Powertripping
April 17th, 2007 by jadeite
My friend had a rather nasty encounter last night. He’s a JC student. Apparently he and his friends were at City Hall MRT station last night after a concert. His friend took out some chocolate to eat in the MRT station which of course is not allowed. She was warned once by the MRT official. They persisted awhile later and the station master came down and informed them that they would have to be fined (I think the fine is supposed to be $500). Now this is all well and good because yes, they did break the law, knowingly, even after having been warned the first time. So I have no quibble with that.
But…my friend followed the two girls up to the control station. As the station master was speaking to the girls, my friend happened to notice a man coming through the gantries with a half-filled (I’m an optimist) cup of iced coffee in his hand, sipping from it through a straw. My friend told the station master to look at the man, expecting him to apprehend or at least warn the man as well, but the station master got very snippy with him, demanding to know if he was “challenging” him, telling them they were only students and should have “basic courtesy”, didn’t warn the other man at all, and threatened to call the police on them. You can read the account below.
I’m pissed off because it sounds like the station master is some frustrated employee with a power trip, and while he had a legitimate reason to apprehend the two girls for eating chocolate in the MRT station I certainly don’t see any reason for him being so aggressive and repeatedly demanding, “Are you challenging me?” when my friend also repeatedly said he was not, and even apologized. I don’t see any reason for him to stop two girls eating chocolate and holding them up for so long but when another man, drinking, was pointed out to him, he chose to do nothing about it.
M says:
i want to rant about last night
last night choir had to perform for ajc choir thing
as guest choir
so we ended around 9
then we went to city hall mrt in one group
and one of the girls was hungry so she took out chocolate to eat
the station people say cannot eat
so she kept
we went in
and she took out to eat anyway
and continued eating
which is wrong
so another girl ask for some chocolate too
so the station master came down and ask the 2 girls to go up
say he need to fine them
so i went up after some time to see
he says he has to uphold policy
account to his boss that hes doing his job
say he caught everything with his 153 cctvs
then i was looking another group of people walking thru the gantry
one guy had this huge cup of ice coffee
like half full
straw in his mouth
obviously drinking
so i tell the station master
“look over there”
he refuses to look and stares at me
i say “look over there that guy is drinking”
“why dont you warn him”
he looks
then he looks at me and says
“ARE YOU CHALLENGING ME?”
and he repeated the question like a dozen times
i say no
i just ask why u pick this girl out but u don’t do anything to that guy over there
then he say something like
i mean
he just totally ignored my question
then he said if he fine that guy he will fine her too
then he ask again are you challenging me
i say no
then he ask again
and again
i say no
again
and again
then he say i can easily call the police
then he ask are you challenging me
i say no
i didnt want to get that girl into more trouble so i apologize
then he says to me
said to all of us actually but particularly to me
“you are JUST STUDENTS”
“you are ONLY STUDENTS”
“basic courtesy you should know”
he said that like dunno how many umpteen times
then he says to everyone and stares at me
im not trying to create trouble for all of you
to me “ok sir?”
like some sarcastic manner
then the girl started crying
then he said i actually dont want to fine and yada yada
so in the end never fine
and whatever
but i’m disgusted
i’m a consumer of their services
i should be treated like one
but im viewed as “only a student”
if other people werent involved i wouldve asked him to go ahead and call the police
-jadeite- says:
well if they had called the police you probably would have had to pay the fine
M says:
no
he has no right to fine
because
i made sure
he saw someone else drinking
but he didnt fine that person
additionally
-jadeite- says:
being a devil’s advocate here: on one hand it is not about “look, that man is doing it too,” but your friend having done something that is expressly forbidden and already having been warned
M says:
he constantly stated “you are only students”
this shows bias
so why
but he still has no right to fine because he is selectively apply this supposed law
and his 153 cctvs must have caught that guy drinking too
so these rules apply to us just because we are students?
someone else who doesnt come in in uniform can eat and drink?
and adult can walk in eating and drinking?
i need to know my consumer rights
i do have the right to question why only a selected group of people should have to abide to the law
and why he blatantly didnt take the effort to “uphold his policies” on others
he says he needs to be accountable to his boss that hes doing his job
but he clearly isnt
-jadeite- says:
well you do have to understand on a moral point of view…if you are caught for stealing you can’t plead for mercy just because other people steal, too, so why aren’t you catching them?
but you’re right, the onus is on him to extend the same manner of jurisdiction on others
M says:
proof of that is he knowingly allowed others to enter
i wasnt the one who broke the law
but yet he singled me out
as “you are just a student”
-jadeite- says:
but your friend also has to accept that she shldn’t have eaten the chocolate
haih that part is disgusting
did you get his name?
M says:
no
but he is station master of city hall
very big sized guy
hard to miss
but i still dont think he has the right to fine the girl when he didnt fine, or even bother to warn someone else
my point is that he was aware of it right at that moment
and he was able to act on it
but he didn’t
not to mention he threatened me with the police
and accused me of challenging him
my friend was shocked
she was crying
ironic thing is the trains had the advertisement
courtesy starts with a smile
or some nonsense like that
i really wonder what he wouldve said to the police
like im reporting a case of two girls eating chocolate
and a guy who is being rude to me
how is he being rude?
uh, well
he didnt use vulgarities
he apologized to me
and uh
-_-
sorry M but i agree with jadeite here
he was wrong to ignore the other guy
but u can’t insist that he has no moral ground to fine you just because he didn’t fine the other guy.
it’s like telling the police they can’t catch u shoplifting if they didn’t catch another, or if another guy took the opportunity to run away with some goods while the police were dealing with you.
additionally, your friend was warned once before he took action. what’s to say that the coffee drinker would not have stopped? o r maybe he was just clutching it and not drinking it.
so please don’t be outraged by his behavior. it’s not a student vs the authority kind of thing.
Heh. Sounds like every other student.
“He is doing it too. Why you never catch him?”
What does what someone else does have to do with the right-ness or wrong-ness of your behaviour?
I concede that the station master could have been more diplomatic.
My friend’s sis was FINED $30 for bringing the octopus balls into the station. I’ve no inkling if she was eating, but if she did, and being full aware of the law, by and jolly she deserves it.
While there are lapses in law (the station master may not have seen the guy drinking at the back of his head while talking down to you guys), it can only be applied to those that were caught. Just like jaywalking, or in school terms, tucking out… if you don’t get caught, that’s fine. But if you do, you’re aware of the situation.
My: I think M’s point is not so much about the girls getting caught, he does concede that they were wrong, but that when the station master had a chance to apprehend someone else who was pointed out to him (and M did see him with the straw in his mouth - tell me he’s not drinking and just chewing on his straw and I have nothing to say) and instead of taking this chance to cheerfully uphold justice once more he rounds on M and demands to know if he’s being challenged. That’s the issue here more than the girls’ getting caught.
Misty: The station master turned and saw the man drinking out of his cup and then turned around to scold M.
I have no issue also with the girls being scolded. I am however annoyed by his high-handedness and his threats, the way he chose to accuse M of challenging him when all that was done was to point out another man drinking in the MRT station.
WOOT!!
A dude working in service line should not show bias…
If wanna show authority, it must be fair…
Boo to tat dude…
City Hall MRT Station is particular notorious for its staff catching people for everything. The last time even Kenny Sia was warned for phototaking. BEWARE!
Just wanna share something a traffic policeman told my friend when we were caught for speeding. “Sir, have you ever tried fishing? If you have, you’d known that not every fish seen can be caught. Likewise, not every speeder I see can be caught. You’re just suay I caught you.”
Moral of the story? Don’t get caught? Or don’t be suay?
lets put things into context here.
about your point about not being able to catch every fish you see, he was full capable of “catching” that other fish. He could have taken the 5 minutes spent on accusing me of challenging him to walk over to warn that other guy. or at the very least get his two other suboardinates to. my main gripe is that he mentions a dozen times that we are only/just students. that leads me to believe that he chooses to pick out students simply because students are,in his perspective, seen to hold less authority/rights? students are still consumers of the service. if his rationale is that he needs to uphold policies and account to his boss. his account would be false because he was aware of someone else drinking but he chose not to address the issue.
Further more i wasnt the one who broke a law. why should i be threatened to be handed to the police. as mentioned, i cannot deny that the behaviour of those girls are wrong. i am merely stating, as a witness , that you should consistantly uphold your policies. from his behaviour, its as good as saying students dont deserve seats on the train. or it’s alright for adults to eat in the trains/stations and its only wrong for students. to anon, i believe you have misinterpreted me. my point is not as you have said “He is doing it too. Why you never catch him?” Why should we be placed under categories of worthiness? should the police only apprehend criminals of lets say a certain race? and blatantly choose not to apprehend the others even when they are fully aware AND capable of doing so.
2 wrongs don’t make a right.
[edited by blog author]
This is not an isolated incident. Selective eyesight is very prevalent in the lower ranks of the uniformed staff.
If I were you, I’d not yell at the man. I’d apologize, then take down his name and staff number. If he asks anything else, do not answer him. You are not legally required to answer anyone who is not a police officer, and even the latter needs to show probable cause to suspect you of a crime.
its rather unfair when so many ppl break the law, only you are the one unlucky one being fined for it (although been warned twice), but at least the Station master could show some impartiality by warning the guy with the coffee.
when he said “call the police”, go ahead, make him call, as u said there are so many cctvs around, u could probably counter-sue him for favoritism (biasness) not warning the other guy.
WTF is that Station master’s problem? But what you did is quite correct, pointing out that man who drinks. As said if he fine that guy then he must also fine your frens, BUT if he waste your fren’s time then he should also warn that guy also… For that i feel that it is unfair. And from your description, that station master is just a stupid fark that always thinks that he is right, i hate these kind of people
this kind of rude and condescending attitude is prevalant with people in small authority. they’ve seriously got delusions of self importance. disgusting.
those girls also guai lan lor. also know when to cry some more. know how to eat chocolate don’t know how to face their problems.
i hope the next generation who takes over these kind of jobs won’t become like these old people in the future. so embarassing lor.
Whenever you handle matters with corporations, you should firstly get the person’s full name, and employee reference identity. This is so that in the event that there is any dispute, or in this case, a blatant abuse of power, there is avenue of redress by escalation of the matter to the person’s superior; and if necessary, to the top management.
Asking for the person’s name also gives the impression that you are onto him, and that he is accountable for his actions. If he refuses to give his name, ask to speak to the person’s superior.
No flaming please. Legitimate opinions and feedback only.
Flames will be deleted summarily.
It wasn’t a matter of abuse of power at all… as someone has pointed out - your friends did commit an offence, and they were unlucky enough to get caught - it’s that simple.
It is certainly within the man’s power and discretion to decide whether to impose a fine - he’s empowered by law to do it.
And since he’s busy with your friends, it doesn’t make sense for him to go after another guy and give your friends the opportunity to dash for it. If they can blatantly disregard rules, then there is a high possibility of them making a run of it when he’s not looking. His other colleagues have their jobs to do too and so it’s not unreasonable not to deploy them to catch the guy.
Your friends deserved to be fined for blatantly ignoring clearly stated regulations. Talk about kids being better educated nowadays, but can’t understand simple signs - lol!
ive seen more adults eat in trains. better yet, the adults get their children to eat.
It seems weird that some people simply do not get the point here. Sheesh, the author never suggested what he did was justified by what someone else did so can we please stop telling him he’s wrong?
@ratsalad
Talk about kids being better educated nowadays, but can’t understand simple admissions - lol!
Capitalist Infidel: Yes, that’s exactly the point here - not the infraction committed by the girls, but by the attitude and reaction of the station master.
kids kids kids…
Your friend and you should grow up and open your innocent eyes to the real world.
Of course it’s unfair for the station master to pick on your friend and the 2 girls but that’s life. Students and young people are easier targets than adults who could do a “Cho” and go postal on the mrt station master if confronted.
But seriously, after being warned not to eat, your friend still persist.. that is just anal… Why open yourselves up for persecution by someone in authority who is having a bad day?
If you have gone through 2.5 or 2 years of NS, you will realise that powertripping and being dissed by regulars with have more stripes than you as a conscript happens ALL the time. Too bad I didn’t have a blog back in the late 90s to whine about it.
If you father/mother is a MP, this wouldn’t have happened. Would that be fair?
Life sux, then we die. Get used to it.
Nah, whenever somebody did something wrong they always insist that the person scolding them is being unfair.
Actually, I think that the main point should be, why does his friend continue and insist on eating chocolates even AFTER being told off the first time. You KNOW, that it is an offence to eat in the MRT, and yet you wanted to do so, even after being warned off, you insist on doing it again once the officer’s head is turned away.
I once had an experience when my friend is eating on the MRT and when I told him he shouldn’t, he says, “Oh, so you are the guai guai type”.
I feel that Singaporeans love to show off their rebellion in such minor situation. But if something really demand them to stand up to authority, they just shrink and hide behind the crowd.
Shameful.
seriously, the girls could be punished/fine for all i care. i wasnt the rebellious one. and i did make a mention to them that they shouldnt be eating. and im not saying it is unfair of the station master to want to fine them. what is “unfair” would be the station master being obviously disrepectful to a 3rd party who was simply trying to point out something under his job discription/policies. they are service providers. and after heavy compaigning like GEMS and whathaveyous about service i would expect slightly more. my question is, would it be ok to be more disrespectful and uncourteous towards the younger members of public. but of course i couldve choosen to be a typical singaporean, go willingly be desensitized by the army, shrug of whatever discrepencies in society and just die while the cycle of apathy and inconsideration continues.