How ethnic diversity is managed

Can ethnic diversity be managed?

-Building a national identity
-Safeguard the interests of the minority groups.
-Developing common space



BUILDING A NATIONAL IDENTITY


MULTI-RACIALISM

The policy of multi-racialism promotes equality among the races, with no special rights granted to any particular racial or religious group. Everyone has equal opportunities to succeed, regardless of their background. Favouring a certain group of people because of their race or religion is seen as a valued member of the Singapore society, a sense of national identity of Singaporeans is created.

*COMMON PRACTICES

Common practices are actions that Singaporeans carry out together. Singing the national anthem, taking the pledge and attending the flag raising ceremony are examples of the common practices carried out in schools. These common practices help to foster national identity. Inculcating loyalty and national pride towards Singapore is one way to get Singaporeans to see themselves as one people.

*BILINGUALISM

The policy of bilingualism was introduced in schools in 1966. Students were expected to learn English and their own Mother Tongue. With bilingualism, English is used as the language linking the different ethnic groups. Mother Tongue language is used to impart moral values and cultural traditions of each race. As English is a non-native language for all the ethnic groups, no one has an advantage over others. The use of English has helped improve communication among Singaporeans.




SAFEGUARDING THE INTERESTS OF THE MINORITY GROUPS

*MINORITY REPRESENTATION

The policy of minority representation gives minority groups a say in governance. It is also a way to safeguard the interests of the minority groups. The Presidential Council of Minority Rights(PCMR) and the Group Representation Constituency(GRC) are two examples of how representation of the minority groups is achieved.
The PCMR consists of members from minority racial and religious groups. It ensures that no racial or religious group is disadvantaged as a result of a law that is passed in Parliament.
The GRC ensures that at least one of the candidates in the team contesting in the General Election is from the minority racial communities such as Malay, Indian, Eurasian. The GRC system ensures that the minority racial groups are represented in the Parliament. In this way, the concerns and needs of the minority groups are made known to the government.

*SELF-HELP GROUPS

Chinese Development Assistance Council (CDAC), Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), Mendaki and the Eurasian Association play an important role in helping members of their community who are less fortunate to get aid in their studies and training for their jobs. Self-help groups also give moral support to members of their own community. This helps Singaporeans to cope and compete with one another on an equal footing. By doing so, people from the minority groups will be able to improve their social and economic positions in the society. Joint efforts in self-help groups have allowed students from different ethnic groups to attend the same tuition classes in tuition centres run by CDAC, Mendaki & SINDA. This provides opportunity for youths from different ethnic groups to interact and get along with one another.




DEVELOPING COMMON SPACE

*EVENTS AND PROGRAMMES ORGANISED BY GRASSROOTS ORGANISATIONS

Grassroots organisations such as People's Association (PA) create common space through their wide range of programmes and acivities developed to cater the needs and interests of every Singaporean.
One of the programmes conducted for students is a home visit or home stay opportunity with host family from another ethnic group. This allows participants to gain a better understanding of the cultures and customs of other races. With mutual respect, strong friendship can be built over time.

*OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS

Educational institutions such as schools and tertiary institutes are open to every Singaporean, regardless of race, language or religion. Students from different races and religions study together. The daily interaction that takes place among stuednts during lessons and school activities provides an opportunity for friendships to be cultivated and strengthned.
Implementation of Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) in schools helps to promote closer bonds among youths from all races. The variety of activities conducted during CCAs provides opportunities for students to work closely with and understand one another. Students from different races come together to play games and work on a task. This helps o build teamwork among them.
Students also learn to appreciate one another's talent and respect one another as individuals. Social bonds among students from the various ethnic groups are fostered through school-based activities. The more they communicate, the less the chance of fights breaking out between people.


*COMMON LIVING SPACE PROVIDED BY PUBLIC HOUSING

In the 1980s, it was observed that there were too many people from the same racial group living the same housing estate. This situation could hinder the social bonding among the people from the different races.
In 1989, the ethnic integration policy was introduced. It puts a limit on the proportion of races in every neighbourhood and block. This ensures that there is an even distribution of the different races in all the housing estates. Living together in the same neighbourhood provides opportunities for people from the different ethnic groups to interact.

*ACTIVITIES CONDUCTED BY INTER-RACIAL CONFIDENCE CIRCLES (IRCCs) AND HARMONY CIRCLES (HCs)

The IRCCs were introduced in January 2002 to provide the common space to foster greater inter-racial understanding. The activities carried out by the IRCCs such as visits to places of worship, create opportunities for Singaporeans to appreciate their differences and develop strong bonds among different ethnic and religious communities. At the workplace, these iner-racial and inter-religious activities are carried out by the HCs. All these activities help to build confidence and friendship among people.

*SHARED EXPERIENCE THROUGH NATIONAL SERVICE
Another area where common space is created for the various races to interact is National Service (NS). NS was introduced in 1967 which required all able-bodied men to serve in the defence of the coutnry. The shared experiences like going through military training help to strengthen the bond among the men.

Challenges of a multi-ethnic society

- Managing perceptions of different racial groups.
- Managing perceptions of different religious groups
- Threats from external forces


MANAGING PERCEPTIONS OF DIFFERENT RACIAL GROUPS.

The lack of understanding among the racial groups can create suspicion and unhappiness among the people. This may lead to outbreaks of violence among racial groups. In 1964, Singapore experience race riots which resulted in 36 people dead and 560 others injured.

There was an anti-PAP campaign organised by some UMNO leaders after PAP participated in the Federal Election in Malaysia. PAP called for a non-communal approach to Malaysian politics and the creation of a MAlaysia where everyone would be given equal rights and privileges. PAP's resettlement and redevelopment programme was portrayed as anti-Malay. Malay news paper, Utusan MElayu claimed that 3000 Malay families were affected by the resettlement in the area stretching from Crawford, Kampong Glam, Rochor. In reality, only 200 malay families were affected. With several meetings with Malays, UMNO managed to cost fury in the malays as they portray PAP as anti-Malay. During the celebration of Prophet Muhammad's birthday, there were tensions between the chinese and malays. This blew up into a huge racial riot and caused damage to property and lost of lives.

The race riots shows how easily peace and harmony in Singapore can be broken. Irresponsible media reporting and a trigger like the issue of race can cause suspicion, distrust, and even hostility among Singaporeans.



MANAGING PERCEPTIONS OF DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS GROUPS.

Differences in religious beliefs and practices are also issues that can be used to create tension among the people in Singapore. This was shown by the Maria Hertogh riots in 1950. The outbreak of violence left behind destruction and loss of lives.

Maria was placed under the care of a Malay lady, Aminah after her parents were imprisoned. Maria was raised as a muslim and at the age of 13, married a Malay teacher. When her parents demanded Maria to be returned to them, a court trial followed. The court decided to give custody to the Hertoghs, hence causing unhappiness among the Muslim community. The large crowd ouside the court felt that the British legal system was unfair to Muslims. This sparked off anger towards the European and Eurasian communities which resulted in the outbreak of the riots. The events throughout the court trial had a lot of media coverage in the newspapers. Muslim community were very upset and felt the welfare of Muslims was not looked into. During the riots, there was a 24 hour curfew for 2 weeks. With police forces called in to maintain peace.

This riots showed that if religious issues are not handled carefully, hostility and distrust could occur among the people, thus affecting the relationships among the different religious groups.



THREATS FROM EXTERNAL FORCES.

Transnational terrorism refers to acts of violence which are global in terms of aims, organisation and impact. These acts can test the social bonds of the people in Singapore. Singapore needs to handle this threat carefully as if can divide people. In multi-ethnic societies like Singapore, race and religion may be used to create ill feelings among the different ethnic groups, which in turn threaten racial and religious harmony in the country. In 2001, Singapore experienced the threat of transnational terrorism.

34 Jemaah Islamiyah(JI) were arrested under the Internal Security Act for their involvement in terrorist-related activities from 2001-2002. Some of the JI activities included fund-raising and the purchase of materials for making bombs. Targets in Singapore were US embassy and some government buildings such as MOE.
There were calls to political and religious leaders in Singapore for people to remain calm and be commited to living in harmony with other racial and religious groups. In a u nited voice, Muslim leaders condemned the JI group and emphasesed that it did not have the support of the Muslim community.

The mixed reaction from Singaporeans showed an urgent need to ensure that social cohesion was not affected by the JI arrests. It was crucial to ensure that the different racial and religious groups in Singapore continue to live and work harmoniously with one another.

Promote population growth

Why was there a need to promote population growth?
- Declining birth rate from the 1980s.
- Unattractive to multinational companies
- Ageing population
- Defence


DECLINING BIRTH RATE FROM THE 1980s.

-1980's, the fertility rate hit 1.82 children per woman.
-Showed that family planning policy to reduce birthrate was successful.
-Increase costs of living and marrying at later age led to the declining birth rates.
-More jobs were created in the industries,
therefore it needed a larger workforce to sustain the nation's development.
-The number of babies born were falling below the replacement value.
-There's a need to re-examine population policy,
as there may be potential problems a small population would pose.


UNATTRACTIVE TO MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES.
-With a small population Singapore would not produce enough talented people to sustain its development.
-Multinational corporations would find it difficult and more expensive to recruit Singaporeans,
as compared to the larger labour market in China.
-Singapore would be less attractive because of its smaller consumer market.


AGEING POPULATION.

-Fewer babies born each year means fewer young population.
-Number of older people proportionately larger,
leading to a ageing population.
-More resources needed to take care of the increasing number of senior citizens.
-Leading to an ageing population


DEFENCE

-Declining birthrate means fewer men to recruit for NS.
This will mean Singapore's Defence Force will be weaken.

Idioms

cost an arm and a leg -
be very expensive

These cakes are
delicious, but they cost
an arm and a leg.



keep one's chin up -
try to be cheerful

Keep your chin up. I'm
sure you'll make some
friends soon.



rule of thumb -
basic rule.

The rule of thumb is
that the students wear
black pants and white
shirts.



see eye to eye -
agree.

The couple don't see eye
to eye on how to train
their pets.



wash one's hands of something -
stop dealing with an issue or problem.

I'm washing my hands of
Mary's addiction. She is
going to have to get
some professional help.



thick in the head - not very intelligent

I'm a bit thick in the
head when it comes to
reading a map.


eager beaver -
a person who is excited about doing certain work

Ever since he got his
new drill set my husband
has been an eager beaver
around the house.



get the lion's share -
get the greatest percentage

My aunt got the lion's
share of the
inheritance.



let the cat out of the bag -
reveal a secret

Who let the cat out of
the bag about the
surprise party?



rat race -
fierce, competitive struggle for power, position etc

I'm ready to leave this
rat race and retire in
Mexico.



straight from the horse's mouth -
directly from the original source

I know Jenny is
pregnant, because I
heard it straight from
the horse's mouth.



smell a rat -
suspect

I asked my brothers not
to tell my parents that
I went out, but I could
smell a rat as soon as I
opened the door.


take the bull by the horns -
face a challenge or danger boldly

If you really think you
deserve a promotion,
you'll have to take the
bull by the horns.



cream of the crop -
the best

We hired the cream of
the crop to entertain us
at the Christmas party.



golden opportunity -
perfect chance

The models' conference
was a golden opportunity
for me to sell my beauty
products.

The High Dive

"Don't do it, Leah!" I gazed down at the clear blue water from the top of the high dive, trying hard to wash away the fears that clogged my mind. I tried to swallow the lump stuck in my throat, disintegrate the tight knot in the pit of my stomach. I couldn't. 1

The water loomed below me--it was a long way down. I glanced up and caught the look in my friends' pleading eyes. Don't do it, don't do it, their voices reverberated in my mind. I had never even wanted to do this in the first place, but it was a dare. A dare made by myself. I had been afraid of the high dive all my life. When I was little, I'd sit in the shallow end watching the older kids stand in long lines just to go on, the loud thwacks echoing though the room as their bodies hit the water, each thwack sounding of pain and discomfort to my ears. They were brave, they were more courageous than I and I had always felt small next to them. This was something I had to do, to prove to everyone--and to prove to me--who I really was, that I was not a coward. 2

I looked behind me to to see a line of kids formed by the stepladder, with impatient glares crossing their faces. They waited.3

They were waiting for me, I realized. I peered down at my friends once more. They watched intently. Maybe I don't have to do this, I thought to myself. Maybe there was still just enough time to climb down, return to the wonderful comfort of standing on real ground. No, I couldn't do that. I'd be Leah the Small for the rest of my life, I'd be Leah the Chicken, Leah the Coward. I couldn't back away when I was so close. I couldn't.4

Squeezing my eyes shut, I took one trembling step and jumped. When I opened them again, I was falling toward the water, and for that split moment of my life, I felt my heart lift with limitless power, I felt wonderfully brave. I felt I was riding on golden wings, soaring through clouds and serenading the world below. For that split moment, I felt free. Then, thwack! and the feeling was--as if it were never there--completely gone.

A Mother's Love

Nothing can come close to the love that a mother feels for her children. Most women are inherently excellent mothers. Women carry their young before they are born and then continue to nurture them throughout their childhood and even into adulthood. Mothers make sure that their children are safe and happy throughout their childhood. It is the unconditional love that a mother feels that drives these feelings. It is hard to describe the feeling that a mother has towards her children. In fact, most people do not understand unless they become a mother themselves. Raising children comes with its own share of frustrations, from the needy new born baby that requires regular care to the sullen teenager, a mother's job is anything but easy. A famous saying states that "God could not be everywhere and so he invented mothers", these words are a great inspiration to mothers across the world. When all is well, a mother puts her children before anything else, including their own comfort and happiness.

Mothers give an awful lot of support to their children, whether it involves very visible support or simple background encouragement. Not only do mothers support their children, but they also often hold the whole family structure together. This role is not always plain sailing. A mother can also be upset or hurt. Remember that a mother often takes the fallout for the toddler tantrums and the teenage angst. Despite this, mothers, generally, will love their children no matter what they do.

Mothers are meant to be the cheerleaders of their kids, sometimes in loud and visible ways, sometimes in sublet or unspoken ways in the background. Mothers are often the backbone of families. Mothers job is not always an easy one. Mothers have to make sacrifices. Mothers can have their hearts broken. Mothers must be the conscience of young children and are often the brunt of their anger and pain as they grow into adulthood. The great thing about mothers is that they usually understand and love their kids anyways.

Every year there is a day set aside to celebrate the role of a mother. Unsurprisingly, the day is called Mother's day. This day is a great opportunity for children of all ages to show their appreciation for the work of a mother. Gifts and cards, often handmade with care, are given as a sign of love.

Every year there is one special day put aside for mothers. What else could it be called but "Mothers Day."? This is the day that sons and daughters who are grown make the long distance calls or take their moms out for dinner. Mother's Day is a special day when mom gets the flowers she deserves. Mother's Day is a day when children stop and say thank you to mom for all she has done over the years. Young children make mothers homemade cards that bring tears to mother's eyes and make her realize that it is all worth it.

Describing a mother's love is virtually impossible. It is a feeling that can only truly be understood by those that experience it. In time, a mother's daughters will grow up to be mothers themselves.

Never underestimate the influence that a mother has over a child. It may not always appear this way, but children look to their mother for guidance on how they should deal with situations. On the rare occasions that a mother is unable to look after their children, maybe through illness or death, it can have a tragic impact on the life of the children.

Mothers have incredible power over their children that they must be respect. It is a tragedy for a child when the mother is not someone who looks after the child properly. It is a tragedy when a child or children lose their mother's at a young age.

ROCKY

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows.
It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life.

But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done.

Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth.
But you gotta be willing to take the hits.

And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that!" (Rocky Balboa)

PE THEORY

SKILL: Ability to use knowledge of expertise to succeed efficiently and effectively in achieving a particular objective.

REACTION TIME: Ability to respond quickly to stimuli

COORDINATION: Ability to use the senses and body parts in order to perform motor tasks smoothly and accurately.

SPEED: Ability to perform a movement quickly

POWER: Ability to transfer energy swiftly into force

AGILITY: Ability to rapidly and accurately change the direction of the entire body in space

BALANCE: Ability to maintain equilibrium while standing or moving.


HEALTH: A complete state of Physical, Mental & Social well-bring and not merely the absence of disease of infirmity.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH: Ability to exert an external force or to lift a heavy weight.

BODY COMPOSITION: Relative percentage of muscle, fat, bone & other tissues of which the body is composed.

CARDIOVASCULAR ENDURANCE: Ability of the heart, blood vessels & respiratory system to supply fuel & oxygen to the muscles

MUSCULAR ENDURANCE: Ability of the muscles to repeatedly exert themselves

FLEXIBILITY: Having a wide range of motion in a joint.


VO2 MAX: The maximum amount of oxygen we can transport and use in one minute [ml/kh/min]

CREATINE PHOSPHATE : ATP ----> ADP + ENERGY

ANAEROBIC SYSTEM : GLUCOSE ----> ENERGY + LACTIC ACID

AEROBIC SYSTEM : GLUCOSE + OXYGEN ----> ENERGY + CO2 + H20

MOTIVATION: The drive to do well.

AROUSAL: State of readiness of the performer.

ANXIETY: The physiological state of Fear, Apprehension & Worry.

FITNESS: Ability to meet the demands of the environment.


CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: The system that controls circulation of blood and transport of oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body.

ARTERIES: Vessels which carry blood away from the heart.

VEINS: Vessels which carry blood back to the heart.

CAPILLARIES: Network of small vessels through which blood passes.


HEART RATE: Number of pulses our heart beats per minute [75bpm]

STROKE VOLUME: Volume of blood ejected from the heart in one minute [ml/beat]

CARDIAC OUTPUT: Volume of blood ejected from left ventricle in one minute [l/min]

BLOOD PRESSURE: Pressure needed to pump blood around the human body.

MAXIMUM HEART RATE: Maximum number of heart beats per minute [220 - age ]

RESPIRATION: Transporting oxygen to the cells of the body while removing waste products such as CO2.

OXYGEN DEBT: The supply of oxygen is greater than the demand.

MUSCULAR STRENGTH: Ability to exert an external force or lift a heavy weight.

PHYSIQUE: The size and weight of the body with regard of its composition such as muscle and fat.

SOMATO TYPES: Classifying the human body according to certain basic shape and built.

FAT-FREE WEIGHT: Weight of the body excluding fat but including organs.

DOPING: Illegal use of a drug to enhance sporting performance.

DRUGS: Usually used to treat illnesses but misused by athletes in order to artificially boost performance.

EXERCISE: Physical activity that improves health and fitness

SPORT: Organised contests involving physical activity between individuals / teams.

LEISURE: Free time in which you can choose what to do and when and where to do it.

RECREATION: Enjoyable activity that refreshes you and gives you more energy.

STRESS: Tension in the body and mind.

OPEN SPORT: Allows both amatuers and professionals to compete against one another.