Local DJ Lim Peifen of Y.E.S. 93.3 took to her Facebook page on Monday (9 December) to dismiss a netizen’s claim who stated that her son received preferential treatment at Jewel Changi Airport’s (JCA) snow walk attraction.
Last week, a Singaporean woman named Kailin Ng highlighted in a Facebook post that her son was denied access into the snow walk as he wore a pair of sandals, which was deemed “improper footwear”.
However, her son, Aden’s, sandals were similar of those adorned by a Singaporean celebrity DJ’s son a few days later. Ng said that the DJ’s son was granted access to the snow walk, but did not name the celebrity.
“What baffles me is not that such footwear is not allowed to the walk, but the very next couple of days this picture of Singapore celebrity DJ was posted and her son was allowed entry for the very reason why Aden was not allowed,” Ng noted.
As such, she asked if the “rules are not strictly followed” or if the rules are only applied to “common folks”?
Ng’s post sparked unhappiness among the public, with many slamming JCA for their double standard. They also mentioned that Singapore has two sets of rules and regulations, one for commoners and the other one is for elite and celebrities.
In response to this, Lim finally wrote her side of the story in her post on Monday.
“We queued up for the Snow Walk, we wondered if we could go in with our sandals. We saw other children in the queue with their parents, and they were allowed entry to the snow walk with their open-toe sandals,” Lim wrote.
She added, “When it was our turn to take the walk, we asked whether our shoes were okay. We were given the okay to go. There was no preferential treatment, nor did we insist on any.”
She also pointed out that all she wanted was to have “a happy day out with my family”, which she did.
“Every parent wishes the best for their child, I am no different”.
As for the safety aspect, Lim said “safety is the most important when it comes to having fun”.
“I am happy to follow clear, well-defined safety measures for all activities, and I hope that rules are always well-enforced,” she explained, adding that topics of discussion other than safety are not “relevant to this incident”.
Changi Airport responds
Responding to TOC’s queries, a spokesperson from Changi Airport Group said that allowing a guest with open-toe footwear to Snow Walk was “an oversight on the part of the ranger”.
“At Jewel Changi Airport, it is out topmost priority for guests to play and enjoy our facilities in optimal conditions. Therefore, we made it a requirement for visitors to be in covered footwear for the snow walk,” the spokesperson said.
“The entry to Snow Walk by a guest with open-toe footwear was an oversight on the part of the ranger. We have reminded our ranger manning this activity to ensure all guests have the proper footwear before they enter the attraction.”
The spokesperson also highlighted that they have contacted Ng and “invited them back for a visit”.
In an updated post, Ng also said she has accepted the explanation by JCA and would not pursue the matter further.
However, she feels that it’s a “little puzzling” that Lim was given silicon cover over her sandals, but her son was not given although they were both allowed in. “Kinda feel like it’s not an oversight, rather a safety lapse,” she noted.
Ng has since removed her post.