Everyday Racism in Singapore

Abstract

In 1992, in a parliamentary speech, MP Choo Wee Khiang remarked 'one evening, I drove to Little India [an Indian shopping enclave and popular tourist destination in Singapore] and it was pitch dark but not because there was no light, but because there were too many Indians around'. Choo later apologised in Parliament, though his disparaging and racist remarks had earned him no censure there. There was no public outrage against Choo's comments either. His ability to get away with the audacious witticism that pitch-darkness around Little India was due to the high number of (dark skinned) Indians in the area seems to suggest that there was tacit approval of his comments by other members of parliament. * * * One evening in Singapore in July 2007, my wife and I were travelling on a bus to Little India to have dinner. We were seated behind a young Singaporean Chinese and a Caucasian woman who were engaged in a conversation. The Caucasian was a tourist from Europe visiting Singapore for the first time. She told the Chinese woman that she was on her way to explore the popular Little India district. She wondered how long the bus trip would take and where she should get off. The Chinese woman in a fairly serious tone remarked: 'Little India is a dirty and dangerous place. You do not want to go there on your own, because there are many Indian men loitering around and it is not safe.' The tourist was puzzled by the response. We were equally startled when we overheard those comments. Soon after, we arrived at our destination. The Caucasian woman also alighted at the same 255 A. Wise et al. (eds.), Everyday Multiculturalism