The Separation of State and Church: Does it equate to separation between politics and religion?

The issue of racial and religious harmony came into focus at the 2009 Prime Minister’s National Day Rally Speech. The Prime Minister spoke of four basic rules that govern racial and religious harmony in Singapore:

1) All groups must exercise tolerance and restraint.
2) The Government must remain secular.
3) Religion must stay separate from politics.
4) A common space that all Singaporeans can be comfortable in because it is secular and neutral.

The first two points are pretty much non-contentious. Living in a multi-ethnic society Singapore, we all must exercise some tolerance and restraint to maintain a harmonious co-existence. I can’t possibly go around denouncing other practices and asking others to conform to my beliefs, it would simply be rude and offensive. Similarly, the government must remain secular in its political ideology so that communities would not regard themselves as being unjustly discriminated due to their ethnicity or religious beliefs. However, the last two points aren’t that straightforward. And even though they sound totally logical to me in theory, I doubt that the implementation of such rules would be feasible where the realms of politics and religion are kept clearly separated.

The eventual separation of State and Church in Western civilization was a long process from the ancient Roman Empire to Medieval Europe to the American Declaration of Independence. Even till today, the Church of England is headed by the British Monarch and 26 bishops sit in House of Lords. For Singapore, we did not go through this historical process as our country and government were secular at birth. While I understand the need for separation of State and religious institutions, i.e. PM’s point of the government must remain secular; I can’t quite comprehend how one can separate clearly between politics and religion, or to be more precise, silence a religious viewpoint in politics. It’s similar to arguing that one can also separate politics and arts, politics and racial/ethnic identities – it’s just not possible.

The examples where the realms of politics and religion overlap are aplenty. We find a Minister-In-Charge of Muslim Affairs in our cabinet and a Syriah Court within our judicial system. We also see various government-led initiatives to bolster inter-religious harmony like the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles and the Community Engagement Programme. Beyond all the official hobnob, there are many more collaboration between religious organizations and government outfits especially for social and welfare services. Somewhat more contentious was the furor generated during the debate on Section 377A and the establishment of casinos in Singapore where religious groups put forth their arguments in the public space.

So are we going to nod in agreement when someone says it’s alright for a government hand in religion but a religious point of view on a political/national matter should be disregarded? Can we work towards a more inclusive and integrated society on such a mindset where one should just accept a national policy even when it is against his religion? Or should Singapore politicians revisit the notion that politics are best just left to politicians?

While we can keep State and religious institutions separate (i.e. church cannot decidedly influence the decision-making of the state), politics and religion would invariably remain intertwined; for good or worse would depend on how the government, religious groups and individuals interact in the common public space. Perhaps Singapore lack a civil society whereby religious groups are able to articulate their beliefs confidently. And perhaps because of this deficiency, when religious groups do articulate their views in public, it could end up explosive because of the powerful emotions generated on obviously controversial issues. I may be terribly wrong but we might just be building the clash of titans (secular and religious) when we sweep the matter under the carpet by decreeing that religion must stay separate from politics.