Rilek1Corner

Tag: race

  • Alfian Sa’at: Unfortunate That Racial Discourse Framed In Terms Of Sensitivity, But Sharon Au Has Apologise, Let’s Move On

    Alfian Sa’at: Unfortunate That Racial Discourse Framed In Terms Of Sensitivity, But Sharon Au Has Apologise, Let’s Move On

    I don’t know Sharon Au as a friend. But I have met her before, and I remember that we were both enthusing about how much we loved Haresh Sharma’s plays. (Au declared he was her favourite Singaporean playwright.)

    I actually don’t like it when racial discourses are framed in terms of ‘sensitivity’, because the aggrieved parties–often minorities–are then cast as humourless and oversensitive. And that’s really quite wrong, because God knows how minorities have often used laughter to deal with…all the stuff we have to deal with! I’d much rather such comments be flagged as ‘inappropriate’ rather than ‘insensitive’. This is because the discourse on sensitivity vests all the authority in the aggrieved party to define where the line of offence lies and when it has been crossed–unfortunately breeding resentment. But when we describe something as ‘inappropriate’ there is a sense that a whole community (of Singaporeans) takes responsibility for defining what should be the norms in our multicultural society.

    So when Au imitated an Indian accent when she spoke to an Indian member of the audience, was she being ‘insensitive’? Certainly it’s ‘lame’, ‘off-colour’ and even a little ‘tone-deaf’. It could have been funny in a situation, for example, if the girl had a chance to try on a Chinese accent (there’s such a thing, and it has given us choice phrases like ‘SQ me’ and ‘solly solly’ and ‘probrem sums’) as a way of getting back at Au. And this is what I believe happens when friends interact with each other. A close friendship gives you license to poke fun at each other–though you always take cues from the other person, who’ll lead with self-deprecating remarks: “Sorry, I’m very Chinese, I must insist the taxi driver give me my 5 cents change”; “Eh, I bring shame to the Malays lah, I really cannot play soccer”; “I’m very Indian, I cannot wear all this monochrome stuff, I must have at least three colours on me.”

    I think as a very experienced host, Au’s instinct is always to establish rapport with the audience member. But I think she flubbed–and I truly think it is an honest mistake–because she might have assumed that it is the ability to make these racial comments that establishes rapport. This is getting it backwards: you build the rapport first, you gain the other person’s trust, before you get permission to say such things (and you should be able to take as good as you give). I think at the spur of the moment, Au might have looked at that audience member and immediately thought: ‘talk to her in that teasing, jokey way you talk to your Indian friend’. But of course the audience member was a total stranger (in a public setting), and which stranger could take kindly to such remarks?

    Au has apologised, gracefully and sincerely, without attempting to justify what she did (which is more than I can say of those who might claim that they’re being ‘victimised’ by political correctness and that ‘people can’t take a joke anymore’–or worse, say that ‘I have many Indian friends so I can’t be racist’).

    And now on to the rest of the Games!

    (PS: Some people cannot read properly so let me summarise. This isn’t saying ‘she did nothing wrong’. This is saying, ‘she did something wrong and admitted it and made a voluntary apology’. There’s a difference k?)

     

    Source: Alfian Sa’at

  • Barack Obama: Singapore’s Racial Integration Has Contributed To Its Success

    Barack Obama: Singapore’s Racial Integration Has Contributed To Its Success

    One of the reasons why Singapore has been so successful is because “it has been able to bring together people who may look different, but they all think of themselves as part of Singapore”, said US President Barack Obama yesterday (June 1).

    “That has to be a strength, not a weakness, but that requires leadership and government being true to those principles,” said Mr Obama, who was speaking to 75 emerging leaders from countries in the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN). The group, aged 18-35, was the first to visit the United States as part of the Young South-east Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Fellowships announced by Mr Obama in November last year.

    Mr Obama, answering a question from an attendee, was calling for an end to the discrimination against the Rohingya in Myanmar, when he noted that one of the reasons for Singapore’s success has been the Republic’s ability to integrate the different races.

    “The one thing I know is that countries that divide themselves on racial or religious lines, they do not succeed,” he stressed. “Each country is different, but there are some rules if you look at development patterns around the world that are pretty consistent, and those are two pretty good rules. Don’t divide yourself on religious and ethnic lines and racial lines, and don’t discriminate against women. If you do those two things, you are not guaranteed success but at least you’re not guaranteed failure.”

    Answering an attendee’s question about economic development in Myanmar, Mr Obama also pointed to Singapore. He noted that businesses know they can find a very skilled workforce here and the rules are “international standard rules, in terms of operations”.

    Mr Obama noted that in the age of the Internet, when companies can be located anywhere, “the most important thing is to find some place where there’s security so there’s no conflict, where there’s rule of law and the people are highly skilled. And if you have those those things, then people will invest”.

    The session lasted for more than an hour, where Mr Obama spoke on topics including America’s relationship with South-east Asia and Anwar Ibrahim’s imprisonment. He also spoke about his “special attachment” to the region.

    “As a boy I lived in Jakarta; my mother spent years working in villages to help women improve their life. So South-east Asia helped to shape who I am and how I see the world,” he said.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Teaching Your Kids To Respect Other Cultures

    Teaching Your Kids To Respect Other Cultures

    One of my daughters and her husband recently adopted my precious and beautiful grandson. He is from the mountain aboriginal people of Taiwan. His beautiful black hair, long legs and broad shoulders are amazingly like his daddy’s.  But his bronze skin is very different from that of my three-year-old granddaughter’s, who when she saw a picture of her new baby cousin said, “He looks funny.”

    We are all different yet…

    There will come a time when your children will be exposed to children and adults from other countries and continents. Their color, dress, habits and language will be different than what they consider normal.

    These cultural differences should not be viewed as embarrassing or inappropriate by you. Instead you should view their questions as an opportunity to broaden their horizons and educate them on the differences that make us all unique and special.

    …the same

    It is important to teach your children that though their skin may be lighter or darker than the child sitting behind them, they are both very much alike in the fact that they both need to be loved, both need to be treated with kindness and respect and both enjoy doing all the things kids love to do.

    It is important that you teach your children that cultural diversity is not a reason to exclude, demean or even bully someone. A child in Singapore is a child throughout the world.

    Experience is the best teacher

    When it comes to understanding and being comfortable with cultural differences, the best thing you can do is to give your children a variety of cultural experiences. This can be done by:

    • Visiting exhibits and various cultural events such as festivals and ceremonies
    • Eating a variety of foods favored in other countries
    • Reading about different places or origin and cultures of people you and your children come in contact with
    • Befriend the parents of children from other cultures in your child’s classroom, sports team or dance class
    • Focus on the similarities rather than the differences-help your child realize that different clothes, accents, etc. don’t change the fact that both children enjoy soccer or that both children struggle with spelling

    Set the bar

    In spite of the fact that our children test our patience and push our buttons, they look up to us. They mimic our attitudes and actions. So by being respectful and accepting of  people from all walks of life, we will be teaching our children to do the same.

     

    Source: http://sg.theasianparent.com

  • Divide In Malaysia Laid Bare By Cross Furore

    Divide In Malaysia Laid Bare By Cross Furore

    KUALA LUMPUR — The protest by a group of Muslims in Selangor who called for a new church to remove a cross outside its premises has drawn a strong reaction from a broad coalition of moderate Muslims and politicians, exposing the rift between ultra and moderate Muslims and prompting the Cabinet to announce that the police will launch an investigation.

    Malaysian society has become increasingly polarised along religious lines in the past few years. In particular, the growing politicisation of religion means that, going forward, one can expect pushback from the majority of Malays, who are moderate in orientation, analysts told TODAY.

    In announcing the Cabinet’s decision yesterday, an under-pressure Prime Minister Najib Razak said the Sedition Act or other existing laws could be used against the protesters. “The protesters should have discussed with the church, instead of taking actions that have created worry and restlessness in this multiracial country,” he said.

    “The people must abide by the country’s laws and practise respect of other religions, as enshrined in the Constitution. We also need to have an attitude of tolerance and mutual respect among communities of different religions,” Mr Najib added.

    The protesters were roundly criticised since the incident, notably by a group of former Malay high-ranking civil servants, also known as the G25. “Firm action must be taken against the ignorant, intolerant Muslims who protested for the removal of a cross from a church,” said the G25 yesterday.

    The moderate group added that the protesters’ actions were an embarrassment to Islam and proved that they were ignorant of the tenets of their own faith, which preached tolerance and respect for all religions.

    The Muslims Professional Forum also denounced the protest, saying that this “mindless act of hatred and incitement against another religion’s place of worship has no place in Islam and deserves unreserved condemnation”.

    Dr Ooi Kee Beng of the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, noted that the protest was a “serious provocation”.

    “Since race has slowly become ineffective as a way of polarising society to strengthen certain parties’ hold on power, it has over the last few years become the fashion to use religion as the means by which the division of Malaysian society can continue,” he told TODAY. “What this cynical process means is that an attack on the idea of cultural pluralism and tolerance has been sustained for several years … At some point, Malaysian society, especially the majority of Malays who believe pluralism is the basis of social peace in Malaysia, has to push back.”

    On Sunday, about 50 people gathered outside the church to demand the removal of a cross affixed to the building. The protesters reportedly said the presence of a cross in the Muslim-majority area posed a challenge to the religion and could sway the faith of the youth.

    The cross was taken down by church leaders a few hours later.

    Yesterday’s Cabinet decision came after remarks by Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Monday that the protest was seditious and that the government would take action. Putrajaya updated and strengthened the Sedition Act this month to crack down on people inciting racial and religious disharmony.

    Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar received a barrage of criticism from both sides of the political divide for his initial reluctance to launch a sedition probe, indicating that there was no element of sedition as the demonstration was not against Christianity.

    From the opposition end, Democratic Action Party (DAP) secretary-general Lim Guan Eng yesterday said that failing to take any action against the protesters would “put an end to any talk of moderation at the international stage” by Mr Najib.

    Mr Henry Benedict Asirvatham, Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC) liaison committee deputy chairman for Penang, yesterday said the incident had “put a black stain in our country’s multiracial and multi-religious image”. The MIC is a component party of the ruling Barisan Nasional.

    “There is a worrying trend within the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) ruling party to politicise religious issues,” said Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman of the S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

    “UMNO is currently in a weak position and seeks to survive. There are elements within the party who will use racial and religious issues to position themselves. Some extremist political groups have been gaining traction in some segments of society because of how well the Chinese and Indians had effectively organised themselves during the last election. There is fear among the Malays that the Chinese will use the (opposition) Pakatan Rakyat to their benefit, even though there is no Chinese Prime Minister.”

     

    Source:www.todayonline.com

  • Lee Hsien Loong: Racial Harmony Here An Unusual And Unnatural State Of Affairs, Need To Be Worked On Continuously

    Lee Hsien Loong: Racial Harmony Here An Unusual And Unnatural State Of Affairs, Need To Be Worked On Continuously

    Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said Singaporeans of all races and religions are able to live peacefully side by side despite the fact that the country’s racial and religious harmony is an “unusual and unnatural state of affairs”.

    Mr Lee spoke at a Harmony Dinner at the Singapore Expo on Wednesday evening (Apr 15), an event organised by the Taoist Federation to celebrate its Silver Jubilee.

    “There are studies of different societies and there was one study called a report on ‘Global Religious Diversity’ looking at how mixed different societies were – and in fact they ranked Singapore as the most religious diverse society out of 232 countries in the world, and we were the most religiously diverse,” said Mr Lee.

    “The most different religions, the most intermingled, all the world’s major faiths are present in Singapore and many smaller faiths too. And yet we enjoy racial and religious harmony, and we live peacefully and happily side by side every day,” added the Prime Minister. It is something that should be continually worked on to be preserved, he said.

    Mr Lee said building a multi-racial and multi-religious society is a key ideal that Singapore was founded upon.

    Quoting the late Mr Lee Kuan Yew, the Prime Minister said Singapore does not belong to any single community, but to everyone. Mr Lee said the Taoist Federation worked hard to foster good relations between the different religious groups in Singapore.

    All 10 constituent religions of the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) were also present at the Harmony Dinner, and Mr Lee called on the religious leaders to lead by example.

    Said Mr Lee: “Your communities look to you as role models. How you counsel and lead your congregations, your flocks, will shape religious relations in Singapore. So I am very happy that so many of our religious leaders are committed to building trust and friendships with other communities.”

    “We also of course need to keep our society open and inclusive. We can be any race, any religion, but we are also – at the same time – all Singaporeans together. And we have learnt to trust and respect our different races and religions, and to live peacefully with one another,” he said.

    The IRO said racial and religious harmony is also enhanced by having more dialogues between people of various faiths.

    “It is educating everyone as to what another religion has and if you have better understanding of another religion besides your own, that’s when you have a better understanding and that’s where you will have peace and harmony,” said IRO President Gurmit Singh.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com