Shanmugam Defends CMIO Model, Warns of Negative Impact if Abandoned

K. Shanmugam, the Minister for Home Affairs and Law, strongly defended Singapore’s Chinese-Malay-Indian-Others (CMIO) framework on Wednesday (5th February), asserting that it has played a crucial role in promoting racial harmony and social cohesion within the country. His comments came in response to a parliamentary query from Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Leong Mun Wai, who asked about the government’s stance on reviewing the CMIO model.

Shanmugam’s remarks followed statements by Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Edwin Tong, during an Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) conference last month, where Tong suggested that the CMIO framework should be regularly assessed to keep up with Singapore’s evolving multicultural landscape. In his parliamentary reply, Shanmugam emphasised that the model continues to be effective in enabling the government to craft race-based policies and initiatives that target specific community needs, ensure the protection of minority rights, and encourage integration.

Among these initiatives is the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP), which draws from the CMIO framework to maintain a balanced racial mix in public housing estates, ensuring that communities remain diverse and cohesive.

While acknowledging criticisms that the framework might be “overly simplistic and rigid,” Shanmugam cited a 2021 IPS study showing that 87 per cent of respondents still regarded race as a significant part of their identity. Additionally, a 2021 CNA-IPS survey revealed that more than 60 per cent of Singaporeans believed the CMIO model to be effective in preserving racial harmony, with many advocating for its continuation.

“If we were to abandon the framework, we could see worse outcomes,” Shanmugam cautioned, pointing to international examples of racial issues arising from different models. He referenced the racial tensions in France, where race-based data collection has been banned since 1978. While he refrained from drawing a direct connection between this ban and France’s current racial challenges, Shanmugam highlighted that not tracking race-related data impedes the ability to fully understand and address the issues faced by different racial groups.

“Our approach, which incorporates multiculturalism and multiracialism with both the data and framework in place, has served us well,” Shanmugam affirmed. “That said, as Minister Edwin Tong noted, we remain committed to periodically reviewing the CMIO framework to ensure its relevance in today’s society.”

Shanmugam also questioned the motives behind Leong’s critique of the framework, recalling that the Progress Singapore Party, led by Leong, had previously criticised the EIP in Parliament. Leong’s party has been accused of making racially insensitive comments related to the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA). In his defence, Leong clarified that while his party supports the EIP, they believe it may create economic disadvantages for minority groups.