IRCCs work well only because volunteers serve with passion and pride

Members of the National Steering Committee and Working Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony 

Chairpersons and members of IRCCs 

Distinguished Guests 

Ladies and Gentlemen 

1. Good afternoon. I'm very happy to be able to join you today. I had the opportunity to participate in some of the discussions on the Forum Theatre and breakout groups – and it provided me with rich insights on the work of IRCCs. I hope this has been a very fruitful workshop for all of you and that you can continue to participate in these discussions, and bring them into your own communities.

2. Our efforts to foster racial and religious harmony are a work in progress, particularly in a diverse society like Singapore. Many of you who have lived through the racial strife in the 1960s will attest that we have come a long way over a very short period of time. Recently, the IPS/OnePeople.sg conducted a survey which showed that religious and racial harmony in Singapore is in a healthy state. We have been able to maintain peace and harmony over these many years. This is quite an achievement; we should not think that these come naturally. We should recognise this; we should see that our glass is more than half full. At the same time, we must not be complacent. Many of you talked about the old days when it was relatively easier to get along, and bringing back the kampong spirit today. The challenge is how we can have the kampong spirit in our modern environment today. We have to confront this, recognising that the social environment has evolved. The world has changed – we see various global trends and events, increasing diversity in religious beliefs and social values, and the power and reach of social media. These trends are best addressed by the continued strengthening of mutual understanding between the various racial and religious groups. We have to work hard at this. The understanding must lead to not just tolerance, but acceptance and respect for one another. 
   

Crisis-Preparedness

3. Building mutual respect and understanding is a key strength of the IRCCs, especially in managing communal tensions. It was quite well reflected in how we approached the various crises scenarios depicted in the Forum Theatre. I am sure you can relate to the scenarios, and I hope we have all gained fresh perspectives through the performance and the sharing.

4. The Forum Theatre also highlighted the important roles IRCCs play in maintaining social resilience during peace time, and rebuilding social cohesion after a crisis. In this regard, I would like to acknowledge and commend everyone here for taking on this important responsibility.

5. From this workshop, we also learn that while the Government can help to spur community initiatives, it cannot impose 'one-size-fits-all' solutions. We need IRCC members who know the ground well to help devise new solutions and ways to manage the various scenarios which can give rise to racial and religious friction on the ground.

6. We also saw how the power and reach of social media can be a double-edged sword. We need to think about better ways to handle rumour-mongering and inflammatory speech that may occur online.
   

Community Ground-Up Initiatives

7. In this year's National Day Message, PM Lee said that we need to strengthen our sense of community by giving greater mutual support to one another, helping the less fortunate in big ways and small, volunteering for causes that we care about and organising ourselves to serve the common good.

8. In many aspects, the IRCCs are already doing this. Just a few months ago, the community organised itself to respond to the haze. For example, several Chinese temples anticipated that the haze conditions may spark sensitivities during the Hungry Ghost Festival. IRCC chairmen consulted with religious leaders on the ground and found that many temple leaders have taken the initiative to advise their devotees to be mindful when burning incense and offering joss sticks to their ancestors during the haze. The Taoist and Buddhist Federations and Wat Ananda Thai Buddhist Temple also prepared a joint advisory with NEA for the temples. This was possible because of the strong relationships of trust that the IRCCs have built up over time.

9. I am also happy that the IRCCs are working together to give back to the community, regardless of race and religion. Over 6,000 participants have supported good causes this year - Radin Mas IRCC helped with Ramadan home makeovers and Chong Pang IRCC donated food to senior citizens. I am encouraged by the strong take-up of “IRCC Cares”, and urge more IRCCs and religious organisations to embark on similar projects.
   

Moving Forward 2013

10. This workshop may be the first one organised under MCCY, but the IRCCs have been ten years in the making. We have achieved much this year. We have launched our IRCC song written by Jack and Rai, and the quarterly newsletter at the IRCC Family Day this January.

11. As many of you have said, the real strength of a nation depends not so much on its natural resources or on its military capabilities but rather on our youth. They are our future. It is thus important that they value racial and religious harmony and are willing to invest time in building relationships which bridge our diverse communities.

12. Earlier this year I launched the Harmony Fund. It was an encouragement to me that more than half of the 17 projects supported by the Harmony Fund are organised by youths. One of these events, “Xperience 3sixty”, was organised by youths from the Maya Dance Theatre. They collaborated with special needs artists and young dancers from the Little Arts Academy to promote an appreciation of different cultures by putting up an art bazaar and dance performances that showcased and blended different cultural forms. It is very encouraging to see these youth building friendships across racial and religious lines.

13. Today, I would like to pose “The Youth Challenge” to our IRCCs, to get more young people involved in more projects like Xperience 3sixty. We should focus on widening and deepening our outreach to youth, and think of ways how we can encourage them to be more engaged. Eventually, I would like to see some youth in every IRCC, and I also hope that you will give these younger members the opportunity to spearhead initiatives. 
    

Self-Appraisal and Recognition System

14. Our IRCCs work well only because our dedicated volunteers serve with passion and pride. So it is important that we encourage and recognise our volunteers who have given their time and energy. We have started a review to see how we can benchmark ourselves, raise our standards and have better recognition for the IRCCs. This is a collaborative effort, and MCCY officers have been engaging the IRCC chairmen and members to co-design an improved IRCC system.

15. The new “Self-Appraisal and Recognition System” was shared with IRCC chairmen in May this year. The chairmen were supportive, as the self-assessment tool will help the IRCCs identify their strengths as well as their areas for improvement and work on solutions to plug these gaps. I hope that the system will prove helpful to the IRCCs as you plan your work. MCCY will work closely with you as you adopt this new tool.

16. In the coming year, we would also like to do more to share best practices. Successful programmes and events can be shared with other IRCCs at IRCC networking sessions and events. These initiatives can also be nominated for awards, which we hope will inspire other IRCCs.

17. We also want to encourage IRCCs to collaborate with other IRCCs in their GRC. Through the pooling and sharing of resources we would like IRCCs with few religious organisations work with the religious organisations in their wider GRCs.
    

Conclusion 

18. Finally, it is also important that we recognise individual IRCC leaders and members for the tremendous contribution you make to racial and religious harmony in Singapore. Today, we are honouring 38 IRCC leaders with the new IRCC Service Awards which recognise those who have served five years or more. Please join me in congratulating all our award recipients! Next year, we will expand the suite of awards to recognise good practices by our IRCCs as well as collaborative projects at the GRC level.

19. In conclusion, let me reiterate the important role that each and every one here plays in maintaining a cohesive and harmonious home for our loved ones. I would like to thank everyone here for your tireless contributions to social harmony in Singapore.