Ng Chee Meng called out for using Land Transport Guru’s photo without consent

SINGAPORE: Ng Chee Meng has come under public scrutiny after using a photo from transport information platform Land Transport Guru without credit on his Instagram account.

The Member of Parliament for Jalan Kayu SMC posted the image while announcing service improvements for bus routes 163 and 163B.

According to screenshots shared on Reddit, the original post featured a double-deck bus from Service 163.

Land Transport Guru later commented on the post.

The platform noted that while it appreciated the transport update, its photos were available only for non-commercial use.

It added that the appropriate credits should be given to the respective photographers, and watermarks should not be removed.

Following the comment, the original photo appeared to be replaced, and the comment from Land Transport Guru was no longer visible.

Netizens question uncredited image and silent post replacement

Reddit users questioned why the image was used without credit and why its watermark had been removed.

Some also criticised the quiet replacement of the post, noting that no clarification or apology was issued on the account.

Others made light of the incident, joking that the MP could simply take a bus to capture his own photographs.

Ng’s post had highlighted that Service 163 would receive extra double-deck buses during weekday peak hours.

He also noted that Service 163B would be extended to reach two additional stops and offer a direct link to Lentor MRT Station.

 

The incident emerged after Ng’s apology in May, following the General Election 2025 results.

On 6 May 2025, he apologised for his conduct during a 2017 Ministry of Education dialogue and for the resurfacing of a photo showing him at a dinner attended by convicted money launderer Su Haijin.

Ng stated that he did not wish to take any government appointment, despite retaining the Jalan Kayu seat with 51.47 per cent of the vote.

He said he intended to focus on his parliamentary duties and his role as NTUC secretary-general.

Multiple accounts from former teacher trainees had resurfaced during the campaign.

These supported claims that he behaved dismissively during the 2017 dialogue, although Ng said publicly that the photo with Su stemmed from routine industry engagements.

Some observers contrasted his decision with that of Workers’ Party candidate Andre Low, who had addressed his own issues during the campaign period.

MP Gho Sze Kee caught over accidental AI-generated text in Instagram post

The copyright discussion surrounding Ng’s post follows another recent digital-media incident involving the ruling party.

Earlier, another PAP MP, Gho Sze Kee, attracted attention after users spotted what appeared to be unintended ChatGPT-generated text in an Instagram caption.

A screenshot circulated online showed her post beginning with the line: “Here’s your merged post with all dashes removed and the flow kept natural.”

The caption was later edited, retaining only the summary of her community visit.

Some netizens described the mistake as unprofessional, arguing that elected representatives should show more care in their communications.

Others defended the use of generative AI tools, saying such technologies were now widely employed in professional and social media work.