Today article - S'pore must prevent political debate going along racial, religious lines: Shanmugam

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam (wearing light blue) mingle with the residents of Chong Pang at Chong Pang Community Club on June 18, 2016. Photo: Damien Teo

BY NEO CHAI CHIN

chaichin@mediacorp.com.sg

PUBLISHED: 8:55 PM, JUNE 18, 2016

UPDATED: 9:28 PM, JUNE 18, 2016

SINGAPORE — Sweeping, incendiary statements by a presidential candidate in the United States and other happenings there and in Europe show how quickly political debate can go along racial and religious lines, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam on Saturday (June 18), adding that Singapore has to keep this phenomenon out.

He was speaking at an Iftar event in Chong Pang, where non-Muslims joined Muslim residents to break fast at the community club.

“We are a multiracial country. There is political profit in dividing people, playing on race, religion, stoking up fears. (But this is) really unacceptable and, I think, morally reprehensible,” he told reporters.

People in power and those aspiring to leadership positions should not do this, he added.

Mr Shanmugam did not name presumptive Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump explicitly but Mr Trump’s statements in the wake of the Orlando gay nightclub shooting, by an American of Afghan descent, have been slammed by even US President Barack Obama. Mr Trump had, among other things, called for suspension of immigration from “areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or allies”.

Mr Shanmugam said Muslims as a group were characterised negatively and Islam was equated with terror. “One broad stroke, painting a mass of people. Incendiary, sweeping statements about Islam and Muslims,” he said.

Singapore has to try hard to strengthen trust and deepen understanding among races and religions, and reject religiously intolerant teachings, he said. Some people here were suggesting a few years ago that Singapore is in a post-modern phase and that “we are all Singaporeans, race and religion is not important”. What is happening in the U.S. and Europe shows how quickly political debate can go along racial and religious lines “if there are votes in it”, he said.

Singapore has built something fragile but precious, he added.

“In the US, their idea of free speech means you can burn the Koran, attack Muslims, attacks others. Here we have zero tolerance for people who make bigoted, divisive statements,” said Mr Shanmugam. If anyone makes such statements here, the Internal Security Department will talk to him, and take action where necessary, he added.

“You burn the Koran or any other Holy Book, you go to jail. No two ways about it. The government will not allow it here and for us to continue to succeed, I think we’ll have to take that approach. protect everyone, don’t allow racial and religiously inflammatory remarks.”

Mr Syed Mohd, 53, a grassroots leaders at the Iftar event, said remarks made by foreign political leaders like Mr Trump “saddens us”. Singapore can show the world its people of different races and religions can live peacefully together, said Mr Syed, auditor of the Chong Pang Community Club’s Malay Activities Executive Committee, which organised the event. Including people of other faiths and races in the event would enable better understanding and the experience of breaking fast with Muslims, he said.