Former PM Goh Chok Tong poses with scarecrow in Hari Raya Puasa post, gets called out for being tone-deaf

Aren't scarecrows generally associated with Halloween?

However, it seemed like this scarecrow at HortPark was in on a different celebration.

On Monday (May 2), former Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong posted a picture on his social media accounts, wishing all his Muslim friends a Selamat Hari Raya.

In the picture, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh was standing next to a scarecrow wearing a Baju Melayu (a traditional Malay men's attire), causing a ruckus online.

His Facebook post (below) alone garnered over 370 comments and 610 shares at the time of writing while his Instagram post had 1,280 likes and 205 comments. 

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/MParader/posts/377272011111007[/embed]

"Selamat Hari Raya Puasa to all our Muslim friends," his post read.

Netizens had no issues with the caption, but it was the accompanying picture of Goh standing next to a scarecrow that left some offended.

The scarecrow was in a magenta Baju Melayu with a couple of green packets in its front pockets. During Hari Raya Puasa, green packets are typically given out to children by working adults. 

On social media, Goh was criticised for being insensitive towards the Muslim community.

Many were offended, including a Twitter user who said that the use of a scarecrow "reduced Singapore minorities to mere props during their own festive celebrations".

A brown flower pot, used as the scarecrow's head, did not help Goh's cause either as one Instagram user questioned if "the vase is brown because need to show the scarecrow is Malay eh?"

Other Instagram users suggested that Goh should have used a different photo that is "more positive, empowering and celebratory" for the occasion.

One Instagram user tried to explain that the attire for this scarecrow is changed for every festive season.

"Hopefully people don't jump to conclusions and read too much into this!" he posted.

On Twitter, a netizen provided this photo of a scarecrow dressed in a traditional Chinese costume. This photo was in an online publication for families in 2013.

The following day, Goh posted another photo of himself with a different scarecrow this time, one which he said he posted in January.

He then addressed his controversial Hari Raya Puasa post.

"I am dismayed that some have misinterpreted the post as portraying Malays/Muslims as 'scarecrows'. This is far from my mind," Goh wrote.

The 80-year-old wrote that he had spent his political lifetime working for a harmonious multi-racial society.

"This episode reminds us that strengthening multi-racialism is always [a] work in progress. All of us have to do our part. Scary, isn't it?," he posted.

[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGKTSaPLDh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link[/embed]

Both Goh's posts were still on his social media channels at the time of writing. 

Unfortunately for Goh, his follow-up post did not seem to appease some of the upset netizens.

One Instagram user explained why Goh's earlier post was perceived as offensive to many.

"What is offensive is that you're posing with a brown face scarecrow in Baju Melayu, and deem it appropriate as a prop for your Hari Raya greeting," it read.

AsiaOne has reached out to National Park Boards (NParks), which manages HortPark, for more information.

This incident comes right off the back of a kerfuffle regarding a Hari Raya short film by the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

The short film was heavily criticised for portraying stereotypes of the Malay community and has since been taken down. 

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amierul@asiaone.com