Amy Cheong sacked by NTUC over racist comment

last SG · 2012-10-08T14:57:00+00:00

time to make police report.http://www.spf.gov.sg/epc/ePCLinks.html

Clivebenss SG

The flight of the FT at the slightest...

zulkifli mahmood SG

You know you don’t have to go into other social websites to read those netizens’ nasty discrimination remarks. You can find plenty of them within SG FORUMS. In one of my topic within SG FORUMS you see enough. I’ve appended below some of the remarks for your perusal and you can visit that page at

http://sgforums.com/forums/12/topics/395474

My question is who are these people, Singaporeans or Foreigners?

Moderators of SG FORUMS what is your functions within SG FORUMS and what is your action when you see this kind of postings within SG FORUMS?

Thanks.

one36 wrote on 04 Apr `10, 9:00PM

“sporeans are “slaves” in their own country..
haha outsiders see more clearly than us. bravo
honestly i think sporeans are very stupid. like hamsters busy busy all day in their small world. munching on whatever food the garmen feed them. even believing the wall paper put up by their masters in the cage is real scenary.”

Dondontan wrote on 04 Apr `10, 10:18PM

“STupid? They are ignorant, naive, can’t be bothered, “scared to lose, scared to die” type. Singapore has no natural disasters, they thank the govt, as if the govt is in charge of the natural disasters.”

soul_rage wrote on 05 Apr `10, 11:59PM

“Foreigners are hamsters living in the same cage, except that, they have an exit point from the cage. Once they have stored enough food in their cheek pouches, they then exit and go back to a better life. Singaporeans are hamsters that eat, live, sleep forever in that same cage.”

Just_do_it_lah SG

(from other sources)....

Amy Cheong, the former NTUC assistant director who made a racially-insensitive post on facebook, is an Australian citizen who was born in Malaysia.

Her facebook rant on Sunday (Oct 7) about how Malay weddings are held at void decks for days had raised the ire of netizens and gone viral on the internet. In the end, it had cost her her job, drawn responses from five political leaders, and prompted her decision to leave Singapore for Perth, Australia on Oct 8.

In a report in The New Paper, Cheong, who is in her 30s, had revealed that she is a Singapore permanent resident who has lived here for ten years. She had moved to Australia from Malaysia when she was eight, before finally choosing to settle here.

She says she initially chose to live here because people here could speak English and were culturally diverse, with different festivals and a wide variety of food.

Despite her rant, she claims her exposure to people of many backgrounds and cultures over the years means that she sees everyone as "the same, regardless of their race or colour."

She also revealed that she had been publicly threatened over the incident, with some making "really nasty" comments about her. She decided to leave because she had feared for her safety and hoped to reduce tension by staying away.

Dalforce 1941 SG

My views towards Amy Cheong changed after I realised she was not Singaporean but malaysian chinese who moved to Australia. The first news reports should had mentioned these facts. I am not that harsh now towards Amy Cheong.

Anti-Malay Malaysian Chinese in Singapore

http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/2542271

Amy Cheong violated employment clause: NTUC

SINGAPORE: NTUC's Secretary-General, Lim Swee Say, said firing Amy Cheong was one of the most difficult decisions he has had to make.

He has appealed to the public to learn from this incident and to move on.

Mr Lim added it was important to uphold the labour movement's core values of inclusiveness and racial harmony.

On Monday, NTUC sacked Ms Cheong following her online posting which was deemed racist.

One day after Amy Cheong's Facebook posting on Malay weddings at void decks went viral, the buzz online seemed more reflective in tone.

Advice columns on which privacy settings Facebook users should take note of was shared and a Facebook page called "Forgive Amy Cheong" was created on Tuesday morning.

A social media expert said the incident has shown that society is not afraid to speak up against inappropriate comments and behaviour.

Special research adviser at Institute of Policy Studies and member of Media Literacy Council, Arun Mahizhnan, said: "The heartening thing about the Amy Cheong incident is that quite a number of Singaporeans including many Chinese have reacted quite strongly against her racist expressions. That says something about our society's ability to distinguish between prejudice and a fair comment."

NTUC hopes something good will come out of this episode.

Mr Lim said: "Social media can play a positive role in our society or it can lead to negative consequences. It all depends on how we make use of this platform. It's a painful experience for the NTUC to go through. At the same time, we should spare a thought for the pain that she's going through. She has gone through some counselling. She has realised the grave mistake that she has made."

NTUC said Ms Cheong had violated a clause in its terms and conditions of employment which states that staff must observe proper decorum in all forms of communication.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1230392/1/.html

Since she grew up in Malaysia and Oz, she is not that used to this:

but more used to this:

But as someone in an executive position in a quasi government organisation like NTUC, the comments were still idiotic.

Honeybunz SG

http://www.tremeritus.com/2012/10/10/malaysian-turned-australian-amy-cheong-skips-town/

food for thoughts

why NTUC needs to hire a foreigner instead of a Singaporean to become their Assistant Director in the membership department since any Singaporeans should be able to do the job too. Further, NTUC, being a national body fighting for Singaporean workers’ rights ought to lead by example to put Singaporeans first.

Summer hill SG

http://sgforums.com/forums/12/topics/395474

My question is who are these people, Singaporeans or Foreigners?

Moderators of SG FORUMS what is your functions within SG FORUMS and what is your action when you see this kind of postings within SG FORUMS?

Thanks.

one36 wrote on 04 Apr `10, 9:00PM

Dondontan wrote on 04 Apr `10, 10:18PM

soul_rage wrote on 05 Apr `10, 11:59PM

sry, i am only a mod in hw forum, can't help much.

So do you want Fifi to delete them?

Jacky Woo SG

will Amy Cheong PR be revoked?

SJS6638 SG

sry, i am only a mod in hw forum, can't help much.

So do you want Fifi to delete them?

Bring to court.

SJS6638 SG

She migrated to a country which practises racial discrimination. hmmm , may be she is a victim of racial discrimination in australia

Clivebenss SG

Bring to court.

Ask taxi forum more power.

Rest of the forummers can only kena ban but not unban hor.

FireIce SG

The police has confirmed that it has since contacted Amy Cheong and has sought her cooperation and assistance in the investigations on her racist comments. The former NTUC senior staffer was sacked after she posted about a noisy Malay void deck wedding online that went viral.

On Sunday, Oct 7, Ms Cheong had ranted on her facebook page about how Malay weddings are held at void decks for days, along with other racist remarks. Within hours, her public post went viral and drew responses from political leaders.

Many concerned STOMPers alerted STOMP to the facebook posting.

Police said in a statement:

"In response to media queries, police confirmed that investigations are under way and have since contacted Ms Cheong and sought her cooperation to assist us in the investigations.

"At the same time, police would also like to advise the public against spreading racially or religiously offensive materials as this may be seen as inciting enmity between the races or religions, which may constitute an offence."

In an interview, Ms Cheong said the outburst was due to her being cranky after facing noisy neighbours and noisy void deck functions for the past few weeks.

Amy Cheong, 37, left Singapore for Perth, Australia, on Monday night. She had studied in a university there and further revealed that she is an Australian citizen who was born in Malaysia.

NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say told the media yesterday that firing Ms Cheong was one of the hardest decisions he has ever had to make as labour chief, but it simply had to be done.

Mr Lim called it a "painful experience" for the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and he was aware of the "tremendous impact" that losing her job within a 24-hour period would have on Ms Cheong.

HR experts and company bosses said the move to sack Amy Cheong over comments made in a personal capacity was generally uncommon. The usual steps would be appropriate counselling, discussions and warning letters, they said.

However, the sacking could be warranted under certain circumstances. Firstly, she was a senior NTUC staff member and her words carry more weight, one of the HR experts said. Secondly, racist comments would cross the line, said a company boss, who said he would have done the same.

charlize SG

ntuc also needs FTs.

^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~ SG

FireIce SG

she's international babeh

(from TNP)

Who would have thought that a Facebook status update would lead to one woman being talked about not just in Singapore but also outside our borders?

Ms Amy Cheong, who is now in Perth, Australia, has been hogging headlines in local media for the past few days for posting racist comments on Facebook.

Now, her case has piqued the interest of foreign media, with reports on the saga appearing in BBC News, Malaysia's The Star, India's The Times of India and Perth's West Australian. .

An expert said that one reason for such international interest is that other countries would find it unusual that Singapore places so much emphasis on racial harmony.

Read the full report in The New Paper on Thursday (Oct 11).

zulkifli mahmood SG

sry, i am only a mod in hw forum, can't help much.

So do you want Fifi to delete them?

Hi Summer Hill. Ok, please ask fifi to delete my topic of " High Living Cost & Cheap Labour In Singapore. What is that?". I hope the moderators of SG FORUMS should remind the sg members to maintain their ethics while in the forum. Thanks.

Lokey SG

she's international babeh

(from TNP)

Who would have thought that a Facebook status update would lead to one woman being talked about not just in Singapore but also outside our borders?

Ms Amy Cheong, who is now in Perth, Australia, has been hogging headlines in local media for the past few days for posting racist comments on Facebook.

Now, her case has piqued the interest of foreign media, with reports on the saga appearing in BBC News, Malaysia's The Star, India's The Times of India and Perth's West Australian. .

An expert said that one reason for such international interest is that other countries would find it unusual that Singapore places so much emphasis on racial harmony.

Read the full report in The New Paper on Thursday (Oct 11).

Of course, it is of international interest. When someone post a facebook comment for complaint and leisure. It is meant to be personal. It ended out losing a job and running for her life. On top of that, the PM and MP talks about it. It just warn us that how harmful a facebook is.

So Dangerous, Dangerous ...

speakoutfor SG

As the saying goes, freedom of speech does not give you the right to yell 'FIRE!' in a crowded theatre. Unless the theatre really is on fire, of course.

Yeah, sacking her is harsh, but this is not limited to Singapore. Recently in the UK, one fella was jailed for two months for a racist tweet.

By the way, for calling on people to riot, YOU can be arrested for inciting unrest.

I think its ridiculous. i am sure once in a while you may complain about other races. I even read postings here, people complaining about PRC people who are rude, cannot wait in line and describe them as uncivilised. Its very common to complain about a certain group of people - rich, race, managers, people from a certain place, etc. Somehow its taken out of context like the recent John Terry racist taunts at a certain QPR defender, suddenly it became a criminal case and he was hauled up to court.

I have live in an under-develop country in northern part of south-eash asia, where they play stupid traditional wedding music from 5am to 12pm. I want to sleep early and wake up late but can't because of those people. Why can't I complain about their traditions? Is it racist? Hey, i happen to be the only chinese staying in the hotel in that country when they were having that stupid wedding for 7 days, blaring the music for hours.

By the way, her purpose for having her fb is to let her fb friends know how she feels. Unfortunately, it gotten out of hand, as other people were able to read her comments. So she never intended to insight a riot. Its only her personal view.

Yes, sacking her is harsh. TO make matters worse, the stupid PAP politicians have to jump into the bandwagon and politicise the issue for their own benefit.

zulkifli mahmood SG

Honeybunz wrote:

“food for thoughts – why NTUC needs to hire a foreigner instead of a Singaporean to become their Assistant Director in the membership department since any Singaporeans should be able to do the job too. Further, NTUC, being a national body fighting for Singaporean workers’ rights ought to lead by example to put Singaporeans first.”

I’m not surprised. There are many Malaysian PRs who are now Head of Departments or holding senior managerial/executive positions in Singapore national bodies or agencies. Most of them are long service staffs and were promoted to be where they are now.

There also many Malaysian workers working in Administrations for Small and Medium Size Enterprises in Singapore. Their salaries are higher than Singaporean workers.

Just to add further. Last year NTUC Fairprice had recruited many Chinese foreign workers and most of them could not even speak English when they were recruited. In this matter, I blame the employment agencies, which were mostly foreign employment agencies and of course some of the local employment agencies. I feel these rogue employment agencies had spoiled the job market in Singapore. They do not care the welfare of Singaporean job seekers. They are only interested in business and making profits on the foreign workers.

speakoutfor SG

Many concerned STOMPers alerted STOMP to the facebook posting.

Police said in a statement:

"In response to media queries, police confirmed that investigations are under way and have since contacted Ms Cheong and sought her cooperation to assist us in the investigations.

In an interview, Ms Cheong said the outburst was due to her being cranky after facing noisy neighbours and noisy void deck functions for the past few weeks.

Amy Cheong, 37, left Singapore for Perth, Australia, on Monday night. She had studied in a university there and further revealed that she is an Australian citizen who was born in Malaysia.

NTUC secretary-general Lim Swee Say told the media yesterday that firing Ms Cheong was one of the hardest decisions he has ever had to make as labour chief, but it simply had to be done.

Mr Lim called it a "painful experience" for the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and he was aware of the "tremendous impact" that losing her job within a 24-hour period would have on Ms Cheong.

Maybe this was the reason why she could not tolerate void deck weddings. She's a foreigher ! She lived all her live in Australia, she doesn't understand asian values.

Fortunately for her, she has an escape route to australia, or else she would have to face racial abuse from the void deck people.

Besides, why is NTUC, hire a foreigner who is australian trained??????

The local singaporeans not skilled enough to helm her position meh?

Mr Lim Swee Say should sack himself for recruiting wrong personnel.

speakoutfor SG

Honeybunz wrote:

“food for thoughts – why NTUC needs to hire a foreigner instead of a Singaporean to
become their Assistant Director in the membership department since any Singaporeans should be able to do the job too. Further, NTUC, being a national body fighting for Singaporean workers’ rights ought to lead by example to put Singaporeans first.”

Yes Amy Cheong maybe malaysian. But she likely spent most of her life in Australia. She was most likely brought up in malaysia as a small kids and her parents raised her most of her life in australia.

So I ask you, had NTUC hired asians who truly stayed in asia for most parts of their lifes, this problem wouldn't have surfaced. Because Amy Cheong demonstrated her lack of understanding for asian values by her criticism of void deck weddings. Why is NTUC hiring somebody who don't have any knowledge of asian values? Leave alone handle singaporean labour issues?

Is NTUC hiring foreigners for the sake of glamour?

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