SUSS professor’s explanation on SimplyGo discontent slammed as “condescending”

SINGAPORE – Outrage has sparked among netizens over what they perceive as a “condescending” explanation by a guest speaker on a ChannelNews Asia (CNA) podcast, delving into public discontent surrounding the SimplyGo transition.

The podcast, ‘Heart of the Matter’ hosted by Steven Chia, featured two guests on 17 January: Summit Agarwal, a professor at the National University of Singapore’s School of Business, and Walter Theseira, an associate professor and head of the urban transportation program at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and former Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP).

Initially, the host revealed that efforts to procure a representative from the Land Transport Authority for the show proved unsuccessful.

Consequently, they opted to invite the two guests to discuss the matter instead.

“Condescending” explanation of public discontent towards SimplyGo

The crux of the discussion centred on “Why are commuters unhappy over the SimplyGo switch?”

During the dialogue, the host directed a question to Walter Theseira regarding the public’s frustration with the inability to view remaining card balances when using SimplyGo.

Walter’s response, however, ignited controversy.

“What we didn’t anticipate is just how important this concept of using a cash card with a balance in it, is for two important groups,” Walter began.

“So one group is going to be those people who rely on keeping a certain balance in their cash cards for budgeting purposes. They may have very limited income, they don’t want to overspend too much on public transport. The other group, which I think is also out there are people who just don’t trust the way the system works.”

He continued, “Coming back to why we did not expect this (discontent from public), let’s think about this from the point of view of a planner, or an expert, somebody in the government. Well, most of (these people) are not lower-income Singaporeans. So this idea of having to budget very carefully wouldn’t have occurred. And of course, the other thing is, (these people) trust the systems (they’ve) built.”

Walter’s remark, particularly the phrase “Most of us are not lower-income Singaporeans,” incited a backlash among netizens who found the explanation patronizing and condescending.

They argued that it suggested the affluent segment wouldn’t concern themselves with card balances, unlike lower-income individuals who rely on budgeting.

Singaporean stage actor and television host, Hossan Leong, expressed his disbelief on CNA’s Instagram page, stating, ““Most of us are not lower income Singaporeans…” wow just wow. How patronizing and condescending is that? Everyone needs to budget – and with this STUPID CRAZY COST OF LIVING…you tell me how?”

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Many users who commented on the issue expressed frustration with the explanation, echoing the view that it was overly “condescending” and evidently “out of touch.

“Honestly, this is such an unintelligent attempt to manage or salvage the situation. Excuse me… how about getting your planner(s) to think from the users’ experience?” one user wrote.

One user also noted that Walter’s explanation “was not very nice,” while asserting that the system is a downgrade.

“Just accept people’s feedback and improvise instead of saying these are mainly problems of lower-income Singaporeans!” the user added.

One user argues that budgeting isn’t exclusively a practice limited to lower-income Singaporeans, suggesting that some individuals simply prefer to be aware of the cost per trip.

Regarding Walter’s explanation that the planners couldn’t have foreseen the public’s concerns, another user commented, “he just illustrated how out of touch the people at the top are.”

Criticism also centred on the planners’ perceived lack of emotional intelligence and training, with some users suggesting that their decisions fail to resonate with the majority of commuters and demonstrate a lack of understanding of the challenges faced by average Singaporeans.

“I’m surprised the planners did not do focus group of user survey prior to launching this. There should be a pilot phase?” One user inquired.

Furthermore, certain users elucidated why many favour the previous system, noting its clarity and convenience.

The primary reason individuals wish to monitor their balance is to ensure timely card top-ups before reaching a level where entry is restricted, necessitating a backtrack to the machine, they explained.

Given the fast-paced lifestyle in Singapore, the previous system is preferred for its convenience.