By Ashley Chan Li Ann

To me, the most important moment in Singapore’s history between 1959 and 2009 was the 1964 racial riots. The riots between the Chinese and the Malays caused a lot of distress and pain to all the citizens of Singapore. Many people were injured and many lives were lost. The government had to impose curfew to stop more fights breaking out.

In order to mark the importance of racial harmony, the twenty-first of July was declared Racial Harmony Day. This was to remind students of all ages about racial and religious harmony and why we must never let racial riots happen again. Singaporeans today are aware of this and understand the importance of living together peacefully. Today we have four main races: Chinese, Malays, Indians and Eurasians that all live in peace and harmony together. Now as we can now understand and accept each other’s differences and cultures, it is unlikely that the racial riots will ever happen again. The 1964 racial riots taught us to treat people of other races and religions equally, help each other and live in peace with one another. This is why I think the most important moment in Singapore’s history between 1959 to 2009 was the 1964 racial riots.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Click on the blog title to access the Thumbs Up function to vote!