Story By: Lee Bullen, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency:  Newsflash

A Singaporean politician who slammed a woman snapped with seven supermarket trolleys during COVID-19 lockdown has been forced to eat humble pie after it turned out she was donating goods to the poor.

Goh Meng Seng, 50, the founder and leader of the People’s Power Party in Singapore, took to Facebook on 5th April to slam a Malaysian woman seen with seven full trolleys in the Sheng Siong supermarket.

He forwarded photos of the woman alongside the message: “It is apparent that Sheng Siong didn’t impose rationing for the purchase of daily necessities.

“Typical Singaporeans do not dare to voice out in public, only stood there with their staring.

Supermarkets in the island city-state have reportedly been mobbed by panic buyers after Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced a series of measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including a one-month lockdown and the closure of schools and non-essential businesses.

But the politician who criticised the woman later learned that she was actually there to buy the goods to donate to the poor and needy and had been given special permission by the manager to bulk buy in order to hand it to the elderly and the poor.

The Singaporean politician later issued an apology, saying: “First and foremost, my sincere apology to the Malay lady who was shown lining up with 7 trolleys in the photo which I have posted about the Sheng Siong supermarket on my Facebook yesterday.

“I am sorry for any negative feelings or comments against her resulting from the posting. It is never my intention to shame anyone in my post and it is definitely not my intention to dismiss such charitable person.

“It is also definitely NOT a racist post at all, aiming to target any race or religion. Those who know me well, would know that together with my Muslim buddies, I have invited both Muslim and non-Muslim friends to attend our annual Ramadan breakfast sessions since 2010.”

He also asked his “Muslim friends to be mindful of the crisis we are facing. The last thing we would want to see is to invoke unnecessary emotional responses out of misunderstanding or misperception”.

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