The alleged rider of a Malaysia-registered motorbike hit back at ex-People’s Alliance for Reform (PAR) candidate Prabu Ramachandran for featuring a picture of his vehicle in a post about foreigners taking on food delivery jobs in Singapore.
The motorcyclist even lodged a police report against the PAR member.
Mr Prabu has since clarified that his post was not targeted at any specific person.
In a Facebook post on Sunday (19 Oct), Mr Prabu shared a photo of the motorcycle with a Malaysia-registered plate. The image appeared to have been taken in Singapore.
The motorcyclist had a foodpanda delivery bag attached to the back of his vehicle, and was wearing a pink-and-grey shirt resembling foodpanda’s uniform.
Source: Prabu Ramachandran on Facebook
In his caption, Mr Prabu questioned the legality of riders with Malaysia-registered vehicles providing food delivery services in Singapore.
Claiming that this is a common sight, he pointed out that foreign riders “bypass COE and road tax” and “lack valid work passes”.
He claimed that local riders, in contrast, face “higher fuel prices, ERP, COE, insurance, and LTA inspections”.
“Why are enforcement agencies silent when local riders are fined for minor issues, but foreign-registered bikes can openly operate in delivery jobs here?” Mr Prabu asked, calling for “full transparency” from the authorities.
Source: MS News. For illustration purposes only
In response to queries by MS News, Mr Prabu said that the Delivery Riders and Gig Workers Fairness and Justice group had sent him the photo at around 19 October.
In the early hours of Thursday (23 Oct), a Facebook user identified himself as the motorcyclist featured in Mr Prabu’s post.
In a separate post, the man claimed that he did not work illegally in Singapore, adding that Mr Prabu had “framed” and “accused” him of doing so.
The man also explained that he works as a foodpanda rider in Malaysia.
As for the foodpanda bag on his motorcycle, the alleged rider claimed he was “lazy” to remove it from the vehicle. Hence, he brought it along with him to Singapore, where he reportedly works as a full-time security officer.
Source: MS News. For illustration purposes only.
In light of the “false allegations”, the rider requested a public apology from Mr Prabu. He added that he has lodged a police report regarding the matter.
Describing Mr Prabu’s actions as “offensive”, the man even threatened to sue Mr Prabu for “defamation” or “malicious prosecution”.
Later that morning, Mr Prabu penned a comment in his earlier post, clarifying that it was not “directed any any specific person”.
“This is a matter of public concern and legitimate debate, not a personal accusation,” he wrote, adding that he only sought to clarify policy enforcement.
While he initially displayed the motorcycle’s entire plate number in his post, Mr Prabu has since redacted part of it.
“I will defend myself against any allegations, accusations of crime, defamation, harassment, wrongdoing or anything illegal through and through,” he said.
The rider later responded to Mr Prabu’s update, asking the ex-PAR candidate why he censored the vehicle plate when he had not committed any offence.
Speaking to MS News, Mr Prabu confirmed that the rider and the police have not reached out to him regarding the matter.
Mr Prabu later reached out to the security company that the OP claimed to work at, and was told the OP was not an employee in their records.
MS News has reached out to the rider in question for more comments.
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Featured image adapted from Prabu Ramachandran on Facebook and by MS News.