Bernama.com
Malaysian National News Agency
PM Lee Urges Chinese S’poreans To Reach Out To Minorities
General
January 28, 2006 11:14 AM
By Jackson Sawatan
SINGAPORE, Jan 28 (Bernama) — Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has urged the Chinese majority to reach out to ethnic minorities in the republic to make the minority communities feel comfortable and at ease.
As the majority community in Singapore, the Chinese play an important role in promoting and protecting harmonious community relations, he said.
The Chinese community should therefore reach out to the other ethnic communities and bring everyone closer together.
“Chinese Singaporeans have to make sure that the minorities never feel overwhelmed by the majority,” Lee said in his message in conjunction with Chinese New Year tomorrow.
Lee said: “We are all members of the `Singapore family’. We must continue to strengthen the ties between the different races. Singaporeans grow up together in Singapore, studying and playing together in our schools”.
The Chinese make up 76.8 per cent of the island’s 4.42 million population followed by the Malays (13.9 per cent), Indians (7.9 per cent) and others (1.4 per cent).
Lee said Singaporeans had strengthened their inter-racial understanding and harmony but it would be “a grievous mistake” to take this for granted, especially in the face of threats from terrorists who seek to destabilise society.
“An attack can tear apart our social fabric. In fact, we must step up our efforts in multiracial integration, and not just keep things as they are,” he said.
Towards this end, Singapore is developing a comprehensive Community Engagement Programme to strengthen community networks at all levels, and keep the society cohesive and united, he said.
“This New Year, I encourage Chinese Singaporeans to make an extra effort to involve their non-Chinese friends and neighbours in the festive celebrations. Let us work together as one happy Singapore family, to keep our nation safe and secure,” he added.
– BERNAMA