Singapore is a nation predominantly composed of ethnic Chinese, Malaysian, and Indian citizens. The Chinese resident population stands at around three million, while the Indian population is around 362,000 residents (Statista Research Department). Since Singapore is a small country with an overall population of around nine million people, its Indian population is still quite sizable, despite it being a minority. And thus like other multi-ethnic societies around the world, Singapore also faces unique challenges with racism and discrimination. Along with these factors, the worsening state of the pandemic in India has resulted in increasing negative attitudes towards some Indian expats and immigrants (Prakash).
Two particular instances of discrimination have been getting media attention in recent months, one of which seems to be fueled by xenophobia in response to the Indian COVID-19 variant. Some have associated Indian expats with this spread of the virus, and some have expressed the sentiment that Indian Singaporeans must be involved (Prakash). All three events were recorded or posted to social media in an attempt to garner attention and awareness of the issues at hand.
On May 11, an Indian woman had gotten into a verbal altercation with a younger Chinese man as she walked on Choa Chu Kang Drive. The man told her to wear her mask correctly, even though she was abiding by current regulations, and then made offensive racial remarks and physically assaulted the woman (Menon). Pictures were posted of the woman’s injuries, which shows various cuts and scrapes along her arms (Menon). Law enforcement has since acted swiftly in launching investigations into the encounter.
In another incident on June 5, an interracial couple was verbally harassed by another citizen who told the mixed-race (seemingly of Indian descent) Singaporean man that he should be dating within his own race. The entire encounter was filmed by his girlfriend and captures the identity of the citizen who berated the man for supposedly preying on his Chinese girlfriend. The citizen also addresses the girl, asking her what her family may think of her dating outside her race (Kannan). As the video gained popularity, Prakash took initiative in speaking out about his experience. Addressing his fellow citizens, he states that he hopes no one will judge others based on their skin color and that others won’t become like the man in the video (Kannan).
As such instances of discrimination continue to garner attention on social media, the reaction from other Singaporean citizens and the government has been fairly strong. Ministers, professors, lawyers, activists, and members of the general public have taken to social media sites to voice their grievances and condemn the actions of the man in the video (Kannan).
After all, such actions are what makes social change possible. If we truly would like to create positive change after these instances of discrimination, it is important to talk about these issues with our families and friends, uplift the voices of minorities that speak out, and push for government action.
Citations
Kannan, Saikiran. “'Find Woman of Your Race': Indian-Origin Man Abused in Singapore over Chinese-Origin Girlfriend.” India Today, 6 June 2021, www.indiatoday.in/world/story/-find-woman-of-your-race-indian-origin-man-abused-in-singapore-over-chinese-origin-girlfriend-1811598-2021-06-06.
Menon, Malavika. “Police Arrest Man Accused of Using Racial Slur, Kicking 55-Year-Old Woman in Choa Chu Kang.” The Straits Times, 11 May 2021, www.straitstimes.com/singapore/suspect-who-allegedly-used-racial-slur-and-kicked-55-year-old-woman-arrested.
Prakash, Priyali. “Global Spread of Covid-19 Variant First Detected in India Brings with It Fears of Anti-Indian Racism.” Scroll.in, 27 May 2021, scroll.in/global/995805/global-spread-of-covid-19-variant-first-detected-in-india-brings-with-it-fears-of-anti-indian-racism.
Statista Research Department. “Singapore: Resident Population by Ethnic Group 2020.” Statista, 20 Nov. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/622748/singapore-resident-population-by-ethnic-group/.
Written by Archini Desai
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