Law to safeguard social cohesion to take effect on Sept 15

SINGAPORE – A law that consolidates existing statutes to preserve racial harmony while providing for additional safeguards will come into operation on Sept 15.

At the same time, a new Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony (PCRRH) will begin its inaugural three-year term, replacing the previous Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.

The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act was passed by Parliament on Feb 4, 2025, and empowers the Government to issue restraining orders (ROs) against individuals involved in making content that prejudices Singapore’s racial harmony.

It also introduces a community remedial initiative, which gives those who have committed less egregious race-related offences a chance to mend community ties in lieu of prosecution.

In a statement on Sept 14, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the new law strengthens Singapore’s ability to preserve racial harmony, respond effectively to emerging threats, and safeguards the city-state’s multicultural society against malicious foreign influence.

The Act takes close reference from the existing Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA) which, besides providing for powers to issue ROs, requires religious groups here to comply with leadership restrictions and to declare foreign funding and affiliations with foreign groups.

The racial harmony law means that some 300 clan and business associations here that have been designated as “race-based entities” are subjected to similar disclosures. MHA said it will guide designated entities on their reporting requirements ahead of their first reporting obligation in April 2028.

At the Feb 2025 debate over the law, then Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam told Parliament that the best evidence for how the authorities are likely to use the new powers is to look at its use of the MRHA, which was enacted in 1990.

Shanmugam noted that no orders have been issued under the MRHA to date, but the legal framework means everyone understands what is not allowed in Singapore.

“That gives you an indication of how the Government approaches these powers. The important thing is to have the powers, but also to be very, very careful and judicious in how you use them,” he said then.

Under the new law, the Minister for Home Affairs can issue ROs against individuals who produce, distribute, or communicate content that prejudices racial harmony.

A person issued an RO could be prohibited from from communicating or distributing specified material and to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that such material is no longer available to the general public in Singapore, among other things.

After an RO is issued, it must be sent to the PCRRH for review, and any persons subject to an RO may make representations to the council.

The PCRRH’s independent recommendation on the RO will thereafter be sent to the President, followed by the Cabinet’s advice to the President.

The President must then consider the council’s recommendation, along with Cabinet’s advice, before deciding whether to cancel, confirm or vary the RO. The President must act in accordance with Cabinet’s advice, but he has discretion if the Cabinet disagrees with the PCRRH.

On Sept 14, the President’s Office announced that President Tharman Shanmugaratnam had appointed the PCRRH, which will comprise of 12 representatives.

The council will be chaired by retired Supreme Court judge Choo Han Teck, and its members are:

• Seck Kwang Phing, president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation

• K. Sengkuttuvan, chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board and president of the Inter-Religious Organisation

• Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Mufti of Singapore

• Philip Lim Kian Leong, president of the National Council of Churches of Singapore

• William Goh, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Singapore

• Sarbjit Singh, president of Defence Aerospace, ST Engineering

• Lee Cheuk Yin, academic adviser of the Taoist Federation and Taoist Mission

• Thomas Chua Kee Seng, president of the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations

• Ishak Ismail, Singapore’s Non-Resident High Commissioner to Pakistan

• Bala Reddy, former deputy chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board

• Sandra Theseira, former president of the Eurasian Association

The President’s Office said the PCRRH comprises representatives from Singapore’s major racial and religious communities, and persons who have distinguished themselves in public service or community relations in Singapore.

“Once appointed, their responsibility is to exercise independent judgment and work collectively with other members in advising on matters affecting the maintenance of racial and religious harmony in Singapore,” it added.

There are four returning members from the previous Presidential Council for Religious Harmony: Seck, Nazirudin, Goh and Lee.

A 2024 study by the Institute of Policy Studies and racial harmony advocacy group OnePeople.sg found that more people here rated the the nation’s state of harmony as high or very high. Levels of trust among people of different races had also risen compared to the previous study in 2019.

However, minorities continued to experience more incidents of racial discrimination at work. There were also more respondents in the 2024 study who felt that there should be greater government involvement in managing issues of race and religion here.

At the Feb 2025 parliamentary debate, Shanmugam said the law was important to provide a framework and to help entrench a set of values into society over time.

But racial harmony cannot be achieved by the law alone, which is why the Republic has a multi-faceted programme of policies and community activities where people can celebrate each other’s festivals and interact with each other frequently.

“That is one of the secret sauces that make Singapore successful,” said the minister.