A ride-hailing driver’s sign, informing Chinese passengers that he would only speak Mandarin to them, has outraged netizens.
In a 20-second video uploaded on April 7, TikTok creator @aliciatadah, also known as Ally, shows a peculiar sign in Chinese attached to the back of the driver’s seat.
“Chinese people, please speak Chinese. I don’t speak English to Chinese people. Thank you!” it reads.
Ally then asks her husband whether he understands the sign. Even though her husband says no, Ally added that he was “sad” upon finding out what the sign meant.
The TikTok creator explained that her husband took Chinese Level (B), a simplified version of the subject which focuses on oral skills, before being sent overseas to study at the age of 13. As a result, he can only converse in basic Mandarin but “still can’t reach much.”
“Slightly offended on behalf of all mixed-Chinese kids and Chinese friends who can’t read or speak Mandarin,” Ally wrote in the accompanying caption, wondering whether the sign was discriminatory. “What happened to all Singaporeans conversing in basic English so we have racial harmony?”
Passenger calls move “unnecessary”
In a follow-up video on April 8, Ally said they had booked the ride on the afternoon of April 5, from Kallang to their home.
