PM Wong warns against prejudice masked as debate amid racist comments after Nepal floods, SIA-Air India discussions

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has called out racist, anti-Indian and anti-foreigner sentiments recently seen on social media following the deadly Aug 26 floods at the Nepal-Tibet border and Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India, saying such views do not represent Singapore.

PM Wong's comments, posted on his social media, come a day after Senior Minister K Shanmugam said he had asked the police to look into racist and xenophobic online comments about the Nepal-Tibet disaster and Singapore Airlines' (SIA) investment in Air India .

"I will say this — the comments are shameful, nasty, totally unacceptable," said Shanmugam then, who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs.

Referring to Shanmugam's statement about those shameful comments, PM Wong said such views do not represent Singapore.

He cautioned that they cannot be dismissed as harmless online chatter as if unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull Singaporeans apart.

"That is why I discussed these developments with my Cabinet colleagues, and why SM Shanmugam spoke out firmly on this over the weekend," he added.

The prime minister referred to his National Day Rally speech , in which he spoke about what it means to be Singaporean.

"Our identity must remain open and inclusive. Whatever our background, if we embrace our values and way of life, we are part of this nation.

"This is what our National Pledge stands for, and I believe the vast majority of Singaporeans share this view," PM Wong said.

Pointing to the racist comments made about the nine missing Singaporeans, and the recent anti-Indian abuse that followed Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India, he cautioned against using "seemingly legitimate arguments" as a cover for prejudice.

"We should be clear about the distinction. We can and should have robust debates.

"But we should never use seemingly legitimate arguments as a cover to fuel prejudice against any community or hostility towards foreigners."

Echoing a point made by Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an earlier post, PM Wong also highlighted that there will always be those who seek to exploit Singapore's differences arising from its diverse society.

And while Singaporeans cannot stop every hateful comment from appearing online, the prime minister emphasised that they can still choose how to respond.

"We can reject such views, and refuse to give them more space or legitimacy," he pointed out.

PM Wong also reminded Singaporeans that the country has held together because it has consistently rejected attempts to divide its people along racial or religious lines, instead, choosing to recognise one another as Singaporeans.

"We must keep making that choice, and hold fast to the ideals in our Pledge — regardless of race, language or religion. We must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normal in Singapore," he said.

新加坡总理黄循财谴责了近期在社交媒体上出现的种族主义、反印度和反外国人情绪，这些情绪源于8月26日尼泊尔-西藏边境发生的致命洪水以及新加坡航空公司对印度航空的投资。他表示，这些观点并不代表新加坡。

黄之锋总理在社交媒体上发表的评论，是在高级部长尚穆根表示他已要求警方调查有关尼泊尔-西藏灾难和新加坡航空公司（新航）投资印度航空的种族主义和仇外网络言论的第二天发布的。

“我要说的是——这些言论令人羞耻、卑鄙、完全不可接受，”尚穆根当时说道，他同时也是国家安全统筹部长和内政部长。

针对尚穆根发表的那些可耻言论，黄英贤总理表示，这种观点并不代表新加坡。

他警告说，不能将这些言论视为无害的网络闲聊，如果不加以控制，这些言论可能会变得正常化，加深社区之间的不信任，并分裂新加坡人。

“这就是为什么我与内阁同僚讨论了这些事态发展，也是为什么尚穆根上周末就此事发表了坚定的讲话，”他补充道。

总理提到了他在国庆群众大会上的演讲，他在演讲中谈到了成为新加坡人的意义。

“我们的身份认同必须保持开放和包容。无论我们的背景如何，只要我们拥抱我们的价值观和生活方式，我们就是这个国家的一份子。”

“这就是我们的国家誓词所代表的意义，我相信绝大多数新加坡人都认同这一观点，”黄循财总理说。

他指出，有人对失踪的九名新加坡人发表了种族主义言论，以及新加坡航空公司投资印度航空后最近出现的反印度言论，并警告人们不要用“看似合理的论点”来掩盖偏见。

我们应该明确二者的区别。我们可以而且应该展开激烈的辩论。

“但我们绝不应该利用看似合理的理由来掩盖对任何群体的偏见或对外国人的敌意。”

黄总理呼应了李显龙高级部长早前发表的文章中的观点，强调总会有人试图利用新加坡多元化社会所带来的差异。

虽然新加坡人无法阻止网上出现每一条仇恨言论，但总理强调，他们仍然可以选择如何回应。

他指出：“我们可以驳斥这种观点，拒绝给它们更多空间或合法性。”

黄总理也提醒新加坡人，国家之所以能够保持团结，是因为它始终拒绝以种族或宗教划线分裂人民的企图，而是选择彼此承认对方是新加坡人。

他说：“我们必须继续做出这样的选择，并坚守我们誓词中的理想——无论种族、语言或宗教。我们绝不能让针对任何群体的偏见在新加坡被接受或正常化。”