SINGAPORE: Minister of State Sun Xueling has sparked a heated discussion online following her recent Facebook post criticizing a resident's email. The
SINGAPORE: Minister of State Sun Xueling has sparked a heated discussion online following her recent Facebook post criticizing a resident’s email. The post has divided public opinion, with some supporting her stance on the need for civil communication while others argue that she should not complain given her high salary as an elected official.
Ms. Sun, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Punggol West SMC, shared screenshots of the resident’s email on June 3. The message opened with a hostile remark: “Sitting pretty and waiting for your electoral loss will be something to look forward to unless something changes here.” The email’s primary complaint focused on noise from heavy vehicles along Punggol Way, with the resident warning that failure to address the issue could lead to losing the ward.
The resident also expressed grievances about uneven cement floors at the void deck and criticized the road design, using offensive language. The email concluded with a request for Workers’ Party MP Jamus Lim to take over the ward and referenced the Ridout Road controversy.
In response to the email, Pasir Ris-Punggol Town Council assured the resident that the issues raised would be addressed. However, Ms. Sun was visibly unsettled by the tone of the email and stressed the importance of civil feedback on her Facebook post: “There are ‘ways’ to provide feedback and ‘ways’ to provide feedback. I hope that as a society, we can try to be civil and not use bad language to get a point across.”
Many supported Ms. Sun’s call for civility, arguing that the resident could have conveyed his grievances more politely. Some even labeled him as racist and xenophobic, given the email’s content.
Conversely, others criticized her post as “unprofessional” and a form of virtue-signaling. Reddit user u/AbelAngJQ commented: “Kinda puzzled why she needs to share it publicly. It’s part of the job to face overbearing residents. It feels like she is trying to gain sympathy.” Another user, u/LeatherTanker, noted, “It is rather unprofessional posting it publicly. As a public figure, she should understand that receiving crude language is part of her job.”
Many netizens also pointed out that with her substantial salary of $770,000 as a Minister of State, Ms. Sun should be more prepared to handle complaints, regardless of their tone. Some speculated that the resident’s rudeness stemmed from frustration over repeated complaints that went unaddressed.
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