MP Alex Yam calls out 'racist' & 'heartless' comments about nationality of 9 S'poreans missing in Nepal floods

Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Member of Parliament (MP) and Mayor of the North-West district Alex Yam has called out comments questioning the nationality of the nine Singaporeans who remain missing after the Nepal floods, describing the comments as "racist" and "heartless".

'Loud minority'

Comments questioning the nationality of the nine missing Singaporeans have been left on social media posts about the news.

Such comments have appeared on platforms such as Facebook and TikTok.

In an Aug. 31 Facebook post, Yam listed the names of the nine missing Singaporeans, writing that "nine of our own" remain missing among the thousands still unaccounted for.

"A terrible tragedy. But scrolling through the comments, I found something else equally difficult to stomach," Yam wrote.

He went to quote some of the comments, which include, "they don't look Singaporean", or "just import more".

"While families wait desperately for news of their loved ones, a loud minority of people apparently looked at the names and faces of those missing and decided that this was the moment to ask whether they were really Singaporean," he continued.

Some comments went as far as hoping that "people remain stranded or die" or questioning why Singaporean authorities should help, according to Yam.

Time and place to argue

Yam wrote, "We can argue about immigration. We can argue about citizenship policies. We can argue about integration. There is a time and place for all of that. But surely not like this."

He also made the point that compassion and praying for the safety of others did not have to be on account of ancestry or acquaintance.

He hoped that the comments were left by "trolls", saying that he would "hate to think that this is what we have become".

The MP wrote in conclusion, "I pray we never become so angry with one another that we lose the ability to simply be human."

His post has garnered over 1,100 likes at the time of writing.