Is cultural diversity a strength or weakness? By Lim Kay Kiat

Cultural diversity is a strength as these diversities complement one another. In Singapore there is a huge cultural diversity. This cultural diversity has greatly enriched the lives of Singaporeans. For example, in Singapore we have a huge variety of food ranging from Mee Rebus, a Malay dish, to Roti Prata, an Indian dish, to Lor Mee, a Chinese dish. Furthermore, this cultural diversity has also allowed people of different races in Singapore to know more about the traditions and the culture of other races. Through this multicutral understanding, Singaporeans have developed racial harmony. This has also helped local investors communicate well with their foreign partners from all round the world. Thus cultural diversity is a huge strength.

However, some people think that cultural diversity is a weakness as it brings instability and unhappiness. In Northern Ireland for example, the long fight between the Catholics and Protestants has caused a great suffering in Northern Ireland. Many lives have also been lost due to the existence of cultural diversity in Northern Ireland. These people think that cultural diversity brings about differences in the way people in society behaves. This causes people who are intolerant of these differences, to complain, fight and even riot. This causes instability and bring unhappiness, thus, these people think it is a weakness.