• About Us
    • Fact Checking Policy
    • Ownership & funding information
    • Volunteer
  • Subscribe
  • Letter submission
    • Submissions Policy
  • Contact Us
The Online Citizen Asia
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Letters
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Singapore
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
    • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Politics
    • Civil Society
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
No Result
View All Result
The Online Citizen Asia
No Result
View All Result

Online users give mix reactions to Law Minister's response to the rap video by YouTuber Preetipls

by Rubaashini Shunmuganathan
31/07/2019
in Comments, Current Affairs
Reading Time: 5 mins read
0

In response to a rap video uploaded by local YouTuber and comedian Preeti Nair, famously known as Preetipls, along with her brother, rapper Subhas Nair, Home Affairs and Law Minister K.Shanmugam said that it “crosses the line” and is not acceptable.
“This rap video insults Chinese Singaporeans, uses four-letter words on Chinese Singaporeans, vulgar gestures, pointing of middle finger, to make minorities angry with Chinese Singaporeans,” he said.
He added, “When you use four-letter words, vulgar language, attack another race, put it out in public, we have to draw the line and say not acceptable.”
On Monday (29 June), the siblings uploaded a video titled “K. Muthusamy” in retaliation to an advertisement created for epaysg.com, an e-payment website, which featured Mediacorp actor and DJ Dennis Chew impersonating different races.
In the advertisement, one can see Chew dressed up as different races in Singapore such as a Malay woman in a headscarf as well as an Indian man with darkened skin. He also portrayed the role of a Chinese woman in a pink jacket and a Chinese man with a moustache in the advertisement.

As such, the rap duo slammed the advertisement in its video which contains offensive content. In the video, the siblings can be seen repeatedly uttering “Chinese people always out here f***king it up”, while condemning Chinese Singaporeans who they claim are racist and exploit minorities for money.

Upon viewing the rap video, on Tuesday (30 July), the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) released a statement stating that it had issued a notice to the publisher of the video to remove the clip, and they have agreed to do so.
IMDA added that after assessing the video, it had forbidden content under the Internet Code of Practice, and unacceptable in terms of public interest and national harmony.
By Tuesday afternoon, the video was taken down from Facebook and other social media channels. Both the original video as well as the re-uploaded ones have been taken down because of a complaint from the Government.
If that is not all, Mediacorp also issued an apology for its controversial advertisement featuring Chew, and the epaysg.com website has also removed it.
Although Mr Shanmugam agrees that the epaysg.com advertisement was done “in poor taste”, but he said Preeti’s video did cross the line, nothing that he takes a “zero tolerance” approach to such matters. This is because he noted that if “speech, songs like this are allowed, slowly but surely, it will get worse.”
The minister also informed that he has asked the police to investigate the matter.
He went on further to say that if someone doesn’t like content produced by another person, then they need to ask for an apology or lodge a police report.
“If (it was) something you didn’t like, then you ask for an apology. If you think it is criminal, you make a police report. You don’t cross the line yourself,” the Minister explained.
However, he noted that some people may question why the Government is taking this matter so seriously, mentioning that one video is not going to cause any violence, and the public will laugh this off. This might be the response, but if this one rap video is allowed, then the Government will have to allow hundreds of others that may pop up in the future, said Mr Shanmugam.
“And suppose you allow this video? Let’s say a Chinese now does a video attacking Indians, Malays using four-letter words, vulgar gestures… And let’s say there are hundreds or thousands of such videos. How do you think the Indians and Malays will feel?” he asked.
He added, “Would people feel safe? Will the minorities feel safe? There are good reasons why Singapore is different, why there is racial harmony here, why all races feel safe, why minorities feel safe. And we must maintain that,” he added. Similarly, if vulgarities were used to describe another person’s religion, this will also not be allowed”.
Over on social media, there are a bunch of online users who condemn the Law Minister for the Government’s unfair handling of both the advertisement by E-Pay and the rap video. They question how is it possible for a big company like Mediacorp to get away with merely an apology after publishing an offensive advertisement, whereas the siblings are faced with harsher punishment and is being investigated by the police for their video, noting that there’s a “double standard” in this issue. If that is not all, some said on the Facebook pages of ST and CNA that the root of this whole problem first started with the E-Pay ad.

On the other hand, a large number of netizens supported Mr Shanmugam for his response to the rap video, stating that they agree with what he said and it is fair for the Government to take action against the duo. They explained that it is important to maintain racial harmony and promote racial cohesion in the country, hence highlighting that no offensive racial content should be allowed.

A few of them added that the problem first started because of Mediacorp’s ad and they should not be allowed to publish the ad in the first place.

For just US$7.50 a month, sign up as a subscriber on The Online Citizen Asia (and enjoy ads-free experience on our site) to support our mission to transform TOC into an alternative mainstream press.

Related Posts

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation
Labour

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

01/02/2023
38-year-old Indian mother who has her two kidneys “stolen”, deserted by husband
Crime

38-year-old Indian mother who has her two kidneys “stolen”, deserted by husband

01/02/2023
Can we trust the words of prosecutors, police officers, civil servants and their witnesses at face-value?
Opinion

Can we trust the words of prosecutors, police officers, civil servants and their witnesses at face-value?

01/02/2023
Myanmar junta prepares for poll, raising fears of more bloodshed
AFP

Myanmar marks coup anniversary with eyes on junta election plan

01/02/2023
No update on Karl Liew’s criminal hearing for providing false evidence against Parti Liyani
Crime

No update on Karl Liew’s criminal hearing for providing false evidence against Parti Liyani

01/02/2023
Record jobs growth in 2022, but no breakdown of the foreign and local workers in the workforce and jobs growth
Labour

Record jobs growth in 2022, but no breakdown of the foreign and local workers in the workforce and jobs growth

01/02/2023
Subscribe
Connect withD
Login
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
Notify of
Connect withD
I allow to create an account
When you login first time using a Social Login button, we collect your account public profile information shared by Social Login provider, based on your privacy settings. We also get your email address to automatically create an account for you in our website. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account.
DisagreeAgree
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Latest posts

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

They have done a fine job of confusing us about the jobs situation

01/02/2023
38-year-old Indian mother who has her two kidneys “stolen”, deserted by husband

38-year-old Indian mother who has her two kidneys “stolen”, deserted by husband

01/02/2023
Can we trust the words of prosecutors, police officers, civil servants and their witnesses at face-value?

Can we trust the words of prosecutors, police officers, civil servants and their witnesses at face-value?

01/02/2023
Myanmar junta prepares for poll, raising fears of more bloodshed

Myanmar marks coup anniversary with eyes on junta election plan

01/02/2023
No update on Karl Liew’s criminal hearing for providing false evidence against Parti Liyani

No update on Karl Liew’s criminal hearing for providing false evidence against Parti Liyani

01/02/2023
Record jobs growth in 2022, but no breakdown of the foreign and local workers in the workforce and jobs growth

Record jobs growth in 2022, but no breakdown of the foreign and local workers in the workforce and jobs growth

01/02/2023
Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Market ignores Adani’s 413-paged rebuttal against Hindenburg’s allegation and continues the sell-off

01/02/2023
Driver dies after vehicle fell into sea at Keppel Terminal

Driver dies after vehicle fell into sea at Keppel Terminal

01/02/2023

Trending posts

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

Former Singaporean shares change of life in Australia with annual pay of S$80,000 as a plumber

by Yee Loon
30/01/2023
19

...

Two Indian nationals paid about S$330 and S$730 respectively for forged certificates submitted in their S-Pass application

MOM found issuing EPs meant for foreign PMETs to PRC waitress and general worker

by Correspondent
26/01/2023
41

...

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

Earning only S$400 a month, delivery-rider turned hawker threw in the towel after two years of running a rojak stall

by Yee Loon
26/01/2023
24

...

Indian rupee falls 60% since signing of CECA while Singapore becomes top investor in India

by Correspondent
25/01/2023
67

...

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

Temasek and GIC reportedly in talks with Adani Group accused of “brazen” market manipulation and accounting fraud

by The Online Citizen
26/01/2023
58

...

Ho Ching breaks silence over Temasek’s write down of its US$275 million investment in FTX, says it “can afford to be contrarian”

US regulator questions VCs’ due diligence work prior to investing in FTX; Ho Ching says Temasek can afford to be contrarian

by The Online Citizen
24/01/2023
28

...

July 2019
M T W T F S S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
22232425262728
293031  
« Jun   Aug »

The Online Citizen is a regional online publication based in Taiwan and formerly Singapore’s longest-running independent online media platform.

Navigation

  • Editorial
  • Commentaries
  • Opinion
  • Politics
  • Community

Support

  • Contact Us
  • Letter submission
  • Membership subscription

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Fact Checking Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

No Result
View All Result
  • Opinion
    • Editorial
    • Commentaries
    • Comments
  • Current Affairs
    • Malaysia
    • Indonesia
    • China
    • ASEAN
    • Asia
    • International
  • Finance
    • Economics
    • Labour
    • Property
    • Business
  • Community
    • Civil Society
    • Arts & Culture
    • Consumer Watch
    • NGO
  • Politics
    • Parliament
    • Transport
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health
    • Housing
  • Law & Order
    • Legislation
    • Court Cases
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
  • Subscribers login

© 2022 - 2023 The Online Citizen Asia

wpDiscuz