DBS bank has sacked a foreign talent, Avijit Dat Patnaik, for making an insensitive Facebook post. The employee posted a photo of a ripped up Singapore flag showing an underlying Indian flag and expressed that his heart remains with India. His post caused much stir as netizens were angry that he did not appreciate his PR status and showed loyalty to another country.
DBS was also under fire for not stating their position on this issue and simply saying that they will "counsel" him. Looks like they finally realised that they need to take some action:
"DBS strongly disapproves of such actions by our employees. At the same time, it is fair and right that all employees are given the benefit of due process.
Since the incident, a disciplinary committee has been convened and as of 24 August, he is no longer with the bank".
A nod to the bank for doing the right thing but we're not sure if they handled it properly. Why did they avoid taking a stand? Why did it take so long to decide what to do with Avijit? Aren't they a big, reputable bank? Why announce their decision only 4 days later?
Most importantly, the bigger problem is: Who are we giving PR status to? How do we decide if they are deserving of this status? How do we know if they are loyal to Singapore? How many more foreign talents are we going to embrace?
