‘Stop making S’pore look less S’pore’: Influencer calls out Ion Orchard display for featuring only English and Chinese messages
A local influencer has called out a display at ION Orchard for featuring messages only in English and Chinese, urging people to “stop making Singapore look less Singapore”.
In an Instagram video posted on July 16, user @fauziazzhar pointed to a digital display on the facade of Ion Orchard, which read “I love Orchard”, but only in English and Chinese.
The clip titled, “What happened to inclusivity in Singapore?” has garnered over 134,000 and more than 300 comments.
‘Stop making Singapore look less Singapore’
In the video, the influencer — who goes by Fauzi — acknowledges that the choice of language could have been made with the aim of attracting Chinese tourists, but claims he did not understand the reasoning from a “business perspective”.
“At what point does capitalism come at the expense of our identity?” he asks.
Fauzi says he has increasingly observed what he sees as greater visibility being given to “only one language and one culture”.
“Maybe that’s why a lot of tourists from overseas think that Singapore is from China,” he adds.
He also points to what he described as a growing number of Chinese-owned businesses with staff who are unable to communicate in English, as well as receipts printed in Chinese.
Fauzi goes on to question whether public spaces were becoming less inclusive of minorities if they continued to cater primarily to one group, adding that he believes one of Singapore’s iconic malls was now “reinforcing” that trend.
“Stop making Singapore look less Singapore, thank you,” he concludes.
Found it ‘odd’ that display did not show other languages
Speaking to Stomp, Fauzi said he had spotted the display at about 10pm on July 10 while waiting at a traffic light with his friends in a car.
He said they had waited in anticipation to see whether the display would switch to other languages, but “to no avail”, as it only alternated between English and Chinese, which he found “odd”.
Fauzi added that he had encountered similar incidents at other malls in heartland areas, where he received promotional brochures for restaurants printed only in Chinese.
He also pointed to another example shared by a follower, apparently showing a photo of a National Day T-shirt design by Hang Ten, featuring Chinese-language prints.
“While it’s interesting to see another language being featured, I question why there aren’t equivalent designs in Malay and Tamil as well,” he said.
Even though the inner collar of the T-shirt features the Hang Ten logo, it is unclear when and where the pictures of the apparel were taken.
Stomp has reached out to Ion Orchard and Hang Ten for comment.
Netizens share similar experiences
Many netizens agreed with Fauzi, with several sharing similar experiences they had encountered elsewhere in Singapore.
Some pointed to attractions such as the Singapore Oceanarium and Sentosa, saying that some announcements and posters are displayed only in English and Chinese.
Another user said that such situations are becoming increasingly “common”, claiming that even at food courts, people are “expected to speak Mandarin just to place an order”.
“Don’t forget Malay is the National Language,” a commentator wrote.
One user took the opportunity to urge the authorities to take steps to protect Singapore’s identity as a multiracial and multicultural country.
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