Amy Cheong "Malay wedding" comment (2012) - Revision history

Dayana Rizal at 08:31, 15 May 2019

2019-05-15T08:31:47Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:31, 15 May 2019
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	Amy Cheong herself also posted an official public apology on her personal Facebook page. She apologised for her actions and lapse in judgement. She reiterated that she did not intend to upset the Malay community with her comment, and that she was just unhappy with the noise caused by the Malay wedding taking part at the void deck in her housing estate.<ref>Durai, Jennani. “NTUC assistant director sacked for racist remarks”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ntuc-assistant-director-sacked-for-racist-remarks </ref> She then deleted her page..		Amy Cheong herself also posted an official public apology on her personal Facebook page. She apologised for her actions and lapse in judgement. She reiterated that she did not intend to upset the Malay community with her comment, and that she was just unhappy with the noise caused by the Malay wedding taking part at the void deck in her housing estate.<ref>Durai, Jennani. “NTUC assistant director sacked for racist remarks”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ntuc-assistant-director-sacked-for-racist-remarks </ref> She then deleted her page.

Dayana Rizal: /* Responses */

2019-04-05T03:23:47Z

Responses

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:23, 5 April 2019
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	===Lionel de Souza police report===		===Lionel de Souza police report===
	A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed that the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and that the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>		A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed that the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and that the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>
			[[File:Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 and Other Facts About Malay Culture.jpg\|thumb\|''The cover of Hidayah Amin's book titled "Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50" (2014). Photo from hida-amin.blogspot.com.'']]

	==Responses==		==Responses==
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	===''Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture'' by Hidayah Amin<ref>"About this book". ''Select Books Online.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.aspx?SBNum=057617</ref>===		===''Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture'' by Hidayah Amin<ref>"About this book". ''Select Books Online.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.aspx?SBNum=057617</ref>===
	A book titled "Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture" was published in 2014. The author, Hidayah Amin, stated in the preface of the book that Amy Cheong’s infamous “How can society allow ppl to get married for 50 bucks” remark regarding Malay weddings inspired her to title the book as such. ~~She~~ explained that the Amy Cheong incident could have been avoided, if Amy Cheong had a better understanding of the Malay culture and traditions. She also expressed that her book was written with the intention of enabling readers to gain deeper knowledge of the Malay culture, and hoped that it would help to bridge racial differences.		A book titled "Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture" was published in 2014. The author, Hidayah Amin, stated in the preface of the book that Amy Cheong’s infamous “How can society allow ppl to get married for 50 bucks” remark regarding Malay weddings inspired her to title the book as such.


			The author explained that the Amy Cheong incident could have been avoided, if Amy Cheong had a better understanding of the Malay culture and traditions. She also expressed that her book was written with the intention of enabling readers to gain deeper knowledge of the Malay culture, and hoped that it would help to bridge racial differences.

	==References / Citations==		==References / Citations==
	<references />		<references />
	[[Category:Newsworthy Incidents]]		[[Category:Newsworthy Incidents]]

Dayana Rizal at 03:19, 5 April 2019

2019-04-05T03:19:38Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:19, 5 April 2019
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			[[File:Amy Cheong malay wedding comment.jpg\|thumb\|''A screengrab of Amy Cheong's FB post that was published on 7 October 2012. Photo from Yahoo! News.'']]
	In 2012, a Singapore Permanent Resident by the name of Amy Cheong made controversial remarks regarding Malay void deck weddings in Singapore. These comments were made on her personal Facebook page. At the time of the comment, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC.		In 2012, a Singapore Permanent Resident by the name of Amy Cheong made controversial remarks regarding Malay void deck weddings in Singapore. These comments were made on her personal Facebook page. At the time of the comment, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC.

Joe Tan at 05:39, 4 April 2019

2019-04-04T05:39:12Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:39, 4 April 2019
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	==References / Citations==		==References / Citations==
	<references />		<references />
	[[Category:~~Notable~~ Incidents]]		[[Category:Newsworthy Incidents]]

Joe Tan at 03:53, 3 April 2019

2019-04-03T03:53:39Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:53, 3 April 2019
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	==References / Citations==		==References / Citations==
	<references />		<references />
	[[Category:~~Noteworthy~~ Incidents]]		[[Category:Notable Incidents]]

Dayana Rizal at 02:30, 3 April 2019

2019-04-03T02:30:26Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:30, 3 April 2019
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	==References / Citations==		==References / Citations==
	<references />		<references />
			[[Category:Noteworthy Incidents]]

Dayana Rizal: /* Details of the Incident */

2019-02-18T07:10:28Z

Details of the Incident

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:10, 18 February 2019
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	==Details of the Incident==		==Details of the Incident==
	On 7 October 2012, Amy Cheong took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by Malay weddings held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html </ref> Her post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. ~~In another post, she also~~ allegedly ~~expressed her support for banning~~ void deck weddings ~~from taking place~~, ~~and~~ that ~~if people cannot afford a “proper wedding”, they should~~ not ~~be getting married. She later linked that to the allegedly “high divorce rates” in Singapore~~.<ref>Ibid.</ref>		On 7 October 2012, Amy Cheong took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by Malay weddings held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html </ref> Her post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. She then asserted that the allegedly high divorce rates in Singapore were attributed to the cheap nature of Malay void deck weddings, stating that these weddings were not "real weddings".<ref>Ibid.</ref>

	===Escalation of incident===		===Escalation of incident===
	The disparaging remarks caused many members of the Malay community as well as Singaporeans in general to feel offended. A petition calling for the termination of Amy Cheong’s employment appeared on the Facebook page Stop Racism in Singapore ([https://www.facebook.com/srisingapore/ Facebook page]) on 8 October 2012. It has garnered 18,000 likes as of 21 January 2019.<ref>Stop Racism in Singapore. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook''. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/172719476182161/posts/this-is-a-petition-to-remove-amy-cheong-from-the-post-of-assistant-director-of-n/265106116943496/ </ref> Within a day of her controversial Facebook post, Amy Cheong was removed from her job position in NTUC.<ref>Channel News Asia. "NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions"''.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. ''Facebook.'' Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845/</ref>		The disparaging remarks caused many members of the Malay community as well as Singaporeans in general to feel offended. A petition calling for the termination of Amy Cheong’s employment appeared on the Facebook page "Stop Racism in Singapore" ([https://www.facebook.com/srisingapore/ Facebook page]) on 8 October 2012. It has garnered 18,000 likes as of 21 January 2019.<ref>Stop Racism in Singapore. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook''. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/172719476182161/posts/this-is-a-petition-to-remove-amy-cheong-from-the-post-of-assistant-director-of-n/265106116943496/ </ref> Within a day of her controversial Facebook post, Amy Cheong was removed from her job position in NTUC.<ref>Channel News Asia. "NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions"''.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. ''Facebook.'' Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845/</ref>


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	Amy Cheong herself also posted an official public apology on her personal page. She apologised for her actions and lapse in judgement. She reiterated that she did not intend to upset the Malay community with her comment, and that she was just unhappy with the noise caused by the Malay wedding taking part at the void deck in her housing estate.<ref>Durai, Jennani. “NTUC assistant director sacked for racist remarks”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ntuc-assistant-director-sacked-for-racist-remarks </ref> She then deleted her ~~Facebook~~ page.		Amy Cheong herself also posted an official public apology on her personal Facebook page. She apologised for her actions and lapse in judgement. She reiterated that she did not intend to upset the Malay community with her comment, and that she was just unhappy with the noise caused by the Malay wedding taking part at the void deck in her housing estate.<ref>Durai, Jennani. “NTUC assistant director sacked for racist remarks”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ntuc-assistant-director-sacked-for-racist-remarks </ref> She then deleted her page..


	Amy Cheong returned to Perth, Australia, following the termination of her employment by NTUC.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref>		Amy Cheong returned to Perth, Australia, following the termination of her employment by NTUC.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref>

	===~~Police~~ report===		===Lionel de Souza police report===
	A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>		A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed that the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and that the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>

	==Responses==		==Responses==

Dayana Rizal: /* Escalation of incident */

2019-02-15T09:34:28Z

Escalation of incident

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:34, 15 February 2019
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	In 2012, a Singapore Permanent Resident by the name of Amy Cheong made controversial remarks regarding Malay void deck weddings in Singapore. These comments were made on her personal Facebook page. At the time of the comment, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC.		In 2012, a Singapore Permanent Resident by the name of Amy Cheong made controversial remarks regarding Malay void deck weddings in Singapore. These comments were made on her personal Facebook page. At the time of the comment, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC.

	== Details of the Incident ==		==Details of the Incident==
	On 7 October 2012, Amy Cheong took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by Malay weddings held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html </ref> Her post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. In another post, she also allegedly expressed her support for banning void deck weddings from taking place, and that if people cannot afford a “proper wedding”, they should not be getting married. She later linked that to the allegedly “high divorce rates” in Singapore.<ref>Ibid.</ref>		On 7 October 2012, Amy Cheong took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by Malay weddings held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html </ref> Her post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. In another post, she also allegedly expressed her support for banning void deck weddings from taking place, and that if people cannot afford a “proper wedding”, they should not be getting married. She later linked that to the allegedly “high divorce rates” in Singapore.<ref>Ibid.</ref>

	=== Escalation of incident ===		===Escalation of incident===
	The disparaging remarks caused many members of the Malay community as well as Singaporeans in general to feel offended. A petition calling for the termination of Amy Cheong’s employment appeared on the Facebook page Stop Racism in Singapore ([https://www.facebook.com/srisingapore/ Facebook page]) on 8 October 2012. It has garnered 18,000 likes as of 21 January 2019.<ref>Stop Racism in Singapore. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook''. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/172719476182161/posts/this-is-a-petition-to-remove-amy-cheong-from-the-post-of-assistant-director-of-n/265106116943496/ </ref> Within a day of her controversial Facebook post, Amy Cheong was removed from her job position in NTUC.<ref>Channel News Asia. "NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions"''.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. ''Facebook.'' Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845/</ref>		The disparaging remarks caused many members of the Malay community as well as Singaporeans in general to feel offended. A petition calling for the termination of Amy Cheong’s employment appeared on the Facebook page Stop Racism in Singapore ([https://www.facebook.com/srisingapore/ Facebook page]) on 8 October 2012. It has garnered 18,000 likes as of 21 January 2019.<ref>Stop Racism in Singapore. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook''. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/172719476182161/posts/this-is-a-petition-to-remove-amy-cheong-from-the-post-of-assistant-director-of-n/265106116943496/ </ref> Within a day of her controversial Facebook post, Amy Cheong was removed from her job position in NTUC.<ref>Channel News Asia. "NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions"''.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. ''Facebook.'' Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845/</ref>

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	Amy Cheong ~~has since~~ returned to Perth, Australia, following the termination of her employment by NTUC.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref>		Amy Cheong returned to Perth, Australia, following the termination of her employment by NTUC.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref>

	=== Police report ===		===Police report===
	A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>		A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>

	== Responses ==		==Responses==

	=== Politicians ===		===Politicians===
	On 8 October 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong personally addressed the situation in a Facebook post. He commended NTUC for taking swift action in removing Amy Cheong from her position, and affirmed Amy Cheong’s prompt public apology. He reminded members of the public to treat this incident as an isolated case that does not mirror the stability of Singapore’s racial and religious relations. He also prompted Singaporeans to pay more heed to their actions and words, both online and in person.<ref>Lee Hsien Loong. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/leehsienloong/posts/422356847827027 </ref>		On 8 October 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong personally addressed the situation in a Facebook post. He commended NTUC for taking swift action in removing Amy Cheong from her position, and affirmed Amy Cheong’s prompt public apology. He reminded members of the public to treat this incident as an isolated case that does not mirror the stability of Singapore’s racial and religious relations. He also prompted Singaporeans to pay more heed to their actions and words, both online and in person.<ref>Lee Hsien Loong. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/leehsienloong/posts/422356847827027 </ref>

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	Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, both agreed that Amy Cheong’s comments were unacceptable, and affirmed NTUC’s decision to terminate Amy Cheong. They stated the punishment highlighted to the Singapore public that actions which could potentially threaten the country's racial harmony would not be tolerated.<ref>Ho, Derrick. “PM Lee, ministers condemn racist remarks on Facebook”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-ministers-condemn-racist-remarks-on-facebook </ref>		Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, both agreed that Amy Cheong’s comments were unacceptable, and affirmed NTUC’s decision to terminate Amy Cheong. They stated the punishment highlighted to the Singapore public that actions which could potentially threaten the country's racial harmony would not be tolerated.<ref>Ho, Derrick. “PM Lee, ministers condemn racist remarks on Facebook”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-ministers-condemn-racist-remarks-on-facebook </ref>

	=== ''Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture'' by Hidayah Amin<ref>"About this book". ''Select Books Online.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.aspx?SBNum=057617</ref> ===		===''Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture'' by Hidayah Amin<ref>"About this book". ''Select Books Online.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.aspx?SBNum=057617</ref>===
	A book titled "Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture" was published in 2014. The author, Hidayah Amin, stated in the preface of the book that Amy Cheong’s infamous “How can society allow ppl to get married for 50 bucks” remark regarding Malay weddings inspired her to title the book as such. She explained that the Amy Cheong incident could have been avoided, if Amy Cheong had a better understanding of the Malay culture and traditions. She also expressed that her book was written with the intention of enabling readers to gain deeper knowledge of the Malay culture, and hoped that it would help to bridge racial differences.		A book titled "Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture" was published in 2014. The author, Hidayah Amin, stated in the preface of the book that Amy Cheong’s infamous “How can society allow ppl to get married for 50 bucks” remark regarding Malay weddings inspired her to title the book as such. She explained that the Amy Cheong incident could have been avoided, if Amy Cheong had a better understanding of the Malay culture and traditions. She also expressed that her book was written with the intention of enabling readers to gain deeper knowledge of the Malay culture, and hoped that it would help to bridge racial differences.

	== References / Citations ==		==References / Citations==
			<references />

Dayana Rizal at 09:34, 15 February 2019

2019-02-15T09:34:03Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:34, 15 February 2019
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	~~On 7 October~~ 2012, Amy Cheong ~~took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by~~ Malay weddings ~~held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012~~. ~~Accessed~~ on ~~21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post~~.~~html </ref>~~ At the time, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC~~. Amy Cheong is an Australian citizen and a Singapore Permanent Resident~~.		In 2012, a Singapore Permanent Resident by the name of Amy Cheong made controversial remarks regarding Malay void deck weddings in Singapore. These comments were made on her personal Facebook page. At the time of the comment, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC.

	== Details of the Incident ==		== Details of the Incident ==
	Amy ~~Cheong’s~~ Facebook post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. ~~She later linked that to the allegedly “high divorce rates” in Singapore.<ref>Ibid.</ref>~~		On 7 October 2012, Amy Cheong took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by Malay weddings held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html </ref> Her post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. In another post, she also allegedly expressed her support for banning void deck weddings from taking place, and that if people cannot afford a “proper wedding”, they should not be getting married. She later linked that to the allegedly “high divorce rates” in Singapore.<ref>Ibid.</ref>


	In another post, she also allegedly expressed her support for banning void deck weddings from taking place, and that if people cannot afford a “proper wedding”, they should not be getting married.

	=== Escalation of incident ===		=== Escalation of incident ===

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On 7 October 2012, Amy Cheong took to Facebook to lament about the noise caused by Malay weddings held at void decks of housing estates.<ref>Tan, Jeanette. “NTUC fires Assistant Director for racist comments”. ''Yahoo!News.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://sg.news.yahoo.com/ntuc-assistant-director-says-sorry-for-racist-post.html </ref> At the time, she was working as an Assistant Director (Membership Department) in the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC). Her remark gained a great amount of attention from Singaporeans and led to her dismissal from NTUC. Amy Cheong is an Australian citizen and a Singapore Permanent Resident.

== Details of the Incident ==
Amy Cheong’s Facebook post contained expletives, and she had also commented on the fact that Malay weddings only cost “50 bucks”. She later linked that to the allegedly “high divorce rates” in Singapore.<ref>Ibid.</ref>

In another post, she also allegedly expressed her support for banning void deck weddings from taking place, and that if people cannot afford a “proper wedding”, they should not be getting married.

=== Escalation of incident ===
The disparaging remarks caused many members of the Malay community as well as Singaporeans in general to feel offended. A petition calling for the termination of Amy Cheong’s employment appeared on the Facebook page Stop Racism in Singapore ([https://www.facebook.com/srisingapore/ Facebook page]) on 8 October 2012. It has garnered 18,000 likes as of 21 January 2019.<ref>Stop Racism in Singapore. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook''. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/172719476182161/posts/this-is-a-petition-to-remove-amy-cheong-from-the-post-of-assistant-director-of-n/265106116943496/ </ref> Within a day of her controversial Facebook post, Amy Cheong was removed from her job position in NTUC.<ref>Channel News Asia. "NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions"''.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. ''Facebook.'' Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845/</ref>

On 8 October 2012, NTUC Secretary General and Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Lim Swee Say addressed the matter during an interview ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ec43CZMe8U Youtube video]) with Singapore Press Holdings at an event in Pei Chun Public School. He stated that the action taken was a hard decision for him to make, knowing that the impact on Amy Cheong would be great. However, he asserted that one of the core values of NTUC is inclusiveness, and Amy Cheong had failed to uphold this core value. He also appealed to members of the public to try and forgive Amy Cheong for her mistake.<ref>Channel News Asia. "NTUC Chief Lim Swee Say: Firing Amy Cheong Was One of the Most Difficult Decisions"''.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. ''Facebook.'' Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/channel-newsasia/ntuc-chief-lim-swee-say-firing-amy-cheong-was-one-of-the-most-difficult-decision/10151292389877845/</ref> On the same day of her dismissal, a job opening for Amy Cheong’s exact position was being advertised on Jobstreet.com, a popular website for those seeking employment in Singapore.

Amy Cheong herself also posted an official public apology on her personal page. She apologised for her actions and lapse in judgement. She reiterated that she did not intend to upset the Malay community with her comment, and that she was just unhappy with the noise caused by the Malay wedding taking part at the void deck in her housing estate.<ref>Durai, Jennani. “NTUC assistant director sacked for racist remarks”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 9, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/ntuc-assistant-director-sacked-for-racist-remarks </ref> She then deleted her Facebook page.

Amy Cheong has since returned to Perth, Australia, following the termination of her employment by NTUC.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref>

=== Police report ===
A police report was filed against Amy Cheong by grassroots leader Lionel de Souza, who is the secretary of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circle in Hougang.<ref>Lim, Joyce. “Racist rant: Amy Cheong gets stern warning from police”. ''The Straits Times.'' March 25, 2013. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/racist-rant-amy-cheong-gets-stern-warning-from-police </ref> A spokesman for the Singapore Police Force confirmed the final verdict with regards to this incident was made in consultation with the Attorney-General's Chambers, and the police have administered a stern warning to Amy Cheong for an offence under Section 298A (b) of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. According to the Penal Code of Singapore, Amy Cheong's comment was an "act... prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious or racial groups and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquility".<ref>Attorney-General's Chambers (SG)."Penal Code (Chapter 224)"''. Singapore Statues Online.'' Accessed on 15 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/PC1871#pr298A-</ref>

== Responses ==

=== Politicians ===
On 8 October 2012, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong personally addressed the situation in a Facebook post. He commended NTUC for taking swift action in removing Amy Cheong from her position, and affirmed Amy Cheong’s prompt public apology. He reminded members of the public to treat this incident as an isolated case that does not mirror the stability of Singapore’s racial and religious relations. He also prompted Singaporeans to pay more heed to their actions and words, both online and in person.<ref>Lee Hsien Loong. October 8, 2012. ''Facebook.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/leehsienloong/posts/422356847827027 </ref>

Former Minister for Manpower Tan Chuan Jin also expressed his views on the issue on his personal Facebook page. In his post also dated 8 October 2012, he asserted that racial and religious activities such as “burning of offerings, void deck funerals and weddings, increased parking during Friday prayers or Sunday morning worship”, are all integral parts of Singapore's social fabric. He reminded all Singaporeans to be proud of Singapore's social diversity and more accepting of different cultures.<ref>Tan Chuan Jin. ''Facebook.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/TanChuanJin1/posts/as-i-write-this-prayers-from-masjid-omar-kampong-melaka-our-oldest-mosque-in-sin/449224841786963/ </ref>

Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, both agreed that Amy Cheong’s comments were unacceptable, and affirmed NTUC’s decision to terminate Amy Cheong. They stated the punishment highlighted to the Singapore public that actions which could potentially threaten the country's racial harmony would not be tolerated.<ref>Ho, Derrick. “PM Lee, ministers condemn racist remarks on Facebook”. ''The Straits Times.'' October 8, 2012. Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/pm-lee-ministers-condemn-racist-remarks-on-facebook </ref>

=== ''Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture'' by Hidayah Amin<ref>"About this book". ''Select Books Online.'' Accessed on 21 January 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.selectbooks.com.sg/getTitle.aspx?SBNum=057617</ref> ===
A book titled "Malay Weddings Don't Cost $50 And Other Facts About Malay Culture" was published in 2014. The author, Hidayah Amin, stated in the preface of the book that Amy Cheong’s infamous “How can society allow ppl to get married for 50 bucks” remark regarding Malay weddings inspired her to title the book as such. She explained that the Amy Cheong incident could have been avoided, if Amy Cheong had a better understanding of the Malay culture and traditions. She also expressed that her book was written with the intention of enabling readers to gain deeper knowledge of the Malay culture, and hoped that it would help to bridge racial differences.

== References / Citations ==