PUBLISHED ONApril 27, 2025 8:03 AMByAmierul RashidSingapore Democratic Party (SDP) candidate Dr Gigene Wong has issued two public apologies after using a racial slur to describe fellow candidate Ariffin Sha during her rally speech on Saturday (April 26).
The 59-year-old referred to Ariffin as "keling", a term that is derogatory and offensive to the Indian community.
In a Facebook post later that night, Dr Wong acknowledged her error, adding that she "wasn't aware of the real meaning" behind the term.
The following morning, Dr Wong addressed the matter again with a second apology.
She noted that her actions had "disrespected" 27-year-old Ariffin and "offended" the Indian community.
"My comments were very hurtful and unacceptable. I am fully responsible for them. My original vetted speech did not include the comment I said which happened impromptu. There is no excuse and I am sorry for all the pain and anger that I caused," Dr Wong added.
She also mentioned she had been counselled by her party members about the word and why it is offensive.
During the same rally speech, Dr Wong mispronounced Ariffin's name, referring to him as "elephant" instead. She also called him "our future Pritam Singh" as he speaks well.
She urged residents to vote for SDP's Marsiling-Yew Tee team so that they won't lose their election deposits and that Ariffin would not "get scolded by his mother".
At the time of writing, SDP and Ariffin have not released a response.
Besides Dr Wong and Ariffin, SDP's slate for this constituency includes the party's organising secretary Jufri Salim and theatre director Alec Tok.
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