Masri was the one who alerted her to the online waves of agitated responses that rolled in relentlessly over the next 24 hours. The Indian community was up in arms over Sharon’s statement that all minorities receive equal treatment and respect from the authorities and society at large. Did she not remember the racial slights that had occurred within the last year? Deepavali fell on 3 November 2013, more than one-and-a-half months before Christmas. Yet Christmas decorations were up by 1 November along the highway leading to and from Changi International Airport. India had consistently been among the top five countries of origin of tourists to Singapore, so the complete disregard of a major festival like Deepavali was shocking. The same year also saw a reputable supermarket chain putting up a Deepavali promotion of a 38 per cent discount on their beef products. Were the merchants so culturally insensitive as to not know that Hindus generally abstain from eating beef because they regard cows as sacred? How about the Thaipusam incident? The procession along Serangoon Road was supposed to be rowdy and celebratory. Yet the police officers had stepped in and reprimanded the urumi drum players for making too much noise. That led to heated arguments, some scuffles and the eventual arrest of three Indian youths. But it was really what followed that infuriated the Indian community. While police investigation was still underway, a Chinese MP claimed on Facebook that the incident was an example of how alcohol intoxication could cause rowdiness and public nuisance. Did he imply that all Indians were hard drinkers? How could such a racially insensitive comment from a parliamentarian be tolerated?

Apparently, Sharon’s article had opened up a can of worms.

“This is exactly what I feared would happen.” Elvis came straight to the point when Sharon met him and Yu Chin at Peach Garden the next morning. “You know Anshuman Tiwari was playing the race card. You should have deflected and steered the focus back to the migrant worker community. Our hard-line supporters are the conservatives. They will gladly form up a supporting contingent behind you, had you done that. But now that the focus of discussion is on the local Indian community, they naturally chose not to speak up. No one wants to be labelled a racist.”

“What can we do to steer the discussion back on track?” Yu Chin had asked the question. Sharon felt him reach under the table to give her knee a reassuring squeeze. He must have sensed her dejection and was trying to show support. Sharon felt a tinge of gratitude in her heart. Perhaps she was wrong about her husband after all.

Elvis must have given the matter prior thought, for his reply came readily. “We need to draw intense fire from the opposition party.”

Both Sharon and Yu Chin stared at him, uncomprehending.