CMIO- For Better or Worse

Singapore's cultural identity is a unique composition of the different beliefs and practices of our major ethnic groups, classified under the Chinese, Malays, Indians and Others ("CMIO") model.

From our food, costumes, music, art, festivals, etc., including our pidgin Singlish, our cultural identity binds us together as one people in a multi-racial, multi-religious society. Wherever we may be, we can easily identify another Singaporean.

However, with the rapid increase in the number of new citizens each year, we are beginning to see a potential cultural crisis looming, with the rising influence of new cultures. There are already calls for the CMIO model to be abolished and the argument is that it fails to encompass the increasing cultural diversity in Singapore.

Our intake of new citizens has reportedly increased from an average of 8,200 per year between 1987 and 2006, to about 18,500 per year in the last 5 years (Read More). Going by these numbers, it is not surprising to see the CMIO model already coming under threat.

It is said that the CMIO model does not capture the numerous heterogenous sub-communities in Singapore and the diversity that resulted from immigration and inter-community marriages (Read More). Some have proposed that Singapore should emulate New York City, for example, where there is no fixed preconception of people (Read More). The momentum to abolish the CMIO model seems to be accelerating.

On the other hand, opponents to the abolition argue that the CMIO categorisation sets the minority communities at ease and should not be jettisoned too quickly (Read More). Their worries are that without the CMIO model, not only will the culture of the majority ethnic group dominate, the culture of the minority ethnic group will lose protection. These worries are not completely unfounded but there is a greater worry.

Over the last 50 years, the CMIO has been the invisible scaffolding that has shaped the cultural identity of our nation. Although it started out as a simplistic and racist way of managing the interests of the different ethnic groups in Singapore, which is not much different from the way the British colonialists did it, the CMIO model has become so structurally entrenched in our social make-up that to abolish it now is to uproot the racial markers that has made Singapore unique in the eyes of the world. Its abolition will be followed by a potentially virulent clash of all the cultures that are found in our land today and which will lead to a major transformation not only in our nation's 50 year-old cultural identity but in our socio-political structures as well.

It bears reminder that in a global city, the inhabitants come and go and their interests are purely economic. For a nation to be truly able to hold on to its people's hearts and minds, the people need to feel a strong sense of belonging beyond their economic interests. Their strong cultural identity as a nation of people is what holds them together in one place. Despite its racial overtures and inadequacies, the CMIO has been a necessary evil that has worked so far to maintain the peace and stability in our tiny island nation. Before we tear it down, we should ask ourselves if we are ready for what comes next.

Joy to the World

Christmas is coming. And it's that time of the year when Orchard Road is illuminated with LED lights and traffic starts to crawl as motorists slow down to let their passengers on-board take in the colourful sights along the way. Red, green and gold - these are the colours that have come to be associated with everything about Christmas. 

In my childhood days, Christmas brought me special feelings. It was more than just a public holiday. I would wait with eager anticipation for carollers and Santa to march by and to hear them sing from one home to the next. Christmas songs like "Oh, come all ye faithful" and "Joy to the world" remain deeply etched in my memory as part of the Christmas scene. And I recall how I soon joined their ranks and participated in a pantomime about the birth of Christ - playing the role of Mother Mary. That was in fact my first acting break at the age of 8. 

These days, people celebrate Christmas regardless of their religious beliefs. Christmas has been successfully white-washed by commercialism into a holiday time for shopping and merry-making. It is a peculiar story of how businessmen managed to transform a major religious event into a secular event, bringing in huge revenues for shopping malls and eateries during Christmas season. Such a transformation does not seem to have ever happened to any other major religious festival. 

Whatever the reasons for people to celebrate Christmas today, may Christmas continue to bring glad tidings to each and everyone. Let's hope one thing will never change for Christmas. That every Christmas will always be true to its spirit of love and remembrance - a time for us to give and to forgive. 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Bread

Some have asked me why I give them bread.

If you are really starved and poor, bread is probably the first thing you would crave for. In some religion such as Christianity, bread has a special significance in rituals. 

When we speak of "bread and butter", we mean and refer to our livelihood. In that sense, bread becomes something indispensable and we can't do without bread.

Giving out bread and watching the smiles on the faces of the recipients have been rewarding enough for my volunteers and I to keep handing out bread whenever we could. It has become a symbol of our care and concern for the basic needs of the people around us.

The visits to Toa Payoh Lorong 8, Potong Pasir and French Road today drew many smiles, as usual. Bread helps us create bonds and open communication lines. One elderly folk told me that eating bread helps him to swallow his medicine and he was thankful that we gave him bread. 

Another folk said she missed our bread the last time I visited and was really glad to get one this time. There was also this lonely old man who woke up to take a loaf of bread from me and then went back to slumber at the void deck, hugging the loaf of bread like his mini-bolster.

So, a loaf of bread can be more than just food. At the symbolic level, it shows that we care. And we do.