The virus of racism must not spread in Singapore

Linking race to the Covid-19 virus is against the social DNA of our multicultural society.

The inclusive national culture that lies at the heart of Singapore is upheld by laws and customs that are guarded jealously by state and society alike, says the writer. PHOTO: ST FILE
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A vicious attack on an Indian Singaporean woman, because she was not wearing her mask properly (she was brisk-walking), reveals the nefarious relationship between race, fear and violence that has been generated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The incident is the most egregious of several instances of unsavoury behaviour involving ethnicity and disease in the wake of a new strain of Covid-19, rampant in India, which threatens to stigmatise Indians, whatever their nationality.

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