A/HRC/17/40/Add.2 persons of that community or indirectly by giving advantage to persons of another community”. 21. Given its constitutional status, PCMR, which is chaired by the Chief Justice of Singapore, appears to be the highest organ within the Government mandated with the task of protecting the rights of members of ethnic minorities. However, as noted above, PCMR is not generally empowered to act on its own initiative. Indeed, with very few exceptions,4 all Bills and subsidiary legislation must be referred to it by the Speaker of Parliament or the appropriate Minister. As such, the Special Rapporteur was surprised to learn that in 40 years of existence, PCMR had never issued an adverse report on any particular legislation or public policy that may have affected the rights of members of ethnic minorities. Moreover, the Special Rapporteur noted a potential conflict of interest between the dual role of the Chief Justice as head of an independent judiciary, to which a case may be filed on measures that have an adverse impact on members of a particular ethnic group, and as Chairperson of PCMR, who may issue an adverse report on a particular legislation or public policy which amounts to a differentiating measure. 22. Consequently, the Special Rapporteur would like to encourage the authorities to review the mandate conferred to PCMR, so that the latter may consider, on its own initiative, any legislation or public policy and their impact on the rights of members of ethnic minorities. Moreover, he would like to suggest that the authorities ensure that the Chairperson of PCMR is not faced with potential conflict of interests and that the independence of PCMR is ensured. IV. Main challenges in the fight against racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance 23. Singapore is rightly proud of its richly diverse society, where individuals from a wide range of ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds manage to cohabit and interact with each other on a small portion of territory. Considering that violent communal riots occurred just a few decades ago, the Special Rapporteur would like to emphasize that the peaceful coexistence of the diverse communities is a remarkable achievement in itself. 24. The historical legacy of ethnic and religious tensions still casts a long shadow over the social and political life of Singapore today. To address this, the authorities have continuously and actively promoted social cohesion, religious tolerance and what they refer to as “racial harmony”,5 as fundamental pillars of the city State. They have done so through a number of commendable policies and measures emphasizing tolerance, understanding and respect among the diverse ethnic and religious groups living in Singapore. The wide range of organizations providing common space for people to dialogue and learn about the cultural traditions and practices of the main ethnic groups in Singapore testify to the recognition that social harmony must not be taken for granted and that continuous efforts are needed to preserve it. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur was deeply impressed by the work achieved by, inter alia, the National Steering Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony, the National Integration Council, the People’s Association, OnePeople.sg, as well as the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur was very much impressed by the level of community engagement by the 4 5 8 See art. 78, para. 7, of the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore. “Racial harmony” is one of Singapore’s five shared values. The other four shared values are: nation before community and society before self; family as the basic unit of society; community support and respect for the individual; consensus, not conflict.