Singapore is a multi-racial society, where there is cultural and religious pluralism. It is also a cosmopolitan country, with first class infrastructure and advanced technology, which attracts many tourists and foreign talents. To stay competitive in this rapidly evolving century, Singapore should not have any divergences between the different races and religions, so as to focus on her development in future. Within her 4.4 million populations, there are many religions like Buddhism, Christianity, Islamism, Hinduism and Taoism, each having their own set of practices and ethos. To prevent any conflicts within this little red dot, racial harmony has to be promoted.

In my opinion, I think author Zsofia Szilaggy’s view should be adopted to a large extent; that more focus should be placed on social responsibility. The term “social responsibility” refers to the onus an individual has, to the society through his or her speech or action. People who are conscious with society responsibility would think about the dire consequences and effects of their words and actions have on others, before actually saying or doing them. By doing so, greater cultural tolerance could be cultivated through respecting the traditions of other ethnic groups.

Social responsibility is an important aspect in ensuring racial integration within the nation. One has to be mindful of their remarks about other race and religions and to understand their sensitivities. A simple comment against other races may be seen as an offence, and can spark off a series of controversies. As we are living in an interconnected era, with advance telecommunications within our reach, messages can be disseminated almost instantly, through different media.

An example stated is the publishing of the cartoon depicting the Prophet, which caused mass demonstrations, diplomatic rows and economic boycotts of goods, bringing the country to a standstill. As seen from this incident, the media did not practice social responsibility. They did not foreseen that the act of publishing the cartoons could cause the tension of relationships in the Muslims world. Another example is the charging of two local bloggers for inciting ethnic hatred by making insulting remarks about the Malays on their electronic dairies which the public can gain access to. The examples revealed that any individual who does not have social responsibility has the ability to cause a breakdown in racial harmony. Thus, social onus is indeed vital for the harmony in a country.

Although I agree to author Singer’s view that freedom of expression is essential to any democracy, I do not agree to the fact that it should not be limited. There is no doubt that freedom of speech is the nexus between the functioning of a democracy country and the welfare of the people. However, there is a limit to everything. People should not speak freely about their opinions on other races as it may be seen as inciting racial, religious or ethnic hatred, begetting racial uprising and hindering the country’s development.

Therefore, to live in harmony, people of different races should respect, be understanding and interact more with one another. Most importantly, one has to have social onus, think before we say or act and always remember that we are responsible for our own words and actions.

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