'Racist' video: Indian-origin YouTubers tender 'unconditional apology'

Two Indian-origin YouTubers, accused of making a "racist" video to criticise an e-payment vertisement, tendered an unconditional apology on ir social media account on August 3.

Posting an apology on ir Facebook account, Preeti Nair and her bror Subhas said y "unconditionally apologise for tone, aggression, vulgarities and gestures" used in controversial rap video.

"We have apologised but we understand that more needs to be said and done," y said.

"People are offended and we sincerely apologise for it. If we could do it again, we would change manner in which we approached issue," Channel News Asia quoted Facebook post.  

On August 2, Home Affairs Ministry of Singapore h termed ir earlier statement "insincere".

vertisement against which y h created video was about network for electronics transfer (NETS), a widely used e-payment system in Singapore.  

ir earlier apology closely followed wording of statement issued by creative ncy Havas and Celebrity ncy (TCA), Mediacorp's celebrity manment arm, which were involved in producing vertisement.  

Local Chinese actor Dennis Chew played four characters in vertisement, including that of a Malay woman and an Indian man. 

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To portray se characters, his skin was me to look darker. 

Both vertisement and rap video were termed distasteful and offensive.  

siblings said on August 3 that ir video was "born out of frustration and pain" caused by fact that re "weren't eugh safeguards" against way mirities were portrayed in national media. 

"We only wanted to spark a conversation and get corporations stop painting people brown to portray a mirity and inste simply hire a brown person because brownface is extremely offensive," y said. 

"We must, as a nation, have for people to express mselves; however, at same time, it is our responsibility as artistes, to carry that mess in a way that hours issue and does t hurt people," y ded. 

Nair siblings said y wanted to participate in ongoing discussion, but "do so responsibly".

"It has been a difficult time, but silver lining is that brownface will probably never happen again in Singapore," y said, ding that ir or works were meant to highlight social issues and could be misinterpreted if taken out of context.

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