tripleme
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Singapore has not arrived at a state where its people are free of racial discrimination, and it is for this reason that policies like the group representation constituency (GRC) system is still in place.
Making these points on Friday (June 25) during a forum on race and racism, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said recent events of racist behaviour have shown that Singapore has some way to go to move beyond race.
The GRC scheme was implemented in 1988 to enshrine minority representation in Parliament. Under the scheme, each slate of election candidates for a GRC must have one or more candidates who are non-Chinese.
Noting that some believe GRCs are not necessary as Singaporeans can be trusted to vote for the best candidates, regardless of race, Mr Wong pointed to the United States, where courts have to intervene to ensure there is diverse representation in their legislatures.
In Singapore, there is racially integrated - rather than segregated - housing, and no constituencies with built-in majorities of Indian and Malays.
"We have the GRC system to ensure at least a minimum number of minority legislators in Parliament," he said.
Mr Wong said he respects the views of Singaporeans who believe the country is ready to move beyond the GRC system, adding that nobody would be more pleased than past and present People's Action Party leaders with such an outcome.
"But we are not yet totally immune to the siren calls of exclusive racial and cultural identities. Neither have we reached a 'post-racial' state. Surely, recent events have, if anything, confirmed our caution," he said, referring to a spate of racist incidents that have made headlines here over the past two months.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...-spore-is-not-immune-to-racial-discrimination
Making these points on Friday (June 25) during a forum on race and racism, Finance Minister Lawrence Wong said recent events of racist behaviour have shown that Singapore has some way to go to move beyond race.
The GRC scheme was implemented in 1988 to enshrine minority representation in Parliament. Under the scheme, each slate of election candidates for a GRC must have one or more candidates who are non-Chinese.
Noting that some believe GRCs are not necessary as Singaporeans can be trusted to vote for the best candidates, regardless of race, Mr Wong pointed to the United States, where courts have to intervene to ensure there is diverse representation in their legislatures.
In Singapore, there is racially integrated - rather than segregated - housing, and no constituencies with built-in majorities of Indian and Malays.
"We have the GRC system to ensure at least a minimum number of minority legislators in Parliament," he said.
Mr Wong said he respects the views of Singaporeans who believe the country is ready to move beyond the GRC system, adding that nobody would be more pleased than past and present People's Action Party leaders with such an outcome.
"But we are not yet totally immune to the siren calls of exclusive racial and cultural identities. Neither have we reached a 'post-racial' state. Surely, recent events have, if anything, confirmed our caution," he said, referring to a spate of racist incidents that have made headlines here over the past two months.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singap...-spore-is-not-immune-to-racial-discrimination
