11/09/2013

The pastime of beating a taxi driver


The national pastime of beating a Sinkie taxi driver was replayed in the court yesterday. Mason Robert Alford was fined $4,000 and ordered to pay $1,000 compensation by the court for assaulting a taxi driver two years ago. This British is a banking director, the regional head of Asia-Pacific for credit analysis. He is obviously a highly rated foreign talent most sought after by this city of no talents, and probably have been greeted by a red carpet welcome and feasted everywhere he goes, and likely to be surrounded by sarong party girls to make him feel like a raja in this former British colony

Mason Robert admitted to punching Tan Chin Huat, 58, in the face under the influence of alcohol while the taxi driver was trying to send him home safely after his night of merry drinking. Robert and his entourage of great foreign talents have nothing to fear in this land once owned by the British lords. They must know that they are still the masters to the natives. So having a pastime like punching taxi drivers among the expats is a great way to end the night. One for the road, so I bashed up that daft native.

Other than pleading drunkenness, he also pleaded mental disorder and with a medical paper to prove and an eminent lawyer to plea for leniency. With such a brilliant career and track record, and a talent that the city would be trembling in fear to lose for mistreating him, he was fined for a miserable 4000 sinkie dollars. He must be laughing himself sick with his friends in another drinking party. This is truly paradise with a bunch of daft natives at their becks and calls, and acting as punching bags when they needed one.

His mental disorder did not seem to affect his talented work as regional head for the Pacific Region, or it has never been discovered until now. Or maybe that is a pre requisite condition to hold such a senior position. And very likely this mental disorder will go away and he will still be employed in his company and will continue to bask under the tropical sun and celebrated as a true foreign talent here.

Native taxi drivers better buy more insurance against being beaten by foreign talents in the course of their work. It is high risk in a way but great fun to the foreign talents. And no need to worry, more foreign talents are on their way here to meet the 2030 6.9m target that is only for planning purposes. And the foreigners will be happily taking taxis, paying their fares and a $4000 bonus if they feel up to it.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

Those taxi drivers who are unlucky to be beaten up are only a minority of taxi drivers lah.

Definitely much less than 40% of all taxi drivers, tio bo? Where in the world or which profession can guarantee no risk work, you tell me lah.

And if I were the transport minister, I will always look at the big, overall picture. For instance, it is OK to increase bus and train fares only if it is still affordable to majority of commuters.

Anonymous said...

Wow, Ministry of Manpower issued an Employment Pass for the mentally unsound foreigners to "beat us up."

Wonder what is our WP / PAP MPs view on this....Maybe they want to "beat us up" till we are "draft" to keep voting for them..

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Please lah uncle redbean, this is an "outlier", a Black swan -- rare event.

You also get cases of cabbies sexually assaulting female passengers -- also isolated incidences, not "trends" as you infer.

I'll take a shot at the court: the defendant claimed "mental disorder". Was there an independent assessment of his mental faculties conducted by a court-appointed special witness to verify the defendant's claim?

What about our rotan laws for violence? Amny western pundits consider these laws "barbaric". Well woppidoo to them...the rotan punishment, like the Internal Security act and INDEFINITE detention sans trial was a British invention -- not a "brutal" Asian creation but an "enlightened" common law institution.

I would love to see the law being applied BLINDLY to both locals and foreigners: you start violent shit, then it is ROTAN for you.

Anonymous said...

Mentally unsound foreigners being issued Employment Pass are only a tiny minority of foreigners lah.

Just as we expect only a tiny minority of Sinkies are mentally unsound, tio bo?

And since MOM did not conduct psychiatric tests on foreigner before issuing Employment Pass, unlucky Sinkies may, statistically speaking, expect to encounter some mentally unsound foreigners lah, like the taxi driver mentioned.

Anonymous said...

We have a sign telling foreigners that penalty for drug trafficking is death.

We need another sign to tell foreigners that beating up a local is mandatory caning.

I think this will work. But our sissy govt loves the foreigners so much, it will be heartbreaking for them to do such a thing.

Anonymous said...

I think before issuing EP, the foreigners are asked to declare whether they got psychiatric problems or not. That's about it lah. Where got time and resources to conduct tests, you tell me lah?

Even for Sinkies, do employers conduct psychiatric tests before hiring them? No also, tio bo?

rex said...

What an excellent piece of satirical writing. How many people in PapTimes (aka straits times) can write like this.
Mr redbean you are rare Singapore talent, the country could benefit more with your wisdom and creativity. But unfortunately you don't wear a badge with lightning and circle.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@1007 & 1012:

The DSM is now up to DSM 5 and the publication has grown so huge that you could interpret every little tick in human behaviour as a "potential mental disorder".

And so you can imagine that it could be a common trait to FAKE a mental disorder, just so you could get a "pass" if you were busted for criminal behaviour or activity.

Everyone goes a little "gila" sometimes -- it is natural. But that doesn't mean you are crazy.

"Madness" is an industry unto itself. In fact most CEO's and politicians pass The Psychopath Test, but they are still in business, making decisions which affect all of our lives.

Afraid yet?

Anonymous said...

" blur blur blogger king aka bloggersphere pm " : // He must be laughing himself sick with his friends in another drinking party. //


Obviously, all these red devils are laughing the shits out of daylight at some great old sucker and his equally arrogant doggies.

Having feasted on the chickens recently in the market, the fine is not even near a small toe of the feet of the chicken.

The next chickens could be some lau heros though some may have multiple caps under his belt. Still no use once these red devils get their ways to connect their systems to gobble up much more than the chickens in the coops. Some sinkies may have to prostitutes their wives and daughters to pay the wolves ........ good luck to lau hero. Hope he can survive the carnage and all and continue his blogging ........

agongkia said...

I understand the compensation to a cabby who was being assaulted previously was 3.5 K or something like that .
I was wondering whether we can have a fix compensation to taxi driver at maybe minimum 3.5 K per assault.
I have been considering to be a cabby ever since I last saw the amount of compensation.
Maybe 1 month provoke 2 passengers,get assaulted and lodge a report,can easily fetch 7 K monthly extras.


Anonymous said...

The FT past time of beating taxi drivers.
- bully Singaporeans at work not enuff
- sack Singaporeans at work not enuff

You tell me lah.
Which political party still wants to bring in more FTs to beat and bully Singaporeans?
Singaporeans who may be your parents and children?
Who?
You tell me lah!

Anonymous said...

What is happening to this country? Not country? Shitty?

Anonymous said...

By the time collecting CPF at 70 years how much CPF is left nobody know. The returning of CPF might be raise higher depend on the availablity of fund at that moment?

What about inflation, will the inflation eat into the CPF we have when we are able to collect at 70, as they might adjust the age again? Will the inflation rate higher then the interest given by the CPF?

The more equitable idea is to let those who know how to invest get back their CPF as it was promised to return then at 55 years old? If they had proven to make consistent returns?

oldhorse42 said...

I share RB's anger on this issue.

It seem to be an provoked attacked.The taxi driver was not reported to have done or say any thing to provoke the assault.

Yet the offender got away with just a fine of S$4000 which must be peanut to this banker.

The court said that this sum is a high fine and would be sufficient in view of theo offender's psychiatric condition!

Anonymous said...

@ 12.12Pm anon

//What about inflation, will the inflation eat into the CPF we have when we are able to collect at 70, as they might adjust the age again? Will the inflation rate higher then the interest given by the CPF?//


In 1923, when an old retired Austrian finally collected his entire retirement fund, it was just enough to pay for only all of a cuppa at a nearby building. The type of cuppa u guys buy lau hero every now and then. It is a true story. You can google for it. So his sunset that day was enjoyed over a cup of hot coffee ....... what happened after was not mentioned. That is the risk of fixed income paper retirement money vs merciless inflation when economies tank and the only industry still doing good business and over time work is .......... that's right, u guess correctly - money printing big time. All fixed income retirement funds would be decimated like penny stocks investments in recent market rout.

Anonymous said...

Need to send the judge for psychiatric checks.

Anonymous said...

"Need to send the judge for psychiatric checks."

No need lah!
Just vote out the PIGS in GE 2016

Anonymous said...

Lau hero: // The national past time of beating a Sinkie taxi driver //

U no know meh! The other moniker for Sinkies also start with S: aka Sandbag. Any time dak shiok FTs can suka suka hantam. Same same sandbag lah. Just like late 19th century and early 20th century, the foreigners were peeing on the heads of the Chinese on their home soil. So organise some mass martial arts classes for Sinkies as self defence art. Thought this ex-actor Vincent quite good in street fighting. Mb can sound him out and lau hero and co can chip in. Take some concrete action better than kpkb ..........

Anonymous said...

The run off of cases has increase dramatically, the gahmen should let the cabbies install those hard plastic that surrond the driver like in Australia, the one that lets only the hand in to pay or get exchanges. Right now cabbies are not allowed such install, and no rational is given.

Cabbies are exposed to many dangers and being compensated $1000 is peanuts to the offender, should impose a heavier find of 5k, that will render such incidents to be lesser, cabbies can be complained also by passengers, and will have demirital points on top of fines and could have their lic revoked.

Some taxi's issue letters of warning at the whim of people, and refused to listen to their side or explanation, the system of hiring only goes to a win for taxi company's, the length of driving should be factor in to a lower rental. Recently PRC's are also allowed to drive taxi's which was suppose to be exclusively singaporean, taxi's driver job is not as pleasant as some thaught......Gintai, reconsider, your decision to become a driver.

Anonymous said...

Anon 2.44pm

Gintai ex cid can protect himself lah.

Anonymous said...

Some taxi drivers teach martial art freelance. One teaches qigong. These trigger happy FTs lucky never bum into some of these Muay Thai trained cabbies

Anonymous said...

Just like security guards. Not all are old and useless. Some are martial art black belts. At least able to mount some counter self defence when attacked by trigger happy FTs.

Anonymous said...

Now only kena trashed up. Future may worsen and some get beaten to death. No disasters where can get some people's bum off the chair. Like 50 years ponding, mas selamat lame escape, mrt frequent breakdown, 40 years salary housing prices, 90+k COE prices, etc.

Anonymous said...

Rational tells me he should joint opps party, more pay if elected, cid dun mean a thing, if you kanna complain. Easy to sabo also.

Anonymous said...

Not everyone can have the time to mix around and learn kung fu to save his live, taxi's driver are not protected, having to pay 2800 per month, more if driving bigger cars, and having to drive 12 to 14 hours, many taxi drivers have aches and pain, taxi's company should give insurance to them at a third of payment and have a fix schedule of maintenace and changing of parts, many a time cars with bald tyres are let onto the roads, drivers have to change them with their own money and using their own time.

All the company's have some link or affiliation with the gahmen, more private, private company's should be allowed, for the rental rates to fall and a union should be set-up exclusively for taxi drivers.

Anonymous said...

I have noticed the following pattern in all the scenarios of punching Cabby...

1) The taxi driver is Singaporean Chinese
2) The person who punch is Ang Mo...

Is there any reason why Singaporean Chinese taxi drivers are always getting beaten by Angmo

Anonymous said...

Daftness just like the 60%.

Anonymous said...

Amongst here, agongkia, damn smart, can't beat them, let them beat, get money also.

Double income, wa sia, let us know, how much you earn after going in and out of the hospital.

Anonymous said...

Can taxi driver sue the fucking ang moh in a civil case?

agongkia said...

Who knows the driver is sleepy and the pax slap him to wake him up for safety reason.
You all keep asking for the co driver to do the job rite?

Anonymous said...

Sorry to be pedantic, but it's "pastime", not "past time".

Elsewhere in social media the jerk has been identified as working in Standard Chartered Bank.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Thank you anon 8:31. Amended. Old habit becomes an instinct. After doing it too often it becomes second nature and normal.

Anonymous said...

IMH should bring him in for 2 weeks medical observation to make sure he is safe and would not hurt anymore Sinkies. If he is still a danger to the public, his EP must be terminated immediately and send on the next flight out.

It is the govt's responsibility to protect the citizens from such mad foreigners.

b said...

It is normal for people to fight but it is not normal for people to remain so passive even after being bullied. PAPsmear has transformed the population into cows within 50 years.

Anonymous said...

东南亚病夫?