‘Racism doesn’t exist in Singapore’, netizens debate over racist experiences locally and overseas
Although Singapore is known for its diversity, many people still argue about the existence of racism in the country.
On 17 July, local online podcast show Yah Lah But released an episode of their interview with Teater Ekamatra’s Artistic Director Shaza Ishak.
@yahlahbut “𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝘀 𝗜 𝗱𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝘂𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝘁, 𝗼𝗿 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲, 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺.” Teater Ekamatra’s Artistic Director Shaza Ishak talks about why calling out casual racism in Singapore so often backfires on the person raising it, even when the intent is just to be heard. Catch Teater Ekamatra’s staging of Charged, the 2010 play on racism in the SAF, at Funan from 23rd July till 2nd August. Catch the full episode by searching “𝙔𝙖𝙝 𝙇𝙖𝙝 𝘽𝙪𝙩 841”
♬ original sound – Yah Lah But Podcast – Yah Lah But Podcast
In a video on TikTok, Ms Ishak shares an anecdote where a lawyer, who was working pro bono with Teater Ekamatra, asks them, “Racism? What do you mean racism in Singapore?”
Source: @yahlahbut on TikTok
He then calls in his team and singles out an employee, who was the only Indian, asking him in front of the whole team, “Do you feel like Singapore is racist?”
Source: @yahlahbut on TikTok
The employee, known as Ramesh, replies with “no”.
Then, the lawyer asks again, “Do you think we Chinese people are racist?” Again, Ramesh says “no”.
Source: @yahlahbut on TikTok
In that moment, Ms Ishak points out that the lawyer had put Ramesh in a tough position, where he had to justify his racist experiences in front of many.
Ms Ishak believes that calling out casual racism usually backfires
Sometimes, the result of speaking up is isolation and blame.
Ms Ishak observes, “You’re often the only one in the room. If you bring it up that ‘ Yes, I do feel like you guys are racist’ or ‘I have experienced racism before’, you’re always the problem.”
Source: Yan Krukau on Pexels
She notes that the reason why calling out casual racism backfires is because in Singapore, social instincts tend to place group harmony over individual happiness.
A shift in conversation in Singapore, differing perspectives
Although racism is still prevalent in Singapore, Ms Ishak believes that the conversation has begun to shift over the last few years.
“I think social media has greatly increased the different kinds of perspectives you can find”, she says.
Source: Brett Jordan on Pexels, for illustration purposes only
She explains, “In the past, I feel like we’ve always been told how to feel, how to interpret our experiences. But now there’s so much out there: good and bad.”
Even if there is no immediate action, Ms Ishak believes that acknowledgement of the issue is a good step towards change in Singapore.
Entitlement, hypocrisy and ignorance in Singapore
For most netizens, they agree that racism is quite common in Singapore, similar to Ms Ishak’s experience.
Some call out the lawyer’s lack of awareness and his denial of the subject.
Source: TikTok
A few talk about their experiences overseas and how their position as a minority shifted their worldview.
Source: TikTok
Some claim that their own friends or colleagues would also brush off their racist experiences.
Source: TikTok
Also read: ‘You are actually being racist to us’: Student calls out refusal to speak Malay or English in S’pore
‘You are actually being racist to us’: Student calls out refusal to speak Malay or English in S’pore
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted by Yan Krukau on Pexels and @yahlahbut on TikTok.