Premier Li's commitment, sincerity, and concern in strengthening racial relations has made his government and different communities establish trust.Of course, the relationship between the two sides is not always smooth, but he is good at soothe the ability of restlessness and self -esteem, which means that the door to further dialogue is always open.
In 2017, Prime Minister Li Xianlong said with a long time: "As a Singaporean, it is never a subtraction, but an additional method; not to become less, but to become more; not limit and contraction, but openness and expansion." As Li Xianlong's outstanding 20 -year prime minister ended, Singapore's national identity and ethnic identity continued to be carefully cultivated and strengthened.All racial communities, especially the Malay and Muslim communities, have more confident identity in their identity and are convinced that they are in Singapore.
The most important thing is that he has carefully cultivated trust and confidence between the ethnic groups and the government, between the Chinese and other ethnic groups.
Although in the 1960s and 1970s, Singapore has never described itself as a country where the Chinese people occupy the majority, but in the 1990s and early 21st century, a "Chinese nature" phenomenon raised, partly because the government was the governmentPolicies and chain reactions in China's rise.Since 2010, Singapore has to prove that it even declared that its Chinese identity is different from Chinese identity.
As Premier Li pointed out during the interview with Times Weekly in 2015: "Most Chinese in Singapore, how China's rise will affect the people's thinking and worldview, and how this affects non -Chinese people, such as Malay and Indian compatriots.Wait? If the views have changed and tilted to China, what will they feel?', I won't do further important segmentation and classification. "
Premier Li is very sensitive to the complexity of Singapore's evolving diverse ethnic society.He sincerely believes that the mutual benefit between various races and the tolerance of the sensitive issues of minority groups are the key factor in creating a successful diverse ethnic Singapore.
Like the former Prime Minister, Premier Li supports each race to develop its own language, culture and tradition.However, this effort must not cause Singaporeans to communicate freely without being closed or blocked by excessive restrictions on race, language or religion.
He is very clear that any analysis of the identity of Singapore's identity is inseparable from the impact on the one -quarter of the minority group in Singapore.From the past to the present, the identity of the Chinese identity in Singapore has to be handled in this complex and dynamic situation.
At the same time, despite making great efforts to curb the decline in fertility (especially the Chinese community), and to implement generous incentive measures, the poor performance of Chinese people in Singapore is still a serious concern in fertility.Essence
In 1957, each Singapore Chinese woman had 6.48 children.By 2003, the overall fertility rate had dropped sharply to 1.08 children in each Chinese woman, far lower than the 2.1 children needed to maintain the population of Singapore.The overall fertility rate of Singapore in 2023 is 0.97, which means that the overall fertility rate of the Chinese ethnic group is lower.Therefore, the efforts to attract Chinese immigrants from Greater China and other places are undoubtedly more important, although this is still a sensitive issue in China.
Make sure that Chinese is still living language
Shortly after Li Xianlong was the Prime Minister in August 2004, the government announced a landmark reform of the school's Chinese teaching.The purpose of doing so is to avoid the practice of one -size -fits -all. At the same time, it is ensured that Chinese is still a living language. Its economic and cultural value is widely valued, not as test subjects.
The intention is for all students, including students from the English background family, to formulate the level of ability.In the review of Chinese curriculum and teaching methods in 2004, people realized that the same excellent ideal of expecting students' English and Chinese levels is wrong because it unfortunately made Chinese students lose interest in Chinese.
This reduction of expectations and extensive reforms of Chinese teaching, and then expanded to Malay and Tamil.The efforts to continuously promote Chinese language and understand Chinese culture have eased their concerns about Chinese, Chinese culture and traditional healthy development to a certain extent.Although these efforts have been made, for people who talk about Chinese, the long -term lack of a favorable environment in Chinese is still a problem.This work is still in progress because other ethnic groups also face this issue.
However, when Premier Li responded to the interests, requirements and desires of various ethnic groups, he did well.Wearing a headscarf is a good example.The trust and confidence of all ethnic groups and stakeholders is the key to the progress of this topic, and it also allows everyone to see his leadership ability.As a result, the uniform policy has been adjusted so that Muslim Nurses can wear headscarves at work without affecting work efficiency.This cannot be achieved overnight, but it takes many years of patient communication and careful observation.
If Singapore under the leadership of Prime Minister Wu Zongdong (1990 to 2004), what we see is the increasing influence and importance of Chinese, Chinese culture and value system, and a cautious embrace of China, then Li Xianlong ruling in powerThe period is to promote and protect the identity and culture of Singapore Chinese.
In May 2017, Premier Li hosted the opening ceremony for the Singapore Chinese Cultural Center.The Singapore Chinese Cultural Center, which was initiated by the Singapore Zongxiang Club United Association, was another milestone in the development of Singapore's diversified racism.Earlier, the Singapore Chinese Cultural Center established by the Chinese government in November 2015 was presided over by Xi Jinping, the Chinese President Xi Jinping, which was a state -visited in Singapore.
"Chinese nature" in Singapore
In view of Singapore's diversified race conditions and urgent needs, when promoting Chinese culture and Chinese, it is necessary to maintain high sensitivity to the domestic and regional environment.The focus must be placed in the culture and identity of the Chinese (not just Chinese).
The Chinese community in Singapore must prove that their political stance and loyalty are based on the national interests of Singapore as a sovereign country and a firm commitment to diverse racism.Although Singapore and China have a common cultural tradition, the cultural and identity of the two countries continue to develop in different ways.Chinese people in Singapore must also continue to adapt to our geopolitical environment.
In 1965, the idea of establishing the Chinese Cultural Center was not feasible in view of the tense racial relationship at that time.Half a century passed, and Singapore's racial composition and geopolitical reality have not changed.However, the confidence that Singaporeans of different ethnic groups have had the confidence when expressing and promoting their ethnic identity identity have changed.Chinese people in Singapore can also show their identity and culture without being regarded as extravagant or horizontal.
At the opening ceremony of the Chinese Cultural Center in Singapore, Premier Li pointed out that Singapore's "Chinese" is different from the "Chinese nature" in other countries and regions such as mainland China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. "We now say thatIt is a Chinese culture in Singapore.
Today, we have the Malay Traditional Cultural Museum (in Gannan, Gannan) and the Indian Traditional Cultural Museum (in Little India), which opened in 2005 and 2015, respectively.Through exhibitions and other activities, they have improved Singaporeans and tourists' understanding of Malaysia and India's traditional, art and culturereward.
State construction helps to cultivate the overall identity of Singaporeans, but it is important that this does not allow our unique ethnic identity and cultural marginalization.At that time, a new society was urgently needed to establish a new society on the ruins that failed to merge with Malaysia (1963 to 1965).The Singapore government consciously seek to develop the identity of Singaporeans, and also recognizes the special status of local Malays.
During the administration of Premier Li, ethnic minorities and the majority of Chinese people felt more confident.But he also explicitly pointed out that the Chinese community needs to continue to pay attention to the feelings of minority groups.He always does not forget to remind people of Singaporeans that the issues of race, language and religion may make Singapore cracking.
In addition, Premier Li firmly believes that in a diverse ethnic society, the majority of groups must do more.At the first "Successful Community International Conference" in 2022, he pointed out that most ethnic groups in society must "always acknowledge and respect the rights of ethnic minorities; realize that in any society, it belongs to the minority group.More difficult situations; especially pay attention, never let ethnic minorities feel cold. "He praised the Chinese people in Singapore to understand this.
Similarly, at the National Day mass meeting in 2021, Premier Li refuted the saying of "Chinese privileges" in Singapore, although some Singapore Chinese may not be aware of the feelings of minority races.He reiterated that in Singapore, all races were treated equally without any privileges.
Premier Li also emphasized that the Chinese in Singapore thought for the overall situation when the country was independent, and made some concessions, such as accepting English as a common term to make minority lives more at ease.But this has made the Chinese, which only meets Chinese and dialects, is in an unfavorable position.This important compromise helps strengthen the relationship between Singapore and neighboring countries and establish mutual trust in China.However, he observed that decades of peaceful days may lead to racial harmony as a matter of course, causing Singaporeans to lose some sensitivity.
Singapore's diverse racial policy is like four overlapping circles, and each ethnic group maintains its own unique cultural identity and tradition.The overlapping part, that is, the public space must continue to expand without weakening the identity of the ethnic group, so that we can benefit from the diversity.
Premier Li's commitment, sincerity, and concern in strengthening racial relations has made his government and different communities establish trust.Of course, the relationship between the two sides is not always smooth, but he is good at soothe the ability of restlessness and self -esteem, which means that the door to further dialogue is always open.He is amiable, likes to negotiate but frankly discuss racial issues, and sincerely build bridges for all parties to make him love the people.
On the basis of the laid -off of premises, Premier Li cleverly handled various racial problems, further consolidated Singapore's diverse racism, and allowed his successor to further develop.
The author is an associate professor of Yangbang Xiaoxiao Law School of Singapore
Golden Shun Translation
