ABSTRACT
It is almost axiomatic in the official description and public mantra to describe the small nation state of Singapore as that of a multi-racial, multi-cultural, multi-faith and multi-lingual nation: one that has produced one of the world’s most successful narratives in Racial Harmony and Tolerance. This achievement is marked officially every year by the 21 July Racial Harmony Day with school celebrations or events. Notwithstanding the fact that the terms above are sometimes used and understood in a perfunctory, particular and restricted basis, Singapore can claim to be ‘one oasis in a troubled world which is peaceful, tranquil, and harmonious and which is our home. This is the basis on which we can build a safe, strong, united Singapore for many years to come’. 1 Crucially, Singapore’s perception and interaction with a ‘troubled world’ both regionally and globally has played a considerable role in both its foreign and domestic policies and, with the latter, how it manages its ‘multi-racial’ communities.
