Meritocracy Is Under Siege From Identity Politics
Meritocracy is under siege in Singapore. To put it simply, meritocracy means that every person is rewarded for his or her hard work and talent regardless of background. For Singapore, meritocracy is central to its nation-building philosophy. Despite its imperfections, meritocracy has brought lasting social mobility to Singapore since independence.
While some people who criticize meritocracy are reasonable, there is a trend of focusing on one’s identity over their merit. They downplay the achievements of others simply because of their background and identity. Some even go as far as to say that they do not deserve any recognition because of it. In other words, this anti-meritocratic virus has spread across various segments of the public sphere. Symptoms of this virus are most visible on social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter etc.
Most worryingly if this trend continues unchecked, it will erode the public trust in a fundamental cornerstone of Singaporean society. We can already see this mindset taking root among younger people on some segments of social media who often focus on the colour of one’s skin to determine if they deserve their achievements or not. If this continues, Singapore will evolve into an identity-obsessed society where one’s hard work will no longer be celebrated.
WHY IS ANTI-MERITOCRACY A VIRUS?
While these sentiments are not new, they have found new life in the online sphere and are increasingly exploited by politicians. A new variant of this virus is driven by ‘woke activism’, where whether one deserves their opportunities or achievements are viewed through race, sex, or ethnicity rather than merit.
For them, Singapore’s brand of meritocracy is a racist ideology adopted by the PAP to oppress minorities. Ironically, main supporters of such ideas come from intellectual elites such as professors or students at prestigious universities. For example, ‘New Naratif’, an alternative journalism platform run by historian PJ Thum, spreads very unsettling ideas about meritocracy.
In an article they published in February 2021, an SMU professor argued that meritocracy in Singapore is a racist system. While every system has its flaws, saying that meritocracy is intentionally engineered by the PAP to oppress minorities does not reflect reality. It is a bogus claim that seeks to spread anti-meritocratic views and to fester distrust between Singaporeans and the government, especially minorities. According to Census 2020, the Malay community has made ‘significant strides Malays and fared well in global education test’ (Straits Times, 19 June 2021).
Clearly, the Malay community is not prevented from making progress due to the meritocracy system. If anything, it has and will continue to make progress under it. Important to note, the Indian community has materially outperformed the Chinese majority. Speaking of material progress, Census 2020 reveals that the average monthly income of an Indian household has increased from $8,271 in 2010 to $11,688 in 2020. In comparison, the average monthly income of a Chinese household was $7,926 in 2010 and $10,812 in 2020. This is strong evidence that meritocracy in Singapore affords economic progress and dignified living to all communities.
POLITICS OF THE ANTI-MERITOCRATIC VIRUS
Despite the facts, politicians continue to play into anti-meritocratic sentiments. This virus has been intentionally spread by politicians who aim to divide Singapore based on nationality. One such politician is NCMP Leong Mun Wai from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP). In September 2020, Mr Leong expressed his disappointment in parliament that the DBS had not appointed a ‘homegrown’ CEO, referring to the man’s Indian origin.
To question one’s fitness for a particular role based on identity markers such as nationality or race is just laughable. It is not only anti-meritocratic but xenophobic and racist. Mr Gupta had naturalized as a Singaporean citizen when he was appointed DBS’s CEO and is widely known for his corporate management experience.
As an opposition politician, Mr Leong stands to gain politically from anti-foreigner sentiments given his party’s stand on foreign talent. However, consciously spreading xenophobia and the anti-meritocratic virus is not healthy for the political discourse in this country. The implications of this virus will do a great disservice to people who work very hard to be where they are today. Success stories should not be dismissed merely because of one’s identity.
SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE ANTI-MERITOCRATIC VIRUS
The anti-meritocratic virus is dangerous to minorities too. Capable LGBT persons are under attack because of their sexual orientation. This should not be happening in Singapore, where we judge a person’s credentials based on their abilities, not their identity.
On December 7th, 2021, a Facebook page by the name of ‘Fikrah Siyasah’ showed signs of the anti-meritocratic virus. The administrator of this page, Zulfikar Shariff, put up a post questioning MUIS’s selection criterion for its scholarship recipients. Zulfikar did so because he was upset that MUIS had given a post-graduate scholarship to a recipient who was allegedly gay.
The recipient had received this scholarship a few years back. As a statutory board under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), MUIS is obligated to observe the ethos of meritocracy. Like other government scholarships, MUIS would have and should award the scholarship based on objective qualifications, not based on a person’s private life or inclinations.
Unfortunately, this virus has also infested others in the community, and he was not alone in his views. Zulfikar aims to undermine people’s confidence in MUIS, MCCY and the very bedrock of our nation-building philosophy. Not only is this episode a sinister attack on meritocracy, it was also an attack on diversity in Singapore. These are the two ingredients which have made Singapore one of the most stable and diverse societies in the world.
As Minister Shanmugam asserted more than once, no one should be ostracized due to their sexuality. In Singapore, everyone, regardless of their identity, should be respected and rewarded according to their hard work. I wonder if Zulfikar would support a government scholarship being denied to a Malay person because of their race.
VACCINE AGAINST THE ANTI-MERITOCRATIC VIRUS?
The vaccine against this virus cannot be developed by Pfizer or Moderna. It can only be uniquely developed by us, Singaporeans who have a great stake in the success of this country. Singaporeans must speak up against people who show symptoms of this anti-meritocratic virus. The government can make laws against hate speech, unfair employment practices and discrimination. In fact, the government has formulated them and will continue to strengthen them.
Source: Straits Times
As alluded to by Minister Ong, all political parties likewise must fight this anti-meritocratic virus. As politicians, they must be the front-liners in the fight against this highly infectious virus. Most importantly, the resolve of Singaporeans to fight against this virus is the only permanent and enduring vaccine.
We must oppose anti-meritocratic rhetoric spewed by those like Zulfikar Shariff and Mr Leong. Remember the fight against the current COVID-19 pandemic will pass but no number of ‘booster jabs’ can save us from this anti-meritocratic virus if we are not united in our opposition against those who seek to divide us based on our identity.
*Muhd Assad, 28, is an educator. He has a Masters degree in Asian Studies from RSIS and a Bachelors degree from NUS in Political Science.
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