Mum Says She Is Ashamed To Introduce Her Grab Driver Son To Relatives This Hari Raya
To "save face".
By John Lim — 04 Jun 2018, 06:49 PM
A mother recently took to Facebook to share how she felt about her son's current occupation as a ride-sharing driver
Under the pseudonym "Makcik Bunga", the woman sent an anonymous submission to Singaporean radio host Dzar Ismail, explaining the "difficulties" she would be facing when explaining her son's job to family members during this year's Hari Raya.
The post has garnered over 700 shares and comments since it was uploaded on 30 May.
The woman wrote that her son was recently retrenched and he is currently earning a living as a Grab driver
She added that she has a huge family and with Hari Raya approaching, she is afraid her 11 "high-flying" siblings might probe her about her son's work.
"To be honest, I am ashamed of his job," she said.
She then asked if it is possible to remove the Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) decal, a mandatory sticker to be pasted on the front and rear of ride-sharing vehicles in Singapore
She suggested the idea because she heard that the traffic police do not work during Hari Raya.
According to Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA), if the decal is not displayed, but the driver is still using it to ferry paying passengers, the vehicle owner can be fined up to SGD1,000, or be slapped with a jail term not exceeding three months, or both.
Netizens have chimed in on the woman's "predicament", with many Singaporeans saying she should not be ashamed of her son as long as he is earning an honest living
"The one who should be ashamed is your son for having a mother like you. Sorry, he just lost his job. It’s not possible for him to get another job with a fantastic paycheck. It’s a good thing that he’s working as a Grab driver instead of lazing around at home."
"Why should we feel ashamed about the decal? It's halal income. We don't cheat, we don't rob, and we don't steal. Let people say what they want. We don't care. What's the point of being a high-flyer when your heart is not sincere."
"Why should you be afraid of what people will think of you? Can their taunts and words sustain your family’s livelihood?"
