CMIO framework Flashcards
(5 cards)
What is the CMIO system?
The CMIO system is a way of categorising the population according to the major races present in Singapore
- Chinese
-Malay
-Indians
- Others
Originated from the British colonial where Singapore was developed as a trading port.
Migrant group from around the world were invited.
Raffles Town Plan: large enclaves that did not interact with one another —> lesser interaction —> friction among racial groups —> which can be a possible reason to racial riots that happened in the 1900s.
Historical origins of the CMIO system:
Singapore’s first census in 1871 had 33 ethnic categories
Was simplified to 6 in 1921: Europeans, Eurasians, Malays, Chinese, Indians and Others
Eventually collapsed Europeans and Eurasians into Others, resulting in CMIO in 1970 census –> where Europeans and Eurasians perhaps due to minority in terms of its numbers, resulted them in being conflated in the category of others.
How is the CMIO categorisation used today?
Mainly used by the government to make policy decisions as a means of governing the population (the vast racially diverse population in Singapore.
One way it is used is the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system:
The locals and specifically the interest from different races is represented by a group of politicians –> when voted in , they will play a crucial role in the decision making and policy in the parliament
- at least one member of the GRC is from a minority ethnic community (malay or indian) so that the interest of the minority group is represented.
Ethnic integration neighbourhoods
Since 1989, the racial quota in each Housing and Development Board (HDB) block and estate has been controlled to broadly reflect Singapore’s racial proportion under the Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP).
In our housing policy
- ethnic integration policy (EIP)
within each HDB block as well as each neighbourhood
- there will be quotas put in place for each of the major groups
- around 85% has to be Chinese
- about 13% have to be ethnically Indian
- about 22 % have to be ethnically Malay
These quotas are put in place to
- prevent the build-up of ethnic enclaves and to ensure more authentic interaction between neighbours of different backgrounds
–> this was also put in place by the government due to earlier instances where the HDB system was being used, where large neighbourhoods often saw the presence of one major ethnic group. In 1970, hougang was predominantly made up of chinese residents whereas in neighbourhoods like Bedok and Tampines, in the past, at least more than half of the residents that stayed in HDB were from the Malay ethnic groups
According to “The Policies that Shaped a multiracial nation” by Today Online, “the policy has largely met its aim, with every neighbourhood here a microcosm of society at large. Not only have residents of all races formed strong neighbourly ties, they have largely accommodated each other’s practices and customs, such as the burning of incense or the holding of wedding celebrations.
Even though the CMIO system plays very much in the fabric of social life and political life in Singapore, we can see that important policy decisions are made based on these categorisation.
What are some issues and things that we have to consider that arise from the CMIO system?
Issues that arise when labels are attached to ethnic groups from statistics published on the newspaper and online for the public:
Statistics shows the highest qualification attainment for each racial group:
- we can see that from each ethnic group, there is a general increase in educational level especially for university qualifications and lesser and lesser people are limiting themselves to below secondary level of education, more and more people are gaining university degrees. However, certain people may pick out that Indian has the least % of the number of people having the qualification below secondary in 2020 (18.3%) as compared to Chinese (26.2%) and Malay (28.9%)
- represent demographics
Issues that arises:
- stereotypes
- prejudice
influence our perception on other ethnic groups based on the statistics that we see (that might possibly be viewed from the racial lens)
- these labels attached can affect the relationship between each racial groups and our perception on each racial groups
Proportion of inter-ethnic marriages remained stable
- marrying across racial groups and nationalities
- children from mix heritage
- might be conflicting if someone recognises himself or herself more culturally with a certain race or ethnicity than another one
- others–> how will they fit in society
–> what are the repercutions of understanding their own culture and significance in Singapore
What are the arguments for CMIO?
- Useful to manage the population as the system is a convenient way of collecting and analysing data
- Especially useful for tracking socioeconomic status or health data, education, income level, housing types etc
- government can then enact policies based on the data collected in a more efficient manner because extra effort and resources and time need not need to be spend to recategorise the Singapore population and the government also do not need to spend time finding another method to categorising the population
- this allows for the targeted delivery of education policies and economic assistance based on disparities observed across groups.
- The Ministry of Education tracks student performance data by race using CMIO classifications. CMIO enables MOE to allocate support more precisely, especially through collaboration with self-help groups.
E.g. SINDA’s Step Up programme supports Indian Students lagging behind national averages in English and Math.
CDAC targets low-income Chinese households with homework supervision and bursaries.
Explanation: Without CMIO, tailoring this type of academic support would be less precise, as socioeconomic challenges correlate differently across racial groups.
- allows the government to efficiently identify gaps and design targeted support systems for different communities – especially in areas such as education, language policy, healthcare outreach, and social mobility.
- Helpful to maintain racial harmony and integration in a racially diverse population through policies –> promote multiculturalism–> this is also helpful with reducing misunderstanding and conflict (maintain harmony among races)
e.g. Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) in HDB (prevent the formation of ethnic enclaves, to encourage neighbours of different racial backgrounds and cultural backgrounds to integrate and interact with each other)
, Group Representation Constituency (GRC) system, ethnic-based self help groups –> ensure that minority groups are being represented in parliament and where their issues are being brought up by minority people of the GRC.
✅ Point (Clear Topic Sentence):
The Group Representation Constituency (GRC) scheme has played an important role in managing racial sentiments and promoting multiracial harmony in Singapore.
✅ Explanation:
Introduced in 1988, the GRC scheme requires that each team contesting in a constituency must include at least one member from a minority racial group. This ensures that minority communities, such as the Malays and Indians, will always be represented in Parliament. By mandating this form of representation, the government prevents any one racial group—especially the majority Chinese population—from dominating Parliament entirely.
✅ Evidence:
Political analysts have observed that the GRC system has helped to “weed out diverse racial sentiments.” This means that it has reduced racially divisive behaviours, such as voting only for candidates of one’s own race or distrusting minority candidates. The system encourages voters to see candidates as Singaporeans first, rather than through a racial lens. As political parties are required to field diverse teams, it also encourages multiracial collaboration and leadership.
✅ Link back to question:
Thus, by normalising the presence of minority representatives in high political office and encouraging inclusive voting habits, the GRC system helps to manage racial tensions and build a more cohesive and multicultural society.
Ethnic-based self help groups:
CDAC (Chinese Development Assistance Council)
Mendaki Council for the Development of the Singapore Malay/Muslim Community) is a Self-Help Group and was set up in 1982 to uplift the academic performance of the Malay/Muslim community in Singapore through education and lifelong learning.
Sinda (Singapore Indian Development Association)
- method to uplift each racial groups
- promote their interests
- through offering tuition notes for e.g.
- today, eployees are required to contribute monthly to the self-help groups for their respective ethnic groups, with the amounts determined by their monthly salaries.
lessen the gaps between racial groups with the hopes of promoting more equality among each racial groups
For e.g. Based on the article “The Policies that Shapes a Multiracial Nation” by today online, “having found that a larger percentage of Malay students were consistently weaker in Mathematics and sciences, Mr Lee roped in Malay community leaders in 1980 to “tackle the problem of Malay underachievement”. From here, the first self-help group, Mendaki, was born in 1982. And indeed “over the years, Malay students’ achievements improved. Mendaki’s progress spurred the formation of the Singapore Indian Development Association in 1991 and the Chinese Development Assistance Council in 1992.
- promoting a more multicultural society where the differences between each racial groups is being minimised–> promoting better cultural appreciation and better integration among Singapore society.
- Officially recognising the main races in Singapore helps to ensure protection of the right of minority groups e.g. Malays and Indians
This ensures fair representation (equality for all, inclusivity in Society)
- government enacts laws to protect the rights of these minority groups to preserve racial harmony
- but, what about the groups classified as ‘others’?
By using restraining orders, such as “job application forms used to ask for race and job advertisements would request race preferences, but this is no longer acceptable under the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices. Employers who ignore the guidelines against discriminatory practices face scrutiny from the Ministry of Manpower and can have their work pass privileges revoked”.
What are the arguments against CMIO?
- Outdated way of organising society by race (categorising population in society)
- racial science has been debunked
- Racial science has now been disproved as ‘ actual’ science, therefore categorising based on race can be unfair
- potentially hinders the formation of a cohesive national identity (Singaporean identity) as well if racial lens is always adopted.–> in terms of how we view our population (socio-economic data, housing data etc)
- encourages racial labeling
- does not reflect complex or m
According to the article “Is casual racism okay? Seven Singaporeans share stories”， Petrina Anne De Souza (Half Eurasian, Half Sinhalese) mentioned “I stood there thinking, ‘You didn’t my mention my race yet?’… I was fitted into a category because I happened to ‘look like that’…”
Explanation:
- She did not fit neatly into the CMIO categories.
- Her teacher assigned her a race based on skin colour, not identity.
- This shows how the CMIO system can result in people being boxed into racial labels, ignoring their true cultural background.
- Supports the idea that CMIO is outdated and too rigid.
- Increasing diversity of races that do not fit nicely onto CMIO.
- Changes in the population demographics in Singapore has resulted in increase diversity that is difficult to be captured simply by CMIO
- e.g. rise in inter-marriages, transnational marriages—> mixed heritage children, influx of foreigners working in Singapore–> complicate the identities that are present in Singapore
the children of inter-marriages and transnational marriages would have double-barrelled races–> they do not fit as nicely into the CMIO system
- the government assigns racial identity based on the father’s race by default, which may not align with the child’s upbringing and self-identity.–> sense of cultural detachment
– their cultural affiliation and environment that they grow up in can be unique, therefore, the CMIO system does not fully reflect their lived experiences
- many do not strongly associate with a single race, yet official forms, policies, and social norms still operate within CMIO categories
This can cause two major problems to occur:
- find it harder to fit within existing quota classifications, such as the ethnic quotas for the Ethnic Integration Policy–> leading to housing challenges
- some mixed-race individuals feel excluded from the larger racial groups, making integration more difficult. for e.g. mixed-race in dividuals may not fully align with the customs, traditions, or language of either racial group they belong to.
For example, a Chinese-Indian child might not be fully fluent in Mandarin or Tamil, making it harder to participate in cultural events or traditions.
They might face pressure from both sides to conform, yet never feel fully accepted in either group.
🔹 Example:
A Malay-Chinese child might be labeled as “not Malay enough” for not being fluent in Malay or “not Chinese enough” for not speaking Mandarin. As a result, they may feel left out from cultural events, school activities, or even casual conversations within racial communities.
Social Perception & Identity Struggles
In Singapore, race is often a visible characteristic that shapes first impressions, assumptions, and societal expectations.
Mixed-race individuals may be questioned about their background, sometimes repeatedly, which can lead to feelings of not truly belonging anywhere.
🔹 Example:
A Chinese-Indian person might be asked, “Are you Chinese or Indian?” or hear comments like, “You don’t look Indian enough to be Indian.” This can make them feel pressured to justify their identity or struggle with self-definition.
When communities celebrate cultural events (e.g., Chinese New Year, Deepavali, Hari Raya), mixed-race individuals may not feel fully connected to either , leading to isolation or exclusion from these cultural spaces.
The CMIO framework does not provide enough space for flexible identities, making it harder for mixed-race individuals to integrate into either larger racial group or the broader national identity.
- Stereotypes entrenched in society harm certain races more
—> disharmony among racial groups —> social tension
According to
Nur Izzati Ariffin mentioned the question she always get is， “You’re Malay? You’re doing this? People have these stereotypes of us.” This suggests that race-based assumptions still influence how people are viewed. For instance, even though she succeeded on merit, people assume she couldn’t because of her race.
According to “….”
Wincent Das (Elderly Indian Man) mentioned that “People do stereotype that Indian men do not take care of their family, that they drink and get drunk…”. This shows how entrenched stereotypes about a racial group persist across generations. Even with policies to promote racial equality, public perception hasn’t shifted significantly. This may suggests that the CMIO doesn’t do enough to change mindsets shaped by stereotypes.
