Pritam Singh: Singapore must continue to have honest conversations about job insecurities, immigration, etc.

SINGAPORE: In a June 17 (Wednesday) social media post, Workers’ Party (WP) chief Pritam Singh tackled social issues, including the recent anti-Indian sentiment, a connection to the Chinese film Dear You, and the difficult conversations necessary in Singapore regarding jobs, immigration, foreign talent, and other concerns.

Speaking honestly about these issues is vital in a multi-racial country such as Singapore, he added, echoing a sentiment from a Lianhe Zaobao writer that Singaporeans are Singaporeans first, no matter where their roots are.

The Aljunied MP began his post by quoting from his 2021 speech on the Motion on the Foreign Talent Policy, updated in parenthetic remarks to reflect current issues.

“The Workers’ Party accepts that genuine economic concerns exist, and that it is fair (for Singaporeans) to raise concerns about this. However, we abhor and denounce the racism (arising from ‘CECA’) and xenophobia that have become a part of the public narrative in some quarters. Some have gotten carried away, resorting to loose and vile language online as an outlet for their frustration, something they wouldn’t do in person, or worse, extended their behaviour to the real world. This can never be right, and must also be rejected and condemned,” Mr Singh said at the time, noting that the Ministry of Home Affairs had recently ordered YouTube, Facebook, and X to block anti-Indian content believed to have originated from a China-based platform.

He added that articles regarding the issue had been published in Singapore’s most significant Chinese news outlet, Lianhe Zaobao, including one where a writer suggested that the now-blocked content was linked to a campaign that followed Dear You.

Mr Singh noted that in multi-racial Singapore, different things are seen from varying perspectives.

“What is merely a heartfelt, legitimate, culturally emotive and successful film from one perspective, can be interpreted as a ‘cognitive warfare campaign’ by those living in a multiracial society that defines itself not through the lenses of a majority race but many races, on the other,” he wrote.

He quoted a Lianhe Zaobao writer who defined the hierarchy of their identity as being primarily Singaporean, followed by Chinese Singaporean with roots in Fujian, adding that their “connection to China is one of ancestral heritage instead of patriotic allegiance.” 

The WP chief added that this should apply to all other Singaporeans, whether they have roots in India, the Philippines, Vietnam, or elsewhere.

Acknowledging the reality of foreign influence, he added that honest conversations in Singapore need to continue, such as those revolving around job insecurities faced by Singaporeans, the historic low birth rate, immigration, and foreign talent. 

“These conversations must never be framed, book-ended, or defined to target any racial group. This is even as we should be aware of those who may try to do so, or those who underestimate how it can derail our sense of what it means to be a Singaporean first,” he wrote. /TISG

Read also: Writer says Singapore must go beyond blocking content after anti-Indian hate campaign