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PM: Crisis is true test of people's cohesionDate : 20 March 2011 He cites the Japanese example and stresses the continuing threat of terrorism to S'pore By Jeremy Au Yong The Prime Minister is convinced that over the last 10 years, Singaporeans' sense of shared identity and cohesion has strengthened. But the true test of the social fabric will be a crisis, such as one caused by a terror attack, which Mr Lee Hsien Loong yesterday said 'would be like a tsunami hitting our society'. Speaking to 700 grassroots leaders at the National Community Engagement Programme (CEP) Dialogue at Raffles City, Mr Lee asked if Singaporeans would be as calm and resilient as many Japanese have proven to be in the wake of the devastating earthquake and tsunami which hit their country on March 11. He showed a photograph of the Japanese queueing outside a supermarket after the tsunami and said: 'There is no scrambling, no jostling, no fighting. They passed the test.' Singapore, though, has a shorter history than Japan and lacks experience with emergencies, he said. Singaporeans need to go through a crisis before they receive their 'report card' on social integration, he added. That message came at the end of a speech in which Mr Lee emphasised how serious a threat terrorism continues to pose to the city state. After a briefing by the Internal Security Department (ISD) and Security and Intelligence Division last December, Mr Lee said he had asked himself if the country had become safer since the Sept 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. 'My conclusion was that we've been lucky we haven't been hit. We've worked hard and I think we've strengthened our cohesion and security, but at the same time if you scan the world and look at the region around us, I don't think you can say the situation has drastically improved. Yes, our resilience has strengthened but we cannot relax our guard,' he said. To drive home this point, he asked a director at ISD to give four short briefings on the current terrorism climate. Mr Lee also surveyed the global and regional outlook. Globally, he noted that the Middle East remains unsettled. Though Al-Qaeda has had its leadership disrupted, it continues to inspire franchises. In Indonesia, the outcome of the ongoing trial of Jemaah Islamiah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Bashir is critical to regional security. If he is not convicted, he will become even more emboldened, Mr Lee said. Turning to Malaysia, he said the situation there is of great interest to Singapore because any attack across the Causeway would have repercussions here. As for Singapore, he flagged the rise of self-radicalised terrorists as a worrying trend but lauded the work of the Religious Rehabilitation Group in reintegrating radicalised individuals. He also hailed the CEP as a 'key constructive effort' in building trust among races and religions. The programme was started in 2006 to build networks among races, so communities can cope with racial tensions that may arise if there is a terror attack. He said there are signs that the effort is paying off: 'I'm convinced that over the last decade, we have strengthened our social cohesion and common identity.' Indeed, he said Singapore is one of only a few examples of a harmonious multiracial and multi-religious society. And this is not down to chance but a 'result of our determined, deliberate and sustained effort at integration and the support of all the communities, all the religious leaders and many, many Singaporeans'. Mr Lee then joined six other ministers for an hour-long question-and-answer session, which covered issues from self-radicalised terrorists to youth apathy and pleas for more funds for CEP programmes. New Town Secondary 4 student Gerald Chan asked Mr Lee how Singapore would fare if it was attacked today. Mr Lee's response: 'You must take the exam before you can see the report card. But we have prepared well so I am confident we will take it in our stride.' (With thanks to SPH - StraitsTimes.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. "Razor TV - Be crisis-ready like the Japanese" Razor TV reported on the National CEP Dialogue which was held on 19 Mar 2011. You can click on the links below to watch PM's speech which he delivered when opening the Dialogue. Please click here to watch. "PM: Be crisis-ready like the Japanese (CEP Dialogue Pt 1)". Please click here to watch "Terrorists always innovate (CEP Dialogue Pt 2)". Please click here to watch "The fate of terrorists in Indonesia/Malaysia (CEP Dialogue Pt 3)". Please click here to watch "Self-radicalisation a new threat (CEP Dialogue Pt 4)". Please click here to watch "Upping our game against terror (CEP Dialogue Pt 5)". Please click here to watch "Integrate, or disintegrate in crisis (CEP Dialogue Pt 6)". (With thanks to Razor TV - razor.tv ) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Channel NewsAsia - S'poreans cohesive, have common identity Please click here to watch Channel NewsAsia's report on the National CEP Dialogue held on 19 Mar 2011. Lianhe Zaobao - 对社区参与计划青年有认同感与热忱 20 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Lianhe Zaobao article (With thanks to SPH - Lianhe Zaobao.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Lianhe Zaobao - 李总理:如遇恐怖袭击 须展现"日本人的韧性" 20 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Lianhe Zaobao article (With thanks to SPH - Lianhe Zaobao.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Lianhe Zaobao - 身份证不标明"种族"可促进团结？ 20 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Lianhe Zaobao article (With thanks to SPH - Lianhe Zaobao.com) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Berita Minggu - NEGARA KITA AMAN, RAKYAT HIDUP HARMONI, TETAPI... 20 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article (With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Berita Harian - Program siap sedia hadapi kecemasan di estet privet dilanca 21 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article (With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Berita Harian - DJ radio 'dilatih' kendali situasi dalam masa cemas 21 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article (With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Berita Harian - Pelbagai aktiviti dekati masyarakat dilakar 21 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article (With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Berita Harian - Relawan bantu rapatkan lagi ikatan antara jiran 21 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Berita Harian article (With thanks to SPH - Berita Harian) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Tamil Murasu - Terror attack would be like a tsunami: PM Lee 20 March 2011 Click on the link below to view the Tamil Murasu article (With thanks to SPH - Tamil Murasu) Note : No reproduction or downloading of this Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) article is allowed in any medium. Permission has to be obtained from SPH. Please click here to read more about the National CEP Dialogue 2011. 
Please click here for the National CEP Dialogue 2011 factsheet which highlights some of the CEP initiatives from the cluster leads in the year leading up to the National CEP Dialogue. Click here for the speech by PM Lee Hsien Loong at the National CEP Dialogue 2011. Please click here to read the report and view the photos from Home Team News. |
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