SINGAPORE – Understanding and respecting the different cultures that make up Singapore will allow society to remain cohesive, even as the world grows more nativist and tribalist and other societies pull apart, said Minister for National Development Desmond Lee.
Speaking at a break-fast event in Clementi on March 29, Mr Lee said: “We hold together because we thrive, not just in being with people who are like us, but celebrating the diversity around us.”
About 380 people of all races attended the event organised by charity Jamiyah Singapore, which also featured food distribution to 208 underprivileged households ahead of Hari Raya Aidilfitri on March 31.
The celebration marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Each family received 2kg of meat, two frozen chickens, rendang paste and instant ketupat (rice cakes).
Mr Lee, who is an MP for West Coast GRC, pointed to the event as an example of Singapore’s unique brand of unity.
He said: “It is a very precious thing that we have – that we are able to break fast together, regardless of our race, our religion, our background, and that our Muslim friends embrace all of us in the celebration of your cultural and religious practices.”
He added that Singaporeans from every community making an “ardent effort” to open their own festivities to the wider society will strengthen and thicken the country’s multicultural threads.
The event was part of a wider series of food distributions organised by the charity in the lead-up to the end of Ramadan.
One of Jamiyah’s beneficiaries at the event was Ms Emilda Jamil, 49, who runs a home-based food business.
Ms Emilda, who is a single mother, said that Jamiyah has over the past five years helped her get back on her feet.
She said: “Life has thrown me a lot of lemons for me to make lemonade. When the divorce happened, I had no plans and no job.”
She added that Jamiyah’s foodbank – Jampacked @ West Coast – helped her meet the needs of her three growing children.
She said: “It isn’t just the services they provide, but how they make us feel – they treat us with respect and dignity.”
Also at the event was PAP new face Chua Wei-Shan, an entrepreneur and long-time grassroots volunteer in West Coast GRC. Asked whether she will be fielded in the upcoming general election, which is widely believed to be called by mid-year, the 38-year-old declined to comment.
Over at Bukit Batok, about 100 low-income families – many of whom are long-time Bukit Batok residents – also received gift bags of wet goods and dry ingredients on March 29.
The food distribution in Bukit Batok, graced by Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai, was part of the same series of events by Jamiyah in the lead-up to the end of Ramadan.
Mr Murali, who oversees the SMC, said Jamiyah and Bukit Batok have a fairly long history as the organisation also helped set up a food bank in the ward in 2021, which supports about 400 families.
Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai at the food distribution in Bukit Batok on March 29.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
Mr Murali, who started as a community leader in Bukit Batok in 2000, said he is glad to have had the opportunity to be involved for more than 25 years.
“We’ve seen children become parents, parents become grandparents. It’s nice to see the transformation of Bukit Batok,” Mr Murali told reporters at the distribution event, at a sheltered court opposite Block 188 Bukit Batok West Ave 6.
“What is special is this kind of programme we have today, where community leaders and social service agencies work together to help the less fortunate in the true spirit of Ramadan,” he said.
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