Singapore launches new racial harmony law and inaugural council on Sep 15

The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act becomes law on Sep 15, creating a Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony and granting the home affairs minister authority to issue restraining orders against content that threatens racial cohesion.

Effective Sep 15, Singapore's Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act replaces the previous religious-harmony framework with a dedicated law that empowers the home affairs minister to serve immediate restraining orders on anyone producing or distributing material that prejudices racial harmony. The act also establishes the Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony, whose three-year term begins with former Supreme Court judge Choo Han Teck as chairman and a slate of representatives from major faiths and community groups, such as Seck Kwang Phing, K Sengkuttuvan, Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Philip Lim, William Goh, Sarbjit Singh, Lee Cheuk Yin, Thomas Chua, Ishak Ismail, Bala Reddy and Sandra Theseira.

The council will advise the president on restraining orders and other harmony-related issues, while constitutional changes let the president refuse appointments that clash with the Minority Rights Council's advice. The legislation updates race-related offences, adds defences similar to those in the Religious Harmony Act, and introduces a Community Remedial Initiative allowing offenders to undergo remedial training instead of prosecution, except for severe cases.

Safeguards against foreign influence require designated race-based entities to disclose overseas funding and leadership, with the minister able to issue foreign-influence restraining orders. A minority of Workers' Party MPs, led by Sylvia Lim, opposed the constitutional amendment that expands presidential powers.