Community rallies around national athlete after racist remarks
Fellow residents, ministers condemn xenophobic and racist remarks
Community leaders have come out in defence of national athlete Thiruben Thana Rajan, after a National Day poster that included him and his family gave rise to nasty comments online.
Some people had posted questions about the origins of the family in the posters.
This prompted a reaction from the community, which heartened the 20-year-old university student.
Fellow residents of Tanjong Pagar GRC and Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth Alvin Tan, an MP for the constituency, slammed the racist and xenophobic comments.
Last Saturday, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Indranee Rajah, who is Mr Thiruben's MP, dropped in to visit his family and see how they were doing.
And on Sunday night, a group of 41 residents from Tiong Bahru's Seng Poh estate sent Mr Thiruben and his family a letter, saying: "We stand with you against racism, race-baiting, xenophobia and ignorance."
Ms Indranee said that people of all races were, of their own accord, calling out the hateful remarks and rejecting the racism and xenophobia exhibited.
This response shows people value a multiracial, multi-religious, multicultural Singapore, she said.
"All they knew at that stage was that an Indian family had been unfairly and unkindly targeted, that this was not right and that they were speaking up against it.
"National Day is not only a celebration of our independence as a country. It is also about who we are as a people and our values," added the minister.
"We are a people who will put action to the words 'regardless of race, language or religion'. And we are a people who will reach out in support of one another when it is most needed."
As for Mr Thiruben and his family, the expressions of support from many who supported them hold more weight than the comments of a few close-minded people.
On Aug 2, Mr Thiruben had explained in an Instagram post that he and his family had been invited to be featured in one of 20 different posters showcasing families of different races and religions.
He added that his parents moved to Singapore more than 30 years ago from Malaysia, and that he and his siblings were born and bred here.
In a subsequent Instagram post on Aug 3, Mr Thiruben thanked those who extended their love and support.
A runner, he has represented Singapore since he was 15 in several international competitions, including the World U18 Championships in Nairobi in 2017, where he became the national under-18 400m record holder, clocking 47.91sec.
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