Singapore needs to better protect the human rights of low-skilled migrant workers and review policies that marginalise certain ethnic groups, a United Nations racism expert said Wednesday.
“I would strongly urged the government to act swiftly to ensure the protection of migrant workers’ human rights, as this is one area where the situation is quite dire,” UN Special Rapporteur on racism and xenophobia, Githu Muigai, told reporters after concluding an eight-day fact-finding mission here.
“While there may be no institutionalised racial discrimination in Singapore, several policies have further marginalised certain ethnic groups,” he added, highlighting various shortcomings in the government’s housing, education and employment policies.
He urged Singapore should extend and enhance the coverage of the Employment Act and introduce “a minimum wage for migrant workers particularly vulnerable to exploitation, such as construction and domestic workers.”
This would help address some difficulties faced by low-skilled migrant workers, such as a foreign labour system that leaves workers highly dependent upon employers, unilateral cancellations of work permits by employers, poor living conditions, and denial of medical insurance. The plight of many foreign domestic workers, who are excluded from the legal protections offered by the Employment Act, would also be alleviated.
While acknowledging Singapore’s efforts in fostering racial harmony and discouraging intolerance, Muigai found that some of the government’s policies may be counterproductive.
“Despite the existence of various policies and institutions seeking to provide all ethnic groups with equal opportunities, it would appear that the significance of ethnic identity has not diminished,” he said.
This has resulted in instances of ethnic marginalisation, such as the entrenchment of minority status through ethnic categorisations, the minority political representation dimension to the group representative constituency system, the academic under-performance of Malay students, and under-representation of minorities in the armed forces, police and intelligence services and judiciary.
To address these problems, he recommended the removal of ethnic indicators from identity documentation, greater flexibility in the implementation of ethnic quotas in HDB estates, special education programmes for Malay students to address historical inequalities, and the introduction of legal provisions prohibiting all forms of discrimination in employment.
He also urged the government to facilitate open public discussions on issues of ethnicity by easing laws that “aim to frame and limit any public debate or discourse on an issue considered as highly sensitive.”
“I think they stand in the way of a more robust and engaging debate in Singapore,” he said. “Singapore has a vibrant intellectual culture, and this culture should be exploited in the development of a national discourse.”
An international human rights lawyer by training, Muigai also recommended several improvements to Singapore’s legal framework, including legislation banning racial discrimination in all areas of life.
This would allow for the creation of reporting, reviewing and enforcement mechanisms on issues of racism, he said.
In addition, Singapore should sign up to international instruments, such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prescribe an “irreducible minimum standard” for human rights protection.
Muigai, who is the first UN Special Rapporteur on racism to visit Singapore, had held meetings over the past week with government representatives, parliamentarians, legal professionals, academics and members of civil society and community organisations, and private individuals.
He expects to present more detailed findings to the UN Human Rights Council by June 2011. This will be the first report on Singapore by a UN Special Procedure.
Appointed by the UN Secretary General, the Special Rapporteur on racism is mandated to examine incidents of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, as well as governmental measures that are implemented to overcome them. Like all UN Special Rapporteurs, he can only visit countries upon invitation.
By Wong Chun Han
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Headline picture from this source.
Nusantara people are aware of the dark side of some organisation….
http://www.cuttingedge.org/news/n1676.cfm
The Modern ‘American Inquisition’
Today’s “Global War on Terrorism” is a modern form of inquisition. It has all the essential ingredients of the French and Spanish inquisitions.
Going after ” Islamic terrorists”, carrying out a Worldwide preemptive war to ” protect the Homeland” are used to justify a military agenda.
http://www.wiseupjournal.com/?p=535
AH…
But you did not even attempt to answer any question about being ostracized as non – singaporeans based on a principle of doctrine in their belief system.
What doctrine and which century does this belief system belongs to?
They can show cause, but can you.
They can tell Singaporeans exactly who are the ”Nusantara” based on faith, but they wouldn’t recognize their race for it.
Can you!!
It useless with history lesson unless you show exactly where in the doctrine their belief system begins.
The people of “”Nusantara”" can. Will You!
Example…….1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depopulation_of_Diego_Garcia
The Diego Garcia depopulation controversy pertains to the expulsion of the established inhabitants of the island of Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), during the 1960s and 1970s. The displaced inhabitants and human rights advocates have claimed that their right of occupation was violated by the British Foreign Office, whom they accuse of plotting the depopulation so that the island could be used as a joint UK/US military base.
Example….2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Ghraib_torture_and_prisoner_abuse
Beginning in 2004, accounts of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture[1][2], rape[1], sodomy[2], and homicide[3] of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq (also known as Baghdad Correctional Facility) came to public attention. These acts were committed by personnel of the 372nd Military Police Company of the United States Army together with additional US governmental agencies.[4]
Example…3
George W. Bush has said the United States will lead a “coalition of the willing” if the Iraqi president chooses not to give up his weapons of mass destruction.
“coalition of the willing” include Singapore and Phillipines…..the idea is creeping into Nusantara……
Before the malays from nusantara, there were the orang asli, dayaks, non muslims.
Only because of their ignorance, illiteracy (i think they don’t have a written form of language), they were conquered by the javanese and malays and thus we have malay sultanate, which till today gives special privilage to them, in other words, recognition.
Same as the white australia policy, same thing happens to the natives and in kiwi.
This island, some may say is also the same, but with progress, we hope for the best for everyone born here, irregardless of race, another reason we need to change our names too, maybe the surname be drop later on, what is in a surname, pride, religion, elitism, maybe all of us should just have a number and be called by that number(we are digits only by gov in everything)
coming back to un report, it came way too late as the regime and money and progress has caught us all lame footed, price to pay for all and next gen.
could we seek solidarity to tackle this issue for this coming election, 2011.
Indi,
Once again you did not even attempt to answer the question.
Instead you throw in a few red herrings.
Let’s get to the point.
Do Malay – Muslim Singaporeans consider Malay – Muslims who have converted out of ISLAM as being out of the community, hence, Singapore and therefore not part of Nusantara.
By which I mean how do Malay – Muslims want to define Nusantara.
Is it by RACE or by FAITH.
What’s all these? the malays, the dayaks, the chinese, the orang asli? These are all anachronistic categories that make sense only when ‘race’ makes sense politically. I think most of us have agreed that we dont want ‘race’ to be the determinant of the way we act as Singaporeans. The difficult part is consciously checking ourselves from falling for race. Self-criticism is a start for all parties if we truly want to move on.
The Dead Tell a Tale China Doesn’t Care to Listen To
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/19/world/asia/19mummy.html?pagewanted=all
As though non Malays forgot that Orang Asli and Dayak are from Malays stock or its just their ignorant or to justify their theory that Malays are not the origional people of the MALAY PENINSULAR.
Interesting movement of people:
‘From AFP “Indonesia chafes at graft ‘safe haven’ in Singapore”
Singapore promotes itself as a model of financial integrity. But, officials in Jakarta say, the wealthy city-state is a haven for some of the most corrupt Indonesians and their ill-gotten gains.
Singapore denies that it turns a blind eye to dirty money and says that if sufficient evidence is provided, it is ready to take “swift and necessary action” against corruption suspects.
But Indonesia’s Deputy Attorney General Darmono said: “Singapore is the most strategic country for corruptors to run away to.
“It’s geographically the closest to Indonesia and the policy of the Singaporean government enables corruptors to live there,” he told AFP.
Precise information on the extent of the illegal wealth allegedly smuggled out of Indonesia to Singapore is hard to find due to the small republic’s strict bank secrecy laws and the sensitivity of the subject.
But a report by Indonesia’s financial intelligence unit in late 2006 said around 200 fugitives from Indonesian state debt were residing there.
Three years ago extradition requests were lodged with Singapore for 15 corruption suspects, but the process has stalled due to complications surrounding a 2007 extradition treaty, Indonesian officials said.’
You can read on yourself.
http://singaporeuncletrader.wordpress.com/2010/04/28/afp-singapore-a-bolthole-for-indonesian-dirty-money/
Indi,
Stop it. You sound so obstinate. It does not help your cause. What exactly do you want? To be a racist or to eradicate racism? You cannot say you suffer racist attacks on you while at the same time be racist yourself. You too are completely confused. Hatred has made you lost perspective. If there is a lesson for everyone, this is it guys.
Indi,
Malays are from the same stock as Chinese – Mongoloid race
Tha is if you want to believe in ‘race’
How far do you want to push back? Caucasoid, Malays, Chinese are all from the same stock that moved out of Africa. So?
If you are arguing that Singapore Story is a lie and that it does not allow for an alternative singapore story of displacement, then you cannot go about arguing in this silly manner.
I have a propose for the government, I’m not sure if this is out of topic or not, but anyways here goes..
For a start, the government should abolish all 2nd language-made-compulsary-in-school. And stick to only English language to be taught in school.
Bcos 1stly, its unfair for those who falls into the “other” ethnic group ie. Arab, Caucasian, Jew, etc. to study a language (Mandarin/Malay/Tamil) which is not their mother tongue + the government made it compulsary. Its ok if the government set it as a choice to learn it but do not make it compulsary.
2ndly, I support 100% on abolishing ethnic categorisations. We unite by English language, and thats it. Its just a straight forward simple formula.
Anyone agree?
I would strongly urged the government to act swiftly to ensure the protection of migrant workers’ human rights,
first of all does singaporeans have that human rights??