Tin Pei Ling Clarifies Situation After Volunteer Accused Of Shaming Residents At MPS
In Singapore, MPs often work closely with volunteers in various events like meet-The-People sessions (MPS) and their routine walkabout.
So when Marine Parade MP Tin Pei Ling found that one of her volunteers was accused of shaming a resident for seeking help, she felt the need to address the issue.
On Thursday (3 Dec), she took to Facebook to clarify what had happened during a particular MPS.
Ms Tin also affirms that the volunteer, like many others, are sincere and committed to serving residents.
Tin Pei Ling addresses article with allegations about volunteer
MP Tin Pei Ling directly addressed an article shared on All Singapore Stuff (ASS) saying the allegations made were untrue and caused hurt to the volunteer who had served sincerely over the years.
Titled “Bossy PAP Grassroots Volunteer Intimidates & Humiliates Resident Seeking MP For Help” the article shared on 30 Nov was basically an account of what happened at a MPS on 5 Oct.
In the account, the writer J Ten claimed she accompanied her friend Mdm Tan to an MPS as the former neither received assistance for medical fees nor NTUC vouchers, despite sending multiple emails to the MP.
J Ten apparently felt that the grassroots volunteer’s tone was “condescending” and had humiliated residents who were seeking help from an MP.
She later gave this feedback to the volunteer herself but felt that the volunteer was defensive and talked to her in a “belligerent” way.
The situation later escalated and the police were called to the scene.
You can read the article in full here.
Volunteer gives her account of the incident
To clear up misunderstandings of what had happened on the particular MPS, Ms Tin also asked her volunteer for an account of the incident.
According to the volunteer CY, J Ten accused her of being condescending towards Mdm Tan and had started shouting for a period of time.
The volunteer claimed she remained cordial and courteous throughout the interactions, and repeatedly attempted to deescalate the heated situation.
However, J Ten allegedly continued shouting about her displeasure and was “stirring dissatisfaction among other residents”.
Fearing that the situation might escalate, the volunteer called the police for assistance.
You can read her full recount here.
Tin Pei Ling defends volunteer
CY also shared that she had been a volunteer at Macpherson MPS since 2013 and felt that the article had “written off” her efforts to deescalate the situation and her fair treatment towards J Ten and Mdm Tan.
MP Tin Pei Ling also defended CY, saying she helps at MPS every week and would often stay late into the night.
Ms Tin also added that her group of volunteers are committed and have served sincerely, doing their best to help residents in need.
MP Tin Pei Ling with volunteers back in 2018
Source
She emphasised that whilst she understands that residents might get upset over certain issues, volunteers do not deserve to be abused.
Resident has been receiving assistance
Ms Tin also acknowledged that some might be concerned about the resident in the article, Mdm Tan.
Responding to that, she clarified that she and her team have known Mdm Tan since 2011. In fact, they have reportedly been offering Mdm Tan and her family assistance for over a decade, regularly making appeals for and offering support to them.
Just this year, they had given Mdm Tan NTUC vouchers and helped installed a new rubbish chute.
She also shared that Mdm Tan’s son would often accompany her to MPS sessions. Hence, the team were “unfamiliar” with Ms Ten.
Ms Tin assures that they will continue to help Mdm Tan and all other residents in need.
Volunteers deserve to be treated with respect
Having put in hard work and many hours of their time to serve residents, grassroots volunteers deserve to be treated with respect.
Though the incident was an unfortunate misunderstanding on many fronts between J Ten and the volunteer, it’s heartening to see MP Tin stand by her volunteers.
We hope Mdm Tan will continue to receive the necessary help in order for her to lead a comfortable and dignified life.
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Featured image adapted from Facebook and Class Notes.
