Tin Pei Ling offers help to evicted Katong Plaza cobbler

Initially dismissed as just an ignorant young face for the ruling People’s Action Party, MacPherson’s Member of Parliament (MP) Tin Pei Ling is slowly proving to folks that she’s up to the task as the district’s steward. 

Recently, elderly cobbler Ng Ah Bah made headlines when he was evicted from his usual spot near Katong Plaza, a place where he plied his trade for over 11 years, The New Paper reports. 

Katong Plaza building management gave him the boot after a drunk man was found sleeping behind his pushcart on the night of Oct 26. The intoxicated man turned violent when he was asked to leave — and Ng was given an eviction notice due to safety concerns. Due to the actions of the cobbler’s drunk friend, the management no longer rents out the spot, and Ng had no where else to go. 

Feeling desperate, the 70-year-old man turned to Tin for help at her Meet-the-People session on Monday, asking for assistance to find a place to set up shop. His worries were exacerbated by the fact that his ailing wife was in a nursing home, and he was the sole supporter. 

The MP immediately offered to help the man. “I am currently working with various agencies to arrange for transitional assistance so that he and his wife will not be left in the lurch,” she noted on her Facebook page

“His most earnest hope is to be able to continue his trade as a cobbler,” she says. “As such, I hope that the Katong Plaza management and Mr Tan will reconcile.” 

It’s quite a change since she was known to be supremely basic, posing with a Kate Spade bag and lacked opinions on current public policies. Not to mention the time when the Big Boss himself walked out when she spoke up in Parliament.

Photo: Tin Pei Ling Facebook page



Reader Interactions

Leave A Reply


BECOME A COCO+ MEMBER

Support local news and join a community of like-minded
“Coconauts” across Southeast Asia and Hong Kong.

Join Now
Coconuts TV
Our latest and greatest original videos
Subscribe on