'We must never allow race or religion to be used as political tools': Masagos

Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli spoke to the press on Apr. 26 at Tampines Avenue 4 on the importance of maintaining harmony in Singapore.

Masagos is also the Minister-in-Charge of Muslim Affairs.

S'pore's harmony didn't come easy

Masagos, who is anchoring the People's Action Party's Tampines GRC team, said that "Singapore's harmony didn't come easy."

That harmony was built over decades, with constant give and take and "a shared will to move forward together."

He said such harmony is "precious and rare" and must "never be taken for granted".

Singaporeans' shared identity "must always come first".

Multiracialism and mutual respect in particular, he said, were the reasons why Singapore had peace, stability, and progress; it was not just based on ideals.

"That is why we must never allow race or religion to be used as political tools."

Disagreement must never become division

Masagos then warned, "It's even more dangerous when foreign elements interfere during our GE and use divisive language. It chips away at the trust we've worked so hard to build".

Acknowledging that Singaporeans would always have different views, especially on global issues, he said disagreement must never become division.

Masagos noted that in other places, minorities struggled to worship freely, even Muslims.

The trust between communities in Singapore, he said, meant that Muslims could "live and worship with confidence", building mosques in the heartlands.

Masagos said that when a new college for Islamic studies was announced during the 2024 National Day Rally, the whole nation applauded.

"That's the Singapore spirit. That's how we grow stronger together".

Foreign influence

Masagos is in the midst of a four-way fight in Tampines GRC.

His comments come as the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Election Department Singapore (ELD) identified three foreigners said to be attempting to influence Singaporean voters in the 2025 General Election.

The comments expressed criticism related to race and religion, targeted at Singaporean MPs.

MHA and ELD issued a joint statement which cautioned about the dangers of mixing religion and politics, saying that Singapore was a secular state, and that "bringing religion into politics will undermine social cohesion and harmony".

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has issued Corrective Directions to Meta, the parent company of the social media site Facebook, where some of the comments were made.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong commented on the issue, calling it a "matter of national interest", and adding that such online activity "crosses the line".

He also highlighted that identity politics has no place in Singapore, and called for all parties to make their positions clear on such matters of foreign interference and identity politics.

Top image via Mothership