SINGAPORE: Workers' Party Member of Parliament Kenneth Tiong on Saturday (Sep 5) said there is "no place for racism in our society" as he defended his criticism of Singapore Airlines' (SIA) investment in Air India, saying his concerns were "purely commercial".

Mr Tiong was responding to comments by Senior Minister K Shanmugam to reporters earlier on Saturday, when he condemned "shameful" racist and xenophobic online comments about the Nepal-Tibet disaster and SIA’s investment in Air India. 

Mr Shanmugam, who is also home affairs minister and coordinating minister for national security, said decisions on whether to invest further in Air India rest with SIA, while Temasek, as a shareholder, expects the airline to make its investment decisions responsibly.

He added that while Mr Tiong is entitled to his views on the deal, they should not substitute for the commercial judgement of SIA’s management and board of directors.

Mr Tiong raised concerns about SIA’s investment in Air India after Reuters reported last month that Air India had sought a further US$1.5 billion in support from owners Tata Sons and SIA, just months after it had posted a record annual loss.

On Saturday, Mr Tiong said in a Facebook post he agreed with Mr Shanmugam that racism has no place in Singapore, and that he condemned any attacks on someone’s motives because of their ethnicity. 

He said the debate over SIA's investment in Air India had become entangled with racist comments, which he condemned without reservation.

“My concerns were, and are, purely commercial,” he said.

In his Facebook post, Mr Tiong again raised concerns about SIA’s stake in Air India, questioning how many more times Air India might be asking shareholders for additional funding, and who would foot the bill when SIA is unable to.

Earlier on Saturday, Mr Shanmugam said reports that Air India was seeking fresh equity had triggered a new wave of "anti-Indian, racist ranting" online.

He also said Temasek chief executive Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara had been targeted because of his ethnici...