A long-time permanent resident (PR) of Singapore recently had to bear the brunt of classic Singaporean xenophobia, all because of the color of his skin and his accent.
Uber has since clarified that the “African” driver who was accused of being fresh off the boat and illegally working as a private-hire chauffeur in a viral video was actually a PR who’s been living here for 15 years. Not only that, the man’s been driving for Uber for seven months now — not two days, like what the video uploader claimed.
In case you haven’t seen the appalling clip, watch below as a Singaporean man repeatedly questioned his Uber driver about his nationality before accusing the poor man of being in the country for only two days. All because the Uber driver made a wrong turn — and to be honest, we would too if we had an annoying pest as a passenger.
Poor dude was so tired of arguing that he sarcastically said that he just arrived the day before.
Since the video started spreading online, netizens unfairly directed their vitriol towards the ride-hailing company, accusing it of hiring foreign drivers.
Turns out, the angry Singaporeans were all wrong. Speaking to The Straits Times, Uber assured the public that the “African” man in subject was actually an approved driver of seven months, and he meets all the PR requirements of being a private-hire driver.
“We would like to reiterate that Uber does not discriminate in facilitating flexible earning opportunities,” a spokesman noted in a statement.
“Uber also reaffirms Singapore’s multicultural society.”
