Serving the Hindu community and strengthening social cohesion

Mr Rangareddy Jayachandran,
Chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board,

Mr Rajan Krishnan,
Chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Vanakkam! I'm happy to be here for the appointment ceremony for the Temple Management Committees (MCs) of the four temples under the management of HEB.

2. For devotees, the temples are where their major life milestones, such as weddings and the naming of their newborn children, are celebrated. For the Hindu community, the temples are also the focal points for communal festivals and activities. Hence, the Temple Management Committees shoulder a heavy responsibility in managing religious practices, festivals and rituals. They also look into volunteer and devotee management, as well as administrative issues such as the upkeep of temple premises. They do all these to maintain the temples as a safe and peaceful space for devotees to worship, celebrate, and connect with one another. It is by no means an easy task. So I would like to invite all of us to give a round of applause to the previous committees for their contribution, as well as the new committee members on their appointment!
   

Role of temples in strengthening our social harmony

3. In Singapore, we take pride in our racial and religious harmony - a fundamental value of our society. It is a value we cannot take for granted, and which we must continually protect and strengthen. To achieve this, we need to have a deep respect and appreciation of each other's beliefs. Our religious and community leaders, together with our temples, mosques, churches, and other places of worship, thus play an important role in strengthening our religious diversity and social harmony.

4. To our temple leaders, I am heartened to learn that you keep the doors open, welcoming people of other faiths to visit and learn about the Hindu religion and the rich Indian culture. You participate in interfaith activities as members of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles to forge stronger relationships with other religious leaders. You hold major festivals, such as Thaipusam, publicly, so that the wider Singapore society can join in the celebrations. Your temples run Project Bhakti classes to inculcate Hindu values in children, and inspire them to live up to those values. I am sure these children will grow up and do their part in giving back to society.

5. Within the Hindu community, there is a high level of harmony and unity. For example, your temples work together and share resources, from staff and volunteers to prayer items, to help one another during major religious events.
   

Play your part in building a strong and resilient Singapore

6. Your efforts to strengthen our social harmony are ever more important as we face an increasingly turbulent world. There have been terror attacks in Belgium and France, and also in places closer to Singapore, such as Jakarta and Bangkok. The threat of terrorism on our shores is very real. We must treasure this precious harmony we have today – both among religions and within religions – and guard against acts of intolerance that can open fault-lines in society and divide us.

7. This is why the government has initiated SG Secure - a national movement which will take shape over the next few months. It is a call-to-action for all of us to stay united, stay alert and stay strong as a community. I would like to invite all of you to participate actively in this movement. You can do your part by reaching out to other communities to encourage greater understanding and trust of one another. Remind those in your community to stay vigilant and stand together in times of crisis. Stand ready to condemn acts of violence perpetrated in the name of any religion, and to reject ideologies that incite hatred. If we can do this, we will build a strong and resilient Singapore community.
   

Conclusion

8. Once again, I would like to thank the new Temple Committee members for taking up this responsibility. Many of you are professionals with successful careers, yet you willingly volunteer your time, skills and expertise to serve the temples. In fact, all of you have been involved in religious and community work for more than 10 years! I have every confidence you will lead your temples' engagement with your devotees to a higher level.

9. On behalf of MCCY, I look forward to working with you to build a more resilient and cohesive Singapore. Thank you.