Singapore Government Press Release

Media Division, Ministry of Information & The Arts, #36-00, PSA Building, 460 Alexandra Road, Singapore 119963, Tel: 3757794/5

SPEECH BY PRIME MINISTER GOH CHOK TONG, AT THE LAUNCHING OF TABUNG AMAL AIDILFITRI '97 ON SATURDAY, 4 JANUARY 97 AT HARBOUR PAVILION, WORLD TRADE CENTRE AT 8.00 PM

Over this weekend, PAP MPs will be making the rounds in their constituencies to thank voters who supported them. Those who have fought and won will be particularly joyful. In case anyone thinks victory may go to their heads and make them cocky, I am writing to remind all PAP MPs to receive their victory with humility. They must be humble, never arrogant in victory. They have been elected to serve the people.

The people have renewed their faith in the PAP. They have approved of our performance in the last five years and endorsed our plan to make Singapore the Best Home. They have signalled strongly that they want a good government with credible leaders and practical programmes to improve their lives. Every PAP MP has offered his programme to improve his constituency. They will now proceed to implement their promises. PAP MPs will study the voting pattern, and, other things being equal, give priority to those precincts which have strongly supported them.

This election has again shown that the deep fault lines in our society over race, language, culture and religion will not go away. Tang Liang Hong, is a Chinese chauvinist. In 1991, he had proposed increasing the proportion of time spent on Chinese in primary schools to 45% from the existing about 30%. He was unknown to the electorate before this election. Yet in 9 days of campaigning he could tap into the HDB Chinese heartland and collect 45% of the vote in Cheng San GRC.

After I pointed this out on election night, some of the Chinese educated felt that I had criticised them unfairly. They pointed out that Tang had not been all that popular in Chinese culture and language circles, or he would not have aroused antagonism and opposition in NAFA and the Hwa Chong management board. They believe other factors may have contributed to the outcome in Cheng San, such as sympathy for J B Jeyaretnam, which he appealed for when he said this election was his last chance.

I think they may have misunderstood my meaning. The majority of the Chinese-educated in Cheng San must have voted for the PAP. Otherwise we would not have won with 55% of the votes. But after we attacked Tang, our straw polls showed that some Chinese-educated voters shifted their support to Tang. Not all Chinese-educated voters are as familiar with Tang's character as those in Chinese cultural circles. I believe that if Tang had not been one of the WP candidates, the PAP majority would have been even bigger.

The fact that my remarks about Cheng San immediately caused such a reaction among the Chinese-educated only confirms how sensitive the issues of race, language and religion still are.

Cheng San is not the only example of this in this election. Ang Mong Seng and Ong Ah Heng, both Chinese-educated, recaptured Bukit Gombak and Nee Soon Central for the PAP with convincing margins. It was not just the promise of upgrading. Nor simply that they worked hard, which they did. One important reason was their rapport with the Chinese-educated and dialect-speaking HDB heartland. Both of them were Chinese-educated and could speak the same language and identify themselves with the ground. Dr Seet Ai Mee and Ng Pock Too, both highly qualified professionals, but English-educated, lost these seats in the 1991 GE. They worked hard but could not establish the same strong rapport with the Chinese ground that Ang Mong Seng and Ong Ah Heng could.

There is a key difference between Ang Mong Seng and Ong Ah Heng on the one hand, and Tang Liang Hong on the other. Ang Mong Seng and Ong Ah Heng understand the need to accommodate all communities, and for the Chinese majority not to dominate the others linguistically and squeeze their space in Singapore society. So they collected Malay as well as Chinese votes. Both Bukit Gombak and Nee Soon Central have more Malay voters than Cheng San. Without Malay support, Ang Mong Seng and Ong Ah Heng could not have defeated the two SDP sitting MPs by such large margins.

The Chinese ground is still very much dialect speaking and Chinese-educated. A large segment of our Chinese population will always remain more comfortable in dialects and Mandarin than in English. At rallies, dialect speakers rouse the crowds more easily than Mandarin speakers, never mind English speakers. If chauvinistic politicians tap this ground, and once in Parliament, try to make Chinese the dominant language in Singapore, they will threaten our racial harmony.

Singapore is a multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-religious society. It requires a fine balance of interests to keep every community at ease. Every community has an equal place in Singapore. To give practical meaning to this, we have made English the common working language, so that no community has any unfair advantage. English must always be the dominant administrative and economic language, to give all races equal chances in education and jobs. No non-Chinese will be at a disadvantage for economic or career opportunities because he does not know Chinese, unless the company does business with China or Taiwan, or is a traditional Chinese-owned company using the Chinese language.

If Chinese were to become the dominant language in Singapore, Malay and Indian Singaporeans would be prejudiced. The playing field would not be level.

However, Chinese Singaporeans want to retain their language and culture, just as Malay Singaporeans want to keep their language and culture vibrant, and so with the Indians and every other group. Non-Chinese Singaporeans must show understanding when Chinese is promoted for the Chinese community, provided this is not to make Chinese the dominant language in Singapore.

We will continue to promote Chinese in "Speak Mandarin Campaigns", and teach it to Chinese students in schools. There will always be Chinese temples, Seventh Moon groups, qi gong, and dragon and lion dances. The standard of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra will be raised. But this is a separate playing field for the Chinese, like reading Chinese newspapers or watching Channel 8. It does not replace or tilt the playing fields against the Malays or Indians, who have their own newspapers, TV programmes, kompang groups and silat. Or the Eurasians who use English.

Our approach is fair to all: of an open level playing field for all Singaporeans with English as the common-language, plus separate playing fields for each community. Every community plays on two playing fields. All compete equally in the open playing field. At the same time each community can retain and develop its own language and culture in its own separate playing field. This practical approach has given us multi-racial harmony and our place in ASEAN.

More Malay leaders are emerging on the national scene. Ahmad Magad studied engineering in Germany on a PSC scholarship and currently manages a successful electronic firm. Dr Ibrahim Yaacob earned a Ph.D in engineering from Stanford, a top US University. Zainul Abidin and Hawazi Daipi, both Singapore University graduates were formerly leader writers in Berita Harian. This new breed of successful Malays are confident of themselves. They are competing successfully in the open level playing field. All are English educated. But two chose to work in Berita, their separate playing field.

The Malay MPs have provided leadership to the Malay community and self-help groups, like Mendaki, AMP, and other smaller but older Malay/Muslim voluntary organisations. They understand the aspirations and problems of the Malay/Muslim community. They will help work out solutions to them, and solve them in the context of a multi-racial society, just like the Chinese-educated PAP MPs do for their community.

To progress and strengthen racial harmony, every racial group must take middle of the road, moderate positions and reject extreme views. If Malay leaders take radical positions for their community, the backlash will be Chinese chauvinism. In the same way Tang Liang Hong in Cheng San GRC turned the Malays against himself and the WP.

I expect further progress in your community, because I see more outstanding Malay Singaporeans capable of contributing to Singapore 21.

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