Singapore Needs To Take A Stand Against Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine
It is disappointing that some Singaporeans are berating our leaders for showing Ukraine our support. I write this piece to remind us all about why this is not the time for us bury ourselves in neutrality as we always have done.
In an unprecedented move, Singapore decides to impose sanctions on Russia. For a country that mostly prides itself in staying neutral, this decision surprised even Singaporeans.
The sanctions include export controls on items that can be used directly as weapons in Ukraine, and financial transactions with Russian banks will be blocked. Our Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and our Permanent Representative to the United Nations Burhan Gafoor have also made public statements denouncing Russia’s acts.
The fact that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is purely tyrannical and inhumane should be enough to explain why anyone needs to take a stand. More than that, the parallel histories of Singapore and Ukraine makes it crucial for our country to make our views known.
Singapore and Ukraine has a very similar history.
Ukraine used to be a part of the Soviet Union (USSR) until the latter’s dissolution in 1991, which allowed for the former’s independence. Yet, despite its independence, the leadership of Russia maintains its view that Ukraine is still a part of Russia’s influence. After all, this ongoing conflict is about Putin trying to take Ukraine back.
- In 2008, Putin spoke out against Ukraine’s membership in NATO, saying that he views attempts to expand NATO to Russia’s borders as a direct threat.
- In July 2021, Putin penned an article On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians, in which he described Russians and Ukrainians as “one people”.
- In September 2021, Putin spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip and said Ukraine is not a real country, claiming that Ukraine is a part of Russia’s historic territory.
Similarly, Singapore used to be a part of Malaysia under the Johor Sultanate before the British colonized the island in 1867. The British maintained their rule until 1963 (except in 1942–1945 when the Japanese Empire took over), where they granted us independence on the premise that we will be merging with the Federation of Malaya. The British thought that this merger would prevent Singapore from becoming a haven for communism.
However, the merger was unsuccessful; demographic and political differences between the two countries led to a series of racial riots. On 9 August 1965, the Parliament of Malaysia voted 126–0 in favor of expelling Singapore from the federation.
If it were us, we would want other nations to stand for us too.
Putin’s justifications can be easily applied to Singapore, which is why it is important we voiced our solidarity with Ukraine. We also have to be firm with our views because staying silent or even being “neutral” is no different from agreeing with Russia‘s invasion. When we agree with their invasion, we are also accepting their justifications, about Ukrainians being ethnically Russians, and about how Ukraine actually belongs to Russia.
In the very possible event that what is happening in Ukraine happens to us, we would want the world to take a stand too. If we kept our heads down this time, what we’re going to have is a world which keeps silent when the probable becomes our reality.
To the Singaporeans who are questioning our leaders’ decision to make our stand loud and clear, I hope this piece serves as a good reminder of our history and about how things could go wrong for us too.
