Sun Xueling called out for saying she understands “both sides” concerning discrimination against Vietnamese in SG

Singapore — On Jul 16, Minister of State Sun Xueling posted a screenshot of an email she received from a Punggol resident that drew attention to the discrimination being faced by Vietnamese people in the wake of the Covid infection clusters from KTV lounges. 

The resident urged the Government to extend assistance in the matter and to “educate the general public to prevent racist and xenophobic violence and discrimination linked to the recent Covid cluster.”

Ms Sun pointed out that “Singaporeans who have been abiding by the rules” are now facing “uncertainties to livelihoods,  jobs, difficulties and inconveniences, again” at a time when everyone hoped restrictions were ending since the number of cases had gone down.

She added that the Vietnamese community had been “tarred by the same brush because of the misbehaviour of some.”

Ms Sun, who is the MP for Punggol West SMC, appealed for the public to be “discerning and compassionate, so that we do not hurt those who are innocent.”

AND WHILE the MP wrote that she understands “the sentiment on both sides,” commenters on her post echoed what the resident had written.

Some reiterated that the government needs to educate people regarding racism.

Another said they were uncomfortable with Ms Sun’s “framing” of the situation.

Others sought to lay blame where they thought it should lie.

Political activist group Wake Up, Singapore called Ms Sun out on her statement that she can “understand both sides.”

“Hey MP @sun.xueling , what do you mean by you can understand “both sides”? You do know that the other side is xenophobia, racism and blatant discrimination right? 

Is it so hard for people in power to simply call out racism and xenophobia? Why everything also need both sides? This is not a GP essay.

Also, when you say things like both sides, it imputes a false equivalence between those who discriminate viciously, and those who are victims of the discrimination.”, it wrote in a post on Sunday, Jul 18.

/TISG

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