Kenneth Tiong, ‘Singaporeans are best served when we can hold 2 things at once: zero tolerance for racism & hard questions about money’

SINGAPORE: There has been a lot of chatter online recently about racist attitudes concerning two separate matters: The Singaporeans who are among the missing in the deadly floods in Nepal and the news that Air India was asking Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines (SIA), which own the carrier, for an additional US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion) amid large losses.

A number of prominent political figures have since weighed in, with no less than Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and his predecessor, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong, both condemning the racist sentiments.

“That is why I discussed these developments with my Cabinet colleagues, and why SM Shanmugam spoke out firmly on this over the weekend,” PM Wong said in a Facebook post.

On Saturday, Sep 5, in an interview, Mr Shanmugam likewise condemned the comments, calling them “shameful, nasty, and totally unacceptable.”

He was asked, however, by a member of the press about a social media post from Workers’ Party Member of Parliament (WP MP) Kenneth Tiong (Aljunied), specifically whether any part of the post had crossed a racial or xenophobic line.

“I think you’d best ask him,” Mr Shanmugam, who is also the Minister for Home Affairs and Coordinating Minister for National Security.

When asked to comment on Mr Tiong having said in his post that “No one, least of all Singaporeans, owes Air India a living,” Mr Shanmugam replied that he thinks Mr Tiong “ought to do his homework,” and referred him to the facts the minister had just released, “and ask if he is being responsible.”

Kenneth Tiong’s response

Following Mr Shanmugam’s interview, Mr Tiong wrote that he wholeheartedly agrees that racism has no place in Singapore society.

He also called the recent racist remarks shameful, condemned them “without reservation,” and affirmed his support for all Singaporeans, whether native-born or naturalised.

However, he emphasised the crux of his Aug 26 post, writing, “My concerns were, and are, purely commercial.”

The MP added, “Air India lost more than S$3.5 billion last year. SIA's share of that loss was over S$800 million. Air India is now asking its shareholders for another US$1.5 billion, and its own chairman says the turnaround could take up to ten years. SIA has S$10.5 billion in cash against S$10.7 billion in debt, and Temasek owns half of SIA. SIA can afford this call. The question is how many more there will be, and who pays when SIA cannot?”

He also claimed that it is merely prudent for Singaporeans to ask what would happen if the deal goes badly, and what implications there would be for their taxes and quality of life, which he will be raising in Parliament this week.

“Singaporeans are best served when we can hold two things at once: zero tolerance for racism, and hard questions about money. We should not let the two get mixed up. If we do, both causes suffer,” he added. /TISG

Read also: Workers’ Party MP Kenneth Tiong: Singaporeans do not owe Air India a living