Singaporeans must prepare to stand together if attack occurs: PM Lee
Singapore as seen from Batam. Photo:
Raj Nadarajan
SINGAPORE — It might be easier for Singaporeans to stand together if the country were attacked by foreign terrorists, but its multiracial society would come under tremendous strain if the attackers were Singaporeans, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Sunday (Aug 21).
Delivering his National Day Rally speech at the Institute of Technical Education College Central campus, Mr Lee talked about this scenario where a terrorist was a Singaporean or “one of our own”, like what happened in Nice, referring to last month’s attack in France, where a French truck driver ploughed his vehicle through revellers celebrating Bastille Day and killed more than 80 people.
Mr Lee noted that people could react in two possible ways: To show a collective will to stand together, or to distrust and suspect one another.
After an attack, people and even strangers may help one another, he said, adding that this was what happened in Paris after the November attacks, which left 130 dead.
Parisians stepped up to offer shelter and free taxi rides to those who were stranded, while others donated blood at hospitals. “Muslims and non-Muslims came together, defied the terrorists and resolved to carry on with life normally ... (and) will not be cowed,” Mr Lee said.
On the other hand, attacks by “one of our own” may also spark a reaction where different communities fear and blame each other while racial attacks increase. This was also seen in the aftermath of the Paris attacks, when some mosques and Muslim shops were vandalised. Muslims were physically assaulted, especially the women and girls who wore religious attire, he recounted.
“The question is: Which will happen in Singapore?” he asked.
Much of it comes down to the country’s collective resolve to stand with one another, and this in turn hinges on how well Singaporeans prepare themselves now, before an attack.
“(We need) to prepare ourselves to build trust, to strengthen bonds, to maintain and expand our common space, so that instinctively, we feel (as) one people,” said Mr Lee.
Singapore’s religious and community leaders have taken “courageous stands”. They condemn terrorist attacks, refute extremist views, make clear that terrorists do not represent Islam or Singapore Muslims and they lead by example, guiding their communities to stand together, he added.
They also understand that Singapore is a multiracial society, where there needs to be “give and take”.
“Each community has to engage and understand each other, it must not segregate itself from other communities. We have to respect one another’s religions, we cannot treat other groups as infidels,” he said.
In his Malay speech, Mr Lee noted that the Malay-Muslim leaders have countered extremist views strongly and openly, and reject such views. He welcomed the mufti of Singapore, Dr Mohamed Fatris Bakaram’s recent call to Singaporeans to speak up and stand together to present a united front to reject violence in all its forms, which sets the tone for the rest of the community. Fault lines would deepen if religious groups become exclusive and discourage interaction and contact with others.
“Imagine if in Singapore, only the Chinese wished each other (Happy New Year), only Muslims could say ‘Selamat Hari Raya’ to each another, only Hindus exchanged Deepavali greetings, and only Christians said ‘Merry Christmas’?” Mr Lee asked. “It would be a very different, and a very troubled Singapore.”
Against the backdrop of a challenging security landscape, Mr Lee noted that Singapore’s diplomats, security forces, the Home Team and Singapore Armed Forces are “doing good work”, but they alone are not enough.
To get everyone to do their part, the national SG Secure movement will be launched next month for all Singaporeans to be sensitised, trained and mobilised to protect the society from a terrorist attack. “Ultimately, what matters most is we must have that resolve, that resolve to hold together, to fight, to defend our place in the world,” he said.
