New Delhi, September 7: Singapore must not allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sunday (September 6), amid a backlash over racist and xenophobic comments online, reported Channel News Asia.
PM Wong said robust debates were possible, but seemingly legitimate arguments should not be used to fuel prejudice against any community or hostility towards foreigners. His remarks came a day after Senior Minister K Shanmugam condemned what he described as “shameful” racist and xenophobic online comments concerning the Nepal-Tibet disaster and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India.
He added that “an uglier side” had emerged in online discussions about the two issues. Racist comments had targeted some of the nine Singaporeans missing in the Nepal-Tibet disaster, while questions over SIA’s investment in Air India were accompanied by anti-Indian abuse, he said.
While such views did not represent Singapore, PM Wong said they should not be dismissed as “harmless online chatter”. “If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart,” he said.
PM Wong added that he had discussed the developments with his Cabinet colleagues, which was why Shanmugam had spoken about the issue. Reiterating a point from his National Day Rally speech, PM Wong said Singapore’s identity must remain “open and inclusive”.
“Whatever our background, if we embrace our values and way of life, we are part of this nation,” he said, adding that he believed the “vast majority of Singaporeans” shared this view.
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