The New Paper TNP PHOTO ILLUSTRATION 0 Engagements The incident of a man allegedly kicking a Singaporean Indian woman and shouting a racial slur at her has raised the ugly spectre of racism in the country. It sparked a powerful backlash, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday condemning the alleged racist attack, saying "it goes against everything that our multiracial society stands for". Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Minister for Law and Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said Singapore "will fail" if it allows attitudes of racism and xenophobia to be part of society. Singapore's multiracial, multicultural harmony has been studiously nurtured by the Government over the years, but social scientist Mathew Mathews said that just like in so many other developed countries, racism will still rear its ugly head here from time to time, especially in tough moments such as the current Covid-19 pandemic.