A “sense of entitlement” and an example of “modern-day bigotry” is what Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam said about a condominium resident hurling vulgarities at a security officer working at a private residence.
“What this resident did and said was wrong — at so many levels. It is these examples of modern-day bigotry and a sense of entitlement that the light of Deepavali seeks to dispel,” Tharman commented in a Facebook post on Sunday night.
On the other hand, the minister lauded the security officer for dealing with the situation in a very dignified and professional manner.
Tharman however, urged people to avoid threatening and harassing the resident in order to resolve the issue in a peaceful manner.
He further said the security officer filed a police report and that the police will handle the matter.
News reports on Sunday said that the resident’s employer, JP Morgan, is also looking into the matter.
JP Morgan’s Facebook page was bombarded with angry comments on the resident’s conduct and urging stern action to be taken against the employee.
The viral video on Saturday showed the resident shouting repeatedly at security officers after they told him that his guests have to pay an S$10 parking fee.
Responses from other quarters
Labour MP Zainal Sapari also addressed the issue earlier on Sunday.
He urged more protection for security officers as these personnel working in condominiums and private establishments are not considered public service workers and they are not covered under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA).
He added: “Myself and MP Patrick Tay have urged MHA to consider covering all private SOs under POHA regardless of their worksite.”
Raymond Chin, General Secretary of the Union of Security Employees, also commented on the incident in a Facebook post.
He said the security officer acted with restraint in the incident, while the resident should seek recourse through his management committee.
This was despite Chin empathising with the resident’s dissatisfaction.
Chin wrote: “We strongly condemn any form of abuse of our security officers. We encourage our officers to report any abuse they experience or witness to the union.”