THIS RAMADAN, the PAP Government continues helping Palestinians — and continues working towards peace and harmony in Singapore.
“Singapore has stepped up efforts to support the Palestinian people. The government has provided three rounds of aid, including the latest delivery by the RSAF [Republic of Singapore Air Force] with the Royal Jordanian Air Force. We have deployed an SAF [Singapore Armed Forces] medical team onboard a French Navy ship. And our community groups all over the island have also stepped forward in concrete ways to provide assistance,” said Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong this Monday (Apr 1) when breaking fast at Masjid Khadijah with the Religious Rehabilitation Group (RRG), and attending the naming of the mosque’s Ustaz Ali Haji Mohamed Auditorium.
This Government help for Palestinians is steady and sustained, as DPM Wong highlighted to his audience, which included Deputy Mufti Ustaz Dr Mohammad Hannan Hassan and other major religious leaders as well as Minister for Muslim Affairs Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam and Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean.
Source: Lawrence Wong /Facebook
“Singapore will continue to work with like-minded countries to help the innocent civilians in Gaza. We will continue to call for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, a return of hostages and a permanent end to hostilities. We will also do our part working with others in the international community towards a negotiated two-state solution,” said DPM Wong.
Community, not tribalism
DPM Wong further spoke about how societal pressures can pull Singapore apart, and stressed that diverse Singaporeans can withstand those when united.
In other words, community, not tribalism, is the way forward for Singapore. Tribalism does give a sense of belonging, but can entrench ideologies so much so that it leads to an “us-vs-them” mindset and radicalised thinking.
“We are not just talking in abstract because we can see these threats already happening in countries everywhere. We already know the dangers of tribes that propagate a false and extremist version of their religions. During COVID, we had to deal with anti-vaxxer tribes. And till today, they continue to believe whatever is being promulgated within their own groups. And in the West, we now see the rise of far-right and neo-Nazi tribes,” said DPM Wong.
So the PAP Government keeps engaging with different Singaporeans to build common ground, whether through Forward Singapore consensus-finding events for many different publics, or at a conference on identity politics:
Source: Institute of Policy Studies / YouTube
And particularly at an event honouring a beloved religious leader like the late Ustaz Ali.
“The passing of Ustaz Ali last year was a great loss for Singapore. As the Chairman of Khadijah Mosque, and founder and co-Chairman of the RRG, Ustaz Ali played a crucial role in building trust between Singaporean Muslims and non-Muslims. Whenever we gather in this auditorium, from henceforth, we will be reminded of his contributions and his steadfast commitment to racial and religious harmony because the auditorium will be named after him,” said DPM Wong to his audience at Masjid Khadijah.
Indeed, Singapore thrives because we trust each other.
“The Government and I are fully committed to deepening this reservoir of trust in our society, and finding ways to keep our society strong and united, even as we embrace our diversity. This has always been the secret to Singapore’s success — that from diversity, we find unity from many, many races, religions, languages, faiths, customs, from many, we become one united people,” said DPM Wong.