Singaporeans are divided over whether Miss Ris Low should be stripped of her Miss Singapore World title.

Twenty-three out of 40 Singaporeans interviewed in a Sunday Times street poll said she should not keep her title or represent the country in the Miss World beauty pageant, which will be held in South Africa in December.

They fear that Singapore’s reputation will be tarnished if she continues to wear the crown.

Housewife Manjit Kaur, 30, said: “At first, I thought it was okay but after I read the news that she was convicted of five charges and another 60 charges were considered for her sentencing, I thought it was too much.”

Quantity manager Toh Guat Heng, 50, said: “She shouldn’t have participated in the pageant in the first place. She claims her offence was unintentional but a mistake is a mistake.”

Student Glennice Yong, 17, felt that the latest revelation provided one more reason for Miss Low to step down.

“Not only does she not speak well, she was also involved in credit card fraud. Now, there are two problems,” she said.

But those who are more forgiving said Miss Low won rightfully and should be given a chance to prove herself.

Student Pooja Nanikram, 19, said: “As long as she understands that she had made a mistake and rectifies it, I think she should be given a chance to compete.”

Sales manager Jonathan Fang, 37, thinks Miss Low’s story is inspirational.

“It doesn’t matter if she has any criminal convictions. At the end of the day, all they care about is how good you look and how you present yourself on stage...it could even turn into an inspiring story if she’s indeed sorry for her mistake.”

This story was first published in The Sunday Times.