Racism in Asia - Singapore

Singapore

The last time Singapore had a racial riot was in 1964, but since then things have been tranquil. Four decades after independence from Britain, a whole new generation of Singaporeans has passed out from schools and universities, more argumentative and articulate.

Yet whilst some things change, others seem to remain the same. For as long as anyone can remember, many women in Singapore with dark skin have been regarded by men as undesirable dating or marriage partners, hence one can easily find skin whitening products in stores and advertisements in Singaporean newspapers for skin-whitening products.

People who date (or marry) outside their own ethnic group are often socially shunned, so many Singaporeans prefer to stick to their own kind and are not inclined to reach out to have friends or dating partners of another ethnic group even if they have classmates or colleagues of other ethncity, given the social stigma on dating or marrying outside one's ethnic group.

The reasons for this racism in Singapore are multifold and include:

• The failure to fully face up to Singapore's relatively recent colonial past and reconcile that with government policies (e.g. promotion of Mandarin which is one of four official languages, etc.) and cultural and language practices.

• Deeply rooted myths of cultural, ethnic, 'racial' purity, sense of ethnic superiority, etc.

• A collective cultural tendency; that is a tendency to focus on group dynamics more at a societal and individual level, this in turn leads to an increased emphasis on being part of the 'in' group and not part of the 'other'. Many have on the identity document an ethnic classification of Other, although there have been recent reforms in 2011 that allows for double-barrel ethnic identification like "Indian Chinese" or "Chinese Indian" for individuals of mixed heritage.

• A lack of political will to enact anti-discrimination laws that might support or defend non-Chinese minorities who may encounter discrimation (e.g. in employment) from the majority (Han) Chinese.

• A general lack or disdain for appreciating other cultures at more than a geopolitical level, built partly on overblown 'ethnic' pride.

• In Singapore there is a certain amount of "victim mentality" with the "white" man being the main culprit. One can see evidence of a similar mentality in the approach of Robert Mugabe (President of Zimbabwe) in blaming all failings on former colonial powers, all racism is done by white, all Western influence is evil etc. etc. - this leads to cultural chauvinism in the short-term, and deeply entrenched racism in the long-term. The 'white man' is affectionately or unaffectionately called "ang mo" (short for "ang mo kui" or "red-haired devil", or "ang mo kao" or "red-haired dog") in the Minnan dialect. Typically, the single white man, whether expatriate or visitor, is seen as the insatiable poacher of Singaporean women of Asian origin. On a political level, this translates to blaming the 'West' or Westerners in general for many ills in particular the lack of filial piety amongst Singaporeans who have allegedly been influenced by the West.

In contrast, some clubs (typically those founded by expatriates) and Western restaurants are sometimes accused of discriminating against local Singaporeans in favour of Western club members and patrons.

Racism has also widened to include recent Chinese migrants from China. Singaporeans have made insulting remarks about "ugly, rude" Chinese mainlanders who have benefited from Singapore's open-door policy to migrants from China.

In simple terms, Singaporeans have little desire to confront racism. Singapore is dominated by a single ethno-linguistic group to a much greater extent than most western or even middle eastern countries. Whilst not mono-cultural, Singapore is not multi-cultural as other countries like Canada, U.S.A. or France understand it. This in turn means there a perception of being absolutely no economic, social or cultural benefit to combating discrimination, because put bluntly, the group(s) e.g. minority Malays, Indians, Eurasians, Filipinos, Indonesians, Europeans, Jews, etc. that would complain are so much smaller as a proportion of the population, or are only non-citizens, so there is much less willingness on the part of political leaders to tap into their aspirations to earn votes, hence the voices of discrimitated minorities are simply less important in Singapore. A simple gloss that is often used as an easy way out is the phrase "Singapore is a multi-racial society" that appears over and over again in the media and government publications. The phrase is typically used without going beyond or analysing the circumstances of discriminated minorities including their housing, job and income situations. The preference is to deal with expressions of extreme racism, e.g. on web sites, by way of the Sedition Act. This, however, curtails freedom of speech in Singapore.

It is still Chinese-Malay animosity that appears to pose the biggest threat in spite of general inter-racial tolerance. The potential dangers become stark under the threat of possible Jemaah Islamiah bombings in Singapore, which could result, it is feared, in some kind of a backlash against innocent Malay Muslims. The government has put in place plans involving religious and community leaders of all races that will mitigate race violence if the bombs do go off. A Racial Harmony Day is held every year. Schools and Housing Development Board housing estates enforce ethnic quotas based on the race populations to prevent racial enclaves. The system ensures the majority Chinese live with a certain ratio of Malays and Indians and vice-versa. As a result, children grow up with at least some racial mixing both at school and their residential blocks. For many years, community leaders have been organising cross-visits to celebrate each other's cultural and religious festivals. However, the result has not eradicated race remarks frequently made by young people who believe that the Internet and free expressions give them the licence to say what they want. A number of young bloggers and commentators have been charged under the Sedition Act for making disparaging remarks about race and religion. Typically they contain anti-Malay and anti-Muslim comments. Insulting words would be used to describe Malays, satirised their attitudes, social customs and religious prohibitions. Some more extreme views include suggestions to blow up Muslim holy sites and eliminate Malays. Hate messages have become a norm amongst young Singaporean net users, a significant number of whom make up the bigots of bloggersphere.