Please take me to

national university of
singapore.
taxi!

Sure, I will take

you there. In
plenty good
time for
your meeting,
Madam.

I’ve been taxi man Do you

for 20 years now, have a big
Have you Madam.
family?
been taxi
man for
a long A long time ago,
Singapore not like
time? this—so crowded, so
busy. Last time, more
peaceful, not so much Yes, Madam,
taxi men or so much quite big family.
cars and buses. I must
work hard if wants to
success in
Singapore.

 Two children, three Is your

children, enough, daughter
stop already
In those days where got married?
Family Planning in Singapore?
People born many, many children,
every year, one child is no good
at all.
No, not married yet –very shy, and her
health not so good, but a good, obedient
Lucky for me, all my girl. My other girl
children big now. Four of —Oh, Madam!
my sons working—one A

businessman, two clerks, a

teacher in Primary School,
one in National Service one
still schooling. My eldest Very hard for father
daughter, she is twenty when daughter is no good
plus, stay at home, help the and go against her
mother. parents.

You agree with

Today, young people not like us
me, Madam?
when we are young. We obey.
Our parents say don’t do this, we
never do.

My father he was very

strict, and that is good
thing for parents to be strict.
If not, young boys and girls Yes! I absolutely
become very useless. Do not agree with you.
want to study, but run
away, and go to night clubs
and take drugs and make
love.

 Madam, you are a

They are only
schoolboys and teacher, you say?
schoolgirls, but they
Madam, you see this young girl act as big shots,
over there, outside the coffee spending money,
house? See what I mean, smoking, wearing
latest fashion, and
Madam? making love.
Yes, that’s
true.
Yes, yes I am.

Even though you’re

just a taxi man you
are aware about
the behavior of the
teenagers today.

Madam, I tell you this, every month, I got

You know or not that young schoolgirls,
fifteen, sixteen year old, they go to school in
the morning in their uniforms and then after
school, they don’t go home, they have clothes in their
schoolbag and they go to public lavatory or hotel
and change into these clothes, and they put on make-
up on their face. Their parents never know.
They tell their Mom go school meetings, got sports
and games, this, that, but they really come out
and play the fool.
They usual is wait in bowling
alley or coffee house or hotel,
and they walk up, and friend, the
European andAmerican tourists, and
this is how they make fun and also
extra money.
more money from these young girls and
their American and European boyfriends in
my taxi, more than I get from other people
who bargain .
But these young girls and their
boyfriends don't bargain, they just
pay, pay, and they make love in
taxi so much .
I will tell you this, Madam. If you have
a young daughter and she says Mummy
I got a meeting today in school and will
not come home, you must not say, Yes,
yes, but you must go and ask her
where and why and who, and you find
out. Today young people not to trust,
like young people in many years ago
Why are you telling Oh, Madam, I tell you
this? because I myself have None of my other children could
a daughter go to University, but this one, she
is very smart and intelligent no
.....she my favorite child, and I boasting, Madam her teachers
ask her what she want to be write Good‘ and Excellent, and so
after left school, and she says on, so on, in her report cards.
go to University.

Oh, Madam, how you feel in my

place? Make herself so cheap, when
her father drive taxi all day to save
Then one day, oh
Madam, it make me so money for her University.
angry even now......

I see a girl looking like my Lay Choo, with other girls and some
Europeans outside a coffee-house but I think, it cannot be
Lay Choo is in school, and this girl is all dressed up and make-up,
and very bold in her behavior, andthis is not like my daughter at
all.

The very next day she is there again I stop my taxi, Madam, and I am so angry. I Yes, yes, everything
rush up to this wicked daughter and I catch her by the shoulders and neck, and slap okay now, thank
her and she scream, but I don’t care. Then I drag her to my taxi and drive all the you. She cannot
way home, and at home I thrash the stupid food and I beat her and slap her till like leave the house
hell. My wife and some neighbors they pull me away, and I think if they not pull me Is except to go to
away, I sure to kill that girl. everything school, and I tell
between
you and her mother always
your check on her.
daughter
okay now?
 Oh, so sorry, Madam,
cannot wait for you to Can you wait for
finish your meeting. me until my meeting
is done?

Oh, that’s ok. Here’s the

Must go off to Hotel Elroy--
there plenty people to pick up. payment. Thank you for
So very sorry, Madam, and sharing your story to me.
thank you very much.
the end