Multiculturalism gave each community a recognised place in the nation. Singapore made it the basis of its national identity.
In a multicultural approach, the state recognises several cultures as equal parts of the nation. It tries to build a shared identity on top of them, rather than replacing them.
Singapore chose this approach after the race riots of 1964 and separation from Malaysia in 1965. It recognised four official languages, Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English, and treated the main communities as equal.
Singapore built shared spaces. From 1989 the Ethnic Integration Policy set quotas for each group in public housing blocks, so that communities lived side by side. A Presidential Council for Minority Rights, set up in 1970, checked new laws for discrimination.
Other states mixed approaches. Indonesia's motto, "Unity in Diversity", recognised many cultures, and its state ideology, Pancasila, accepted several religions. Malaysia's ruling coalition gave each community a party in government, even while Malay culture had a special place.
This approach had limits. Singapore's system also kept people in fixed racial groups. Some argued that it strengthened group identities as much as a shared one.
- Singapore's languages
- Malay, Chinese, Tamil and English.
- Ethnic Integration Policy
- 1989: housing quotas.
- Minority rights council
- 1970.
Worked example: Comparing approaches
How did Singapore differ from its neighbours?
- Singapore: equal recognition of four languages.
- Malaysia: Malay primacy with a multi-ethnic coalition.
- Indonesia: Unity in Diversity, but assimilation for the Chinese.
- Judgement: approaches were often mixed.
Watch out for this
Multiculturalism means the state does nothing to build a common identity.
Singapore actively built shared spaces and values, through housing quotas, bilingual education and national institutions.
Check your understanding
What was the purpose of Singapore's Ethnic Integration Policy of 1989?
- To stop ethnic groups from clustering in particular housing blocks
- To give one group more housing
- To end public housing