Editor-at-large Han Fook Kwang's column serves as a reminder that Singapore must indeed continue to protect the ordinary man in the street and ensure that people who need justice are able to access it through the country's system (Keeping Singapore safe from 'big shots', Sept 20).

I hope the Government takes to heart what Mr Lee Kuan Yew once cautioned about acting "like a big shot" - as quoted in Mr Han's commentary - and ensure there will always be someone within its ranks who is willing "to take the pin and poke the balloon and break it" when it is necessary to do so.

In the light of this article, I would like to bring up my sister's case against the company she worked at for 30 years.

Her services were terminated last year when she was 58 years old. The reason given was that the company needed to restructure and cut costs. A few months before she was asked to leave, the company had said she was overloaded with responsibilities - at the time, she was holding three portfolios. Her job title and scope were tweaked and she was to train new employees and transfer some of her duties to them. Though the company was supposed to save costs, it recruited two younger employees and distributed her workload between them.

My sister sought help from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) with the intention of raising the issue of ageism in the workplace, which goes against the Government's call for extended employment to promote active engagement beyond retirement. Also, she was several years shy of retirement.

After 12 months, she finally received a one-liner from the MOM stating that her representation was unsuccessful as her dismissal was not found to be "without just cause or excuse". She was told that her only recourse was through a civil case - an onerous undertaking for someone who had been out of work for a year.

Chris Lim Hong Buay