Ex Town Council offer, Ali Ncx took to Facebook to share his experience when working at the Town Council of MP Sitoh Yi Pin. He stated on how MP Sitoh allegedly berated the foreign workers. Ali subsequently contacted the Prime Minister’s Office about this issue. Ali was then informed to do a transfer interview to another Town Council which he refused. He was fired soon after with no explanation.
Here is what was stated in Ali Ncx’s post.
“In 2014, I worked a contract job for NEA. I was pretty good at finding sanitation and vector problems, especially in Potong Pasir. It made the town council lose a lot of money in fines. Knowing that my contract position is not a long-term career, with my friends from the Town Council, I approached the GM of PPTC, with the proposal of fixing environmental problems at the root, as an employee of PPTC. I would take the minimum salary he’d offer, and prove myself. He accepted and I got a full-time job as a TC officer starting April 2014. I was full of hope and passion to serve the community and environment.”
“I spent the next few months learning the ropes, helping the residents and fixing the problems that I promised. Because I was close to the residents, I heard about a group of scammers pretending to be TC officers taking money from senior residents for HIP. One day I got a call from one of the residents saying they spotted the group. I quickly asked my fellow TC officers to help me stop the scammers, while the police were on their way. We managed to hold the scammers until the police arrived. This incident was posted on the news. It was one of the proudest moments of my life. You can find the summary here: https://www.straitstimes.com/…/five-charged-with-cheating-h…“
“I first met MP Sitoh Yi Pin around May 2014. I witnessed how the MP behaved in public. He was direct and helped the resident’s woes, be it financial or living conditions. He was on the ground quite often, which was impressive. He’d have his morning coffee with the locals. Anyone can hang out with him and they’d speak highly of him. I thought it was nice.”
“Because of my position, I had to do a fix a lot of problems at the request of MP Sitoh. Sometimes he’s direct, sometimes he tells us to fix the problem in an angry tone, and sometimes he asks nicely. Dislodged brick, damaged pavement, too many mosquitoes etc, each time a problem is fixed, he’d look good to the people. He’d thank me. I honestly had no problem with this dynamic. Work is work.”
“Around July 2014, I was deployed to assist the Meet-The-People session. MP Sitoh was berating the foreign workers in the area. He blamed them for the increase in pests and vectors, which I knew were unfair because 1) I had experience with this via NEA work and 2) they’re just doing their work and earning very little money. I worked with the foreign workers to improve the conditions but what bothered me was how the MP treated them.”
“So I contacted the Prime Minister’s Office to ask a question: how is an MP held accountable for being rude to people in public? I did not mention the involved parties names, I just asked a question as a citizen. I left my contact details.”
“Within 2 weeks, the town council head office contacted me and said I’d have to do a transfer interview to another town council, without giving a reason. I refused to transfer because I put my blood sweat and tears in the current community. I was then fired soon after, with no explanation. I talked to my GM and manager, but there was nothing they could do. My lovely coworkers helped me get through my last few days there.“
“Seeing all my hard work and effort disappear within the span of a few days was very damaging to my mentality. I got depressed. I still get nightmares now from what happened. It took me a long time to recover, but I’m glad I’m in a better place now.”
“MP Sitoh is a great social worker, but he’s not our voice. He treats voters well and is well-respected by them, but he also bullies others. What’s the purpose of an MP? Representation or community care? So far I only see them as well-paid social workers with deep pockets. It undermines actual social workers. Why did the PMO refer my honest question back to the MP? I honestly don’t care anymore now.”
“The purpose of my story: For the longest time I feared that if I told my story, I’d disappear. I don’t want to live in fear anymore. If you’re in a position of power, you should not disregard the lowest employees. You don’t know their struggles to get to where they are. You should respect all human beings. And I want to move on from my horrible past, so that I can fully embrace my present and future. I try to live my life respecting everyone. If I’ve upset you in the past, let me know, and I sincerely apologize. To those who’ve read my story, thank you. And never give up.”
Source: https://www.facebook.com/ncxrss/posts/3655306981152426