Tag: racist

CNA-IPS Survey: Racism Still A Problem

In this second of three reports that explores the findings of a Channel NewsAsia-Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) survey on race relations, Channel NewsAsia examines how racism remains a problem for some Singaporeans of minority races.

SINGAPORE: Racism remains a problem for some Singaporeans, with one in three among minority races having felt racially discriminated against, according to a nationwide survey specially commissioned by Channel NewsAsia in partnership with the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS).

The survey, which polled 2,000 Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged 21 and above, is among the few large-scale surveys on race relations in Singapore.

Conducted between June and July this year, the survey was done through a random sampling of dwelling types. Malay and Indian respondents were oversampled to ensure sufficient minority representation. Selected households completed a survey questionnaire then returned it to a surveyor at a stipulated time, to reduce the possibility of interviewer bias.

The results were then statistically weighted to ensure that the final sample resembled the national population in terms of racial composition, dwelling type and gender.

<Read Part 1 of the survey findings here: Success is independent of race for most Singaporeans>

Instances where respondents felt they were treated differently than other people were more commonly felt among racial minorities, the survey found. More than half of minority respondents agreed with statements such as “people have acted as if they are better than you”.

Two-thirds of Malay and Indian respondents who had experienced such differential treatment claimed that race was the basis of such treatment. Among Malays who had perceived such differential treatment, nearly half said they were treated differently because of their religion, or because of their income or education. Among Indians, 62 per cent said they were treated differently because of their skin colour.

While many minority respondents attributed these negative experiences to race, comparatively few – about 30 per cent – felt that they had been racially discriminated against.

“This could be because the notion of ‘racial discrimination’ connotes a much more negative experience which surpasses the types of differential treatment they perceived,” said IPS senior research fellow Dr Mathew Mathews, who headed the survey.

More respondents had heard of someone else being discriminated against, with nearly half of minority respondents saying someone had shared their experiences of racial discrimination or prejudice with them.

About 60 per cent of all respondents had heard racist comments, with under half of the respondents noting that such comments were made by workplace colleagues and friends, the survey found.

Faced with such comments, the majority preferred to avoid confrontation, with 65 per cent of respondents saying that they ignored the person’s comments. About 17 per cent said they agreed with the person making the racist comments, while 29 per cent said they argued with the person about the truth of their statement.

MOST PREFER OWN RACE FOR MANY ROLES

The survey results also showed a high level of in-group preference – the majority of respondents preferred those of the same race as spouses, to help them run their business or to share personal problems with.

More Singaporeans were amenable to social interaction across racial boundaries, the survey found. For example, close to 70 per cent of Chinese respondents were open to inviting Indians and Malays to their house for a meal. Most were also amenable to Indians and Malays playing with their children or grandchildren.

More minority respondents were accepting of the Chinese compared to the Chinese accepting minority respondents for various roles and relationships. The least preference among many respondents was for new citizens, according to the poll.

“Overall, the survey findings highlight that Singaporeans espouse the values of multiracialism and try to live out these multiracial ideals,” said Dr Mathews, adding that most Singaporeans are “self-aware and acknowledge that there is some racism in the community”.

He added: “The survey findings however remind us that we need to continue to nurture positive race relations.”

Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

August 19, 2016
Police Report Made Against PAP Member, Rahayu Mahzam, For Alleged Racist Remarks

A member of the public, Mr Abdul Salim Harun has filed a police report on Ms Rahayu Mahzam, a Member of Parliament from the People’s Action Party for alleged racist remarks made on 5 May during the last PAP rally for the Bukit Batok By-Election.

Mr Salim claims that Ms Rahayu’s remarks to have the potential to cause subversion among the minority community here.

In the report, Mr Salim wrote,

“On the 5th May 2016, during a Bukit Gombak stadium PAP rally, Ms Rahayu Mahzam insinuated in her Malay speech mischievously, that the opposition candidate Dr Chee Soon Juan is not only xenophobic, but all foreign Muslims who come into our shores needs to be screened vigorously and background checks judiciously. I feel that such comments especially from elected MPs can constitute subversion among the populace if left unchallenged and does not go well with societal norms and fabric. The 8 min 20 sec speech also constitute defamation as Dr Chee had not said any of such at all and its reach is alarming.

I am lodging this report for record purpose and will be seeking legal advise on the matter. “

He said that these remarks were “placed into” the mouth of Dr Chee Soon Juan, Secretary-General of Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) when he never said any of such things.

During the campaign of the Bukit Batok By-Election, Dr Chee responded to media queries on his views on the arrest of 8 radicalised Bangladeshi workers under the Internal Security Act. In the interview, he said, “we need to pay more attention to the people who come into our shores.”

According to Mr Salim, the offending comments said by Ms Rahayu are as follow and can be seen in the video below;

1) Jangan membenarkan kemasukan Pekerja asing – Not allowing the entry of foreign workers

2) Setiap orang Islam yang masuk ke Negara ini perlu dipantau/disaring – Muslims who entered this country needs to be scrutinised

3) Mengambil peluang ini untuk menjadikan isu Politik – Taking this opportunity to politicise the issue.

Mr Salim said that as a Malay who enjoys minority rights, he distances himself from such unwarranted attacks on a Chinese and furthermore, feel ashamed from the remarks.

He further added that similar racist remarks were made against him on Fabrication about the PAP (FAP) Fanpage by a “Shawn Loo” last year which was condoned by the authorities and Judiciary.

Mr Salim had volunteered his service with the SDP as a volunteer during the Bukit Batok By-election.

TOC has written to Ms Rahayu for her comments and will include her response when she replies.

Source: The Online Citizen

May 16, 2016
Chinese Singaporean: Racism Is Rampant Among Singapore Chinese

Today, I heard from someone very close to me that she’s a racist and that she hates my boyfriend (who’s Indian, I’m Chinese) because he’s ‘black’. She proudly declared it to me. It didn’t come as a shock to me initially because I always knew she was a closet racist, as are many people her age here in Singapore. The strange thing was, my boyfriend and I have been together for over four years and she had always welcomed and greeted him with a smile and some obligatory small talk.

So on this day, she let it all go on me and briefly mentioned something about ISIS. Was it the sudden outburst of terrorism and violence that had unleashed her unhappiness? I couldn’t argue. She was manically shouting about hating ‘black’ people and Muslims. Basically, all people of colour to her was ‘smelly’ and ‘disgusting’.

I had to stop her there. I had taken offence long enough. I started quoting something MLK said off my head and she immediately went like, yeah but he’s black. So I replied with a startled “AND?” And she replied me with a swift sentence, “he’s black. So is Obama and his entire family. He’s a disgrace.”

This woman I’m writing about is a pretty decently educated Chinese middle class female in Singapore that watches and reads the news daily and frequently. Yet being in this time and age with information readily available to her via her 5 handy Apple gadgets, she was still adamant on her stance. Funny thing is, she isn’t THAT religious. She only takes attendance on special occasions. So why was she hating other religions that aren’t her own? It irked me to hear her bash other religions so aggressively. This isn’t strange of course. Hateful religious groups are rampant the world over. But she woke me up.

I read an article yesterday about a student from Zimbabwe who’s currently studying in Yale-NUS, who talked about how she was constantly being fed with racism everywhere in Singapore. Both from the younger and older generation. Taxi drivers who refused to drive her and staff who rudely dismissed her. This might seem like a small problem at hand but it is a lot bigger than you think. Everywhere in the world, there are bigoted people who refuse to be open to the idea that there could be diversity. There are bigoted people who judges based on skin colour and one’s physical appearance. There are bigoted people who hate instead of understanding. Why do we live in a society where people pretend to understand when they don’t actually do?

The argument with racism stems way far back and as a 21 year old, I genuinely thought that everyone already got the whole picture. That ethnicity, nationality and race does not define a person. So many brave souls have stepped up to talk about the issue and yet, things like this still happens regularly every day.

Okay so back to the problem at hand-
She adores our late Minister Mentor Lee Kwan Yew, a respected person everywhere for his efforts in helping Singapore move on into the 21st century and building its own identity in the world. He is someone who stressed on something called ‘racial harmony’. So much so that we celebrate ‘Racial Harmony Day’ in Singapore.

The hypocrisy is almost too much. She bought me my first kebaya (traditional Malay outfit) to wear to Racial Harmony Day in school. She still chats and laughs with the friendly Malay Muslim store lady. She is always polite to the old Indian Muslim shopkeeper and greets him with a smile. She buys food home for the Indian security guards in her apartment block. She dotes on and gushes about the cute Indian boy living in her block.

Yet, she tells me proudly that she feels superior to every other race and that she dislikes all people of colour. Strange isn’t it? Does she feel scared or afraid so she built up all the hate? Does this have anything to do with the recent aggression and spark of acts of terrorism all around the world?

It’s just scary to think that she is one in possibly hundreds of thousands of people in Singapore alone to have almost the exact same mindset.

What would you do?

Edit: I saw quite a few comments when some of my Facebook friends shared this post saying that I never did try to talk to this person. I’m pretty sure I made it clear that I did. She just wasn’t open to listen and that’s a huge problem on a bigger scale because for one, this proves that a whole community of small minded people who refuses to let anything remotely different affect their boring daily routines, exists. And they are everywhere. They are people who can never be open to more ideas, whether good or bad. Being stubborn or defensive about the things you believe in isn’t wrong, but when you go out of your way to bring an opposing idea down, that’s pretty much the lowest blow. Also, isn’t this basically the root of every problem ever? Power. The need to be in an authoritative position. We need change. ASAP too.

Source: Cheryl Ann Chong

April 14, 2016
Nabilah Shihab: Encountering A Racist On The MRT

The peak hour train at Jurong East was crowded as usual. I stood in front of a well-dressed lady in her 40s sitting at the priority seat. Upon seeing me, she promptly crossed her legs and kicked her shoes against my legs. On a normal day, I would speak up and educate such an individual on the virtues of courtesy. Lucky for her, I had just made a vow before bed yesterday to become a more tolerant person. I just smiled and thought to myself, maybe it was an accident.

The lady began talking on her mobile phone and I let my mind wander. Before long, my thoughts were interrupted by the lady’s rant.

“A lot of Chinese girls so stupid marry Malay men.”

It was strangely refreshing to hear a racist rant in person in Singapore. In the past I had only seen them in the comments section on Facebook. As a final year Sociology undergraduate, I was keen on hearing her perspective on the issues of race and inter-racial marriages. Also, being the child of a Malay-Chinese mother and an Arab father, miscegenation was of personal relevance.

In between rants of how her Chinese friends were the CEO of Singapore Airlines and secretary to the Prime Minister’s office, she complained about how poor Malay men were trying to prey on her and other Chinese girls.

At that moment it occurred to me: she was the infamous Catherine Tan known on social media for her videos where she aggressively expressed her dissatisfaction with Malays and Muslims. It also occured to me that there was probably no one on the other end of the line. She was believed to be mentally unsound. As soon as she began directing her racist rants at me, I realized that I was no longer a mere observer.

“Look at this Muslim girl in front of me, trying to get in my face. Trying to harass me. Ya look at her she’s wearing blue jeans, black shirt, red scarf and black shoes,” she said, glaring angrily at me.

As she was giving her Outfit-Of-The-Day commentary, I almost corrected her: Oh I’m not wearing jeans! These are trousers I bought on sale. I wear them when I feel fatter than usual because being able to fit in them is assuring. Do you like them?`

I stopped myself when I realized that she was obviously not trying to be friendly. She was trying to direct her hatred for Malays and Muslims at me. As she continued to passive-aggressively taunt me, I half expected her to say something more vicious. However, she did nothing of the sort. I have to say that for a racist person, she was quite nice.   As the train reached Clementi, I prepared to alight.

“She’s alighting now,” she said as if to make sure I knew she was talking about me.

I smiled and walked on. I continued to wonder if her views were a reflection of common sentiments buried deep within the Singaporean psyche. We do not normally hear racist views in Singapore where racial and religious harmony is celebrated as a state policy. Violent racial riots in the 1960s have made us more careful about what we say about people from other races and religions, at least in public. However, laws such as Section 298 of the Penal Code which criminalises the “wounding of religious feelings” and other limits on the freedom of speech do not actually eliminate racial tensions. Instead, they drive these racist sentiments further underground. Once in a while, a mentally unsound person would express the racial tensions in our society that we do not feel free to speak about openly.

Within my racially diverse circle of friends, race is not a sensitive topic. It is discussed openly and respectfully in our casual conversations and also at university. We share the same belief that creating platforms for open dialogue about race and religion would facilitate tolerance and better understanding. Indeed, as Singaporeans, our relationship with one another should not be so fragile that it could be threatened by the words of some people. For us, what one wears on one’s head or the colour of one’s skin should not be of any concern. (Unless the colour of your skin is gangrene. In such a case we would be very concerned and would urge you to seek medical attention).

Source: http://kentridgecommon.com

March 12, 2016
Warning! Racist Ah Pek In Jurong West Harassing Hijabis!

Untok wanita yang berhijab hatihati yeh bilerh berjalan Di jurong west

just happen to me this morning ada apek cine nieeh main tarik ajerh tudung sesiape yang dyerh nampak . Boleh nampak that dyerh tak suke melayu . I’m consider lucky Pasal ada pakcik tolong if not taktahu laa perh Nasib I .

Kesian. Makcik makcik tk bersalah terburai tudung yeh . I tk Sempat amek gambar apek tuu.. #12012016 . Don’t know if ada orng Sempat tk snap his pic .

Waiting for it to kua manerhmanerh berite soo semuerh Muslims be alert .

***

Muslimahs donning hijab around Jurong West area should be careful

Just happen to me this morning…there was an ah pek who tugged at the tudungs of anyone he see. Can see that he doesn’t like Melayu. I’m consider lucky because there was a Pakcik who help me if not i don’t know what could have happen to me.

So pitiful those makcik-makcik innocent had their tuung taken off. I didn’t manage to take a pic of the ah pek.#12012016 ..Don’t know if other manage to take his pic.

Waiting for it to come up in whichever news so that all Muslims can be alert

Source: Nor Hanis

January 13, 2016