The Straits Times - 1st Orange Ribbon event for newcomers to mix
07 July 2008
By Jessica Jaganathan
MORE than 5,000 people turned up for the inaugural National Orange Ribbon Celebrations at Clarke Quay yesterday.
One in 10 was a new citizen or permanent resident trying to assimilate into Singapore society by becoming members of grassroots associations such as the Singapore Malayalee Association and the Ladies Association of the Malaysian High Commission.
Mr Zainudin Nordin, Mayor of Central Singapore District and chairman of OnePeople.sg, said that with Singapore becoming more cosmopolitan, there was a need to integrate new citizens and expatriates into society.
He said the challenge would lie in 'how to integrate people, how to make them mix more, interact more and understand each other better'.
This should be done by developing an inclusive society, so new citizens can join in the everyday life of the nation.
Events during the month- long National Orange Ribbon Celebrations will include a photography contest, exhibitions, and performances.
The Clarke Quay event marked the first gathering of all five community development councils and their residents. Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan was the guest of honour.
Mr Avinash Lotke, 34, from the Indian state of Maharashtra, has been a permanent resident here for seven years. The president of Maharashtra Mandal Singapore, an association for people from there, said the event gave the group's members a chance to bond with other societies.
'As we are away from our homes, it's very important that we live together peacefully and in a harmonious way here,' he said.
WITH Singapore’s changing demographics, thanks to increasing immigration, more community groups are beginning to spring up — on top of the four main ethnic self-help groups (SHGs) already in existence.
The challenge is for them to work together to keep Singapore’s racial and religious harmony intact, said Mr Zainudin Nordin, Central Singapore District Mayor and chairman of OnePeople.sg, a non-profit organisation on race relations here.
"If you look at the new people in Singapore, I imagine there will be interest groups, communities, associations and professional groups being formed because of interests, race, religion, language and tradition," he told reporters yesterday at a racial harmony walk.
Of the 5,000 participants yesterday, about 10 per cent were new citizens and Permanent Residents.
"That will mean more needs to be done to interact and bring them into the mainstream," he said, adding that such efforts need to be heightened.
Some 2 million more migrants are expected here over the next 40 to 50 years — boosting Singapore’s population to 6.5 million, according to Government estimates.
Despite the arrival of new migrants, SHGs such as the Chinese Development Association Council, Mendaki and Singapore Indian Association (Sinda) would still play an important role because they cater to the "majority" of Singaporeans, saidMr Zainudin.
"They will continue to focus on issues which are unique to certain communities," he said.
At least one expatriate group, theMaharashtra Mandal Singapore, is already planning to engage the likes of Sinda. The group — comprising some 600 Indian nationals from the west coast of India — is currently in talks with Sinda and the Hindu Endowment Board about joint cultural programmes to foster closer ties between expatriate and Singapore-born Indians, said its president Avinash Lotke.
The 34-year-old, a Permanent Resident working as a sales manager here, added that such events can help plug the perceived "disconnect" between the two groups of Indians in Singapore — an issue raised in Parliament last year.
Another participant, local-born Chinese Lim Hong Yin, 53, described the anxiety harboured by some Singaporeans, especially those from the lower socio-economic strata, against immigrants as a "ticking time bomb".
Acknowledging that it would be challenging to integrate the new migrants,Mr Zainudin said the way forward is not to focus on problems but common values. This can be done through focus group discussions with our new migrants.
"We want to show them that they are not so different from us — there are a lot of cultures and traditions that may be different, but values are the ones that cut across religions and races," he said.
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The New Paper - Orange is for racial harmony
07 July 2008
SINGAPORE has a new orange ribbon campaign that is aimed at strengthening the city state’s racial and religious harmony.
Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports Vivian Balakrishnan launched the campaign which celebrates racial and religious harmony on a national level.
The Orange Ribbon pin carries the words “You plus Me equals TRUST”.
Encouraging people to take part in this month’s celebrations, Dr Balakrishnan said that everyone has a role to play in preserving the country’s racial harmony, peace and prosperity.
