Some posts circulating on Facebook highlighted the LinkedIn profiles of some Temasek employees.
Singapore:
A major Singaporean public investment firm has launched social media posts targeting its Indian employees as a “racist and divisionist campaign” to stoke hatred and intolerance.
In a statement posted online Friday, Temasek Holdings said it has its roots in Singapore, where there is no room for xenophobia, racism or hate speech.
The company noted that Singapore’s very birth as an independent nation was founded on the ideals of meritocracy, regardless of race, language or religion.
“Some of our Indian colleagues have recently been targeted on social media by a racist and divisive campaign. This makes us very angry with the false allegations being made. The Singaporeans among us are also ashamed of this hateful behavior on Singapore’s social media. We support our colleagues who have been drawn into this process through no fault of their own, ”said the global investor.
Some articles circulating on Facebook in recent days have highlighted the LinkedIn profiles of some Temasek employees and their academic qualifications, and asked why the most important positions in the company were held by foreigners and not locals, a reported The Straits Times.
In his statement, Temasek said he referred posts to Facebook that clearly violate the social media platform’s community guidelines on hate speech.
The firm, which heads Singaporean investments in India, said it “would continue to push them to be more active in eradicating this hate speech wherever it occurs on their platforms.”
Temasek said its hiring practices are based on values such as meritocracy, excellence and integrity.
The company, she said, adopts an open policy in building its team that examines values, passions, abilities and willingness to learn, “whatever our skin color or color. of our passports “.
“As an active global investor and forward-looking institution, it would be foolish of us not to tap into the global talent pool,” he said.
The company also highlighted the diversity of its employees, who span 32 nationalities through offices in eight countries.
“Of our 600 employees at our head office in Singapore, 90 percent are Singaporean citizens or permanent residents (PRs). It’s about the same among our senior executives (general managers and above),” said he declared.
In addition to Singaporeans, its staff are drawn from China (9%), the United States (7%), India (6%), the United Kingdom (3%) and Malaysia (3%) .
“We believe that constructive debate and factual opinions have a role to play in our society, even on controversial or sensitive topics, and even on social media. This should be balanced with courtesy and respect for others. There is no room for racism. Insidious messages intended to stir up hatred and intolerance have no place in our society, and we denounce them, ”he said.
The social media posts follow the Ministry of Manpower’s placement last week of 47 employers on the Fair Consideration Framework watchlist for potentially discriminatory hiring practices. Of the 47 companies, 30 were in the financial and professional services sectors.
Companies on the watchlist will have their job pass applications scrutinized, and those who are recalcitrant or uncooperative will have their work pass privileges reduced.
The Singapore Monetary Authority (MAS) on Wednesday urged financial institutions to train local leaders and develop their Singaporean talent pool.
MAS said financial institutions should continue to identify Singaporeans with high potential for leadership roles and expand the supply of talented locals.
