I AM a firm believer in the adage: Too much of a good thing can
be bad. This applies to political and social ideals as much as it
applies to food - I love laksa but too much of it clogs my
arteries.
Take the example of tolerance. British Prime Minister David
Cameron has come out against the country's longstanding policy of
multiculturalism, calling it a failure ('Enough of hands-off
tolerance, says British PM'; Sunday). He has called for better
integration of young Muslims to combat home-grown extremism.
While tolerance is very much needed for racial and cultural
integration, too much of it results in a state of multiculturalism
whereby respect and tolerance for different cultures result in
different communities living separate lives, far apart from the
mainstream.
Notwithstanding many Western countries' continued criticism of
Singapore's 'political climate', they would certainly do well to
learn from us, especially in the area of social integration.
Being ever so pragmatic, our approach to racial integration is a
healthy mix of tolerance with active promotion of the value of
common destiny - to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for
our nation.
That common purpose is so succinctly stated in the National
Pledge, which I recited every morning when I was a young boy in
school.
We must applaud our founding fathers for their vision and for
their fortitude in standing up for what they believed in, and for
building Singapore into what it is today.
I am proud to be a Singaporean, to be a citizen of a nation that
truly works as one, regardless of race, language or religion, so as
to achieve happiness, prosperity and progress for all people.
Dr Steven Thng