SINGAPORE, June 19, 2019 (Channel News Asia): Representative bodies of Singapore’s key religious communities have affirmed their commitment to safeguard religious harmony in the country. More than 250 organisations have put their names to the commitment, including the Catholic Archdiocese, Hindu Advisory Board, Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, National Council of Churches of Singapore, Sikh Advisory Board, Singapore Buddhist Federation, and Taoist Federation. Singapore President Halimah Yacob received a commemorative version of the commitment from Venerable Seck Kwang Phing, the president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation, at the opening ceremony of the International Conference on Cohesive Societies (ICCS) on Wednesday (Jun 19). He presented it on behalf of the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony.
The commitment is more than just a pledge, however. In fact, it is seen as an enhancement to the existing Declaration of Religious Harmony, in that it lays out specific ways for Singaporeans to interact with each other. This includes eating together even if there are different religious dietary practices at the table, and attending weddings and funerals even if they are held in a place of worship that is not of one’s faith. Culture, Community and Youth Minister Grace Fu emphasized the importance of these people-to-people interactions. “Very important point is that we see that on a day-to-day basis, all of us actually can play a part to promote that trusting relations between people,” said Ms. Fu. “So these daily encounters, daily interactions, help to build trust and I think that’s an important point about building the resilience and the long lasting peace.”
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