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INTOLERANCE, not the economic crisis, poses the biggest threat to Singapore, Associate Professor Koo Tsai Kee (Tanjong Pagar GRC) warned in Parliament on Wednesday.
While the economic slump will pass, religious and racial bigotry could bring about Singapore's downfall, he said during the debate on the President's Address at the opening of the new session of Parliament.
'This economic crisis cannot set us back permanently. It is a passing thunderstorm,' he said.
'But if we fall prey to religious and racial bigotry, then it will be a growing cancer in society.'
Although he did not state it explicitly, it was apparent that Prof Koo was referring in part to the recent leadership tussle at the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware). The controversy sparked a divisive debate on issues such as religion and homosexuality.
'I see an increasing number of Singaporeans identifying themselves with race and religion. That in itself is nothing wrong if seen in the right perspective,' he said. 'But I see small groups becoming self-righteous and becoming intolerant of diversity. This intolerance may be our downfall.'
Singapore has succeeded so far as it has a system of tolerance and meritocracy, one which embraces diversity and inclusiveness, he said.
Still, he warned that the country was not in the clear yet: 'We are still a young country. In the history of nations, we are still a long way from proving that our success in peaceful co-existence can withstand the test of time.'
The Minister of State for Defence used the examples of Sri Lanka and the former Yugoslavia to show how multi-racial, multi-religious societies had fractured. He contrasted this against cities like New York and London which embraced diversity and tolerance 'in huge doses'.
'While we focus our energies on solving this economic crisis, we should never lose sight of the long-term challenge of building a tolerant, diverse and inclusive infrastructure where everybody has a private space within the bigger common space,' he said.
