PM Wong: Calvin Cheng's remarks on pro-Palestine activists 'completely insensitive & unacceptable'

Cheng had earlier stated that he was "deeply remorseful" about his remarks.

Winnie Li

April 10, 2025, 07:38 PM

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) Calvin Cheng's remarks on pro-Palestine activists were "completely insensitive and unacceptable".

PM Wong shared his perspective with Ustaz Hasbi and Ustaz Pasuni during his visit to Madrasah Aljunied on Apr. 10 morning.

According to PM Wong, who also made a Facebook post about his visit, the elders, who both sit on the council of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, had just met with Cheng before his visit.

Ustaz Hasbi is the chairman of the Council of Elders (Masyayikh) at the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (Pergas), whereas Ustaz Pasuni is a member of the elders' council.

On Mar. 13, Cheng published a Facebook post after pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a Meet-the-People Session (MPS) headed by Minister of Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam.

In the post, he said he would like to sponsor the activists in the group to relocate to Gaza and buy them some walking shoes so that they could "take a slow hike".

After meeting the elders on Apr. 10, Cheng published another Facebook post, stating that he was "deeply remorseful" about his remarks and was "deeply grateful" for the elders' kindness, understanding, and compassion.

Singapore must treasure, protect, and nurture social cohesion

In his Facebook post, PM Wong also recalled a term once used by some segments of the Malaysian community to refer to the local Chinese population when Singapore was still a part of Malaysia.

The term "pendatang", which means foreigners or immigrants, angered many Chinese as they "felt that they were second-class citizens", said PM Wong.

Given this history, PM Wong shared that when Singapore became independent, it "resolved never to treat [its] minorities like that".

After "generations of patient effort and hard work", Singapore is now a diverse and yet harmonious society "where all races and religions have their place under the sun".

Moving forward, PM Wong also urged Singaporeans to treasure, protect, and nurture this social cohesion, especially in today's "uncertain environment where there are many external forces that can pull [Singaporean] society apart".

At the end of his post, PM Wong also thanked Ustaz Hasbi and Ustaz Pasuni for playing a role in fostering inter-faith harmony.

"Together, let's build on what we have and ensure that our little red dot remains an oasis of stability and harmony," wrote PM Wong.