Singapore's Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam has reminded Singaporeans that while civil servants are expected to treat the public with courtesy, the same should be applied to them.
On Jul. 16, Mr. Shanmugam wrote on his Facebook page about an "unfortunate" incident that happened recently at the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB), where a man who was told he could not get legal aid for the divorce proceedings against his wife because they'd been married less than three years, started "smoking and burning forms".
According to Mr. Shanmugam, he'd also threatened to smash the office with a hammer and burn it down. He was arrested before he could carry out his threats."What this man did was unacceptable. His verbal abuse and threats toward LAB staff were uncalled for, especially since the staff had tried their best to help him," the Minister wrote.
Mr. Shanmugam also said it wasn't a standalone incident and that he'd heard of other instances of civil servants being verbally abused. "This is not right..." he finished. "Civil servants perform their duties to the best of their abilities, just like everyone else."
Photo: K. Shanmugam Facebook
Singapore's Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam has reminded Singaporeans that while civil servants are expected to treat the public with courtesy, the same should be applied to them.
On Jul. 16, Mr. Shanmugam wrote on his Facebook page about an "unfortunate" incident that happened recently at the Legal Aid Bureau (LAB), where a man who was told he could not get legal aid for the divorce proceedings against his wife because they'd been married less than three years, started "smoking and burning forms".
According to Mr. Shanmugam, he'd also threatened to smash the office with a hammer and burn it down. He was arrested before he could carry out his threats."What this man did was unacceptable. His verbal abuse and threats toward LAB staff were uncalled for, especially since the staff had tried their best to help him," the Minister wrote.
Mr. Shanmugam also said it wasn't a standalone incident and that he'd heard of other instances of civil servants being verbally abused. "This is not right..." he finished. "Civil servants perform their duties to the best of their abilities, just like everyone else."
Photo: K. Shanmugam Facebook