Muslim group wants body to be set up to handle discrimination cases

SINGAPORE — Expressing concern over what seems to be an increase in the number of discriminatory practices against minority races and foreign communities in Singapore, the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) has called for a central body to be formed to resolve, mediate and prevent such incidents.

The AMP’s board of directors issued a statement on this suggestion on Wednesday (May 4) noting that there is currently no publicly available data tracking such cases or how they are resolved eventually.

Incidents of discrimination can cause “irreparable tears to our social fabric”, not least when anecdotal reports of cases get circulated on social media, which can “quickly elicit views and reactions that may polarise various segments of our society”, it added.

AMP’s statement came after a Malay woman said last week she was discriminated against when she applied for a job at PrimaDeli bakery. According to the woman, an employee of the bakery had made racist remarks about Malay people. She added that the employee also asked her if she could speak Chinese because it was how most of the workers communicated. 

The company subsequently sacked the employee responsible for the discriminatory act.

In response to queries, the AMP said its suggestion was not a direct response to that incident, nor was it only concerned with job-related incidents or cases involving the Malay community here. Rather, it felt that collecting data on such incidents and the consequent reparative actions taken are important for coming up with ways to reduce or eliminate similar incidents. 

Otherwise, when informal accounts of such incidents, which can be outside of job-related matters, such as in education or social interactions, are circulated widely on social media, people may sensationalise the issues and cause polarisation of views, it added.

AMP suggested that its proposed central body to deal with discrimination matters can comprise stakeholders from the Government, private and independent bodies. 

In the meantime, the Government could also give existing organisations such as the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP), Inter Religious Organisation (IRO) and OnePeople.sg more powers to deal with discriminatory practices and actions.

“It is critical for the issue of discrimination to be swiftly managed and for preventive strategies to be developed,” AMP said. “This will ensure that the racial and religious harmony we have so carefully preserved over the last five decades will not be disrupted, which may otherwise cause long-term concerns for our society.” 

Responding to TODAY’s queries, TAFEP said the AMP’s proposal stems from a desire to create a more inclusive society, which is “aligned with TAFEP’s mission to promote the adoption of fair, responsible and progressive employment practices”. It said besides educating employers on how to have fair employment practices, it also advises and helps individuals who have encountered workplace discrimination.