Singapore Malays Have Own Identity

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Singapore - The Malays in Singapore have developed their own distinct identity and are different from the Malays in Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Speaking at his annual National Day rally on Sunday night, in Malay, Mandarin and English, at the University Cultural Centre here, Lee said when they were abroad they wanted to be identified as Singaporeans first.

He said Singapore Malays were able to retain their roots, culture and religion although they had to adapt their lifestyle to changes in the socio-economic and political spheres and had to face many challenges in the ever-changing city-state.

He said the community resolved to become stronger instead of feeling dispirited and psychologically “under siege”, it reached out to engage other communities instead of withdrawing, and adopted an open and adaptive approach instead of becoming confrontational.

The prime minister noted how the Malay Muslim community here reacted differently compared with other Muslim communities elsewhere to the Sept 11 terror attacks in New York by immediately condemning the act of terror.

Lee also said Singaporeans should not take religious and racial harmony for granted as it would continue to play an important role in Singapore‘s society.

He said Singaporeans who came from different racial and religious backgrounds had enjoyed peace and harmony over the past 40 years.

“I understand other religions have different doctrines and may not all interact in the same way. But more important is the spirit and sincerity of interaction among the religions.”

The prime minister said to keep Singapore peaceful, all groups must be tolerant, religion and politics must stay separate, government must stay secular and common space for all the people must be preserved.

Lee said there was now increasing religious fervor in many countries such as the United States, Iran, Indonesia and Malaysia, but in Singapore it should be managed so as not to allow it to come in the way of peace.

He said Singaporeans should avoid three factors that could tear the fabric of the population, which were aggressive preaching, intolerance and exclusiveness.

Source: http://www.bernama.com
Photo: http://en.wikipedia.org

Write your comment !