After the social media feud between Polish blogger and opposition member Brad Bowyer, former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng took to Facebook to weigh-in on the issue.
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Cheng wrote on topics such as foreigners commenting on Singapore, foreign interference and the concept of “us versus them”.
Foreigners commenting on Singapore 1. Really. We shouldn’t be so sensitive about foreigners praising Singapore. Yes…
Posted by Calvin Cheng on Tuesday, 28 May 2019
On foreigners commenting on Singapore, he wrote, “Yes sure, they may not have lived here as long as locals but they bring a fresh perspective due to their experience of living elsewhere”.
He concluded that there was “Too much sensitivity on both sides online”.
With regards to foreign interference and funds, he said that there was “A lot of fallacious “whataboutism”, and “people who cannot tell the difference between these organisations (with their own agendas), and a foreign blogger commenting on politics are stupid or dishonest. Probably both”.
Lastly, he wrote that the anti-foreigner sentiment was “Xenophobic. Close minded”.
The last piece of advise he dispensed was that Singaporeans need to be open-minded when it comes to foreigners.
“As a small city, we cannot afford not to be”, Cheng concluded. /TISG