Multiculturalism, equality and unity were the key messages of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s speech in Malay for the National Day Rally on Sunday (Aug 23).
Mr Lee opened his speech emphasising what Singapore’s first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew promised in 1965: That all Singaporeans will have equal chances to progress. He then shared an anecdote that involved Mr Lee and a Malay journalist when Singapore gained independence.
“Two days later, Mr Lee held a press conference with Malay journalists. Before asking his first question, a journalist addressed Mr Lee as ‘Tuan Perdana Menteri’. Mr Lee immediately replied: ‘Please do not address me as Tuan Perdana Menteri, but just as usual, Saudara Lee. It is not necessary. I am not a Syed like Syed Jaafar Albar. I am a common man, a small man.’
“Mr Lee’s remark set the tone for our society in Singapore; That we will be equal, egalitarian, That we will work side by side, That we will build Singapore together,” said PM Lee.
Mr Lee said that promise is achieved today, citing two Malay airforce pilots – Captain Muhammad Azlan and Captain Muhammad Iskandar Dzulfadhli Abdul Rahman – as examples of successful Malays.
The Prime Minister also spoke about how madrasahs play an important role in nurturing religious scholars and teachers, and that he is happy to see that madrasah standards have gone up especially with the Joint Madrasah System.
He added that the Government would like to help madrasahs improve further, especially in providing financial support to strengthen the teaching and learning of secular subjects.
“We will leave religious education to MUIS and the community, but the Government can help in secular subjects like Mathematics and Science. It is important for our religious scholars and leaders to have a good grounding in non-religious subjects. It prepares them to guide Singapore Muslims to live in a modern, technological society,” he said.
“We will work with MUIS to strengthen the teaching of secular subjects in madrasahs. We will provide financial support to upgrade teachers of secular subjects and fund awards for students who do well in secular subjects.”
In a statement, MUIS said it welcomes the move and that it would work with Government agencies on the details. Said MUIS senior director of madrasahs Razak Lazim: “Recent news reports of successful students in fields like medicine are also testament that our madrasahs produce students with a strong grounding in secular subjects, and who are ready to step forward to contribute to the modern economy.”
Mr Lee also said that the Malay-Muslim community is an integral part of Singapore, and it can be proud of its achievements, especially its contributions to building a more cohesive multiracial society.
“50 years on, I am touched and proud to see many Malays especially the young expressing heartfelt love for Singapore openly. They appreciate and uphold our multi-racial society.”
Moving forward, Mr Lee urged the community to continue strengthening those multi-racial ties for the betterment of Singapore.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
