Social media users take issue with Syed Saddiq's Foodpanda tweet

Food delivery has made eating restaurant-quality food very easy and convenient for busy Malaysians. — Foodpanda

PETALING JAYA: People have voiced their dissatisfaction with Youth and Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman for his recent comment on Foodpanda.

In a tweet on Tuesday (Oct 8), Syed Saddiq said consumers should take down arrogant corporations just as they can vote out elected representatives.

"Arrogance is not the solution. Only support corporations which are fair to workers and consumers," Syed Saddiq tweeted.

The tweet garnered several comments from Malaysians.

Shahlan Bin Sabari (@BinSabari) noted that the government should not be involved in a company's business.

"They (companies) have their own strategies and are free to decide their business direction.

"Any coercion against companies will affect the ease of doing business in Malaysia... it is not good for the economy," he tweeted.

Another Twitter user named peter (@petre_ikato) also pointed out that the issue faced by Foodpanda workers was due to the existing laws, which do not protect current food delivery service riders.

"Dalam konteks undang-undang, apa yang operator ni buat takda salahnya. (In the context of the law, whatever the operator does is not wrong)

"We need new laws to protect workers in this new gig economy," he wrote.

Cybersandhu (@napoleontheONE) pointed out that "sudden tantrums are worthless."

"Know your limits and proceed with the consultation process," he tweeted.

Earlier this month, Foodpanda delivery riders had gone on strike against the new pay scheme implemented for riders outside the Klang Valley since Sept 30.

Foodpanda had said it will stick to its new payment scheme for its riders outside the Klang Valley for a minimum of four more weeks.

Aside from the tweets, the hashtags #boycottfoodpanda, #DeleteFoodPanda and #UninstallFoodPanda went viral on social media after the company said it will stick to a new payment scheme for riders outside of the Klang Valley.

Individuals uploaded screenshots of them deleting the Foodpanda app on their smartphones in solidarity with the riders.