The Straits Times published a special report today, titled "Complications of a complex racial identity", that focused on the change in policy allowing parents in mixed ethnicity marriages to decide which race their newborn child can be registered as, whether following the father's or the mother's.
There are many implications tied to "race" in Singapore, one of which is the Ethnic Integration Policy that is a blunt tool to ensure racial mix in HDB housing estates. This re-definition of race seems to make any policies based on race rather meaningless. Indeed the whole concept of race and ethnicity deserves to be questioned in a world where boundaries between peoples are blurred.
Other factors influenced by race include school fee subsidies where it becomes necessary to determine which organization should be approached. This is already an ongoing issue though the policy change probably makes it more apparent with this special report on it in mainstream media.
Race can be a double-edged sword that unites groups of people and yet divides a nation. But with the blurring of racial lines, the question that bothers me most is this: what common identity holds Singapore together? And can it withstand other fiery swords that are being raised?
Other factors influenced by race include school fee subsidies where it becomes necessary to determine which organization should be approached. This is already an ongoing issue though the policy change probably makes it more apparent with this special report on it in mainstream media.
Consider such a confusion: who should a Chinese Muslim student approach for help? The CDAC or Mendaki? If the parents contribute to Mendaki on a monthly basis, can the child still approach CDAC? To make it more confusing, suppose the parents also contribute to CDAC, what then? These are issues that baffle people seeking help because the major financial aid organizations (CDAC, Mendaki, SINDA) also categorize their clients by race (for Mendaki, the criteria is "Malay/Muslim").
The issue of equal contribution by Malays to Singapore's national defense continues to be a thorny issue even with the landmark appointment of the first Malay general in July 2009. Hopefully race will become less of an issue in determining who is suitable to stand up for Singapore.
Race can be a double-edged sword that unites groups of people and yet divides a nation. But with the blurring of racial lines, the question that bothers me most is this: what common identity holds Singapore together? And can it withstand other fiery swords that are being raised?
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