Ethnicity

Sitcoms can connect with Singaporeans because they reflect the norms of society and the average Singaporean’s life. However, in trying to be as realistic as possible to social realities, some sitcoms have come out appearing artificial. In this section, we argue how Under One Roof, in trying to appeal to popular culture stereotypes can be seen as artificial in terms of its depiction of Singapore’s multiracial/multicultural society. On the other hand, Parental Guidance comes across as more realistic, despite its all Chinese cast, and is equally accepted by the population.

In many sitcoms, the racial make-up of the characters is influenced by the social messages that the producers try to convey to the audiences. The fantasy of racial homogeneity, manifested in Singapore through multiracialism is mimicked in the sitcoms with the inclusion of minority characters whose addition into the storyline does little to change the course of actions, and therefore completely sideline apart from being a token representation to Singapore’s multiracial society.

In Under One Roof, the reality of heartland life is portrayed through minority representation as the Tan’s neighbours: a Malay couple Yusof and Rosnah and a pair of Indian and unmarried siblings Daisy and Michael.[1] This racial diversity reflects the reality of the race quota introduced by the Housing Development Board (HDB) that prevents an ethnic enclave from forming within a block of flats.

Analyzing the roles played by these characters, one realizes that the main plot of the sitcom would run real well without their presence. Phua Chu Kang which had an all-Chinese (save for Gurmit Singh) cast up until it’s fifth season proves the point. Jennifer Tan justifies this by explaining that:

“the characters are so funny and their human traits are so identifiable that they become universal. However the absence of minority races wasn’t a conscious decision. Still the first priority of this production has always been the concentration of Phua Chu Kang’s life and the people around him.”[2]


To be truly representative of society, we believe that characters should be picked by random, and the script should not be bent backwards to adhere to any unwritten racial representation quotas. Singaporean viewers do not need sitcoms to reinforce the idea of racial harmony. To be natural, there should be no deliberate attempts to add minorities into sitcoms instead portrayal of minorities should be when the story plot calls for where they would be relevant instead of just playing minor roles to build up on the emphasis of multiracial society. Hence it could be seen that in the process of instilling the sense of multiculturalism, it has actually lead to a backlash as the idealistic sitcoms now become unrealistic


[1]Tan, Cinema and television in Singapore: resistance in one dimension, p.128
[2]Ibid., p.136

...and on a side note, we feel that Singapore, for all its talk about multiracialism, has got a long way to go before it can match up to Malaysia! We feel that the unity in diveresity concept, along with other soft-handed approaches (not overt, but whose effects are still apparent) serve to remind Singaporeans about their distinctive ethnicities, instead of inculcating a common sense of Singaporeaness.

Below are two clips, part of the campaign to commemorate Malaysia's 50th year of Independence. The message is very apparent. Think about it...