Balakrishnan urges Sinda youth leaders to 'keep Singapore open'
By Cherie Thio, The Straits Times, 2 Jun 2012
ANTI-FOREIGNER sentiments expressed on the Internet are disappointing and youth leaders need to stand up against such tirades.
This was the view expressed by Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, at a dialogue during the Sinda Youth Leaders Seminar yesterday.
'We need to keep Singapore open and I am very disappointed with the tone of anti-foreigner feelings that I was reading on Facebook,' he said.
'We should never forget how we got here and succeeded because we are an open society and took in talented people, and so we flourished. We need some of you to stand up for us and say this,' he urged.
'The person who contemptuously speaks about immigrants could also be capable of turning against the minorities here at home,' he noted.
He was not referring to any particular case but elaborating on the challenges Singaporeans face, after a facilitator had asked him what could be done to boost the small number of Indian businesses among the small and medium- sized enterprises here.
This view comes in the wake of a car crash last month that fuelled anti-foreigner sentiment. A cab driver and his passenger died after a Ferrari, driven by a Chinese national, crashed into the taxi.
Dr Balakrishnan fielded questions ranging from the influence of Western culture here to the usage of social media from 170 Indian student leaders.
He also commented about a recent post by blogger Xiaxue which hit out at men who had called her stupid and had labelled her a prostitute online. 'I am not going to advocate anything, but it was very unbecoming behaviour for these men to denigrate her in such uncouth terms,' he said.
The Sinda Youth Leaders Seminar is a platform for exchanges between Indian student leaders from 17 and 20 years old. The number of participants this year is triple the 54 who turned up last year.
'We need to keep Singapore open and I am very disappointed with the tone of anti-foreigner feelings that I was reading on Facebook,' he said.
'We should never forget how we got here and succeeded because we are an open society and took in talented people, and so we flourished. We need some of you to stand up for us and say this,' he urged.
'The person who contemptuously speaks about immigrants could also be capable of turning against the minorities here at home,' he noted.
He was not referring to any particular case but elaborating on the challenges Singaporeans face, after a facilitator had asked him what could be done to boost the small number of Indian businesses among the small and medium- sized enterprises here.
This view comes in the wake of a car crash last month that fuelled anti-foreigner sentiment. A cab driver and his passenger died after a Ferrari, driven by a Chinese national, crashed into the taxi.
Dr Balakrishnan fielded questions ranging from the influence of Western culture here to the usage of social media from 170 Indian student leaders.
He also commented about a recent post by blogger Xiaxue which hit out at men who had called her stupid and had labelled her a prostitute online. 'I am not going to advocate anything, but it was very unbecoming behaviour for these men to denigrate her in such uncouth terms,' he said.
The Sinda Youth Leaders Seminar is a platform for exchanges between Indian student leaders from 17 and 20 years old. The number of participants this year is triple the 54 who turned up last year.
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