British banker Anton Casey has been forced out of his post with Singapore financial outlet Crossinvest Asia after posting degenerative comments about poor people.
His ouster came after Casey inexplicably took to Facebook to deride poor people. His posts would inevitably go viral all over the world as the unrepentant banker took to bashing those less well off.
After receiving a volley of death threats the banker and his model wife, Bernice Wong a former Miss Singapore (naturally) and their five year old son boarded an economy flight bound for Perth, Australia. It is said the unrepentant banker’s posts triggered a campaign to deport him.
In one post, the wealth manager, who lived in Singapore for 12 years, complained about experiencing ‘the stench of public transport’ while his Porsche was in the garage.
He also described a taxi driver as a ‘retard’ and posted a photograph of his son sitting on a train with the caption: ‘Daddy where is your car and who are all these poor people?’
Kids I need to sit down for a moment and carefully stir my chamomile tea. Four, three, two, yes 5 lumps of sugar please. Continuing…
In a groveling email yesterday sent from Australia to a Singapore newspaper, the former HSBC banker described his remarks as ‘the worst mistake of my life.’
Wrote Anton Casey: ‘I hope the people of Singapore will allow me to volunteer my time and resources to community projects to make amends.
‘I also hope the people of Singapore, my adopted home, will forgive me over time.’
Interesting how bittersweet chamomile tea can taste if one adds too much sugar.
The banker told he had been forced to leave the country because of threats to his family, but insisted: ‘Singapore is our home, and we hope to return.’
However, in a message posted on Facebook, Crossinvest Asia, a wealth management company, said: ‘The online comments made by Mr Casey do not represent the culture that we have built over many years.
‘Accordingly, Crossinvest Asia and Mr Casey have parted ways with immediate effect.’
Told the outlet in a previous statement after calls for his head were first made:
‘Crossinvest is aware of recent comments made on social media by one of its employees which some Singaporeans have found offensive,’
‘Crossinvest does not condone the offending comments. We believe they were made in poor taste. Crossinvest has clear policies regarding the codes of conduct expected of its employees.
‘That code of conduct extends to social media. We are currently investigating the comments made by our employee and will take appropriate action once we are in possession of all the facts.’
Adding further woe to matters is the fact Anton Casey also faces possible prosecution if he returns to Singapore after a complaint of sedition was lodged with police. The complaint is under investigation.
The former colony is home to about 50,000 British expats. Many are hired by multinational banks on lucrative packages and are notorious for ‘Hoorah Henry’ antics.
A senior British banker, who has lived in Singapore for 15 years, said: ‘Casey is a pillock but unfortunately there are plenty of idiots like him with too much money and attitude.
‘The public mood is very ugly. All the major banks have given informal warnings to their expat staff to cut back on the champagne and partying until this all blows over.’
Locals applauded his exit. On the Real Singapore blog, Jesse Loo wrote: ‘These kind of bigoted remarks cannot be tolerated anywhere.’
Naturally one wonders if it would have been in Anton Casey’s best interest to have kept his thoughts to himself and have come to an understanding that it’s one thing to show off the excesses of one’s success or material trappings (at whose expense?) and then again it’s another thing to go on slagging off on those less fortunate on you. Hopefully Anton Casey feels more important and much better about himself, but one doubts it.
Such are the terrible things that happen when one takes to recklessly spilling their overflowing chamomile tea on their host’s fine furniture…
Told one commentator on the web:
More proof positive of the contempt the bankers have for the common hard working people of all countries…..the worn out rhetoric from the government blaming the economic woes on those less well off and those unfortunate enough to be claiming benefits is now well past its sell by date…we are not stupid and we are sick of the ever increasing divide that grows wider everyday that enables the wealthy to get richer every day and those down on their luck to become nothing but collateral damage in the material world currently inhabited by the rich…but they need be careful and remember to be kind to people on the way up..they may need them on the way down!!!
Remarks made by fools such as Anton Casey will cause division within a community. The fury felt by many Singaporeans will burn for a long time and don’t be surprised if an expat with an attitude problem is unfortunate enough to be caught alone amongst a group of justice-seeking Singaporeans. Singapore takes great pains to make it clear to its people to be sensitive to each other. Harmony in Singapore with such diverse people does not come by accident. In many ways, Singapore is way ahead of many countries in the maturity and restraint of its people. Do not see this restraint as a weakness. They are as likely to gut you if they see you as a threat to their harmonious existence.
I lived in Singapore in ’93/’94 and loved it. Loved the people, the food, the culture, the history. It was awesome and if I ever get offered a post back there I’d do it in a heartbeat. Obviously I was severely disappointed when I came back to Darien, CT. Everyone seemed so out of touch with reality and seemed more arrogant, more ‘entitled’ than before. I miss Singapore!
different cultural situation. Should Singaporean now know what Malaysian’s feel like?
Come to America Anton. Fox News has a job waiting for you.