Don’t let terrorists rob us of our normalcy: Chan
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing (centre) said preparing the community to be psychologically prepared before and after an attack is paramount. PHOTO: Wee Teck Hian
SINGAPORE — With the Republic facing imminent security threats and new fault lines looming on the horizon, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing stressed that community harmony and national unity would serve as one of the important pillars of defence during a crisis.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the People’s Association National Day observance ceremony yesterday, Mr Chan, who is the deputy chairman of the PA, said the most important factor in countering terrorism is not just dealing with bomb threats — a task for agencies such as the Home Team to tackle — but in mobilising the community to be psychologically prepared, before and after terror incidents happen.
“(We need to) make sure that no one sows the seed of discord and distrust (before such attacks happen), and in the (aftermath), we must not let terrorists rob us of the normalcy,” said Mr Chan, whose comments came on the heels of reports that Indonesian authorities had arrested six terror suspects who were planning to fire a rocket from Batam at Singapore’s Marina Bay.
He added that PA would be partnering with the Home Team closely to support the SG Secure national movement, which aims to sensitise, train and mobilise Singaporeans to play a part in preventing, and dealing with, a terrorist attack.
Going beyond tackling religious and racial diversity, Singapore is also faced with new fault lines, such as finding common ground with those of “different perspectives, world views, value systems, fears and concerns”, Mr Chan noted.
To deal with these new challenges, groups such as the PA — which Mr Chan likened to being part of the country’s “nervous system” — would step up their efforts in “consciously” walking the ground and reaching out to groups beyond its current networks.
“We need to bring (people with different value systems and perspectives) on board ... If not, we will be isolated in our own respective communities or value systems, without coming together to see the bigger picture.”
Mr Chan also pointed to how communities banded together in the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris and Sydney.
“Despite the challenges, they pulled together tighter ... This sends a strong and powerful signal to those who mean us harm ... that even though you break our bones, shed our blood, we are not letting you rob us of our normalcy ... That is the kind of response we want from the communit’y,” he said.
Five hundred PA staff came together for the observance ceremony, dressed in varying shades of red and white, and belted out National Day songs. One of them, Mr Zul’Irfan Zullkefle, 38, constituency director of Serangoon constituency office, noted that some residents had expressed concerns about how the Batam terrorist case could affect Singapore, and about potential extremists.
“But, as a whole, they know Singapore has a strong foundation, so they are not too worried … As a leader, we tell them to rally together, don’t let all this extremism affect us,” he said.
