Temasek Releases Media Release; Said Some Staff from India Have Been ‘Targeted Recently on Social Media’

Standard Chartered wasn’t the only bank targeted by allegations that they hire more foreigners than Singaporeans.

Even a company we’re more than familiar with, Temasek, was accused of doing the same.

But this time, the Facebook posts went one step further.

So much so that when Temasek made a media statement in reply to the allegations, heavy words like “divisive”, “racists” and “hate speech”.

Temasek Releases Media Release; Said Some Staff from India Have Been ‘Targeted Recently on Social Media’

On 14 Aug 2020, Temasek released a media statement in response to the Facebook posts made against their Indian colleagues.

Calling themselves as a company which focuses on people, regardless of the “colour of our skins” or “passports”, they believe in the ” values, passions, capabilities, and their willingness to learn, lead and take on new ideas and responsibilities” of their people.

They clarified that globally, their workforce is made up of 60% Singaporeans and 40% others, with the most being China (9%), followed by the USA (7%), India (6%), UK (3%) and Malaysia (3%).

In their board level, they have individuals from all around the world, contributing their expertise and experience.

In the Singapore office, 90% of their employees are Singaporeans.

A Divisive, Racist Campaign

Temasek went on to label the social media posts as a divisive, racist campaign against their Indian employees.

According to ST, some of the posts highlighted the LinkedIn profiles of a few Temasek employees and their education, questioning why foreigners are taking top positions in the company.

The company is “angry” at the false claims and Singaporeans within the company are allegedly ashamed of their fellow countrymen’s behaviour.

The posts have already been reported to Facebook as clear breaches of their own community guidelines on hate speech and pledge to “be more active in stamping out hate speech”, no matter on which platform.

They added that racism has no place in constructive debates.

Foolish Not To Tap On Global Workforce

It seems that Temasek has had enough of the ongoing “Singaporeans only” ideology and have a few hard truths for people.

Pointing out that they are an active global investor, Temasek said it’s “foolish” not to tap on the global pool of talent.

This helps to bring in fresh ideas and experiences into Temasek, which will help both the employees and the company grow.

They added that they will continue to hire and develop people based on the values of “Meritocracy, Excellence, Respect, Integrity, Teamwork and Trust”.

To end it off, while social media involves people airing different views, they will not stand for those which seeks to divide the company.

Reader Bao: In other words, don’t try our patience?

That sounds about right.

You can read their full statement here.