Local Communities' Reaction to Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Overseas

Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (a) how are our local communities responding to the observed anti-Asian hate crimes overseas; and (b) how prepared is Singapore in guarding against racist or any form of anti-social sentiment from spilling over into Singapore.

Mr Speaker, the recent spate of anti-Asian hate crimes overseas has been troubling. As a multiracial and multi-religious country, we denounce all forms of racism, irrespective of which ethnic community is being targeted and wherever in the world it may take place.

Hate crimes and speech fracture our society and threaten the harmony that we worked hard over generations to build. Repeated exposure to hate crimes and speech deepens feelings of prejudice and distrust, and sows discord between different communities. It can also desensitise individuals and normalise unacceptable behaviour. That is why we must be unwavering in our efforts to prevent hateful and divisive sentiments from taking root in our society.

Here in Singapore, we have a multi-pronged approach to deter hate crimes and speech, while at the same time, working with society to strengthen cohesion and enlarge the common space. Allow me to share three ways.

First, we have laws that prohibit and punish hate speech and we will not hesitate to take swift action against anyone who sows enmity and threatens to undermine our racial and religious harmony. Under the Penal Code, it is an offence to: one, utter words, make gestures, or place any object in sight of a person with deliberate intent to wound the religious or racial feelings of that person; two, to promote enmity between different groups on grounds of religion or race; and, three, to commit acts that are prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony.

Second, we encourage public discourse to promote mutual understanding and respect. And in this, we all have a part to play. That is why we launched BRIDGE in 2017, which is a series of community-driven initiatives to foster a better understanding and appreciation of the diverse religions and races in Singapore. These are driven by community partners who provide safe spaces and opportunities for dialogue and mutual learning and are supported by the Government.

Over the years, we have seen how these programmes bring different communities together to candidly and respectfully discuss sensitive issues of race and religion. For instance, the “Regardless of Race” dialogue series organised by OnePeople.sg addresses current issues on racial harmony, such as xenophobia, that surfaced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another recent example is the Mission:Unite Hackathon that the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) organised in November last year, which invited youths to take action by pitching innovative ideas to nurture a stronger society. The winning ideas included a mobile game that was aimed at developing empathy for diverse communities, by bringing users through life milestones and challenges.

Third, in a world that is increasingly fragmented and polarised, we must be committed to growing the common space in which all Singaporeans can live, work and play together, and share in the experiences that bind us.

In this spirit, MCCY works with other Government agencies and community partners to provide opportunities for Singaporeans to have meaningful interactions with one another.

For example, events organised by the People’s Association (PA) or the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs), as well as arts and heritage, and sports organisations provide opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds to come together.

We are also bringing together Singaporeans by expanding opportunities for volunteerism and co-creation. In the spirit of Singapore Together, we have initiated about 20 Alliances for Action (AfAs), which are action-oriented cross-sector collaborations to tackle complex issues, including an SG Together AfA on Emerging Needs and Volunteerism.

Over the past year, many Singaporeans had demonstrated their readiness to stand together with their fellow Singaporeans in upholding social solidarity, especially when our racial and religious harmony is threatened by hateful sentiments or terrorist acts.

But despite our best efforts, we are not immune to hate or xenophobia. Last Friday, there was an alleged racist attack on 55-year-old Mdm Hindocha Nita Vishnubhai. Mdm Nita said she was brisk-walking from Choa Chu Kang MRT station towards the stadium when she had a run-in with a man who shouted racial slurs at her for not wearing her mask above her nose and then, he kicked her in the chest before running away. Mdm Nita had lodged a Police report and the Police are investigating.

So, while we guard against the virality of COVID-19, it is more important for us to guard against the virality of hate and xenophobia. We should never take the peace and harmony we have today for granted and Singaporeans must take a firm stand against hate speech and crimes, as one united people.

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate the strong stance that the Government has taken in stating that there is no place for any racism or any xenophobic sentiment within Singapore society.

I would like to ask whether there has been an increase in reports or observations of such racist behaviour precipitated by the COVID-19 crisis. Because if this is happening now, I wonder what would happen in future if other crises hit us.

One of the recent cases include an expatriate being aggressively confronted in a park very recently. That is a very public scene. But there may be other such instances that may be more subtle but no less in damage. So, for victims who are subjected to such racial attacks, what kind of recourse may they have?

I thank the hon Member for her supplementary questions. She is absolutely right. COVID-19 has exacerbated feelings of distrust and also feelings of insecurity amongst people all over the world. As I have mentioned earlier, we are not immune to these feelings, where people are worried about their jobs, their health, where lockdowns and concerns about job opportunities have taken form.

But we must not allow that to take root in Singapore. The recent incidents – I mentioned one earlier in Choa Chu Kang; and the Member mentioned the one in Pasir Ris – are symptoms that we have to address very robustly. As I have mentioned earlier in my reply to the Parliamentary Question, there are two ways to do it: one is the legal and law enforcement route, where the Penal Code is there to protect and to bring people to justice; the second one is even more important, which is the community and social aspect, which we must work at. And it is a work-in-progress since the founding of our nation to continue to bring different races and people together.

So, while COVID-19 has taught us to social-distance, we must make sure that we do not socially distance from our different races and our different religions, but we bring people closer together against the forces that threaten to pull us apart.