PM Wong & SM Lee warn that racist online comments seek to divide S’poreans
A day after Senior Minister K. Shanmugam slammed racist online comments on the Nepal disaster and Air India, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong have called on Singaporeans to reject such hateful comments.
Instead, we should stand together as Singaporeans regardless of background, said Mr Wong and Mr Lee in separate Facebook posts on Sunday (6 Sept).
Source: Lawrence Wong on Facebook and Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook
Debate shouldn’t be ‘cover’ for prejudice & hostility: PM Wong
In his post, Mr Wong noted that racist comments were made about the Singaporeans who went missing in the Nepal disaster.
Questions about Singapore Airlines’ (SIA’s) investment in Air India have also been accompanied by “anti-Indian abuse”, he said.
He maintained that “robust debates” were acceptable, but seemingly legitimate arguments should not be used as a “cover” for prejudice against any community or hostility towards foreigners.
Online comments ‘troubling’: SM Lee
Mr Lee, in his post, said it was “deeply troubling” to see racist comments and hateful remarks against Indians in the wake of Nepal disaster.
The response should have been “compassion and solidarity”, he added.
While the SIA-Air India investment was a legitimate issue for public discussion, it was “equally troubling” when it was “distorted or exploited to stir vicious racial, anti-Indian resentment”, he noted.
Source: Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash. Photo for illustration purposes only.
PM Wong & SM Lee warn of divisive behaviour
Though the PM maintained that these views do not represent Singapore, there will always be people who seek to “exploit our differences”.
Thus, we cannot dismiss such comments as “harmless online chatter”, he said, adding:
If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart.
SM Lee warned that humans are not race blind and Singapore will “always be vulnerable” to the temptation to stir up racial prejudices and animosities, saying:
Race and religion will always be a fault line in our society.
Reject hateful online comments & aspire to the Pledge: Wong & Lee
To that end, while we can’t stop every hateful comment online, we can choose to reject such views and refuse to give them more space or legitimacy, Mr Wong noted.
He cited how Singapore has “held together” till now as we have chosen to recognise one another as fellow Singaporeans and rejected attempts to divide us along racial or religious lines.
We should thus continue to adhere to the ideals of our Pledge — regardless of race, language or religion — he said, adding:
We must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normal in Singapore.
Source: Ministry of Digital Development and Information via Lawrence Wong on Facebook
On his part, Mr Lee said leaders must call out such incident with “force and conviction” by condemning “the manipulation of base emotions” and urging Singaporeans to “stand together”.
Singaporeans should continue working to strengthen cohesion and protect our racial harmony, by rejecting hatred and standing by one another “regardless of race, language or religion”, he maintained, adding:
It is at times like this that we realise the full meaning of the words of the National Pledge, and how important it is for us to make every effort to live up to these ideals.
Police asked to look into racist online comments
Mr Shanmugam, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Home Affairs Minister, said on Saturday that he has asked the police to look into the racist online comments.
He also felt that the people behind the comments should be “unmasked and dealt with” rather than be allowed to hide behind anonymous accounts.
Aljunied GRC MP Kenneth Tiong, who had previously posted about the SIA-Air India investment, agreed with him, saying it was “unfortunate” that his questions were “entangled with racist comments”.
The Workers’ Party member also condemned the comments about the Singaporeans missing in Nepal, describing them as “shameful”.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Lawrence Wong on Facebook and Lee Hsien Loong on Facebook.
