Plot Twists In Disabled Grab Rider’s Story Strokes Controversy
Disabled Grab delivery rider Saire Adnan went viral recently for his now-deleted Facebook post where he shared his experience with a “ridiculous customer”. The man insisted the amputee climb up to deliver the package to his doorstep even after Saire explained that his disability made it very difficult for him to climb up the stairs since the building had no lifts.
Regardless, the customer refused to empathize and even threatened to lodge a complaint with Grab. Saire then shared that he fell down while climbing up the stairs, posting a picture of his swollen foot. He ended the post with a call for donations from the general public, including his number for easy PayNow transfers.
Timeline in a twist?
The story would have ended there, but plot twists started developing when he deleted his original Facebook post. Speaking with Plan B, he claimed that he decided to delete the post as he “got the sequence of events wrong”.
It later emerged that the incident in question happened all the way back in September 2022, 5 months before he made the post. Grab also confirmed that Saire’s delivery account has been inactive since late 2022.
Not only that, netizens also started coming after Saire.
Social Media Whistleblowers
Facebook Lala Property responded to the viral post by accusing Saire of using this method to get money from strangers for quite some time. She questioned if he really needed the money since he was already on various financial aid schemes.
When asked about this, Saire confirmed that he was indeed receiving financial aid from several government agencies. He also explained that he had approached some donors, intending to return their money as he did not want to be seen as cheating others. He showed Whatsapp conversations of these benefactors refusing to take back their money, citing sincerity in the donations.
Some started adding their own accusations to the Facebook post’s comments sections, such as how he allegedly took advantage of kind hearted individuals who helped him raise funds for a prosthetic leg. When the money was raised, Saire allegedly demanded the cash be transferred directly to him, instead of allowing Bob Rizuan and an unnamed Ustaz to purchase the prosthetic limb. When they insisted on spending the money for the prosthetic, Saire instead accused them of cheating him.
An interview with Yahoo News in 2017 reported that Saire was supposed to receive a prosthetic leg in 2018, which was going to be fully paid for by Tan Tock Seng Hospital. It is not known if the fundraiser Bob Rizuan mentioned was for a second one.
Not only on Facebook
Sumber: Tiktok, pipi_pau.gf
Shortly after, a viral TikTok video by @pipi_pau.gf featured a rant about a story that was suspiciously similar to Saire’s.
In her TikTok, she made a few claims:
1) The said individual would conjure up a sob story about not having money for food and other necessities or having difficulties working due to his injured leg.
2) With the money given to him, he would go for staycations despite not having money in the first place.
She ended the video by saying that previously, his antics had been limited to the Malay community. Now, with the viral posts, he might receive donations from other communities.
"I don't know what her motive is!"
While we could not confirm the staycations the TikTok video refers to, Saire shared in his interviews that part of the assistance he received from the Family Service Centre was placing him in various hotels around Singapore.
He also responded to Lala Property’s viral post, lamenting that he did not know her personally and did not know her motive for the post. He reasoned that even though he asks others for money occasionally, it does not affect her in any way.
However, he later changed his Facebook username to Sani Hi, apologizing on the post and promising not to ask for money again.
How much is too much?
Singapore's Malay/Muslim community's willingness to help others financially is aligned with our strong kampung spirit to berderma dengan ikhlas (donating with the utmost sincerity). Maklumlah, tak orang tak kita… (if its not them, it might be us…)
However, how much is too much?
In the case of Saire, this man is already receiving financial assistance from various government agencies. This is also a man who declined the opportunity to go for courses to upskill himself so that he could find jobs that are not physically dangerous for him.
How can we be sure that he needs money (despite already receiving financial assistance from various government agencies)? Are the accusations thrown by netizens true: Saire is indeed taking advantage of the kindness of the general public?
What do you think?
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