Singapore’s ‘brownface’ saga sparks debate on race as Preetipls rap video condemned
- State news agency CNA pulls celebrity Subhas Nair from music documentary over his and sister Preeti’s video taking issue with Chinese portrayal of Indians in ad campaign
- Authorities say the rap risks fanning racial tensions, but supporters say minorities are misunderstood
On social media, however, fans of siblings Preeti and Subhas Nair expressed support for the duo and disagreed strongly with the government’s claim that their spoof video – which attacked “Chinese people” for the controversial ad – could potentially fan ethnic tensions in the multiracial state.
The siblings, currently under police investigation, have complied with government orders to take down the video from social media, but duplicates of the two-minute 50-second clip were circulating online after other people uploaded it, despite a warning from police not to do so.
The fallout from the video continued on Wednesday after CNA said it was removing Subhas from an upcoming music documentary to air ahead of the country’s National Day on August 9.
The 27-year-old is a highly rated emerging musical talent in the Lion City. But the state-backed news agency said “it strongly objects to all such offensive content which threatens racial harmony, and will not associate with individuals who intentionally create such content”.