PM Lee Hsien Loong addresses concerns over foreigners, lower-wage workers and race
By Lim Yan Liang, The Straits Times, 30 Aug 2021
Singapore will squarely address the difficult issues of race, religion and fair play in society, as it refocuses on a future with Covid-19 under control.
Building on the nation's hard-won racial harmony and ensuring that economic growth leaves no one behind were key themes of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 17th National Day Rally yesterday, held both at Mediacorp and on the Zoom videoconferencing platform.
Lower-wage workers, for example, will get more support, with specific policies to raise their income, while discrimination will be tackled.
Touching on the fault lines in society that have been deepened by the pandemic, PM Lee said it was critical that Singapore tackles its social challenges and underlying anxieties, such as the plight of low-wage workers and disquiet over foreign work pass holders.
Many lower-wage workers, for example, were on the front line during the pandemic, which highlighted the importance of jobs such as cleaning, food delivery and security. At the same time, their precarious situation was also laid bare as they have less savings and are more likely to be laid off.
To address this, the Government will extend the Progressive Wage Model to help more workers.
"We will cover more sectors, starting with retail next year, and later food services and waste management," said PM Lee. "We will also cover specific occupations, across all sectors simultaneously, starting with administrative assistants and drivers."
The Government is also studying ways to strengthen job protection for delivery workers and those in similar roles, as they are, for all intents and purposes, just like employees, said PM Lee.
Firms that hire foreign workers will also have to pay all their local workers at least the Local Qualifying Salary, which will be adjusted from time to time.
Currently, these firms are required to pay some of their local employees a qualifying salary of $1,400 a month and not just a token sum to gain access to foreign workers. They will have to extend this to all their local employees.
Middle-income Singaporeans were also facing job anxiety, particularly on account of foreign work pass holders, said PM Lee.
"Concerns over work pass holders are a very delicate subject for a National Day Rally, but I decided I had to talk about it," he said. "We have to acknowledge the problem, so that we can address Singaporeans' legitimate concerns, and defuse resentments over foreigners."
There is a "growing restlessness over foreigners, particularly work pass holders", as middle-income Singaporeans feel increased pressure given the economic uncertainty from Covid-19, said PM Lee.
To ensure that the foreigners who compete for jobs here are of the right standard, Singapore will continue to tighten the criteria for Employment Pass and S Pass holders by raising salary cut-offs.
The Government will also give the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) more teeth by putting its guidelines into law, and will create a tribunal to deal with workplace discrimination.
"Writing TAFEP guidelines into the law is a major move: It signals that we do not tolerate discrimination at workplaces," said Mr Lee.
Flagging another fault line, he said race relations have also come under stress because of Covid-19.
He highlighted some recent incidents, such as that of the polytechnic lecturer who in June accosted an interracial couple on Orchard Road.
PM Lee noted that several of the incidents specifically targeted Indians. This could be due to the large number of Indian work pass holders here, or that the Delta variant of Covid-19 first emerged in India.
"But it is illogical to blame this on Indians, just as it is illogical to blame the Alpha variant on the English, the KTV cluster on Vietnamese, or the initial outbreak in Wuhan on the Chinese," he said.
"We must address the real issues - manage the work pass numbers and concentrations, and improve our border health safeguards. But we should not let our frustrations spill over to affect our racial harmony."
While recent racist incidents have reminded the nation of how fragile Singapore's racial harmony is, they do not negate its multiracial approach to nation building, said Mr Lee.
"Our racial harmony is still a work in progress, and will be so for a long time," he said.
To signal what society here considers right and wrong about racial attitudes and nudge behaviour over time, the Government will pass a Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act that consolidates in one place the state's powers to deal with racial issues.
The new law will build in softer, gentler approaches such as directing an offender to make amends by learning more about the other race and mending ties.
"This softer approach will heal hurt, instead of leaving resentment," said Mr Lee.
In a nod to the ongoing Summer Paralympic Games, Mr Lee congratulated swimmer Yip Pin Xiu for her gold medal in the women's 100m backstroke (S2), and Singapore's paralympians for their good performance in Tokyo.
Mr Lee also paid tribute to front-line workers like contact tracers, ambulance drivers, and vaccination centre workers who helped to bring Covid-19 under control, enabling the country to now look further into its future.
"In ordinary times, we may not realise how strong Singaporeans can be," he said.
"Now, in the crisis of a generation, we have shown ourselves and the world what Singaporeans can do... they are our everyday heroes, and they are us."
NDR 2021: 7 highlights from PM Lee Hsien Loong's speech
By Rei Kurohi, The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2021
With the Covid-19 outbreak under control, it is time for Singapore to refocus on the future, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 29).
He also noted that the pandemic had sharpened fault lines in society and made some difficult issues more urgent. The bulk of his speech addressed three of them: supporting lower wage workers, addressing anxieties over foreign work pass holders, and managing race and religion.
Here are seven highlights from the speech.
1. Generating new growth, jobs and prosperity
PM Lee said Singapore has survived its worst economic crisis since independence and must now "change gears".
"It is no longer about drawing down reserves to keep ourselves on life support," he said. "It is about generating new growth, jobs and prosperity for the future."
With the global economy picking up, the Ministry of Trade and Industry is more confident that Singapore will also do well. The Republic's growth forecast has been raised to 6 per cent to 7 per cent. It was previously 4 per cent to 6 per cent.
To sustain longer-term growth, Singapore must preserve its status as a business hub, attract more foreign investments, and grow Singapore companies and entrepreneurs, he said.
2. Improving the lot of lower-wage workers
Many lower-wage workers were on the front line during the pandemic doing important jobs such as cleaning, food delivery and security, said PM Lee.
While these workers and their families get significant support from the Government in areas such as housing, healthcare, education and retirement, they are more stressed than others and their jobs less secure, he said.
One key policy that helps these workers is the Workfare Income Supplement (Workfare) Scheme where the Government tops up their salaries in cash and Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions. Almost half a million workers benefit from Workfare.
PM Lee said the scheme currently costs the Government $850 million a year. In two years' time, the Government will increase its spending to $1.1 billion, which means recipients will get a higher payout. To help younger workers, the qualifying age will also be lowered to 30 from the current 35.
Another scheme that helps lower-wage workers is the Progressive Wage Model (PWM). It sets out minimum pay and training requirements for workers at different skill levels.
The PWM will be extended to more sectors such as retail, food services and waste management, and will cover specific occupations such as administrative assistants and drivers across all sectors simultaneously, PM Lee said.
Companies that pay their workers progressive wages will be accredited with a new Progressive Wage Mark. The public sector, a major buyer of goods and services, will make purchases only from businesses that carry the mark.
Finally, companies that employ foreign workers will soon be required to pay all their local employees at least the Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) or a base wage of $1,400, which will be adjusted from time to time.
PM Lee said the extended PWM and change to the LQS will cover eight in 10 lower-wage workers. With the inclusion of Workfare enhancements, almost all such workers can look forward to higher incomes within the next two years.
3. Manpower Ministry to study issues facing delivery workers
PM Lee said he was especially concerned about a specific group of lower-wage workers - delivery workers. "It is hard work, and most earn modest incomes," he said.
These workers are just like employees as the online platforms they work with, such as foodpanda, Grab and Deliveroo, determine which jobs are assigned to them, manage their performance and impose penalties on them, he noted.
Yet, they do not have employment contracts with the platforms and lack basic protections such as workplace injury compensation, union representation and employer CPF contributions, and may find it harder to afford housing, healthcare and meet their retirement needs.
He announced that the Ministry of Manpower is studying this issue and will be doing consultations. "We must address the issues to give these workers more secure futures."
4. Ensuring a fair playing field at the workplace
The national watchdog for fair employment practices will soon get more teeth to deal with workplace discrimination when its guidelines become law.
The move to enshrine the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) guidelines in law will give the authorities a wider range of options to ensure fair treatment at the workplace.
A tribunal will be created to deal with workplace discrimination based on nationality, gender, age, race, religion and disability.
Writing TAFEP guidelines into the law is a major move, PM Lee said, adding that he hoped workplace disputes can be informally and amicably resolved if possible, with legal redress a last resource - "one which is seldom needed, but whose existence will cause the parties to work harder to settle the dispute, through conciliation and mediation".
In his speech, he also said the criteria for Employment Pass (EP) and S Pass holders will continue to be tightened progressively over time, so as to assuage Singaporeans' anxieties over job competition and whether these pass holders are of the right standard.
He assured employers that the criteria will not be tightened too suddenly as this could hurt businesses. "This will ensure that work pass holders come in where we most need them, and we won't be flooded with more than we can absorb, doing jobs for which Singaporeans are qualified and available," he said.
5. New law to ensure racial harmony
A new Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act will be introduced to consolidate the Government's powers to deal with racial issues, which are currently scattered in different pieces of legislation such as the Penal Code and the Sedition Act.
Noting that existing laws focus purely on crimes and punishments, PM Lee said the new law will incorporate "softer, gentler touches", such as the power to order someone who has caused offence to stop doing it and to make amends by learning more about the other race and mending ties with them.
Similar to the existing Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, the new Act will encourage moderation and tolerance between different racial groups and signal the overriding importance of racial harmony to Singapore, he added.
6. Need for Chinese majority to be understanding of minorities' concerns
All races in Singapore are treated equally, with no special privileges, PM Lee said during the Mandarin portion of his speech.
In the country's early years, the Government was impartial when drafting Singapore's laws and administrative measures, and did not favour any race. "This fundamental founding policy was supported by the Chinese community and became the bedrock of our multiracial harmony. Chinese Singaporeans made some concessions for the greater good."
For example, English became the lingua franca in Singapore, which puts those who spoke only Mandarin and dialects in a disadvantageous position, he noted. "Therefore, it is entirely baseless to claim that there is 'Chinese privilege' in Singapore," he said.
The term, adapted from "white privilege" as used in the United States to describe the dominance of a group due to their racial identity marker, has sparked debate over its application and relevance to Singapore's majority ethnicity.
But PM Lee acknowledged that ethnic minorities here may face difficulties when renting homes or looking for jobs. He called on Chinese Singaporeans to be understanding and accommodating towards these concerns and difficulties faced by minorities here.
"If we let the preferences of such employers and home owners build up over time, they will become prejudice, and minorities will feel they are discriminated against. If left unaddressed, such preferences will gradually deepen the fissures in our society," he said. "Therefore, all of us must uphold the principle of racial equality to build a more inclusive society."
7. Muslim nurses in public healthcare can wear a tudung at work from November 2021
From November, Muslim nurses in the public healthcare sector will be allowed to wear a tudung with their uniforms, if they wish to.
PM Lee said the decision is a "careful adjustment to keep Singapore's racial and religious harmony in good order", and that people here are now ready for the change. The tudung, he added, "is not just a matter for Muslims, it is a national issue".
The tudung has become increasingly important for the Muslim community, and more Muslim women here have worn it both in social and work settings, he said.
But the Government has been cautious about how non-Muslims would react and whether relations between the communities would be affected. In some places where uniforms are required, the Government has not allowed the tudung to be worn.
In 2014, he told Muslim leaders at a meeting that government policy in the healthcare sector was not set in stone, and the situation would be monitored.
However, the ban on the headgear will remain for school students and those serving in the armed forces, police and civil defence, he said at the Rally.
All students wear the same uniform regardless of their financial background, race or religion, as there is a need to emphasise their similarities and minimise their differences so they can build bonds in their early years which will shape their attitudes for life.
Uniformed services like the Singapore Armed Forces and the Home Team are impartial and secular arms of the state who are armed and enforce laws here. PM Lee said: "They must always be seen to be doing so without fear or favour. Therefore, everyone wears the same uniform."
The change in the Ministry of Health's dress code will apply to more than 7,000 staff across the public healthcare sector. Following the Rally, the Ministry of Manpower said that private sector healthcare employers are encouraged to take reference from the public sector policy, but it is not compulsory to follow suit.
Firms hiring foreigners to pay all locals at least $1,400; progressive wages for retail, more sectors
By Choo Yun Ting, The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2021
Firms employing foreign workers will soon be required to pay all their local employees a monthly salary of at least $1,400.
This tightened Local Qualifying Salary (LQS) requirement is among efforts the Government will undertake to support lower-wage workers, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 29).
It is one of three strategies recommended by a tripartite workgroup on lower-wage workers which the Government has accepted.
The other two strategies are extending the progressive wage model to more sectors and cover specific occupations across all sectors, as well as introducing a scheme to recognise and accredit companies that pay workers progressive wages.
At the same time, the Government will be increasing its annual spending on the Workfare Income Supplement to $1.1 billion in two years, PM Lee said.
The scheme, which tops up the incomes of lower-wage employees and self-employed people in cash and Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions, benefits almost half a million workers currently.
Taken together, these moves mean that almost all lower-wage workers can look forward to higher incomes within the next two years, PM Lee said.
The Government now spends about $850 million a year on Workfare.
The increased spending on Workfare will allow for higher payouts for all recipients and extend the scheme to those aged 30 and above, said PM Lee. Recipients currently have to be 35 years old or older on Dec 31 of the work year to qualify for Workfare.
In his speech, PM Lee noted how lower-wage workers currently receive aid through subsidies in housing, healthcare, education and retirement.
Despite the help, they have less job security and less savings to tide them over hard times, and their situation has been precarious during the pandemic, which is why extra help for lower-income households was included in every Covid-19 Budget package, he said.
"Beyond emergency assistance, lower-wage workers need longer-term support," he said.
Lower-wage workers refer to the bottom 20 per cent of income earners. The 20th percentile of gross monthly income, including employer CPF contributions, of full-time employed residents in Singapore was around $2,300 in 2020.
The new requirement for companies hiring foreign workers to pay all their local employees at least the LQS of $1,400 each month is a step up from current regulations.
Today, companies have to pay the LQS to some of their local workers, depending on the number of foreigners they hire. It determines the number of local employees who can be used to count towards a firm's quota for hiring foreigners on work permits and S Passes.
The LQS will also be adjusted from time to time, PM Lee said. It was last raised by $100 to the present $1,400 in July 2020.
The Progressive Wage Model (PWM) will be extended to cover more sectors, starting with retail from next year and food services and waste management to follow, he added. It will also cover specific occupations that cut across sectors, starting with administrative assistants and drivers.
The PWM is a wage ladder that sets out the minimum basic wages an employer must pay, based on the worker's skills. Cleaners, security guards, landscape workers and those in lift maintenance are currently covered by the model.
"It has raised their skills and productivity, and boosted their incomes and job progression," said PM Lee.
The extended progressive wages and the tighter LQS will cover about eight in 10 lower-wage workers, he noted.
Besides raising wages, the Government will also introduce a Progressive Wage Mark to accredit companies that are paying all their workers progressive wages.
The mark will tell consumers which companies are paying all their workers decent wages, PM Lee said, adding that the public sector, as a major buyer of goods and services, will take the lead and purchase only from such businesses.
PM Lee stressed that the cost of higher wages for lower-wage workers will have to be shared, not just by workers and employers, but consumers as well.
“Pay a little bit more for some of our favourite things, like bubble tea or bak chor mee (minced meat noodles), with or without hum (cockles), to help the shop cover higher cleaning and waste collection costs,” he said, adding that he is glad that many Singaporeans are willing to support lower-wage workers in this way.
“It will not only enable the workers to keep their jobs at higher pay, it will also show that as a society, we value their work and contributions, and that they are part of us.”
MOM looking into issue of work benefits and welfare needs of delivery workers
By Tham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 30 Aug 2021
The lack of basic job protection for delivery workers who work for online platforms is a growing problem, and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is studying how to give these workers a more secure future, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 29).
He added that he was "especially concerned" about this group of lower-wage workers, who have worked hard as food deliveries shot through the roof during the Covid-19 pandemic, and yet earn modest incomes.
Gig-economy companies such as Grab, foodpanda and Deliveroo determine which jobs are assigned to these workers, and also manage their performance.
The workers can be penalised for delivering their orders too slowly, and can even be suspended over some infractions.
Yet, because they do not have employment contracts, they have no right to the basic protection that employees enjoy, such as workplace injury compensation, union representation and employer Central Provident Fund contributions.
Noting this as he spoke about better support for lower-wage workers at the National Day Rally, PM Lee said: "Delivery workers are, for all intents and purposes, just like employees."
He added that delivery workers are often under constant stress for reasons beyond their control. For instance, delivery riders may fall below their daily targets because of bad weather, motorcycle breakdowns and scary dogs.
Around the world, gig-economy companies have faced growing criticism and legal challenges over their treatment of their workers, who are considered contractors and thus often not afforded basic entitlements like paid annual and medical leave.
Some large gig platforms have, in recent years, started to provide a certain degree of protection, or benefits such as access to skills training courses.
For instance, Grab and Deliveroo offer delivery workers here free accident insurance.
Past reports said delivery workers in Singapore can earn $6.50 to $7.50 per delivery.
The plight of such workers has become a growing issue in Singapore, as more and more people join the gig economy. They are not covered under the Employment Act here, unlike regular employees.
According to the most recent figures from MOM, there were 228,200 resident workers engaged in "own account work" - such as freelancers or those who are self-employed - in 2020, up from 211,000 in 2019.
PM Lee said on Sunday that besides delivery workers, there were also lower-wage workers in other jobs who have an employee-like relationship with platforms.
He added that they will also find it harder to afford housing, healthcare and eventually, retirement.
"More people are taking up this type of work, so this problem is growing," he said.
"MOM is studying it, and will be doing consultations. We must address the issues to give these workers more secure futures."
Manpower Minister Tan See Leng, in a Facebook post referring to PM Lee’s remarks, said his ministry will strengthen protections for self-employed persons who work for online platforms, and an advisory committee has been set up to look into ensuring a more balanced relationship between platforms and its workers.
“Platform workers are much like employees, yet they lack the protections that employees enjoy. This is an important concern for us, as more people take up such work,” he wrote.
Labour MP Yeo Wan Ling said in a post-Rally Facebook post it was a significant first step that MOM would be looking into the issues affecting gig economy workers.
She also said the labour movement is exploring ways to better support such workers.
National Trades Union Congress secretary-general Ng Chee Meng also said in a Facebook post that the labour movement has been actively championing the needs of such workers, and called on platform companies to work with NTUC to improve work conditions, safety as well as medical and injury coverage for them.
Fair employment guidelines to become law, new tribunal to deal with workplace discrimination
By Lim Min Zhang, The Straits Times, 29 Aug 2021
The fair employment watchdog will soon get more teeth to deal with workplace discrimination when its guidelines become law.
The move will give the authorities a wider range of options to ensure fair treatment at the workplace, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, including tackling unfair hiring practices against Singaporeans.
Enshrining the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (Tafep) guidelines into law is a major move, said Mr Lee in his National Day Rally speech on Sunday (Aug 29).
It signals that Singapore will not tolerate discrimination at workplaces, he added.
In his speech, Mr Lee addressed the concerns of middle-income Singaporeans over competition with work pass holders for jobs and opportunities at work.
A key plank in the Government's efforts will be the creation of a tribunal to deal with workplace discrimination.
This will protect workers against discrimination based on nationality, age, race, religion and disability, as well as other kinds of discrimination covered by Tafep.
Women will also get better protection, he added.
Mr Lee said: "Philosophically, writing Tafep guidelines into the law is a major move. It signals that we do not tolerate discrimination at workplaces.
"But in practice, we hope to operate in a similar way as today, except better. We should still resolve workplace disputes informally and amicably, if at all possible."
The legal redress should be a last recourse, he added. It should be seldom needed, but whose existence will cause the parties to work harder to settle the dispute, through conciliation and mediation.
The approach will be modelled after how another class of disputes is currently dealt with - those over salaries or wrongful dismissals.
In such disputes, conciliation and mediation are tried first.
Only when that fails does the matter go before an Employment Claims Tribunal, which will arbitrate and decide the case, he said.
Tafep was set up in 2006 as a three-way partnership between the Government, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and the Singapore National Employers Federation.
It provides guidelines on fair employment practices, such as how employers must recruit and select workers based on merit - regardless of age, race, gender, religion, marital status and family responsibilities, or disability.
All Singapore-based organisations are expected to abide by the guidelines, said Tafep on its website. The guidelines were first launched in 2007.
In his speech, Mr Lee said there have been complaints about financial institutions and information technology or IT firms hiring too many foreigners, but these are rapidly growing sectors where skills are in short supply.
These firms also perform regional and global functions, which require both local and foreign talent, he added.
They have also recruited many Singaporeans, and groomed promising ones to take on senior and international positions, Mr Lee said.
However, there have been a few errant employers that hire from their own countries using familiar links and old boys' networks rather than on merit.
And they make only token gestures in hiring Singaporeans, and when that happens, government agencies have dealt with them firmly, he added.
For example, when the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) gets a complaint about human resource practices at a bank, it investigates thoroughly.
And if the complaint is valid, MAS will speak to the bank at a senior level.
Mr Lee said: "When MAS raises one eyebrow, the banks take it very seriously."
The same is true for IT companies when the Infocomm Media Development Authority takes notice, he added.
Mr Lee said most companies comply with Tafep's guidelines, and if a company falls short, the watchdog will counsel it.
"And if it still fails to get its act together, the Manpower Ministry can impose administrative penalties, including restricting it from hiring foreign workers. This has generally worked quite well."
Over the years, the Government has received repeated requests to toughen up Tafep, Mr Lee said. In particular, MPs with links to the labour movement and NTUC have long pushed for anti-discrimination laws that carry penalties.
Last month, Pioneer MP Patrick Tay and Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MP Saktiandi Supaat, among others, spoke in Parliament about the need for Tafep's powers to be expanded through legislation.
In response, Manpower Minister Tan See Leng said a tripartite committee has been set up to examine policy options to ensure workplace fairness, including whether legislative protections should be pursued.
The committee aims to complete its work by the first half of next year.
PM Lee said: "The Government has held back because we did not want the process to become legalistic or confrontational. It is better if disputes can be resolved amicably, through persuasion or mediation."
But after consulting the tripartite partners, the Government has decided to adopt the labour MPs' suggestions, he added.
New law to deal with racial offences, promote harmony through softer approach
By Linette Lai, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 30 Aug 2021
Singapore will introduce a new law on racial harmony to encourage moderation and tolerance between different racial groups, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 29).
The new Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act will consolidate all existing laws dealing with racial issues, which are currently scattered under various pieces of legislation, such as the Penal Code.
Apart from providing for punishments to deal with racial offences, the new law will also incorporate "softer and gentler touches" that focus on persuasion and rehabilitation.
For instance, it will vest the authorities with powers to order someone who has caused offence to stop and make amends by learning more about the other race.
This softer approach will help to heal hurt and mend ties between races, rather than leaving resentment in the wake of such incidents, PM Lee said.
The Prime Minister devoted a third of his National Day Rally to the topic of race and religion, noting that race relations have come under stress during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While the real solution to racism is to change attitudes, which takes time and effort, legislation can play a role, he said.
"Laws may not, by themselves, make people get along with one another or like one another," PM Lee noted. "But laws can signal what our society considers right or wrong, and nudge people over time to behave better."
He pointed to the existing Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act, which the new law will be modelled on.
The law has never been used since it came into effect in 1992. But its very existence has helped to restrain intolerance and promote religious harmony, he said.
Similarly, the new law on racial harmony will signal the "overriding importance" of this issue to Singapore society, he added.
In his speech, PM Lee made reference to several recent high-profile racist incidents, noting several of these have targeted Indians.
There are two reasons for this, he surmised. One could be the large number of Indian work pass holders in Singapore, while the other could be linked to the Delta variant of Covid-19, which first emerged in India.
But it is illogical to blame these issues on Indians and let these frustrations impact racial harmony, PM Lee said.
"Just as it is illogical to blame the Alpha variant on the English, the KTV cluster on the Vietnamese, or the initial outbreak in Wuhan on the Chinese," he added.
"We must address the real issues - manage the work pass numbers and concentrations, and improve our border health safeguards."
While these racist incidents are a reminder of the fragility of Singapore's harmony, they do not negate the country's multiracial approach which has worked well, he said, adding that racial harmony did not happen spontaneously here.
He outlined how Singapore has worked hard to achieve the current delicate balance, where people of different races and faiths live peacefully together.
Even so, racial harmony is still a work in progress and will be for a long time, PM Lee said. He noted that everyone retains racial or religious preferences, which are natural in every society.
"But sometimes, it goes beyond racial and cultural preferences to become biases and prejudices. Then it is a problem," he said.
He gave the example of job advertisements which require Chinese speakers even though it is not clear that this is a genuine job necessity. He also cited individuals who are rejected for rentals after property agents find out they are not Chinese.
People from minority groups experience these things more acutely because they are the ones most affected by such racial discrimination, PM Lee said.
"They feel angry, hurt, disappointed that the words in our National Pledge are still an aspiration, still not fully achieved," he added.
"I know it is harder to belong to a minority race than to the majority. And this is true in every multiracial society, but it does not mean that we have to accept this state of affairs in Singapore."
This is why Singapore must keep working at the issue, PM Lee stressed.
The majority must be more sensitive to minority concerns, while individuals must also have the moral courage to take a stand against racist behaviour, he said.
This means expressing clear disapproval of racist incidents, and also calling out deliberate racist agitation that masquerades as something else.
The campaign against the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement with India (Ceca), for instance, claimed to be about putting Singaporeans first but had a strong racial undertone, PM Lee said.
The new Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act is part of keeping Singapore’s policies on race and religion up to date, PM Lee said, noting that racial and religious harmony is dynamic.
Societal views and beliefs shift over time, with each new generation holding different perspectives on racial issues.
Older Singaporeans who lived through the racial riots that marked Singapore’s journey towards independence usually believe that such issues are best left alone.
“They think: Discussions can become disputes, disputes can become quarrels, better don’t talk about such things too much,” he said.
But younger Singaporeans, who have largely grown up in an environment of peace and harmony, think differently.
They believe that as the country is now mature and stable, issues of race and religion must now be discussed more openly, and existing policies and assumptions re-examined, to improve the status quo.
“These generational differences in views are perfectly understandable and should be accommodated,” he said.
The Prime Minister then turned his attention to how Singaporeans are influenced by external religious trends in a changing world.
For instance, many Christians think of themselves as members of a worldwide communion, while Muslims consider themselves to be part of a global ummah, or community of believers.
“So when religious norms elsewhere shift, norms and practices in Singapore are also affected,” PM Lee said.
This is similar to how Singapore is exposed to, and subsequently influenced by, external political developments, he added. These include the Black Lives Matter movement in America, or the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza.
“Our own circumstances and context are completely different, and these are not our quarrels,” he noted. “But they do affect our people.”
Such changes are why Singapore needs to adjust its policies on race and religion from time to time. But it must do so based on its own needs, rather than simply reacting to trends abroad, PM Lee stressed.
And as it makes such changes, it must proceed with caution. This is because race and religion will always be highly sensitive issues, he said.
“We have to take the time to discuss respectfully, make sure everybody understands, and build a consensus before we make any move.”
National Day Rally 2021: ‘Entirely baseless’ to claim there is Chinese privilege in Singapore, says PM Lee
By Justin Ong, Political Correspondent, The Straits Times, 30 Aug 2021
It is entirely baseless to claim that there is “Chinese privilege” in Singapore, though some Chinese Singaporeans might be unaware of how ethnic minorities feel, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday (Aug 29).
In the Mandarin portion of the National Day Rally, PM Lee made the point that all races are treated equally in Singapore, with no special privileges for any.
But he also called on Chinese Singaporeans - who make up 76 per cent of the citizen population - to be understanding and accommodating of the concerns and difficulties faced by ethnic minorities here, especially in the areas of renting homes and looking for jobs.
PM Lee noted that in the early years of nationhood, Singapore's founding leaders stood firm on the overarching policy of racial equality, and that the Government was impartial when drafting laws and administrative measures not favouring any race.
This fundamental founding policy was supported by the Chinese community and became the bedrock of Singapore's multiracial harmony, he said.
"Chinese Singaporeans made some concessions for the greater good. For example, to put the ethnic minorities more at ease, we adopted English as our lingua franca. The use of English put those who spoke only Mandarin and dialects in a disadvantageous position," he said.
"Therefore, it is entirely baseless to claim that there is 'Chinese privilege' in Singapore."
He added that few countries have made it a policy to treat all races equally, and even fewer have actually managed to make it a reality.
The term "Chinese privilege", adapted from "white privilege" as used in the United States to describe the dominance of a group due to its racial identity marker, has sparked heated debate over its application and relevance to Singapore's majority ethnicity.
Proponents argue that to reject Chinese privilege is to ignore the discrimination faced by minorities here.
In his speech, PM Lee said the Chinese community had made a compromise half a century ago, with some feeling that they had made a "huge concession".
"But what we see after 56 years is testament that this fundamental national policy has benefited all races, including the Chinese," he added. "It has also helped to strengthen our relations with our neighbouring countries, and built mutual trust."
Still, he observed that decades of peace may have led to racial harmony being taken for granted, and to Singaporeans becoming less sensitive.
"Some Chinese Singaporeans may be unaware of how our ethnic minorities feel," said PM Lee. "While the different communities have become closer, racial emotions still exist."
In renting homes, for example, ethnic minorities sometimes come across Chinese home owners who would prefer not to have tenants of a particular race.
"Not all home owners are like that, but it's not difficult for us to imagine how hurt these minority tenants feel when they have such encounters," said PM Lee.
Minorities sometimes face more difficulties when looking for jobs as well, he added.
While it is understandable that some jobs demand Chinese language proficiency, for employers to still state Mandarin as a requirement for jobs that do not need it will be perceived by minorities as unreasonable and unfair.
"When we seek friends and life partners, we are drawn to those with similar linguistic and cultural backgrounds. This is human nature and common to any society or race. These are matters that concern our private lives and personal decisions, and generally have no great impact on society," he said.
"But when employing someone or renting a house... These involve the common space that all races share and directly affect race relations. If we let the preferences of such employers and home owners build up over time, they will become prejudice, and minorities will feel they are being discriminated against.
"If left unaddressed, such preferences will gradually deepen the fissures in our society," he cautioned.
The Prime Minister also said the Government will support all races in promoting and preserving their own rich cultural heritage.
The Republic's Chinese culture has also developed over time to reflect its unique Singapore spirit, he added, citing Cultural Medallion recipient Lim Tze Peng, who has integrated the artistic traditions of East and West to create his own unique style.
On Chinese-emphasis Special Assistance Plan (SAP) schools, he hopes these institutions would let their students - who are more likely to be Chinese - interact more frequently with members of other races.
"So that they will understand the importance of safeguarding our multicultural society from a young age. We must continue to prioritise this," he added.
PM Lee also pointed out how Singapore has accepted ethnic Chinese from overseas, among them successful individuals who have become Singaporean and done the country proud. For example, national table tennis player Yu Mengyu, who came to Singapore at age 17, moved and won the respect of many Singaporeans with her determination during a run to the semi-finals at the Olympics this year.
Calling on all Singaporeans to uphold the principle of racial equality, PM Lee said: "I hope Singaporeans of all races can continue to work for the greater good in the spirit of mutual compromise. Only then can we achieve lasting harmony and unity as a country and society."
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