The following is a letter sent to the Straits Times forum by Ms Stephanie Chok in response to the report, “Jailed for 10 weeks“.
Dear ST Forum,
I refer to the report ‘Jailed for 10 weeks’ (ST, 25 May 2009), in which a Chinese national was jailed for attempting suicide at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
While not condoning rash and dangerous acts, it remains critical to interrogate the circumstances that drive individuals to such drastic measures.
As a citizen concerned about the wellbeing of workers, I have spoken to many China workers embroiled in work-related disputes. A common thread in many accounts is the apathy they encounter from MOM staff and the multiple barriers to procedural justice.
On one occasion, a construction worker from Jiangxi recounted how, after countless attempts to seek assistance for unclaimed wages, he commented (in frustration) that he may as well just jump because it seems pointless. The MOM officer said: “You can go and take a jump for all I care.” The worker asked, “Just to be clear, you are saying you do not care at all about our affairs?” The MOM officer replied: “Yes, you can say that.”
Another worker, a farmer from China who speaks no English, went to the MOM with a severe injury, which his employer did not report. He was given a scrap of paper with a URL scribbled on it, with no other explanation. The worker was thoroughly confused and asked me if it was the address of a hospital.
I have also heard stories where MOM officers have mocked, ignored and talked down to workers. I have personally witnessed an MOM officer yell at workers for daring to seek assistance from ‘outsiders’, and the same officer refusing to allow workers to speak during settlement meetings.
A worker driven to attempt suicide is most likely an individual who is desperate rather than criminal-minded. While risky acts that endanger public safety must be deterred, it seems misguided to punish Mr. Zhao without giving due recognition to the underlying factors that drive one to such acts.
From my experience of speaking to China workers in distress, bureaucratic indifference compounds the frustration for debt-laden workers under immense pressure to resolve disputes swiftly, often living in poor conditions and with dwindling financial resources. My guess is that much more than a jail sentence, empathy, professionalism and sincere efforts to ensure procedural justice will go much further in ensuring worker justice and public order.
Ms Stephanie Chok Juin Mei
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our whole system seems to be out of touch with people on the ground.
pple get jailed for slamming chairs at MPs… 10wks for attempting suicide for a desparate foreign worker.
where is the empathy? MPs are Gods, or at least made out to be,..
This whole system of scholar-mandarins, an adaptation of the ancient system of China, as can be observed from the increasing number of incidents where MPs and Public Servants have displayed their arrogance, high-handedness, and lack of empathy and EQ, is beginning to crack.
It can no longer serve the good of the general public, the majority of the citizenry and the labour force.
Something must be urgently done to correct this attitude of sophisticated indifference, blatant one-up-manship, persistent lack of accountability and transparency and the shameless refusal to take responsibility in the event of a big blunder, such as Mas Selamat’s escape and GIC’s and Temasek’s immense losses of taxpayers’ money.
In this case, it appears that he was not jailed for attempted suicide but for criminal trespass. The report states that he had no intention to commit suicide.
daniel, I agree.
He was jailed for criminal trespass. But I did wonder how did he get all the way up there? They’re all offices with security passes, however did he get to the 7th storey window ledge?
C’est la vie, welcome to Singapore.
If you are coming to earn a living as a general worker, you are worst than dirt, your life is completely worthless, if you die, we couldn’t care less, cos there will be replacement coming to take over your place….
If you are a filthy rich tyrant or drug lord coming over, we welcome you with open arms, provide you with the best medical service, caters to your whims and fancy, make sure you don’t die cos we want you back again, so that we can kiss your butt, carry your balls and suck you up to seven heaven
The worker was obviously really desperate to do what he did. I doubt that MOM did as they promised when they persuaded him to come down, and that was to settle the salary dispute with the employer. If the worker gets 10 weeks of jail for this, the employer should get the same sentence for not paying his salary. There is no justice in this country.
justice is something weighted by law, humanity is something weighted by true human conscience…this country has justice but inhumane law
you die your problem.
wonder how some of the wonders of the world is built?
do you think workers building the Great Wall of China had much welfare? in this present age, the person with grand plans somehow need to convince others to do likewise, so need to package differently.
It is such COLD, MECHANICAL, and UNFEELING policies / agencies and administration that cultivates a society of people, unfamiliar & incapable of the act of GRACIOUSNESS – as is similar to the administration that runs (rules) the country.
There, there people….
Now, come on, repeat after me, “We, the people were complacent…”
In my course of work, I have encountered civil servants as described by the
writer. They are overfed, arrogant . When if our mistakes, we are penalised
with fines, when its theirs, it’s all honest.
Do they really know who pay their salaries
Can we call this indirect curruption, which this MOM’s staffs are also call civil servants and highly paid civil servant, but did they do their job taking this salary to serving people? Regardless local and foriegn workers. Why are we paying them high salary and they are treat people like shit or nobody? So they have a SOP standard to follow to serve people in need? Where are their ISO standard procedure? They are disgracing Singaporeans and create a unfriendly country image to other countries, while our LKY strongly encourage us to take in foriegn workers for Singapore economy, but what type of service MOM’s staffs show to the workers?
If they feel that the foriegn workers is a low class people need not pay any attention to them then LKY should reconsider to stop letting all this foriegn workers come into Singapore to compete with Singaporeans on the job that we can do ourselves, so MOM will not disgrace our country.
this country is famous for top down system style that is pull rank all the way.
i am not surprised it happened here even if you happened to be a less mortal singaporean who less educated, you probably ended almost same though not worst.
the attitude of top down system here that top guy are not interested in the welfare of the problems being created as long as down guy are taking care it. when such incident happened, the down guy would not definitely report to the top guy less alone he cares about anything they (down guy) do.
when problems really cropped up the more top guy will treat it as non exit issue as long as someone (down guy is the doing the dirty work). afterall, top guy are known for who they are that is elites and scholars quality.
as i mentioned here not long ago that so many events happened recently by the government departments where management screwed up and refuse to take responbility of their errors, hence if they dont give a damn about it, tell me who cares???
apathy symdrom already infected in singapore so many years now unless it changed otherwise more problems wil crop in no time soon.
It was only after TOC publish articles on the plight of these workers before MOM came in and do something about it, with the newspaper trumpeting their “good effort”…Clearly this shows that the system that the government monitoring themselves does not working. They only try to sweep it under the carpet until someone dig the dirt out. The only solution is independent 3rd party to monitor the civil service and government, not committees formed by the government and beholden to existing authorities interest.
To be fair to MOM, recently I noticed they have started to take a lot of initiative to manage the deteriotating situation. It all happen after Mr Gan Kim Yong become the minister.
Lets hope Mr Gan can keep up his good job than his slack predeccessasor.
16) amandai@fisian.com on May 27th, 2009 12.45 pm ,
before gan kin yong took over, guess who he was?? he is now promoted EM.
let’s see whether he screw up this time again.
I am very suprised with the comments made in this thread. Everyone in this thread had immediately assumed that the comments about the foregn worker being told to jump down is true. This is because as soon as a complaint is made of a civil servant, everyone who has replied in this thread assumes it must be true. How sad.
Did Ms Stephanie Chok Juin Mei verify the facts instead of just writing and believing what the foreign worker has said?
I have dealt with foreign workers and the MOM staff before and never had any foreign worker that I know or dealt with has ever complained that the MOM staff had advised them to commit suicide or having said as suggested in the letter by Ms Stephanie Chok Jun Mei.
It would be prudent that the facst are verified before they are published.
i have worked with foreign workers too & can say there are issues faced & the management does not really care. that is why there are more sit-ins & protests in large numbers at MOM.
they know there is strength in numbers, & S’pore cannot & will not arrest that many. if that happens companies will indirectly demand their release as work may grind to a halt.
yes, they may not really want to end their lives as the article has suggested. logically, a foreigner to pay an agent thousands of $$$ just to work here to have a better life when they return will not do so. but 1 cannot discount the fact that stress & inability to adjust to a foreign land can push “a few” to do so.
Worker gets 10 weeks for criminal trespass. He has NEVER EVER previously committed a crime in previously. And he harmed NO ONE.
Shin Min editor gets ONE DAY for KILLING someone because of the way she drove.
UNIQUELY SINGAPORE!!
Illegal advertising are everywhere which flout the Vandalism Acts but no governmetn departments would take any action even thought the advertisers’ telephone numbers are on the advertisement – because these culprits are hard to get.
The Chinese worker was jailed like the chicken to deter the monkeys from misbehaviour. The real culprits are the employers and the employment agents.
In reference to 18) kongseeme on May 27th, 2009 3.05 pm,
I have the full name of the MOM officer and the department he is from. I spoke with the worker shortly after this exchange (in the afternoon of Dec 2008) and he was with two other men who are witnesses to this exchange.
I have a photograph of the scrap of paper with the URL scribbled on it and there were also other witnesses present when I spoke with this injured worker.
I was there when the MOM officer raised her voice at other workers and there was also another witness present.
I welcome a full and thorough investigation into my claims and would be happy to furnish the authorities with the names of these officers, including the dates of these occurrances.
MOM cannot even help fellow Singaporeans. U think they are so free to help foreign workers? (expats are exceptions).
STOP YOUR DOUBLE STANDARD, Ministry Of Manpower
SGCOMPLAINS.COM
Some will just drink tea at the nearby shop than to bother about the issue.
I hoped we are not becoming “China Mark2″. The Western world condemned China for human right abuses and rightly so. Are we fellowing right behind it? We are suppose to be democratic country with rule of law. We SinKaporean must make sure it stay that way. Our civil service seemed to have gone down hill and that is a bad sign for thing to come. This is the dark side of Sinkapore well hidden from the Western’s eyes. For those interested, gather as much information as possible and pass it to a Western reporter e.g BBC documentary team who may be interested to investigate this mistreatment of foreign workers. If we continue to behave badly toward foreign workers, SinKaporean could become a target of redical group who are alway looking for new target. We as fellow human being regardless of race, religion or wealth should treat everybody equally especially acting as a public servant. We may be impatient and had a bad day but we must alway endeavour to do our best and treat member of the public fairly and with courtesy. Sadly, our society had changed so much over the last few years where trust, honour and pride seemed to have been devalued and replaced by materialism.One is interested only to make sure the boss is happy with one performance and get promotion. How one goes about it is not importance.Just don’t get caught red handed seem to be the unwritten motto.
ASTROTURFING AT ITS MAXIMUM… fake reports and accounts by its “staff” to discredit MOM and the govt. Pple with political agenda!