Letter to ST forum (Unpublished)

(This letter was not published in the ST forum because of ’space constraints’)

The inclusion of Muslims under Hota has indirectly revealed the latent bi-polarity which exists between two of our nation’s founding ‘pillars’– that of Multiracialism and Meritocracy. On the one hand, we are distinctly aware of our ethnic identity through the colonially inherited CMIO (Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others) classification system. After all, our racial category is the first thing that follows our given names in our ICs. On the other, we are told that every man is to be given the equal opportunity for pursuing his own hopes and dreams, and that we are all part of a meritocratic society. How then, are we to see this ‘level-playing field’ with our already hyphenated-identities?

Perhaps the best example of this conflict is the notion of our ethnic self-help groups, all of which cater specifically to the various CMIO categories. Organizations like CDAC, Mendaki, SINDA and the Eurasian Association primarily focus on help and aid within their own racial communities. But if it is the prerogative of our nation to be truly meritocratic, should we not then, have instead a central communitarian organization which renders its services to anyone and everyone, regardless of race, language or religion?

Placed within the context of including the Muslim community under Hota, this gap between one’s ethnicity and one’s social and moral obligation to the state and to other fellow citizens reveals how unless we actively engage in open forum and discussion about our core identity as Singaporeans, and not as Chinese-Singaporeans or Malay-Singaporeans or Indian-Singaporeans, that we may never truly be of one people, one nation, one Singapore.