Fostering social cohesion through multiculturalism

Across Singapore, communities celebrate one another’s cultures, from the multicultural floats at the Chingay parade, to the annual iftar at Khadijah Mosque where I sat alongside religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation (or “IRO”) to break fast.

This is a rare sight in today’s world, where trust is in short supply, and where multiculturalism is in retreat.

1. We have seen this in the years before Independence, during the hardships of the Second World War and when communal tensions were high.

2. Yet, even when the odds were stacked against us, our pioneer religious leaders chose unity and harmony. Their commitment led to the formation of the IRO in 1949, to build trust and mutual respect between faiths.

This exemplifies Singapore’s approach to social cohesion – one where people from different backgrounds make an active effort to appreciate each other’s cultures and traditions.

The mission to build a strong, cohesive and caring society is an ongoing one. Let me speak on three areas that MCCY will be focusing on:

1. First, to build strong communities, with a shared cultural identity.

2. Second, to deepen the understanding between communities, and to expand our common spaces.

3. And third, to architect an ecosystem of care and mutual help so as to uplift all communities.

Let me start with strong communities.

1. Singapore is a nation of migrants. Early generations brought languages, traditions, and beliefs from their home countries. They provided mutual assistance as they settled in Singapore, forming associations and clans.

2. Over time, new generations came of age and more took root here. While we have kept our racial and religious identities, our practices have evolved to become uniquely Singaporean.

It is important that we steward our cultural heritage, so that future generations can understand who we are, and where we come from.

1. I hope this is useful especially to our youth, including those from the East Coast Internship Programme who are joining us here today in the gallery.

2. Professor Faishal spoke about the Malay Heritage Centre earlier, and SMS Low about enlivening our historic districts.

As PM had mentioned during his Budget speech, this year, MCCY and the Indian Heritage Centre (or IHC), will launch renewed efforts to activate Little India as a vibrant cultural district to celebrate the Singapore Indian arts and culture.

1. We will engage community and precinct stakeholders to co-create a long-term vision for IHC, and to enhance cultural placemaking in Little India as a historic district.

2. This begins with a visioning exercise in 2026 to lay the foundation for a precinct-wide programming and activation effort. Our goal is to help Singaporeans and international visitors understand and appreciate Singaporean Indian cultures and customs.

Our efforts to build a strong Indian community will go beyond culture and heritage. Last year, Minister Shanmugam announced that SMS Murali Pillai and myself will lead a new committee to take the Indian community forward.

Since then, we have engaged widely. More than 150 Singapore Indian organisations have shared their aspirations and ideas, particularly on how we could uplift members of our community together, and to integrate more strongly as one united Indian community.

Taking in the feedback we have received, we will call this the Indian Engagement and Development Initiative or INEI – which also means “to be linked or connected” in Tamil.

1. This will be a committee by the community, and for the community. Its aim is to build strong networks across the Indian community, bringing together partners who are already doing good work on the ground, including SINDA and Narpani.

2. INEI will start with three priorities. First, to improve socio-economic outcomes for the Indian community, particularly the vulnerable and the disadvantaged.

3. Second, to champion integration and unity among the Indian community in Singapore.

4. And third, through the initiatives under INEI, we hope to create new avenues for our youth to contribute, and to nurture the next generation of Indian community leaders.

I am glad to announce that together with the INEI Committee, we will establish an annual INEI forum to collectively discuss our aspirations and concerns.

1. We will have the first dialogue in April 2026, with the theme of building a Strong and United Indian community.

2. We will also configure sub-committees and I invite members of the community to step forward, share your perspectives and play an active role in shaping this important initiative. More details will be announced at the dialogue in April.

Mr Chairman, please allow me to say a few words in Tamil.

Let me now move to the second area of deepening understanding between communities and expanding our common spaces.

I spoke earlier about global uncertainties and Singapore is not immune to these developments.

1. Last September, the Al-Istiqamah Mosque received a parcel containing pork and an offensive note. And in December, a false bomb threat was made against the St Joseph’s Church.

2. Community leaders responded quickly. The Serangoon and Cashew Harmony Circles rallied neighbouring religious organisations to offer support and reassurance to the affected communities. Our apex religious organisations put out public statements of solidarity. Their message to the public was clear: an attack on one community is an attack on all communities.

3. Our responses matter. Each incident is an opportunity to build up our reservoirs of trust, so that we can stand united in troubled times.

That is why we continue to invest in our Racial and Religious Harmony Circles.

1. Last year, more than 40 religious organisations partnered MCCY to co-organise interfaith events and contributed to the Crisis Preparedness for Religious Organisations programme.

2. During the Racial and Religious Harmony month alone, more than 100,000 participants took part in over 70 events nationwide. This included the first youth-led intercultural showcase, called Kaleidoscope: Harmony in Motion.

This year, we will step up our efforts to engage religious organisations, to build an even stronger interfaith network in our neighbourhood.

Mr Chairman, our ability to foster unity and inclusivity, amidst diversity, is Singapore’s enduring competitive advantage to attract international businesses and talents here.

1. But as I said earlier, our model of multiculturalism is unique, and some newcomers may take more time to adapt to it.

2. After all, integration is a two-way street, which will require locals to be receptive, and newcomers to make the effort to understand our culture, values and norms.

3. The workplace is a natural space for this interaction to take place, meaningfully.

As mentioned by Acting Minister David Neo, the Alliance for Action or AfA, on the Integration of Foreign Professionals had conducted extensive engagements, to develop practical solutions that industry partners can adopt to integrate foreign professionals at the workplace.

The AfA has put forward new upstream initiatives under two focus areas, which the Government strongly supports.

1. First, to help new EP holders understand the living and working norms in Singapore.

2. And second, to support firms to adopt inclusive workplace practices.

In the coming months, the Government will roll out new orientation and onboarding programmes for our EP holders, with a focus on workplace and living norms. These will complement existing programmes for New Citizens and for our Permanent Residents.

SNEF and SBF will also launch new resources for firms, including a Workplace Integration Playbook, and a new cultural intelligence and sensitivity training course.

I am pleased to share that 5 Trade Associations and Chambers have come onboard to roll out Orientation Day programmes for new EP holders, which will introduce them to our workplace norms, and provide them with opportunities to network with their Singaporean counterparts. This will be scaled up to more TACs over time.

Sir, I have spoken about building strong communities, and deepening the bonds between them.

1. The third area I will speak is on the architecting of an ecosystem of care that every community can tap on.

Our co-operatives, or “co-ops”, are one of the oldest forms of community mutual help. They are defined not by identity, but by a common purpose.

1. Since 1925, our co-ops have played a vital role to meet the evolving needs of our people.

2. Some may be familiar with credit co-ops, which provide thrift and loan services. There are also Consumer and Services co-ops, like the Silver Caregivers Co-operative which provides supportive community for caregivers and equips them with skills such as managing palliative care.

However, as Mr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari had earlier noted, our co-ops are facing growing challenges to renew their talent pipeline and to attract young members in a more competitive landscape.

This is why MCCY announced the Co-op 10-year Transformation Roadmap in 2025. This Roadmap will nurture a forward-looking sector that is purposeful, professional, and trusted.

I am happy to share that MCCY will commit up to $30 million dollars to support the co-op movement over the next ten years. We will help co-ops stay relevant as they develop new capabilities to address emerging needs and transform for the future. Co-ops will receive support to invest in talent development, governance, and operational efficiency.

As part of the Roadmap, MCCY and the Singapore National Co-operative Federation will jointly introduce the Co-operative Leaders Programme and Emerging Leaders Programme from this year, to develop the next generation of leaders.

1. The Roadmap also includes the Community Outreach & Impact Programme, which will provide seed funding, incubation spaces and mentorship for our youths to pilot innovative ideas.

As to Mr Tiwari’s questions on allowing enterprises to form co-ops, and reviewing the Central Co-op Fund contribution rates[1], MCCY will assess these further, in line with our objectives to sustain the relevance and competitiveness of the co-op sector. 

In conclusion, Chairman, the formation of the IRO in 1949, was an experiment in trust, at a time when the idea of a formalised inter-faith dialogue was unheard of.  Our forefathers were bold and visionary in setting the building blocks of a multicultural society that we enjoy today.

That same spirit must guide us, as we strengthen these three areas of focus for MCCY that I had outlined:

1. To build strong communities;

2. To deepen understanding between communities;

3. And to architect an ecosystem of care that uplifts all.

However, this House cannot legislate social cohesion, nor can we mandate trust. But history, and the example of the IRO, shows us that if any society can achieve this and make it work, it has to be Singapore!

Thank you, Mr Chairman.