Straits Times Reflection
Term 3 Week 8
2E/NA

Home Section page B3
PM's 4 BASIC RULES FOR RELIGIOUS HARMONY


1a) What are the 4 rules for religious harmony?

b) In your opinion, how can we maintain a common space in schools?

2) Do you respect other religions? Why or why not? What do you think of children who stay away from their parents' funerals because they believe the traditional rites are against their new religion?


Answers:

1a) According to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 4 basic rules for religious harmony;

(1)- All groups have to exercise tolerance and restraint
(2)- Keep religion separate from politics
(3)- Government must remain secular
(4)- Maintain the common space that all Singaporeans share

"The public debate cannot be on whose religion is right and whose religion is wrong. It has to be on secular, rational considerations of public interest - what makes sense for Singapore."
-PM Lee


b) I think schools should mix students with all religion, so that they expose each other their different religions, therefore there will not be problems when they are to go out and face the world, full of other races and religion. I was once in a primary school with only Chinese students, therefore there was lots of things I do not know about my friends after I came into a school with mixed races, therefore, there were lots of misunderstandings between my classmates and me.

2) (i)Yes, they have all the rights to believe in their own religion, and we have to respect them. I have no religion(free-thinker), therefore I don't think talking about religion whether good or bad would be polite, normally I wouldn't talk about other's religion as misunderstandings may happen since I do not know what is offensive and what is not.

(ii) I don't think not attending their parents funerals would be polite, we are talking about filial piety at this point of time, regardless they have a different religion or beileves. As a view of a non-believer (free-thinker), I would visit them for the last time, because after all, they are their parents and they have done everything they could to raise their children up, to become someone capable, sensible, etc. of things. So, no matter what religion their parents are or different religions, we still have to respect them, I put my parents, relatives, etc. in first priority. I have no say whether it is right or wrong but I hope none of this religion restricts their children from attending their parent's funeral, and I hope that the child of the parent would be sensible enough to think which one they would be more important to choose, because it is their decision after all and we have to respect it.