INTER-RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONFIDENCE CIRCLES

INTER-RACIAL AND RELIGIOUS CONFIDENCE CIRCLES

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(Future relevance): **

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Mdm Ho Geok Choo asked the Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports how has the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles evolved since its formation nearly 10 years ago vis-a-vis its current role and future relevance towards the propagation of racial harmony in Singapore.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: Under the Community Engagement Programme (CEP) launched in 2006, the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) have been re-positioned as local-level inter-faith platforms that can respond quickly to incidents with racial and religious dimensions. The IRCCs have adopted a three-phase approach to build relationships (Phase I), build capabilities (Phase II) and exercise crisis response plans (Phase III).

Since 2006, the IRCCs have proactively reached out to all religious organisations in the community, and enhanced their composition. The proportion of religious organisations that are members of IRCC has increased from 18% in October 2006 to 88% at present. Through regular interactions, and joint inter-racial and inter-religious activities and community projects, the IRCCs have achieved a good level of familiarity and rapport among ethnic and religious leaders on the ground. These networks of trust facilitate the dissemination of information, and help soothe and minimise communal tension, and maintain confidence within the community in times of crisis.

IRCCs have also been provided with training to build up their capabilities and capacities, in order to carry out their CEP roles effectively. A total of 930 IRCC members had attended 36 training sessions, such as mediation and trust-building workshops, and visits/heritage trails from January 2007 to December 2009. One key new initiative in 2009 was the Media Appreciation Workshop which provided an overview of the media landscape in Singapore and its impact on racial and religious group relations. IRCC members also learnt about the role of a spokesperson and how to effectively engage the media during a crisis.

In preparation for Phase III, all IRCCs have completed at least one table-top exercise, and worked out their crisis response Standard Operating Procedures and crisis recall plans. There are regular SOP briefings and refresher sessions to ensure that IRCC members have a good grasp of their roles and responsibilities in crisis situations. In the past year, inject-based exercises were conducted at the GRC level. In addition to Crisis Mobilisation Exercises, all IRCCs will embark on region-based exercises to deal with localised crises that cover a wider geographic area.

The IRCCs will continue to evolve in order to promote racial and religious harmony, and to ensure social resilience during and in the aftermath of crises. For example, the IRCC website ( www.ircc.sg ) was launched this year to leverage on technology in building IRCCs' capabilities and communications. The IRCC website captures milestones and information on events, as well as receives feedback on issues pertaining to racial and religious communities. This Internet portal is already proving to be an effective tool to

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increase the IRCCs' impact – for outreach and engagement, to monitor ground sentiments and disseminate information effectively, especially in times of crisis.

The IRCCs will continue to be key nodes in our community that propagate and maintain racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

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