Facebook user claiming to be VP at UOB slammed for 'Singapoo' comment; UOB reports account to Facebook

United Overseas Bank (UOB) has sought to assure the public that a netizen who called Singaporeans xenophobic and lazy is not actually holding a vice-presidential role at the bank as he claimed on Facebook. 

“May be if Singapoo people were not lazy we Indians wont have to take up your jobs… show some respect to Indian workers here!! [sic]” exclaimed the netizen in a Facebook post that has since been highlighted to UOB. 

Earlier today (Sept 22), Felix Ng alerted the bank through its Facebook page about a man who wrote a “disturbing post”. 

The man in subject indicated on his profile that he’s a Vice President at UOB — though pretty much anyone can list themselves in any position in any company without verification on Facebook. 

Ng’s consternation, however, stemmed from his loyalty to UOB as a client. 

“As a client of UOB and having referred clients to UOB as well, I am disturbed as to how he called Singaporeans ‘Singapoo’,” he wrote. 

“Its an absolute insult, a mockery of us, and a total disgrace to UOB for hiring somone like him [sic],” he added, urging the bank to conduct an internal investigation.

The post sparked concern among other Singaporeans as well. 

UOB promptly responded to Ng’s post and assured that the man is, in fact, not an employee. The user has even been reported to Facebook and the police.

[embed]https://www.facebook.com/uob.sg/posts/1460099344200101[/embed]

‘Desecrates our country’s name’ 

People’s Voice chief and vocal critic of the government Lim Tean chimed in about the man’s post, slamming his comments and stating, “You ought to be kicked out of Singapore”. 

”He has learned to call us racist, lazy and xenophobic. He desecrates our country’s name by spelling it as Singapoo,” Lim wrote in a Facebook post that has since sparked a series of xenophobic comments. 

Taking issue with Lim's sentiments, activist and journalist Kirsten Han called his behaviour “abhorrent”. 

“If that is the commenter’s opinion it is his right to air it, and people can be free to disagree with him,” she wrote. 

“But it is unbecoming and alarming for Lim Tean, a politician seeking election to office and power, to single him out on social media for trolling and abuse, and demand he be ‘kicked out of Singapore’, or suggest that it would be all right to ‘teach him a lesson’ by terminating his visa simply for expressing his opinion.”

ilyas@asiaone.com