Managing potential societal fault lines

Welcome to the Year of the Snake! The first order of business this week was Parliament, which sat on Tuesday and Wednesday, and two topics that were debated at length were racial harmony in Singapore and support for families.

First, on racial harmony, a new law will empower the authorities to issue orders against anyone involved in undermining social cohesion here. While it won’t fix all racial issues, it sets out what are legally unacceptable behaviours with regard to race in Singapore.

Some may ask if it is the Government’s responsibility to enforce racial harmony. In a recently published study, about a third of 4,000 Singaporeans and permanent residents surveyed felt that the Government should take a bigger role in managing race and religion issues. Fewer than one in 10 preferred less government involvement in such matters. The full report on the survey is here, or if you have just a few moments, here are some key takeaways from the study.

Next, families. Some $7 billion will be spent on marriage and parenthood initiatives in the 2026 financial year. This was revealed in Parliament after a number of MPs called on the Government to review its policies and offered suggestions on how to better support Singaporeans starting and raising a family. And, there will likely be more help on the way for large families, with details expected in Budget 2025.

— Jaime Ho, Straits Times Editor

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For your weekend:

• Singapore theatre in 2025: 25 must-watch musicals, history plays, kids shows and more
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