Pritam Singh praises helpful person but urges caution in posting stories

Singapore — While the story of a man going out of his way to help an elderly person has gone viral online and is the talking point for many, Workers’ Party (WP) leader Pritam Singh has called for caution and care to be taken in posting such stories.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday (April 29), Mr Singh thanked the man who had put up the post, Mr Clement Tan, for helping the elderly person.

Mr Singh said that he was following up on the matter since a household in his constituency was involved. He added that the elderly person’s case had been referred to those who could provide assistance.

And while he acknowledged the power of social media as a channel to bring attention to an issue and provide help when needed, he urged the public to be careful and fair.

Mr Singh wrote: “What I would request for is some understanding and mindfulness about sharing unverified details online in such cases — which as the post shows can be interpreted in a one-sided manner if facts are not verified or ascertained.”

In particular, the elderly man’s wife had been portrayed in a negative light, which would possibly make reconciliation more difficult later on. However, the WP leader  praised Mr Tan for being so helpful and saluted “each person who makes a difference in the lives of others, no matter how small”.

Mr Tan had quickly posted the story earlier on Wednesday (April 29), with a plea for people to share it, in order to get help for the elderly man. He had also called the police.

In the comments on Mr Singh’s post, there was agreement that care should be taken when making such posts. There was also praise for Mr Tan for helping the elderly man and appreciation of Mr Singh’s efforts to arrange assistance for him. /TISG

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