On 29 Jul, local YouTuber Preetipls, whose real name is Preeti Nair, released a controversial video mocking a recent advertisement on an e-payment app, E-Pay.
The video had garnered 48,000 views and had been shared over 600 times but, it was taken taken down subsequently.
The music video disses Chinese people, claiming that they take advantage of the minority races.
A police report had since been lodged against Preeti’s video for its offensive content.
“The police will not tolerate any offensive content that causes ill-will between races.” The authority said in a media release on 30 Jul.
Police investigations are ongoing.
The E-pay ad had sparked a whole lot of backlash online after Mediacorp actor and deejay Dennis Chew, who is Chinese, tried to mimic an Indian Man and a Malay woman by having his skin darkened.
Subsequently, Mediacorp released a statement of apology for the ad campaign.
“The message behind this advertising campaign is that e-payment is for everyone. For that reason, Dennis Chew, well-known for his ability to portray multiple characters in a single production in a light-hearted way, was selected as the face of the campaign,” it said.
Mediacorp added that “The portrayal of some races in the advertisement was done in an insensitive fashion. We take full responsibility and apologise unreservedly.”
While the advertisement from Mediacorp might not be tactful enough, Preeti Nair’s use of racist comments against Chinese Singaporeans is also not the most desirable response. After all, two wrongs don’t make one right. Such comments may spark unnecessary tension and conflicts between races.
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