Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has warned against allowing racial prejudice and anti-foreigner sentiment to become normalised, following a rise in racist online comments surrounding Singapore Airlines’ (SIA) investment in Air India and the recent Nepal floods.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Wong said Singapore’s national identity must remain open and inclusive, stressing that people who embrace the country’s values and way of life are part of the nation regardless of their background.
His intervention comes amid heightened debate over SIA’s investment in Air India, which has spilled into anti-Indian abuse online. The controversy has also drawn political scrutiny over where legitimate questions about the commercial merits of the investment end and racially charged rhetoric begins.
“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 said questions surrounding SIA’s investment had been accompanied by anti-Indian abuse, while racist comments were also directed at Singaporeans who remain missing following the devastating floods in Nepal.
Wong cautioned that while such views did not represent Singapore, they should not be dismissed as harmless online chatter.
If left unchecked, he said, such behaviour could become normalised, deepen mistrust between communities and ultimately undermine Singapore’s social cohesion.
The remarks come after criticism surrounding SIA’s exposure to Air India intensified, amid reports that the Indian carrier is seeking fresh capital from its shareholders. SIA holds a 25% stake in Air India, while Tata Sons owns the remaining 75%.
However, it would be more accurate to distinguish criticism by Members of Parliament from the explicitly racist online comments rather than characterise the MPs’ remarks themselves as racist without clear supporting evidence.
Workers’ Party MP Kenneth Tiong, for example, had questioned further investment by SIA in Air India. Following Senior Minister K Shanmugam’s intervention, Tiong said there was “no place for racism” in Singapore and maintained that his concerns about the investment were “purely commercial”.
Shanmugam, meanwhile, said SIA is a listed company and investment decisions should ultimately be made by its management and board in the interests of shareholders, rather than under political pressure. He said Temasek portfolio companies should neither make nor avoid investment decisions because of politically motivated criticism.
The senior minister also condemned online attacks against Temasek’s management based on ethnicity and said police had been asked to examine whether offences had been committed. Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information will also ask platforms to remove comments that breach their guidelines.
Wong said the latest episode was not unprecedented, pointing to anti-foreigner and racial sentiments that surfaced during the Covid-19 pandemic, debates surrounding the Singapore-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA), and the 2025 General Election.
He said there would always be people seeking to exploit differences within society, and while every hateful online comment could not be prevented, Singaporeans could choose not to give such views legitimacy.
“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,” Wong said.
He added that he had discussed the recent developments with Cabinet colleagues, while Shanmugam had spoken publicly on the issue over the weekend.
Wong said Singapore must continue to uphold the ideals contained in its National Pledge — regardless of race, language or religion — and prevent prejudice against any community from becoming accepted as part of mainstream discourse.
“We must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normal in Singapore,” he said.
