Viewers tuning in to Malaysian property agent Paul Lim's live stream video on Nov 7 were expecting the usual spiel but got incensed after he and his partner started mocking food delivery riders and private hire drivers.

"How rich can those who order takeaway food be?" entrepreneurship educator Maggie Fong asked in Mandarin as Lim burst out laughing.

She questioned viewers, "How can you have a future doing food delivery?"

Fong said that she wasn't belittling these jobs and suggested that there were better ways to make money.

She then dispensed some advice — selling property to the wealthy.

"If you can sell something with million-dollar price tags to the rich, your aura will change," Fong said.

Showing off a luxury watch on his wrist, Lim, appeared to prove the point she was making. The 28-year-old said that he rewarded himself with the 110,000 ringgit (S$36,000) timepiece.

While viewers defended those working in the gig economy and wrote that food delivery riders and private-hire drivers are making an honest living, Fong elicited more fury with her reply of "Only parasites drive Grab, they have no culture".

Two days after the furore, Lim made a public apology on Facebook.

In a six-minute-long livestream video, he said: "I am sorry, please give me a chance to change my ways."

Wiping away tears, Lim also asked netizens not to implicate his family and company in the matter.

In an interview with Sin Chew Daily, Fong said that she wanted to encourage young people to improve themselves and seek breakthroughs. She also apologised and said that her mocking tone in the video had backfired on them.

Fong said she has learnt a lesson from this incident and will watch her words in future, adding that she will stop taking part in live stream videos except for those related to charity work.

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