Singaporean rapper Subhas Nair, aged 31, received a six-week jail sentence on Tuesday, September 5, for his involvement in attempting to foster animosity among racial and religious communities through online posts.
Subhas Govin Prabhakar Nair, known as Subhas Nair, was found guilty in July on four counts of such offenses for statements he made between July 2019 and March 2021, where he drew comparisons between different races and religions.
Nair has stated his intent to appeal both his conviction and sentence, steadfastly maintaining his innocence, as confirmed by his lawyer, Mr. Suang Wijaya, during the court proceedings.
District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan concurred with the prosecution’s argument that deterring such offenses is of paramount importance “in the age of social media and the internet,” given that malevolent racist messages can reach a considerably larger audience nearly instantaneously.
He emphasized that such messages inflict harm not only upon the specific targeted racial or religious groups but also on society as a whole.
The four charges leading to Nair’s conviction were linked to a YouTube video where he and his sister, Preeti Nair, known as Preetipls, performed a song that included the lyrics: “Chinese people always out here f***ing it up.”
Although the police had previously issued Nair a two-year conditional warning for this video, he continued to offend by posting comments on social media.
He commented on a viral video by two Christians who connected the gay pride movement to Satan, stating: “If two Malay Muslims made a video promoting Islam and saying the kinds of hateful things these Chinese Christians said, ISD (Internal Security Department) would have been at the door before they even hit ‘upload’.”
In another instance, Nair made an Instagram post regarding a media interview of Chan Jia Xing, who had received a conditional warning for a reduced charge of consorting with a person possessing a weapon. Chan was one of seven individuals originally charged in connection with a murder case at Orchard Towers.
Nair’s post suggested that “calling out racism and Chinese privilege” led to a two-year conditional warning and a “smear campaign in the media,” while “actually conspiring to murder an Indian man” resulted in a significantly lighter sentence and inquiries about “you’re having a baby soon right? Boy or girl” from the media.
Deputy Public Prosecutors Suhas Malhotra and Jordon Li requested a six-week jail term, while Nair’s defense attorney, Mr. Suang Wijaya, sought a 20-day sentence.
The judge observed that past legal precedents typically involve jail sentences in such cases. He rejected the defense’s argument that Nair’s actions were less severe because he did not employ racial slurs or derogatory language.
“In my opinion, sowing discord among racial or religious groups by alleging that law enforcement in Singapore discriminates based on race or religious grounds is just as severe as using racial slurs,” asserted the judge.
This stance is rooted in the belief that such actions have the potential to erode trust in law enforcement agencies and contribute to a breakdown of law and order.
Nair intends to request bail while awaiting his appeal. Several supporters, including his sister, attended his court hearing.
The penalties for attempting to incite ill feelings among racial or religious groups include a jail term of up to three years, a fine, or both. Also learn about Rapper Subhas Nair Found Guilty of Attempting to Promote Ill Will Between Races and Religions.
