Social cohesion takes long time to build, can be broken if not careful: Josephine Teo

SINGAPORE: Singapore’s social cohesion has taken a long time to build; hence, people should not allow anyone to cast doubt about its multicultural identity, said Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo on Saturday (Jun 6).

“We must always remember that the cohesion we have in our society is very precious. It has taken a very long time to build up, it can be broken if we are not careful. 

“Stay alert and make sure that we don’t allow anyone to cast doubt on our national unity,” she added.

Mrs Teo was speaking to reporters after the authorities ordered three social media sites to block access to 14 posts on their platforms.

The posts contained problematic narratives seeking to target the Indian community and undermine Singapore’s model of multiculturalism, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.

The content likely originated from a China-based platform, and was subsequently carried on other platforms and websites, according to Investigations by the police and MHA.

Mrs Teo, who was attending the Jalan Besar Family Sports Carnival in Zhongshan Park, said she had seen the videos.

“These videos did not originate from Singapore; they do not reflect the views of Singaporeans,” she said.