PM Wong & SM Lee call on S'poreans to reject attempts to divide us, hold fast to ideals of the pledge

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong have both called on Singaporeans to reject attempts to divide them and to hold fast to the ideals of the National Pledge, to stand by one another “regardless of race, language, or religion.”

Their comments, made on social media, come as Senior Minister K Shanmugam spoke to the media on Sep. 5 that he had asked police to look into racist comments made regarding Singaporeans missing in recent Nepali floods, and in response to Singapore Airlines’ Air India investment.

The kind of Singapore we want to be

PM Wong said that at the recent National Day rally on Aug. 23, he had spoken about what it means to be Singaporean and “the kind of Singapore we want to be.”

He said that Singapore's identity must remain open and inclusive, and that whatever a Singaporean's background, if they embrace Singapore's values and way of life, they are part of this nation.

“This is what our national pledge stands for, and I believe the vast majority of Singaporeans share this view.“

Never allow prejudice to become accepted or normal

PM Wong expressed concerns over racist comments and anti-Indian abuse that had emerged over Nepal floods and questions about Singapore Airlines' investment in Air India.

PM Wong said that while Singaporeans can and should have robust debates, seemingly legitimate arguments should never be used as a cover to fuel prejudice against any community or hostility towards foreigners.

He said that such views did not represent Singapore, but they could not be dismissed as harmless online chatter.

If such behaviour were to continue unchecked, it ran the risk of becoming normalised, as well as possibly deepening mistrust between communities, pulling Singaporeans apart.

Because of this concern, he had discussed these developments with his cabinet colleagues, and this was why Shanmugam had decided to speak out firmly on this topic.

PM Wong warned that there would always be people who sought to exploit Singaporeans' differences, and while it was impossible to stop every hateful comment, the response to those comments was up to Singaporeans.

"We can reject such views and refuse to give them more space or legitimacy."

Singapore had held together because it had consistently rejected attempts to use race and religion to divide them, instead choosing to recognise each other as fellow Singaporeans.

PM Wong said that Singaporeans must keep making that choice and hold fast to the ideals in the national pledge of "regardless of race, language, or religion."

“We must never allow prejudice against any community to become accepted or normal in Singapore.”

Deeply troubling to see racist comments in the wake of the tragedy

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong similarly appealed to Singaporeans to live up to the ideals of the pledge.

He gave his deepest condolences to those who had lost loved ones or were affected by the Nepali floods, and said that the appropriate response should be compassion and solidarity.

“It is deeply troubling to see racist comments and hateful remarks directed at our Indian community in the wake of the tragedy.”

He said that it was equally disturbing when legitimate issues, such as SIA's investment in Air India, were distorted or exploited to “stir vicious racial and anti-Indian resentment.”

He said that Shanmugam had laid out the issues clearly in his statement.

While the temptation to stir racial prejudices and animosities would always exist, Singapore strived for interracial tolerance and respect.

Not race-blind

But he warned that human beings are not race-blind and that Singapore will always be “vulnerable to these visceral and divisive pulls.”

“Race and religion will always be a fault line in our society. Hence, we must continue to work hard to strengthen our cohesion and protect our racial harmony.”

SM Lee said that when such incidents happen, leaders need to speak up with force and conviction: “to call out what is happening, condemn the manipulation of base emotions, and call on all Singaporeans to stand together.”

He recalled similar incidents in the past, such as when anti-Indian sentiments were stirred up during the pandemic or during GE2025 when PM Wong had to call out attempts to politicise religion.

SM Lee called on Singaporeans to reject hatred and support those who are mourning.

Evoking the ideals of the national pledge, he said that Singaporeans should stand by one another regardless of race, language, or religion, and that it was important for us to make every effort to live up to these ideals.