Amidst all the negative reactions surrounding foreigners’ degrading comments on locals, things have taken a slight change in this latest story.
A Singaporean man, who goes by the name Tong Yee, took to Facebook on Thursday (24 Sep) to pen his appreciation towards a man – who turns out to be a foreign worker – for leaving a note behind with his contact number after accidentally hitting Mr Tong’s car.
Mr Tong explained in his post that he saw a note on his windscreen after returning to his car from his early morning breakfast meeting. At first he thought it was a traffic ticket, but later realised that it was a note left by someone who had apparently dented his car.
“Yesterday after an early morning breakfast meeting, I walked back to car to find a small slip of paper on windscreen. After getting over ticket trauma, I realised it was a note to say someone dented my car. I went to inspect and hatchback was dented with soil on bumper and around the dent,” he wrote.
Mr Tong also uploaded a picture of the note, which read: “I just hit your car at the back pls contact me [contact number]”.
Mr Tong proceeded to contact the number in the note, and got ahold of a man known as Shamsul. He shared the exchange between them in the post.
As can clearly be seen from the text messages, Shamsul was rather apologetic for causing the accident due to his carelessness.
He said that he would “take responsibility”, and that he was willing to listen to whatever suggestion Mr Tong has to offer in order to proceed with the matter.
Given that it was only a small dent, Mr Tong stated that S$200 is sufficient to cover the cost of repairs. He also said that if the repairs cost more than that, then he would cover the additional cost himself.
He expressed that this is just a small matter, adding that he appreciates Shamsul for being responsible by owning up to his actions.
Following that, Shamsul requested if it is possible for him to make the payment next week, noting that he will only receive his salary next Monday (28 Sep).
In response, Mr Tong kindly told Shamsul that he can take his time. In fact, Mr Tong even said that he is open to the idea of monthly instalments – receiving S$50 from Shamsul on a monthly basis until the debt is fully paid.
Once again, Shamsul apologised as he thanked Mr Tong for his understanding. Touched by his rectitude, Mr Tong replied saying that he wants to treat Shamsul for dinner in order to thank him for his honesty and responsibility.
In his post, Mr Tong also pointed out that Shamsul really “encouraged” him, given that he has been quite stressed lately. He went on to say that he will do everything in his power to ensure that Shamsul is honoured for his integrity.
“I have not met you yet but I want to say that you really encouraged me. I’ve been quite stressed recently. But you brought me a release that I needed. I will do my utmost in making sure you are honored for your integrity,” he wrote.
“And if you really are a foreign national working here, then bless you. It’s a privilege to have you working with us. Grateful for you. And I will do my utmost in making sure your time with us is honored.”