Overview

• Singapore's Parliament unanimously passed the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act, consolidating existing laws and introducing new measures to address racial issues.
• The Act establishes a Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony to expand oversight and provide recommendations on restraining orders issued under the law.
• Legal provisions include a restraining order regime for individuals spreading racially divisive content and the option for offenders to undergo community remedial programs instead of prosecution.
• Safeguards against foreign influence require race-based entities to disclose foreign donations and affiliations to prevent malicious interference in Singapore's social fabric.
• Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam emphasized that fostering racial harmony requires long-term societal frameworks and policies beyond legal enforcement.