I grew up with the blind spot of majority, not Chinese privilege, says actor Tay Ping Hui, Singapore News & Top Stories

SINGAPORE – What is Chinese privilege? A majority blind spot for understanding other races, an incomprehensible etiquette for the elderly, a problem best explained by social mobility, a failure given the history of the Chinese community to help other ethnic groups.

These are just a few points raised by three Chinese men – actor Tay Ping Hui, Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations president Tan Aik Hock and lawyer Hee Theng Fong – during a dialogue on Saturday, July 24 on the role of their community in sustaining Singapore’s multicultural fabric.

Hosted by the Government’s Feedback Unit Reach and Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao, the discussion also included the Minister of Law and Home Affairs, K. Shanmugam, and the Senior Minister of State for National Development and Foreign Affairs. , Sim Ann.

Singapore Press Holdings’ Chinese media group NewsHub political editor Ho Sheo Be was the moderator of the hybrid event that mixed physical panelists with virtual attendees.

In his introduction, Mr. Tay explained that having grown up in a Mandarin-speaking home and attended a Special Assistance Plan (SAP) school where he studied Chinese literature, more than 90% of his friends were Chinese – at least until he goes to college, college and then national service.

“I was very comfortable, with everyone around me Chinese. I thought I probably didn’t need to know the other races,” he said in Mandarin. “That doesn’t mean I had Chinese privilege, but I have to admit I had a majority blind spot.”

It was only after being called racially discriminatory names when living abroad that he realized what minorities in Singapore must feel, Tay said as he urged the Chinese community here to open his mind to understand other cultures and their points of view.

Mr. Shanmugam later described Mr. Tay’s experience as swimming in pools that are not very large. “We tend to meet people of similar social status, similar race, at work and so on,” he said. “When you are one of the 75% (Chinese), it is not easy for you to understand the disadvantages that minorities face, and you may also not realize the advantages of being part of a majority. “

Mr. Hee, of the Harry Elias Partnership, said Chinese Singaporeans who experienced separation from Malaysia would not understand the label of privilege. “I have a lot of friends who went from Chinese schools to English schools and had to adapt to learn in English. There were also limits in career development at that time, and a lot of people were disappointed and had grievances, ”he explained.

Mr. Hee said the issues raised by proponents of Chinese privilege could be best addressed through the prism of mobility. “Look, for example, at the rift between rich and poor. It happens in any country. It’s not a racial issue, it’s a matter of meritocracy,” he said.

“Most importantly, we need a stable and harmonious society, without which the majority advantage or the minority disadvantage or whatever will be empty talk.”

Mr. Tan said the Chinese community and its clan associations have been working on this front for some 200 years now.

After Singapore’s independence, some clan associations and temples established schools which opened their doors to different ethnic groups.

“The leaders of the Chinese community then focused on building our country,” Tan said. “They looked at our country as a whole and pooled their resources to contribute to society as a whole. There have been no exceptions or privileges granted to the Chinese.”

More recently, clan associations have undertaken community work – during the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, donations were made to institutions and individuals of all stripes, regardless of their ethnicity.

“As Singapore has progressed over the years, the Chinese community has played a very active role in promoting racial harmony, but it is done quietly,” Tan said. “After so many years it has become a habit and I hope this habit will continue.”