The Cycle of Power and Politics on Indian Singaporeans under Singapore’s Multiculturalism Policy

Authors

  • Aphirat Kamwang Centre for Bharat Studies (Indian Studies), Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia (RILCA), Mahidol University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v55i1.3423

Keywords:

Indian studies, Politics of Singapore, Plural Society, Multiculturalism, Reduced Inequalities

Abstract

This academic article is an independent study that considers Singaporeans of Indian descent as a third community within the context of multicultural policy by studying the integration of history, sociocultural, and political science, focusing on examining general elections and presidential elections. The results show that: a) Singapore has opened a space for political power; people of Indian descent have gained access to legislative power through general elections (since 1988). The political system specifies that the Group Representation Constituency (GRC) must have members of Indian descent, who currently represent both the government and opposition parties, but creating a lineage group based on ideology and policy is difficult. b) Members of the Indian community have historically managed to attain high-level government positions, including five of the six most powerful positions: president, chief justice, senior minister, deputy prime minister, and speaker. However, they have not achieved prime ministership yet, since a candidate of Chinese descent has traditionally garnered this position.

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Published

16-06-2025

How to Cite

Kamwang, Aphirat. 2025. “The Cycle of Power and Politics on Indian Singaporeans under Singapore’s Multiculturalism Policy”. Chulalongkorn University Journal of Social Sciences 55 (1). Bangkok, Thailand:90-114. https://doi.org/10.61462/cujss.v55i1.3423.

Issue

Vol. 55 No. 1 (2025): January - June

Section

Research Articles

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