KUALA LUMPUR – Former Singapore prime minister Goh Chok Tong has expressed his shock at the backlash over his Hari Raya greeting where he had conveyed his well wishes while posing beside a scarecrow dressed in traditional Malay attire.
“I am dismayed that some have misinterpreted my post as portraying Malays/Muslims as scarecrows. This is far from my mind,” he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday.
He added that his political lifetime had been dedicated to building a “harmonious multi-racial society,” noting that the episode is a reminder of how strengthening multi-racialism is a constant work in progress.
Goh’s statement, however, failed to ease tensions, with user Toh Hai Hoe Damien slamming him for failing to consider the potential repercussions of his Facebook post.
“It does not matter if your intentions were misinterpreted, a humble apology will do a lot of good when it is obvious that a number of people have taken offence at your original post,” he commented.
The greeting, posted on Tuesday, drew flak from netizens, with many commenting that the image selected was “insensitive and highly inappropriate”.
User Prithpal Singh said that Goh owes the Malay community an apology, calling on relevant authorities to investigate the matter.
“It is shocking that a senior minister can proudly show off this picture which is in such poor taste.”
Similarly, user Gordon Teo questioned why a scarecrow was picked to depict Malay society, saying: “You (Goh) could have gotten a couple of your Malay constituents or party members for this photo, but instead you picked a scarecrow.”
However, there are those who came to Goh’s defence, including user Angelia Chong who urged him to disregard detractors and Renson Seow who said it was the Horticultural Park management who were in charge of the scarecrow’s clothes. – The Vibes, May 5, 2022
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