It’s not everyday that a Ferrari is totaled. That, in itself, is news. Add in allegations of drinking and driving, speeding, a $1.8 vehicle price tag, infidelity, a 31-year-old driver, a video of the crash going public and three agonizing deaths – and chatter has gone through the roof.

There is much to be discussed - the danger of running red lights, the inherent risk that we all take when we step inside a vehicle, the horrible lose of human life. Yet unfortunately, much of the conversation has taken an uglier turn.

The driver was rich. He was young. He broke local laws designed to protect the people. And he was from China.

The timing for this isn’t good. Right now, Singaporeans are understandably concerned about rising property prices, job availability, open immigration policies, a loss of national identity and a government that they feel just isn’t listening. Sadly, this tragic incident has caused anti-foreigner sentiments, anger and hate to boil above the surface too many times to count. 

I’m reminded of when, just a few months ago, a poll showed 96% of people favored stripping a NUS student of his scholarship for posting an online comment that read, “There are more dogs than humans here in Singapore.” He, too, was from China. (He was ultimately fined $3,000, sentenced to community service and had his final semester scholarship revoked.) Singapore does not stand for racial or religious intolerance, a commendable position to take – as long as it applies to everyone.

Five minutes spent here, and you’ll realize that PRCs aren’t exactly welcomed with open arms by all. (I’ll leave it to you to decide how these comments fare against the dog comment.) Ang mohs fare far better but they don’t emerge completely unscathed, and lest we not get started on construction workers and domestic helpers. (A recent letter-to-the-editor published in The Straits Times asking about quality control of domestic helpers said, “Not only should we ask whether maids are trainable, but also whether they are sufficiently intelligent to be trained…”).

If Singapore protects the sensibilities of some – and strips the scholarships and issues fines to others – then these rules should be applied to everyone equally, no matter where you are from or what nationality is listed in your passport.