Terence Lee / Deputy Editor
IMAGINE a gathering of Singaporeans, Permanent Residents, and expatriates in the same room, talking and sipping martini. Amidst the chatter, words like “economic downturn”, “W-shaped recovery”, “new media” and “religious harmony” rise barely above the din.
The VIP enters, gives a rousing speech interjected with peals of laughter, mentions the travails that foreigners face when they live in Singapore. Transient workers — your Bangladeshi, Mainland Chinese, and Indian labourers — are talked about in cold economic language.
(Photo by Francis Ong from the Straits Times)
The other guests hardly give these workers a passing mention. At the end, the VIP leaves, his wife and entourage in tow, the guests toasting to a rousing evening of entertainment and mock-sophistication.
The outcasts — the untouchables, were hardly in sight, tucked neatly away in a god-forsaken area of the island.
Such is the story of the Ministerial Forum 2009, held at the Nanyang Technological University yesterday. Themed “Is there room for more?” — the speaker was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Predictably, he touched on topics that were topmost on the minds of the students there: Will we have jobs when we graduate? How do we compete with foreign students? How do we integrate foreign talent? Will citizens be given priority over Permanent Residents?
To be fair, PM Lee did say that it is not easy for foreign workers, who are struggling in a different society, to adapt to the local environment. This is especially because they do not speak our language. At the very least, he said lightheartedly, Singaporeans expect foreign workers to speak some functional English, such as ‘chilli’ or ‘no chilli’. He added that when entering a food stall, it will also be good if they can understand the phrase ‘laksa no hum‘.
Finally, he got it right this time.
And further to his credit, he highlighted the plight faced by the construction workers who were supposed to be housed in an old school in Serangoon Gardens Estate, but were met with vociferous opposition from its residents. But if only he had gone further to list the numerous injustices wrought upon hundreds of these labourers with their calloused hands and tear-stained cheeks!
Sad cases of abuse
Consider the case of Indonesian maid Ms Badingah, who had her two front teeth pulled out by ‘dentist’ siblings last year. With a plier, Nur Rizan, a mother of one, removed the maid’s teeth while her mouth was kept open by the maid’s employer, Elsa Said. And that was not all she suffered. Prior to that horrific incident, Ms Badingah had been caned, punched, and scalded with hot wax.
Consider also the case of Delowar Hossen, a Bangladeshi who paid over S$9,000 in agency fees to work in Singapore. The promise of a job by his employer — PA Services Pte Ltd — seemed enticing. However, after staying here for more than five months, he was still jobless, and had to be sent home despite appeals to the Minister of Manpower (MOM). He slept on a 1.5 metre-long wooden plank every night and is often served curry so bad that it has to be thrown away.
“I have no money to give to my family,” he said, his face creasing in misery.
Putting things into perspective, the above cases represent an extreme — majority of foreign workers here are not complaining. But it is difficult to estimate just how many workers are affected. According to The New Paper, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics (HOME) receives only about 50-60 calls a month from foreign workers asking for help. But as blogger Alex Au has highlighted in his article, a single case can involve more than 200 workers, and some of them go directly to the MOM for mediation.
So far, the MOM has not released any statistics regarding such maltreatments, which means it loses points on transparency and honesty.
More beneath the surface
Also, the examples of Ms Badingah and Delowar are merely symptoms of a much wider problem: their recognition as equal human beings. Many people do not know that domestic maids are not protected under the Employment Act, which would have granted them fair employment under the law. While a private contract may be established between employer and worker, such agreements have no guarantee of protection.
Act IV of the Employment Act, which mandates a compulsory day-off for employees, do not apply to maids as well. Once again, this opens up opportunities for abuse as employers can technically force their maid to work 24/7 if they want to. The situation is made worse as cases are usually hard to report, given that the domestic maids are often stuck at home and are often subservient to their employers.
For male foreign workers at the construction site, the Employment Act applies to them. However, this does not mean that they are immune from the deplorable living conditions that they are often subjected to. Furthermore, salary disputes which are mediated by the MOM are often fruitless and futile — it seems like certain mediation officers display little concern for the plight of the workers.
Such problems are not unique in Singapore. Aliens in every developed country often get the shorter end of the stick. This is because they are effectively outcasts in a foreign land. Demand for them is high because they are willing to do dirty jobs. As a result, they are deemed to be less deserving of fair treatment.
Humans, not commodities
In PM Lee’s speech, we see dehumanising language at play which portray these foreign workers as merely cogs in a machine. They exist solely for the sake of benefiting Singaporeans. They clear our rubbish, sweep our floors, and take care of our babies, but when it is time to cut losses, they have to pack their bags.
The speech also mentioned how foreign workers are hired en masse (about 100,000 per year) when the economy is good, but they also dismissed at a whim when things go south. They act as a buffer for us, taking the bullet in our place. They become like commodities on the stock market: buy when times are good, sell when the economy dives.
These workers are in an extremely vulnerable position. If you are a rich expatriate in a financially comfortable position, your sacking might be a mere setback. But if you are like Delowar, it will take you years to pay off that $9,000 fee.
Many of the international students at the forum are from China and India. One wonders if they know about the plight faced by their own countrymen, despite having a different social class. And if they do, do they feel angry or indifferent?
Resent them we might, there is no argument that they should still be protected, and their basic needs provided. MOM should be more transparent about the status of foreign workers in Singapore, and also be more proactive in helping workers settle salary disputes. Also, the Singapore government as a whole should regulate the influx of foreign workers to ensure they are not sacked en masse in an economic crunch.
More fundamentally, the Employment Act should be extended to include domestic slaves, i mean, maids as well. Most employers treat their maids fairly well anyway, so there is no reason why the law cannot be amended to prevent further abuse.
——
Other countries are limiting immigration, such as US & UK, on the other hand, Spore boasting its economic success and wealth, has no choice but to welcome immigrants? Sure or not, Mr PM? Other countries like UK has a system to admit qualified people who can contribute or add to their society, Spore is free for all. Right or not, Mr PM?
I am still puzzled how these people (the PM and his Cabinet esp that Marbok fellow and that Lui fellow) get to where they are. Is this man, (the PM) the best we can find? Did the PAP members have a say who they want to be their leader? Why are Sporeans like zombies including scholars? Why o why?
@28) Michelle on September 16th, 2009 12.22 pm.
@43) kf on September 16th, 2009 3.13 pm
I think #43) kf has put the actual question in proper perceptive in relation to the direction posed by #28) Michelle.
Getting “clogs in a machine” is part of the “cheap labor” policy. Getting Singaporeans to take responsibility of integrating foreigners is part of the “grow-at-cost” policy. Acknowledging the citizens concerns but having no concrete actions is part of the “get-out-of-my-elite-face” policy.
How Singaporeans perceived the foreign influx is not the garhem’s concern. How employers treat these cheap labor is not the garhem’s concern. How S’porean fend for themselves against these foreigners (for jobs, housing, etc..) is not garhem’s concern. Whether Singaporeans tear foreigner to shreds or vice versa is not their concern. As long as someone is generating the taxes, that is the garhem’s concern.
So, rather than micro-analysis the wordings of this article, I think we should look at it from the overview perceptive — Who causes all these gripes that we are having?
Incidentally, someone may see it as a victory that PM Lee has finally touch on the foreigner issue. This is pure BS. Mentioning this issue in a close-door event, to perhaps couple of hundred kiddies (have anyone read the youth section in REACH?!), for 45 minutes. Hmphh…..Compare to not a word to the whole nation for 2 hours during the ND rally. Somehow, I don’t call this priority.
Heny @ 48
I have never agreed to using maids. It was a wrong move by the Govt in their pursuit to encourage women to work fulltime. Most houses are not a home anymore and most children have lost a mother to run to in the home.
Y bother..everyone that is able to leave should leave..and than send our money back to the less fortunate singaporeans trap on the island
“I have never agreed to using maids. It was a wrong move by the Govt in their pursuit to encourage women to work fulltime.”
That is the point. If women have to work fulltime, it will double the household salary which give the government leeway to say that combined household salary allow them to buy high-price “affordable” housing. Notice that when government say that housing is affordable and go by their rubbish calculation, it is always assume that both husband and wife are working. Hence, It is all about generating supernomal profit for the gov. Get it ?
@39) sturmtruppen on September 16th, 2009 2.00 pm
“….please for god-damn sake remember you are there for the citizens of singapore…not the other way around…please for god-damn sake remember you are there for the citizens of singapore…not the other way around….”
Unfortunately, having 98% of parliament from only 34% of votes, it is no wonder that our back-door-entry Ministers & gang would now think that the world owes them a living.
A psychopath opposition candiate and current MPs (remember the loony Lee Bee Wah), what’s difference?
@54) Ling on September 16th, 2009 5.40 pm
Have to agree with Ling here. With the cost of living “set” high (e.g. affordable HDB housing?), a family is “encouraged” to have 2 working adults. The maid industry was invented since there is levy to collect from it. Also, 3 working adults instead of one per family — does wonders to the GDP figure, no?
BTW, someone I know working in China has a cook and a housekeeper. The local housekeeper refuse to cook and the cook refuse to do anything except cooking. Oh, the driver washes the car. Seems like the market norm there. See, Singapore, so cheapskate — maid does everything. (One family I know even have the maid giving their dogs haircuts!)…. Monkeys, peanuts, Singapore….Aspiration(?)
Hi Terence Lee:
“IMAGINE a gathering of Singaporeans, Permanent Residents, and expatriates in the same room, talking and sipping martini.”
“Such is the story of the Ministerial Forum 2009, held at the Nanyang Technological University yesterday. Themed “Is there room for more?” — the speaker was Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Predictably, he touched on topics that were topmost on the minds of the students there”
Curious, did this really happen? I personally find it hard to believe that we have students/academics etc sipping martini in NTU. Just wanted to verify, thanks :)
To forgottongeneration:
not only do some [still hope not all of them local politicians...sorry correct term is so call technocrats] thinks the world owns them a living…even local singaporean…and even when mistakes are made they will still continue to own them a living [no thanks to the idiotic GRC set-up to keep some self servcing nuts or super-sized peanuts they are zzzzzz complacently in their current positions]….
only hope left is the citizens of singapore to really decide do they still want to continue to be a singaporean by voting with their feet or squander away their votes or accept defeat and leave due to the so called “level” playing field and artificial created barriers that keep the real “losers & quitters” in their current political positions…to para-phase our very respective MM LKY…”You should have gone in with your eyes open [and decide based on actual facts you have to dig out _ add in by me]“….
i can only hope the citizens of singapore to really think and re-think….do we want to continue to let a bunch of so called top talent continue to think they own singapore and can do whatever they want to their “citizen slaves” in singapore or do we still want to be part of singapore….if we want to do it…we can…be it opposition, pap or whatever … we can be singaporeans and singapore and be more then the sum of parts…because the future nobody knows what will happen … and there will be difficult challenges…we can work together and move forward together for the betterment of everyone and for singapore…
not for a bunch of over-rated top talent and a bunch of obedient cronies…i dun believe all polticians and also all the technocrats in pap are like that…i dun believe so….
we are all singaporeans and we should fight it out to make life better then what it can be and be more then just a nation…a nation that is not only equal but also a humble nation amongst all nations in the world…as people as all people…
never forget how all those current politicians and perhaps even their own technocrats look at singapore’s own politicians and technocrats….behind their perceived smiling faces….you will never know what they show you is true sincerity or respect….or how they see singapore and its citizens….singapore a country or a company…singapore citizens as human beings or just workers or worst just unthinking slaves…
We can be so much more…if only….we are give the chance, the opportunities…
i know our local grads thru our local unis are the best…and can be better if given the same treatment as the foreign imported grads too….
haiz.
#59:
I’m just imagining things ;-)
There wasn’t martini, maybe more like cocktail syrup.
All of us had heard the story of one club golfer. We have a one policy gahment – grow GDP. That had been in place for a long time. Social issues that affect both local and foreigners are not investigated and no action taken to retify it. It seem any issue that potentially could cost additional expenditures will not be investigated but just left alone. We have to look after ourselves and the poor FT/FW had to do the same except some charitable NGO step in to help sometime. Our society had become “strongest take all” and rule of the jungle apply. Singapore reputation as a fair and just society had taken a downhill dive. One just wonder what the gahment had in mind. Is it because the big boss did not say anything about those issues so no one dare to raise it ? We have many ministers but we have only one thinking one. We as a country is truly set to goes downhill if the political climate remain the same after the next GE.
“….One just wonder what the gahment had in mind. Is it because the big boss did not say anything about those issues so no one dare to raise it ? We have many ministers but we have only one thinking one…..”
Reminds of Hitler — Germany then had many very capable generals but when the Big Boss makes idiotic decisions/policies, e.g. Stalingrad, Wacht am Rhein, etc.., all the generals just mumbled and do their master’s bidding. History has a tendency to repeat itself.
Only a tew hundreds PR doing NS.
What happened to the other few hundred thousands?
Too ‘ onerous’ –and they would not come—Are we that desperate?
Many of our TRUE-BLUE have migrated–because they found it too ‘onerous’–and too unfair a burden.
NS FOR ALL OR FOR NONE.
No freebies for newbies.–Stand up for SINGAPOREANS
NO NS no scholarships.
One day, one the street, i overheard a couple lamenting some singaporeans can be characterised as Self Preservatory, Kia Su, Kia Si, Kia Sai, Kia Bor, Kia BoKangTao.
This led me to wonder, what happens if there is war (hypothetical only) ?
What would be the kind of comaraderie we can expect?
I only have questions.
Room for more? Sure, as long as they do not encroach on our First Class Bungalows and confined themselves to HDB heartland.
65) Mucho Gracias
you left out one important characteristic. Kia Cheng Hu
@65.
Hi, I’ve got questions too! I’ve asked myself this variant of this question when i was <18yrs old.
I am curious, why a Singaporean male is required to be enlisted for NS. I am curious what are the duties of a female citizen.
Sometimes the answer on the former question is varied and vague. Eg. that it because we are successful and therefore need to deter jealous western democracies or that in case of a freak result in an election. Other times, the answer is only begging the question, cyclical in nature; that it is because we are singaporean males. However to the latter question, I was not inquisitive enough to seek them till now.
I am curious to what are the duties of a female citizen?
In this age of sexual equality, why should women be denied the opportunity to be drafted to serve our country?
so curious
Singapore is similar to a person who eats and drinks to its fullest,then refuses to acknowledge that he has diabetes and high blood pressure when he is old, hoping that these problems will go away (to Johor) and thinks of ways to do transplants.
Hi @48) Heny,
You have a point there but it does not address the point I was trying to make; which is: that the government take responsibility for being the cause of all these cheap foreign labour. Passing the buck to us, or the employers and even the workers themselves is simply wrong.
Imagine the contractor you have engaged to renovate your home, using cheap and unskilled workers, and when things don’t turn out the way you have expected it to turn out, you tell your contractor about it, and he starts blaming you for not looking after his labourers.
@ 53) theforgottongeneration makes the point better than me.
@69) Patriot Missile on September 17th, 2009 2.11 am
With a fat pay slip and rubbing with Chinese friends, one can even contemplate retiring to China and buy a village named after oneself. The organ transplate bill fit the picture nicely too if one has monie$$. All meticulous planning, do you think? Ha, ha…
Guys, that is why we need to remember to send our message across this coming e.
Kpkb has the least effect compared to that.
I am never so ready in my life.
72) Zingster on September 17th, 2009 2.09 pm Guys, that is why we need to remember to send our message across this coming e.
Kpkb has the least effect compared to that.
I am never so ready in my life.
i’m ready too. and so are most of my friends.
we really need a change of govt. getting really sick from this cancer called pap.
Anyone who wishes to do something instead of just kpkb, you can sign up with ANY opp party to assist in their campaigning or anything you can do like creating and distributing leaflets to every door. To tackle PAP, you first have to dismantle MSM. People need to read alternative media, even in the form of little slips of paper.
#74,
I proposed solutions before on how to get youths to come here and post their honest comments.
I suggested using PSP, PS3 , XBox, iPhones, iPods and stuffs like these as lucky draw prizes . 1 Lucky draw chance per day of posting. Multiple posts per day counted as 1 to discourage people posting for the sake of getting more lucky draw chances.
At the end of each week or bi-monthly, get mr Tan to present at Hong Lim park to the lucky winner, who can be any age TOC reader to encourage all to post what they feel. For uncles and aunties , prizes like massage vouchers, health supplements etc. For working adults, return tickets to nearby countries.
We need to engage them. Time is running out. I dun wan to kpkb all my life, u know.
Like 4D and toto, if try and try again, one day we may make it. Make the decision seriously like your future depends on it.
using lures to entice youthsis a bad idea… this is why S’pore is sliding down the slippery slope.
21) David on July 8th, 2009 11.50 am It appears that our govt lies are not very consistent with each other.
They used to boast about Singapore being an educational hub filled with skilled people. But when it comes to job, they lament we have no talent and used it as an excuse to bring in FT (including foreign farmers) in the hope to mitigate the lower birth rate here. When the jobless rate gone up & wages depressed because of FT policies, they started to blame & shame Singaporean with higher education for not wanting jobs with low wages. Thereafter smoked us that such low jobs requires exceptional skills too and than came up with spur to tease our intelligence. So they tell us to put aside all decades of our tertiary educations, past experiences in MNCs and go into training to become cleaner, security guards, waiters, and other kind of labourers for a small sum just enough to feed the govt but not us. Afraid that the people will protest, they enacted laws to silence us, tie us with it and beat us into submission to accept their statistic as it is with falsified rosy picture, & pap newspaper were also quit to jump in, wanting the people to show praise and gratitude for their job “well done”. The whole system is a well-plotted and co-ordinated group of bullies and take on Singaporeans who are grieved. Is this the type of mandate we want that they do not wish to bow to talented Singaporean but continue to bootlick FT (including 3rd world farmers).
Such bitterness only the ground can feel but it won’t be long when election comes.
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22) prettyplace on July 8th, 2009 1.29 pm Even the SPURS numbers reported in CNA was wrong…
from 83,500 + 43,600=124,100. Somehow, they managed to get 124,500.
Wonder what happened to the 400.
Their lies are so blatant….Restructuring was mentioned in year 2000, i guess….and till now with all their training programmes they have not managed to restructure….
what nonsense……almost 10years and they cannot reskill people…..I am sure they will mention the same story again…
The only way out for Singaporeans is to VOTE PAP OUT….send a clear message….Stop the bullshit….make them work for us……not shame us….or test our intelligence….
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23) ACACIA on July 8th, 2009 2.23 pm Yes 22) , I’ve always said this, Vote the PAP out. Singaporeans have to be brave and now is the time. The opposition are more than capable today and many would join to help us through this mess this country and people are facing.
It seems too that the policies that come out are not well thought through. Who finally approves these policies, the ministers, perm secs …..?
People are smarter now to see through the errors of policies. They are not perfect but they cannot be one sided too.
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This is what they said the last time and last time. How many times can we believe lies?
Realistically, the pap put in a mechanism that Singaorean can’t vote them out as Govt, 6 giant GRC with 2SM, PM, MM and 2 DPM will given them 35 seats, pap just take another 7 seats to reach single majority in the 84 seats parliament,
BUT we can do
1) Raise the anti pap votes as high as possible, bring their vote tally down to below 55%
2) Vote out those GRC MP who have never contested in past 2 GE
3) Be brave to voice your dissenting voice everywhere, tell others but in measured and rational way
DONT frighten off the swing voters, the more radical we sounds, the more votes PAP gather
HI @ 76) mice is nice,
It might be a bad idea to use lures but it might be the only necessary step forward in addressing the arrogance of the PAP. We can tackle the slippery road later – after tackling the PAP.
I therefore agree with @75) Sue-Anne Hoong, but the problem is who is going to sponsor all these prizes?
We are having a diverse range of suggestions on how to deal with the PAP and every idea put forward must be seriously considered. I too like the suggestion by Agent008. There are small and big ways on what we can do to help bring Singapore back from its gallivanting trail.
Assuming they ‘calibrate’,
does that mean they cannot re-calibrate in future?
maybe somewhere coincidentally after christmas or before the end of 1st quarter?
# 81
All thinking Singaporeans know that our Government favour immigration / immigrants.
The calibration is made to make them look good before the election.
After the election, I guess it will be back to their “Immigration / immigrants come first” policy”.
82) Duets on September 18th, 2009 12.33 pm
How does the govt favour the immigrants over Singapore Citizens?
Gemami @80 ,
“I therefore agree with @75) Sue-Anne Hoong, but the problem is who is going to sponsor all these prizes?”
Other prizes can be considered like PS3 or XBox games instead. These costs around $40-$60 . Its up to the imagination. There are many other types of prizes costing less than a 100.
As for the sponsor, my personal idea is Mr Tan Kin Lian. He is retiring well after decades in NTUC income.
Shops can be co-opted to give away or sell at cost price in return for promoting their brands or shop name or franchise.
If we don’t consider these options, some other Blogs with a lot of funding may be able to do this and materialistic youths may be swayed over there.
Internet can be Mainstream also. There are mainstream media on the internet also in my opinion. We use internet everyday. So, internet IS MAinstream.
I analysed the singapore situation over many years and seen how things work.
IT TIME!
hi Gemami,
post #80 on September 18th, 2009 8.17 am
////It might be a bad idea to use lures but it might be the only necessary step forward in addressing the arrogance of the PAP. We can tackle the slippery road later – after tackling the PAP.
I therefore agree with @75) Sue-Anne Hoong, but the problem is who is going to sponsor all these prizes?
We are having a diverse range of suggestions on how to deal with the PAP and every idea put forward must be seriously considered. I too like the suggestion by Agent008. There are small and big ways on what we can do to help bring Singapore back from its gallivanting trail.////
alternatively, prizes can be more modest? instead of pricey game consoles, food vouchers to moderately but mid-market food outlets can be considered. also not forgetting shopping vouchers from departmental stores in $20 -$?? denominations.
useful vouchers from:
. major departmental stores,
. electronic/gadget stores,
. hypermarkets,
. food outlets,
… may have a wider appeal, in my opinion. i agree opinions may differ, but prizes should not cater to a target audience too specific as doing so risk alienating others.
;)
If the PAP remains unchecked I see a bleak future where there are 2 groups of people in sinkapore – the very rich and connected, and the very poor and downtrodden. The middle class will be a transient class, each generation getting pissed with living here and immigrating when they are able, then being replaced by a new middle class. It’s already happening with 3rd worlders taking up jobs here that used to belong to locals.
A thinking foreigner will realise that if this place is so attractive, why is the PAP throwing them money and begging them to stay? He’ll be the one begging us to accept him!