Cabby charged for threatening MP; mother is a garung gun

Rock^Star SG

The case of relief cabby Mr Teo Kian Seng, who was charged in court yesterday for “threatening” PAP MP Lee Yi Shyan had sparked an outcry in cyberspace with many netizens wondering why the MP felt fit to make a police report in the first place.

Mr Teo allegedly told Lee in Mandarin that he hoped “history will not repeat itself” in a referral to the torching incident involving PAP MP Seng Han Thong last year at a Meet-the-People session on 1st of March.

It was reported in the Straits Times today that Mr Teo had gone to see Lee over a summons received by his mother for leaving clutter along the corridor of her flat.

Mr Teo’s mother, who is currently in her 80s, has been working as a “Garang-guni” woman for many years in order to pay for her medical expenses.

She might have no choice but to leave her “barang” along the corridor due to the nature of her work and lack of space in her own home.

It is not unusual in first world Singapore to see the elderly scavenging for used cardboards and newspapers in the streets for a living.

Despite its huge foreign reserves, Singapore has few social safety nets for its citizens who are expected to be self-reliant and not depend on the state for support.

It is not known if Mr Teo is the sole bread-winner of the family and if his mother will be in financial distress should he go to jail.

The Straits Times reported that Assistant Superintendent Raj Kishore Rai had told District Judge Low Wee Ping that “the prosecution was not ready to accept Teo’s plea as the victim was an MP.”

Why should an MP deserve preferential treatment from the police?

The authorities should assess the likelihood of Mr Teo acting on his very subtle threat thoroughly before taking action against him.

He probably said it in the heat of a moment under some sort of “provocation”.

The odds are stacked heavily against Mr Teo who does not have the financial resources to afford a good lawyer to fight the case for him, not to mention the financial losses he has to suffer as a result.

Source: Temasek Review

Straightstick SG

I think that guy is just an uneducated person who do not know much about politics. He even mistook seng hang tong as the MP for Hougang instead when he issued the threat.

Something else (most likely livelihood issues) must have triggered the deep anger in him for him to make such a remark.

I wonder if he was one of the 63.68% who voted for PAP in that GRC (East Coast GRC) way back in 2006. If he had voted for them I wonder how he's feeling now.

This is a good lesson for apolitical Singaporeans. Politics do have a direct repercussion on our lives. Many people think that it is possible to dissociate politics completely from our daily life, which is flawed.

Rock^Star SG

instead of helping him further, they set the police on him. That's what we call in chinese "gan jin sha jue" right? Means drive u up the wall and finish u off.

Now what happens to his elderly mum? She is still sick and has to continue picking up cardboards. Quite a tragedy. I wonder if anyone can find the link or contact no. as to how we can donate to her.

Chester_Lim SG

This will be a lesson for all of us not to vote for the PAP in the next election

Herzog_Zwei SG

This will be a lesson for all of us not to vote for the PAP in the next election

You sure the alternative MPs can accept such threats?

Rock^Star SG

Well, whether they can accept or not, we don't know. One thing for sure, the opposition has more empathy for the common folk.

kramnave SG

Doesn't mean that she karung kuni, her son can threaten ppl and she can leave things in the common corridor

Rock^Star SG

of cos but if one is a really good MP, look beyond the threat and render help.

kramnave SG

of cos but if one is a really good MP, look beyond the threat and render help.

maybe we should all try to stop emulating god ? What if the threat was carried out ? Why do people do stupid things like issuing threats when may be the "sole breadwinner" and his mother may be a karung guni who is doing what she is doing to pay for her own medical bills.

charlize SG