Saluting our pioneers for their dedication and good work

Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Communications and Information,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. A very good evening to all of you. It is indeed an honour and a privilege to be here this evening. Today, we have come together to show our appreciation to our pioneers, and recognise their contributions in the safeguarding of racial and religious harmony in Singapore.
   

The IRCC journey

2. Our journey towards the peace and harmony that we enjoy today has not been straightforward. Singapore has experienced several crises which have tested our people and also our social fabric. The more notable crises were the Maria Hertogh riots, and the 1964 communal riots. These crises are dark chapters in our history, and for the pioneers, a painful part of the memory. But these crises also underscored in the minds of all the importance of racial and religious harmony.

3. Those riots provided strong impetus for action. Following the riots, Goodwill Committees comprising community leaders from different racial groups were set up. Their purpose was to help restore confidence across the ethnic communities. These Goodwill Committees served as an early model for the IRCCs which we have today.

4. Incidents such as the September 11 attacks, the London and Bali bombings, and the arrest of Jemaah Islamiyah operatives in Singapore continue to remind us that racial and religious harmony cannot be taken for granted. Hence, the Community Engagement Programme, or CEP, was launched in 2006 by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

5. As part of CEP, the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony was formed, to bring together the leaders of the apex religious groups in Singapore, as well as key community leaders. This structure is replicated at every IRCC, at the local level in every constituency. The exhibits at the reception area tell the story of the IRCC. My association with the IRCC started in 2002. I was the first Chairman of Bishan East IRCC from 2002 to 2006. I must say IRCC holds some significant memories for me. I remember very fondly that in the first two years of setting up the Bishan East IRCC, we visited many religious institutions to learn from each other and we organised many activities, bringing residents of different ethnic groups, religious backgrounds together to interact and make friends with each other. So after all these years of activities, I realise that we have gained a lot. We become knowledgeable of the customs, practices and teachings of various religions. We have made good friends across racial and religious lines.

6. It is easy for people to take our present state of social harmony as a given. Very often we may not know how easy it is for discord to flare up and threaten the peaceful ties between different communities of Singaporeans. It is also easy to be unaware of the tremendous work that had gone into creating and upholding racial and social harmony. So it is therefore important that our pioneers tell their stories to inspire the generations who come after them, so that the younger generation can step up, just as the pioneers did, and do their part to preserve and promote social harmony in Singapore.

7. In this regard, I am happy to note that the IRCCs have a Youth Steering Committee that will focus on bringing more young people onboard to contribute to promoting inter-racial and religious harmony. This is an important initiative that I hope our community and religious organisations can support. To our youth leaders, your best tribute to our pioneers is to cherish and improve on what they have painstakingly achieved. And even as we look at nurturing our young people, I hope that our pioneers, who are all young at heart, will continue to contribute and support our youths. We want to encourage our pioneers to do their part as Silver volunteers, to continue to contribute their experience, wisdom and passion in pursuit of a better Singapore.

8. I also commend the efforts of the other IRCC Steering Committees that were established this year. These include the Crisis Preparedness Steering Committee who are planning for their first major exercise in the first quarter of 2015, and the Events Steering Committee who are planning for IRCC Cares and Family Day for our stakeholders by mid 2015. The Publicity Steering Committee has also been hard at work – with the Newsletter Team already in their third year of publicising IRCC through print.

Conclusion

9. To our religious and community leaders, past and present, we thank you for your contributions. You may be pioneers, but many of you are still active in contributing to the community. For that, I salute you for your dedication and good work.

10. To all of us, let us remember that the highest appreciation to our pioneers is not our words, but our actions in building a harmonious and cohesive Singapore. I wish you all a pleasant evening.