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🇸🇬 Singapore /Culture & Society

Singapore must never let prejudice against any community become normalised, PM Wong says

From CNA · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Prime Minister Lawrence Wong warned Singaporeans not to let racist, xenophobic or anti-foreigner views become accepted through online discussions.
  • He said comments targeting Singaporeans missing in the Nepal-Tibet disaster and anti-Indian abuse linked to Singapore Airlines’ Air India investment should not be dismissed as harmless chatter.
  • Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong separately urged Singaporeans to stand together regardless of race, language or religion.

Singapore must not allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sunday, after racist and xenophobic comments surfaced online around two separate issues.

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.

· Lawrence WongSingapore’s prime minister warned against using public debate to promote prejudice or hostility toward foreigners.

Wong said an “uglier side” had emerged in online discussions about the Nepal-Tibet disaster and Singapore Airlines’ investment in Air India. Racist comments targeted some of the nine Singaporeans missing in the disaster, while questions about the SIA investment were accompanied by anti-Indian abuse.

Such views do not represent Singapore, Wong said, but they should not be brushed aside as “harmless online chatter”. If left unchecked, he warned, the behaviour could become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities and pull society apart. He said he had discussed the developments with Cabinet colleagues, explaining why Senior Minister K Shanmugam had spoken out the previous day.

If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart.

· Lawrence WongHe described the risks of leaving racist and xenophobic online comments unchallenged.

Wong repeated his call for Singapore’s identity to remain “open and inclusive”, saying that people from any background belong to the nation if they embrace its values and way of life. He pointed to similar racial and anti-foreigner tensions during the COVID-19 pandemic, debates over the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement and the 2025 General Election, when he opposed bringing race and religion into politics.

There will always be people who seek to exploit our differences.

· Lawrence WongHe referred to attempts to inflame racial and religious divisions in Singapore.

“There will always be people who seek to exploit our differences,” Wong said. While hateful comments cannot all be prevented online, Singaporeans can reject them and refuse to give them more space or legitimacy. Lee also described racist comments directed at Singapore’s Indian community after the Nepal floods as “deeply troubling” and urged people to stand by one another regardless of race, language or religion.

Stand by one another regardless of race, language or religion.

· Lee Hsien LoongSingapore’s senior minister urged solidarity after racist comments directed at the Indian community.
About this summary

Originally published by CNA in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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