SINGAPORE: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chair Paul Tambyah has called the Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) system of ethnic classification “really outdated,” asserting that it emphasises divisions instead of promoting unity, in a recent social media video.
The CMIO system is a long-standing framework that the government uses in formulating social policies. As the country has become more diverse, however, there have been calls for it to be revised.
In a video he posted on TikTok on June 22, Dr Tambyah pointed out that the CMIO system has its roots in “the colonial divide and rule approach,” as he highlighted its exclusionary nature. There are significant communities in Singapore, he said, that are excluded from the framework, including the Armenians, Arabs, and Jews.
Furthermore, he criticized the way the ruling People’s Action Party has used the framework. “To dole out self-help through ethnic-based self-help groups is also very divisive resulting in duplication and (a) disproportionate allocation of resources.”
@paultambyah Is CMIO categorisation still relevant today? I have discussed it in my video! #teamSDP #politics #sgpolitics #xyzbca #fypsg #fypシ゚viral #elections #makeitviral #singaporeelections #GE2024 #GE2025 #viral #fyp
Dr Tambyah then went on to say that if the SDP is voted into Parliament, they will raise questions regarding the rationale behind keeping “a very narrowly defined race,” since, at present, one can only choose between Chinese, Malay, Indian, and Others on his or her identity card.
He added that the question is particularly timely since there is now a high percentage of interethnic marriages in Singapore. In 2022, about one in every six marriages were between couples of different ethnicities. He ended his video by saying, “We want to be one united people, regardless of race and religion, to build a democratic Singapore, not divided up.”
Commenters on the SDP chair’s video tended to agree with him that the framework needs to be reviewed. A number of them expressed the wish to see him and the party in Parliament.
Over on Reddit, where the video was shared, a user on the platform argued that opposition figures such as Dr Tambyah should focus on more “important” matters such as people’s livelihood, or bread and butter issues that the “common folk” worry about.
Another disagreed with this view, however, writing, “This does indirectly affect one’s livelihood, a large amount of resources is used for identifying and sorting people into these groups. Also, different races get unequal amounts of benefits which also affect one’s livelihood. While it may not affect your livelihood, it does certainly affect others.” /TISG
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