Good morning. Could you please take me to The Centrepoint, Orchard Road?

Sure, Madam. Okay, which way you want? Now, this time, Orchard Road very crowded. Also Christmas season, so much shoppers everywhere—hey, Madam, I think I see your face before—are you—

Yes, I’m Catherine Lim

Oh, ho, Catherine Lim, please to meet you. So you still criticize the PAP, they so powerful, you not afraid they go after you—

Not really

Hey, Catherine Lim, you can write complaint for us or not? We taxi drivers, cannot speak or write good English—

What’s your complaint?

Wa-ah, you don’t know, meh? You live so long in Singapore, and you don’t know! We taxi drivers suffer—this new rule, that new rule—this hike in fees, that—

I thought the hike was supposed to help you earn more.

Ai-yah, they say only, lah! But where got more money? In the end, less money. Passengers don’t want pay extra. My brother-in-law, he also taximan, so fed up, he give up licence to go and live in Malaysia—

If you’re so upset, why don’t you complain to your MP?

No use, I tell you. What for. You think MP want to listen? You think MP don’t want PAP to make more and more money. They all the same! You know or not, every day people pay fines for wrong parking, got fine for this, fine for that—hundreds of thousands of dollars go into PAP pocket, I tell you!

I thought you were talking about the hike in cab fees, not parking fines—

Ai-yah, all same same, I tell you, PAP making money. Already so many taxis on the road, yet they say can have more, more. And you know why? Plenty of money from taxi licences! You know or not how much they get every month from foreign workers alone, because this and that tax for employers? Many million dollars every month!

How do you know?

Hey, everybody know, lah! You know what ‘PAP’ stands for? ‘Pay and Pay’! They say this and that, want to help the poor workers like myself, want to benefit the poor, but all the time, bluffing us, only making money for themselves. You know what ‘PAP’ stands for? ‘Pian Ah Pare‘. You Hokkien? Can understand or not? They lying to poor old men like me, with no education. I sixty two—see grey hair on my head—but must work very hard—you know, I driving since 6 a.m. this morning—

I can see you’re very unhappy. Are you thinking of joining your brother-in-law in Malaysia?

Ai-yah, not so easy! Last week his wife, got snatch thief snatch her handbag—lost money and gold bracelet, some more she fell down on road and got many bruises on her face—then yesterday my brother-in-law he telephone to say thieves they broke into his house—he and family were out at that time—they stole his son’s computer, cash, make big mess in the house—they report to police, but they know no use, too many burglary and robbery, so police they don’t care—only pretend take down report and so on—

I don’t suppose you want to join him now?

No way! But I very serious, Miss Catherine Lim. You please write article, put in the English papers, tell how government make we taximan suffer!

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About Vignettes...

A continuing flow of little, readable pieces that will constitute what I feel is an important 'legacy of values' to leave behind. Read more about Vignettes...