Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport Murali Pillai has forcefully rebutted claims by Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) secretary-general Chee Soon Juan that the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has used race-based policies to divide the population.
Murali’s remarks, made on 2 November 2025 via Facebook, come in the wake of a public challenge from Chee to Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security K. Shanmugam for a debate on the issue.
Despite being the target of Chee’s challenge, Shanmugam has yet to issue a direct response.
Chee’s comments were made in a social media video on 17 October, following Shanmugam’s ministerial statement in Parliament on 14 October.
In the statement, Shanmugam warned against identity politics and accused SDP candidate Damanhuri Abas of using communal appeals during the May general election.
Murali, who had contested against Chee in the Bukit Batok SMC by-election in 2016 and the General Election in 2020 before the SMC was dissolved in GE2025, said Chee’s portrayal of the PAP’s policies was misleading and disregarded Singapore’s historical approach to racial harmony.
He defended measures such as the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system and the presence of ethnic-based self-help groups, arguing they are designed to preserve social cohesion, not fracture it.
He stressed that Singapore’s policies “recognise the existence of different races” and “safeguard their equality by standing against crude majoritarian rule.”
Responding to Chee’s criticism that the PAP government institutionalises race, Murali countered that ignoring racial realities would do more harm than good. He described the idea that race should be omitted from public policy as an “ostrich dream”.
He pointed to his own experience in the 2020 General Election, when his campaign poster was defaced with racially offensive imagery and insults.
The incident, he said, was a stark reminder that “race is never absent in politics,” and that multiracial harmony cannot be taken for granted.
Murali also cited examples from overseas, including the United States and parts of Europe, where efforts to move beyond race have sometimes led to increased racial tensions.
He warned against believing that societies can become race-blind simply through policy shifts, saying such aspirations must be balanced with realism.
He argued that structures like the reserved elected presidency and minority representation in Parliament are essential to ensuring that all communities have a stake in the country’s leadership.
Chee, in his original video, had argued that it was the PAP that practised identity politics.
He questioned why the government continues to emphasise race through official documents like the National Registration Identity Card (NRIC) and through state-supported community organisations such as CDAC, Mendaki, Sinda and the Eurasian Association.
He also referenced the 2017 presidential election reserved for Malay candidates, as well as the requirement for minority candidates to be “certified” before contesting in GRCs, calling these policies evidence of institutionalised racial division.
Chee contended that history disproves the PAP’s assumption that minority candidates cannot win on merit alone.
He pointed to the electoral successes of David Marshall, J.B. Jeyaretnam, and more recently, Tharman Shanmugaratnam in the 2023 presidential election.
In his challenge to Shanmugam, Chee proposed a live public debate “anytime, anywhere,” to allow Singaporeans to decide who is truly engaging in identity politics.
Meanwhile, Damanhuri Abas, the SDP candidate at the centre of the controversy, issued a statement clarifying his position.
He denied inciting racial division and argued that his remarks on “Malay dignity” were intended to highlight systemic inequities and call for inclusive, transparent policymaking.
He also proposed reforms such as depoliticising ethnic-based organisations and rethinking minority representation frameworks like GRCs. His upcoming socio-political podcast is intended to further these discussions.
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