The Role of the Developmental State and Interethnic Relations in Singapore

Singapore is a city-state in Southeast Asia which, like much of the rest of the region, has a population that is ethnically and culturally diverse because of migration before and during colonial rule. Migration has continued with the rise of modern nation-statehood, particularly as the countries in the region sought to integrate more closely with the global economy. So for some centuries now, Singapore's polyglot population has lived often cheek by jowl in relatively high-density urban conditions generally without major problems. There have, however, been incidents of racial rioting that have been stimulated as much by political opportunists as well as the political tensions arising from transitional periods in the government particularly during the changeover from colonial regime to self-rule in the 1950s to the 1960s. Singapore's multi-ethnic population comprises a majority of Chinese, 77 per cent and two smaller ethnic groups, the Malays, 15 per cent and Indians 8 per cent together with other small groups like the Eurasians and Arabs. The state has played a major and dominant role in the management of interethnic relations in Singapore. This paper discusses the role that the state has played and the status of relations between the Chinese and Malays.