Build on positive experiences to forge multi-ethnic social compact: President

Proactive efforts needed to build shared identity between different races, religions

- Shermaine Ang

History and recent events have made clear that laissez-faire models of multiculturalism - which recognise diversity but are not bolstered by proactive efforts to build a shared identity between people of different races and religions - have failed, said President Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

But while multi-ethnic cohesion is never assured, neither is polarisation a given, he said in a speech at the International Conference on Communities of Success on Oct 14.

"We can build on the positive experiences we see, as we strive to build resilient multi-ethnic social compacts, and enable minority communities to succeed and thrive," he said.

Mr Tharman said there is a broader loss of trust between communities in many other parts of the world, which serves as a reminder that multi-ethnic cohesion, even once achieved, can never be taken as a given.

"They illustrate an uncomfortable reality: that history does not progress automatically towards greater understanding between people of different races or religions, a deeper sense of shared identity, or lesser segregation, even as societies advance in wealth," he said at the conference held at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.