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SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has said Singapore cannot take religious and racial harmony for granted.
Delivering his annual National Day Rally speech in Mandarin at the University Cultural Centre on Sunday evening, he said religious and racial harmony will continue to play an important role in Singapore's society.
Mr Lee noted that over the past 40 years, Singapore has enjoyed peace and harmony amongst the different religious groups.
He said: "I understand other religions have different doctrines and may not all interact in the same way. But more importantly, it is the spirit and sincerity of interaction among religions."
He cited an incident about how a Chinese family wanted to conduct a funeral at a void deck that had already been booked for a Malay wedding, adding that such an incident might have resulted in racial clashes in other countries.
But in Singapore, it was resolved because Singaporeans showed understanding for the greater good. Mr Lee said the government must take a sensitive, neutral but firm position regarding the issue of racial and religious harmony.
On the recession, Mr Lee also said although the country may still be facing economic uncertainty, Singaporeans need to take the initiative and upgrade themselves.
He said: "Singaporean workers have used SPUR (Skills Programme for Upgrading and Resilience) to train and upgrade themselves through the many courses offered. And jobless workers have used e2i and Community Development Councils to undergo employment training and to find new jobs."
Moving on to health matters, Mr Lee said a greying population means more Singaporeans will be worrying about their own health or healthcare costs. But he said the government has taken steps to moderate healthcare costs and promised more efforts will be spent on learning how to cope with an aging population.
Mr Lee added that the government will study how best to use the Maintenance of Parents Act to deal with cases where children abandon their parents at nursing homes.
Earlier in his speech in Malay, he noted how the Malay-Muslim community has progressed over the years. His entire speech was broadcast live to the nation.
- CNA/ir
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