“Uncle holding down his turf like a boss” – Singaporeans weigh in on “aggressive” Bugis tissue seller

SINGAPORE: An elderly tissue seller at Bugis made the news earlier this week for his “aggressive” attitude towards others, especially those who are also selling their wares.

Shin Min Daily News reported on Tuesday (Sept 10) that over the past year, the uncle, who uses a personal mobility aid (PMA), can usually be found near the Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple.

Perhaps threatened by the competition, he has developed a reputation for shouting at other tissue vendors, which causes them to leave the area.

A Mr Hong, who also tells tissue packs near the temple, told the Chinese daily that the uncle’s temper has become “notorious throughout the entire street”.

However, since Mr Hong, 84, is no longer young and strong, there is not much he can do about it.

He added that the uncle usually occupies the prime spot in the area, one with the “best feng shui” to cause customers to come to him.

He also said that it does not take much for him to start acting aggressively.

“He acts like the whole street belongs to him,” he added.

When the uncle got into a shouting match with a woman tissue vendor, he hit her with her umbrella and the two rammed their PMAs into each other in a fight that lasted several minutes and resulted in a stall getting overturned. The police were called in due to the incident.

The uncle even turned hostile when a reporter from Shin Min Daily News tried to interview him.

When a report from MustShareNews on the “aggressive” uncle was shared on Reddit Singapore, commenters were quick to call out the uncle’s bad behaviour.

One wrote that he needed to be arrested and detained at Changi Prison.

Others appeared to be more grudgingly admiring.

“Battle Uncle sounds like he is holding down his turf like a boss,” one wrote.

A Reddit user who claims to see the uncle when he goes to Sim Lim Square said that the uncle is “very grumpy”.

Others, however, expressed concern over the uncle’s mental health.

“Might be time for a wellness check by the police. Aggression is a sign of dementia,” wrote one.

“I think he should see a psychologist to deal with anger management issues,” another weighed in.

A Reddit user also expressed sympathy, saying it was “sad” to see “old people struggle for a living.” /TISG

Read also: Don’t forget to support your parents: Concerned Singaporean urges generosity toward elderly tissue sellers