<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Don't let the glue of multiracialism come unstuck
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->IT IS simplistic of Thursday's editorial, 'Geylang, Chinese and the irrationality of fear', to describe the collective mood among many Singaporeans as irrational fear.
The mood is symptomatic of fundamental societal changes arising from a sudden and significant influx of foreigners. It is not an issue of whether Singapore needs or wants foreigners, but whether the influx is too great and quick, forcing Singaporeans to adapt to such foreigners rather than the other way around.
Indeed, Singaporeans would be just as alarmed if, say, a sudden influx of foreigners spoke Tamil, instead of Mandarin, and ignored English; and carved out a monolingual enclave where Singaporeans feel foreign.
The question is whether our multiracial society must adapt to the norms and values of foreigners?
Bilingualism - the ability to speak English and a second language equally well - is the glue of our multiracialism, which we should guard against coming unstuck.
Henry Tan
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->IT IS simplistic of Thursday's editorial, 'Geylang, Chinese and the irrationality of fear', to describe the collective mood among many Singaporeans as irrational fear.
The mood is symptomatic of fundamental societal changes arising from a sudden and significant influx of foreigners. It is not an issue of whether Singapore needs or wants foreigners, but whether the influx is too great and quick, forcing Singaporeans to adapt to such foreigners rather than the other way around.
Indeed, Singaporeans would be just as alarmed if, say, a sudden influx of foreigners spoke Tamil, instead of Mandarin, and ignored English; and carved out a monolingual enclave where Singaporeans feel foreign.
The question is whether our multiracial society must adapt to the norms and values of foreigners?
Bilingualism - the ability to speak English and a second language equally well - is the glue of our multiracialism, which we should guard against coming unstuck.
Henry Tan
