A forum letter published by local Chinese daily Lianhe Zaobao has further stirred the pot on the debate about Singapore's treatment of the tens of thousands of foreign workers residing and working here.
Divisive issue
The forum letter writer had blamed the Covid-19 outbreak in the workers' dormitories on the workers' hygiene and bad living habits.
Many readers agreed with the writer. However, the views put forth were also criticised by others.
Public intellectuals like Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh and retired diplomat Bilahari Kausikan commented on the letter too.
Bilahari said the letter was "silly", and noted that Singapore has its own xenophobia that borders on racism.
Koh agreed with him, and said he hoped the letter was not reflective of the views of the newspaper's readers.
Forum letter written in response to first letter
Another Zaobao reader wrote a forum letter in response to the original letter.
This letter, titled "Please do not use coloured lens to see the migrant workers", was published on Thursday, April 16, and was written by one Shen Jia En.
Shen rebutted Li by saying she should not have compared her own circumstances to the migrant workers', as the two living environments could not be more different.
For instance, Shen pointed out that while at the very most, an average of six to seven people live in a HDB flat, over 160 people could share a single dorm, with only one toilet on each floor of the dormitory in some cases.
Shen also added that stereotyping the entire community of migrant workers was "extremely irresponsible".
Translation of forum letter
Here's a translation of Shen's complete piece.
I read the letter published on Lianhe Zaobao on April 13 that was titled "No need for pointless criticism during a pandemic". Based on her own life experience and habits, the writer criticised foreign workers for not taking care of their own hygiene, and went on to claim that their living habits have led to the surge in Covid-19 cases in their dormitories. With regards to such a biased and baseless claim, I'm unable to agree with the writer.
First of all, the writer used her own life as an example, and thought it was sufficient to say that the cleanliness of the foreign workers' living environment depended on their living habits and self cultivation. Such a comparison is without evidence.
Firstly, the writer grew up in a HDB flat, and lived in the flat as part of a "family" unit. At most, an average of six to nine people live in a single unit. As for the foreign workers, as they moved here from their homelands to eke out a living, "work" is prioritised for them. Under land constraints in our country, most of them could only stay in crowded rooms that house an average of 12 people in each room.
As the rooms are not well-ventilated, many of them choose to sleep in the canteens or basketball courts. A foreign worker friend told me that there are about 14 rooms on each floor at the dormitories, and each dormitory could house at most 168 workers. But everyone shares a toilet.
Under such circumstances, it is not surprising that hygiene conditions of the place is not that good. Moreover, the writer has established a consensus with her family members regarding their hygiene habits, while the foreign workers are living with strangers, and have to accommodate one another's living habits. Therefore, such considerations, as well as the difference in the number of people and living environment, simply meant it could not be compared on the same level with the "small HDB flat" that the writer lives in.
Secondly, the writer said, "The key point is, have the foreign workers done their part", and that they cannot "just be relying on cleaners to do their job". Putting ourselves in their shoes, even if it comes to Singaporeans, if you live in such a crowded and stuffy environment, you might have the same problems too. This is not just a problem of whether they have done their part or not.
At first, our ancestors lived in similar environments, and were looked down upon by the British. In a short span of time, we've reversed roles and are now discriminating against the outsider. One can't help but feel disappointed at such a change. After going through hardships to change the course of history, are we now letting history repeat itself?
Perhaps while writing the letter, the writer had not given thought to whether or not foreign workers have the ability to choose. Many people have negative stereotypes towards foreign workers, such as them not being cultured, not being hygienic, and preferring to sleep on the ground. We should be aware if such a broad conclusion could represent the entire community of foreign workers.
Such blanket statements are extremely irresponsible. Even for Singaporeans, public toilets at crowded shopping malls are not kept clean all the time. Is this also because we "did not do our part"? Many times, we have not been perfect ourselves.
Actually, there are some activists who do speak out for the foreign workers, but it's just that no one listens. Previously, some diseases went around the foreign workers as well, but it wasn't really reported. Now the media's attention is on the topic, but it's only because of how all-consuming the Covid-19 outbreak has become. And if the foreign workers are infected, other residents in Singapore might be affected as well.
If these activists did not point out our flaws as a society at this critical time, will anyone still remember this incident after the outbreak is over? Will anyone still feel for the foreign workers knowing everything they had to face?
Of course, the writer has emphasised that current facilities housing the foreign workers are already much better as compared to conditions 10 years ago. The government has indeed built several new dormitories in recent years, and the living environment for the foreign workers has indeed improved.
The government has also made adjustments when the outbreak occurred, such as sending food to the workers, and taking care of the dormitories that have been allocated as quarantine facilities. We have all seen the hard work put in by our government, and I, of course, would not make any pointless criticism. But I just hope that in the future, more people would pay attention to the living conditions of the foreign workers in a logical manner.
Our country's development in recent years, such as the various terminals at Changi Airport, are the results of the contributions from both foreign workers and us. Should we want to develop further, we have to work together with them. And if we come to certain conclusions without understanding the actual situation, it will lead to ordinary citizens holding even deeper biases against the workers.
In other words, we should not be looking at what foreign workers are going through with coloured lenses, and we should not be treating them differently from others. The article "Don't take foreign workers for granted" written by Lan Yunzhou illustrates this well. Interested readers can give it a read. I especially agree with a saying by Mozi (a Chinese philosopher): "Love one another, share the same pain together", which means people should love one another regardless of whether they are close to one another, or whether they are rich or poor, and that we should all help one another, and share the same gains.
The Covid-19 pandemic has taken over globally, and the virus does not discriminate against race, nationality, beliefs, or wealth. In the face of a disaster, we are all humans that share in the same destiny. We must learn to cooperate, look after one another, and not discriminate as everyone's equal. We should not just be looking at individual gains in the short term, but should also look at the larger invisible community. If everyone thinks of this a bit more logically, the society can then improve as a whole. Just like what Lan wrote: "Our ignorance has left us plenty of room to self reflect."
Lastly, I'll like to thank the writer, because of her article, I'm able to use the opportunity to express some of my personal opinions. I have no intention of criticising her. And I hope we can all look out for one another, and understand that we all share the same pain together.
Mixed responses
Many other Zaobao readers agreed with the points Shen made.
Screengrab via Lianhe Zaobao/Facebook
"The outbreak is a reflection of our inner demons. It's creepy to see usually polite Singaporeans reveal their harsh criticisms and mean views towards the migrant workers. The workers are not stealing, nor are they robbing. They have left their homelands to work hard somewhere else in order to seek a better life.
If there's anyone who thinks they've robbed you of your employment chances or that they are wasting resources, why don't you or your children replace them and do their jobs? As a human, please be kinder (to others)!"
Screengrab via Lianhe Zaobao/Facebook
"They've left their homes behind and came to live under others in a different country, and had to undertake hard labour while braving the elements!
We are now enjoying the comfort and convenience of our homes and transportation thanks to their hard work! We should empathise with them and take good care of them! This will help reassure their families back at home too."
Screengrab via Lianhe Zaobao/Facebook
"As an employer, I've sent my workers to the so-called standard large-scale workers dormitory. In return for the high rental fees I pay each month, my workers have been quarantined, basic services industry has been disrupted, yet the workers' dormitory continues to collect rental fees, and even emphasised that government regulations state that the payment cannot be delayed.
As employers, we can't seem to find a good solution to our problems... One of my workers had a fever yesterday, yet the dormitory management ignored him, and even said since the entire dormitory has now been set aside for quarantine, it has already been handed over to the relevant government agency to manage... We could only call the police in the end."
But not everyone agreed, with some still implying that the problem lies with the workers' personal hygiene.
Screengrab via Lianhe Zaobao/Facebook
"Migrant workers travelled long distances to come work in our country. Our country should ensure their health and safety, and let them attend some hygiene courses. We should empathise with them as they are in a different country with a different culture and habits. We still need them to brave the weather and build our MRTs and HDBs!"
Screengrab via Lianhe Zaobao/Facebook
"Every life is valuable, even that of future migrant workers. Migrant workers come from different countries, and have different cultures and living habits.
I believe after learning about the Covid-19 outbreak and understanding the gravity of the situation, they would be like Singaporeans, and will cooperate as much as possible with the authorities on the "circuit breaker". By following a "Singapore-style" health, they can not only protect themselves, but also protect Singaporeans."
Screengrab via Lianhe Zaobao/Facebook
"Sometimes besides sympathy, we also have to think if the spread of certain diseases have got to do with the hygiene level of the living environment, or personal hygiene habits?"
Top image via Getty Images