Another apology has been issued over the controversial E-Pay publicity campaign, this time by financial services firm NETS, which operates the electronic payment system that it was promoting.
In a statement to Coconuts Singapore, the company apologized for “any hurt” that its campaign has caused.
It also reiterated a similar message from an earlier apology by Mediacorp and ad agency Havas Worldwide, saying that the intent of the campaign was to “communicate that e-payment is for everyone.”
NETS did not respond to questions about their stance on the use of brownface, and whether there will be changes made to its internal policies to prevent a recurrence in the future, something that’s true of everyone involved with the ad thus far.
Its apology, meanwhile, comes as a police report was filed against the ad by a Singaporean named Nabil Khairul Anwar.
According to a copy of the police report shared on his Facebook account, Nabil’s statement said the E-Pay ad has “raised discontent and disaffection amongst the citizens and residents.”
The campaign featured Mediacorp actor Dennis Chew dressed in brownface while impersonating an Indian man and also cross-dressed to look like a Malay woman. The ads, all of which have been pulled, sparked a backlash from netizens, including Singaporean siblings Subhas and Preeti Nair, who created a rap music video in response to the ad.
The duo’s music video has since been taken down and is being investigated by the police for alleged offensive content. The government has also criticized it, with law minister K Shanmugam telling reporters that the clip had crossed the line by attacking Chinese Singaporeans.
The fallout for Subhas following the rap music video hasn’t stopped there, with ChannelNewsAsia (CNA) announcing yesterday that they would remove the 27-year-old rapper from an upcoming National Day documentary. CNA said it was because they did not want to “associate with individuals” who have created content that “threatens racial harmony.” An article written about his involvement with the program was also deleted.
CNA’s decision to ax Subhas from the ROAR documentary, which is set to premiere this weekend, has led to more support for both the rapper and his sister, also known by the moniker Preetipls.
A “Statement of Solidarity” written on behalf of “writers, artists, creatives and citizens” was shared by art historian Joella Qingyi Kiu on Instagram, pleading to CNA to reconsider its position.
“Removing Subhas from a documentary about his music and his work with migrant communities sends the message that his good work is now nullified … there are more nuanced ways to respond to the situation at hand,” the statement said. Subhas had collaborated with Migrant Band Singapore on a song called UTOPIA.
The statement added: “As fellow creatives, we cannot stand by the way the situation has been dealt with.”
Others are also shoring support for Subhas and Preeti and calling for more people to rally as allies of minority communities.
Local personality Anita Kapoor on Instagram said she wants more Singaporeans to “not be silent in a time like this,” after calling out Mediacorp and Havas Worldwide for its “shallow apology” with regards to the “horrifying racial backwardness” that was portrayed in the campaign.
Facebook user Lune Loh had re-uploaded the rap video onto the platform before being sent a takedown notice by IMDA, according to the user’s posts. In one of the posts, Loh asked Singaporeans to “continue helping minorities and marginalized communities to resist.”
Writer Amanda Lee Koe and film director Kirsten Tan said they stand by Subhas and Preeti for “calling truth to power” while admitting that the rap video was not “politically correct.”
“NETS/Mediacorp, as corporate giants, are the ones that should be looked into by the government and the police. Preeti/Subhas, as minority individuals calling out thoughtless racism via satirical means, should be protected. NOT the other way around,” they said on Facebook.
A Marc Ashley Alexander also called out to Singaporeans to “be an ally” to the minorities.
“If you’re a Chinese person and you’re ignoring this whole brownface thing, I’m sorry, but you shouldn’t,” he said.
