ETHNIC INTEGRATION POLICY

ETHNIC INTEGRATION POLICY

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(Review): **

2.

Mr Lim Biow Chuan asked the Minister for National Development whether the Ethnic Integration Policy can be reviewed on a case by case basis when the implementation of the policy results in financial hardship to residents who cannot sell their flats to purchasers of other races.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: The Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) was introduced in 1989 to ensure a balanced mix of the various ethnic groups within HDB estates. By providing HDB residents of different

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races with more opportunities to interact, the EIP fosters ethnic tolerance and understanding, and strengthens our social cohesion and national unity.

The EIP is applied consistently to all races. Exceptions made to EIP can undermine the objective of maintaining a balanced racial mix and result in the creation of ethnic enclaves. However, HDB does exercise some flexibility under very exceptional circumstances. For example, it has allowed households of mixed marriages/parentage to be re-classified to meet the ethnic criteria.

There are a large number of resale flats available in the market, with about 30,000 transactions annually. Sellers who are realistic in their asking price should be able to find buyers from the eligible ethnic groups. There could be a small number of households that may need more time to find a suitable buyer for their flat because of the EIP. This is a small inconvenience that Singaporeans must live with to ensure racial harmony in our society.

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