Where is Anton Casey? Singapore MP Says He Has Cure for the Man Who Hates Poor People
Anton Casey's whereabouts have been unknown since the end of January, when he fled Singapore after making remarks about poor people living there.
He was believed to have gone to Perth as he was spotted boarding a plane to the Australian city with his wife and child.
Casey, 39, sparked outrage over comments he made on his Facebook page regarding Singaporean nationals. In one post he said he could not wait to "wash the stench of public transport" from him, while calling a taxi driver a "retard" in another.
Singapore nationals called for him to be deported, with most refusing to accept the official apology he released.
However, one MP in Singapore says he believes he knows how Casey can overcome his concerns about the poor.
In a Facebook post, Hri Kumar said he has the "cure" for Anton Casey. He explains that people tend to mistrust people of different races and cultures if they are different from them.
"The simple fact is that we tend not to trust people who are different from us AND who we do not know" Kumar wrote.
"[Political scientist Robert Putnam] spoke about the 'Aunt Susan Effect'. If you had a relative or close friend [Aunt Susan] who was of a different ethnicity and someone said something nasty about that race, your reaction would be 'But Aunt Susan is not like that!', and those remarks would have little influence over you.
"It is hard to demonise people of a certain group when you are close to someone in that group.
"I believe Anton Casey would not have made those remarks if he had Singaporean friends, or more precisely, Singaporean friends who are less well off than he is. Those who have published rude remarks about the colour, smell or habits of people of a different race are likely not to have friends of that race ... Why? Because no one, not a single person, would ever mock or demonise his real friends."
Hri pointed to a scene in the film Gandhi, where a Hindu talks to Gandhi about how he killed a Muslim and is going to hell for it.
In response, Gandhi tells him to adopt a Muslim orphan and take care of him and raise him in the Muslim faith.
"The real cure for Anton Casey and others like him is simple. It is not to issue apologies or perform demonstrations of contrition managed by public relations firms. Neither is it to issue death threats or make life miserable for his family, especially his young son.
"The cure for Anton Casey is for him to get to know and make friends with Singaporeans, especially those who are not as wealthy as he is. Only then will he truly understand the wrong he has done, and start on the road to salvation."
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.