Singapore.docx

Singapore’s social cohesion has been achieved through deliberate government intervention. To what extent do you agree with this statement?
I agree with this statement to a large extent. Singapore is a multi-ethnic country with people from many different racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. Though Singapore has enjoyed peace since the 1960s, Singaporeans have constantly been reminded that racial and religious sensitivities can upset social harmony. A lack of tolerance by any groups can result in conflict that Singapore can ill-afford. Thus, it is vital to have strong and stable bonds among the people as it is the basis for Singapore’s happiness, prosperity and progress. As such, the government implemented numerous policies implemented and instituted several sound laws and legislation. This is the basis to Singapore’s social cohesion. However, Singaporeans’ ability to tolerate one another also played a part in Singapore’s social cohesion.
First, the numerous policies implemented by the government have vastly helped in achieving social cohesion in Singapore. The policy of multi-racialism promotes equality among the races, with no special rights granted to any particular racial or religious group. This policy recognizes English, Malay, Chinese and Tamil as official languages of Singapore. The absence of racial and religious conflicts in Singapore shows that this policy h