NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

[ac323]

The National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) has sacked an employee who posted offensive comments on her personal Facebook page.

It terminated, with immediate effect, the services of Ms Amy Cheong, the assistant director of the membership department, after establishing with her that she did post the offensive comments on 7 October.

Secretary-General Lim Swee Say said in a statement on Monday that the NTUC takes a serious view on racial harmony in Singapore.

He said the NTUC will not accept and has zero tolerance towards any words used or actions taken by its staff that are racially offensive.

Mr Lim said regrettably and rightly so, her comments have upset members of the public, including many union members.

Mr Lim, who is also Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, said the labour movement is sorry this happened.

NTUC has counselled Ms Cheong and impressed upon her the seriousness of her action.

Mr Lim said she is remorseful and has apologised for her grave lapse of judgement.

He stressed that inclusiveness remains at the heart of the labour movement.

The labour movement investigated the comments after it was alerted of Ms Cheong's post about Malay weddings at void decks.

Ms Cheong later posted another comment, apologising for what she described as a "silly comment".

She said it was a "bad judgement" which she truly regretted and added it was in no way a reflection of NTUC and its work.

 

[wobbles]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

Ms Cheong, whose original Facebook post complained about the duration of Malay weddings at void decks and made derogatory remarks about Malays, said on Monday morning that she was "truly sorry" for her "stupid comment".

Her original post, directed at Malays, told them to "pay for a real wedding" and said that "maybe then the divorce rate won't be so high".

In her apology, Ms Cheong said that her comment was not a reflection of her employer. "It was my own bad judgement of which I truly regret. I certainly do not mean to distress the Malay community with my comment, I was just upset with the noise. I truly do not mean to be judgmental or critical. I am truly sorry," she wrote on her Facebook page.

Fcuking moron. Seriously, deserve no sympathy.

If it's the noise that bothers you, upgrade to GCB. Otherwise, the next time some Chinese fella keels over and the family holds a wake at the void deck, you'll end up complaining about the chanting and the trumpets and the wailing as well....

 

[wt_know]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

after seeing this post, hamilton is not that dumb afterall

 

[Tanzy]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

If a chinese person complains about chinese funeral at void deck, is that still racist? It is targeted displeasure at a specific practice of a particular race and culture, after all.

Why can a black guy call another a "nigger" but when I call them that, they say I am racist?

It's like "midgets" and "little people", who the heck decides what is appropriate even though it means the same thing.

Last week, I described an inconsiderate driver I met on the road as "a fat, malay, f**ker" during a conversation. I was immediately asked if I was racist. If it happened to be a chinese, I would have said "a fat, chinese, f**ker". Just because a description of a race is used, does that mean it is racist? How about more tolerance and less sensitivity to words? What am I suppose to use? "Adipose Abundant Person of Indo-Polynesian Migrant Decent who Engages in Copulatory Activity"?

 

[detach8]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

If a chinese person complains about chinese funeral at void deck, is that still racist? It is targeted displeasure at a specific practice of a particular race and culture, after all.

Why can a black guy call another a "nigger" but when I call them that, they say I am racist?

It's like "midgets" and "little people", who the heck decides what is appropriate even though it means the same thing.

Last week, I described an inconsiderate driver I met on the road as "a fat, malay, f**ker" during a conversation. I was immediately asked if I was racist. If it happened to be a chinese, I would have said "a fat, chinese, f**ker". Just because a description of a race is used, does that mean it is racist? How about more tolerance and less sensitivity to words? What am I suppose to use? "Adipose Abundant Person of Indo-Polynesian Migrant Decent who Engages in Copulatory Activity"?

Very interesting perspective. You should be lawyer.

I don't think it was more racsist than offensive to a particular culture. Basically her comment is insensitive and shows disrespect for others cultures.

 

[Tanzy]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

Very interesting perspective. You should be lawyer.

I don't think it was more racsist than offensive to a particular culture. Basically her comment is insensitive and shows disrespect for others cultures.

MW teach me to type like that.
Any racist leanings are also indoctrinated by him.

 

[MW]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

I have no comment other than thumbs up to all the harmonious people who condemned Miss Cheong. These people live very harmonious non racist lives.

 

[jerms]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

just because you are not from the same race and if you make such comments people will always ask if you are racist....

the problem i see here is not so much about is she a racist or not but more about the insensitive remark that she has made. it really lacks tact and EQ.. if she was my staff I would wonder how she is going to work with the people below her and my members because it doesn’t seem like she has the skill set for the job she is hired for… unless membership department’s objective is to lose more members… and of course it was a wrong comment to make due to the company you are working for.

 

[jasonmaxima]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

Am I racist if I curse & swear at the PRC drivers who drive like speed demons and maniacs..... ?

 

[kenntona]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

If a chinese person complains about chinese funeral at void deck, is that still racist? It is targeted displeasure at a specific practice of a particular race and culture, after all.

Why can a black guy call another a "nigger" but when I call them that, they say I am racist?

It's like "midgets" and "little people", who the heck decides what is appropriate even though it means the same thing.

Last week, I described an inconsiderate driver I met on the road as "a fat, malay, f**ker" during a conversation. I was immediately asked if I was racist. If it happened to be a chinese, I would have said "a fat, chinese, f**ker". Just because a description of a race is used, does that mean it is racist? How about more tolerance and less sensitivity to words? What am I suppose to use? "Adipose Abundant Person of Indo-Polynesian Migrant Decent who Engages in Copulatory Activity"?

There are few issues to consider before determining whether the comments are racism-themed:

(1) the relevance of the race element - any negative connotation? One good example is the description of race in crime reporting, construed as negative projection. In the US, even the media used terms such as "Asian" or "Afro-American" instead of Chinese or Black....

(2) the context of the discussion/argument - if it is a serious conversation, the mention of race can be tricky. One example is citing race in crime statistics. On the contrary, a comment such as "malays/mats are good soccer players" cannot be deemed to be rascist.

(3) the audience and the socio-cultural context. It is the person listening and the person intepreting who determines whether the comment is rascist. Example a chinese can call his indian friend Ah Orh or Kek Leng, and his friend could simply treat it as a name used for many years. But another indian who sits on the next table could react very differently.

A Singapore chinese looking down at a PRC, is he rascist? Yes and no. No, chinese against chinese. But it could be a Yes, if the comment is "blanket" in nature. Example "these PRC people" is driven against the whole group of people. "Yee these China people very uncivilised one..."

As for your comment "a fat, malay, f**ker" - what was the context? Was the description relevant? Could you have done without the words "fat" or "malay"?

There is no right or wrong in many of these cases. What is crucial is the sensitivities involved, ironically lacking in Amy's case.

The litmus test is always - can I say things like that in public or in a foreign land? If the answer is not a definite YES, I need to be careful of the comment, whether it is meant to be a joke or a casual word.

 

[zorro]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

More like stereotyping than racist...

Am I racist if I curse & swear at the PRC drivers who drive like speed demons and maniacs..... ?

 

[Oilman]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

I only hope Ms. Cheong isn't banned from shopping in FairPrice cos that would be really mean of NTUC, denying a former employee the chance to buy house-branded washing powder

 

[kenntona]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

Am I racist if I curse & swear at the PRC drivers who drive like speed demons and maniacs..... ?

You swearing at his driving or at his race/nationality?

 

[jasonmaxima]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

More like stereotyping than racist...

If I say commy pig in the privacy of my airconditioned automobile's cabin

 

[zorro]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

I would advise that you say it in the privacy of your sound-proofed airconditioned cabin...else write a will and put me as your main beneficiary before you embark on it.

If I say commy pig in the privacy of my airconditioned automobile's cabin

 

[jerms]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

I only hope Ms. Cheong isn't banned from shopping in FairPrice cos that would be really mean of NTUC, denying a former employee the chance to buy house-branded washing powder

if this happens she might be banned from Cheers too...

 

[jerms]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

on the side note...

who wants Amy's job?

Super efficient NTUC fires Amy Cheong, immediately advertises her vacated position | New Nation

 

[Mockngbrd]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

Who wants a job at NTUC?

National Trades Union Congress

 

[wobbles]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

Let's get one thing clear here - swearing at a PRC driver that speeds like he fcuking stole it, or at a Malay driver because he can't keep to his lane to save his life are quite different things, when compared to making remarks concerning the ability or otherwise of a Malay couple to "pay for a real wedding".

One has to understand the tradition of a Malay wedding - where the whole kampong would be involved, and all the neighbours would be invited, and these guests would come over (usually at their leisure) to wish the bridge and groom well. Of course, all that's been trampled over - all in the name of "progress" and "modernity" - as has common sense, tolerance & understanding.

There is no "tradition" whatsoever to speak of, when describing a fcuking halfwit Angmoh who punches a cab driver & then jumps bail, or the PRC that cuts into your lane & jams his brakes or that Malay that weaves in & out of a lane like he's on a fast-track to hell. Those, by all means, you can describe in whatever flowery terms you wish - but, to demean a happy occasion (a Malay wedding), or even to insult a sombre one (a Chinese funeral), and to debase it by attaching notions of pecuniary inferiority - well, Ms. Amy Cheong got what was coming, fair & square.

Too often, we take for-granted the harmony that we share amongst our different races. Ask any Sri-Lankan Tamil, or Myanmar Rohingya or Malaysian Chinese, and you might find quite a different point of view altogether.

OK, I'll get off my pontificating soap box now.

 

[kenntona]

Re: NTUC sacks staff for inappropriate Facebook comments

There is no "tradition" whatsoever to speak of, when describing a fcuking halfwit Angmoh who punches a cab driver & then jumps bail, or the PRC that cuts into your lane & jams his brakes or that Malay that weaves in & out of a lane like he's on a fast-track to hell. Those, by all means, you can describe in whatever flowery terms you wish....

Any rationale why race is a necessary mention in these cases?

Example - shouldn't "that stupid and idiotic driver" suffice compare to "that stupid and idiotic (race) driver?"