Monitoring Sentiment towards Foreign Migrants

Ms Tan Su Shan asked the Prime Minister what more can be done to arrest the growing potential for social discord following the expression of negative sentiment towards foreign migrants.

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There have recently been occasional waves of negative sentiment towards foreign migrants, especially on the Internet. This is, in part, due to the way social media amplifies and quickly spreads negative sentiments. However, it is heartening to see that such anti-foreigner sentiments are often countered by many people who urge reasonableness and calm.

Public education has an important part to play in raising public awareness that we need to be more discerning in what we read and more responsible in how we behave on the Internet and social media. In this regard, the community and stakeholders, such as the Media Literacy Council, have an important part to play in developing programmes to promote information and media literacy. The Government is also studying how our legal framework can be enhanced, so that people can be better protected against acts of harassment and related anti-social behaviour, both in the real world and online.

Beyond these measures, it is important to sustain efforts to integrate newcomers into Singapore and promote mutual understanding between locals and foreigners. The National Integration Council (NIC) has been working with its partners to broaden and deepen our outreach to immigrants and foreigners, to help them understand and adapt to our culture and social norms. In the community, we will continue to promote volunteerism to newcomers, including in civic organisations, as well as major events like the 2015 Southeast Asian Games. Through volunteerism, new immigrants will be able to foster friendships with locals and showcase their contributions to society. In our schools, we will continue to create opportunities for all students to interact and share common experiences. We are also working with the Singapore National Employers' Federation to encourage more employers to promote integration among their employees.

Many civic groups and individuals are also doing their part to help integrate newcomers. These include Connexions International, which seeks to build friendships with international students and help them understand Singapore society. Another community organisation, the Singapore Loving and Giving Society, organised a seminar to help new immigrants and international students better understand our social norms and adapt to life in Singapore. These are just two examples of the numerous ground-up projects, supported by the NIC, that contribute to integration.

Even as we work continuously to sustain integration, there will be future occasions when the spotlight is thrown on some foreigners' comments or

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behaviour. At such times, it is our balanced responses that will be important to mitigating negative emotions and maintaining our social cohesion.