Goh tackles chauvinism

Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong's People Action Party (PAP) was guaranteed to win yesterday's general election, in which the opposition parties only contested 36 of the 83 seats in parliament. Even with the ninth general election wrapped up, Goh did not let up in his efforts to keep the opposition's representation in parliament to a minimum.

His determination was partly fueled by opposition candidate Tang Liang Hong of the Workers Party, who once asked the government to use Chinese more often to help the island state's majority ethnic group. The Chinese make up 77.4 percent of Singapore's population of three million, Malays constitute 14.2 percent, Indians 7.2 percent and other ethnic groups make up the balance of 1.2 percent.

The prime minister objected strongly to the proposal, which he said could endanger the racial harmony which Singapore has painstakingly nurtured since 1959, when it became an independent state.

Goh was also upset by reports that Tang had told a seminar two years ago that it was the Chinese-educated Singaporeans who "were carrying the sedan chair for others." Tang was also alleged to have complained about the abundance of Christians and English- educated senior officials in government.

Tang has denied being a Chinese chauvinist, but his remarks contain racial overtones that could not only endanger racial harmony in Singapore but also affect its neighbors, particularly those countries grouped in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Race is a sensitive issue, which, if not handled wisely, could incite public riots and eventually disrupt the stability of a country.

As Goh once said: "It is a dangerous view to say that Singaporeans must have Chinese as the dominant language. This will cause problems for our Malay friends and Indian friends, also for Singapore in Southeast Asia." Another member of the PAP, Zainul Abidin Rasheed, added: "Whenever anybody tends to raise its ugly head again, we must nip it in the bud before it becomes a bigger problem and this was precisely being done (in Singapore)."

Goh's quick response to Tang's chauvinism is worth praising, especially given an era in which people and cultures are being brought closer together by improved telecommunications and technology.

Singapore, under the PAP's reign, has developed remarkably. Not only has it improved its people's welfare, it has introduced laws that prohibit people from criticizing other cultures and religions as well as ethnic quotas for public apartments.

In light of this, we give Premier Goh thumbs up for his determination to wipe out racial tension in Singapore, whose economic achievements and law and orderliness are widely admired by the other six ASEAN member countries. It is also our wish to see that Singaporeans, under Goh's prudent leadership, establish more harmonious ties among themselves and their fellow friends in the region.