Student apologises for video parody of S’poreans
A foreign student whose online video parody of Singaporeans caused angry reactions from netizens has said sorry for his actions.
Wang Peng Fei posted an apology in Chinese to "all Singaporeans" on his blog, saying that he "meant no harm" with his video.
The 21-year-old Chinese citizen wrote that he did it "solely for entertainment and comic relief", not expecting it to provoke such a strong reaction from Singaporean netizens.
Realising that he did not consider how Singaporeans would react to it, he said it was a rash decision on his part.
"I really love Singapore or I wouldn't have stayed here for so long," said Wang, who is believed to have been staying in the country for at least two years.
The video in question was a four-minute clip on Youtube making fun of Singaporeans' language, culture and social habits.
In the video, which first appeared on Saturday, Wang is seen with black-rimmed glasses and black lipstick, talking in a high-pitched voice as he made racist comments in Mandarin.
He asked why girls from a particular race are so black, saying "It must be that they only know how to give birth!"
But in his apology later, the former hospitality student at the East Asia Institute of Management (EASB) said, "I am not racist and have a lot of Malay and Indian friends. We go to nightclubs and also work together."
In the video, Wang also said that it was useless for Singaporeans to be exposed to so many languages as Singlish was "our one and only language" and poked fun at Singaporeans for saying "three" as "tree".
He also mocked Singapore's low birth rate problems, saying that Singapore Chinese women are creating problems for the "Lee dynasty" because they are not having children.
Many netizens have taken offence at his video, with one saying, "Lots of social problems are created by people like this."
But a few of them also feel that his views and behaviour are not representative of Chinese nationals, and advised Singaporeans to avoid stereotyping all of them.
And while Wang has since deleted the video, netizens have reposted the video back on Youtube as "evidence of his deed."
According to The New Paper, EASB has expelled Wang over his "gross misconduct" and he has since lost his student visa because of the video.
