Local News

Domestic helpers are humans too.

A video of a Singaporean woman scolding her helper went viral today. The arrogant woman was shouting at her helper after she failed to hail a taxi. 

"Coming already... Can you put your hand out? The Green one! Oh my god"

"You don't ask so much you just put your hand out for taxi can or not?! Before I throw you here ok?"

"I hate it when you argue with me! Just do what I ask you!"

The maid was embarrassed and helpless as she tried hailing taxis from the roadside. Throughout the video, her employer stood a distance away and only flagged her arm weakly. She was dressed in an all pink outfit which did not help in softening her arrogant image. 

When they finally got a taxi, the poor helper even had to open and close the door for her employer, as if the latter was a queen. 

Is this considered mistreating an employee? What makes the woman think she has the right to yell and boss her helper around like this? Can someone CSI her?

Hawkers from the Jurong West Hawker Centre has lodged a petition to the NEA to have the operator remove the fee of 20 cents for each returned tray. This easily computes to the hawkers coming out with hundreds of dollars each month just because customers return trays like they are supposed to.

The petition was signed by 12 hawkers and submitted to NEA as well as Koufu, which runs the hawker centre through its social enterprise subsidiary. The hawkers also claim that the Jurong West Centre is the only in Singapore where the hawkers have to pay for the customers returning their trays. The unfair system also sees the customers not having to pay anything when they take the tray, but will receive 20cents if they return their tray. 

Singapore wants to be the first in everything but we came in last in out of 157 governments. The Oxfam report, which rated governments for their efforts at reducing inequality, ranked Singapore last due to our progressivity of taxes.

The truth is out. What is our government going to say now? How many Singaporeans will believe them when they promise to make things affordable and improve our lives? 

According to opposition politician Lim Tean, "this is a government that will go out of its way to help the rich and the privileged at the great expense of the rest. As Oxfam noted, Singapore has become a tax haven for the rich". 

"The rich get away without paying minimum wages. The government subsidises the rich towkays by giving Low wage workers Workfare, ComCare etc in order to survive. All these schemes are funded with taxes from ordinary Singaporeans. This is all part of the PAP’s Neo-liberal creed, an ideology which has run its course and should be consigned to the dustbin of history". 

The rich gets richer and the poor gets poorer. When will ordinary Singaporeans get to enjoy the promised Swiss standard of living?

Students and residents waiting for the bus at Pasir Ris Drive 3 on Thursday afternoon were given a rude shock as a naked man strolled nonchalantly pass. The man was caught walking down the pavement wearing nothing towards the direction of D'Resort at Downtown East.

According to eyewitnesses, the man was very focused and was looking straight throughout his stroll and he seemed unaware of his surroundings. It was understood that the police were called in, but when they arrived, the man had disappeared. 

Meet this Ryde driver from hell.

A woman complained on Facebook about her Ryde driver for raising his voice at her, chasing her out of the car and insulting her with vulgarities. She said that he got angry after failing to find her location despite having pinned it on the map. He even called her stupid when she could not find his car.

"When I finally boarded, he was lecturing me and hurling insults (even vulgarities) at me. I tried to explain to him that I did try to locate him and I even walked in the rain just to do so! But he just kept on insisting that I am intentionally wasting his time. When I tried to tell him to calm down, he got more pissed and started screaming at me to get out of his car.

When I got out, he unbelted, got out of the car and screamed at me from a distance and called me a bitch". 

It is not the first time this driver is on the news for his impatient behaviour. Last year, he was also reported for being overly angry and rude when a passenger was late for pick up. 

The guy definitely has anger management issues. How does Ryde vet its drivers? Should he be allowed to continue taking passengers?

50 year old Anita Damu, who had been found guilty of abusing her maid and was sentenced to jail, was rushed to hospital yesterday as her lawyer was arguing her case in the Courts. Anita's lawyer had argued for her to be given a fine instead of a jail sentence, but Anita suddenly said she felt giddy in the dock.

The proceedings were stopped for family members to check on her, and she was subsequently taken to hospital by an ambulance. Anita had been found guilty on five counts of abusing her maid, which included her assaulting the maid with household items such as bamboo poles, slippers and a pair of pliers. She had also deprived her maid of meals and rest.

The hearing will continue again on 30 Oct. It was not known what Anita had suffered from.