Preaching religious intolerance undermines Singapore's harmony. Stop it

Preaching religious intolerance undermines Singapore's harmony. Stop it

by Lester Lam Yong Ling (The Straits Times Forum, 21 Apr 2006)

I refer to the letter "Proposing medical treatment along religious lines is unprofessional" by Mr Cho Jia Cai (ST Online Forum, April 18).

I was shocked to read about this seminar, which leads to more questions.

There has been rampant evangelism recently which lambasted other religions. Many believers of different faiths are disappointed with the actions of these Christian evangelists who do not care about the religious sensitivities in Singapore.

The post-911 world has seen a lot of action to rein in hatred preaching. Singapore is no exception, with the setting up of Inter-Racial Confidence Circles to promote understanding among the different races and religions.

The government emphasises a lot on religious harmony as Singapore comprises many people of different races and religions. The ideal of our forefathers, including the late Mr S.Rajaratnam, is that Singapore be a democratic nation regardless of race, language or religion.

There should not be any action to destroy the very foundations of our nation. However, the speaker's words at the seminar showed otherwise. Preaching intolerance shakes the religious harmony the government has been trying to build.

The speaker also did a great disservice to the thousand-year-old traditional medical therapies. These had served people well and they still do before the advance of modern western medicine.
Many westerners have also given the thumbs-up on the benefits of these therapies. It is very unfortunate that the speaker discouraged people to try out these therapies on the basis that these are non-Christian.

She also gave an unconvincing reason that these therapies stem from Shamanism. Even if these therapies have their roots in the religion, there is no reason to discriminate against them just because it is another religion.

I understand that a permit is needed from the police for speaking in public. The speech had elements of religious intolerance. Why did the police allow the seminar to be held since 2003?

There are rules for making speeches at Speakers' Corner to protect racial and religious harmony. Why was this particular seminar allowed to carry on? This brings forth another question. How can we allow hatred and intolerance to be preached? Can the authorities look into this?

All Singaporeans have a part to play to preserve the basic values of this nation. I am proud to be in Singapore where we do not have discrimination because of our race or religious beliefs.

We have to protect the ideals of our forefathers to build a safe and harmonious Singapore society.