OnePeople.sg wants young to be champions of racial harmony
By S Ramesh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 02 July 2007 1509 hrs

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SINGAPORE : A new body OnePeople.sg launched recently to coordinate racial harmony efforts wants to target Singapore's youths in an extensive way.

Its vision is to mould the young to become champions of racial harmony.

Central Singapore CDC Mayor Zainudin Nordin is the chairman of OnePeople.sg.

July is Racial Harmony Month in Singapore and schools observe Racial Harmony Day on the 21st of July.

Singapore experienced racial riots this day in 1964 and today schools commemorate the day to remind the young of the importance of racial harmony as a key pillar for Singapore's success and survival.

OnePeople.sg, which has now been tasked to coordinate racial harmony programmes previously handled by the CDCs and self-help groups, has lined up activities aimed at increasing the interaction of youths at a deeper level.

Mayor Zainudin Nordin, Chairman, OnePeople.sg, said: "In Singapore we cannot say that everybody understands racial harmony issues at the same level. The older generation would have experienced the racial riots, they have seen the disharmony, the kind of trouble it has brought to Singapore. But can we say the same about our younger generation? No.

"The younger generation may not be able to appreciate it the way the older generation did. There we see... a gap. How then do we explain to the younger generation what racial harmony means to them? It's about them realising that they can make a difference. If they can see that, then to me we are able to close one of the gaps."

Students from colleges and tertiary institutions will attend a camp this month where they will be engaged in discussions about race and shed their misunderstandings.

Mr Zainudin said: "More can be done by the younger generation and more should be done by them because they are the ones who are going to bring Singapore to the next level.

"If they cannot understand the importance of racial harmony, then there is a chance that things can go wrong. They can take things for granted and our social fabric can be unravelled and that's where we would see more problems and challenges moving forward.

"One of the key difference which we believe OnePeople can make is to improve the capacity and capabilities. It's not just about us donning each others clothes and appreciating each other's food. It's about what happens inside our mind."

A critical tool which can help shape the views of the younger generation, either rightly or wrongly, about racial harmony is the new media, namely the Internet.

And the challenge for agencies and individuals championing racial harmony in Singapore is to constantly remind the younger generation to be discerning about the information that they digest and reject whatever that's detrimental to the future of the country.

Mr Zainudin added that while Onepeople.sg will play the role of an umbrella body on racial harmony efforts, the work done by many other agencies will continue.

This is because communicating the racial harmony message to more people through various efforts will help achieve greater community bonding. - CNA/ch