Singapore must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised: PM Wong

SINGAPORE: Singapore must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normalised, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Sunday (Sep 6).

"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," he added.

His remarks came a day after Senior Minister K Shanmugam condemned what he described as "shameful" racist and xenophobic online comments about the Nepal-Tibet disaster and the investment by Singapore Airlines (SIA) in Air India. 

In a Facebook post, Mr Wong said that "an uglier side" had emerged in online discussions on the two matters.

Racist comments surfaced online targeting some of the nine Singaporeans missing in the Nepal-Tibet disaster, while questions about SIA's investment in Air India were "accompanied by anti-Indian abuse", he said.

While such views do not represent Singapore, they should not be dismissed as "harmless online chatter", he said.

"If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart," Mr Wong said, adding that he had discussed the developments with his Cabinet colleagues and that this was why Mr Shanmugam had spoken about it.

"OPEN AND INCLUSIVE"

Mr Wong reiterated a point he made during his National Day Rally speech about what it means to be Singaporean, saying that the country'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.

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

Mr Wong said that Singapore had encountered similar tensions before, pointing to how anti-foreigner and racial sentiments were stirred up during the COVID-19 pandemic and surfaced during debates over the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement, or CECA.

Such sentiments were also seen during the 2025 General Election, when he spoke out against attempts to bring race and religion into politics.

"There will always be people who seek to exploit our differences," Mr Wong said.

While it is impossible to prevent every hateful comment from appearing online, Singaporeans could choose how they respond to them.

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

"Singapore has held together because we have consistently rejected attempts to divide us along racial or religious lines, and chosen instead to recognise one another as fellow Singaporeans."

STAND BY ONE ANOTHER, URGES SM LEE

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Sunday also called on Singaporeans to "stand by one another regardless of race, language or religion".

In a Facebook post, Mr Lee described racist comments directed at the Indian community in Singapore following the recent floods in Nepal as "deeply troubling". He added that it was "equally troubling" when issues such as SIA's investment in Air India were "distorted or exploited to stir vicious racial, anti-Indian resentment".

Expressing his condolences to those affected by the floods, Mr Lee said the tragedy had left many families grieving and that the response should be one of "compassion and solidarity".

He also noted that Mr Shanmugam had "laid out the issues clearly" in his statement on Saturday.

"When incidents like this happen, leaders must speak up with force and conviction, to call out what is happening, condemn the manipulation of base emotions, and call on all Singaporeans to stand together," Mr Lee said.

"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."