Former Singapore minister apologises for "insensitive" comment on foreign workers

Singapore, Apr 7 () Yaacob Ibrahim, a former Singapore minister and sitting Member of Parliament, has apologised on Tuesday for an "insensitive" Facebook post on foreign workers congregating near a field at the Mass Rapid Transit station at Kallang.

Ibrahim on Tuesday (April 7) apologized for his remark that has drawn ire from online users for being "insensitive", the TODAY newspaper reported.

The post, which was put up on Sunday by the Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency where the Kallang station is located, was about the inconveniences that residents in the area had experienced due to foreign domestic workers and foreign workers congregating until late on Sunday.

Ibrahim put up a picture showing an empty space in the said area along with the post and wrote: "It takes a virus to empty the space."

Over the last few days, a significant number of foreign workers have been diagnosed with COVID-19 and a number of dormitories, mostly for foreign workers, have been gazetted as isolation areas as a result.

Speaking to TODAY on Tuesday afternoon, Ibrahim said: "I apologise for that line, it was never intended in any way (to discriminate)."

Ibrahim had edited the initial post by removing the line "but it takes a virus to empty the space" and added a clarification note.

He said he had done so to make clear that he agreed that "foreign workers need spaces to interact and meet their friends" but this should be done in a way that is "win-win" for all.

The congregation of foreign workers on Sundays in this area had created "many disamenities" such as littering and noise that have affected residents.

"There have been many complaints for over a year and we have tried to manage it," TODAY quoted the Parliamentarian as saying.

"My position has been how to find the right balance between those who use that space on Sunday and my residents, that's all. We have never shooed them away… We have never asked them to leave but asked them, 'Please don't litter the place and please lower your volume'."

When asked why he eventually removed the post, Ibrahim, who stepped down as Communications and Information Minister in 2018, said that it was because some people were still unclear about his intended message.

"I took it down because I think there are a lot of people who misunderstood my position," he said.