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You are to set up a blog
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At a social cohesion that
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Thursday, August 21, 2008 @ 8:38 AM♥

Introduction: Social Cohesion in Singapore
Social cohesion has always been viewed in relation to race relations, instead of social class relations. In Singapore, the majority of the people are Chinese, thus a national identity was needed to overcome the racial and cultural divides.

A formula was being searched to allow a closer bond between the people. From this search, some national symbols were founded, example: National Flower, The Vanda Miss Joaquim Orchid, The Merlion, The Singapore Airline and such. Processes such as the national school system and national service for men, were also founded to bond the nation even more.

The approach towards social cohesion has seemed unsuccessful as concurrent ethnic policies example: compulsory second language in schools and presenting Singaporean society along ethnic lines, have prevented the emergence of any kind of shared identity. But more importantly, its failure can be attributed to the fact that unity or tolerance in maintaining harmony in multicultural relations are not valued to being important pre-requisites for ensuring societal stability to enable economic success.

Political participation was also regulated to ensure social cohesion. The main concern was economic development so, strict control was placed over civil liberties and organised political action. The government had a full set of laws and practices that restrict the opposition and government critics. These include: defamation law suits, the Internal Security Act, the Public Entertainment and Meetings Act, the Societies Act, the Undesirable Publications Act, the Political Donations Act and government ownership of the media. Furthermore, the government, controlling the election machinery, determines the timing of elections and boundaries and continuous amendments the election rules.

Policies under the PAP since Singapore’s independence in 1965 have instead emphasised asset accumulation as a measure of success, prosperity and social cohesion. Economic development was to serve as a support for a disparate migrant community to grow as a nation. Social cohesion in this context is a narrow definition, where being united means being united in support of the PAP in order to gain a material advantage. In fact the PAP tried to pass itself as a national movement and as the only entity capable of ensuring economic prosperity and ensuring cohesion in a multicultural society. On the basis of this argument the PAP has demanded that the people unite behind it, and by taking the bait, the people has allowed the PAP to stay in power for over forty years.

Singaporeans find as a result that they are caught in a system where the language of materialism is the prominent yardstick of success. The continuous pursuit of a higher standard of material living, even at times of difficulty, is equated with the meaning of life. This extreme emphasis on materialism has been at the expense of social cohesion where being a people and achieving a sense of community has been lost.

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