Ong Ye Kung weighs in on racially insensitive acts

Young people in Singapore are doing the right thing by standing up against racial insensitivity, said Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung yesterday in his first public comments about a photo of a birthday celebration taken in 2016 that depicted Raffles Institution (RI) students with their faces painted black.

He stressed that such acts of racial insensitivity or micro-aggression against those of another race are not condoned, but urged people to also be mindful of how the situation in Singapore differs from that in the United States, which erupted in nationwide protests after an unarmed black man died in police custody on May 25.

The photo, resurfaced on social media recently, sparking discussions online about the wider issue of racism.

It depicted a group of Chinese students, some with their faces painted black and some wearing black masks, celebrating the birthday of an Indian schoolmate.

In the photo, they also pose with props such as a paper bag labelled "whitening kit", posters of the movie Slumdog Millionaire, and handfuls of cash.

A Facebook post on the incident on Thursday by Singapore playwright and poet Alfian Sa'at drew over 600 comments, many of outrage and hurt.

The students sent him a note on the same day explaining that they had no malicious intentions, but acknowledging that it was no excuse for their insensitivity.

They also issued a public apology.

RI has also stated that the school does not condone such acts and would have counselled the students if its teachers had known.

In his first public comments about the issue, Mr Ong said in a Facebook post: "I can see many of our students, of all races, having strong feelings about the matter.

"It is good that our young are standing up for what's right and what has been a founding value we strive to uphold in Singapore."

Noting that the photo had probably resurfaced because of what is happening in the US, Mr Ong said Singapore's situation is entirely different from America's which has "a painful history of slavery, a civil war, and a civil rights movement that had to struggle against racial segregation".

Singapore, on the other hand, was founded as a multi-racial country regardless of race, language or religion after it was thrust into Independence in 1965.

He added: "That is not to say racial differences do not exist simply by decree. Tribal instincts are part of human nature."

This is why the Government implemented many policies over the years to guard against systemic racism, he said.

"Students should know that racially insensitive acts are not condoned," he added.

"Singapore will always be a work in progress, always improving based on our founding ideals, and our system of governance is designed with them in mind. All of us have to play a part."