Multiculturalism is like batik, not patchwork quilt: President Tharman

A quilt of different patches stitched together will come apart in times of stress, he says

- Goh Yan Han

The fabric of a multicultural society must be like a piece of batik — a single cloth woven by different hands to create a larger motif of many colours, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam said on June 24.

In contrast, many societies see multiculturalism as a quilt of different patches stitched together, he said. But in times of stress, when economic insecurity or polarising forces intensify, the stitches weaken and the quilt is easily forced apart.

Mr Tharman has often used the quilt analogy when speaking on multiculturalism. He added the batik twist in his opening address at the three-day International Conference on Cohesive Societies held at Raffles City Convention Centre, where batik was the preferred attire of many audience members.

"We have to weave threads of different colours, even different textures, into a single tapestry — or involve many artisans in making a single fabric... that creates a larger motif of a nation with many strands and many histories, but at one with itself," he said.

More than 1,000 people, including policymakers and young leaders from over 50 countries, attended the conference organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and supported by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

The conference was first held in 2019 to provide an international platform for interfaith and multicultural dialogue, and for participants to exchange ideas and develop solutions to create cohesive and resilient multicultural societies.

Mr Tharman's address focused on reasons for division across the world while highlighting areas that societies should work on to nurture multiculturalism.

He first provided context, noting that enthusiasm for multiculturalism is waning and social cohesion is weakening worldwide.