Singapore, September 7 : Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has strongly condemned racist comments targeting Indians over Singapore Airlines' (SIA) financial involvement in Air India, as well as racist remarks directed at Singaporeans who remain missing following the devastating floods in Nepal, warning that such prejudice must not be allowed to become normalised in the city-state.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Wong said Singapore's identity must remain open and inclusive and stressed that legitimate public debate should not be used as a cover for hostility towards any community.
“At the National Day Rally, I spoke about what it means to be Singaporean — and the kind of Singapore we want to be. Our identity must remain open and inclusive. Whatever our background, if we embrace our values and way of life, we are part of this nation. This is what our National Pledge stands for, and I believe the vast majority of Singaporeans share this view,” Wong said.
The Prime Minister said an “uglier side” had emerged online following the devastating flash floods in Nepal, with racist comments directed at Singaporeans who remained missing, while more recent discussions around Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India had also been accompanied by anti-Indian abuse.
“Unfortunately, we have seen an uglier side emerge online. After the devastating floods in Nepal, racist comments were made about Singaporeans who remain missing. More recently, questions about SIA’s investment in Air India have been accompanied by anti-Indian abuse,” he said.
Wong drew a distinction between legitimate criticism and comments driven by racial prejudice, saying Singaporeans should be able to debate issues robustly but must reject attempts to use such debates to target communities.
“We should be clear about the distinction. We can and should have robust debates. But we should never use seemingly legitimate arguments as a cover to fuel prejudice against any community or hostility towards foreigners,” Wong said.
He warned that such remarks, even when made online, could have consequences for Singapore's social cohesion if left unchecked.
“These views do not represent Singapore. But neither can we dismiss them as harmless online chatter. If such behaviour goes unchecked, it can become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities, and pull us apart,” he said.
Wong said he had discussed the developments with his Cabinet colleagues, while Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security K Shanmugam had also spoken out firmly against the comments.
Senior Minister K Shanmugam, who is also Singapore's Home Affairs Minister, said law enforcement agencies were investigating what he described as “shameful” and “nasty” online commentary related to the Nepal-Tibet disaster and SIA's financial involvement in Air India.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia on Saturday, Shanmugam said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information would direct social media platforms to remove comments that violate established community standards.
“The media tells me that they had to remove several comments because they were so nasty. I don't know if all the comments are all made by Singaporeans. But, I will say this – the comments are shameful, nasty, and totally unacceptable,” Shanmugam said.
“I have asked police to look into these comments,” he added.
The Senior Minister said the controversy surrounding Air India's efforts to secure additional equity contributions from its shareholders, including Singapore Airlines, had triggered a wave of anti-Indian rhetoric online.
He said individuals associated with Singapore's investment ecosystem had also been targeted because of their ethnicity. In particular, an online campaign had targeted Temasek's chief executive and senior management over their alleged connection to Air India.
Temasek is the majority owner of Singapore Airlines, while Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara serves as Temasek's CEO.
Shanmugam said such attacks were driven by prejudice rather than factual considerations and stressed that anonymity on the internet should not shield people from accountability when their conduct threatens Singapore's social fabric.
He also warned that racist rhetoric can gradually move from the margins into mainstream discourse if society and authorities fail to confront it.
Wong also recalled earlier episodes of anti-foreigner and racial sentiments during the COVID-19 pandemic, debates surrounding CECA, and political discourse during the 2025 General Election, saying Singapore had repeatedly faced attempts to exploit racial and religious differences.
“We have seen this before. Anti-foreigner and racial sentiments were stirred up during Covid. They surfaced during the debates over CECA. And we saw them again during GE2025, when I spoke out against attempts to bring race and religion into politics,” Wong said.
The Prime Minister said while the authorities cannot prevent every hateful comment from appearing online, Singaporeans can collectively refuse to amplify or legitimise such views.
“There will always be people who seek to exploit our differences. We cannot stop every hateful comment from appearing online. But how we respond is up to us. We can reject such views and refuse to give them more space or legitimacy,” he said.
Shanmugam had stressed that Singapore's multiracial and multi-ethnic character makes social cohesion particularly important, warning that racial or religious division would undermine the foundations of the country.
“We are a very small multiracial, multiethnic country. If we are divided along racial or religious lines, we will lose the unity that has made Singapore strong. There will be feelings of ill-will and suspicion, and we will all suffer. We should not tolerate this. This is not who we are as Singaporeans,” he said.
Wong echoed the same message, urging Singaporeans to remain committed to the principles enshrined in the National Pledge.
“Singapore has held together because we have consistently rejected attempts to divide us along racial or religious lines and chosen instead to recognise one another as fellow Singaporeans. We must keep making that choice and hold fast to the ideals in our Pledge — regardless of race, language or religion. We must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normal in Singapore,” Wong said.
The controversy comes amid reports that Air India is seeking around USD 1.5 billion in additional financial backing from its parent entities, Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, following a record annual financial loss.
The Singapore government's response has therefore combined a defence of open public debate with a firm warning against racial stereotyping, as the country's leadership seeks to prevent online hostility surrounding economic and regional issues from spilling into broader social tensions.