RI T2W1 Addressing Sociocultural Challenges 2021

Part 3: Responses to Diversity

Multiculturalism•Can refer to either•The existence of multiple cultures within a particular society (because of ethnicity or nationality)•Policies that seek to promote and maintain cultural diversity vs. policies that promote assimilation, segregation, exclusion or annihiliation

Multiculturalism•Another perspective:•Understanding and valuingone’s own cultural heritage and having respectfor and interestin the cultural heritage of members of groups other than one’s own (Blum, 1994) •In other words: recognisingand celebratingdifference; embracing diversity and being inclusive

Managing Cultural Diversity•Two main approaches:•Assimilation(“melting pot”): minority cultures expected to adopt beliefs and practices of majority culture; end goal is conformity and preservation of cultural homogeneity•Integration(a.k.a. multiculturalismor pluralism; “mosaic/salad bowl”): different cultures are preserved and allowed to coexist with each other •Government can play an activeor passiverole in either approach (through use of laws and policies or absence)

SlidoQuestion•Why do you think Singapore practices integration instead of assimilation?

Addressing Sociocultural ChallengesSingapore’s three strategies:1.Ensuring representation, protecting rights, and preserving culture2.Legislation for security and public order with regard torace/religion3.Creating common spaces and shared experiences

•Ensuring representation, protecting rights, and preserving culture:•Group Representative Constituencies: ensures minority representation in Parliament with candidate quotas •Amended Presidential Elections Act (2017): ensures representation of minority groups in office of the President•Presidential Council of Minority Rights: ensures that laws passed by Parliament do not discriminate against minorities Addressing Sociocultural Challenges

•Ensuring representation, protecting rights, and preserving culture (cont’d):•Bilingual Policy: ensures that mother tongues are preserved through compulsory 2ndlanguage education•Ethnic self-help groups: Mendaki(1982), SINDA (1991) and CDAC (1992) address community-specific challenges with direct support from respective communties Addressing Sociocultural Challenges

•Legislation for security and public order with regard torace/religion•Penal Code (cap. 224): sections 298 & 298A prevents deliberate “wounding of the religious or racial feelings of any person” or acts “likely to disturb the public tranquility”•Sedition Act (cap. 290): prevents promotion of “feelings of ill-will and hostility between different races or classes”•Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (cap. 167A): prevents misuse of religious authority to cause “feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between different religious groups” Addressing Sociocultural Challenges

Penal Code (cap. 224)