SINGAPORE: A commuter has sparked outrage online after claiming that an aunty “smacked” his visibly disabled brother in a scramble for an MRT seat.
In a post on Reddit’s r/SMRTrabak forum, the commuter recounted that the woman, whom he believed to be from China, was initially third in line on the platform but ignored the queue and pushed her way onto the train before passengers had finished alighting.
“[She] literally shoved her way into the train before others alighted,” he recalled. “Others like me and my visibly disabled brother were waiting patiently for others to alight, and then when we all got in, she was standing like a stupid fool because there were no seats.”
The situation escalated moments later when a kind passenger offered his brother a seat. According to the commuter, the aunty abruptly lunged for the same spot and, in the process, struck his brother on the head.
“My brother was in shock, and I was also speechless. We stared at her. She simply looked at us with a smug face, and no apology or acknowledgement was given,” he wrote.
He added that he initially wanted to confront the aunty, but his brother stopped him from escalating the situation.
“My brother stopped me. I am trying to stop my tears from falling. I don’t know what made her do this to a visibly disabled person like my brother, but I almost lost faith in humanity,” he wrote. “We were lucky that another kind soul offered their seat right opposite.”
In closing, he appealed to the public, urging people to show consideration and civility, and not to behave ‘like the aunty.’
“They do all this and yet will talk crap about the younger generations for ‘being rude.’”
The Reddit post has quickly gone viral, with more than 2,200 upvotes. In the comments, many people criticised the aunty for hitting the commuter’s brother.
One Singaporean Redditor wrote, “Basically, she assaulted your brother! In that sense, you could probably alert MRT personnel and let the authorities handle her. She should not be doing this to anybody, and especially not to someone who has disabilities. Hire a lawyer and sue her.”
Another commented, “Typical aunty behaviour… they do all this and yet will talk crap about the younger generations for ‘being rude.’”
Some users also encouraged the commuter to be more assertive next time. “I think as Singaporeans, we need to be more assertive towards such people and not let them get away so easily,” they wrote.
“Escalate the issue. Keep raising your voice about how she physically attacked your brother, press the button to call the staff, and make it into a police issue. You will most likely be told to file a magistrate’s complaint; do so anyway, even if it’s unlikely to get anything more than a warning.”
Another echoed this sentiment, writing, “I completely agree on this… As Singaporeans, we have been ‘conditioned’ not to raise our voices. But with such instances, it becomes a must to raise our voice and make ourselves heard. By not saying anything, we are only allowing such behaviour to continue.”
A third suggested, “Does your brother have the yellow disabled card? If not, please get one for him at the station; it’s free. I have a hidden disability, and I use it when I cannot tahan my pain anymore. It should shame people some more for stealing a seat from a needy person.”
In other news, a local employer has raised concerns online after alleging that her live-in helper refused to continue working unless she was granted Christmas Day off without any salary deduction.
The employer, who shared her account anonymously in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid / Domestic Helper Facebook group on Sunday (Dec 7), said her Filipino helper in her mid-20s had been employed for only six months when the dispute occurred.
