<[email protected]><[email protected]>After the thread on Indians MPs failure to address the Seng Han Tong Affair, a forummer reached out and provided the details of his exchange. Clearly this person took the right route of seeking the MP's views and the desire to raise the plight of those that have been cast in poor light. </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>Note the exchange and lets hear your views. It appears that he was avoiding the issue until forced to address it. More importantly there is Singaporean who are prepared to engage an MP directly to make this a better society. </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
December 23rd, 2011
Dear Indian MP’s of the Singapore Parliament,
Its with deep frustration & disappointment I write this email. </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>From:
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 10:13 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear MP Inderjit Singh,
I reproduce an open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore which you may have already seen and read.
I completely share the sentiments expressed in this letter.
I further wish to add that for an MP who claims he is not afraid to speak up, you are conspicuously absent in your silence on this matter. So far 3 Malay MPs have expressed their unhappiness with SHT’s racists comments. Will you be saying something soon? More so since he is your compatriot in the same GRC?
I therefore look forward to your comments in the papers and on Facebook castigating SHT for his racist comments. I think you will agree with me that he must be condemned in no uncertain terms for his very insensitive comments. We cannot allow such a loose cannon MP to upset the racial harmony which has taken generations to build up.
Yours Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>
From: Inderjit Singh [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 1:29 PM
To:
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear xxxxxxxx,
I speak up on issues I believe in and where I can make a difference, so don’t jump to conclusions that I claim to be what you said. Also, you don’t know that I was away for 2 weeks and just got back this morning, just a couple of hours ago, so don’t assume anything about why I did not make a comment. One of my residents also asked me and I have posted my views on my facebook. It is up to the papers to pick up this comment, I will not be sending to the press. For your information. Below is an extract of what I posted on my facebook.
Inderjit Singh Dear Peter, a few people have wondered why I did not comment on this issue. Well, I just heard about this today. I was away for 2 weeks and just got back this morning. I had limited internet access and read about the Seng Han Thong‘s comments from the papers on board the flight back this morning. My initial reaction was of disappointment that he made such a comment. I have known Mr Seng for 17 years and I know he is not a racist. But I agree that his comments were uncalled for and not fair to the minority races. Even if he was stating what he heard, as a public figure he should have been more discerning and be mindful of the multi racial fabric of our society. I am glad he has apologised and stated his position. As a GRC colleague, will also have a word with him on how his comments have hurt the feelings of the minority races and urge him to be more careful in the future. In my 17 years of working with him, I have never sensed any racism in what Mr Seng says and does.
Regards
Inderjit Singh
From:
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 4:19 PM
To: 'Inderjit Singh'
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear MP Inderjit Singh,
Thank you for your detailed response which is much appreciated. Here are my comments:
a. I do not think you need to be so defensive . A straight forward explanation/response would have sufficed.
b. You mentioned you speak up on issues you believe in and can make a difference. Does not racial harmony and a fellow MP making racist comments which can potentially undermine this, come under this category? I would have thought this would warrant being on the top of your list of things you believe in.
c. SHT made his comments on national TV at prime time and his comments were not only carried in the social media but received much prominence and extensive coverage in the national press as well. Your response was just a posting on your Facebook page. I feel the right thing for you to do would have been to also issue a press release and maybe even offer to share your comments on national TV, expressing your unhappiness with SHT comments. Other PAP MPs did that. The fact you have chosen not to do so really surprises me. It is however still not too late and I really hope you will issue at least a press release to the SPH publications and to the TODAY newspaper.
d. I trust that if you still choose not to make a press release that you will have no objection to my releasing to social blogs our email exchanges. I’m sure more people should and will be pleased to know that you have taken a stand on what SHT said, even though you only said it the Facebook page.
Kind regards
XXXXXXXXX
From: Inderjit [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 6:41 PM
To:
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Noted.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!
From: Inderjit Singh [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 4:42 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
XXXXX, I will do what is right and I expect you will not release what I have shared with you with the social media. My comments have already been picked up by the press so you don’t have to do so. On the other points below, I listen to others but will decide what I want to speak on, I don’t think anyone of us can impose on anyone else on what they should speak on or be interested in. I have many people who I deal with who discuss issues openly with me and I form my opinions. I don’t even know you, so I think you should expect that you can make your comments and should not expect me react just based on your inputs. If you like, feel free to come and meet me to discuss issues, I would like to put a face to those I discuss things with.
________________________________________
From:
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:22:23 +0800
To: 'Inderjit Singh'<[email protected]>
ReplyTo:
Cc: <[email protected]>
Subject: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear MP Inderjit Singh,
Thanks for your reply.
Since you said that your comments have been picked up by the press, I will hold my hand for now and not release our exchanges to the blogs.
I hope when you say “others” you include citizens of Singapore like me, who you will agree have made some very valid points to you which are in our NATIONAL INTERESTS. I am certainly not trying to impose “personal” views as you have claimed.
Is it also necessary for you to know me ( or anyone else who writes to you) before you respond? XXXXXXXX is my real name and you can goggle and Facebook me to find out who I am. I am just a concerned ordinary citizen of Singapore and I expect all MPs to give due respect to all their citizens’ opinions.
On your kind invitation to meet, thanks very much but I don’t believe a private discourse on such an important matter of an elected MP making racist comments (and then falsely attributing it to the PR dept of the MRT ) would be helpful. I am for openness and transparency and would rather that whatever we have to say on this or similar issues be said so in the open and without equivocation.
At least I am glad that you did not take the dubious path of your fellow Indian MP Hri Kumar who obviously either does not or refuses to understand and seems to support SHT. I reproduce the article below.
Thank you and Best wishes
XXXXXXXXX</[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>Note the exchange and lets hear your views. It appears that he was avoiding the issue until forced to address it. More importantly there is Singaporean who are prepared to engage an MP directly to make this a better society. </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
December 23rd, 2011
Dear Indian MP’s of the Singapore Parliament,
Its with deep frustration & disappointment I write this email. </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>From:
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 10:13 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear MP Inderjit Singh,
I reproduce an open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore which you may have already seen and read.
I completely share the sentiments expressed in this letter.
I further wish to add that for an MP who claims he is not afraid to speak up, you are conspicuously absent in your silence on this matter. So far 3 Malay MPs have expressed their unhappiness with SHT’s racists comments. Will you be saying something soon? More so since he is your compatriot in the same GRC?
I therefore look forward to your comments in the papers and on Facebook castigating SHT for his racist comments. I think you will agree with me that he must be condemned in no uncertain terms for his very insensitive comments. We cannot allow such a loose cannon MP to upset the racial harmony which has taken generations to build up.
Yours Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXXXX </[email protected]></[email protected]>
<[email protected]><[email protected]>
From: Inderjit Singh [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 1:29 PM
To:
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear xxxxxxxx,
I speak up on issues I believe in and where I can make a difference, so don’t jump to conclusions that I claim to be what you said. Also, you don’t know that I was away for 2 weeks and just got back this morning, just a couple of hours ago, so don’t assume anything about why I did not make a comment. One of my residents also asked me and I have posted my views on my facebook. It is up to the papers to pick up this comment, I will not be sending to the press. For your information. Below is an extract of what I posted on my facebook.
Inderjit Singh Dear Peter, a few people have wondered why I did not comment on this issue. Well, I just heard about this today. I was away for 2 weeks and just got back this morning. I had limited internet access and read about the Seng Han Thong‘s comments from the papers on board the flight back this morning. My initial reaction was of disappointment that he made such a comment. I have known Mr Seng for 17 years and I know he is not a racist. But I agree that his comments were uncalled for and not fair to the minority races. Even if he was stating what he heard, as a public figure he should have been more discerning and be mindful of the multi racial fabric of our society. I am glad he has apologised and stated his position. As a GRC colleague, will also have a word with him on how his comments have hurt the feelings of the minority races and urge him to be more careful in the future. In my 17 years of working with him, I have never sensed any racism in what Mr Seng says and does.
Regards
Inderjit Singh
From:
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 4:19 PM
To: 'Inderjit Singh'
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear MP Inderjit Singh,
Thank you for your detailed response which is much appreciated. Here are my comments:
a. I do not think you need to be so defensive . A straight forward explanation/response would have sufficed.
b. You mentioned you speak up on issues you believe in and can make a difference. Does not racial harmony and a fellow MP making racist comments which can potentially undermine this, come under this category? I would have thought this would warrant being on the top of your list of things you believe in.
c. SHT made his comments on national TV at prime time and his comments were not only carried in the social media but received much prominence and extensive coverage in the national press as well. Your response was just a posting on your Facebook page. I feel the right thing for you to do would have been to also issue a press release and maybe even offer to share your comments on national TV, expressing your unhappiness with SHT comments. Other PAP MPs did that. The fact you have chosen not to do so really surprises me. It is however still not too late and I really hope you will issue at least a press release to the SPH publications and to the TODAY newspaper.
d. I trust that if you still choose not to make a press release that you will have no objection to my releasing to social blogs our email exchanges. I’m sure more people should and will be pleased to know that you have taken a stand on what SHT said, even though you only said it the Facebook page.
Kind regards
XXXXXXXXX
From: Inderjit [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 6:41 PM
To:
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Noted.
Sent via BlackBerry from SingTel!
From: Inderjit Singh [mailto:[email protected]]
Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2011 4:42 PM
To:
Subject: RE: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
XXXXX, I will do what is right and I expect you will not release what I have shared with you with the social media. My comments have already been picked up by the press so you don’t have to do so. On the other points below, I listen to others but will decide what I want to speak on, I don’t think anyone of us can impose on anyone else on what they should speak on or be interested in. I have many people who I deal with who discuss issues openly with me and I form my opinions. I don’t even know you, so I think you should expect that you can make your comments and should not expect me react just based on your inputs. If you like, feel free to come and meet me to discuss issues, I would like to put a face to those I discuss things with.
________________________________________
From:
Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2011 18:22:23 +0800
To: 'Inderjit Singh'<[email protected]>
ReplyTo:
Cc: <[email protected]>
Subject: Open letter to the Indian MPs of Singapore
Dear MP Inderjit Singh,
Thanks for your reply.
Since you said that your comments have been picked up by the press, I will hold my hand for now and not release our exchanges to the blogs.
I hope when you say “others” you include citizens of Singapore like me, who you will agree have made some very valid points to you which are in our NATIONAL INTERESTS. I am certainly not trying to impose “personal” views as you have claimed.
Is it also necessary for you to know me ( or anyone else who writes to you) before you respond? XXXXXXXX is my real name and you can goggle and Facebook me to find out who I am. I am just a concerned ordinary citizen of Singapore and I expect all MPs to give due respect to all their citizens’ opinions.
On your kind invitation to meet, thanks very much but I don’t believe a private discourse on such an important matter of an elected MP making racist comments (and then falsely attributing it to the PR dept of the MRT ) would be helpful. I am for openness and transparency and would rather that whatever we have to say on this or similar issues be said so in the open and without equivocation.
At least I am glad that you did not take the dubious path of your fellow Indian MP Hri Kumar who obviously either does not or refuses to understand and seems to support SHT. I reproduce the article below.
Thank you and Best wishes
XXXXXXXXX</[email protected]></[email protected]>
Last edited: