably have more chances to interact with them. Whereas it is likely at least some portions of the Chinese - being the majority - would have less experience with the minorities.
This is also the case in other societies, where the majority group will always treat the minority group with "a little bit more suspicion", said Dr Mathews, who led the study.
He added that the disproportionate chances for interaction between the majority and minority races might also explain other findings.
One was that while respondents generally affirmed the importance of Singapore being multiracial, the Chinese were slightly less positive.
Some 59 per cent of Chinese respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "You can learn a lot from other racial groups", compared with 69 per cent to 75 per cent of respondents from the other races.
Some 59 per cent of Chinese respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "You can learn a lot from other racial groups", compared with 69 per cent to 75 per cent of respondents from the other races.
Some 71 per cent of Chinese respondents agreed or strongly agreed that it is a good thing for Singapore to be made up of people from different racial groups, compared with 79 per cent to 82 per cent for the other races.
Former Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan, one of four panellists yesterday, wondered if there were "structural issues" in Singapore, such as Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools, which have a focus on Chinese culture. People from SAP schools have lamented to him about the lack of opportunities to mingle with other races, he said.
The panellists and audience also discussed what responsibility the majority and minority groups should bear in integration.
"The thing to do is to make yourself assimilate," said an audience member who studied in the United States and is the only Chinese working in an Indian firm, citing how she wears kurtas to work.
But Nominated MP and panellist Eugene Tan felt that in the local context, it is crucial for the Chinese, as the majority community, to "take the lead in... trying to bridge the gap and trying to reach out to the minorities".
Sociology Professor Kwok Kian Woon agreed, saying that it can be common for Chinese Singaporeans to speak in Mandarin even though non-Chinese are around. While there will always be an "asymmetrical" relationship between the majority and minority in a society, there should be more effort on the part of the majority to relate, he said.
The first step, said Dr Mathews, is to develop sensitivity and understanding. Removing stereotypes is also key to building trust, he added.
BELIEF IN MULTIRACIALISM
You look at the survey findings, you will find an overwhelming majority of Singaporeans are ideologically committed to the idea of Singapore being a multiracial society. If you had told me 30 years ago or when I was in school 40 years ago that we would have achieved so soon a sense of the Singapore identity, I would have been surprised.
- Mr Janadas Devan, director of the Institute of Policy Studies, on how far Singapore has come, although he said there were also grounds for caution
COMMUNICATION NEEDED
I cannot tell you to have close friends from a different race, neither can the Government tell you to do that. You make those choices, you are the one who is going to decide, but how are you going to have close friends if you don't interact in the first place?
- Mr Zainudin Nordin, chairman of OnePeople.sg, as he urged people to use the study to bridge gaps
Concerns raised at forum on racial relations
By Tan Weizhen, TODAY, 12 Sep 2013
By Tan Weizhen, TODAY, 12 Sep 2013
While relations between different races here appear to be good on the surface, as borne out by a recent study on racial and religious harmony, panellists and participants at a forum yesterday felt that things may not be as rosy if one scratches beneath the surface.
They cited some of the detailed findings of the study which were released yesterday.
In July, the broad findings of the study — which was conducted by the Institute of Policy Studies and OnePeople.sg— found that Singapore did well on most of the indicators on the scorecard, including the absence of minority discrimination in using public services, absence of interracial and religious tension and absence of minority discrimination in the workplace. The study surveyed 3,128 households of all ethnic groups.
At a forum yesterday, where the detailed findings were shared and discussed, panellists voiced concerns over, for instance, the stereotyping of races. About 80 per cent of the respondents agreed that when they know a person’s race, they have a “good idea” of what some of their behaviours and views are like. The study also found that 95 per cent of the Chinese respondents said that they have at least one close friend of the same race but only 23.3 per cent said they have close Malay friends, for instance.
And should a national crisis like the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome of 2003 strike, about 63 per cent of the respondents from the minority races believed that they could trust more than half of Singaporean Chinese to help them. In comparison, the trust of minority races was slightly lower.
Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Eugene Tan, who was one of the panellists, said while the survey results were not alarming, they showed that the foundation for racial and religious harmony was not as strong as one might have hoped.
The others on the panel were former NMPs Zulkifli Baharudin and Viswa Sadasivan, as well as Nanyang Technological University sociologist Kwok Kian Woon. Associate Professor Tan said: “There is still a lot of work to be done ... we seem to be exhibiting a state of tolerance rather than one of appreciating differences. Are we sleepwalking our way to disharmony?”
Mr Zulkifli added: “You may like nasi padang cooked by the Malay guy, but does it translate into something deeper?” He noted that while about 80 per cent of Singaporeans live in the heartlands, and should have the opportunity to interact with other races, an “unacceptable” proportion of respondents do not. In fact, about 16 per cent said they would not try to get to know people of other races and religions even if they were given the opportunity. The panellists felt that people of different races were too careful or sensitive around one another, leading to a lack of honesty in relationships.
A forum participant, who is a lecturer from a polytechnic here, related an incident where he asked the school authorities if prayer areas can be situated in areas that are more convenient.
“Their response was this is religion ... we don’t go into this whole area. Let’s see what the civil service does. So if everyone is waiting for someone else to take the lead, then where is the lead?” he asked. “How much of this so-called comfort, that the majority population has, is the result of some subtle exclusion that they cannot see?” He added that nursing students at the poly have to remove their tudungs when they go to hospitals for clinical attachments, ostensibly for clinical control, but he argued that this was not “the real reason”, as the tudungs can be sterilised.
Dr Mathew Mathews of the IPS, who led the study, said the drive to appreciate other cultures is still work in progress, borne out by the fact that just over half of the respondents were interested in meeting or understanding people of other races or religions.
He said: “I think the majority of Singaporeans are rather comfortable with the good state of racial and religious relations here which makes them see little need to actually go the extra mile to seek to understand and appreciate other cultures.” He said that for the next study, which will be conducted in 2016, the researchers could explore deeper the areas where respondents did not score well in.
Some of the panellists pointed out that race is not the only issue creating fault lines here. Mr Sadasivan said: “Today, it is about socio-economic differences, class, foreigners, and it is no longer about racial lines.” More opportunities need to be created for people to make friends, “talk straight and not be so cautious with each other”, he said.
The study also found that Singaporeans are even less comfortable with new citizens of a different race in both the public and private spheres.
Spotlight on tudung ban and racial harmony
Participants at race forum discuss headscarf issue for nurses
By Leonard Lim And Andrea Ong, The Straits Times, 12 Sep 2013
A POLYTECHNIC lecturer asked at a race forum yesterday why nurses were barred from wearing tudungs, sparking a discussion on whether frontline officers here should be allowed to wear the Muslim headscarf and the practices in other countries.
Participants at race forum discuss headscarf issue for nurses
By Leonard Lim And Andrea Ong, The Straits Times, 12 Sep 2013
A POLYTECHNIC lecturer asked at a race forum yesterday why nurses were barred from wearing tudungs, sparking a discussion on whether frontline officers here should be allowed to wear the Muslim headscarf and the practices in other countries.
Mr Chong Ching Liang, the first of 11 forum participants to share their thoughts on racial harmony, said nursing students had to remove their Muslim headscarves before going on clinical attachments or starting full-time work in hospitals.
"How much are we as a society willing to tolerate differences that different members of a population bring?" he asked.
The topic was also raised recently by a committee tasked to collect feedback on the concerns of Malays.
The Suara Musyawarah committee, in a report released in July, pointed out that there are scores of girls coming out of madrasahs who would gladly work as nurses if they could wear the headscarf.
The reason given for not allowing this is that tudungs are not part of nurses' uniforms.
At yesterday's forum, former Nominated MP Zulkifli Baharudin observed that the headscarf issue is one that other countries like France are also grappling with. He was one of four panellists in the forum at The Grassroots Club in Yio Chu Kang.
He said he believed that this was a lost cause in Europe, and that immigrants had to make an effort to integrate into their new homeland.
Still, he expressed optimism that nurses here will probably be allowed to wear tudungs in the future, though "deep perceptions" have to be removed first. "It's not something that you can legislate and say, this matter is over," he added.
Nominated MP Eugene Tan, who was also a panellist, called for further discussion on the "unwritten state policy" that frontline officers working in the police force, nursing and at immigration checkpoints not wear the tudung.
Most of the panellists yesterday - with former Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan and academic Kwok Kian Woon rounding up the quartet - agreed that there was scope to move beyond rigid classifications of race.
Associate Professor Kwok, a sociology don, said it has become almost instinctive for Singaporeans to think of race, language and religion as "primordial dark forces" and as being highly sensitive. In his view, it is better to move away from terms like "race", which suggest something biological and frozen, to a fluid concept like "ethnicity".
Mr Sadasivan, meanwhile, asked if Singapore can move beyond the "crutches" of self-help groups like Mendaki, and the Group Representation Constituency system, which guarantees minority parliamentary representation.
"Do we have enough confidence as a people to say - let's give ourselves a chance, and see if we can survive, see if we can enhance trust by trusting our basic instincts?" he asked.