SINGAPORE - Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC MP Alex Yam has called out comments questioning if the nine Singaporeans reported missing in the Nepal-Tibet disaster were "really Singaporean".
In a Facebook post on Aug 31, he called the floods that struck the Himalayan border of Nepal and China's Tibet a "terrible tragedy" and listed the names of the Singaporeans who are still unaccounted for.
They are: Estee Loeh, Ghosh Aditi, Ng Kit Kuen, Rajesvaran Ayyavoo, Rengarajan Prabu, Shalinny Deavy Elan Sozan, Shubakshi Rawla, Subramaniam Diraviam and Sumit Rawla.
Yam said that scrolling through the comments, he found something else equally difficult to stomach.
"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 said.
He added that some have said they hope that people remain stranded or die, while others have also questioned why the authorities should help these Singapore citizens.
At least 800 people have been killed and more than 3,000 are missing after a glacier collapse unleashed a catastrophic mudslide across the Himalayas on Aug 26.
Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Aug 27 that it was in touch with the families of Singaporeans affected by the floods. The Singapore High Commission in New Delhi also deployed a crisis response team to Nepal to render consular assistance.
In his Facebook post, Yam said people can have arguments over immigration, citizenship policies and integration, but this was not the time and place for that.
"Not now. Not over people who may have lost their lives, while their children and loved ones are waiting for news," he added.
"You do not have to know someone to have compassion for them. You do not have to share their ancestry to pray for their safety. And you certainly do not have to diminish someone else's Singaporeanness to prove your own," he said.
Some of the comments are not just racist but are downright heartless, he said, adding that "we can be better than this".
"May we remember that before race, nationality or politics, there are frightened families hoping that someone they love comes home. And I pray we never become so angry with one another that we lose the ability to simply be human," he added.
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This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.
