A live online video of a man berating an elderly taxi driver for not knowing his way around Singapore posted by the man himself, Dominic Neo, owner of hawker stall, Liang Ji at Bedok South Hawker Centre, is going viral online and many netizens are engaged in a fiery debate over who’s right and who’s wrong.
It’s Singapore hawker uncle versus taxi uncle. Watch the video yourself to form your own judgement:
In the video, Neo can be heard berating the elderly taxi uncle in hokkien, questioning if he should consider changing profession since he don’t know his way around Singapore.
The taxi driver replied that if he don’t drive a taxi, he don’t know what other jobs he can do as he is 50 over years old.
Neo promptly shot back at the taxi uncle, saying he himself is 52. He then sarcastically called the taxi uncle a “lao jiao (old bird or veteran)” and expressed surprise that he don’t know his way around Singapore after driving a taxi for so long.
Neo then questioned how LTA issues license to taxi drivers, given that there are drivers who don’t know their way around. He also questioned taxi operator Comfort on how they hire drivers. He thinks it’s ridiculous that taxi drivers can drive a taxi if they don’t know their way around and kept repeating the same statement again and again.
The taxi uncle kept quiet from this point and just drove on, probably to avoid getting into a prolonged debate with a disgruntled passenger.
Neo carried on his monologue, continuously berating the taxi uncle for not knowing his way and insinuated that some drivers may even deliberately say they don’t know the way so as to take passengers on long rides to jack up the fare.
What is your take on the whole saga?
Most netizens seem to perceive Neo negatively, with some calling him a loser while others egged people to boycott Neo’s hawker stall to teach him a lesson for bullying an elderly man.
Some netizens questioned if Neo was drunk when he recorded the video, but Neo clarified himself that he was not drunk, but admitted he was feeling stressed then.
Neo tried to defend himself, saying that he was just arguing with the taxi driver and not bullying him. However, a netizen quickly pointed out that when Neo mentioned about LTA and the car plate number of the taxi, it was a way of subtly threatening the taxi driver to affect his livelihood by lodging a complain to the authorities.
Neo also posted an update on his Facebook profile, lamenting how “social media good will not spread bad will spread fast”. He was referring to how he was trying to do good by organising a charity drive through an earlier Facebook post in November, but the post received little attention; conversely, his video of him berating the taxi uncle attracted loads of attention.
Should all taxi drivers be adequately familiar with the roads in Singapore to know all the short cuts?
Or should the passengers be a bit more forgiving and understanding when drivers say they are not familiar with their destinations?
Share your thoughts with us. Who are you with? Hawker uncle or taxi uncle?
Will you be boycotting Liang Ji because of this incident?
Dominic Neo probably have not heard about the incident at Toa Payoh Lor 8 Hawker Centre whereby a well-dressed couple became public enemy number one in Singapore for quarrelling with an old man and pushing him from behind.
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To Mr Dominic Neo of Liang Ji, even Taxi Drivers who drove for 10 years dare not boast that they know every road in Singapore, but you can lecture our elderly driver for not knowing the road well and even suggested the LTA is corrupted for accepting bribes. We can ask LTA to sue you!! Why are you so arrogant? We won’t accept your apology even if you apologise to us. You are just a cook. What highest education do you have? But you can make all the Taxi Drivers in Singapore angry with you. Come I clap for you. I promise you have many sleepless nights after this. In our Chinese community, you have breached one important rule "mei ta mei siao" (no big no small) because you show no respect to a person who is more senior than you in age. So i hope all the children in Singapore also show you no respect.
Not forgetting the Yang Chicken Rice
DN, go and the fly kite. If you afford to Take Taxi, ride E Scooter.
Dominic Neo if people go to your stall and tell you your food like shit. How will you feel? If you can't cook properly does it mean you don't carry on your business? Your food treated not so nice why NEA still give you license? That means NEA also anyhow give license to people who any cook? Taxi driver just trying to earn a living, why give the uncle a hard time? You live in Singapore for more than 50 years don't even know the road? You don't even knows the road how you know he going the wrong way? You know the uncle goes wrong way why you can't inform him? You want free ride will leave you at high way, good luck to you. What a joke even my son 5 years old knows the road better than you.
Just boycott his food stall!
Is nothing to do with the LTA, Comfort, or even the uncle experience...Is your own ego. Reflect and repent. If you dont understand what are we talking about, than again is your ego and you haven't repent. Repent before it's too late.