"Every
generation of young people
has probably been accused at some time, by some social commentator, of being
indifferent to the world around it. Aristotle once lamented how the young
during his period were not interested in learning and thinking. Does that
sound familiar?
With every generation new challenges emerge. Ultimately,
every generation will have to sort out all the implications of new challenges
to ensure that Singapore continues to survive. 
Community bonding and social cohesion are not new ideas. We have been promoting
these ideas for the last 36 years. But all it takes is an incident, not
even taking place in Singapore, for us to sit up and take cognisance of
the fact that our communal relations are a work in progress, in perpetuity.
While our loyalties are to Singapore, events outside Singapore can stir
up feelings among some Singaporeans... All Singaporeans felt the pain of
the September 11 attack. But how these events will play out depends largely
on our communal relations and the views that we hold of each other.
The truth of the matter is, all of us, you and me, need to work at this
thing called social cohesion and community bonding. It is not the task of
one generation alone. But your generation has an entire future ahead of
you and hence it is in your interest to make it work during your lifetime.
Ultimately the ties that bind all of you as a people will make the difference.
It is about how you relate to each other, not as Chinese, Malays or Indians,
but as equals |
sharing
the same destiny and fate in a tiny island nation called Singapore.
I am not going to tell you how to do it. I am sure you can figure
it out yourself. You have a lifetime to do it, but you have
to start now.
Most parents may agree that telling young people how to do something
is a sure way of ensuring that it will not be done. The young,
after all, are supposed to be rebellious. So let me instead
challenge you with a simple task. All of you love to have friends.
It is part of growing up. Obviously for our nation building
efforts to work you must have friends from all communities.
If your social circle comprises friends from your own ethnic
background, then you will not develop the instincts and trust
among people of different ethnic backgrounds. So the answer
is quite simple |
- enlarge your social circle to include people from different
ethnic backgrounds. But the real trick is to find a way to tell
all of your friends that having friends of diverse backgrounds
is "cool". And it is "cool" to have our
meals together at the same table during our breaks. And during
the festive occasions it is "cool" to go over to your
friends' house and to invite them over to your house.
My challenge to you is to use your own language and your own
self-expression
in bridging ties
across the different communities... But as members of the younger
generation, you can make the message stick by communicating
in a language that other young people can understand.
" |
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CONTINUING
TO CONNECT |
Is
it or is it not the logo of the People's Association (PA)? It
looks familiar, yet somehow different. Well, to better represent
its vision of connecting Singaporeans from different ethnic
backgrounds to promote active citizenry and multiracial harmony,
the PA has transformed the four over-lapping circles of its
old logo into one continuous element. Different communities,
represented by the circles, continue to move and interact with
one another while keeping their distinct identities and cultural
values. Red symbolises the passion and spirit of the people
and the PA.
The new logo was unveiled by Mr Wong Kan Seng, Minister for
Home Affairs and Deputy Chairman of the People's Association,
on 24 June 2002. |
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