My messages were not abusive, insists GrabHitch driver suspended after sending anti-LGBTQ texts to passenger

A few weeks ago, a GrabHitch driver got into some trouble after it was revealed that he sent a passenger some messages that chastised her over a profile picture banner in support of the Ready 4 Repeal movement.

The affected passenger had taken to Reddit on Nov 12 her brush with homophobia while booking a ride the day before under Grab’s social carpooling service.

She wrote that the driver accepted a request for a ride, but before he arrived at the pick-up point, he sent strongly-worded messages to the passenger that made his stance against the movement — which seeks to abolish Section 377A of the Singapore Penal Code — quite clear.

As a result, he was suspended from the service, albeit for engaging directly with a passenger.

‘Please be mindful always of the silent majority’

In an interview with AsiaOne, the driver identified himself as Kenneth Ng and a company director in his 50s, who drove under GrabHitch as a side job.

"I am not against the LGBTQ community. I respect their rights to live their lives they want," he said.

"What I am against are activists pushing their ideals onto us in public spaces."

Seeing the banner — which he terms a "political slogan" — on the passenger’s profile picture on the app, Ng said that he found it offensive that "advocating for gay rights" is being done on a public platform.

"I believe it has to be both ways and the Singapore way. Don't discuss and show off your activism on public platform. Gay rights have their platform like Pink Dot, fine. We respect that. But please don't take it to the everyday public space," he stated.

And so he deemed it appropriate to contact the passenger directly, sending her two messages.

The passenger’s response to Ng’s messages was then posted on Reddit.

"My initial emotional response to [the driver’s] message was amusement, but that soon gave way to hurt. As a queer Singaporean, we are forced to accept these microaggressions as we go about our daily lives," she had written, adding how such acts of homophobia "have a way of happening when you least expect them".

On this, Ng accused her of "trying to portray herself as a helpless victim", adding that she is a "seasoned gay activist" and that his messages were "not in any way abusive".

"It's purely my opinion piece. Every one of us is entitled to our opinion just like her putting up her slogan in public space," he insisted.

He then went on to equate the Ready 4 Repeal banner to other "possible slogans" such as "Return my CPF", "One China" and even the Nazi Swastika to drive his point that no political slogan should be allowed on photos of Grab users.

'Sweeping statement'

After receiving Ng’s messages, the passenger cancelled the ride before making a report about the incident to Grab.

"There was no way I was going to board the car of a hostile driver, who at the least would harass me; at worst, potentially put me in danger," she had written on Reddit.

As a result, Ng’s account was temporarily suspended and he was summoned for a meeting with Grab personnel on Nov 16. According to him, he was penalised for engaging with a passenger directly — something that he admitted he was in the wrong.

"If I find her slogan offensive I should [have notified] Grab and not directly to the rider," he noted.

Grab then agreed to reactivate his account, but Ng’s actions after the meeting earned him an indefinite suspension.

Following the conversation that afternoon, Ng told AsiaOne that Grab "agreed that political slogans should not appear on any photos".

This claim turned out to be untrue.

"That was a sweeping statement from me," he admitted later on. "I shouldn't have written that statement at all."

In another meeting with Grab on Nov 17, Ng told AsiaOne that "they felt that I have damaged the company by making the sweeping statement" and have subsequently continued suspending his account. To date, there has been no news if it would be reinstated.

Now, Ng is doing jobs under Ryde in a similar capacity, he said, lauding the ride-hailing service’s app for not making the profile photos of riders prominent.

When asked if he felt remorse for his actions, Ng stated that he regrets violating Grab’s policy, but not for making his opinions known.

"From another angle, it could be a good thing for me to have reached out to her directly. Maybe she has always felt that putting political slogans (in public space) right into others' face is okay and people should just accept it. It will be good that she can stop for a while to see from other perspectives."

ilyas@asiaone.com