Member of Parliament Louis Ng went to Bangladesh in 2019 to support Nee Soon Town Council cleaner, known as Hanif.

In a Facebook post on Sep. 13, Ng wrote that he travelled with Hanif to his home country to "welcome his first child into the world".

Hanif's wife, however, had delivered early and he had missed the chance to be there when his son was born.

During the trip, Ng reflected about how he witnessed firsthand how difficult it is for cleaners to be so far from their loved ones while working in Singapore.

Sharing an exchange he had with Hanif's wife, she apparently told him that "reality is very tough", so her husband has to work hard abroad.

"I feel sad and I miss his presence," she added.

When asked about how he felt knowing that his son may not see him for a long time, Hanif apparently told Ng, “We are poor people and to survive we have to make these kinds of sacrifices.”

Hanif has worked as a cleaner in Singapore for 14 years.

His full post here:

Ng urged everyone to show more appreciation to cleaners in Singapore.

He also pointed to his recent Parliamentary speech, calling for everyone to show more appreciation to the community of migrant workers in Singapore.

In June this year, Ng has previously raised issues pertaining to migrant workers in Parliament as well, such as ensuring that they get paid on time.

We deliver more stories to you on LinkedIn

To photo via Louis Ng/FB