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Her anti-Indian expat remarks rile netizens
by Teh Jen Lee
SHE is a former beauty queen in a pageant run by Vasantham, Singapore’s only free-to-air Indian-language channel.
But her recent online comments are not a pretty sight, a number of netizens seem to feel.
Miss Shobna Sukumar, 25, a Singaporean freelance TV actress, posted a series of negative comments on her Facebook account last month about Indians from India, calling them irritating and mercenary.
Miss Shobna, who was Miss Vasantham 2004, also accused them of being inconsiderate, sexually promiscuous and prone to cheating.
Her comments drew criticism from other Facebook users, who slammed the TV personality for being disrespectful.
‘Complete fool’
One user called A-leen There wrote: “You have just made a complete fool of yourself talking like that. Look at the language used, the personal attacks. I hope Vasantham or any other channel does not use you. Respect is the most basic thing.”
Mrs Priya Asok Kumar, 27, contacted The New Paper about the heated exchange on Facebook, which spawned more than 60 comments.
The Singaporean, who provides foreign-student services, said that what irritated her is that Miss Shobna is a public personality and people might look up to her.
“She was just going on and on... How can she do that?
“Just because she has fame doesn’t mean she can write anything. I see Indians from India every day of my life. My husband is also Indian, and he’s nothing like what she says.”
Mrs Asok Kumar added: “She should not look down on people coming from other countries. Singapore is a home for everyone.”
In defence
But Miss Shobna defended her views, saying she expressed them because she feels Indians from India look down on Singapore.
She told The New Paper: “I used to have acquaintances who are India Indians. They behave very arrogantly towards us. They keep saying that without (expats), Singapore is nothing, and that we have no culture.
“This is not about race. We have so many races living together here. I’ve Malay, Chinese friends. We have close ties with them.
“But once it comes to these India people, somehow they will start comparing. I’m nationalist. I care for my nation’s people because I was born here.”
She added: “Many of them (Indian expats) treat Singapore as a stepping stone. They don’t intend to stay here. They will either go back or go to the UK or US.”
Mrs Asok Kumar said: “I’m so embarrassed... because people might think we all think like her. I bring Sri Lanka and India students to study here, I tell them that Singaporeans are helpful but this is a slap on the face by a fellow Singaporean.”
Should Miss Shobna be more careful with her comments?
“I am just saying what’s affecting me. Others out there might agree with me. Somebody has to speak out,” she said.
She added that she does not have much contact with foreigners from other countries, so she’s neutral about them.
When contacted, a spokesman for Vasantham said: “We do not share Miss Shobna’s personal views and thus will not comment on them. Shobna was a former Miss Vasantham in 2004 and is a freelance artiste. “She is not contracted to the company. She has only appeared in a few dramas on the channel.”
When asked for comments on the relationship between local and expat Indians, Professor Kishore Mahbubani, dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, said: “I am deeply troubled by the stories of the gap between Singaporean Indians and Indians from India.
“However, I must confess that I have never encountered any personal difficulties. Indeed, I have made many new friends among Indians from India and I welcome their presence here.”
As for improving relations, he said: “It may be useful to think of new initiatives that bring the two groups together.
“Perhaps, organisations like Sinda (Singapore Indian Development Association) and the Indian Association can play a small role.
“However, I also believe that over time, the gap will naturally diminish through greater interaction. Hence, I am optimistic that this is a temporary problem.”
This article was first published in The New Paper
