Netizens praise Shanmugam for calm response after two women disrupt Meet-the-People session

Two women confronted Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam at his Meet-the-People Session (MPS) on March 12, causing a commotion that many netizens have labeled "idiotic."

A seven-minute video posted on Mr Shanmugam's Facebook page shows the pair approaching him to discuss the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA).

They began questioning him and shouting, calling him a "coward" when he attempted to attend to other residents.

At one point, they made an obscene gesture towards onlookers and accused Mr Shanmugam of lying when he said he prioritises his own residents after one of them claimed to live in Punggol.

In his post, Mr Shanmugam explained that MPs can exercise discretion in seeing non-residents, and that most understand this.

One of the women became agitated when informed that a volunteer was filming the interaction. Mr Shanmugam clarified that as it was a public area, his volunteers were entitled to record.

A man joined the pair as they continued to call Mr Shanmugam a "coward". Mr Shanmugam rebuked them, expressing his displeasure with the disruption.

He added that he later spoke with the women and two others for 30 to 45 minutes toward the end of the session.

Both women, who are sisters, wore shirts with "Press" on the front and the names of journalists killed in Gaza on the back. They also wore face masks.

They belong to a group that has visited different PAP MPSs in recent months to be "deliberately confrontational, create incidents, and try and provoke".

They typically publish their version of events afterward, portraying the MP and their team negatively.

The activist group, called Monday of Palestine Solidarity, has been posting on its Instagram page about its meetings with various PAP MPs, having visited at least 10 MPSs.

Many netizens praised Mr Shanmugam for his calm handling of the situation, with one attributing his composure to his background as a seasoned lawyer.

One Redditor commented: "He sounds like a teacher reprimanding kids for running during recess."

Others criticised the women's behaviour, with some calling it "out of line".

Many comments highlighted the disruption caused to other residents waiting to see their MP.

One commenter wrote: "They're the true definition of hypocrites as they get triggered when someone records thinking only they can record."