Indian-origin woman in Singapore slammed for 'discriminatory' post on housing

Singapore, May 30 (IANS) An Indian-origin woman in Singapore was forced to delete her LinkedIn account after she was slammed for a post on "House and Development Board (HDB) people" and "private residence people".

Satwant Kaur, who has been living in Singapore since 1981 according to her LinkedIn profile, wrote that it was difficult to live in the country since the government allowed HDB population to take private jobs in residential localities.

"It's very hard for me to live in Singapore because the govt allows HDB people to take jobs in private residential areas. Which means they don't just visit, they remain for about 6-8 hours a day. And that's a lot," Kaur wrote in the post dated May 22.

Arguing that their extended presence in these areas could potentially hinder the preservation of her unique identity, Kaur said that "it is necessary to limit contact with them less I lose #uniqueidentity as most of them have..."

In the social media post, Kaur, a self-proclaimed 'nationalist', said that those living in private properties are built "according to values and mindset".

Her social media post spoke about the differences in the outlook of "HDB people" and "private residence people" when it came to community building.

"Private residence, we build according to values and mindset, we ignore race, language and religion and prioritise mental acuity and emotional stability. We don't wait to live life, we live now. We show our values and our humanity in how we work, play and hire."

In contrast the HBD people are all about money and not values, Kaur, whose profile introduces her as an "influencer and content creator", said.

"In HDB, it is simply about networks and rules that the govt can give them, and they sit and wait for those, and until then they group according to age, race and marital status. It tells us nothing of their values nor their humanity," Kaur wrote.

LinkedIn users were swift in slamming Kaur's "discriminatory views", forcing her to delete her account.

"This was a really disrespectful thing for this person to write. Clearly, she harbors a disdain for 'undesirable' folks who don't measure up to some very misguided and elitist expectations," a LinkedIn user wrote.

Another user named Nadine reminded Kaur that even President Halimah Yacob had lived in an HDB flat before assuming office, and said that "respect should be granted to all individuals, regardless of their societal standing".

"Basically saying 'poor' people should not work in 'rich' peoples' areas because somehow 'rich' people have a unique identity," a netizen said.

Kaur's LinkedIn post was re-shared on other social media platforms, where it garnered over 300 comments on Reddit, according to Asia One.