The following is a comment posted by ‘patriot’ in response to Tan Kin Lian’s article, “Give adequate wages to low income workers”. The comments are unedited and republished here in its entirety.
Me dare not say any word before this because I have never work or reside in a foreign land, so, difficult for me to make comparisons.
But, maybe I can relate my past experience. I was born to a poor farming family and helped out in the farms (vegetable/pig/poultry) as young as six year old. Left school before Senior Cambridge Examination, worked as construction worker with mother after been resettled to Public Housing.
Working at constructions in the late sixties to the eighties meant tough, heavy menial works. Running the cement mixer itself is beyond the understanding of any young Singaporeans. Let me describe; two to three workers man the motor driven mixer, one control the mixer and the other two will have to pour troughs of sand and sometimes fine granite chips and cement (each pack 25 kilogram in weight) into the mixer at chest height. The trough of sand and granite weighed average no less than 40 kg, when there was no water hose for water, water would also had to be manually carried from source and poured into the mixer.
Each cycle of work usually took hours invariably under open sky and exposed us to the elements, the heat, rain and dust etc. As the lowest skilled, we got about $30 a day. Other duties included carrying building materials up and down from the buildings, roads, drains and other structures under constructions. When worksites are far, transport were USUALLY provided, I used bicycle to nearby sites.
Despite the hard works, my mother, me and others accepted our fates with little complaints, in fact we were quite happy working with each others. Cares, concerns and camaraderies were usual amongst workers those days. No CPF, Insurance, Medical Benefits and yet we were happy. My mother brought up five children, none with much education, the highest was me.
I served NS, got married and is presently an unemployed grandad and as poor as ever. Those earlier days, we were poorer but happier, now we are materially sufficient but I have no happy feelings. Politics, self centredness and boastfulness are everywhere, at the workplace, market, school and estate. Laws and Regulations of every imaginations cover every facets of livings, did someone accurately said we are birds kept in cages?
Leaders care for their remunerations, foreigners came in to take away our jobs and living space. Unskilled jobs almost all taken by foreign workers. Choice housings and locations are purchased by wealthy foreigners. So, where do we stand? Struggling and yet hardly can survive.
And all our leaders could tell us is for us to upgrade, upgrade! They are taking us, the Citizenry, as morons. They think we are blind to those professionals and managers getting displaced, replaced and retrenched, became jobless, went into taxi driving, security job that pay them peanuts. Why are these people suffering such fates? THE FAULTS LIE WITH NATIONAL POLICIES THAT HAVE BEEN AND BEING DISHED ONTO US, SHOVED ONTO US!
DOES ANYONE WANTS TO UPGRADE TO WHERE THE SAID PROFESSIONALS AND MANAGERS WERE AND SUFFERS THEIR FATES, AFTER SPENDING MONEY AND TIME AND NEGLECTING ONES’ FAMILY IN THE PURSUIT OF UPGRADING?
AT THIS POINT, I WANT TO SAY TO THE LEADERSHIP; GO ON AND ENJOY YOUR POWER, WEALTH AND PERKS BUT JUST RETAIN A LITTLE CONSCIENCE FOR YOUR CITIZENS. IT IS NEVER TOO MUCH FOR US TO ASK FOR A LITTLE UNDERSTANDING FROM YOU.
YOU LEADERS ARE MATERIALISTIC, THAT DOES NOT MEAN WE THE CITIZENS ENVY YOU, MOST CITIZENS ARE SANE ENOUGH TO WANT A SPIRITUAL WELLBEING WHICH YOU MAY NOT FANCY.
patriot.
HELP keep the voice of TOC alive!
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Dear Dr Huang;
thank You for your complements, You were earlier than me in the Net doing your parts for a better society.
Let us just put it these ways; ‘kuo jia an wei, pi fu you ze’ everyone has a duty to his country, ‘lu chian bu ping, pa dao xiang zhu’ Let us help the weaks against the crooked and right the wrongs.
Me appreciates You greatly.
patriot.
“and anyway, the government is not untransparent, they do disclose their investments. So your point about lack of transparency lacks weight.”
how one Suzhou determine everything about level of transparency in government really baffles me ! Do enlighten me, ‘intellect one’ !
“But GIC is not a public company, it is not accountable in the same way a publicly traded company is. Furthermore, even banks do not disclose all their investments because of strategic reasons.”
Yes, making with rule and loophole again. Who is the one to make GIC a public company and make it a mandate to be one in the first place so that it doesn’t need to be accountable at all. The citizen or LKY ?
Thanks for the memory.
True Singaporean needs to look back at history and adjust accordingly.
Life is Good here. Just take a few steps back to smell the Roses.
46) amanda on June 29th, 2008 12.10 pm
“Suzhou – lots of goodwill from China. Obvious from the fact that many Chinese now call Singapore home. The growth of talented workers from China can only contribute to the success of Singapore.
and anyway, the government is not untransparent, they do disclose their investments. So your point about lack of transparency lacks weight.”
You explained as though you have just graduated from university and working on your first job. Why not you just part a few thousands of yours to me. Well, surely you will get plenty of goodwill from me. If you make it tens of thousands, I will even address you as angel or saint. Such goodwill is not hard to come by if you are willing to plonk so much into any country.
Now I understand why people of the same kind can define disclosure so loosely. Amanda, if it is private funds (Ah Kong funds), i do not care a hoot of how it is being used. If it is public funds, bear in mind that there are a lot of discerning and interested Singaporeans who have a lot of questions swirling in their minds when such investments are being made.
Amanda,
May be you can try to volunteer for a charity, work for a FSC (Family Service Centre), or just look around your neighbourhood (unless you live in district 9 & 10). And if you are still naive, try this link:
http://mathialee.wordpress.com/2008/12/06/my-singapore-my-calcutta/
Ignoring one’s problem nor comparing the problem with someone who is worst off will provide solution to the problem. It’s very easy to talk than to act. That sort of ‘oh, but comparing with some third world countries we are better’ attitude will not ease the pains suffered by our under-dogs. And what’s the point to compare with third world standard when all the while we so rightfully claim ourselves to be a first world citizen? Look at the problem, accept the problem, and do something about the problem.
Btw, how will you feel if your dad picks cans from dust bins, and your mum wipe dirty tables at hawker centres for a living? There’s a chinese saying, 少年不知愁之味. It’s definitely very difficult for one to empathise with someone who lives hand to mouth everyday. You have to see the person, talk to that person, feel his helplessness, and understand his plight. So, go out and be a volunteer! It’s benefitted me, and in return, I have helped to make small changes to their lives.