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The Electric New Paper :
Could it be because he’s an ex-con?
Delivery man told he can’t deliver to Conrad Centennial during IMF meeting. His boss asks: Could it be because he’s an ex-con?
FOR four years, he delivered food supplies to one of Singapore’s grandest hotels with no problems.

By Liew Hanqing
17 August 2006

FOR four years, he delivered food supplies to one of Singapore’s grandest hotels with no problems.

But for nearly two weeks in September – from 10 to 20 Sep – Mr Ng Ah Hock won’t be allowed to do this.

Mr Ng is an ex-convict. He killed a man in the 1970s. But he has paid for his crime.

He has not committed another crime since he was released from jail in 1982.

So what’s happening in September?

Well, from 11 to 20 Sep, Singapore will play host to 16,000 foreign visitors for the International Monetary Fund and World Bank meetings. That’s why people are being scrutinised closely.

Could it be that Mr Ng’s past has come back to haunt him?

His boss, Mr Michael Loh, 36 – the owner of seafood supply company Fische Gourmet – has been hiring ex-convicts regularly (see report on facing page).

Mr Loh’s problems started in July when he was asked to submit information about Mr Ng to Conrad Centennial Hotel for security screening.

The hotel – one of many in the area which will house the IMF delegates – has been one of Mr Ng’s stops on his regular delivery route.

Mr Loh was asked for Mr Ng’s full name, IC number, citizenship and place of birth.

‘About a week later, I was told by the hotel that Ah Hock won’t be allowed to make deliveries while the IMF meetings are going on,’ said Mr Loh.

He said that he was not given any reason for the ban.

NO SECOND CHANCE?

But the question in his mind was: If this has anything to do with Mr Ng’s past, whatever happened to second chances?

After all, Mr Loh recalled that the Government had gone big on the Yellow Ribbon project, which aims to give ex-convicts a second shot by helping them find work.

Mr Ng, a 48-year-old bachelor, had been jailed for four years and given 24 strokes of the cane in the late ’70s for manslaughter.

During a gang fight, he had caused the death of a rival gang member.

More than 20 years after his release from jail, he now works full-time as a delivery man for Fische Gourmet.

When asked about Mr Ng, a police spokesman told The New Paper: ‘In the current security climate, the top priority is to ensure the safety and security of our residents, visitors and delegates (to next month’s meetings).

‘The recent foiled plot in London is yet another reminder that the threat of terrorism is real and should not be taken for granted.

‘It pays to be vigilant and careful.’

The spokesman added that the police are working closely with organisers, building managements and owners of various affected establishments to further enhance security at their premises.

‘This would include stringent security screening of those who have access to premises within the secured zone.’

He said for specific cases, establishments concerned should approach the police directly to consider appropriate arrangements.

MODEL WORKER

Mr Loh said he was surprised at the turn of events.

‘Ah Hock has been working full-time for me for six years, and he has never given me any problems,’ said Mr Loh.

‘He’s a good worker. He’s very hard-working, has initiative and is responsible.’

Mr Ng’s daily routine at Conrad Centennial is simple.

He unloads the seafood in the loading bay, gets an invoice stamped by the hotel worker who accepts the delivery and then drives off.

He does not at any point enter the hotel itself.

As Mr Ng’s boss, it would have been easy for Mr Loh to just walk away from the problem.

But he felt it was unfair to his worker and said it would also cost him more to make the deliveries.

Mr Loh said the hotel staff told him to write to the police instead, but he has yet to do so.

For now, he will have to find a replacement driver who can make deliveries to the hotel.

Said Mr Loh: ‘If I employ a part-time driver, it’ll cost me $50 just to put him on stand-by if the hotel doesn’t order from me that day.’

He will also have to pay commission to the driver for each delivery.

All in, Mr Loh will incur at least $500 in extra costs for the 10 affected days.

And that’s on top of Mr Ng’s basic pay of $1,300 a month, which Mr Loh will continue to pay.

Said Mr Ng, who previously worked for 15 years as a driver at a shipyard: ‘When Mr Loh interviewed me, I told him upfront that I had a criminal record.

‘But I told him that I have changed and that I would work hard.’

He said he got involved in a gang when he was 18 because he was ‘not thinking’.

‘But I’ve already been to jail, and I’ve been caned – and I think I’ve been punished enough.’

He said he regrets his past actions and was grateful to Mr Loh for giving him a chance.

Mr Loh’s concern now is that other ex-convicts may be similarly affected.

He said: ‘Because of this, employers might choose to sack drivers who might have criminal records and who are similarly banned from these specific areas.’

Mr Ng himself has an interesting poser.

‘If I decide to have lunch at the hotel, does that mean I will be banned from doing that too?’

‘Everyone deserves a second chance’

MR Michael Loh believes in giving second chances.

And he gave Mr Ng just that despite two previous bad experiences.

Before Mr Ng started work at Fische Gourmet, Mr Loh said he had hired two ex-convicts as delivery men for his seafood supply business.

One was a former drug addict who had been in a drug rehabilitation centre.

The other was an ex-convict who had served a jail term and had been caned. Mr Ng does not know what the second man’s previous offence was. The first delivery man took drugs while driving and ended up crashing Mr Loh’s delivery van.

‘It was so badly damaged that it couldn’t even be salvaged. I had to scrap it.’

The other delivery man made off with $20,000 worth of Mr Loh’s goods.

Of that amount, $16,000 worth was recovered after Mr Loh made a police report.

Still, when Mr Ng – another ex-con – applied for the delivery job, Mr Loh didn’t turn him away.

He said: ‘We all have our own pasts. The past is not important. We should look forward.’

He said he believes not all ex-convicts are the same and that all deserve a chance.

‘It’s not easy for ex-convicts to find work. I just want to do my part to help,’ he said.

Copyright © 2005 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved.

ill hire them if im a boss infuture. people should be given a second chance. im thankful i had mine, if not i wld hv been in jail last yr.

oh stinkpores garment doesnt seem like this project is working, http://www.yellowribbon.org.sg/

i dont mind mixing with convicts. heh.